Afghan President Hamid Karzais incendiary claims that the Pakistani government is backing the Taliban have harmed ties between the key US allies and could boost the Islamist militia, analysts say.
After dropping hints for months about Islamabads role in the violence that has claimed 4,000 lives this year, Karzai directly accused the neighbouring Islamic republic on two separate occasions in the past week. In his strongest language to date, an emotional Karzai alleged on Wednesday that Pakistan was trying to turn the Afghan people into slaves, and vowed that they would never succeed. His words have angered Pakistans President Pervez Musharraf. To hurl blame at each other is really counterproductive and strengthens the hand of the Taliban, Pakistani analyst and retired general Talat Masood told AFP, adding, Pakistan and Afghanistan must jointly resolve the threat of Talibanisation.
Analysts say Karzais rants betray the weakness of a leader with a power base that barely extends beyond the capital Kabul something they say will encourage the Taliban. The latest outburst by Karzai only shows the extreme frustration through which the Afghan president is going, said Masood.
Karzai is trying to ramp up pressure on the bigger and richer Pakistan with the only means he has, his speeches, added analyst and former Afghan minister Haminullah Tarzi. The Afghan presidents fiery rhetoric will also further erode Islamabads desire to cooperate with a country that it regards as untrustworthy and ungrateful for Pakistans help in ousting the Red Army during the 1980s.
Mushahid Hussain, chairman of Pakistans Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Kabul was using his country as a convenient scapegoat for its own failures and mistakes.
But analysts say Pakistans failure to prevent cross-border militancy despite the 80,000 troops it says it has on the border and a series of bloody army operations is a major cause of resentment that must be addressed. The International Crisis Group, a respected think-tank, said in a report this week that Musharrafs government was appeasing militants in Pakistans restive tribal zone bordering Afghanistan by making peace deals.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
g: Poor Perv, can't chose between two role models: Ataturk & Saladin.
To play the part of Saladin properly, you need a couple of tapped out empires sitting next to you. Pakistan is surrounded by Iran, China, India and the US. None of which are tapped-out empires.
#4
To hurl blame at each other is really counterproductive and strengthens the hand of the Taliban, Pakistani analyst and retired general Talat Masood told AFP
And we all know how unbiased and trustworthy Pakistani military types are.
The Taliban on Saturday denied accusations by Afghan leaders the group was being sponsored by Pakistan, an issue souring relations between the two nations. It's only coincidence that the Talibs' strength is in the areas closest to Pakland. Really.
A senior rebel commander, Hayat Khan, said Afghan President Hamid Karzai was trying to hide his own failure and the Taliban movement lived only on the support of ordinary people. Karzais allegations are baseless. We neither have any links with Pakistan nor is the country helping the Taliban, Khan told Reuters by satellite phone from Quetta a secret location. The Taliban movement is continuing only with the support of the Afghan people. Instead of shedding crocodile tears, Hamid Karzai should resign and join the Taliban ranks for jihad against the infidel occupiers to liberate Afghanistan, he added, referring to Karzai crying during a speech about civilian deaths this week. The hardline Islamists have regrouped since their ouster in 2001, helped by safe havens and militant allies in Pakistan and money from the booming illegal opium industry.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"The Taliban movement lived only on the support of ordinary people-in both Pakistan and Afghanistan."
A-skeered of being one-upped by the other Wizards of the Senate who're out pretending they're Prez, Johnny the Grate proclaims the obvious with the Weasel Werdz, "If necessary... blah³...". Well duh. IHT seems to think this deserves a Screamer Headline. I'm sure Johnny appreciates it - he needs to look like The Man, needs a headline, needs to gen up some Sunday Talk Show Face Time. He's "calling" for more troops in Iraq, though the actual Generals don't seem to be as ecstatic... I wonder how much this IHT article cost him.
