The upper house of Afghanistans parliament on Tuesday approved a controversial bill that would rule out legal proceedings for war crimes committed during the countrys years of brutal conflict. The lower house of parliament approved the bill about a month ago, prompting an outcry from rights groups and opposing parliamentarians, who said it was unconstitutional. The document would still need to be approved by President Hamid Karzai to become law. A presidential spokesman has said previously Karzai was unlikely to accept it.
In a session of the warlord-dominated upper house, 41 legislators voted for the document and 16 against, an AFP reporter said. A translation of the articles approved by the lower house reads that all political parties and belligerent groups who fought each other during the past two-and-a-half decades ... will not be pursued legally or judicially. They should be included in the national reconciliation process, to make peace between different segments of the society, ensuring peace and stability, to commence and consolidate a new life in the modern political history of Afghanistan ...
Commanders and fighters of the jihad, against the 1980s Soviet occupation have been accused of war crimes and abuses including murder and torture during the 1992-1996 civil war that followed the Red Armys defeat. The draft law says those who fought in the jihad must be respected and honoured and shall be immune to all kinds of animosity. The United Nations and Afghanistans top rights body have said only the victims of abuse could forgive the perpetrators.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) The Ethiopian command in the Somalias southern port city of Kismayu on Tuesday consolidate all the military positions of the transitional government after they deployed the government troops in military camps for training.
The soldiers have been deployed in Luglow military camp to finalize their military training. During the course, they will learn the military discipline.
There's a great idea -- let's teach the troops some discipline! Boy howdy, the Aethiops are light years ahead on this stuff.
The move follows clan rivalry over administrating Kismayu, the third largest city in Somalia. Majerten and Merahan clans who are both from Darod tribe are at loggerheads over who will manage Kismayu.
The Ethiopians armed with heavy weapons also took over the biggest jail in Kismayu and are feared to take control of the main seaport and airport.
Armed with heavy weapons? They can take whatever they want.
Before the takeover, senior Ethiopian and Somali government officials have had a closed door meeting in the town in which a decision that Ethiopians should take control of the town was issued.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2007 00:15 ||
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The U.N. Security Council authorized an African Union peacekeeping mission for Somalia for six months on Tuesday as mortar attacks pounded the capital and the northeast African country spiraled further into chaos.
Further?
The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member body, gave African Union troops the go-ahead to take military action if needed to provide government, infrastructure and humanitarian security, and to train Somali security forces. The council also asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate a possible U.N. peacekeeping operation after the African Union deployment and to report back within 60 days with recommendations for further U.N. involvement in Somalia.
"The deployment of the African Union is a start," South Africa's U.N. Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo told the council. "We hope this signals the international community, through the Security Council, will also in the coming months be able to deploy to help the Somali people help rebuild their country."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Groups of Egyptian Muslims set fire to Christian-owned shops in southern Egypt after hearing rumours of a love affair between a Muslim woman and a Coptic Christian man, security sources and a witness said this week. Eight Muslim men were arrested in the town of Armant, around 600 km south of Cairo, on suspicion of taking part in arson attacks on four stores and a mini-van owned by Coptic Christians, the security sources said. Order was restored only after security forces were despatched to the town.
Traditional Islamic law allows Muslim men to marry Christian women but not Christian men to marry Muslim women. Romances across the divide are one of the main sources of tension between Egypt's two main religious communities.
Traditional Islamic law allows Muslim men to marry Christian women but not Christian men to marry Muslim women. Romances across the divide are one of the main sources of tension between Egypt's two main religious communities.
Hala Botros, a Christian blogger from the region, said Copts in Armant were still scared to leave their homes. "The situation has improved slightly but people go out only if they really have to." Coptic Christians make up to 10 percent of the about 75 million Egyptians, most of whom are Sunni Muslims. Relations between the two communities are usually peaceful but there are sporadic outbreaks of violence. In 1999, 22 people were killed in communal strife in southern Egypt.
In April, a 45-year old Muslim man stabbed a Coptic Christian in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, sparking three days of sectarian clashes. Egypt ruled in June that the man was mentally ill after a medical evaluation without a trial.
#3
Prediction: no West polluting Muslim will complain about brutal treatment of Copt Christians, while their perverse demands for shariah zones escalates. We have a problem: we deny the Muslim problem.
3 page article in the International Herald Tribune. Here are the key bits:
The plan, hatched for months in the arid mountains of North Africa, was to attack the American and British embassies here. It ended in a series of gun battles in January that killed a dozen militants and left two Tunisian security officers dead.
But the most disturbing aspect of the violence in this normally placid, tourist-friendly country is that it came from across the border in Algeria, where an Islamic terrorist organization has vowed to unite radical Islamic groups across North Africa.
The group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, known by its French initials, GSPC, has for several years been under American watch.
"The GSPC has become a regional terrorist organization, recruiting and operating in all of your countries and beyond," Henry Crumpton said last year as the U.S. ambassador at large for counterterrorism. I didn't know we had an ambassador at large for counterterrorism.
"It is forging links with terrorist groups in Morocco, Nigeria, Mauritania, Tunisia and elsewhere," he said at a counterterrorism conference in Algiers. Officials say the GSPC is funneling North African fighters to Iraq but is also turning militants back toward their home countries.
While most estimates put the group's current membership in the hundreds, it has survived more than a decade of Algerian government attempts to eradicate it. It is now the most organized, best financed terrorist group in the region. On September 11, 2006, Al Qaeda anointed the GSPC as its representative in North Africa. In January, the group reciprocated by changing its name to Al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, claiming that Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, had ordered the change.
The GSPC was created in 1998 as an offshoot from the Armed Islamic Group, or GIA, which fought a decade-long civil war after the Algerian military canceled elections in early 1992 because an Islamist party was poised to win. In 2003, a GSPC leader in southern Algeria kidnapped European tourists, some of whom were released for a ransom of 5 million, or about $6.5 million, paid by Germany.
Officials say the leader, Amari Saifi, bought weapons and recruited fighters before the U.S. military helped corner and catch him in 2004. He is now serving a life sentence in Algeria.
Since then, an even more radical leader, Abdelmalek Droukdel, has taken over the group. The Algerian military says he trained in the 1990s as a member of the GIA's Ahoual, or Horror, company, blamed for some of the most gruesome massacres of Algeria's civil war. He announced his arrival with a truck bomb at the country's most important electrical production facility in June 2004 and focused on associating the group with Al Qaeda.
