#1
The U.S. is starting to de-Surge, too. My neighbor got to spend Christmas here with his wife because they sent 70 extra airplanes (or had 70 extra flights? I'm not quite clear on that detail) -- he was #270 on the list, and had given up on the possibility. Hopefully things will continue to go well enough in Iraq that this can continue.
Thank you, Australia, for what you've done and continue to do.
BILBAO -- The Basque separatist group ETA will base its calls for independence on the example set by Kosovo, says local daily Gara.
You knew that was coming ...
ETA, which the EU considers a terrorist organization, stresses that its fight "is not utopia" and cites the examples of Kosovo and Scotland, it is written on the dailys website, which has announced interviews with some of the organizations members.
It was not possible to get any details of the interview from the papers editors, nor were the names of any of the groups members mentioned. ETA uses Gara, among other papers, to send messages or publish its statements.
"This nation has a right to its own development," says ETA, which has been responsible for 819 murders in the last 40 years in Spain in its fight for the Basque country's independence.
Kosovo officials say that they will soon declare independence against the wishes of the Serbian authorities. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party secured a majority in elections to the Scottish parliament in May, and is looking to hold a referendum for independence in 2010.
Basque leaders wish to hold a similar referendum in the same year.
#1
Spain feels it must fiercely hold on to the Basque region, because if it separates, then other regions will follow:
(from the Wiki)
"The Spanish Constitution, in its second article, declares that Spain is an indissoluble nation that recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government of the "nationalities" and regions that constitute it.
Catalonia, alongside Basque Country, Galicia and Andalusia self-ascribed as "nationalities" in the elaborations of their Statutes of Autonomy the first three acceding to autonomy automatically and more recently in their new Statutes or recent amendments Aragon, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands also did.
The 1979 as well as the current Statute of Autonomy, approved in 2006, state that "Catalonia, as a nationality, exercises its self-government constituted as an autonomous community in accordance with the Constitution and with the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, which is its basic institutional law."
The descriptive preamble of the 2006 Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia states the Parliament of Catalonia defined Catalonia as a nation, but that the "Spanish Constitution recognizes Catalonia's national reality as a nationality".
While this Statute was approved by and sanctioned by both the Catalan and the Spanish parliaments, and later by referendum in Catalonia, it has been legally contested by the surrounding Autonomous Communities of Aragon, Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community, as well as by the Partido Popular.
The objections are based on various topics such as disputed cultural heritage but, specially, on the Statute alleged breaches of the "solidarity between regions" principle enshrined by the Constitution in fiscal and educational matters.
As of December 2007, the Constitutional Court of Spain is assessing the constitutionality of the challenged articles, its binding assessment is expected for 2008.
#2
And it will be just a short time until waterborne Spanish immigrants launch their liberation movement, to be followed shortly by like-minded sorts in the English midlands, and the Moros rejuvenate, and then splinter groups in Assam, and then the Uigers, and so on and so on, and there's a large Somali population in Augusta, Maine, correct?
In Baghdad, Low Expectations Have Supplanted High Ideals
Washington Post Page A01
BAGHDAD -- Several dozen soldiers and embassy staff members relaxed on the patio around Saddam Hussein's old swimming pool, shivering in the desert chill, as a boombox blared Latin rhythms over the racket of low-flying helicopters. It was Salsa Night in the Green Zone, but on a Friday evening in late November, only a few bundled-up couples shuffled awkwardly to the beat.
Suddenly, a 30-something woman and a 20-something man, both in Air Force uniform, took the dance floor, their camouflage jackets and holstered sidearms swinging with each smooth, expert turn. The bored patio denizens perked up, transfixed by a rare moment of magic.
The moment was a fleeting reminder of the good times in the war's early days, when the pool patio was the Green Zone's social hub and young conservative staffers, eager to remake Iraq, danced away the cares of nation-building. Those times and people are long gone, replaced by sober diplomats and soldiers with lower expectations, slogging diligently through their duties, collecting combat pay, and envisioning an Iraq where the electricity works and where a trip to the market does not court death. It's still bad over there, you fools! But not as bad as Venezuela!
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/05/2008 15:55 ||
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#1
Ah, the good old days when we didn't know all is lost in Iraq.....
