The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has accepted an offer by Iran to provide it with weapons produced by the Iranian defense industries, a newspaper in Lebanon reported on Wednesday. According to Al-Akhbar, the proposal was sent from the Iranian embassy in Beirut.
In their response, LAF officers said the army was in need of anti-aircraft weaponry. Israeli officials have expressed concern that the existence of such weapons in Lebanon, whether in the hands of Hizbullah or the army, would constitute a change in the strategic balance between Israel and Lebanon.
The Jerusalem Post could not independently confirm the report.
In recent years, the Lebanese army, which is one of the smallest in the region, received weapon shipments from the United States, especially during and after the 2007 crackdown its security forces launched against the Jihad Sunni group Fatah al-Islam.
The Lebanese military, in its own words, as seen on its official Web site, regards Israel as its "primary antagonist and enemy," while maintaining Hizbullah's right to "resist," despite the military's official role in ensuring that the organization does not rearm south of the Litani river.
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran has prepared an updated nuclear proposal and is ready to hold negotiations with world powers, Iranian television quoted the Islamic Republic's chief nuclear negotiator as saying on Tuesday, as the United States' September deadline loomed.
"The Islamic republic's package of proposals is updated and ready and will be presented (to world powers)," Saeed Jalili, who also heads the country's Supreme National Security Council, told reporters.
"We hope a new round of talks will be held for reaching a world full of progress and justice ... inshallah (God willing)."
Press TV, Iran's English-language state television, said in a scrolling headline, without giving further detail, "Iran ready to offer new nuclear package."
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, looks like they are very, very near having that nuke weapon they've wanted for so long. That or they are trying to give legitimacy to the mullah regime via the world stage.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's parliament resumed the third day of debates on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's proposed cabinet by expressing full support for the nominee for defense minister.
Tuesday saw lawmakers at the Majlis in downtown Tehran review the credentials of seven of the 21-member cabinet, many of them dubbed as inexperienced by some parliamentarians.
The president's choice for the Social Welfare Ministry, Fatemeh Ajorlou received harsh criticism from lawmakers, with some accusing her of copying her proposals for the ministry from books and the internet to make up for her lack of knowledge of social welfare. The 43-year-old psychology graduate hit back by saying, I wonder whether an energy minister would also need to have academic knowledge of both electricity and water to take the job.
"If psychology is not directly related to people and their welfare, then what is?" she asked.
During vetting sessions, two lawmakers can take the floor to voice opposition to a ministerial nominee, while two can defend the proposed candidate. Ajorlou's supporters on the other hand called on fellow lawmakers to consider the nominee's sacrifices and commitment to the Islamic revolution" when casting their vote of confidence or no confidence. Two of Ajorlou's brothers had been military commanders "martyred" during 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, while another one is a veteran.
Another nominee debated during the session was the president's defense minster pick. Defense minister-designate Ahmad Vahidi received overhelming support from the conservative faction of parliament.
Although some lawmakers had previously signed up to talk against Vahidi's nomination, none of them showed up. One lawmaker even interrupted Vahidi's speech to announced that he has had a change of heart, due to Zionist opposition to the minister-designate. Israel has voiced concern over Vahidi's nomination, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman saying the nomination proves that Iran's President is a person you cannot deal with." Other deputies in the assembly chanted Death to Israel in support of Vahidi.
Clever. Very, very clever.
Four other ministerial nominees appearing in Tuesday morning's session in parliament also took the floor to address the concerns of lawmakers. The proposed justice and agriculture ministers did not receive any criticism, while Health Minister designate, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was grilled for her plans. "Certain problems in the health sector have not been included in plans presented by the proposed minister of health," the representative from the northwestern city of Khoy, Moayyed Hosseini Sadr said.