Wiretaps, interrogation of terrorist suspects and recovered documents suggest that the network has associates in France, Italy, Turkey and even Greece, which is favored as an entry point to Europe because of its relatively lax immigration controls, according to counterterrorism officials.
Tunisian officials have sought to play down the GSPC link and have said the recently dismantled group's target was the West. In fact, said Samir Ben Amor, the Tunisian lawyer who defends many young Tunisian Islamists, more than 600 young Tunisian Islamists have been arrested in the last two years more than a hundred in the last two months trying to travel to Iraq to fight the United States. Lots more meat at the link: operations both executed and planned, arrests, captured information (they're keen on Google Earth maps).
#2
The GSPC seem to be funding themselves through the ransoms of kidnapped foreigners and a variety of criminal enterprises, according to the article, Ebbolump Glomotle9608. Not that the Saudis aren't elbow deep in enough evil, anyway.
#5
Wiretaps, interrogation of terrorist suspects and recovered documents suggest that the network has associates in France, Italy, Turkey and even Greece, which is favored as an entry point to Europe because of its relatively lax immigration controls, according to counterterrorism officials.
"even Greece"? Say it ain't so! Paging the one who'll remain un-named. Clean up, aisle 3!
Posted by: BA ||
02/21/2007 9:53 Comments ||
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#6
I didn't know we had an ambassador at large for counterterrorism.
I didn't either, Seriously, i'd love to know just exactly what his job description is and exactly what he really does, should be fascinating, I have this mental image of Spymaster "Q" of the Bond Movies.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/21/2007 12:32 Comments ||
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#8
Ebbolump Glomotle9608, Hamas, which is a subsidiary of the original jihadist organization, the Muslim Brotherhood based in Egypt, receives its funding from Iran, which of course is Sunni. So the Saudis are not the only ones funding terror groups on their side of the religious divide. In fact, Iran funds quite a few of the Palestinian terror groups these days, in addition to paying directly for successful attacks on Israelis. And they also provide funds, weapons and training to both Sunni and Shiite terror groups in Iraq, presumably because the Persian hatred of Arabs trumps the brotherhood of shared Shia beliefs, and anyway, civil war in Iraq can only redound to the benefit of the Mullahs adding the southern part of the country to their own.
It seems to me the Saudis are looking farther afield -- to the conquest from within of the West (America, England, continental Europe) radiating from the many new-built mosques staffed by Saudi-trained immams, to the conquest from within of Islam, again radiating from the many new-built mosques staffed by the self-same Saudi imams. From what I can gather, Saudi money is not flowing as freely to Al Qaeda and to the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, because both groups are showing themselves to not be the strong horses they first appeared, both smashing themselves on the rock of Western retaliation, on the military side as well as the law enforcement side. But an awful lot of Saudi money seems to be going into building, stocking and staffing mosques around the world (who was to pay for that monster thing that was to be built near the Olympics in London, after all?), not to mention sending over so many clever, young Saudi men to study at our universities.
#3
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) criticised state schools for refusing to take account of legitimate and reasonable requests from parents and pupils.
It urged head teachers to build prayer rooms and individual changing cubicles and avoid scheduling exams during Ramadan, when many pupils are fasting.
Bet they could get all this good shit in, like, I dunno, Pakistan?
#4
In both India and Pakistan, student indoctrinates into the terror cult are forced under insane curriculums that devote over 30% of education time to studying the worthless language of Arabic, and the dangerous instruction in Quran terror prescriptions. Surprisingly, when they immigrate to the West's secular environment, where they can get a real education, they become even more jihadrated. Who needs them?
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/21/2007 15:07 Comments ||
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#6
These are 5 GCSE qualifications - rough equivalent of a high school diploma
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/21/2007 15:09 Comments ||
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#7
People of working age with no qualifications
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/21/2007 15:10 Comments ||
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#8
Given what we know about the low levels of educational attainment among muslims in India, it would be interesting to see a breakdown of the ethnic Indian breakdown in the above results - the percentages for Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.
I suspect if you subtract out the muslim numbers, the Indian figures would be nearer the Chinese
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/21/2007 15:13 Comments ||
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#9
I agree with #8, since in the US at least, the Indian population scores better than most other groups in education. But in the US, most Indians are Sikh or Hindu, not Muslim.
Spouses hoping to migrate to the UK should face English language tests before being allowed to join their partners, a commission advising the Government has suggested.
The commission on integration and cohesion, set up by Ruth Kelly, the communities secretary, last summer, said language is the single largest barrier to community relations. It suggested that translation services for migrants could be scaled back in order to prevent newcomers relying on them as a "crutch" which means they never have to learn English.
In its interim report, it addressed whether enough is being done to integrate foreign migrant workers and spouses into British society. Darra Singh, chairman of the commission, said: "If you can't speak English - whether you are a new migrant or someone who has lived here for years - you are on a path to isolation and separation. It is less of a problem for second, third, fourth generations. Language support offered to spouses from abroad is therefore of real interest - should we be asking whether they should speak English before they get here?"
He said that while learning English is the responsibility of the individual, local and central government and employers should help. "Translation should never be a substitute for learning English in the first place," he said. "Just as mastering reading and writing for school children opens up the rest of the curriculum, mastering English opens up participation in British society and accessing employment." The Commission's final report is to be presented to Ms Kelly in June.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Wow! Sounds like someone hit Ms. Kelly with a cluebat! She's actually making sense!
Posted by: mac ||
02/21/2007 8:18 Comments ||
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TOKYO - US Vice President Dick Cheney reassured Japan on Wednesday that the breakthrough North Korea nuclear deal was a good first step after a worried Tokyo refused to fund the pact. Cheney opened talks here at the start of a Pacific visit to close US allies Japan and Australia meant to step up cooperation over North Korea and war-torn Iraq.
Japan was one of six nations involved in marathon talks in Beijing last week that led to an agreement for North Korea to shut key nuclear facilities in exchange for badly needed fuel oil. But Japan has refused to provide energy aid to the nuclear-armed communist regime until it resolves an emotionally charged row over the past kidnappings of Japanese nationals.
The vice president discussed the kidnappings among other issues in a breakfast meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki, said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride. Cheney told the Japanese governments number-two that the North Korea deal was a good first step, McBride said. They agreed to work together to watch North Korea.
At Japans request, the vice president added a last-minute meeting Thursday with Sakie and Shigeru Yokota, the parents of the most famous abduction victim, Megumi Yokota. Megumi was a 13-year-old schoolgirl when she was bundled aboard a North Korean ship off Japans western coast in 1977. Pyongyang has admitted kidnapping her but says she is dead. Her case has triggered an outpouring of sympathy in Japan and growing international attention. Her mother met President George W. Bush at the White House last year.