#5
used to be movable goal posts, now it's a "success line" at the vanishing point. Our MSM never fails in disugusting capitulation... wonder why they are losing money and bleeding jobs. Could it be because they don't do their jobs the way we think they should?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/05/2008 18:22 Comments ||
Top||
#6
When they sold the TRUTH, they sold something people needed. Now that they don't sell that, they sell something no one needs. You do the math, because they can't..
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/05/2008 18:39 Comments ||
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#7
Not enough dancing in the green zone - it's a quagmire!
The western media is projecting Muslims in a negative way, said former Punjab University Mass Communication Department chairperson Prof Dr Miskeen Ali Hijazi said.
According to a press release issued by Government College University (GCU) Lahore on Thursday, speaking at a shield awarding ceremony of the Young Journalists Society, he said that many expansions in media have taken place over the last thirty to forty years.
He said due to the technological advancements, the western media, after the collapse of USSR, targeted the Muslims to achieve their own interests.
He said due to the technological advancements, the western media, after the collapse of USSR, targeted the Muslims to achieve their own interests. Stating that in light of the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq, it was the western media led by Americans that projected the possibility of the existence of such weapons just to augment their reason to invade Iraq. He further said there were many national governments in the Muslim countries that were also helping in strengthening the western media.
GCU Dean of Languages, Islamic and Oriental Learning, Prof Dr Sohail Ahmed Khan argued that it was the age of information and that one could not escape the influence of the media. He said the GCU would soon elevate mass communication studies up to masters level. The In charge of the Young Journalists Society of GCU Prof Muhammad Iqbal Anjum thanked Prof Dr Miskeen Ali Hijazi for gracing the event with his thought provoking lecture to the young students of GCU.
This article starring:
Miskeen Ali Hijazi
Muhammad Iqbal Anjum
Sohail Ahmed Khan
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
"The western media is projecting Muslims in a negative way"
But not nearly as negative as it would be if they just reported the news without their pro-Islam bias.
#2
Sounds more like the Islamics are afraid the media is reporting at least part of their koranic animal actions. Nothing like the light of cameras to send scum scampering.
#5
Under attack? Our media refuses to report Islamic hate and aggression. In the case of Koranic prescribed beatings, these are explained away as an alleged aspect of male violence against women.
#7
The Muslims would have a better press if the fathers would stop killing their female children. Child sacrifice is an ancient evil that is back in the name of honor killings. An ancient evil is back.
#11
The western media is projecting Muslims in a negative way, said former Punjab University Mass Communication Department chairperson Prof Dr Miskeen Ali Hijazi said.
I see mass com profs have the same pro-muslim bias in Pakistan as they do here.
So, a "chairperson". There are enough female department heads in Pakistan to go gender neutral on this douchebag's title?
#13
Jeeez, Mike N. carrying a grudge? It's their way, it a different culture you see, not better or worse just different.
Also: Hello and prepare for war. Somethings up.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
01/05/2008 7:38 Comments ||
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#14
I only wish. The media does all it can to whitewash or ignore Islam aggression and intolerance.
It is ironic that the very people in the west that give Islam a pass and try to cover up their barbarianism would be the first to be killed under an Islam ruled state.
#18
"the western media, after the collapse of USSR, targeted the Muslims"
It's a pity that somebody like Jimmy Carter didn't start targeting them in Iran in 1979. That may have had some major effects on the Iran/Iraq war, Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, and numerous events of terrorism. [Reagan certainly made an impact on Libya in 1986.] Tally up the deaths, though, and I think you'll find that most of them are Muslims dead at the hands of Muslims. Now don't get me wrong -- I know some very nice Muslims. But there are a lot of not-nice Muslims that need some targeting.
#19
"The western media is projecting Muslims in a negative way"
No...the western media is going out of its way to excuse or overlook the Neanderthal actions of muslim states (Iran, SA, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, etc.) and the Neanderthal muslims themselves (Philippines, Thailand, Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan, France, Netherlands, etc.).
And I apologize to Neanderthals who are offended being compared to muslims.
The ATC-I on Friday acquitted 16 men involved in the kidnapping of 21 Iranians in the hilly area of Buleda, Turbat, for non-pursuance of the case by the Iranians.
