THE Obama Administration was looking at whether it could work with some members of the Taliban as part of a review of the Afghanistan war strategy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted overnight.
"We're in the midst of a very thorough analysis of our assumptions about how best to achieve our core goals of protecting our country, our interests and our friends and allies from the scourge of terrorism," Ms Clinton said.
"I'm not going to pre-empt or prejudge where this analysis comes out," Ms Clinton said in response to a question on whether she agreed with some in President Barack Obama's Administration who support Washington working with some "reconcilable" elements of the Taliban.
"We are looking at every possible question that can be raised, including the one that you just asked, in order to determine the smartest approach for the president to adopt," the chief US diplomat said as she stood alongside New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully.
The White House said overnight the Taliban posed less of a threat to US security than al-Qaeda, raising speculation that President Obama may decide against a massive troop increase in Afghanistan.
Officials involved in President Obama's intense Afghanistan policy review argued the terror group posed a grave danger to US interests and the US homeland while the Taliban, though hostile to US forces in the country, did not.
The finding stood in contrast to a grim assessment by President Obama's war commander, General Stanley McChrystal, who has asked for up to 40,000 more troops and warned the counterinsurgency mission against the Taliban could fail without reinforcements.
#1
Which ones? The woman beaters, boy rapers, school burners, gay killers, drug runners, head choppers, mosque terrorizers, ISI sockpuppets or kill the infidels jihadis? So much material for Obama and Hillary to work with.
Posted by: ed ||
10/09/2009 7:11 Comments ||
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President Bush's administration occasionally gave vent to such thoughts, too. Perhaps the subtext is that some "Taliban" might use this as an excuse to give up the fight and rejoin normal Afghan society.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Five Islamist lawmakers in Kuwait introduced a bill on Thursday calling for a total ban on dealing with Israel and proposing up to 10 years in jail for violators.
All "dealing, establishing ties or contacts and opening representative offices of any type at any level with the Zionist entity, directly or indirectly" would be banned. The bill would also prohibit government and private agencies, individuals and companies from striking agreements and protocols with Israel and from meeting with Israelis.
It stipulates a prison term of between three and 10 years and a fine not exceeding $17,500 for violators.
Parliament will later set a date to debate the bill, which must be passed by parliament and signed by the emir to become law. A similar one introduced two years ago never reached the floor for debate.
Like other Gulf Arab states, U.S.-ally Kuwait has insisted on not establishing ties with Israel before a comprehensive Mideast peace deal, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
The MPs cited Israel's continuing refusal to implement international resolutions and its "barbaric" aggression against Palestinians in Gaza Strip.
Kuwaiti law already bans dealing with what it calls the "enemy" but does not make a specific reference to any state.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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The first signs of "normalization" promised to Israel by Hildy?
#2
This is the nation we recreated from scratch after its conquest by Iraq which then proceeded to evict all palestinians living there immediately after its creation?
[Iran Press TV Latest] An Israeli media tycoon has offered to buy the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera satellite television network from the government of Qatar.
What a diabolically brilliant idea ...
Haim Saban, has submitted an offer to the Qatari government in a bid to purchase half of the Doha -based Al-Jazeera satellite network.
The Egyptian newspaper al-Mesryoon reported Wednesday that the Israeli billionaire is currently engaged in negotiations with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, over the partial purchase of the media outlet. The talks are said to be conducted through an Egyptian mediator.
The account comes amid reports that the largest and most controversial Arab news channel in the Middle East is grappling with a terrible financial crisis at present. Saban had previously made an offer to purchase al-Jazeera in 2004, but it was turned down.
The Israeli-American magnate has supposedly made an offer of $5 billion for the popular Arabic-language news channel, in an attempt to get a hold of it and to broadcast a pro-Israeli message so as to influence the Arab opinion in favor of Tel Aviv's hawkish regime.
Al-Jazeera spawned a media revolution in the Arab world after it was founded in 1996. The network is reliant on state financial largesse, estimated at over $70 million a year, but does not broadcast shows critical of the Qatari government. Al-Jazeera, however, does air programs leveling criticism at all other Arab governments.