On the eve of his meeting with Cheney, Abe met the families of the abduction victims and vowed never to establish diplomatic ties with North Korea until the cases are settled.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Cheney should tell Abe, Blast them until they Publicly surrender, We'll pretend to be shocked, By the way, Need any Military hardware? free of charge? We've got some neat bunker busters made from 16 inch Battleship shells, equipped with guidance systems for pin-point accuracy, need a couple of thousand? Hmmm.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/21/2007 12:40 Comments ||
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#2
WORLDTRIBUNE > EAST ASIA > NORKORS have enuff plutonium for 4-8 warheads; plus REUTERS/OTHER > North Korea can easliy den nuke warheads + place on missles that target all of South Korea + most of JAPAN + parts of Asia [read - SSSSHHH, CHINA + RUSSIAN FAR EAST as well]. MSNBC > Why is the USA building up its military forces in WESTPAC > GUAM > Many differen reasons summed up in one - SSSSSHHHHHHHH, CCCCCCCCCCCC, CHINA.
Iran condemned on Wednesday a call by a populist Dutch politician for local Muslims to throw away half the Koran to show national loyalty, and said the Dutch government should prevent further provocation of Muslims.
The Iranian embassy in The Hague called the comments made by anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders "spiteful". "Such statements are (a) direct insult to sanctities and ethical values of Islam," the embassy said in a statement.
"Inciting hatred and religious intolerance could only be seen as a disservice to the freedom of expression." Wilders said in an interview published last week that Muslims should throw away half their holy book if they wanted to stay in the Netherlands and said he would chase Islam's Prophet Mohammad out of the country if he were alive today.
The Dutch government confirmed on Sunday that Foreign Ministry officials had held informal talks with the Saudi embassy in The Hague over Wilders' remarks. The Iranian embassy called on the Dutch government "to take appropriate measures to prevent further provocation of sentiments of Muslims".
Wilders, who is seen as an heir to murdered populist Pim Fortuyn and whose new party won nine seats in parliament out of the 150 in November elections, has warned of a "tsunami of Islamisation" in a country home to 1 million Muslims. Living under heavy guard since 2004 when a Dutch-Moroccan killed filmmaker and Islam critic Theo van Gogh, he has campaigned to ban the Muslim burqa veil, new mosques and religious schools and also wants to freeze immigration.
On Monday, Wilders said he had decided not to take part in a parliamentary visit to Pakistan and Afghanistan due to threats following his comments, Dutch media reported.
#4
Islamists live in a fictitious, make-believe world where right is wrong, and wrong is right...as long as it's allan's name. You can always find some uneducated, ignorant mullah who can barely read, of at all, to issue a fatwah against anything.
How else can you develop a religious culture where the murder of a female is not only tolerated, but demanded if she is raped. How can you justify... against the "sacred teachings" of islam...mass homicide that includes other muslims?
A coalition of Muslim groups is calling for a worldwide fast in support of Sami Al-Arian, a former college professor convicted of raising funds for a terrorist group who remains in jail on contempt charges for refusing to testify before a Virginia grand jury investigating other financiers of terrorism.
The American Muslim Taskforce for Civil Rights and Elections on Monday asked Muslims to fast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday along with Al-Arian, who has been on a hunger strike since Jan. 21. Task force spokesman Agha Saeed says the response has been "compassionate, caring, supportive and concern about Professor Al-Arian's health."
The former University of South Florida computer-science professor was arrested in 2003 and pleaded guilty last year to assisting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. He was sentenced to time served and given an additional 18 months for refusing to testify against the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) and its role with the terrorist group.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a counterterrorism analyst and author of "My Year Inside Radical Islam," says prosecutors want Al-Arian's testimony to demonstrate the financial links between IIIT and his group and how the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was financed. Mr. Gartenstein-Ross called the support through fasting "simply puzzling."
"I think on the one hand, there is a perception that Muslim civil rights are threatened, and there is a desire to support someone who might be a victim of an overzealous system, but it's important to take a look at the record and not blindly support something," Mr. Gartenstein-Ross said.
In sentencing Al-Arian last year, U.S. District Judge James Moody called him a "master manipulator" who "looked your neighbors in the eyes and said you had nothing to do with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad."
"This trial exposed that as a lie. ... The evidence was clear in this case that you were a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad," Judge Moody said. "Your only connection to widows and orphans is that you create them, even among the Palestinians; and you create them, not by sending your children to blow themselves out of existence. No. You exhort others to send their children."
In a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales earlier this month, Amnesty International asked for an investigation into Al-Arian's treatment in prison, calling it "unacceptably harsh and punitive" and that he is being abused by guards "based, at least in part, on his political background."
This article starring:
Amnesty International
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
James Moody
SAMI AL ARIAN
Islamic Jihad
American Muslim Alliance
American Muslim Taskforce for Civil Rights and Elections
#5
Define "Effective", Starvation of the stupid is "Effective" Racial improvement, Wasn't it Einstein who said "Killing the weakest third is always good Genetics"?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/21/2007 16:09 Comments ||
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Paul Martin solicited the support of the terrorist International Sikh Youth Federation in his failed bid for the federal Liberal leadership in 1990, The Vancouver Sun has learned. Martin made an impassioned speech to the ISYF's national convention in which he said he was honoured to "meet friends who share the same belief in this country, the same belief in peace, the same preparedness to defend themselves."
At the time of Martin's spring 1990 speech, the ISYF had already been identified as a terrorist group by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Four in the group had been convicted in B.C. of the attempted assassination of a visiting Indian politician. Other B.C. members had met with a young would-be assassin who shot newspaper publisher Tara Singh Hayer in 1988.
The Martin speech came two years after then Conservative external affairs minister Joe Clark warned Canadian politicians to steer clear of the federation, the Babbar Khalsa and the World Sikh Organization because of terrorist links. The ISYF was banned in Canada in June 2003 by the Liberal government of Jean Chretien.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Ajaib Singh Bagri
Babbar Khalsa
International Sikh Youth Federation
World Sikh Organization
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/21/2007 13:31 ||
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#1
Sadly, there is nothing remotely surprising about any of this. The federal Liberal party specializes in this sort of thing; I am only surprised Martin is not related by marriage to some Sikh pistachio oil baron or some such.