The judge awarded an imprisonment of 33 years in aggregate to all the 16 accused over the recovery of arms from their possessions under Section 13-E of the Arms Ordinance. Abdullah, Saboor and Fazal Rehman and their 13 accomplices had kidnapped 21 Iranians and held them hostage in the mountainous areas of Buleda on August 19, 2007. The Frontier Corps and police personnel had conducted a joint operation and got all the hostages freed in the third week of August 2007. The challan was submitted before the ATC-I judge, who acquitted all the 16 accused, because the Iranians did not pursue the case.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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The security situation in Pakistan remained highly unsatisfactory as terrorist attacks continued throughout 2007, resulting in 3,448 casualties from 1,503 attacks and clashes.
According to the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) security report for 2007, the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto and continued attacks on army personnel question the effectiveness of the security forces.
One might argue that they're actually quite effective, just not in the way this article thinks ...
The report states that around 1,503 attacks and clashes took place in 2007, leaving 3,448 people dead and 5,353 injured. These casualties figure 128 percent and 491.7 percent higher as compared with 2006 and 2005, respectively. It states that the sharp increase in terrorist attacks proves that the countrys security is rapidly deteriorating. It says the security forces are facing direct threats from the terrorists and looking helpless.
This helplessness was proven during 2007 with the deaths of 232 soldiers, 163 paramilitary troops and 71 policemen in terrorist attacks. The report states that Pakistan faced 60 suicide attacks (mostly targeted at security forces) during 2007, which killed at least 770, besides injuring another 1,574 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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PPP leader Babar Awan said on Friday a report by an eight-member medical board suggested that Benazir Bhutto had suffered an open head injury, which might have been caused by a laser gun. Awan said that the head injury led to cardiac arrest but the report made no mention of the weapon used. He accused the Punjab government of fabricating this medical report, since Benazirs x-ray revealed a bullet embedded in her head.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
These people are (i) subnormal, and (ii) are winning against us. What does it says about us?
#7
I have lots of ancestors, but they're mainly all dead. Mostly from shame, or so I've been told.
Apart from the fear of going to hell, one of my great existential anxieties is to imagine having my ancestors watch over me (or worse, meeting them after my death), and having them think "we did all that, endured all those hardships... for ending up with HIM???!"
Damn.
Pakistani officials say the Scotland Yard team will lend forensic and technical expertise to the investigation, which is being carried out by the government as controversy swirls around the death of Ms. Bhutto.
Supporters of Ms. Bhutto, along with her family and her political party, the Pakistan People's Party, say the former prime minister was shot and killed by a gunman while leaving a political rally in her car. Television footage shows a man firing three shots at the back of Ms. Bhutto's head. She slumps down into the car, and then a suicide bomb goes off. Her aides say they saw a bullet wound in her head after the attack. But the government says she was killed when she ducked the blast of the suicide bomb that followed the gunshots, cracking her skull on the sunroof of her car.
President Pervez Musharraf denied Thursday that a security lapse on the government's part was to blame for the assassination. He blamed Ms. Bhutto for standing in the open and waving to her supporters when she knew there was a danger of an attack. "Who is to blame for the coming out of the vehicle and standing outside? Who is to blame? The law enforcement agencies?" he asked. "The others were sitting inside and they were secure."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
After they're kidnapped, how much ransom will Her Majesty's Government pay?
The government has decided to appoint the current Balochistan governor as NWFP governor ahead of the rescheduled general elections, according to well-placed sources.
Highly-placed sources claimed that the government has decided to appoint Owais Ghani, incumbent Balochistan governor, as NWFP governor in place of Lt Gen (r) Ali Jan Muhammad Orakzai. In Balochistan, Chief Justice of Balochistan Amaullah Khan Yousafzai will be appointed acting governor in place of Owais Ghani until a suitable person is selected for this job, they claimed. They said the decision to change the governors of the two provinces has been taken in principle, adding that it could take a few days before it is implemented.
Possible resignation: Separately, Daily Times Bureau Chief Iqbal Khattak quoted official sources from Peshawar as saying that NWFP Governor Ali Jan Orakzai may have resigned. He has resigned and what we hear is that his successor is likely to be from Mardan district, the sources told Daily Times on Friday. There are rumours that General Ehsanul Haq, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, could replace Orakzai as the next NWFP governor. The officials said the contents of the resignation letter could not be ascertained.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Sunni tribal militias opposed to al-Qaeda will be integrated into the countrys security forces, according to Sheikh Hameed al-Hayes.