Seban made his fortunate by buying the rights to market the Japanese kids show, "The Power Rangers," in America. He is a prominent supporter of Israel and the right-wing Netanyahu government. In addition, the Egyptian-born Jewish businessman is well known for his under-the-table dealings.
Exactly the man I want delivering news to the Arabs!
Ahhh, Egypt. Not long after Israeli independence in 1948, a law was passed making it illegal to be a Jewish male age 18 years or older. I'm not sure when the last Egyptian Jew emigrated, ending a community that dated back to the reign of Alexander the Great, or thereabouts.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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5 billion is a pretty steep price for an office and a few over-priced talking heads.
#3
Like muslims are going to watch a TV network owned by Jews. Pissing good money down a rat hole.
Posted by: ed ||
10/09/2009 7:18 Comments ||
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Gradualism. Just like when Ted Turner bought CNN, he pretended to be a conservative for a few years. But in this case, it will be typical al-Jizz for a while, and then he will tell them to tone down their anti-Israel and anti-Jew spiel.
Moving to objective news would be far more dramatic than pro-Israel bias, and in fact *is* pro-Israel bias.
#5
"...He is a prominent supporter of Israel and the right-wing Netanyahu government."
Not really. Saban has supported various politicians in Israel. He used to be a lefty, now he is more centrist but not by any means a Netanyahu supporter (except on an issue by issue basis).
He is however, a prominent donor to politicians here in the US. About 98% of his donations have been made to democrats. Of the Republicans, Arnold S. is the one he has supported the most.
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/09/2009 8:55 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday interrogated former deputy inspector general (DIG) Farruk Ahmed Chowdhury of CID for four hours in connection with the sensational Chittagong arms haul case.
A three-member team, led by Senior ASP Muniruzzaman Chowdhury, also investigation officer (IO) of the case, started questioning Farruk at its divisional headquarters at Dampara at about 11:30am.
Sources said Farruk did not reveal anything about 10 truckloads of firearms during the interrogation.
He shrugged off some questions and blamed former home secretary Omar Faruk who led the committee formed by the ministry to investigate the arms hauls in the early hours of April 2 in 2004.
Earlier on Saturday, the investigators quizzed Omar Faruk for eight hours as part of questioning members of the high-level probe committee.
The other members of the committee include former director of DGFI Rezzaqul Haider Chowdhury, former deputy inspector general of special branch Shamsul Islam and former NSI director Enamur Rahman Chowdhury.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Detained former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu admitted that the Arges grenades used in the August 21 blast were delivered from his Dhanmondi government residence.
Additional Superintendent of CID and investigation officer (IO) of the case Abdul Kahar Akond said this in his forwarding report yesterday. But he did not mention who delivered those grenades from the BNP leader's residence and to whom they were handed over.
The report also said Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) members held a meeting at his (Pintu) residence before blasting grenades on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004 that left 23 people dead and a number of people injured.
The BNP leader during the last three days' remand admitted that his brother Maulana Tajuddin, a Huji member, had supplied the grenades used in the attack, the IO said.
IO Akond added Pintu needs to be remanded to identify those who had supplied the Arges grenades to the Huji members.
CID produced Pintu and Huji member Maulana Abu Taher before court on completion of their three-day remand. They sought further seven-day remand only to interrogate Pintu.
But Metropolitan Magistrate Syeda Minhaz Um Munira fixed October 11 for hearing on the remand prayer, as the prosecution failed to place case diary yesterday.
The court also ordered to send the two arrestees to the Dhaka Central Jail and directed the jail authorities to produce Pintu before the court on scheduled date.
On August 3, a Dhaka court ordered further investigation into the August 21 attack stating the probe conducted earlier could not identify the collectors and suppliers of the grenades.
The CID, which misdirected the investigation during BNP-led government, finally pressed charges in June last year accusing Pintu and 21 Huji members including its top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan.
