Cake or Die... PlayStations, new kitchens and art classes are part of Saudi Arabias softly, softly approach to rehabilitating terrorists
It has been called the Betty Ford clinic for jihadists and within minutes of arriving at the Care Rehabilitation Centre on the outskirts of Riyadh, you can see why. The small complex, where the Saudi Arabian government is exploring a new way of reforming its wayward radicals, feels more like an exclusive boarding school than a Saudi jail. Inmates have access to swimming pools, table tennis and PlayStations. In the evenings, guards and prisoners play football. An air-conditioned tent sits adjacent to the sports field, serving as a dining hall and common room where, when I visited, the prisoners were tucking into rice and lamb with fresh fruit for pudding. Guard! My rice and lamb is cold! I demand to see the chef this instant!
In return for this privileged treatment, the prisoners Islamic extremists, some of whom are convicted murderers are obliged to attend lessons based around Islamic law and the jurisprudence of jihad. A team of psychologists teaches detainees how they should manage their emotions, particularly when reacting to world events. Excuse me, do you have the time?
DIE, INFIDEL!
No, no, no, Mahmoud. You're doing it wrong...
Art therapy classes help inmates to reveal their softer side. And it is not just the artwork that is surreal. It is quite a sight to see men in flowing robes, with unkempt beards and their trousers hoisted above their ankles, sit down with a pack of crayons to express themselves. The unconscious mind holds a lot of things, said the therapist. Well, I see Achmed has killed thirty people. Better get him an extra big coloring book. Try to stay inside the lines okay?
What...INFIDEL!!!
Okay. Nevermind. do the best you can...
The Saudi government insists all this is necessary to promote genuine rehabilitation and foster a meaningful relationship with the jihadists. But in the easy-going atmosphere of the resort nobody calls it a prison where inmates are referred to as beneficiaries, it is easy to forget the seriousness of some of their crimes. Kinda like...the Saudis did?
The centre is divided into six areas, four of which hold Saudi nationals who fought (or tried to) in Iraq. The other two hold returnees from Guantanamo Bay. The Gitmo guys probably get tanning booths so they don't lose theirs...
Ahmed al-Shayea, a failed suicide bomber, travelled to Iraq in 2003, aged 19. His bomb killed nine civilians and injured 60. Abdullah al-Shayea, his father, told me that Ahmed had said he was going camping in the desert with friends, a popular pastime among young Saudis. He disappeared and Abdullah later received an anonymous call from Iraq declaring that Ahmed fell as a martyr. I was stunned, he said. I had no idea he was going there. Stunned, I tells ya! Stunned!!
Ahmed insists he was tricked. After slipping into Iraq through Syria, he says, he joined the insurgency but is adamant he did not intend to be a suicide bomber. There were 12 of us in my group, he said, and we all refused. Yes. I just volunteered to drive an exploding truck.
It is impossible to assess the veracity of this story. Ahmed was given an oil tanker and told to drive it to the Mansour district of Baghdad where other insurgents would meet him just outside the Jordanian embassy. Two Iraqis drove the tanker first before passing it over to Ahmed just short of its final destination. They got out and drove away in another car, he says. As he approached the embassy, the tanker exploded in a fireball, killing passers-by and engulfing Ahmed in flames. He was catapulted from the vehicle and survived but has been left with horrific burns to his hands and face. Awwwwww. That's...too bad. Glad to see you didn't volunteer to be a suicide bomber.
He was treated at the scene by American soldiers who assumed he was an innocent victim of the blast. His role in the plot became clear only after five days of questioning. Ahmeds father realised his son had survived when he later saw him, bandaged and charred, being interviewed from a hospital bed on al-Arabiya, the pan-Arab satellite television channel. If I had known this would happen, I would never have gone, Ahmed says in an uncertain tone. Jihad is hard. Really, really hard if you're fuckin stupid.
The Saudi authorities accept his version of events and insist that Ahmeds youthful exuberance was exploited by sophisticated jihadist recruiters. Ahhh. I knew it had to be sumthin like that...
That willingness to join the jihad has caused problems among young Saudis in a kingdom where the austere form of Wahhabi Islam is endorsed by the state and two-thirds of the population are under 30. Since the war in Iraq began five years ago, Saudi nationals have constituted the largest band of foreign fighters in the country. Geez, ya wonder why that is...
The government has realised that the use of force alone will not contain Al-Qaeda. It has created an ideological security unit that coordinates the kingdoms efforts in the war of ideas against its native jihadists. Those arrested in connection with terrorism are routinely subjected to attempts to reform their thinking. Repent!...and sin no more!!
Five jails, each housing 1,200 prisoners, have been built specifically for jihadists with the purpose of promoting ideological reform through dialogue and debate. Religious instruction in these prisons is directed by an advisory committee, which is also closely involved with the care centre. The new prisons are far from the relaxed environment of the Care Rehabilitation Centre. Housing some of the most senior Al-Qaeda leaders in the kingdom, they are maximum security with sophisticated systems to deter any militants hoping to target them, including the use of buried seismic cables and microwave detection equipment. CCTV also operates in the prisons, including cells and interrogation rooms. Most prisoners have a cell to themselves or occasionally share, although the rooms have been designed to minimise contact with other prisoners and are largely self-contained. Cells are fitted with their own televisions, encased behind toughened glass, and are centrally controlled by the guards. They are used to transmit religious education lectures prepared by the advisory committee directly into cells where inmates later have an opportunity to debate ideas and ask questions using an intercom.
After serving their sentence in these jails, prisoners are moved to the rehabilitation centre, which opened 18 months ago. It is designed to be a halfway house where ideas first introduced by the advisory committee in prison are consolidated and developed. The men are also given extensive support to help to reintegrate them into society after they leave, the thinking being that so doing makes them less likely to reoffend.
The initiative was largely inspired by circumstance after a senior Al-Qaeda figure surrendered in response to a royal amnesty. Unsure about what to do with him, the government asked a local sheikh, Ahmad Jilani, to live with him and ensure that he did not abscond while it searched for a more permanent solution. We discovered that after living with the sheikh, who challenged his ideas, he began telling us everything about how he was recruited, what attracted him [to jihad] and how Al-Qaeda is operating in the kingdom, said General Mansour al-Turki, a spokesman for the interior ministry.
Since its inauguration, the centre has attracted a merry-go-round of visitors and now has purpose-built exhibition and reception centres for guests. Pictures from the visit of David Miliband, the foreign secretary, are proudly displayed alongside the carefully selected artwork of prisoners. Oooh. That's a nice one.
Yes. I call it "Exploding Infidel Skyscraper".
In the months before being released, inmates are allowed to make occasional unescorted visits to family members on the understanding that they will return later. We have to trust them because one day theyre going to leave here, says Professor Turki al-Otayan, a psychologist.
Families are encouraged to make regular visits to the centre, allowing inmates to socialise with spouses and children. Families have a crucial role to play in reforming the radicals and the centre offers advice on how to help prisoners to readjust after release. The emphasis on preparing both the families and the inmates for reintegration is particularly relevant to those returning from Guantanamo Bay. Jumah Mohammed al-Dossari spent six years there and was held at the care centre after being repatriated. It prepared me to go back into society gradually. You cannot just go from Guantanamo back to normal life. Its too difficult. Everything changed. Saudi Arabia changed. The whole world changed, he says. I have a great wife. She tells me to forget Guantanamo. She says, Just forget it. She says, Youre a new man. You have a new life. You have your family. Focus on that. That makes me feel much better. Awwwwwwwww. Isn't that nice.