In a chandeliered room at the Justice Department, the longtime head of the counterespionage section, the chief of the public integrity unit, a deputy assistant attorney general, some trial lawyers and a few FBI agents all looked down at their pant legs and socks. While waving his own leg in the air in illustration, Paul Brachfeld, inspector general of the National Archives and Records Administration, asked the group rhetorically if "something white" could be easily mistaken if it was wrapped around their legs, beneath their pant legs.
Berger's visits were so badly mishandled that Archives officials had acknowledged not knowing if he removed anything else and destroyed it.
Under debate during the Nov. 23, 2004, meeting was Brachfeld's contention that President Clinton's former national security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger could have stolen original, uncatalogued, highly classified terrorism documents 14 months earlier by wrapping them around his socks and beneath his pants, as National Archives staff member John Laster reported witnessing. Brachfeld said he was worried that during four visits in 2002 and 2003, Berger had the opportunity to remove more than the five documents he admitted taking. Brachfeld wanted the Justice Department to notify officials of the 9/11 Commission that Berger's actions -- in combination with a bungled Archives response -- might have obstructed the commission's review of Clinton's terrorism policies.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Any proof he destroyed these documents?
Being a Clintonista, he knows the power of blackmail. They could come in handy if maybe he needs a favor from Hillary or Bubba somewhere down the road and...ooooooops! Look what I found!
#3
"That's Sandy for you we were all laughing about it on the way over here." Bill Clinton
(Responding to a reporters question regarding the Berger vapor-scandal.)
#4
I'm sure Wen Ho Lee* wasn't reached for comment on the mishandling of classified documents.
*Lee was arrested in December 1999 and held without bail in solitary confinement for 278 days. Sandy Berger was the Deputy National Security Adviser at the time.
#5
With all the faux scandals and brouhahas we have seen, almost non-stop, since Dubya decided to wage war, it just boggles the (already very boggled) mind that this actual (and unbelievably crude and outrageous) scandal has received .... just about zero attention.
Just imagine, for one second - if something even 1/10 as outrageous had actually been done by anyone connected with the administration. There probably wouldn't be room in the NYT and WaPo for sports or weather reports, so non-stop and voluminous would be the "coverage".
There are times (actually most of the time, now) when one really has trouble believing things are the way they are, and that one is not dreaming.
wotta 3rd rate punk. HT to HillarySpot on NRO
From a column by Peter Bart, in Variety...
The aggressively photogenic John Edwards was cruising along, detailing his litany of liberal causes last week until, during question time, he invoked the "I" word -- Israel.
Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities.
Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. As a chill descended on the gathering, the Edwards event was brought to a polite close.
Support for Israel in the U.S. has lately become bafflingly multi-cultural, representing an alliance between diaspora Jews, traditional Zionists and evangelicals. Support from Christian zealots, who now represent about one third of Israel's tourist business, is welcomed even though, according to evangelical doctrine, Judgment Day will bring the ultimate destruction of Israel and death to most of its residents.
The Economist observed this week that "knee jerk defensiveness" of Israel ultimately will erode support for that country around the world, even among Jews. Only 17% of American Jews today regard themselves as "pro-Zionist," the magazine points out, and only 57% say that "caring about Israel is a very important part of being Jewish." And Jimmy Carter only exacerbates these mixed signals with his recent perorations that Israel must "give back" territories to the Palestinians.
This article starring:
Jimmy Carter
John Edwards
Peter Bart
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2007 09:11 ||
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#1
Breck boy spews more Democrap. "Idiot of the day?" So little time and so many from which to choose.
#4
when I hear the words "World Peace" I also think about the delightful scene in "Miss Congeniality" where each girl, asked about her "one wish" before Sandra Bullock says they hope for "world peace". When its Sandra's turn, she (an undercover cop) says, "harsher penalties for parole violators" then as faces freeze she says, "...oh and world peace".
#5
"Only 17% of American Jews today regard themselves as "pro-Zionist," the magazine points out, and only 57% say that "caring about Israel is a very important part of being Jewish." "
Obviously we've got at LEAST 40% of the Jews who are somewhat confused about the meaning of the word Zionist. Or a badly worded survey. Or both.
#8
when I hear the words "World Peace" I also think about the delightful scene in "Miss Congeniality" where each girl, asked about her "one wish" before Sandra Bullock says they hope for "world peace". When its Sandra's turn, she (an undercover cop) says, "harsher penalties for parole violators" then as faces freeze she says, "...oh and world peace".
I think in Friends where Phoebe is asked why she would ask if she were omnipoytent. I would ask happiness for everyone, world peace and oh yes, to have bigger boobs.
#12
When I think World Peace I think of Groundhogs Day, when Bill Murray learns his chick always toasts to World Peace and guffaws. Then cut to the next day, and he toasts to World Peace with total sincerity.
#13
FREEREPUBLIC.com > HILLARY > Hillary will end "arrogance" of USA. USA despite its power can't solve its problems on its own. * FR Netter > Amer will regain world respect, credibility, and honor once it surrenders.
Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said Tuesday that American forces are in for a long, difficult stay in Iraq and likened it to the United States' decades-long presence in South Korea. "I think we're there for a long, long time," McCain told reporters during a stop at the Georgia Capitol. "We've been in South Korea for a long, long time also."
The comments came a day after McCain blasted former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for mismanaging the war in Iraq. McCain said Monday that Rumsfeld would be remembered as one of the worst defense chiefs in the nation's history.
I don't agree, though he wasn't perfect. Nor do I think McCain will go down in history as this generation's Daniel Webster.
Asked if his criticism extended to President Bush for keeping Rumsfeld around as long as he did, McCain waffled said there was plenty of blame to go around. "I am being critical of everybody including all of us who are responsible for mistakes that we've made in the war," the Arizona senator said. "Including myself. I have said many times that I am critical, but the president has the right to choose his team."
This article starring:
Donald Rumsfeld
John McCain
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
McCain said Monday that Rumsfeld would be remembered as one of the worst defense chiefs in the nation's history.
A blinding flash of the obvious, that leaves little phueching doubt among thinking men.
#2
I'll always remember Rumsfeld during 9/11 helping others to get out of the Pentagon and how he kicked ass in Afghanistan. As for Iraq, we kicked serious ass and lost relatively low amount of troops considering the threat. Bad intelligence and a media propoganda war was his downfall. He had heart.
#3
It is easy to criticize those who are superior to ourselves. It is satisfying on several psychological levels.
McCain is a Presidential Candidate, he no longer enjoys the luxury of being quite as frank and specific in his comments as a private citizen might enjoy.
And Rumsfeld was a giant, of will and ability and " heart " as Argent says. BOTH McCain and Rumsfeld are very brave men. Each of us would be indeed fortunate to have men such as these as kin.