Hayes is the tribal chieftain of the Province of Anbar west of Baghdad. The province was once described as an impregnable garrison of al-Qaeda in the country. But Hayes said his militias, comprising loyal tribesmen paid and armed by U.S. occupation troops, have managed to bring a semblance of stability to the province.
Tens of thousands of Sunni tribesmen have joined the emerging Sunni militia forces which are present in predominantly Arab Sunni areas and cities in the country. The growing power of the tribesmen is a matter of concern for the Shiite dominated government and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is reported to be unhappy with the surge in their influence.
But Hayes tried to allay such fears, saying that his tribesmens main role would be to back the official police and security forces and provide help in combating Qaeda.
Hayes commands the largest and most effective Sunni tribal forces in the country and had vowed to put an end to Qaeda in his province by the end of 2007. The main factor behind the fall in violence and death in the country is attributed to these tribal militia groups.
A senior Sunni politician from the Accord Front, Omer Abdulsattar has warned recently that security conditions will deteriorate precipitously if Sunni tribal militias were disbanded. Abdulsattar rejected claims that the militias were working for political gains.
However, Hayes said the security improvements might not last unless there is progress with political reconciliation under which Arab Sunnis demand a bigger political role.
The Iraqi Qaeda, almost solely comprising Sunni fighters, has declared war on Sunni tribal militias. Its suicide bombers have mounted deadly attacks, killing scores and wounding hundreds of these tribesmen particularly in the still violent province of Diyala north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
BAGHDAD - Around 20,000 Iraqi refugees returned home from Syria in December, suggesting an improved security situation in the country, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent. The independent organisation said in the report, obtained by AFP on Friday, that 45,913 people returned to Iraq from Syria between mid-September and December 27, more than double the figure reported a month ago. Of these, 38,736 had returned to Baghdad and the remainder to other provinces, it said, adding the number of internally displaced in Iraq fell by about 10,000 people in November.
The news comes after US military commanders said on Wednesday that the number of attacks across Iraq had fallen by 62 percent following a US troop surge and the formation of scores of anti-Qaeda groups.
The situation seems to have improved relatively and that has encouraged some Iraqi refugees to come back to their country, the report said.
The situation seems to have improved relatively and that has encouraged some Iraqi refugees to come back to their country ...
The Red Crescent said there were almost 2.18 million internally displaced people in Iraq as of November 30, compared with almost 2.3 million at the end of September. The figure represents 344,236 families, with 58.7 percent of the total number being children.
Despite the marginal improvement in the situation, the Red Crescent said, the plight of the displaced remains dire. They are suffering from many serious hardships such as lack of accommodation and high rentals, inadequate health services, a large number of students have left their studies while many displaced people have lost their jobs and it is hard for them to buy food or fuel, the report said.
The Red Crescents numbers are lower than those given by the Iraqi government, which estimates as many as 60,000 refugees have made the homeward trip, mainly from Syria but also from Jordan.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 4.2 million Iraqis have been displaced since the US-led invasion in March 2003, of whom 750,000 went to Jordan, 1.4 million to Syria and about two million sought refuge elsewhere in Iraq. The UNHCR says it is proving difficult to determine exactly how many Iraqi refugees are returning home. Currently, the UN refugee agency is not promoting returns to Iraq, it said in a statement on its website.
Because that would mean fewer refugees for them to manage.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- At least four Iraqis, including two policemen were killed Friday in a fuel tank explosion at a checkpoint for inspection in Missan governorate in southern Iraq. Spokesman of Missan police told reporters the tank was loaded with gasoline exploded this evening at a checkpoint north of the city of Amarah that resulted in the death of two policemen at the checkpoint, the driver of the tank and his colleague. The explosion occurred after two policemen opened door the tank for the purpose of inspection, which led to an imbalance in pressure inside the tank.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The explosion occurred after two policemen opened door the tank for the purpose of inspection, which led to an imbalance in pressure inside the tank
#3
actually, most explosions CAUSE differential pressures
/Physics 101 for Journalists
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/05/2008 13:45 Comments ||
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#4
Most fuel tankers are pressurized. There is a pressure relief valve near the inspection port. Most of the time, the pressure has to be equalized before the inspection port can be opened.