How successful the centre is being in challenging jihadist ideas is hard to measure. The majority of men I met there were not Al-Qaedas ideologues but its foot soldiers. Most had answered the call to jihad without fully understanding the Islamist world view and, although religiously motivated, were fuelled by events. Yes. It's...complicated I'm sure.
Since its inception none of the inmates from the care centre has reoffended, but a visit to the home of Mohammed al-Fawzan, who tried to join the Islamic army in Iraq and was arrested on the Syrian border, reveals a more intriguing reason why some of those released from the care centre might want to sustain their good behaviour. Ahhhhhhh. Now we find out the secret to their success...
Parked outside his modest one-bedroom apartment in a poor district of Riyadh is Fawzans new Toyota Camry, costing just under £15,000. The flat has been renovated and modernised with a fitted kitchen and bedroom furniture installed in preparation for his wedding. Fawzans living room hosts a 37in high-definition television with surround sound and a Blu-ray player. All this has been provided by the government, including an additional £15,000 for his wedding. And incentives are not limited to financial aid. The government also ensured that Fawzan was reinstated in his old job. Ahmed al-Shayea enjoys financial benefits, too, despite having killed civilians. If you were to rehabilitate me mentally, physically and psychologically, why would you not financially rehabilitate me if I were in need? he says. In the words of the infidel, "cha-ching"!
It may be startling to us, but most Saudis are sanguine about it. They insist that such generous financial packages are not bribing the jihadists. Khalid al-Maeena, editor of the Arab News, Saudi Arabias only English-language newspaper, said: We are a patriarchal society. These people are sons of the soil. When a son makes a mistake, the father forgives him and the king has pardoned them. Yes, there's no such thing as a "bad boy"...
The traditional relationship between the state and its citizens in the West has no parallel in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia is paternalist and the care centre is indicative of King Abdullahs wider ambitions to promote social reform. Whether these softly, softly tactics will work long term remains to be seen. So boys. Killing infidels? Okay. Killing belivers (especially the king)? Not okay.
#2
JFM, the difference is that in the Quran, petty theft merits having your hand cut off. Killing infidels (and maybe a few Muslim apostates) merits a much less harsh penalty.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
07/07/2008 15:38 Comments ||
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#3
Something's missing here. I guess you only get the virgins if you are successful.
Posted by: James ||
07/07/2008 16:45 Comments ||
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Muslims in Britain should be able to live according to Sharia, the country's most senior judge has said.
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice, strongly backed Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over his suggestion earlier this year that aspects of Sharia law should be adopted in Britain.
The archbishop's remarks sparked a national debate and led to calls for his resignation.
Risking inflaming that controversy again, Lord Phillips has said that Muslims in Britain should be able to use Sharia to decide financial and marital disputes. So LP thinks that Muslims can use Sharia to trump British law? That is what they are saying.
The judge did add that only the criminal courts should have the power to decide when a crime has been committed and when to impose punishment. And let Imams do their thing with respect to money, marriage, in effect, rights of the individual.
But his suggestion that different religious groups should run their affairs according to different rules sparked warnings that community cohesion could be undermined. Multiculturalism in a nutshell. Then when the religious groups feel that they have enough power, they will make a stink or threaten the government and pretty soon the government will be govt in name only, and will be totally relegated to dhimmi status.
In a speech at the East London Muslim Centre in east London, Lord Phillips said it was 'not very radical' for Dr Williams to argue that Sharia law can be used to help govern issues like family disputes and the sale of financial products.
Lord Phillips said: 'It is possible in this country for those who are entering into a contractual agreement to agree that the agreement shall be governed by law other than English law.' This is unbelievable, coming from a judicial muckity muck.
Therefore, he said, he could see no reason why Sharia law should not be used to settle disputes in this country.
He said: 'There is no reason why principles of Sharia law, or any other religious code, should not be the basis for mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution.' So if you do not like the English civil law, then form a religious group, whip up some bonafides, and make your own settlement. No responsibility for contracts. What a scam!
He added: 'It must be recognized however that any sanctions for a failure to comply with the agreed terms of the mediation would be drawn from the laws of England and Wales.' Fat chance of that happening.
Sharia law suffered from 'widespread misunderstanding' in Britain, Lord Phillips said.
'Part of the misconception about Sharia law is the belief that Sharia is only about mandating sanctions such as flogging, stoning, the cutting off of hands or death for those fail to comply with the law,' he said.
'In some countries the courts interpret Sharia law as calling for severe physical punishment. There can be no question of such courts sitting in this country, or such sanctions being applied here.'
The judge said Dr Williams had been misunderstood when it was reported in February that he said British Muslims could be governed by Sharia law.
Lord Phillips said that the archbishop was saying only that 'it was possible for individuals voluntarily to conduct their lives in accordance with Sharia principles without this being in conflict with the rights guaranteed by our law'. Volunteers, ya say?
There is already scope in English law for some communities to use their own religious codes to resolve disputes. Orthodox Jews can use the Beth Din rabbinical courts to decide on matters including divorce.
However some critics say that women marrying under Sharia law do not have the same rights as in English law, and could lead to them being treated as second class citizens as far as divorce settlements, custody of children and inheritance go. I think that the rights of women under Sharia law is well know.
Muslim and Christian politicians expressed fears that at a time of heightened tensions, encouraging Muslims to live by their own distinct rules could make it harder for different communities to integrate. Understatement of the week.
Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Bar and a practising Muslim, said that allowing Sharia law in parts of the UK would be divisive.
He said: 'This would create a two-tier society. It is highly retrograde. It will segregate and alienate the Muslim community from the rest of British society. The only one talking any sense here is a Muslim.
'The majority of British Muslims want to live only under British law and they would reject anything that means they are treated differently. A lot of Muslims came over to get away from this crap.
'What Lord Phillips and the archbishop are discussing is something that is completely outside their area of understanding.'
Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley, said Lord Phillips' suggestion was 'totally unacceptable.'
He said: 'It is very unhelpful for community cohesion. This is the sort of thing that builds up tensions in areas like mine, in places like Bradford. Sharia law has got no place in any shape or form in British law.'
Andrew Selous, a Tory MP and chairman of the all-party Christians in Parliament group, said calls like those made by Lord Phillips and the archbishop were 'worrying.'
He said: 'As far as people of all faiths are concerned, it is important that we are all equal under one United Kingdom law. It will lead to more community tensions rather than less.'
Lord Ahmed, a Labour peer and practicing Muslim, said there was a 'big debate' among British Muslims about whether and how Sharia should apply in the UK.
He said: 'There is a risk that this would make it harder for communities to integrate -- we all need to do more to integrate, and mainstream society has to do more as well.'
'We should have one law for everyone in the UK, but there may be very rare occasions when exceptions have to be made, like for marriage, divorce and food.'
A Muslim lawyer said that raising the prospect of allowing people to live under Sharia law in Britain would 'alarm' people. No Shiite, Sherlock.
Mahmud Al Rashid, spokesman from the Association of Muslim Lawyers, said: 'There is massive misunderstanding about what Sharia is. It is not a single law.'
A spokesman for Dr Williams said: 'We welcome the speech given by the Lord Chief Justice as a positive and constructive contribution to this important and ongoing debate.'
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster and leader of Britain's Catholics, said that people should live under the laws of the UK. A novel idea. Live under the laws of the country you live in.