Allow History to judge them and avoid personal opinions. History will do so in any event and our opinions are largely irrelevant anyway. Both these men DESERVE respect. We may no agree with them, we may not even like them, but they literally ARE history and embody it in their character and being. Time has and does move to their heartbeats.
Each man who judges another puts himself under the same lense. As you judge you will be held to that judgement. For the sake of survival judge only when it is truly necessary to do so. And if you could not have born the burden yourself then it would be wise to remain silent concerning those who did.
#6
Hey, I was in the military at a time when the older NCOs and officers remembered him very well... usually with deep and abiding contempt. I have read that the senior officers who had to deal with him and his minions despised him with a passion. I've never picked up on that degree of universal loathing from the active duty types as regards Rummy.
#7
Rumsfeld was a fine SecDef, one of the best we've ever had. In years to come the historians will remember him approvingly--as they generally will GWB.
Posted by: mac ||
02/21/2007 8:17 Comments ||
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#8
And if you could not have born the burden yourself then it would be wise to remain silent concerning those who did.
I call semi-bullshit. What you say there - to a large degree - makes perfect sense. However, none of us could ever win a conressional election in San Francisco, but we should still be allowed to critiques those that have.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
02/21/2007 9:00 Comments ||
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#9
Well, lessee. We got
Dick "troops don't need support weapons" Aspin
Louis "sell your company or lose contracts" Johnson
Robert "take a whiz kids" McNamara
James "they're coming to take me away" Forrestal
#10
McCain: He was a dick at VA174, and he is a dick now. A grandstanding, feather merchant asshole. Yes, I know, he was POW for all those years. So what, lot's of other, and better men, were too.
He was dick before he was shot down, he was dick after he was released and he is a dick now.
#12
Re my comments on the Blair item, above, what's really interesting here is McCain's statement that we'll be in Iraq for a long time.
A much more elaborate version of this, explaining why it is needed and worthwhile, is what we've needed from the administration for years now. Instead, we've had this bizarre "uh, gee, let's see, that's right, we're almost at the point where we're going to bring some troops home, uh, yeah, that's it, we're looking to reduce our footprint by summer" etc.
So while I think McCain's rather unsuited to any executive position, much less C-in-C, here he states a critical truth.
#13
So exPlane (#10)... tell us what you really think. Seriously, he always seemed like a first-class a-hole to me. I've enjoyed recently watching McCain come to the painful realization that the press doesn't really love him. Plus, that annoying Lindsey is always up his a$$. All that said, he's said some great things lately about the war, most notably telling a reporter, "Look. It's a lot better to have an extended, tired militarty rather than a defeated one. I know." [paraphrased] It was as if he punched the reporter in the face.
Posted by: Captain Lewis ||
02/21/2007 12:22 Comments ||
Top||
#14
I hope Hillary gets around one thousand votes total, tucks her tail between her legs and vanishes whimpering into the night.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/21/2007 12:49 Comments ||
Top||
#15
I sincerely hope so too, Redneck Jim. I would love to see that. But McCain just doesn't get it. He might know how to talk tough about Iraq but it was asinine to say those things about Rumsfeld unless you're Barack Osama trying to win the looney bin wing of the donk party. It makes him sound like he has a loose cannon rolling around on his deck. Then there's the border and guys like McCain are running away from it. I can't get over that. We're gonna be overrun by illegals just like France. What good does it do to win Iraq if we lose the U.S.? Looking back even further, it pissed me off when he endorsed Clinton's intervention in Kosovo. Serbia ended up losing that province to the barbarians and nobody stops to question if they'll stop with just Kosovo? Of course they won't. It was McCain's job to know better and he didn't.
He said the incident was part of a plot to massacre Muslims, and the Indian authorities were intentionally hiding facts about the carnage.
According to a press release on Tuesday, Saeed said the murder of 67 Muslims is a target killing. He said the incident was part of a plot to massacre Muslims, and the Indian authorities were intentionally hiding facts about the carnage. He said a team of Pakistani experts was deliberately not allowed to investigate the site of the tragedy, to hide the real story behind the massacre. He said that Indias habitual obstinacy should serve as an eye-opener for the Pakistani government, which was unilaterally trying to establish friendly relations with the country across the border.
This article starring:
HAFIZ MUHAMAD SAID
Jamatud Dawa
Samjhota Express
Jamatud Dawa
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11 views]
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#1
What goes around comes around you fucking hypocrite!!!!
#2
The JuD is nothing but a front organization for the LeT (which probably did the bombing).
The JuD had ambulances and a mobile operating theatre waiting at the Wagah border where the bombed train was supposed to arrive.
India will be under pressure to allow Pak investigators access since so many victims were Pak. Of course the real intention is to gather intelligence on the sources and methods used by Indian police and intelligence agencies to investigate bombings.
Once they know that, the next set of bombings can be done so as to minimize the evidence trail.
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/21/2007 5:47 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Pakistan has asked India to involve its investigative agencies in the inquiry into the deadly bomb blasts on the Samjhauta Express.
Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that India should allow Pakistani investigating agencies to take part in the probe.
And just who is Sheikh Rashid Ahmed ?
Well...
When terrorism was at its peak in the Valley, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed set up terrorist camps in Pakistan where around 3,500 jihadis were trained in guerrilla warfare.
This astonishing revelation has come from Kashmiri separatist leader and JKLF chairman Yasin Malik. According to Daily Times , Malik has said that Rashid actively supported the armed struggle in Kashmir by setting up training camps. Rashid trained around 3,500 jihadis in guerrilla warfare around that time, Malik has said.
Posted by: John Frum ||
02/21/2007 6:39 Comments ||
Top||
A delegation of clerics from to the Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia will meet President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and representatives of the United Nations in Pakistan to protest against the ban imposed on the Al-Rasheed and Al-Akhtar trusts.
The delegation will also file a writ petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the illegal sealing of the offices of the two trusts, Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jalandhri, the patron-in-chief of the Wafaqul Madaris, told a press conference on Tuesday. He said both organisations had been involved in humanitarian work for 12 years and had been following Pakistans laws. He said it was shocking that the government had imposed the ban on the two organisations only on the UNs order, without issuing any prior notices or conducting an inquiry into the working of the two organisations.
Jalandhri said that in the past five years, the two organisations had provided financial assistance to 30,000 registered orphans and widows and had provided potable water to 1.2 million people. He said more than 1.4 million people were provided health cover in various hospitals, clinics and medical complexes running under the two trusts. He added that the two organisations also provided food and clothing to more than 10 million people.
