Hillary Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week that even after President Obama withdraws 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by September 2012, there will still be “twice as many” U.S. troops in the country as there were when he took office.
Clinton testified, "When the president became president, there were waiting on his desk requests for additional troops. At the time president Obama was inaugurated, there were, give or take, about 30,000-plus American troops [in Afghanistan] and there was no doubt that our attention had shifted to Iraq in the preceding years and that in Iraq there had been a negotiated agreement with the Iraqi government by our government, the Bush administration, as to when our troops would come out.
"With Afghanistan there was nothing, there was an open-ended commitment. There was evidence of our losing to the Taliban, so he (Obama) not only put in the surge, he put in an additional 38,000 troops. So I think when all is said and done, we will still have more than twice as many troops [in Afghanistan] as when he took office in January of 2009," Clinton said.
According to Clinton, after Obama's troop withdrawal is completed, about 60,000 U.S. soldiers will remain in Afghanistan because she mentioned that there were about 30,000 there when Obama took office.
#1
Just remember this 'political' concept when the boys report they've 'cut' the debt by 33 billion, but it will still be twice the size of when the O man took office.
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia has pardoned six foreigners sentenced to at least 10 years in prison each for bringing millions of dollars intended for pirate ransom into the country, a government spokesman said Sunday.
Abdirahman Omar Osman said the three British nationals, an American and two Kenyans, will be free after the court completes processing their release. The countryÂ’s president granted them a pardon from their sentences, he said. The men were arrested in Mogadishu last month after their planes were found to be carrying millions of dollars in cash. Two of the defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine, the others were sentenced to 10 years and a $10,000 fine on June 18.
Osman said $50,000 fines for each of the planes would need to be paid before they could be released.
Pirates have been receiving millions of dollars in ransoms for several years now but this was the first time Westerners were sentenced for their role in paying out the ransoms.
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06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia's Islamist movement Ennahda (Renaissance), has announced they have pulled out of a national commission tasked with making political reforms. Ghannouchi told a press conference that the commission "believes it has a popular legitimacy, when it hasn't," reproaching the panel for its "condescension."
The reform panel was set up in February after the uprising that ousted president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, with a mission to pave the way for democratic change in the north African country.
"Who are you to want to decide the essential laws for the people?" the Islamist windbag leader asked, charging that some commission members wanted to "promote their own aims" and that the panel was behaving like "a parliament."
Ghannouchi said the commission bore "the responsibility for the departure" of his movement, but did not completely rule out the possibility of a return. He said it was a "definitive withdrawal if the high instance continues to ignore the principle of a consensus. If reason prevails concerning a consensus we could study the option of returning."
Apart from a dispute over an eventual election date, Ennahda disagreed with the panel over the means of financing political parties. The rules that the commission wants to establish are contested by the large political movements that have substantial resources and do not want to see them cut, according to observers. There is also a dispute over the inclusion in a "Republican Pact" that is intended to be the basis for a new Tunisian constitution of a clause banning any normalisation of relations with Israel.
(KUNA) -- Visiting US Senators John Maverick McCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... and John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, the Senate's current foreign policy expert, filling the vacated wingtips of Joe Biden... on Sunday said the US should offer Egypt all legal, technical and economic help in this critical time to help her democratic transformation process prove success.
McCain and Kerry held talks with Field Marshal Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, Head of the Supreme Council of Armed forces, which rules Egypt since the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... by popular uprising February 11, on number of important issues related to democratic transformation in Egypt.
In a joint presser here, McCain said they have explained to Tantawi the American point of view regarding the presence of international observers during the upcoming elections and expressed readiness to help non-government organizations monitoring elections and organizing political parties.
McCain said the US is ready to provide Egypt with financial, legal and US military support.
He described the talks as frank adding that the Tantawi has confirmed the SCAF commitment to handing power to an elected civilian government.
Field Marshal Tantawi has also promised to consider the issue of allowing international observers during parliamentary and presidential elections, McCain said.
McCain pointed out that the US administration can provide assistance and support in different ways but the most important is the cooperation of American companies to find opportunities and create jobs, new jobs in Egypt.
He asserted that the American people hope success for the Egyptian revolution.