His spokesman said: 'As the Cardinal has consistently said and indeed said earlier this year, was that Britons should abide by and be subject to the law of the land.'
Downing Street said the Government's position on the issue of Sharia law had been made clear at the time of the controversy over the Archbishop's speech.
'We think that British law should be based on British values and determined by the British Parliament,' the Prime Minister's spokesman said.
Baroness Warsi, the Conservative shadow minister for community cohesion, backed the judge.
She said: 'The Lord Chief Justice's speech is a very clear and unifying speech for our communities in Britain.
'I specifically endorse the points made by Lord Phillips that with equality of rights come responsibilities. It is absolutely essential that everyone in this country is treated equally by the law but it is important that everyone is equally subject to it, and that the same laws apply equally to everyone.' Camel's nose in the tent. It can happen in the US, too, given liberal judges and the LLL. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/07/2008 14:38 ||
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#1
A spokesman for Dr Williams said: "We welcome the speech given by the Lord Chief Justice as a positive and constructive contribution to this important and ongoing debate."
Has anybody ever thought of having Doc Druid piss in a cup and having the results analyised?
#2
Risking inflaming that controversy again, Lord Phillips has said that Muslims in Britain should be able to use Sharia to decide financial and marital disputes.
Lemme see. Sharia Law. Adultery : Man whipped. Women Stoned to death. So I guess that means that a Moslem woman can face the death penalty in Britian for marital misconduct, where every other British citizen doesn't face the death penalty even mass murderers...
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say: --
"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that pays it is lost!"
- Rudyard Kipling.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/07/2008 20:06 Comments ||
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#8
The problem with Charles Johnson and LGF is he has recently been using "pro-evolution" posts as a bait and ban topic. If anyone of the Christian faith offers an opposing view, he blocks their accounts. He is anti-Islam but he is a stealth little anti-Chist. He keeps opening up registration and then thins out those who are not humanists.
Posted by: a yankee ||
07/07/2008 20:48 Comments ||
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#9
comment #8 was in response to the hyper link to LGF provided in comment #7...
Posted by: a yankee ||
07/07/2008 20:49 Comments ||
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#10
Charles Johnson still has good War on Terror posts, but I can't abide his comment threads.
Venezuelan military officers have expressed growing alarm at attempts by President Hugo Chavez to turn the armed forces into a political instrument of his socialist revolution.
One general has been detained and hundreds of other officers reportedly sidelined for protesting against the ideological drive. Chavez has ordered the armed forces to adopt the Cuba-style salute 'Fatherland, socialism or death' to put the institution at the heart of his effort to transform Venezuela.
Pastors from the recently formed pro-Chavez Reformed Catholic church have been installed as army chaplains to weaken the influence of the traditional Catholic church, which is hostile to the president. 'That's causing a lot of resentment, a lot of upset,' said a source close to the military.
Reminds me of the old joke in communist Poland, in which a commissar was being celebrated for his anti-religious campaign, since church attendance in his district was down to 95% of the population ...
Last week military intelligence agents detained an outspoken critic, General Angel Vivas Perdomo, and questioned him for nine hours. Vivas had asked the supreme court to ban the new official salute. As a replacement he suggested 'Death to tyranny. Long live freedom!' - a slogan from the 19th-century independence hero Francisco de Miranda.
I rather like that slogan. Catchy and rather relevant to today. I guess Hugo's not happy with it ...
The general was ordered to report to the military prosecutor's office twice a month and to stay in Caracas but was not charged with any crime.
Before his detention he told the Associated Press that the new motto deprived 'the right of every Venezuelan citizen to think differently and to disagree with socialism'.
That being the idea for Hugo and his crowd ...
According to Citizen Control for Security, a watchdog group, about 800 disgruntled officers have been left without formal duties. Many sit at home awaiting early retirement, it said.
Not a good idea for officers in a South American country to be left without formal duties ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
When I was in South America in the seventies, the Venezuelan army had a reputation for professionalism. Generals would speak out against political demagoguery. Talk about a 180 degree turn. Trivia note: unless a change was made that I am not aware of, Costa Rica doesn't have an army. Civil police handle all security.
#4
A coup would not be good. He needs to be replaced legally at the end of his (long) term. Repeating the cycle of military rule followed by populist demogogue will not help Venezuela, South America or the U.S.
Venezuela's suffering from the remaining years of his incompetent rule will help the country remember this mistake.
In this case, it would. Clearly failure to coup now would lead to an inability to coup later, when Chavez will most probably be less amenable to surrendering power democratically and instead prefer the Revolutionary-leader-for-life mantle. The Venezualan military have a window in which to save their country and themselves now, or suffer generations of misery Cuba-style.
Posted by: Menhaden S ||
07/07/2008 12:53 Comments ||
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#7
No, a coup would NOT be good. That's South America's whole problem, the idea that the military can "step in and set things right". Possibly they can, but it's NOT THEIR JOB. It's YOUR job. Involving the military is dangerous.
#8
it's NOT THEIR JOB. It's YOUR job. Involving the military is dangerous.
No one claims it's not dangerous. It's simply pragmatism, and in this case the lesser of two evils.
Who is the YOUR meant to indicate in your statement, btw? The public? A spontaneous public uprising against a politicised military and well established dictatorship? Is that supposed to be a safe option?
#10
It is nominally a democracy. The YOUR is the Venezuelan voters, and the army's contribution to the march of civilization is NOT shooting voters at Hugo's behest. Stand down, boys - your current president is a criminal.
#11
mojo, the key word is 'nominally'. What was the margin in his last election? To call Venezeula anything but a nominal dictatorship is naive. There can only be elections if El Presidente allows them.
#12
If Chavez does not leave when his term expires then the coup is his and, in which case I would agree that he should be overthrown.
Chavez is increasingly unpopular because of the sheer incompetence and corruption in his government. He has no more ability to build a strong police state than he has to build a strong government, strong oil sector, strong FARC, reduce crime, or even to win his last election.
#13
Chavez is going to go out in a Coup, most likely. Some general will step into place and hopefully can be controlled and Venezuela will be a banana republic until the next socialist Messiah comes along.
#14
Chavez lost the last election over the constitutional reform. The total vote was never released (15%) remaining - this in order to make it look close. Roumour has it the army insisted that Hugolito refrain from jacking with the vote. So mojo is correct, the public can undo Chavez. Next election for state governors is set for November. Opposition looks to gain maybe 2 proviincial governments.
Cuba's former President Fidel Castro has called on the Colombian Farc rebel movement to release all of its remaining hostages. His comments follow the rescue of Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 others on Wednesday.
He said he had energetically criticised the 'cruel methods of kidnapping and holding prisoners in the jungle'. But at the same time, Mr Castro added the rebel movement should not lay down its weapons. He said that, during the past 50 years, those rebel groups that had yielded 'did not survive to see the peace'.
'I have openly and energetically criticised the objectively cruel methods of kidnapping and holding prisoners in the jungle,' he wrote in an internet article posted on Sunday. 'If I may dare to suggest something to the Farc guerrillas, it is that they simply, by whatever means at their disposal, declare that they have unconditionally freed all the hostages and prisoners still under their control.'
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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C'mon, boys and girls. Even Fidel's throwing in the towel. Get with the program, will ya?
#1
BIGNEWSNETWORK > BY 2020, THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD COULD BE A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME THAN RUSSIA OR CHINA. 'Tis Britain, and potens bigger than even America, as per Goldman-Sachs.