This article starring:
MAULANA MUHAMAD HANIF JALANDHRI
Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia
Shaukat Aziz
Al-Akhtar
Al-Rasheed Trust
Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
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#1
The Clerics sholud really protest the ban on edged weapons. Maces suck.
Pakistan rejected a New York Times report that al-Qaeda established new bases in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, saying Pakistani security forces are taking all measures to counter the threat of terrorism. ``We strongly reject aspersions against authorities in Pakistan and their commitment to combat the menace of extremism and terrorism,'' the official Associated Press of Pakistan cited Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam as saying yesterday in Islamabad. Pakistan is committed ``not to allow its territory to be used for militancy and violence against Afghanistan.''
Senior al-Qaeda leaders have set up training bases in tribal areas as the terrorist network gains strength, the Times reported Feb. 19, citing unidentified U.S. government officials. Pakistan has rejected criticism from the U.S., the NATO-led security force in Afghanistan and the Afghan government that it isn't doing enough to tackle terrorism and secure the 2,430- kilometer (1,510-mile) border. Pakistan has deployed more than 80,000 soldiers and maintains about 1,000 military posts on the frontier, Aslam said.
Afghanistan must also take steps to defeat the insurgency by fighters of the Taliban regime that was ousted in the U.S.-led war on terrorism in 2001, Aslam said. The phenomenon of Talibanization is a common threat to Pakistan and Afghanistan, she added.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[11 views]
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#1
Make no mistake about it. Pakistan is against America! They only reason they seem to be helping is because they are against the wall. Pakistan IS a safe haven.
ABU DHABI Iran may pose a greater security threat to the strategic Persian Gulf than does Al Qaida, warned the U.S. Fifth Fleet commander at a news conference in Bahrain. "We consider this moment in time unprecedented in terms of the amount of insecurity and instability that is in the region," U.S. Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Patrick Walsh said. "Although our presence in the Arabian Gulf is for defensive and not offensive purposes, the U.S. will take military action if ships are attacked or if countries in the region are targeted or U.S. troops come under direct attack," Walsh added.
At a news conference on Feb. 19 in Manama, Walsh said Iran could pose a greater threat to Gulf security than Al Qaida, Middle East Newsline reported. The naval commander said Iran's frequent military exercises were meant to provoke tension in the region and threaten the closure of the Straits of Hormuz, which contains about 40 percent of global oil shipping. "When you look at the recent Iranian exercises, in the last nine months, you see the open display and the implication of the use of mines," Walsh said. "You also see and hear concerns and threats about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz."
"What is different today to a year ago has been the number of exercises and the proximity of those exercises to the Strait of Hormuz," Walsh said.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Odd that he didn't mention the strong possibility of Iran arming al-Qaeda with Iranian and imported weapons, to attack the US as a 'plausible deniability' proxy.
#2
maybe some dumb phuque IRG ( but I repeat myself) will try to run an inflatable into the Stennis. anything more than a very pistol on board and stand by ( fingers crossed)
#3
Dollars to donuts I am betting that they send a flight of attack aircraft in one direction towards a carrier, then try to sneak in a low-flying run behind some mountains, from a different direction, firing an either Chinese or Russian built high speed missile.
And I'll bet the buyer told them that it is faster than anything the Carrier group could knock it down with.
#4
raise you a Kaiser bun
The yanks may be blind as to Israel's Biblical right to all 'palestine' but they are not proximity blind to attacks from iran crazies
Feb. 20, 2007 - It's the postcard image of Baghdad: a pair of gigantic crossed swords clenched in massive fists. The monument, known officially as the Hands of Victory, is both a symbol of Saddam Hussein's outsized ego and his iron grip. For nearly 20 years, the swords have dominated the skyline in central Baghdad. But on Tuesday afternoon, 10-foot bronze chunks cut from one fist were stacked haphazardly at the base of the monument, the first step in bringing the swords down. "I was very shocked when I heard they started destroying it," says Mustafa Khadimi, executive director of the Iraq Memory Foundation,an organization that has meticulously documented the atrocities of the former regime.
The Iraqi government has yet to issue an official statement about the dismantling of the swords, but the effort is clearly already underway. Khadimi says Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made the decision to bring down the monument last week in coordination with a governmental body named the Committee for Removing Symbols of the Saddam Era. The idea of erasing the symbols of the former regime completely undercuts the mission of organizations like the Iraq Memory Foundation, which had planned to build a huge museum on the site. Representatives from the organization have sent letters of protest to the Iraqi government as well as UNESCO. "We need to use these two swords as proof to further generations to show what happened to Iraqi people," says Khadimi.
Saddam constructed the monument to symbolize what he saw as a definitive victory in the brutal war with Iran during the 1980s. The pair of crossed swords was officially unveiled in 1989, but Saddam started construction on the monument well before the war with Iran was even finished. He pulled out all the stops. The swords cross approximately 130 feet in the air and are reportedly built from melted-down tanks and other hardware used by the Iraqi military. The hands gripping the swords, approximately 20 feet high, are bronze replicas of Saddam's own fists. The Butcher of Baghdad added a gruesome final touch: thousands of helmets from Iranian soldiers allegedly killed in the war dangle from nets attached to the fists. Other helmets are embedded in concrete at the base of the monument, intended as speed bumps.
These days, the monument sits in the heart of the Green Zone. Since the fall of the regime, visitors have left their mark with graffiti. One scrawl in black pen on a green Iranian helmet reads, "I [heart] Iraq." Taking a photo beneath the crossed swords is a must-do for visitors of all stripes. And Tuesday was no exception. Humvees and SUVs pulled up for a photo op at sunset as word spread that the monument was being taken down. Some posed beneath the swords, others pulled out digital cameras to preserve the moment. A handful of souvenir hunters were stopped by Green Zone police as they tried to haul off a half dozen helmets.
Like Saddam's bungled execution, a hasty decision to dismantle the monument could inflame sectarian tensions. Many Sunnis, whether they supported Saddam or not, will likely interpret the move as a direct snub by a Shiite-led government. Not exactly the kind of message the government should send while enforcing a new security plan. "The timing doesn't serve anything," says Wamidh Nadhmi, a political science professor at Baghdad University. "This would be a defeat for the whole idea of reconciliation."
#2
This is not a Saddam statue it is a stature of Iraq comemorating the Iraqi struggle War against Iran. This is a Iraqi Nation symbol.