McCain made it clear that the US does not want impose anything on Egypt, but "the American people want a safer world." "The (Arab spring) came because of the absence of democracy and freedom, but most importantly the absence of good economic opportunities for Egyptians to have a family and provide for it," he said, stressing that the success or failure of the revolution would affect investment and employment opportunities in Egypt.
With regard to the situation in Yemen and Syria, McCain said that the situation in Yemen is very difficult even after the departure of President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... to the Soddy Arabia for treatment.
"The United States is doing its best to end the conflict there," he said.
McCain called for the imposition of sanctions on Syria, expressing his country's readiness to work with the Turks to offer aid for the Syrian fleeing violence in their country.
"But this does not mean that US military intervention," he stated.
For his part, Senator Kerry described the visits of representatives to the US Democratic and Republican parties to Egypt currently as clear evidence that Egypt is important to all US politics.
"Our visit is aimed to help achieve the aspirations of the Egyptian people who have a history of excellence in their struggle to create a civil society and protecting their rights and dignity," Kerry added.
"Egyptian people to decide their future without the intervention of any other country. We are not here to dictate anything on anyone, but to hear and offer help." Kerry expressed the hope that the United States can contribute to improving the economic situation of the Arab's most populous and powerful state.
He voiced willingness to work with the US administration and the countries of the region and allies to help provide better ways for success to the Egyptian revolution.
Kerry pointed out that President Barack B.O. Obama and members of Congress believe that the totalitarian rulers can't suppress the aspirations of their peoples and that Egypt will have a great rule in supporting democracy in other Arab countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The American point of view, you mean like participating in the removal of Mubarik and attempted imposition of el-Baradai?
Whose idea was it to have jawn I Hate War and My Medals plus Soldiers as Dumb Dullards kerry put in charge of representing anything resembling conflict, other than his wife?
Hey McCain. Take a rest buddy. Everyone crosses fingers and hope Egypt will turn out alright but this looks clumsy. Again.
RIYADH: Some of 16 Saudi reform activists being tried on security and sedition charges may receive their verdicts next week after spending more than four years in detention, their lawyer said on Saturday. Most of the lawyers, professors and activists in the group were detained in 2007 after they met in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah to discuss reform.
"Some of the verdicts could come out on Tuesday or Wednesday," lawyer Basin Alim told Reuters.
"There are basically two scenarios. The first is that they would be let out on the basis that they had already served enough time and the second is that they will get a few more years which will give time for the king to pardon them in due course," Alim said.
And if they're found innocent, they can be grateful it wasn't worse.
In May, Judge Saleh bin Ali Al-Ojairy fell out with Alim, who is defending all but one of the 16 activists, and banned him from access to the court and direct contact with his clients.
"(The judge) denied me entry into the court to defend my clients, I am currently still their legal representative and preparing all documentation out of court for them to personally hand in to the judge," said Alim.
"I communicate with my clients ... through their family visits. The families convey their messages to me and I reply. It's been a very difficult situation," he said, adding that no other lawyer had agreed to defend the activists.
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06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Yemen's President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... was injured earlier this month by a bomb planted in a mosque within the presidential palace, but he is recovering and will return to Yemen soon, a source close to Saleh told Rooters.
Saleh's health and fate have been the subject of conflicting reports in the three weeks since the attack, which forced him to seek treatment in Soddy Arabia's capital, Riyadh. The circumstances of the attack on June 3 had also been unclear. "The bomb in the mosque was in close proximity to the president when it went off. He was really lucky to get out," said the source who was with Saleh during the attack.
Yemeni officials had earlier accused an opposition tribal coalition of shelling the palace, a charge it denied. The source declined to say who he thought had planted the bomb. Saleh left behind a nearly failed state that has been rocked by months of protests against his three decades of rule. Some of his generals have defected while Yemen faces a rebellion in the north, separatist violence in the south and a resurgent wing of al Qaeda.
Less than 40 percent of Saleh's body was burnt, the source, said, referring to widely circulated details of Saleh's injuries. Some 39 other Yemenis, including the prime minister, two deputy prime ministers and the speakers of both parliamentary chambers, were also injured and taken for treatment to different hospitals across Soddy Arabia. "After the bomb went off several rockets were fired in the direction of the mosque, but people from inside had already pulled the president out," added the source, who was also injured in the attack on his legs and chest.