#2
Cool. Buying the Louvre collection interest free. Alexander's conquest, what artifacts - never happened. Napoleon's oblisk, why that was put in Paris to commorate his defeat at the hands of the egyptians. Hey brits, did we mention the rosetta stone was found and translated by Dr. Zahi Hawass and placed in your museum to show that british law is predated and therefore illegal? Don't believe it then here kids, try the cuscous - if they like it you'll believe anything. INFIDEL!!
#3
I have a dream: Someday we stop using oil. The Gulf Arabs will likely remain moderately wealthy -- they make their money from trade, rather than from oil. All the oil-based societies will have to sink or swim economically. Most will sink. They'll have to sell their bling to stave off the inevitable crash.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 21:16 Comments ||
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Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) might have flirted with the idea of idea of enlisting his Republican colleague John McCain as his running mate in 2004, but he sounded distinctly less enthusiastic about the Arizona senator today on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' Kerry, who is a strong supporter of presumptive Democratic nominee and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, said on the Sunday talk show that McCain 'has proven that he has been wrong about every judgment he's made about the war.'
'Wrong about the Iraqis paying for the reconstruction, wrong about whether or not the oil would pay for it, wrong about Sunni and Shia violence through the years, wrong about the willingness of the Iraqis to stand up for themselves,' Kerry added.
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds, however, said Kerry was ignoring the facts on the ground in Iraq. 'The truth is Barack Obama buckled to liberal supporters and opposed the McCain-backed 'surge' strategy that's working today, and despite our troops gains in Iraq, he still maintains his partisan commitment to begin immediate withdrawal of American forces if he's elected,' Bounds wrote in an e-mail. 'Only John Kerry would think that demonstrates good judgment.'
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
HOTAIR/TOPIX > DID JOHN KERRY CALL MCCAIN UNSTABLE? + KERRY ON MCCAIN: MCCAIN NOT RIGHT ON WAR JUDGEMENTS.
#2
It's not only the war, stupid. The major positive fact is that American troops are IN the Middle East in large numbers. Reliance on Carrier Groups and Allies, doesn't cut it. No American President would ever leave US energy security to local forces. However, I have to say that I disagree with the Coalition Provisional Authority's residue of Political Islam in Iraq. They left a mess.
#3
Not to worry, John. Big O is now saying he always said he'd base his decisions on leaving Iraq on facts. He'll stuff you under the bus before too long.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/07/2008 5:54 Comments ||
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#4
It's getting damned crowded under that bus. Black Hole of Greyhoundia, it's becoming!
#6
Halp Us Jon Cary! What an absolute fool and tool. If McCain disagrees with any position Kerry holds, McCain should trumpet that in ads along with Kerry's stupid lurch face
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/07/2008 8:23 Comments ||
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#7
As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, he worked closely with John McCain to learn the truth about American soldiers missing in Vietnam and to normalize relations with that country.
#11
Actually, McCain (whom I do not like) was baning the drum for the surge, long before Bush and th JCS came around to it, as well as a change of tactics.
McCain was RIGHT on the Iraq war long before anyone else.
Kerry is simply a liar, and a tool for the Dems to try to tear down McCain's image as a hero, before Obama ends up looking like the moral midget he is, by comparison.
#12
Every time John Kerry opens his mouth, he reminds people why the electorate, though they by and large either disliked Bush or distrusted him, still found it necessary to re-elect him in preference to, well, people like John Kerry.
Although you can still hear idiots whining about how much better of a job Al Gore would have done if the Supreme Court had let the Florida courts pull a Samuel Tilden on the Bushies, almost NOBODY is dumb enough to get nostalgic for a phantasmal Kerry Administration.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
07/07/2008 10:41 Comments ||
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#13
If you listened to this, Kerry managed to make Flimsy Graham sound like a foreign policy genius. Kerry is such a friggin' idiot he makes Fat Ted sound good. He and Dodd are the worst politicos on the East coast. Have to head west for the likes of Reid, Pelosi, Boxer, and Feinstein to find anyone equally feckless and totally useless. A complete lobotomy would have no effect on Kerry. He's the poster boy for Demo Dumb.
#15
Since 'quit in '06' kerry's friend arafat is still dead, here is a couple quotes from the late night crowd.
"Insiders have begun voicing serious concerns about how he's conducting his campaign. One aide told the New York Times that while Bush's message of 'steady leadership' has remained consistent, Kerry has gone through six different messages in the 18 months he's been running, including, at one particularly desperate juncture, 'Kerry: Health care jobs for the troops' environment.'" -Jon Stewart
from the daily show even, ouch
"John Kerry described his Republican critics as 'the most crooked, lying group I've ever seen.' Now, that's saying something, because Kerry's both a lawyer and a politician." -Jay Leno
#16
Jawnny Boy has his own problems up here. The last poll I saw had 51% of the voters in favor of him going away. He's got a Democrat opposing him in the primary. Granted, the guy's a moonbat with no chance of winning, but he got 23% of the vote at the convention to get on the ballot.
So the natives are restless. Too bad there's nobody with any reputation at all to run against him. Unfortunately, he'll be back. And he knows it.
An influential Democratic lawmaker who backs Senator Barack Obama for the Presidency has said the al Qaeda is not in Iraq but in Pakistan where the US administration should focus.
'Al Qaida is not waiting for our electoral cycle or inauguration. If they have an opportunity to strike, they will strike. And that is why I think we have to take steps today, and that is why I was very pleased when Senator Obama called for much more aggressive action in Pakistan,' Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said.
There, Al Qaida is reconstituting itself. If they have the operational space and they have the time, they will develop plans, and it's not with respect to the new administration. It's when they think they can strike and be effective at catastrophic attacks, he said on ABC's 'This Week' programme.
'I think Senator Obama has demonstrated the insight he has on strategy by saying, let's focus on the real enemies, the ones that are attacking us and plan to attack us here in the United States. They're not in Iraq. They're probably more likely in Pakistan. And I think that's the area that we have to focus on. The administration has to do that now,' he added.
Reed also used the occasion to slam the presumptive Republican nominee Senator John McCain for being 'fundamentally wrong' on Iraq.
'I think Senator McCain has not been consistently right. He's been fundamentally wrong on the strategy.
'A pre-emptive unilateral attack in Iraq has, I think, had unfortunate consequences strategically. We see the Iranians growing in influence and power in the region. And much of that is attributed to the initial decision to conduct military operations, unilateral operations in Iraq,' the lawmaker added.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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C'mon, we all knew the Dems would find some way to say that McCain was wrong on the war. I (speaking for myself) am just so dumb I couldn't see how they could do so...
So is BO gonna invade Pakistan, unilaterally, or persuade them to permit a 'soft' invasion?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/07/2008 5:59 Comments ||
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Apparently Jack Reed will sponsor a "sense of the Senate" motion to support attacking Pakland?
Didn't think so....
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/07/2008 8:38 Comments ||
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Jack Reed is influential? Since when?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
07/07/2008 10:44 Comments ||
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Jack is making a key mistake. He is exposing himself to people who didn't know he existed.
#5
What an idiot. The very fact that absurd statements like his can be made without public derision and political consequences is very disturbing and depressing. So this genius has a military background, right? Something tells me he wouldn't be your first choice to lecture at a staff college.