The eight absconding accused in the case are Pintu's brothers Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is carefully considering the deployment of military or police troops to Afghanistan to protect its civilian aid workers operating in the war-torn country, a ranking government source in Seoul said Thursday.
"The government's relevant ministries and agencies are studying a plan to send guard troops to Afghanistan to protect South Korean nationals engaged in medical and reconstruction services there," said the source, asking to remain anonymous. "But it has yet to be determined whether military or police troops will be sent."
At present, about 30 South Korean civilian aid workers are staying in Afghanistan, and the number is expected to steadily rise in the future. But South Korea now entirely depends on the U.S. for the protection of the Afghanistan-based South Koreans.
Government officials in Seoul have been divided over the issue of sending armed forces to Afghanistan due to its sensitive nature, said the source, forecasting it will be difficult for the government to reach a conclusion in the near future. In particular, the main opposition Democratic Party and other opposition parties are stubbornly opposed to dispatching troops to Afghanistan.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told parliament last week that the government will make its final decision on the Afghan issue after taking into full consideration the "national interest, public opinions and trends in international society."
In this regard, a lawmaker of the ruling Grand National Party said, "There has been no official request from the U.S. government. But the possibility of South Korea sending its troops to Afghanistan cannot be ruled out, as long as they don't engage in combat operations."
"But the issue should be carefully approached in consideration of public sentiment."
Officials at the presidential office and the defense ministry also said the government has not reached any decision on the issue of dispatching troops to Afghanistan.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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"But the possibility of South Korea sending its troops to Afghanistan cannot be ruled out, as long as they don't engage in combat operations."
So long, pal, and thanks for the jar of kimchi. We'd love to see you come back when you're ready to bring a division's worth of these guys with you.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
10/09/2009 0:34 Comments ||
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Hell Yes, consider all you like, after all the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces have only stood by South Korea for the last 56 years.
No problem take your time.
Posted by: Black Charlie Ebbolung2304 ||
10/09/2009 0:40 Comments ||
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#4
Since we need more troops in Afghanistan, perhaps we should remove another brigade from South Korea. The ROK Army and Marines can handle things there.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/09/2009 10:55 Comments ||
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A Canadian Muslim group is calling on Ottawa to ban the wearing of the burka in public, the group's founder told Al Arabiya on Thursday. Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC), told Al Arabiya that there were many reasons to ask for this ban including security. "A bank was robbed by people wearing burqas. It is a real risk."
The burka, Fatah added, stems from extremists and does not represent Islam's true meaning.
"The Quran teaches modesty, however it does not have one word about covering the face. It is a tribal custom that is promoted by extremists such as al-Qaeda and the Taliban."
Fatah added that surprisingly, it is women raised in Canada that are the majority of burka wearers. "They are mostly second generation Pakistani or Bangladeshi."
Fatah, originally from Pakistan himself, added that the burka harms women by decreasing their chances of getting employment and encouraging a distorted practice of Islam where women's rights are undermined.
In August of 2009 Muslim French minister Fadela Amara called for a ban on the burka calling it the "cancer" of radical Islam in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper.
"Those who have struggled for women's rights back home in their own countries, I'm thinking particularly of Algeria, we know what it represents and what the obscurantist political project is that lies behind it, to confiscate the most fundamental of liberties," said Amara.
On Tuesday, Egypt's top Islamic school al-Azhar's Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, banned women from wearing the burka or face veil inside all its affiliate schools inciting students to stage demonstrations.
Controversy arose in Quebec in 2007, when an election official said veiled Muslim women would have to take off their veil if they wanted to vote.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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Don't think of that initiative as reform. During the Cold War, the Soviets retreated from strict Marxism in their agricultural policies, under the slogan, "one step backward; two steps forward." The aggressive muslim horde has always been passive when tactics warrant same, and aggressive when jihad is unobstructed.
Posted by: Ulineper Scourge of the Veal Cutlets9295 ||
10/09/2009 10:08 Comments ||
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I'll believe that this is something of significance when Islamic communities in US and European states ban it themselves. They don't need the government to enforce change in a religious practice.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
10/09/2009 13:30 Comments ||
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Problem is, Oregon, the old bastards back in the hood won't pay attention to any "banning" and any woman who chooses not to wear the thing will be in trouble. Then the Muslim vs. Infidel thing will kick in and the cops would never hear of it.