The source said in Riyadh that Saleh's health had improved in hospital enough to allow him to travel to Yemen soon. "He wants to address the people of Yemen via the Yemeni television very soon," the source said. Saleh's media secretary said in Sanaa on Sunday that Saleh would make a media appearance within 48 hours.
Last week, a Western diplomat told Rooters that Saleh was unlikely to return home soon, as Soddy Arabia and the United States continue to push for a transfer of power under an existing Gulf Arab proposal for a transition in Yemen. They fear the power vacuum and tribal warfare will be exploited by the local wing of al Qaeda to launch attacks in the Gulf region and beyond.
From his hospital bed, Saleh remained in close contact with events in Yemen and made regular phone calls. Upon his return, Saleh aimed to propose two solutions, the source said. "The first is to shift all power to the parliament and become just a figurehead," said the source. "The second will be to let a coalition government to be formed and then hold early presidential elections and leave quietly."
Saleh has remained an unpredictable figure, with political instincts honed over decades of ruling a country that he described as "dancing on the heads of snakes". Saleh backed out of the Gulf-brokered power transfer deal three times at the last minute.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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Police in Berlin have confirmed the arrest of two Russian citizens on suspicion of belonging to a North Caucasus terrorist group.
One unidentified suspect, aged 35, is accused of being a courier for Jamaat Shariat from September 2008 to last August, accoding to the Rheinische Post. He purportedly took documents from Germany to the Czech Republic that contained information about the recruitment and weapons purchases for terror groups in Chechnya and Dagestan.
According to Ukrainian news agency Globalist, he is known as the "Iron Recruiter." German news reports said that police have also detained his suspected assistant.
German law enforcement agencies are considering an extradition request from the Czech Republic. Czech police said on May 3 that they had detained four Russians and two Bulgarians suspected of supporting Jamaat Shariat. Police said at the time that two additional suspects were being held in Germany.
U.S. Sen. James Webb (D. - VA) lambasted President Barack Obama’s Libya policy Sunday, saying he has problems with the president’s “unilateral” decision to get involved in yet another Middle East conflict and the reasons given for U.S. Libyan involvement “defy historical precedent.”
“No one wants to see Gadhafi remain in power, but that’s a totally different question [from] as to how the United States should be involved,” Webb said. “We weren’t under attack, we weren’t under imminent attack, we weren’t honoring treaty commitments, we weren’t rescuing Americans,” he said. “So on the one hand, there’s a very serious issue of precedent here — and on the other, we need to be clear that once Gadhafi is gone we won’t have Americans in there as a peacekeeping force.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/27/2011 10:20 ||
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#1
Sorry Senator, Congress gave up its power last week.
#2
He worked to give these democrat everything they always wanted in the delusion that they'd be bringing American troops home from the Middle East.
Well, let me give you a big hint, Senator Webb, IF they shut down drilling in this country do you think we're EVER going to be in a POSITION to BRING ANY TROOPS HOME?
[Dawn] Despite repeated claims by Interior Minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. that all possible measures are being taken to counter terrorism, the government is yet to formulate a consolidated databank on terrorists.
The issue was discussed at a recent meeting of civilian and military law-enforcement agencies, especially those working on terrorism, and they agreed to rope in the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to create and maintain such a databank on a fast-track basis.
According to sources, it emerged during the meeting that various government departments at the national and provincial levels were maintaining data on faceless myrmidons for their own use and the information remained fragmented in the absence of a central authority.
Therefore, at the time of need, it becomes very difficult to check the identity of a jacket wallah or terrorist on a speedy basis whether he or she is a Pak national or a foreigner. It is a common problem faced by the law-enforcement agencies.
The meeting unanimously approved a proposal for managing consolidated data on faceless myrmidons on modern lines under a central authority. The function may be performed by a proposed national counter-terrorism authority (Nacta).
Under the plan, Nadra will have separate databanks on Paks and foreigners suspected or found involved in terrorist
activities.
The practice is common all over the world where one authority manages such information, making it easier for Sherlocks who here have to reach out to many agencies to check identity of terrorists.
The participants recommended reactivation of Nacta on an urgent basis with adequate funding to implement its strategy.
They called for building consensus among stakeholders to make stringent laws on the subject and discussed the creation of a special anti-terrorism force.
The Nacta Ordinance introduced in 2009 is yet to be tabled in parliament, pending approval of the cabinet.