So, which "steps" do we have to take today, Gen. Patton? As in, steps we're not taking today? And how - you moron - would letting up as we're about to finish off AQIZ help "strategically"? After you've explained that, WTF is this word "unilateral" you keep using as though it's got some relevance? Sen. Reed, military veteran and super-genius, please list, in alphabetical order, the major military operations undertaken by western or Free World countries since WWII where the US was not the dominant, without-which-it-doesn't-happen element?
Oh, and please note, the KIA from the UK, Poland, El Salvador, Italy, Bulgaria, and several other countries (not to mention the thousands of Iraqi soldiers/police who've stepped up in the most difficult circumstances) send you a hearty "f**k you" from the grave ....
I missed this one when it first came out. Lt. Odierno, an 01 West Point grad and son of Lt. Gen. Odierno, lost an arm in Iraq. With the other one he threw the first pitch at the stadium. He's interning in stadium operations with the Yanks now.
Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Hameed Gul has said the nuclear deal with North Korea was Musharrafís only commendable deed, if he was really a part of it, during his eight-year military rule. He was referring to the latest revelations made by the nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Talking to The News on Sunday, he said Pakistan was not a signatory to any international law on the transfer and development of nuclear and missile technology, therefore, it could not be questioned or held accountable for its past deals.
Gul said that as a sovereign and independent state, Pakistan had the right to have nuclear technology for its defence. He said the acquisition of missile technology was the only security option for Pakistan. Washington did not supply us the F-16s despite receiving $678 million from Pakistan, he said, adding, we could not depend on such an unreliable ally or supplier.
The retired general revealed that Banazir Bhutto also did a nuclear deal with North Korea during her second term by personally carrying a CD of the centrifuge design to North Korea. She in turn bought a number of Nodong missiles, which were later modified into the Ghauri Missile, he said.
Gul justified the deals of Bhutto and Musharraf on the pretext that Pakistan was under threat of a powerful hostile neighbour. It attacked us in the past and we still have pending issues with it, he said. He, however, lamented that Musharraf later showed lack of character and wronged Dr AQ Khan. We have been following a policy of appeasement towards the US so far, he said and suggested changing the policy for the security of Pakistan. Our national will and our security concerns are in conflict with the US agenda for this region, he said.
Gul said Pakistan should take a hard stance as it did in 1998 when it tested its nuclear weapons against the US will. Pakistan had developed the nuclear device in 1987, which had been kept in the closet to avoid the annoyance of the US. But when we exploded it, the US had to accept this new reality, he said. Unfortunately, America is dictating us by imposing its viceroy (Musharraf) over the people of Pakistan despite the clear anti Musharraf mandate in the February elections, he said. He said that the US was blackmailing Pakistan on all issues.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/07/2008 09:04 ||
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Hamid Gul should be on our hit/target list!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
07/07/2008 9:21 Comments ||
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It'd be great to see him snatched up and put to work cleaning a reactor core with a toothbrush - in his skivvies...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/07/2008 12:14 Comments ||
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The federal government should halt military operations in Balochistan and North Waziristan in line with terms set by the coalition partners, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday. "If the government fails to implement the terms of the agreement, then JUI-F is free to take any further decision," Fazl said at a public meeting here. JUI-F joined the coalition government on a condition that military operations would not be carried out, he said. Fazl demanded the government consult the coalition partners on major policy issues regarding the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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The three organisations that were running parallel governments in Khyber Agency have been disbanded, bringing normalcy to the area, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said on Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Muzaffarabad, July 5: An alliance of militant groups on Saturday poured out anger at the governments, leaders, general public and media in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir for their "silence on recent happenings in Jammu and Kashmir" and gave an implied message that the struggling Kashmiris could rethink their ideology regarding Pakistan.
"The Pakistani government and leaders are trying to compromise a short-cut with India on Kashmir...We condemn and reject their changed approach," declared Syed Salahuddin, chairman of United Jihad Council (UJC), at a press conference here.
Flanked by top office-bearers of over a dozen UJC constituents, he regretted that while the Kashmiris were hoisting Green flags in Srinagar amid shouts of 'Pakistan zindabad' during protest demonstrations against land transfer to Shrine Board, Pakistan and AJK governments behaved like silent spectators.
"We condemn the criminal silence of conscienceless and ignominious Pakistani rulers... They could not speak two words of sympathy for the innocent Kashmiris," a visibly angry UJC chief said.
The unprecedented wave of demonstrations in Kashmir, he said, had made it quite clear that a nation, unready to surrender even 100 acres of land, could never cede entire state to India.
"Over the past six decades Kashmir has rarely witnessed such a massive demonstrations and this should be an eye opener for those coming up with assorted proposals on the issue," he said.
When asked if the Kashmiris would still stick to their ideology of Himalayan region's accession to Pakistan, he didn't mince words to warn that the views could change on the other side.
"It's a reciprocal process. If you send a message that you cannot support the struggle the Kashmiris are not crazy to stay loyal to this ideology," he said.
Salahuddin said the Kashmiris had pinned all of their hopes on Pakistan after the Almighty, but efforts were being made to dash those expectations.
While censuring AJK premier Sardar Attique Khan for suggesting conversion of Line of Control into "line of commerce," the UJC chief also blasted "Pakistan's uncrowned ruler Asif Ali Zardari for crossing the limits."
"Zardari does not even know the alphabets of Kashmir issue...He is speaking for someone else," he alleged as he referred to PPP co-chairman's statements on the longstanding issue.
"The statements emanating from Islamabad and Muzaffarabad are rubbing salt into the wounds of suffering Kashmiris...They are aimed at axing the historic relationship between Pakistan and Kashmiris under a well-thought out conspiracy," Salahuddin said.
He said it appeared that the present ruling clique was also bent upon pursuing the "beaten track policy of Pervez Musharraf which had caused irreparable loss to our movement."
The UJC chief made it clear that the Kashmiris had not rendered sacrifices for trade or internal autonomy but for right to self determination.
"On behalf of bleeding Kashmiris, I declare that even if each and every citizen of Pakistan and AJK turns his back on us, the freedom movement will continue till success," he vowed.
In response to question, Salahuddin said the AJK rulers had no right to jaunt around the globe at taxpayers' money in the name of projecting Kashmir issue.
"They are merely using this issue for grabbing power...They have not even addressed the concerns of a handful of Kashmiri refugees," he said.
He also warned the Indian government against fuelling communal riots in Jammu region and said its repercussions would be dangerous.
He agreed that Pakistan based leaders of APHC factions should have organised some rally on land transfer issue, regardless of resources or manpower.
"I have heard now they plan to stage a sit-in outside Indian High Commission. But I agree they could not do it at the appropriate time."
Salahuddin welcomed the reunification efforts between Hurriyat factions and vowed that mujahideen were ready to offer their last drop of blood in struggle alongside "sincere and unified leadership."
He also rejected the forthcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir and asked the pro-freedom leadership to launch a vigorous campaign to warn people against the repercussions sham process.
The leaders accompanying Salahuddin included Shaikh Jamilur Rehman (Tehrikul Mujahideen), 'General' Abdullah (Jamiatul Mujahideen), Masood Sarfraz (Hizb-e-Islami), Muhammad Iftikhar (Lashkar-e-Taiba), Muhammad Usman (Muslim Janbaz Force), Attiqur Rehman (Harkatul Mujahideen), Mufti Asghar (Jaish-e-Muhammad), Munir Ahmed Mahmood (Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami 313 Brigade), Jan Muhammad (Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir), Khaki Nasrullah (Al-Fatah Force), Mushtaqul Islam (Al-Barq), Wasim Baig (Tehreek-e-Jihad) and Zahid Bakhtiyar (Islamic Front).