If it's the law, the old bastards back in the hood have a harder time with it.
I think that was Ataturk's thinking when he banned women's headgear. Can't convince those old !@#$%^&*() goat-humping misogynists back in the hood to leave the women alone...government has to do it.
I don't like it, either, but simply having the local moderate Muslims talk against it--they can't "ban" it--won't work, and their imams are funded by SA, so they can't be convinced.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
10/09/2009 15:08 Comments ||
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Don't sneer at this. Tarek Fatah is one of the really good guys and deserves all the support that we Canucks can give him. He's one of the very few who has gone public with his anti-extremism message.
He has had all the usual death threats, scowls, grimaces, etc. and has ignored them and continued to press his views.
As it reviews its Afghanistan policy for the second time this year, the Obama administration has concluded that the Taliban cannot be eliminated as a political or military movement, regardless of how many combat forces are sent into battle.
Based on a stark assessment by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and six hours of debate among the senior national security staff members so far, the administration has established guidelines on its strategy to confront the group. Guidelines on strategy?
The goal, senior administration officials said Thursday, is to weaken the Taliban to the degree that it cannot challenge the Afghan government or reestablish the haven it provided for al-Qaeda before the 2001 U.S. invasion. Those objectives appear largely consistent with McChrystal's strategy, which he says "cannot be focused on seizing terrain or destroying insurgent forces" but should center on persuading the population to support the government. I'd like to hear what the General thinks about the new guidelines-strategy, and how consistent he thinks it is with his assessment. Since he's been muzzled, I'll probably have to wait for the book.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/09/2009 06:29 ||
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the jackass needs to stand up and make his decision now.
Were I him, I would give the General what he asked.
#2
So we sit out a couple of rounds. Let the idiot tribes fight for whats left of the country -full scale civil war would be o.k. After about four years of this shit we can step back in and be the strong horse.
#3
Designate the Taliban a terror org and go after them and anyone who deals with them. I hate when they politicize the military, especially when it is the old draft dodgers and hippies advising our Coward-in-Chief.
#4
again, what's the end-state w/these f*ckers? Go Real Politik and deal w/the less distasteful criminals? If they don't want to deal, kill them? I'm fine either way but Zero needs to come up w/a clearly defined and realistic commander's intent. Putting a bunch of Army guys in the bottom of a bowl in order to be close to the populace is prolly the wrong call.
Musharraf and US killed Benazir!
Columnist Nazir Naji wrote in Jang that Musharraf and the US together killed Benazir in 2007. After the bomb attack on her in Karachi she sent Zardari to Washington to meet State Department official Richard Boucher and tell him that the security promised by the US was not given to her by Musharraf. Zardari called Boucher but Boucher feigned upset stomach and did not meet him. Musharraf and the US killed Benazir in Rawalpindi.
A clash of extremes
Ex-amir of Jamaat Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmad wrote in Jang that in Pakistan there were two types of people: those who went to English schools, shaved and wore jeans and spoke English at home; and those who went to traditional schools and had beards, some adopting the extreme brand of Islam of the Taliban. Unless moderation is exercised by both there is bound to be a clash between the two.
Liaquat murdered for Objectives Resolution
Writing in Jang Dr Israr Ahmad stated that after Liaquat Ali Khan passed the Objectives Resolution in the parliament to make Pakistan an Islamic state international Zionists plotted his death and killed him in 1951. And then when their man General Ayub took over and got rid of parliament he was patted on the back by Washington.
Governments criminal act
Talking about giving Americans several acres of additional land in Islamabad, Hafiz Saeed was reported by Nawa-e-Waqt as saying that political and religious parties should unite to prevent the giving of adda (base) to America. He said the criminal silence of the government over the issue was a sign of extreme slavery.