The Federal Investigation Agency's former director general Tariq Parvaiz was appointed the first chairman of the authority by the interior minister but he resigned after seeing no progress on the ordinance over a year.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... had decided at a meeting of chief ministers, chief secretaries and security officers held on July 5 last year after the Data Darbar kabooms that Nacta would be reactivated.
The authority was to act as a research organization and the European Union had pledged 15 million euros for it.
Preparation of a draft to provide a legal cover to it was started. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... discussions and input from various political parties over a year resulted only in a decision to make the prime minister its chairman with the interior minister as vice-chairman.
According to media reports, the Punjab government had expressed reservations over placement of Nacta under the interior ministry and suggested that it should function under the prime minister.
Former FIA DG, Malik Javed Iqbal, who was recently indicted in a contempt of court case, is the new head of Nacta. The Supreme Court questioned his role in investigating the National Insurance Company scam.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Five weeks after supporting a parliamentary resolution that sought setting up of an independent commission to probe into the May 2 US raid in Abbottabad, the Pakistain Mohammedan League-Q has called the panel 'unnecessary' and asked the government "not to rush taking decisions under pressure".
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the government-allied PML-Q, suggested in a statement on Saturday that the "most appropriate forum should be an internal inter-services inquiry under the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee which can then report its findings to the parliament and the cabinet".
The statement comes at a time when the government-nominated commission headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, is set to begin its proceedings next week.
It was after almost six hours of intense discussion on May 14 that a joint sitting of both houses of parliament had reached a consensus on the 12-point resolution, asking the government to set up an independent commission to investigate the covert US operation that killed the late Osama bin Laden ... who no longer has to waste time and energy breathing... in his Abbottabad hideout.
Chaudhry Shujaat said on Saturday it was wrong to involve judiciary in all issues, "including such technical areas like intelligence or related security issues".
He observed that "accountability should not become a witch-hunt or an organised campaign to malign or defame a respected and popular national institution like the Pakistain Army".
The opposition PML-N, led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , has already rejected the Abbottabad commission, though he has done so on different grounds.
Mr Sharif has said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... did not consult Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while nominating members of the commission as required by the resolution.
The PML-N also is not satisfied with the Terms of Reference prepared by the government for the commission and believes that the commission under the existing ToR will be a powerless body and will not be able to call senior military officials or even record of intelligence agencies.
Assailing the PML-N chief for criticising army and intelligence agencies, Chaudhry Shujaat alleged that Mr Sharif was "trying to take advantage of the cropped up situation and differences between Pakistain Army and the US military leadership".
He said that by doing so Mr Sharif was trying to show to the Americans that "he can bring our army leadership under pressure to the liking of the US". The PML-Q is not the first party to renege on its support to the Abbottabad commission; earlier the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) declared it was against 'national interest'.
Briefing news hounds after a meeting of his party's central Majlis-i-Shoora on June 12, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... had said that forming the commission was wrong and against the national interest.
"If the commission finds the military in the wrong, it will be Pakistain that will suffer, not the military leadership," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for crimes against humanity committed against opponents of his regime since mid-February.
Warrants were also issued for Saif al Islam Gaddafi, the leader's son and a key figure in the regime, and Gaddafi's head of intelligence, Abdullah al Senussi.
Judges said the three men were wanted for orchestrating the killing, injuring, arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of civilians during the first 12 days of an uprising to topple Gaddafi from power, and for trying to cover up the alleged crimes.
The warrants turn Gaddafi, his son Saif, and al Senussi into internationally wanted suspects, potentially complicating efforts to mediate an end to more than four months of intense fighting in the North African nation.
Presiding judge Sanji Monageng of Botswana said there were "reasonable grounds to believe'' that Gaddafi and his son are both "criminally responsible as indirect co-perpetrators'' for the murder and persecution of civilians.
She called Gaddafi the "undisputed leader of Libya'' who had "absolute, ultimate and unquestioned control'' over his country's military and security forces.
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Sunday that with no renewal of peace talks on the horizon, the Palestinians would pursue their unilateral bid for recognition in September.
‘I say that if negotiations have failed we will go to the United Nations for membership,’ Abbas told a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and his Fatah party. ‘Until now there have been no new incentives to return to negotiations.’