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Nuclear scientist Dr AQ Khan is ready to make a gentlemans deal with the government but in case the deal is not struck, he is also ready to die fighting for his rights.
In talks with PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Dr Khan has given the assurance that if the government allows him to live a normal life, then he will not make any statements to the media and would not even indulge in politics.
He conveyed this message to the quarters concerned through Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who spoke to him late Saturday night by telephone.Confirming to The News his telephonic conversation with Shujaat, Dr Khan revealed he also had a one-on-one meeting with Shujaat recently.
Dr Khan claimed that Chaudhry Shujaat started weeping when he saw my condition. He was feeling guilty. He was the one who requested me in 2004 to make a confession in the national interest. I was assured by Musharraf that I will be allowed to live a normal life but I was betrayed.
The scientist said: Shujaat felt sorry for me with tears in his eyes and I gave him a tissue paper to dry his eyes. Dr Khan revealed he also had a meeting with Lt-Gen (retd) Khalid Kidwai on June 4 at his residence. I requested him for some relaxations. I told him that I have not offered a single Friday prayer in any mosque in the last four years. I was not allowed to offer any Eid prayer in any mosque. My health is very bad, my wife is not well and I think that I dont deserve this kind of treatment.
Gen Kidwai, he said, agreed that I had shown unprecedented patience but now he was making statements against me. When asked about some alleged threats to his life, Dr Khan said: I assure you that I will not make any visit to the mountains of Murree at 12 in the night. Nobody can kidnap me from my Islamabad residence and they must not make my security an issue.
During a long conversation with this scribe, Dr Qadeer was in a fighting and defiant mood. He repeatedly said: I may die because of my illness but I will die fighting with this government responsible for all my pains.
The scientist said he will not stop using his mobile phone. If the government blocks my number, I will use another one. They have to treat me like a normal Pakistani citizen. Nobody can blackmail me and nobody can pressurise me because I am ready to die.
Highly-placed government sources claimed Dr Qadeer had struck a deal a few weeks back as well and he was given the assurance that he would be facilitated slowly and gradually. He was allowed to use a cell phone but he was misusing the facility. It was learnt that concerned quarters will start their dialogue with Dr AQ Khan on Monday to find a solution to issues created by his recent suffering and statements.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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I was thinking the same thing. Deal or death? We can arrange that ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/07/2008 0:27 Comments ||
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The worlds first nuclear exchange will be this douchebags fault. He is no better in my eyes than that animal Basayev, who at least got himself blown up.
I hope the same Khan, the sooner the better.
#7
"Give me freedom or give me death." Hmm, has a nice ring to it. If the guy deserves freedom, then let that be his punishment. If he deserves death, then let that be his reward. We decide, ... I wish.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/07/2008 16:01 Comments ||
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(VOI) -- The Iraqi foreign ministry said on Sunday that it has finalized preparations to set up an office for the Organization of Islamic Conference in Baghdad so the OIC may undertake its role in boosting new Iraq.
You know life is getting better in Iraq when the diplomatic freeloaders return to town ...
The statements were made by Muhammad al-Hadj Hammoud, Iraqi Foreign Undersecretary for Legal Affairs & Multilateral Relations, while receiving Hamid al-Tani, the appointed director of the OIC in Baghdad, and his accompanying delegation. 'Hammoud held in high esteem the role played by the OIC in backing the people and government of Iraq, particularly the organizing of the Makkah conference, which was a strong slap to parties that tried to foment sectarian sentiments amongst the Iraqi people,' read a ministry statement received by Aswat al-Iraq -- Voices of Iraq -- (VOI).
The statement also quoted Tani as underlining the OIC's 'full-fledged readiness to stand by the people and government of the new Iraq, which is the organization's duty towards any active and important member like Iraq.'
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Straws in the wind indicating Iraq will return to its former position as the center of gravity of the Arab world, with all that, that entails.
(VOI) -- The Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO) denounced 'the assault by Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi's bodyguards on journalists' in Kirkuk on Sunday. 'A bodyguard of Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi threatened to kill me,' Adnan al-Djaf, the correspondent of al-Hurriya TV channel, told Aswat al-Iraq -- Voices of Iraq -- (VOI).
Speaking over the phone with the JFO, Djaf said he and a number of other satellite channel correspondents including al-Iraqiya, al-Sumeriya, Kurdistan TV, Ashtar, al-Boghdadiya, Biladi and al-Furat as well as Radio Nawa and Reuters have entered the Kirkuk provincial council building to cover a press conference Hashimi was to hold. 'I've found out that our channel sign was removed and others of Arab satellite channels replaced it. I objected this attitude and demanded equality with the other colleagues in those channels but I was intercepted by one of Hashimi's guards who threatened to kill me,' Djaf told JFO.
The JFO, condemning the incident, appealed to Vice President Hashimi to investigate the guard and offer proper apology for them. A media source in Hashimi's office denied any assaults on journalists, noting 'there was neither physical nor verbal assault on journalists, but only a squabble.'
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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From the headline, I thought this was about Cheney. But Cheney would have told him himself.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/07/2008 16:04 Comments ||
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Gaza Ma'an A Palestinian man, 23-year-old Tariq 'Udwan, died on Saturday of wounds he sustained several days ago in a mysterious explosion in the Suokat As-Sufi area south of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Hey, I wonder what this is?
Oh-oh...
Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency servicse in the Palestinian Health Ministry said 'Udwan was taken to Abu Yousif An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah about a week ago, and he died of his wounds on Saturday morning. Doc. When the boys are up against it, tell them...to win one for...Muawiya.
Rosebud...
Karma catches up to Khalid...
Bethlehem Ma'an - Unidentified assailants set fire to a car in Gaza City on Sunday night belonging to one of the men deported from the West Bank city of Bethlehem to the Gaza Strip following the siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity in 2002. These kids today. Hey! That's my car!
Thirty-three-year-old Khalid Salah told Ma'an that he was surprised when he saw police and crowds surrounding his burnt out car which was parked outside the An-Nur building in Tal Al-Hawa in Gaza City. Better call Mutual of Gaza City...
Salah explained that de facto government's police started an investigation after they summoned him to the police station for questioning. He also emphasized that he did not have any enemies in the Gaza Strip. Nope. Everybody loooooves me, being a brave "freedom fighter" and all...
(Xinhua) — Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Sunday denied reports that he has presented a new initiative to make reconciliation between rival groups of Fatah and Hamas. There is no new initiative regarding the Palestinian internal situation except the one by President Mahmoud Abbas,' Fayyad told reporters.
Last month, Abbas said he was ready to talk to Hamas which routed his security forces and ousted his Fatah movement in a week-long deadly infighting in Gaza over one year ago.
On Friday, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported that Fayyad's plan calls for an Egyptian delegation to be based in the Hamas-controlled Gaza to act as a judge between Hamas and Fatah and to oversee the disarmament of the two groups and the unification of security services. Fayyad said the report quoted him as elaborating Abbas' plan which aims at ending the political split between Gaza and the West Bank.
