On the eve of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi''s visit to the United States for talks on Iran''s nuclear program, his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, warned last Thursday that an Israeli attack on Iran might lead to escalation, undermine the region''s stability and endanger the lives of Americans in the Persian Gulf "who are under the threat envelope right now."
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03/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Because the region is rock stable right now?
Come on..
#4
Because the Americans in the Persian Gulf "who are under the threat envelope right now" are in more danger from the Iranian threat of nuclear war than the Israelis at whom the missiles are aimed? Clearly there is a subtlety of analysis beyond my simple and uneducated understanding.
#6
Israel could turn the tables on Iran and start a sabotage campaign in Iran proper. The difference being that a trained expert saboteur can bring a large city to a grinding halt quickly. A single company of such men spread throughout Iran could make the country chaotic.
No electricity, no fuel, fires, water catastrophes and contamination, ships sinking, food adulterated or ruined, farm animals dying, industrial accidents, computer havoc, you name it.
#7
It's the Persian New Year this week. Lots of unauthorized pagan-type things going on. The mullahs will have their hands full, what with all the Jaheliah...
#8
Sounds like official U.S. policy is to acquiesce to development of an Iranian nuclear weapon. Not the kind of signal I'd want to send those bastards.
But, hey, unauthorized pagan-type things might be fun.
Former MP Faris Soueid is the March 14 Secretariat General Coordinator and a key member of the Cedar Revolution alliance. The conference at the Biehl ceneter marking the launching of the March 14 election campaign was attended by the leaders of the Cedar Revolution.
Soueid listed the main issues of the campaign as follows :
1- To protect Lebanon against Israeli aggression and regaining Shebaa via UNSCR 1701.
2- To impose the authority of the state on all its territories. There should be no arms other than those of the Lebanese state.
3 - To end the dispute with Syria and build normal, friendly relations based on the Taef accord, to complete our diplomatic relations, with border control and demarcation, to end the issue of Lebanese detainees.
4- To provide harmony between Lebanon and the international community, not to place Lebanon in confrontation with the international community.
5- We will work to regain Lebanon's Arab role, commit to supporting the Palestinian people and Authority's struggle in establishing an independent state with its capital Jerusalem.
6- we will pursue our strict commitment in not settling Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and adopting a draft law presented by March 14 MPs 6 months ago to amend the constitution on the issue
7 - We are committed to state building through the implementation of the Taef accord and securing the free and just presence of all sects.
8- To commit to the requirements of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a manner that guarantees Lebanon's safety and stability.
9- To provide the necessary commitments for returning displaced citizens and to finally close this issue once and for all.
10 - To protect Lebanon and the Lebanese internally and externally from the ramifications of the international financial crisis, to put in place an effective program regarding our national debt.
11- To implement economic, social and development policies.
12 - To secure wider participation of women in Lebanon's political, economic and social life and in the decision making process
13- To commit to the cause of the Lebanese Diaspora, in securing them with equal rights and duties particularly in their right to vote.
14 - To put an end to the environmental deterioration in Lebanon via a strategy of sustainable development.
Soueid concluded his speech by stressing that March 14 alliance forces" undertake to cooperate in the spirit of solidarity throughout their campaign in the upcoming elections and in all the electoral districts of country "
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The Lebanese Army conducted a major crackdown on armed groups in Sidon on Friday after clashes broke out on Thursday night. Around 1,000 army soldiers and ISF officers cordoned off large swathes of central Sidon, leading to the arrest of eight armed people and the confiscation of weapons.
Security sources say that one of the key perpetrators is a man called Mohammed Saleh, a Palestinian.
Wotta surprise.
He was arrested by Fateh officials inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian camp, who pledged to hand him over to the ISF on Friday evening.
For the past four years Sidon has been plagued with periodic outbreaks of violence between armed groups stemming from both political and personal disagreements.
Late on Thursday, two groups of armed men began fighting in a bout of violence that lasted for more than an hour. The skirmish began as a personal argument between youths near the Saha Bakery in central Sidon. It quickly deteriorated into exchanges of gun sex machine gun-fire, with clashes spreading across the city, sending residents into panic. A sound grenade was dropped, causing a loud explosion in the city center.
There were no injuries reported in the fighting, which prompted the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Force to conduct extensive patrols through Sidon overnight, before launching an major operation to catch the culprits.
The incident was condemned by all political parties. Sidon MP Bahia Hariri said: "Sidon refuses to allow anyone to mess with its security. I confirm that the security forces will restore security and stability to our city."
There are signs that residents of Sidon have had enough of the violence. Security sources told The Daily Star that they received help from residents in catching the perpetrators and added that they also arrested several drug dealers in the swoop. They said that the operation had also taken place in Sidon's suburbs as well as the city center and pledged that the crackdown would continue until all wanted people have been arrested.
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This article starring:
Mohammed Saleh
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Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir urged the Lebanese during his Sunday sermon to vote during the June 7 elections for candidates who will defend their basic rights. "Voters must know who they will be choosing to defend their basic rights," Sfeir said. "They must not forget the proverb 'whoever buys you shall sell you.'"
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(Xinhua) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday dismissed international sanctions against the country as a "childish thinking" and a "grave blunder."
The idea of impeding Iran's progress through sanctions was a "childish thinking and a grave blunder," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in the Gulf city of Assalouyeh.
He made the remarks in his address to a ceremony for the inauguration of the 9th and 10th phases of South Pars gas field in Assalouyeh in southern Boushehr Province.
Calling the inauguration of the gas field projects as "the national feast of self-confidence, innovation and flourish," Ahmadinejad said the event marked "a rejoicing feast for the great Iranian nation."
"The happiness will double if you consider the fact that the huge task was done under conditions when certain people around the world refused to act on their duty and promises, showing bad temper and misbehavior," he said. The Iranian president also said that the country's presence in the space and its progress in nuclear program were all because of "the superpowers' bad temper."
Ahmadinejad's remarks came one day after U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the United States would continue its sanctions against Iran as the Islamic republic was continuing its "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the U.S. security and economy.
Washington, long being at odds with Tehran, began imposing its routine sanctions since 1995 when former President Bill Clinton was in office. The sanctions, which have been extended on an annual basis by successive presidents, include prohibiting American companies aiding the development of the Iranian oil industry and halting trade, export and import as well as investment ties with Iran.
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Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Yes, childish liberal thinking...a smack along the side of the head (or Isfahan) is better.
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