Abbas had indicated that the Palestinians would be willing to give up the September bid for recognition of a Palestinian state if long dormant peace talks with Israel could be resurrected.
While many states have indicated they will support the bid, including France and Britain, it has faced strong opposition from Israel, the US and Germany, who said any progress toward a Palestinian state must be made through a negotiated agreement.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said that granting UN membership to a Palestinian state could actually help bring the sides back to the negotiating table.
‘We do not think that there is a contradiction between the two demands,’ he told AFP. ‘This measure is inevitable if (the international community) wants to preserve the peace process.’
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Tye UN needs to tell them NO, in short order.
And mean it.
This is only a ploy to put pressure on Israel.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/27/2011 3:07 Comments ||
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#2
THE dammit.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/27/2011 3:11 Comments ||
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#3
Fantasy statehood from a fantasy "international moral authority".
(KUNA) -- The Israeli political and security cabinet ordered the army Sunday to forbid the freedom flotilla II from reaching Gazoo Strip.
The cabinet held an extraordinary meeting as the Gazoo-bound flotilla's departure from European ports was approaching, the Israeli radio said.
The cabinet gave its instructions to the military authorities to ban any ship within the flotilla from reaching Gazoo, which has been under the Israeli siege for over four years.
The cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was debriefed by senior navy officers about the situation off Gazoo.
The freedom flotilla II is set to sail next Tuesday.
The Israeli army said its naval forces were on standby to prevent any ship from breaking the siege.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hundreds of activists are preparing to board aid ships bound for Gazoo this week in defiance of an Israeli blockade and U.N. warnings and in spite of the violent end to an operation last year which left nine dead.
About 350 pro-Paleostinian supporters hailing from 22 countries are set to join the "Freedom Flotilla" leaving from Greek ports.
Bestselling Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell and many journalists are among those taking part in the action seeking to break a five-year long Israeli naval blockade.
Nine Turks died when Israeli forces seized the Mavi Marmara, a ship taking part in the international aid flotilla in May last year.
The raid sparked worldwide condemnation and soured relations between Ankara and Tel-Aviv.
Israel said on Thursday it was determined to stop the flotilla, calling the protest a "provocation" and saying the country had a right to self defense.
U.N. envoy Ron Prosor said: "The flotilla has nothing constructive -- there is nothing humanitarian or anything that has to do with Paleostinian welfare in the organizing of this flotilla."
U.N. Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... and a number of governments have warned the flotilla not to start while the U.S. government has urged its nationals against taking part in the protest.
Israel imposed a blockade on Gazoo in 2006 after gun-hung tough guys snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. A ban on civilian goods and foodstuffs was eased last year but many restrictions remain in place.
Boats from Greece, La Belle France, Italia and Spain are among those taking part in the flotilla. Ankara said the Mavi Marmara had been withdrawn this year and that there would be no Turkish vessels involved in the operation.
The boats will leave from various Greek ports or meet off the coast, said Vaguelis Pissias from the country's "A boat for Gazoo" group, without specifying a departure date.
Greece is being used as a departure point due to its geographic position and its "historical, cultural relations with Arab countries," he said.
Two cargo boats will carry medicines, a fully-equipped ambulance car and cement.
"What happened last year caused us grave concern ... but we are determined to go to Gazoo, our aim is not simply to break the embargo but to show Israelis and people in the region that they have the right to live more harmoniously," said Pissias.
The United States said last week that such flotillas were not needed to funnel humanitarian aid because aid can be delivered to the Israeli port of Ashdod, from where it can be transported to Gazoo.
"We do not believe that the flotilla is a necessary or useful effort to try to assist the people of Gazoo," said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Dean Acheson ....
"Just this week, the Israeli government approved a significant commitment to housing in Gazoo. There will be construction materials entering Gazoo.
"And we think that it's not helpful for there to be flotillas that try to provoke actions by entering into Israeli waters and creating a situation in which the Israelis have the right to defend themselves," Clinton said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#7
I hope they got one as sweet as urum.... Ham... because I suspect he'll get negative reinforcement regardless.... poor Ham got zapped regardless of what he did. However, being a good American Simian he did everything correctly and swore to to the CapCom (ala Wally Shirra).... but damn was he pissed off when they got him out of the capsule. Pictures of "smiling" Ham being handled by two grown men seems to have faded from the internets. I
Posted by: S ||
06/27/2011 16:54 Comments ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Turkey faces a growing danger Syrian economic and social disruption could spill onto its soil, with some fearing an influx of refugees could draw its troops into border operations uncomfortably close to Syrian forces.