Abbas appointed Fayyad, a western-backed economist, to lead a government ruling from the West Bank city of Ramallah after firing a Hamas-led coalition government in June 2007. Hamas does not recognize Fayyad and the deposed Hamas government still rules Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Fayyad's plan calls for an Egyptian delegation to be based in the Hamas-controlled Gaza to act as a judge between Hamas and Fatah and to oversee the disarmament of the two groups and the unification of security services.
Yeah, that'll work. A Pali without his automatic weapon is like a day the sun don't come up.
The Israel Defense Forces will soon be stepping up its campaign against Hamas' civilian infrastructure in the West Bank, shutting down a large number of Hamas-affiliated charities, confiscating their property, and searching computers and documents that detail their activity.
The IDF has been carrying out similar raids in the Hebron, Qalqilyah and Ramallah areas since the beginning of the year, but the campaign will now be expanded to additional parts of the West Bank, in the wake of approval from Israel's legal authorities. Advertisement
After receiving permission to seize property that provides Hamas-affiliated associations with income, even if they are not directly linked to terrorism, the IDF has shut down a mall in Hebron, confiscated buses and prohibited the opening of a new school in Hebron due to ties with Hamas-linked Islamic associations. Offices and storehouses have also been shut down.
The IDF argues that closing Hamas-affiliated institutions cuts off a crucial source of funding earmarked for terror activities. The move is also aimed at making it difficult for Hamas to increase its influence in the West Bank, in a bid to stem Hamas' rising popularity and keep it from wresting control from the Palestinian Authority.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin have approved the plan to target Hamas' civilian infrastructure.
Over the last few years, Hamas has built an 'organizational system that, if necessary, could serve as the basis for a state,' a senior IDF official told Haaretz. 'It's simply a 'state of associations.' They accumulate a lot of popular support and rely on an enormous infusion of funds from abroad, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year, from bodies in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Muslim communities in Europe, the United States and South America.'
A senior IDF officer said the IDF, which is curbing Hamas' military capability and preventing it from challenging the Palestinian Authority more directly, is the primary obstacle to a Hamas takeover of the West Bank. 'They have knowledge, funds and skilled people, much more so than Fatah,' the officer said. 'They won the elections in many towns and local authorities, and they are gradually gaining control of more education, health, welfare and religious institutions.'
But the officer said the IDF was fighting what he called a 'rearguard battle.'
'We're talking about strengthening the moderate elements - that is, the Palestinian Authority - but actually the PA has little control over the area. Hamas has taken over all the associations - not just blatantly Islamic bodies, but also those that used to be under PA control. The Palestinian public prefers Hamas, because they are less corrupt and more efficient.'
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Hamas denied reports on Sunday that the negotiations over the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit have stalled. The deputy head of the Hamas politburo, Dr. Mussa Abu Marzuk, said that the reports are incorrect and talks on the matter of a prisoner exchange will be carried out in secret, away from the media.
In an interview to Al-Shams Radio in Nazareth, Abu Marzuk said that both sides, Israel and Hamas, are interested in achieving progress on the prisoner swap. 'The Shalit case will be handled away from the eyes of the media and journalists - this was the agreement on this matter. It is not correct to talk about a freeze or a delay in the negotiations because there have been no substantive or practical moves on this issue,' the senior Hamas figure said. 'It is important to remember that this is a case with implications on the prisoners and their families, and therefore the two sides prefer to deal with the issue away from the media,' he aded.
Abu Marzuk asked not to discuss further details regarding the discussions, which are being conducted indirectly through Egyptian mediation, but said that a Hamas delegation will travel 'as soon as possible' to Cairo.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Israel was reopening some border crossings with Gaza on Sunday, an official said, after it closed them on Thursday following the launch of a rocket into the Jewish state by Palestinian militants. Reopening the crossings will allow goods into the largely blockaded territory and humanitarian cases into Israel for medical treatment.
The rocket landed in an open area and did not cause any casualties. Regardless of the firing, the crossings are generally closed from Friday afternoon to Sunday during the Jewish day of rest.
Israeli official Peter Lerner said the Erez crossing, the main passage for people between Gaza and Israel, would be opened to allow Gazans in need of urgent medical attention travel into Israel. He said the Sufa crossing would be opened to allow goods and cement into the Gaza Strip, and the Nahal Oz fuel depot would also be opened.
Israel had shut the crossings on June 25 after Islamic Jihad launched a cross-border rocket attack in what the militant group described as a response to the killing by Israeli forces of one of its leaders in the occupied West Bank.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Islamic terrorists in Indonesia are on the run from authorities following recent successful raids, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said Sunday, adding that more arrests could follow.
'We are not sure whether we have crippled them, but the fact is that they are on the run,' he said on the sidelines of a meeting of the D8 group of developing nations in Kuala Lumpur.
'We have uncovered various terrorist cells in the past few years, meaning that they are within our reach, and that's why we feel more secure,' he told reporters.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
A Philippines military chief reportedly claimed that the Philippine army = Armed Forces cannot protect the Philippines, while simul Manila is anticipating more Islamist violence to occur, which basically means there just over the horizon from Guam-Micronesia. FOCII > MAINLAND CENTRAL ASIA = ASIA, for now.
The arrests last week of 10 suspected Islamic militants severely weakened Indonesia's terrorist movement, the country's foreign minister said Sunday. The police operation on northern Sumatra island sent suspected terrorists fleeing, reflecting the efficiency of Indonesia's security forces, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told reporters on the sidelines of an Islamic economic meeting in Malaysia.
The arrests on Sumatra also highlighted the lingering threat in Indonesia, which has been hit by a string of suicide bombings in recent years, including the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks that thrust the world's most populous Muslim nation onto the front lines in the war on terrorism. Many of the 240 people killed in those blasts, blamed on regional militant network Jemaah Islamiyah, were foreign tourists.
'The fact that we have uncovered terrorist activities and that we did not experience any terrorist incidents in the past two years means our security is working very well,' Wirayuda said. 'We have uncovered various terrorist cells ... meaning they are within our reach.'
It is unclear whether the terrorist movement has been 'crippled, but the fact is they are on the run,' he said. 'We are encouraged and feel more secure.'
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Tamil Tigers celebrated their first suicide attack carried out by Vallipuram Vasanthan alias Captain Miller on July 5, 1987. Miller drove an explosive laden truck and detonated it at the gates of a Jaffna military camp, killing himself and more than 30 soldiers. Regular Tiger cadres who followed the truck took the soldiers by surprise. More than 100 soldiers were believed to have died in that battle.
On Saturday, Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran participated in the main ceremony at an undisclosed location to commemorate the Black Tigers - suicide cadres - who have laid their life for the Tamil cause.
According to pro-rebel web sites, several books and CDs, showing LTTE battle successes, including last years attack on the Anuradhapura air base, were launched to mark the event with Black Tiger cadres staging a cultural show.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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PARIS - Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has told a newspaper his country is unlikely to make peace with Israel while US President George W. Bush remains in office. However, in an interview published on the website of Le Figaro daily on Monday, PencilNeck Assad said he was betting that the next US leader would get more involved in the peace process.
Assad said Syria and Israel were looking for common ground to start face-to-face negotiations, adding that it was vital to find the right country to mediate such talks.
The most important thing in direct negotiations is who sponsors them, Assad told Le Figaro, saying that the United States had an essential role to play. Frankly, we do not think that the current American administration is capable of making peace. It doesn't have either the will or the vision and it only has a few months left, he said.