Ambassador Haqqani and visas
Chief Editor Jinnah wrote that American spies are caught in Pakistan and deported but once back in America they get visas from Ambassador Hussain Haqqani and return to spy in Pakistan. This happened in two cases, once in the case of a man named Schmiddle
Schmiddle? Seriously, where did the chief editor see a name like that -- a novel by Charles Dickens?
who was caught visiting sensitive places and was deported. He returned on a visa given by Ambassador Haqqani.
Imtiaz Billa and wealth
Writing in Nawa-e-Waqt Rana Abdul Baqi stated that ex-ISI officer and IB chief Imtiaz Ahmad alias Billa had asserted that he had served the country for many years and seen a lot of people getting rich, but could Mr Billa also explain how so much wealth reached his home?
'I hate Americans!
Famous chief reporter Ansar Abbasi wrote in Jang that once he met an American under secretary lady in Islamabad and told her, 'We hate you Americans; and that, 'You are cruel (zalim), savage (wehshi) and merciless (bereham) and have no respect for human lives. But he was grieved to find that she went back and misquoted him in The New York Times.
Typical. He was abominably rude to a lady, then expected her to remember his cruelty verbatim. She probably heard it as zelam, wachy and beerham, and now Mr. Abbasi's wife is furious. I would be too, if Mr. Wife said such things to another woman.
Hasan Nisars wisdom
Columnist Hasan Nisar in Jang: One blessing of loadshedding is that all mosque loudspeakers go dead too and one is saved from listening to the makruh (unholy) sounds that emanate from them.
But, but President Obama said it's the most beautiful sound on earth!
More 'Aslam-Begisms
Quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt ex-army chief Mirza Aslam Beg said that General Zia had sworn inside the Kaaba that he would not hang Bhutto but he did not keep his word. America used Musharraf against the Taliban. Later America bought Baitullah Mehsud, Sufi Muhammad and Ajmal Kasab to fulfil its designs in the region. He said army was no obstacle in indicting Musharraf, but the government was not sincere.
The worst sin being insincerity. Honestly!
Hamid Gul did the trick!
According to Khabrain a general who wished to remain anonymous said that in 1990 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan had just asked Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi to form government when ISI chief Hamid Gul rang up to say that the ISI wanted Nawaz Sharif as prime minister. President Khan changed policy and asked Nawaz Sharif instead. The president had thought that Gul was conveying the armys message but when he discovered that it was Gul himself he later got rid of him as ISI chief.
More 'Hamid-Gullianisms
Ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul was quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt as saying that Indian investment in Afghanistan was against Pakistan.
Clever man
.He said ex-army chief General Jehangir Karamat had studied at a Jewish university (Stanford) after his retirement.
No, no Dr. Gul (one must have a PhD to achieve rank, after all) -- Stanford is in America, which makes it an American university. Perhaps you are thinking of the Technion in Israel.
And that Holbrooke did not want democracy to flourish in Pakistan. He said Ahmad Shah Abdali was Pakistans hero.
Pameela Khan predicts
Famous palmist Pameela Khan was quoted in Daily Pakistan as predicting that the killers of Benazir would be captured but the PPP will have to pay the price of mid-term elections. All this, while the star of Nawaz Sharif will keep on rising. Musharrafs star in 2009 will be in decline and he will go through tough times.
Indias loadshedding
Well-known lady of letters Kishwar Naheed wrote in Jang after her return from India that despite the fact that India had diverted Ravi, Beas and Sutlej Rivers it was suffering from loadshedding. In Amritsar, factories remained shut for three days for lack of power.
In India that's a sign of prosperity, unlike in Pakistan, Ms Naheed.
Columnist surprised
After writing columns about doubts expressed about the authenticity of 9/11, Ataul Haq Qasimi confided to Jang that he was forced to close his inquiry into how the Americans had deceived the world about 9/11 because of the massive stream of more evidence provided by provoked Pakistanis who wanted to disclose the deception of the US in accusing Al Qaeda of the deed.
I'm sure that sentence makes sense to someone, but I can't parse it.