President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... 's crackdown on opposition has pushed once-warm ties with Syria close to breaking point. Assad's increasingly bloody repression of protests has driven 12,000 Syrian refugees to move north and take shelter in camps in Turkey, while Syrian troops move up to seal the area.
Ankara has sharpened its rhetoric against Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... -- publicly nudging Assad to pass reforms and calling his crackdown "savagery" -- but analysts say Turkey is still holding out hope for a change of heart in Assad.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday a speech by Assad contained "positive elements in it as signals of reform", but said it was important that action followed. "The Turks seem to be quite worried about a lack of alternatives to a stable regime other than a cruel tyrannical succession," said a Western diplomat with knowledge of the Turkish perspective. "Their last best hope -- although they are not naive -- is that somehow Assad, out of desperation to save his own skin, will undertake meaningful reforms."
Syria, an ally of Iran, sits at the heart of numerous conflicts in the Middle East. An unstable Syria would have repercussions for Turkey, which also borders Iran and Iraq. "The fear of the unknown is a major factor," said Gareth Jenkins, an Istanbul-based security analyst. "AK is very conservative. It prefers to deal with the devil it knows and Assad is the devil it knows," Jenkins said, referring to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, which has improved ties with Syria and other Mohammedan countries.
But Turkey could decide to ditch Assad should Syria descend into a civil war between religious and ethnic groupings. Though non-Arab, Turkey's demographics have similarities with Syria's. Both have a Sunni majority with Kurdish and Alawite minorities, although Assad's ruling family are Alawites. "The strategic, political dimension says that the stability of Syria is vital for the fragile stability of the Middle East," Murat Yetkin, editor of the Hurriyet daily, wrote recently. "But that doesn't mean that the current regime will be supported at any cost, because the Baath rule cannot produce stability anymore, as it insists on the current policies."
With refugees pouring across the border, media have reported that Turkish political and military leaders are considering setting up a buffer zone inside Syria in case the number of refugees increases sharply. Officials say they are not aware of such plans. Turkey's 2nd Army Commander visited the Guvecci border post this week to take stock of Syrian troop deployments near the border and to see the situation of the refugees for himself.
Turkey was caught off guard when 500,000 people flooded across the border from Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, many of them staying for some time after the war. The years that followed saw small contingents of Turkish troops policing what was an effective 'buffer zone' in the north of Iraq.
Having almost gone to war in the late 1990s because of Turkish Kurdish Death Eaters using Syria as a sanctuary, Damascus would not welcome the prospect of Turkish boots on Syrian soil. Ankara still faces an insurrection by Kurdish Death Eaters seeking their own state in the south-east. Turkey is eager to see borders with Syria, Iran and Iraq that, while open to commerce, are well sealed against rebel infiltration. Jenkins said creating a buffer zone in Syria would carry risks given concerns of Turkish "neo-Ottoman" foreign ambitions in some Arab countries, but said Ankara might be forced to it in the case of a mass influx of refugees.
"If we start seeing a spillover that upsets the internal demographic dynamics of Turkey a buffer zone would be possible. The Kurds are the elephant in the room here," he said.
While Turkey has failed to use its economic leverage to force a change in Damascus -- Turkey is Syria's largest trading partner -- it is manoeuvring to adapt to any fallout. A few months ago, Turkey and Syria were holding joint cabinet meetings and military exercises and abolished visa requirements. Earlier this month, Turkey hosted a conference of Syrian opposition figures in the city of Antalya, and members of the outlawed Syrian Moslem Brüderbund operate out of Turkey.
Meanwhile, ...back at the cheese factory, all the pieces finally fell together in Fluffy's mind... there have also been early signs of a thaw in frosty relations between Turkey and Israel, Syria's enemy. Turkish-Israeli ties deteriorated sharply when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish-backed flotilla bound for Gazoo last year, killing nine Turkish activists. "The policy of warming up to Syria has collapsed, but rather than Turkey reaching a point in which its patience with Assad will snap we will see Turkey finding new margins of manoeuvre to whatever situation emerges," said Semih Idiz, a foreign policy expert for Milliyet daily.