I hope someone wasn't dumb enough to strike a match to look inside the tanker inspection port...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/05/2008 14:33 Comments ||
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The prospects for a breakthrough in the peace process in the near future have dwindled following reports that Israel will demand that the future Palestinian state be demilitarized, Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah said Thursday.
They can't be authentically Paleo if you take away their shootin' irons ...
The officials also strongly condemned Israel's security measures in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, saying the latest escalation posed an imminent threat to the PA's efforts to consolidate its power in these areas.
The PA leadership said it was very concerned by the fact that Israel was planning to demand that the IDF be able to operate inside a future Palestinian state to foil terrorist attacks or a military offensive from the east. "The Palestinian Authority rejects talk about a demilitarized Palestinian state," a senior PA official told The Jerusalem Post. "A Palestinian state that does not have a strong security force won't be able to survive for one day. Every day Israel sends yet another message that it does not want peace with its neighbors."
Another official in Ramallah said Israel's talk about a demilitarized Palestinian state and retaining control of Ma'aleh Adumim and other settlement blocs in the West Bank "proves that Israel is not working toward achieving a two-state solution."
Israel, he added, wanted a Palestinian state only on parts of the West Bank where the IDF would continue to operate freely. "Our position remains unchanged," the official said. "There will never be peace without a Palestinian state in the entire West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. We insist on a full withdrawal to the 1967 borders."
PA negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo, who has been dispatched to Washington for talks with US officials ahead of President George W. Bush's visit to the region next week, will express the PA's deep concern over Israel's latest security measures and position regarding the status of the future Palestinian state, the official told the Post.
According to the official, Abed Rabbo would demand that Bush call for an end to construction in all settlements, including in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, during his visit to Israel and the PA territories.
The PA also wants a clear statement from Bush that a Palestinian state would enjoy full sovereignty with a strong security force, the official said.
Ahmed Qurei, head of the PA team negotiating with Israel, said the Palestinians considered all the settlements to be illegal. "The settlements are an act of aggression against the Palestinians," he said. "We are opposed to all the settlements, including Ma'aleh Adumim. These settlements, as well as the occupation, must go."
Nabil Shaath, a former minister and a top adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said Israel's recent actions and statements jeopardized the future of the peace process. "It's impossible for us to negotiate on the basis of land for peace while Israel is taking our lands and continuing to build more settlements," he said. "Israel is doing everything to sabotage the understandings reached at the Annapolis peace conference."
In response to the latest IDF operations, Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, accused Israel of "sending a bloody message" to the Palestinians on the eve of Bush's visit to the region. "Israel is trying to avoid fulfilling its commitments under the terms of the road map and the peace process," Abu Rudaineh said. "Israel is also seeking to sabotage the results of the Annapolis conference by escalating the situation so that the issue of security will dominate the agenda of Bush's talks."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
Israel needs to tell the paleostains to STFU or be crushed - their choice. As long as one of the explicit goals of the Arabs is to destroy Israel, Israel should have the right to do whatever it deems necessary to defend itself, including the nuking of all its neighbors. Muslims have no sense of loyalty - "it's me against my brother, my brother and I against our father, our father andI against our uncle, my family against our neighbors, our village against our neighboring villages, and all of us against the state." Not exactly verbatim, but the muslim/Arab mentality in a nutshell. There can never be a peace between the muslims and anyone else, merely an armed truce. As long as the rest of the world is more powerful - and willing to use that power - the muslims will not cause problems. Once they sense a weakness, they will destroy Western civilization, a piece at a time.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/05/2008 14:39 Comments ||
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The exiled leader of Hamas said Friday they have rejected a European offer for an indirect meeting with Israelis to discuss a possible truce, adding that the Palestinian people have no choice other than "resistance."
Khaled Mashaal, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Hamas movement, is handed "the Palestine Oath" by Palestinians living in Damascus, in which they promise him to cling fast to their right of return to Palestine and not to surrender their rights. The paper was submitted Friday.
Photo: AP
Speaking at a rally in Damascus marking Hamas's 20th anniversary, Khaled Mashaal also called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to hold unconditional talks with Hamas.
Mashaal also said that "some Europeans have offered us to meet indirectly with Israelis to discuss a truce and we told them no and one thousands nos." He did not say what European country made the offer.