American pressure is mounting
Columnist Salim Yazdani revealed in Jang that the people of Pakistan were outraged at the signs that America was increasing its influence in Pakistan. The presence of 2,000 marines in Islamabad and the news of changes inside the ISI had actually worsened this outrage.
Baitullah killed Benazir
Reported in Khabrain Benazir Bhutto was killed by Baitullah Mehsud through killers who did it with Rs 4 lakh that he gave them. One night before the assassination mastermind Hasnain Gul alias Ali was made in charge of getting rid of Benazir 'because she was sent by America. He sat on the stage of Liaquat Bagh venue to make sure that the target would not escape. Hasnain Gul handled two suicide-bombers Ikramullah (jacket) and Bilal (pistol).
In praise of Hafiz Said
Chief Editor Khushnood Ali Khan wrote in Jinnah that India was after Hafiz Saids blood but so are CIA and Mossad because they are scared of the great Muslim warrior. The followers of Hafiz Said have always been the scourge of India which sees him in its nightmares. He is the father of thousands of martyrs. But Black Water is here to uproot Islam and Muslims.
Oh my goodness. How do they get through the day without a nervous breakdown?
Mastermind killer of Benazir
According to Khabrain the mastermind Punjabi terrorist who organised the killing of Benazir in Rawalpindi was Hasnain, a graduate of the madrassa of Akora Khattak after which he went to Miranshah for training in terrorism. A friend of his got killed in Lal Masjid operation after which he swore revenge and was used by Baitullah Mehsud. Qari Ismail of Akora Khattak told him that orders had come from on high (oopar sai) to kill Benazir.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/09/2009 09:41 ||
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No Jinn no score.
Dont pee on the tree jinns is numbah 1 google tj search
[Geo News] Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar has said that the ongoing hue and cry on the Kerry-Lugar bill is actually a propaganda against the democratic government.
Speaking in Geo News program "Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Saath," Farhatullah Babar said the Bill is not in clash with Pakistan's basic interests.
He said the US government has devised the Bill for on its own. "A bill was also passed in former president Pervez Musharraf's regime and strong words were also used in it too," he argued, adding, "neither the then president or prime minister signed that bill."
"It is in fact an attempt to malign President Zardari," he maintained. He said no criticism was seen against any such bill in the past, although very strong words were used in them.
The Presidential spokesman said if anyone finds the Bill in clash with the country's interests.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The Foreign Office on Thursday again made it clear that Pakistan was not bound by any force to accept all the conditions laid down in the Kerry-Lugar bill and argued that the formal decision on the aid bill will be made in the National Assembly.
The government is not bound to accept the strings attached to the Kerry-Lugar bill and the National Assembly which is the supreme authority is empowered to take any decision on the thorny matter as was stated by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday, said Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit in his weekly press briefing at the Foreign Office on Thursday.
The spokesman said that the premier had taken a clear-cut stance in his speech in the National Assembly that Pakistan was not bound by any force to accept all the conditions laid down in the Kerry-Lugar bill.
Foreign Minister Qureshi will give a policy statement in the National Assembly as part of the debate on the controversial aid bill, said Basit.
In reply to another question, Basit said that US President Barrack Obama had delayed the signing of the Kerry-Lugar bill.
The spokesman again made it clear that Pakistan was not involved in an arms race and that the country is a firm supporter of non-proliferation but due to security concerns the country believes in minimum deterrence.
Pakistan will not unilaterally sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, he emphasized.
Basit also said that Pakistan condemned the attack on the Indian Consulate in Kabul on Thursday. Pakistan condemns terrorism and extremism of any kind, he held.
The FO spokesman said that a protest had been recorded with the Dutch Ambassador after the recovery of arms from Dutch consulates.
Basit said the government had directed all consulates/embassies that diplomats were not allowed to exhibit any kind of arms.
In response to another question, Basit added that the Foreign Office had not given any kind of permission to the US embassy for the open exhibition of weapons.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that peace in South Asia could not be restored without solving the Kashmir issue.