The Syrian crisis has also pushed Ankara and Washington into closer cooperation after falling out of step over Iran. Erdogan, who once vacationed together with Assad, and US President Barack B.O. Obama have discussed Syria twice by phone recently and share a need for Damascus to implement reforms.
Assad's repression has triggered a gradual escalation of US and European Union economic sanctions against Syrian leaders, but Turks don't agree on sanctions. "Turks hate sanctions. Turks suffered greatly under generations of sanctions in Saddam's Iraq and now with Iran. The last thing Turkey wants is a third country on its eastern border under international sanctions," the Western diplomat said. "They likely would not hesitate to point out to Assad the examples of Saddam and Iran, if he persists in oppressing his own people and defying world opinion."
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06/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
It seems to me that the day Turkey goes hammer and tongs with Syria, that will be the day Turkey loses the false hope they had of influencing Iran... or splitting the Middle East with Iran, which is really what PM Erdogan thought he could accomplish.
[Tolo News] Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad on Saturday said the US used 9/11 attacks as a pretext to occupy Afghanistan and Iraq.
During his speech at counterterrorism summit in the Iranian capital, Tehran, President Ahmadinejad said more than ten years back the incident took place in the United States, but still people are kept in dark about the real face of the event.
He accused the United States of providing support to terrorists.
He further said the United States uses the financial sources of its allies to support terrorist networks.
The summit was attended by countries in the region, including Afghanistan and Pakistain.
Before the opening of the summit on Saturday, Iranian leader held a trilateral talk with his Afghan and Pak counterparts on Friday and the three leaders agreed on joint fight against terrorism.
"In light of the way it was approached and exploited, September 11 is very much like the Holocaust," the Iranian leader said.
"The US government used the attacks as a pretext to occupy two countries, and kill, injure and displace people in the region," he added.
Iranian President went further and emphasised that the international community should launch a joint and honest war against terrorism. He called on all states to make efforts for a specific definition of terrorism and a suitable roadmap to combat and eradicate the phenomenon.
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[An Nahar] Iran on Sunday reiterated that it does not interfere in the affairs of its regional Arab ally Syria and accused the European Union of leading a "baseless" campaign against Tehran by imposing sanctions. "No, no! Certainly not!"
"The baseless EU claims in connecting events in Syria to the Revolutionary Guards reveal the bloc's efforts to create a campaign against the Islamic republic and to distort reality," foreign ministry front man Ramin Mehmanparast said in a statement.
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also told news hounds on Sunday that "Syrians are capable of resolving their issues."
The EU imposed sanctions on three Revolutionary Guard commanders, including its chief Brigadier Mohammad Ali Jafari, accusing them of aiding the crackdown in Syria, the EU's Official Journal showed on Friday.
Jafari was hit by an assets freeze and travel ban for "providing equipment and support to help the Syria regime suppress protests in Syria," the Journal said.
The same accusations were lodged against Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Guards' Qods unit, and Hossein Taeb, deputy commander for intelligence.
In contrast to its vocal support for uprisings that have swept the Arab world, Iran has been cautious in its stance on the anti-regime protests in Syria.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1,342 civilians have been killed in the government's crackdown and 342 security force personnel have also bit the dust since it erupted mid-March.
Ankara estimates that some 12,000 Syrians have decamped across the border to seek refuge in Turkey.
Earlier this month, President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad condemned Tehran's arch-foe the United States for "meddling" in Syria. Tehran has also accused the foreign media of exaggeration in their reports of events in Syria.
Washington and Syrian opposition groups have accused Tehran of helping President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... violently repress the uprising.
Officials have repeatedly denied allegations of Iranian involvement, and said the events in Syria are being fomented by Israel and Washington to weaken the Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... regime which, like Iran, remains a staunch opponent of the Jewish state.
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[An Nahar] Concerned Lebanese authorities have reportedly been handed the indictment in the investigation into the liquidation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri ahead of its announcement, revealed opposition circles to the daily An Nahar Sunday.
The authorities do receive the indictment before the Special Tribunal for Leb makes the announcement to the public, said the daily.