President Ahmadinejad submitted his final list of 21 candidates for the next cabinet on August 19. Nearly two-thirds of the nominees are new faces. To take office, the potential ministers will have to gain the Parliament's vote of confidence by winning the approval of the majority of the lawmakers. Majlis is scheduled to complete the vetting process and give votes of confidence or no confidence to President Ahmadinejad's 21-member Cabinet on Wednesday or Thursday.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Asharq Al-Awsat- Abbas al-Bayyati, the Unified Coalition deputy and member of [parliament's] security and defense committee, has disclosed new options toward Syria which the Iraqi Government intends to undertake following Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari's recent demand for the establishment of an international tribunal to deal with the perpetrators of the attacks in Iraq similar to the tribunal established to try the defendants in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
He stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "the first option is for Syria to extradite the Baath elements involved in the recent bombings who are wanted by Iraq and specific names denote their number." On the number of those involved wanted by the government, he said "the government is demanding 20 Baathists residing in Syria in addition to Muhammad Yunus al-Ahmad and Sattam Farhan for their role in financing and planning several terrorist operations in the country." Al-Bayyati added that "the second option is to resort to the Security Council to shoulder responsibility for maintaining regional security and the final option will be through Iraqi diplomacy by presenting the evidence and documents Iraq has which confirm these figures' involvement." He asserted that "Syria was not officially accused and we do not believe it is involved but are saying key Baath figures are involved in these actions." He expected "Syria's cooperation like its cooperation in controlling the borders, particularly as the chances of a settlement remain because of the government's desire to establish good relations with Syria. But we are hoping at the same time for the latter's cooperation in this."
Foreign Minister Zebari said in a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki the day before yesterday that "the issue might take some time but there is insistence on establishing this tribunal" and recalled the one the Security Council established for Al-Hariri case.
On his part, Kamal al-Saidi, a leading member of Al-Dawa Party, stressed that, by demanding an international court, the government is seeking to turn what happened into a strategic issue that is not concerned only with the recent terrorist actions but also with all that has happened in the country. He stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraq "wants to change the international opinion of the violent acts in the country into genocide crimes and crimes against humanity" and pointed out that "if Iraq succeeds in this, then it will be able to turn the case of mass killings and crimes against our people into an international case that tries all the parties and countries involved in all the terrorist bombings and actions that had taken place in the country in the past and that will take place in future." On his expectations from the mediation, Al-Saidi said "we welcome these mediations but will not go back to square one of watching our people being killed" and added that "the recent cabinet decision is historic and will be the basis for Iraq's stands from now on against those who commit crimes against the people by exposing them" and noted that "the policy of calm diplomacy is finished."
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
You could always just bomb the crap out of Latakia...
[Asharq al-Aswat] Iran's new judiciary chief has called for the swift release of some protesters jailed in the aftermath of the June presidential election, newspapers on Tuesday quoted a prominent MP as saying.
"Ayatollah (Sadeq) Larijani said it is necessary to release immediately a group of detainees," said Kazem Jalali, who is the spokesman of a parliamentary panel set up to look into unrest that followed the disputed poll.
Jalali, who met Larijani on Monday, said the judiciary chief also "insisted that the defendants' trials should fully respect the penal proceedings code," the reformist Sarmayeh newspaper said.
The June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked massive street protests in Tehrean in which 4,000 people were initially arrested and at least 30 -- and by opposition accounts 69 -- people were killed.
Iran still holds hundreds of people, and has put 140, including senior reformers and journalists, on trial on charges of seeking a soft overthrow of the Islamic regime and inciting protests.
The opposition has condemned what it calls the "show trials" and says that defendants have been denied proper legal counsel and coerced into confessions.
Iranian authorities have also come under fire over allegations of rape and torture of protesters in detention.
Since his appointment last month, Larijani has reshuffled key officials in the judiciary and replaced hardline Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, who was behind the post-election mass trials.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to address this month's United Nations General Assembly meeting, an aide said on Tuesday, in what would be his first trip to the West since his disputed re-election in June.
Ahmadinejad's attendance of the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. headquarters in New York would take place in the same month that Western powers have set as a deadline for Tehran to agree to talks on its nuclear program.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who has given Iran until September to take up an offer of talks on trade benefits if it shelves nuclear enrichment or face harsher sanctions, will speak at the same U.N. meeting on Sept. 23.
"The president's trip to New York is still on his agenda and relevant officials here in Tehran are working on the necessary preparations," Ali-Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's media adviser, said.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Last time this nutjob spoke at the UN he announced to the world that as he spoke he experienced mystical phenomena. Something about a halo of light, if I recall correctly. I wonder what he'll experience this time? Visions of dancing nukes . . . .
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.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran has prepared an updated nuclear proposal and is ready to hold negotiations with world powers, Iranian television quoted the Islamic Republic's chief nuclear negotiator as saying on Tuesday, as the United States' September deadline loomed. 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to address this month's United Nations General Assembly meeting, an aide said on Tuesday, in what would be his first trip to the West since his disputed re-election in June.