On Monday, Abbas took a conciliatory tone toward his Hamas rivals in a major policy speech, calling for a "new page" in relations between the bitter enemies. Fatah and Hamas have been at odds since Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006. Those differences boiled over into open warfare that peaked with Hamas' driving Fatah out of Gaza in June.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Who needs them or their fake "state". 4 million people will get 4.7 million dollars and use it for fight club.
Despite international political and financial support, the popularity of the Fatah faction headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has declined over the past month, partially because of mistrust in the group's leaders, according to a poll published Friday.
Fatah still commands a strong lead over Hamas that controls Gaza, with 39 percent of Palestinians trusting it, as opposed to 16 percent backing for Hamas. But in November, 46 percent of those surveyed for a similar poll favored Fatah, and 13 percent backed Hamas.
Other than the fact that Fatah can't run anything, can't do anything, and can't even fight very well, why would they lose support?
Forty-one percent of those polled said they didn't trust either faction, up from 32 percent in November.
But not up enough.
The telephone poll, conducted in late December by Near East Consulting, interviewed 959 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. It had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
While most Palestinians trust and approve Fatah's peace moves, they have little trust in Fatah's ability to improve their own living conditions, said Jamil Rabah, director of Near East Consulting. "People don't have a problem with the thinking and ideology of Fatah, but they are not happy with the symbols and leaders of Fatah," Rabah said. "They are getting so much money, but will they bring an end to the (deteriorating) situation?"
Say Jamil, why not ask them instead of us?
In December, international donors pledged US$7.4 billion (euro5.1 billion) over the next three years to the Palestinians. The donations followed a US-sponsored conference in Annapolis, Maryland, where Israelis and Palestinians relaunched talks after seven years of violence.
Resumption of internal fighting in November and December might explain the growing dissatisfaction, Near East Consulting said. At least 16 people were killed over the two months in Gaza.
Rabah said near-daily Israeli military strikes against Hamas terrorists in Gaza during December could have encouraged some of those polled to rally behind Hamas in the latest survey. The shift in numbers "could be both alienation and some kind of bad feeling toward Fatah, as well as sympathy for Hamas," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Even pretending to negotiate with Israel is a no no for Paleos.
COLOMBO - Nordic ceasefire monitors began wrapping up their six-year mission to Sri Lanka on Friday after the government scrapped a truce with the Tamil Tigers, and their mandate, amid a chorus of international concern
President Mahinda Rajapaksas administration formally notified mediator Norway late on Thursday it was giving a stipulated 14-day notice period to end the truce. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said on Friday the government would need to redefine Norways role in light of the end of the truce, but did not specify how.
The move means the gloves finally come off on Jan. 16, and analysts and diplomats expect an intensification of the fighting that resumed almost as soon as Rajapaksa took power in late 2005 as the truce effectively broke down on the ground.
The Nordic Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, which kept a tally of violations of the truce agreement, was initially seen as a deterrent to human rights abuses by both sides but became increasingly ineffective as its access in conflict areas was hampered. Its role ends with the ceasefire. Were beginning to move towards (a pullout), a spokeswoman for the monitors said. Its not far, its only a few days. We of course have offices and personnel all over the place, so yes, were definitely moving towards that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Truce done left a long time ago. If you run, maybe you can catch up.
It seems that the Palestinian leadership did not learn any lessons from the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp . Is there any other explanation for the presence of Fatah al-Islam terrorists in Ein el-Hilweh camp?
Ein el-Hilweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and is located near Sidon in the south. Fatah Al Islam has circulated a statement by fax to the local media agencies in which its group claimed responsibility for detonating explosive devices at dawn last Monday targeting "renegades and disbelievers inside Ein al-Hilweh camp." The statement was signed by "Media office of the Fatah al -Islam movement." The statement said: "Some thought that Fatah al-Islam has been wiped out , but those people will be disappointed when they find out that our flag is still hoisted and our swords are still pointing to the infidels , renegades and crusaders .
Today the body of Jund el-Sham leader Saleh Abdallah was found hanged in the produce market of Sidon . Neither Fatah al Islam nor any other organization have claimed responsibility for this hanging . Jund al-Sham is based in Syria and is another militant group that Syria funds and trains according to sources that are familiar with this group.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
ABU HUREIRA
Fatah al-Islam
SALEH ABDALLAH
Jund el-Sham
SHAKER AL ABSI
Fatah al-Islam
Fatah al-Islam
Jund el-Sham
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Frank J. at IMAO wrote What sort of depraved individual wakes up in the morning and says, "I'm going to vote for Huckabee!" Really, the guy has no appeal to Republicans other than him shouting, "Look at me! I'm a Christian! I'm a Christian!"