The Government of Pakistan will provide all possible financial aid to those affected by the earthquake in Kashmir on priority basis, said the PM while talking to the media on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the October 8, 2005 earthquake, here on Thursday.
Gilani said the October 08 earthquake showed us such devastating scenes which will haunt us for centuries to come.
'It was very cumbersome to conduct relief operation in the earthquake-hit areas, but the people of Pakistan, Kashmir with the help of non-government organizations did it with dedication and now we could proudly say that relief operations have been completed,' Gilani said.
He said that the reconstruction work would also be finished within the stipulated time and the Pakistani government would provide all possible help in this regard.
The premier said the PPP government would continue to make serious efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue and was ready to render every sacrifice for this cause.
Gilani also inaugurated the new facilities at the Combined Military Hospital constructed with the help of UAE at a cost of Rs2.14 billion. The prime minister also announced to provide more facilities to the hospital.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder what'll happen first: Israel squishing "Palestinians", or India eradicating Pakistan?
[Iran Press TV Latest] A top army commander hints that Pakistan will soon open its northwestern Swat valley to visitors despite the fragile law and order situation across the troubled region.
The commander of the Pakistani forces in Swat told reporters in the region's main town of Mingora that the army has largely cleared the valley and its surrounding districts.
"The operation has been a complete success and we plan to open the valley to local tourists within a month," Major-General Ashfaq Nadeem was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.
This is while a military statement said that at least 17 insurgents were killed in several clashes in the latest violence across the valley.
Also, Pakistani authorities said they had found the corpses of 15 suspected pro-Taliban militants in the scenic valley.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Perhaps some members of the "Weather Change" community could be enticed to "visit this scenic area" and see for themselves whether things have changed in SWAT.
Calling Albert Gore, paging Doctor Hansen, offering a tour to Ban Ki-Moon.
Posted by: Black Charlie Ebbolung2304 ||
10/09/2009 0:56 Comments ||
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[Geo News] US journalist and the president of Foundation of US Democracy (FoUSD) Clifford May has said Thursday Taliban and al-Qaeda still have many strongholds in Pakistan and feared that nuclear weapon might fall into their hands, Geo news reported on Thursday.
This he claimed while delivering lecture at Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) in Karachi University.
President FoUSD said probably very few people know that following 9/11 terrorist attacks, thousands of innocent people have lost their lives due to terrorism here in Pakistan.
He stressed need for elimination of Talibanization and al-Qaeda for the stability of democracy in Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
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(Bloomberg) - Investment opportunities are rare in the Gaza Strip. So when Nabila Ghabin saw one last year, she pawned her car and jewelry and put $12,000 into a network of tunnels that brought in supplies smuggled from Egypt.
"Nabila, we'll get you 8% per year, compounded"
"But isn't it dangerous to work in a tunnel?"
"We've arranged credit-default swaps with Mutual of Gaza. What could possibly go wrong?"
She was one of about 4,000 Gazans who gave cash to middlemen and tunnel operators in 2008 as Israel blocked the overland passage of goods. Then Israeli warplanes bombed the tunnels before and during the Dec. 27 to Jan. 18 Gaza offensive and the investments collapsed.
Now investors, who lost as much as $500 million, want their money back from Hamas, which runs Gaza. Hamas Economics Minister Ziad Zaza says about 200 people were taken into custody in connection with the tunnel investments; most have been released. Hamas is offering a partial repayment of 16.5 cents on the dollar using money recovered from Ihab al-Kurd, the biggest tunnel operator.
The imbroglio over the 800 to 1,000 tunnels has deepened Hamas's decline in public opinion in Gaza.
Hamas, classified by the U.S. and the European Union as a terrorist organization, isn't offering enough to cover losses, said Ghabin, 43, whose husband is blind and who has five children. She blames Hamas for encouraging the investments. "The imam told us that we wouldn't regret joining this blessed business," she said in her apartment in an unfinished 12-story high-rise overlooking the Mediterranean as her husband played the lute. "This happened in mosques all over Gaza."