March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... camp sources explained that Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ...Hezbollah's secretary general, who managed to accidentally start a war with Israel in 2006, dragging the rest of Lebanon into it with him. After being soundly thrashed he declared a famous Arab victory and the rubes, being rubes, still believe him... 's speech on Friday is evidence that the Lebanese authorities have received the indictment seeing as his speech "did not carry a certain message, took place at the last minute, and was not held on a specific occasion."
They added that he may have been preparing the atmosphere for the release of the indictment and that he may have been planning on making a major announcement, but inexplicably refrained from doing so at the last moment.
The sources therefore said: "What he didn't say was more important than what he did say even though he did announce that he is not concerned with the STL."
In a related development, Justice Ministry sources revealed to the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper Sunday that the Lebanese judges working for the STL have headed to The Hague.
They interpreted this development as a sign that the indictment will be released during the first week of July.
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[An Nahar] Marada Movement the personal militia of Suleiman Franjieh, president of Leb at the outbreak of the civil war, currently Syrian toadies, but you never know when that could change... leader MP Suleiman Franjieh on Sunday stressed that Leb can only survive through "consensus and unity among its various sects."
"Throughout all the periods of our political action, we have not caused losses to the country like others did," Franjieh said, addressing the cadres of his movement during a lecture in the northern town of Bnachii.
"We pride ourselves as a political party in being allied with the Resistance That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... , because we believe in Arabism and resistance against Israel," Franjieh added.
He stressed that his movement is "not with an axis against another."
"We're rather with the Arab identity of the country and its unity," Franjieh noted, adding that "we won't accept that any sect in Leb be neglected."
"Thus, as Christians, we won't accept to be neglected, and if we're demanding our rights, that does not mean we are sectarian ... that's why we cannot tolerate that Leb be dominated by a certain sect," Franjieh stressed.
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Militant Islamist group Hizb Ut Towhid [or Hezbut Towheed] openly declares its publication named 'Dajjal' as "anti-Christ". Although distribution of Dajjal is already banned in Bangladesh, Hizb Ut Towhid is now spreading the content of this book, filled with hate speech against infidels, using Facebook and other social networks.
All such illegal activities are conducted from its headquarters in Dhaka. HuT maintains close links with various Islamist outfits including Taliban, Laskar-e-Toiba, Sipaha Sahaba, Al-Qaeda and so on.
HuT's founder, bayezid Khan Panni aka Selim Panni collaborated with Pakistani occupation forces during Bangladesh's war for independence. Some think that Hizb Ut Towhid is the brainchild of the ISI.
Selim Panni encourages murdering Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims and calls this jihad a "holy task". He instructs his followers to do every form of harm to non-Muslims, especially Jews and Christians.
Weekly Blitz has already located a number of Facebook pages owned by Hizb Ut Towhid. These are: Hezbut Tawheed, Dajjal and True Islam, Ayman Bin Moshi, This Islam Is Not Islam [Jihadist content], Dajjal The Judeo-Christian Civilization, Islam, Islam and Dajjal, Anti Dajjal, Dajjal Documentary, Awareness of Dajjal, Beware of Dajjal, Dajjal Representative etc. According to initial surfing on Facebook, there are at least 1700 pages and groups with the Dajjal title.
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.
Hillary Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week that even after President Obama withdraws 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by September 2012, there will still be “twice as many” U.S. troops in the country as there were when he took office. 
John 
In a joint 
U.S. Sen. James Webb (D. - VA) lambasted President Barack Obama’s Libya policy Sunday, saying he has problems with the president’s “unilateral” decision to get involved in yet another Middle East conflict and the reasons given for U.S. Libyan involvement “defy historical precedent.” 
[Dawn] Despite repeated claims by Interior Minister 
secretaries and security officers held on July 5 last year after the Data Darbar 
Five weeks after supporting a parliamentary resolution that sought setting up of an independent commission to probe into the May 2 US raid in Abbottabad, the Pakistain 
Nawaz Sharif
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for crimes against humanity committed against opponents of his regime since mid-February.
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said on Sunday that with no renewal of peace talks on the horizon, the Palestinians would pursue their unilateral bid for recognition in September.
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Hillary Clinton
Five monkeys are now undergoing tests before one is selected for the flight on board a Kavoshgar-5 rocket.
President-for-Life Bashir 
Mahmoud 
President-for-Life Bashir 