MP Wael Abu Faour , a member of the Progressive Socialist Party urged Hezbollah on Friday to help the Lebanese judiciary implicate Israel in the serial killings that have been targeting Lebanon for over three years. "If certain parties have information regarding Israel's responsibility for the recent assassinations, they should help the Lebanese judiciary by providing information about Israel's responsibility They should help the Lebanese judiciary by providing the Lebanese state with such documents to convict Israel," Abu Faour added.
Abu Faour in other words is challenging Nasrallah to show the proof for the statement he made during his Wednesdays interview on NBN TV.
Abu Faour in other words is challenging Nasrallah to show the proof for the statement he made during his Wednesdays interview on NBN TV.
Hezbollah leader Sayed Hassan Nasrallah alleged during the interview that Israel is behind the serial killings that have targeted anti-Syrian figures in Lebanon. The March 14 majority alliance blames the killings on Syria. Damascus denies the charge.
Abu Faour asked: "If they do recognize the judiciary why don't they recognize the international tribunal?" that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes. "Why do they reject the international tribunal? Why do they reject the Lebanese judiciary?" Abu Faour added.
This article starring:
Rafik Hariri
SAIED HASAN NASRALLAH
Hezbollah
Wael Abu Faour
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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The Lebanese opposition group Hezbollah has said openly that it will not allow a president to be elected unless it gets a third of the cabinet seats. This would give Hezbollah and its allies a veto over key decisions.
The Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, blamed the US for obstructing a solution to Lebanon's political crisis by opposing such a move. The western-backed Lebanese government has repeatedly rejected the opposition's demand for powers of veto. The government has proposed reforming the cabinet to give the president a casting vote.
Hezbollah and its allies have been demanding a third of the cabinet seats since the 2006 war with Israel - which Hezbollah regards as a victory - but until now they had not publicly linked the issue to a presidential vote. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who is aligned with the government, said Hezbollah was making impossible demands and was more loyal to Syria and Iran than to Lebanon.
This article starring:
HASAN NASRALLAH
Hezbollah
Walid Jumblatt
Posted by: Fred ||
01/05/2008 00:00 ||
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[12 views]
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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.
PPP leader Babar Awan said on Friday a report by an eight-member medical board suggested that Benazir Bhutto had suffered an open head injury, which might have been caused by a laser gun. Awan said that the head injury led to cardiac arrest but the report made no mention of the weapon used. He accused the Punjab government of fabricating this medical report, since Benazirs x-ray revealed a bullet embedded in her head.
Pakistani officials say the Scotland Yard team will lend forensic and technical expertise to the investigation, which is being carried out by the government as controversy swirls around the death of Ms. Bhutto. 
Sunni tribal militias opposed to al-Qaeda will be integrated into the countrys security forces, according to Sheikh Hameed al-Hayes. 
BAGHDAD - Around 20,000 Iraqi refugees returned home from Syria in December, suggesting an improved security situation in the country, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent. The independent organisation said in the report, obtained by AFP on Friday, that 45,913 people returned to Iraq from Syria between mid-September and December 27, more than double the figure reported a month ago. Of these, 38,736 had returned to Baghdad and the remainder to other provinces, it said, adding the number of internally displaced in Iraq fell by about 10,000 people in November.
The prospects for a breakthrough in the peace process in the near future have dwindled following reports that Israel will demand that the future Palestinian state be demilitarized, Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah said Thursday. 
The exiled leader of Hamas said Friday they have rejected a European offer for an indirect meeting with Israelis to discuss a possible truce, adding that the Palestinian people have no choice other than "resistance." 
COLOMBO - Nordic ceasefire monitors began wrapping up their six-year mission to Sri Lanka on Friday after the government scrapped a truce with the Tamil Tigers, and their mandate, amid a chorus of international concern
It seems that the Palestinian leadership did not learn any lessons from the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp . Is there any other explanation for the presence of 
The Lebanese opposition group Hezbollah has said openly that it will not allow a president to be elected unless it gets a third of the cabinet seats. This would give Hezbollah and its allies a veto over key decisions. 