Support for Hamas has fallen amid dissatisfaction over its stewardship of Gaza, where the United Nations estimates that three-quarters of the population has insufficient food and more than 40 percent are unemployed.
A poll published Aug. 17 by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research said Hamas would get 28 percent of the vote if an election were held, down from 33 percent three months earlier. Rival Fatah's support rose to 44 percent from 41 percent in the same period, according to the survey of 1,270 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The margin of error was 3 percent.
That's three percent plus or minus God-only-knows. How to estimate the odds of being told the truth when each person sits within tribal and politico-religious loyalties under a totalitarian regime? More at the link.
My apologies -- I screwed up the source thingy. Here is the URL
[Al Arabiya Latest] The impasse in the Middle East peace process is sending the region back "into the darkness," Jordan's King Abdullah II said in an interview with an Israeli daily, parts of which were published Thursday.
"We're sliding back into the darkness," Abdullah told the left-leaning Haaretz, which is due to run the entire interview on Friday.
The monarch, who heads one of only two Arab countries to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, said that establishing a Palestinian state was key to a wider peace deal to end the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict.
"Is Israel going to be fortress Israel or is it going to be part of the neighborhood? Because if there is no two-state solution, what future do we all have together?"
Years from now
"Show me the future of Israel 10 years from now. Where do you want Israel to be vis-a-vis its relationship with Jordan and other Arab countries?"
"I understand that you tend to live in the here and now. You are worried about the next threat. It is difficult for an Israeli to look into the future because of the security aspect. But if there is peace and stability, then people can look into the future."
Abdullah also warned Israel to stop settlement activity in Arab east Jerusalem, which it captured in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed in a move not recognized by the international community.
Jerusalem is "a tinderbox that will have a major flashpoint throughout the Islamic world," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/09/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
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#1
Hey Abdullah - isn't the definition of Islam - a state of darkness?
#2
We're sliding back into the darkness," Abdullah
you never left my good buddy ... We have been trying for decades, no centuries , for you lot to see the light , unfortunatley , you are doomed to a life of self induced misery and hurt
Posted by: Oscar ||
10/09/2009 5:02 Comments ||
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#5
"Is Israel going to be fortress Israel or is it going to be part of the neighborhood? Because if there is no two-state solution, what future do we all have together?"
King Ab old boy. Quit listening to that lovely Paleo bride of yours and read a bit of 'neighborhood' history ...period 1948 to present if you will. "Fortress Israel" indeed.
Iran has accused the US of seizing its nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri while he was making a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Mr Amiri, a nuclear researcher at Tehran University, vanished during a visit to the desert kingdom in May.
His disapperance came months before the revelation of a second uranium enrichment facility that Iran has been building near the city of Qom, raising speculation that he may have given the West information on it or other parts of the nuclear programme.
Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, told state media: "We have evidence of a US role in disapearance of the Iranian national ... in Saudi Arabia.
"There is evidence to suggest the United States was involved."
He added: "We consider Saudi Arabia responsible for the situation of Shahram Amiri and we consider Americans to have been involved in his arrest. We will pursue this case."
Iran has asked Saudi Arabia for information on Mr Amiri's whereabouts but has received no reply. Hasan Qashqavi, a foreign ministry spokesman in Tehran, appeared to allege collusion on the part of the Saudi authorities when he said: "Amiri's fate is Saudi Arabia's responsibility".
The newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported last week that Mr Mottaki made a formal complaint to the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, about the disappearances of Mr Amiri and three other Iranians in recent years.
Last month, Iran revealed that it was building the new enrichment facility outside Qom, bringing US and European accusations that it had been hiding the project. Tehran denied it sought to deceive the UN nuclear watchdog, saying it revealed the site earlier than required under its deals with the agency.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/09/2009 19:23 Comments ||
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#2
The Mossad, surely. They have all those Yeminite Jews who were just flown over, no doubt some of them would have been delighted to harm their former neighbors... likewise that bunch with the radio station that beams back to Persia in impeccable Farsi.
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.
Iran has accused the US of seizing its nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri while he was making a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. 