When we have established a common foundation (for negotiations) at indirect talks with Israel, perhaps we could give some trump cards to the new administration to make it get more involved, he added. We are betting on the next president and his administration. We hope that it will be rather an advantage to have a change of president in the United States, he said.
Try pulling this nonsense on President McCain ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/07/2008 21:39 ||
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The recent spate of leaks and reports from Washington about whether Israel will, or should, take military action against Iran, and what that would mean for the US, is a reflection of deep divisions on the matter inside the Bush administration, Israeli diplomatic and defense officials said Sunday.
The officials said that the two sides of the argument, the "hawkish camp," led by US Vice President Dick Cheney, and the "dovish camp," led by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, are leaking assessments about Israeli intent to further their own agendas, and in this regard using Israel as a "pawn" in their own political battles.
For instance, one official said, the recent remarks made by US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen to the effect that an attack on Iran and a "third front" would be bad for US interests were aimed not merely at deterring Israel from action, but also at "handcuffing" those inside the administration who are supportive of military action.
One Israeli diplomatic official said that as the debate rages in Washington, it was clear that Israel would be unable to take military action without a green light from the US.
"Everyone understands that we could not take action without US approval," the official said, "both because we would need to fly through airspace controlled by the US, and we would need their help in dealing with repercussions from any attack." The most direct air route to Iran is through Iraqi airspace, which is controlled by the US.
"We would need their help in carrying out the attack, and also afterward," the official said.
"We would have to deal with possible military action from Hizbullah and Syria, and also diplomatic fallout. Don't expect the world to clap if we attack Iran, and as a result oil prices spiral from $140 a barrel to $300 a barrel."
The official said Israel would need US diplomatic cover to deal with the world's condemnation, and possibly even sanctions, in the aftermath of a raid.
A former senior Israeli diplomat has asserted that Syria is willing to cut its close relations with Iran in return for financial and military backing from the United States, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
Alon Liel, a former director general of the foreign ministry, told the British newspaper that Syrian President Bashar Assad is increasingly open to a peace deal with Israel which would greatly weaken Iran's influence in the Middle East.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that Liel - who has been engaged in low-key 'second track' discussions with Syrian representatives for many months - has said the prospect of an agreement with Syria was growing, though a new U.S. president might be necessary before a deal could be finalized.
The official's comments came after Syria held a third round of indirect negotiations with Israel in Turkey this week. A Turkish government source said Thursday that both sides had agreed to hold a fourth round of indirect negotiations in Turkey in late July.
'They are asking not only for the Golan Heights but a change in Washington that will break the Syrian isolation internationally,' Liel told the Sunday Telegraph. 'But I also think they will not do it unless they are assured they have an alternative to Iran.'
Agreement on the future of the Golan, captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War, is seen as a prerequisite for any peace accord between the longtime foes.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Syrian President Bashar Assad is increasingly open to a peace deal with Israel which would take Syria OUT of the IDF target folders for the upcoming strike.
In CHINA!
China wants to have 100 of Westinghouse Electric Co.'s nuclear reactors in operation or under construction by 2020 -- more than double what was anticipated, according to the company's incoming CEO.
Aris Candris, who will lead the Monroeville-based firm beginning Tuesday, said Chinese officials shared those plans with Westinghouse during a mid-May meeting. 'It is huge,' Candris said in an interview Thursday with the Tribune-Review. 'Originally we were thinking somewhere around 40.'
Its AP1000 reactor, which can generate enough power to electrify 700,000 homes, is the technology of choice for half of the 30 reactors planned for the United States. Hmm, China building 100 in the next 12 years. We build 30 in the next 30 years, if at all due to enviro obstructionists and lawsuits. China Wins.
#3
Practically speaking, the US should not just build more typical reactors, the large scale water cooled behemoths we are familiar with; but also different kinds of reactors for less than grid operations.
That is, everywhere in the US is wired for a one size fits all electrical grid, but it is inefficient and prone to failure. Instead, zones of the US should separate their grid from the whole, if they have the reactor or reactors large enough for their own energy needs.
This would transcend State boundaries and be more ordered by distance and topography. This is somewhat how we use nuclear power today, for example the Palo Verde plant in Arizona sends almost all of its electricity to California.
Especially in the West, three States might have three major cities relatively close. All their energy needs could be handled by a single traditional reactor, plus one or two half-sized pebble bed reactors, and a few small reactors.
They would have far more energy than their projected growth, so neither need to take energy from the western grid, nor put energy back into it. So why be connected at all, except as an emergency backup?
In the eastern US, just the opposite problem, but with a similar solution. That is, shorter distances, but so much development there is no place to put the grid. So with smaller, more local reactors, they get the energy they need without buying incredibly expensive tracts of land.
#4
It's been kept very quiet, but Westinghouse was bought last week by Toshiba (TOSBF around 7 bucks a share), They wanted the Nuke reactor building Part, it compliments their own.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/07/2008 20:10 Comments ||
Top||
#5
TOPIX/RENSE > TELEGRAPH.uk - OIL PRICE SHOCK PUTS CHINA AT RISK OF BLOWING UP; + GLOBAL WARMING, SICHUAN QUAKE A WARNING LIGHT TO BEIJING.
Also from TOPIX > THE G-8 ISN'T ENOUGH + STANDOFF ON GLOBAL WARMING, OTHER ISSUES.
FUTURE GUAM-MICRONESIA vv "EARTH CHANGES" [Warming] + FOOD-OIL-RESOURCES CRISES + ISLAMIST THREAT [espec post-NUKE JIHAD] > DIASPORAS > I've been telling various local personages that not only will a future Guam suffer from massive ONE-WAY BOAT/SHIPLOADS OF ILLEGAL CHINESE-ASIAN EMIGRANTS crashing their vessels into the reefs and beaches of northern Guam, etc in search of new lives + NEW PLACES TO LIVE IN, BUT ALSO PLANELOADS OF SAME.
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.
Muslims in Britain should be able to live according to Sharia, the country's most senior judge has said.
Lord Phillips said that the archbishop was saying only that 'it was possible for individuals voluntarily to conduct their lives in accordance with Sharia principles without this being in conflict with the rights guaranteed by our law'.
He said: 'This would create a two-tier society. It is highly retrograde. It will segregate and alienate the Muslim community from the rest of British society.
Venezuelan military officers have expressed growing alarm at attempts by President Hugo Chavez to turn the armed forces into a political instrument of his socialist revolution.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) might have flirted with the idea of idea of enlisting his Republican colleague John McCain as his running mate in 2004, but he sounded distinctly less enthusiastic about the Arizona senator today on CBS' 'Face the Nation.' Kerry, who is a strong supporter of presumptive Democratic nominee and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, said on the Sunday talk show that McCain 'has proven that he has been wrong about every judgment he's made about the war.'
An influential Democratic lawmaker who backs Senator Barack Obama for the Presidency has said the al Qaeda is not in Iraq but in Pakistan where the US administration should focus. 
Israel was reopening some border crossings with Gaza on Sunday, an official said, after it closed them on Thursday following the launch of a rocket into the Jewish state by Palestinian militants. Reopening the crossings will allow goods into the largely blockaded territory and humanitarian cases into Israel for medical treatment.
PARIS - Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has told a newspaper his country is unlikely to make peace with Israel while US President George W. Bush remains in office. However, in an interview published on the website of Le Figaro daily on Monday, 
A former senior Israeli diplomat has asserted that Syria is willing to cut its close relations with Iran in return for financial and military backing from the United States, the Sunday Telegraph reported. 