Tearing this down will do nothing but cause uneeded division and tension and further rip Iraq apart at a time when it would be to our advantage to promote unity. The sectarian drift will strengthen the strongest sectarians namely the Radical Islamist both Shia or Sunni stripe.
#3
let the photographic history tell the story, but ensure all the chapters are there, including the shredder. is anybody crying that hitler's statues, and other symbology has been taken down? (didn't think so)
#4
Mojo's right - this should have been done right away as a purposeful act of humiliation. If Iraq and the middle east at large have any chance of growing up and joining the modern world, the sword has to be put down once and for all...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/21/2007 17:40 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Glad I got all my photos there before this - I'm kinda surprised. The Iraq Memory Foundation's a good outfit, and they had a good design for a museum at the site. That can still go ahead without the arms/swords, I guess, but they're right that at least one pair would have been an appropriate item at the site.
I understand C-Low's point about it being a national monument, but I think that it was a bit tainted by the Saddam details and associations. The tomb of the unknowns lies off the entrance to the Swords parade grounds - that's definitely a national symbol, and it's been spiffed up a bit (and was lit up during last year's Iraqi army day). That won't be touched.
But the best monument by far (it really is an impressive, symbolically powerful, clean design) is the Martyr's Monument, which lies outside the IZ. Don't know its status at the moment. I'd say it's far more than an adequate substitute for the Swords as a commemoration of the Iran-Iraq war dead.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said on Tuesday that it will boycott the incoming Palestinian unity government, dealing a minor setback to attempts by the rival Fatah and Hamas parties to forge a broad coalition.
It's usual for all parties to sign on to an agreement except one or two. That way the illusion of some sort of progress is established and the same old carnage can resume even as the ink dries. Then, a few months later, there can be calls to renegotiate the agreement, with the Arab side keeping any concessions they've gotten and the other side giving some more. Failing that, a new Legitimate Right is found which simply overrides the agreement. This is not subtle stuff, except to an Arab.
The PFLP said it was upset that the deal, signed earlier this month in Saudi Arabia, would respect past peace agreements with Israel.
The PFLP said it was upset that the deal, signed earlier this month in Saudi Arabia, would respect past peace agreements with Israel. "Our position is to boycott the incoming government," said Jamil Mezhar, a member of the PFLP's central committee. "We voice our protest over the way in which Hamas and Fatah decided in Mecca." The PFLP holds three seats in the Palestinian parliament and had been allocated one seat in the new Cabinet, which is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks. Its decision is expected to have no impact on plans to form the new government. The PFLP, which opposes Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, is labeled a terror group by the United States.
This article starring:
JAMIL MEZHAR
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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MK Yisrael Katz (Likud) submitted a bill Tuesday to outlaw the northern branch of Israel's Islamic Movement, on the grounds that it is an "illegal corporation." The bill would stop Islamic Movement from running in national or local elections and raise funds. Last week, the Islamic Movement's leader, Sheikh Raed Salah, was charged with incitement after attacking policemen at the Temple Mount.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON - The United States scoffed on Tuesday at an offer by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to suspend uranium enrichment work if Western countries do the same. The Iranian president said Teheran would refuse to meet a deadline Friday imposed by the UN Security Council to halt sensitive uranium enrichment efforts. But he told a rally in Rasht that Iran would be willing to stop the enrichment program if other nuclear powers were willing to do the same.
Do you believe thats a serious offer? White House spokesman Tony Snow scoffed said when asked about Ahmadinejads comments. Snow declined to comment on whether Iran might face additional sanctions if it failed to meet the UN deadline and said Washington was waiting for a report from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei.
Snow said the international community was not opposed to Iran having a civilian nuclear program to generate electricity. We understand that Iran wants to have civilian nuclear power and we certainly have no problem with that, he said. What we do have a problem with is an Iran that has the ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Snow and a Pentagon spokesman stressed US commitment to dealing with Iran through diplomacy, dismissing a BBC report that the US military has drawn up fall-back contingency plans for air strikes against Iran.
The report is ludicrous, said Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman. The United States has significant concerns about Irans nuclear programs and its meddling in Iraq, Whitman said. But were addressing those issues on a diplomatic track.
Why try to whoop up suspicion and scepticism about an administration right after weve demonstrated the success of diplomacy in North Korea using the same means and methods that were trying to employ with the Iranians, said Snow.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2007 00:06 ||
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[14 views]
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#2
I'm beginning to believe the only suitable outcome of the Iranian nuclear problem is going to be the total destruction of the mullah's power through destruction of the faclities they're building and the infrastructure that supports it, including the oil infrastructure that pays for it. The sooner that happens the better the world will be afterwards.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/21/2007 21:22 Comments ||
Top||
#3
DEBKA > IRAN Minister > "Any NON-CONVENTIONAL? [ Nuke?PYOPS/PSYWAR?], irrational or illogical" attack by USA will be met by appropriate response from Iran. * RIAN > FM LAVROV > Russia does NOT believe US Missle Shield in Poland + Czech can stop Iranian andor Norkie missles + Russia never asserted that said missle shield in Poland-Czech was aimed or directed at Russia. * SLOVAK Republic > former Minister > Missle Shield will start new Cold War = Arms Race.
Syria is calling for talks with the United States to cover all areas of contention in the Middle East, a state newspaper said on Tuesday. Syria wants to engage in a dialogue with the United States concerning all issues: Palestine, the Golan Heights, Iraq, Lebanon as well as anything else to do with Arab countries, an editorial in the official Ath Thawra said.
Syria insists on a serious and profound dialogue on all subjects without exception.
Syria insists on a serious and profound dialogue on all subjects without exception.
Washington accuses Damascus of backing militants in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The Golan Heights were captured from Syria by Israel during the 1967 war and subsequently annexed. If the United States was serious it would have asked to discuss all the regions problems with a view to solving them, as all the questions are inter-linked, the paper said. Earlier this month, Washington authorized US charged affaires in Damascus Michael Corbin to meet Syrian officials about a growing Iraqi refugee crisis despite the continuing freeze on high-level contacts with Damascus.
Officials made clear this did not represent a break with standing US policy not to have high-level diplomatic dealings with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. By raising the matter of Iraqis in Syria, the United States wants only to discuss the results and not the cause, which is the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Ath Thawra said.
This article starring:
Bashar al Assad
Michael Corbin
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
...as well as anything else to do with Arab countries,
And a pony! No, two ponies.
Sounds like Baby Assad is getting nervous about something. If festivities start, those excitable Hezbollah boys will no doubt jump in. As a result, parts of Syria will get 'sanitized' as a preventative measure. Bummer, eh?
#4
Oh boy, the donks are gonna jump all over this. Bush won't be able to talk to him enough to prevent the donks from badmouthing him for not taking to him enough. Right up until they say he has spend to much time talking to one person and neglected other area.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
02/21/2007 17:05 Comments ||
Top||
Iran's chief nuclear envoy said Tuesday his country wants to negotiate over its uranium enrichment program, on the eve of a U.N. Security Council deadline that carries the threat of harsher sanctions. But the country's hard-line president said Iran will halt enrichment only if Western nations do the same. Sanctions could be triggered by a report from Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, to his agency's 35 board-member nations, expected Wednesday. That report is expected to say Iran has expanded enrichment activities instead of freezing them.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country was ready to stop its enrichment program, but only if Western nations do the same.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking to a crowd of thousands in Iran, said his country was ready to stop its enrichment program, but only if Western nations do the same something the United States and others with similar programs are unlikely to even consider. "Justice demands that those who want to hold talks with us shut down their nuclear fuel cycle program too," he said. "Then, we can hold dialogue under a fair atmosphere."
The White House dismissed Ahmadinejad's call. "Do you believe that's a serious offer?" White House press secretary Tony Snow asked. "It's pretty clear that the international community has said to the Iranians, `You can have nuclear power but we don't want you to have the ability to build nuclear weapons.' And that is an offer we continue to make."
Nevertheless, Ahmadinejad's speech was unusually conciliatory, avoiding fiery denunciations of the West. Iran's call for talks voiced separately on Tuesday by Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and
But the officials did not offer what the Security Council is demanding an immediate and unconditional stop to enrichment.
senior nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani suggested an attempt to convey flexibility on the eve of the deadline.
Mottaki, in Turkey, said talks on the nuclear dispute should try to achieve an agreement allowing "Iran to achieve its rights" while eliminating "concerns" about its nuclear ambitions. Larijani, in Vienna, said his country was "looking for ways and means to start negotiations." But the officials did not offer what the Security Council is demanding an immediate and unconditional stop to enrichment. Iran has long insisted that it will not stop its nuclear activities as a condition for negotiations to start.
This article starring:
Ali Larijani
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
International Atomic Energy Agency
Mohamed ElBaradei
Tony Snow
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[10 views]
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#1
Get me the 20-gauges shotguns, Maw, D *** ng me its anuther shocker + sucker = shucker.
#2
There was a report yesterday that Iran wouldn't (or Couldn't ) pay Russia for the plant's construction and Fueling, so the Russians quit construction. This looks like atypical Muzzie double-cross attempt, get paid for an agreement to Not-Finish what isn't going to be finished anyway.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/21/2007 20:28 Comments ||
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#3
Ho Hum
Posted by: DanNY ||
02/21/2007 21:01 Comments ||
Top||
Since Hillary lives by the polls, I wonder how long she'll take before doing another U-turn war/anti-war road.
This is from NY Post. You'll see it all over NBC, CBS, CNN tonight crickets chirping...
#3
First you have to get HilBilly To Actualy hear of, and read this poll, It'l never happen, her staffers will tell her "The poll is Inaccurate, Misleading. (Make up your own Dismissive phrase here) And otherwise make sure that it's dismissed Unread. (Don't bother me with the truth is a Hillary Standard).
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/21/2007 12:26 Comments ||
Top||
#4
O'REILLY > for the first time in Amer history, Left/Far Left-leaning elected Leaders are engaging in COLD WAR-STYLE BRINKMANSHIP in ordfer to promote = entrench the SECULAR PROGRESSIVE AND GLOBAL SOCIALIST IDEOLOGY. OR > never thought he'd live to see the day.
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.
The upper house of Afghanistans parliament on Tuesday approved a controversial bill that would rule out legal proceedings for war crimes committed during the countrys years of brutal conflict. The lower house of parliament approved the bill about a month ago, prompting an outcry from rights groups and opposing parliamentarians, who said it was unconstitutional. The document would still need to be approved by President Hamid Karzai to become law. A presidential spokesman has said previously Karzai was unlikely to accept it.
(SomaliNet) The Ethiopian command in the Somalias southern port city of Kismayu on Tuesday consolidate all the military positions of the transitional government after they deployed the government troops in military camps for training. 
The U.N. Security Council authorized an African Union peacekeeping mission for Somalia for six months on Tuesday as mortar attacks pounded the capital and the northeast African country spiraled further into chaos.
TOKYO - US Vice President Dick Cheney reassured Japan on Wednesday that the breakthrough North Korea nuclear deal was a good first step after a worried Tokyo refused to fund the pact. Cheney opened talks here at the start of a Pacific visit to close US allies Japan and Australia meant to step up cooperation over North Korea and war-torn Iraq.
A coalition of Muslim groups is calling for a worldwide fast in support of 
Republican presidential hopeful 
ABU DHABI Iran may pose a greater security threat to the strategic Persian Gulf than does Al Qaida, warned the U.S. Fifth Fleet commander at a news conference in Bahrain. "We consider this moment in time unprecedented in terms of the amount of insecurity and instability that is in the region," U.S. Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Patrick Walsh said. "Although our presence in the Arabian Gulf is for defensive and not offensive purposes, the U.S. will take military action if ships are attacked or if countries in the region are targeted or U.S. troops come under direct attack," Walsh added.
Feb. 20, 2007 - It's the postcard image of Baghdad: a pair of gigantic crossed swords clenched in massive fists. The monument, known officially as the Hands of Victory, is both a symbol of Saddam Hussein's outsized ego and his iron grip. For nearly 20 years, the swords have dominated the skyline in central Baghdad. But on Tuesday afternoon, 10-foot bronze chunks cut from one fist were stacked haphazardly at the base of the monument, the first step in bringing the swords down. "I was very shocked when I heard they started destroying it," says Mustafa Khadimi, executive director of the Iraq Memory Foundation,an organization that has meticulously documented the atrocities of the former regime.
Syria is calling for talks with the United States to cover all areas of contention in the Middle East, a state newspaper said on Tuesday. Syria wants to engage in a dialogue with the United States concerning all issues: Palestine, the Golan Heights, Iraq, Lebanon as well as anything else to do with Arab countries, an editorial in the official Ath Thawra said. 
Iran's chief nuclear envoy said Tuesday his country wants to negotiate over its uranium enrichment program, on the eve of a U.N. Security Council deadline that carries the threat of harsher sanctions. But the country's hard-line president said Iran will halt enrichment only if Western nations do the same. Sanctions could be triggered by a report from 