U.S. Sen. John McCain says more U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan, if needed
KABUL, Afghanistan: Washington will send more troops to Afghanistan "if it's necessary," U.S. Senator John McCain said Saturday using measured words, as he urged increased training for Afghan security forces and the movement of European troops to the country's insurgency-plagued south.
McCain made a strong call on Thursday in Baghdad for 15,000 to 30,000 more U.S. troops in Iraq. But the Arizona Republican on Saturday gave a much feebler and almost hesitant endorsement for increased military support for Afghanistan.
#1
Why do I cringe every time I think of this PoS becoming CIC? I close my eyes and get the image of a Repuglycon version of Billy-bob Clinton. The repuglys are going to have a problem if they nominate this man for '08. I really don't see, at this time, a decent candidate from either party.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/17/2006 15:49 Comments ||
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UNITED NATIONS, United States (UPI) -- The actor George Clooney has stepped up his efforts on behalf of people in the violence-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan, traveling to China and Egypt and meeting Friday with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan at U.N. World Headquarters in New York.
It was Clooney`s second visit to the United Nations; in September, he met with the U.N. Security Council, just weeks after the council had pushed through a plan to install 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur. Any action, however, would have to await the consent of Khartoum, but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir gave a strident objection, calling a U.N. force equal to a second colonization of his country.
For his part, Clooney echoed the words of U.S. President George W. Bush, calling the Darfur situation the first genocide of the 21st century and saying the international community had a moral obligation to put a stop to it.
Well, at least the reporter noticed. It's UPI, not AP, of course.
EFL
Parachute training in the Army is set to be halted for four years as part of a £1 billion cost-cutting programme by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The proposals mean that Britain will be without a parachute-trained force for the first time since the Second World War when the Parachute Regiment was created on the orders of Winston Churchill.
Documents leaked to The Sunday Telegraph reveal that no new recruits or even serving members of the Parachute Regiment or airborne forces will be trained in military parachuting from next year until 2011. It will then take a year to get the Army's 2,500 paratroopers up to scratch.
The cost-cutting programme is being launched after defence chiefs warned that spiralling costs of complex equipment and the demands of military operations would create a financial "black hole" in the MoD of £868 million by the end of the next year.
The severity of the crisis prompted one of the Government's most senior civil servants to describe the situation as "an extremely difficult position with no clear way forward".
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 11:43 Comments ||
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#5
More and more I'm convinced that if England is to have any military defenses at all, the crown will have to covertly provide them. Otherwise, anything from a natural disaster to two Albanians with salad forks will crush their nation.
Perhaps 1000 years is too long for them to have gone without being invaded and conquered. Maybe some of the Scandinavian countries can be persuaded to purge England of its weaknesses.
#6
Makes sense to me. The idea of a regimental size airdrop is purdy crazy. Leave it to the SAS, and Boat Boyz. 101st? I remember the last Apache raid, wasn't all that successful.
The availability of guns in Birmingham has been laid bare by a Home Office report which reveals firearms can be obtained in the city for £50. Birmingham and London follow Greater Manchester and Liverpool as the cities where criminals find it easiest to get hold of firearms.
But criminals from Nottingham, recently dubbed the country's "gun crime capital", had to travel to buy guns because they did not circulate in the East Midlands city.
The research, by Portsmouth University academics, discloses extraordinary details about the lives of gun-toting crooks, including their fear of getting caught with a gun which a previous owner had used in a crime. It also exposes several legal loopholes which allow criminals to get hold of ammunition, and says guns had become more available than in the past. "The criminal availability of lethal firearms has increased, particularly because of the innovations of converted imitation firearms and home-made ammunition and the re-circulation of firearms that have been used in crime," it says. "Illegal firearms have become increasingly accessible to younger offenders who appear more likely to use those firearms recklessly." It adds: "Guns believed or known to have been used in crime can be extremely cheap. "Offenders are acutely concerned about the provenance of illegal guns."
Continued on Page 49
NYT piece with as much opinion as news. The writer figures that since the Times has lost interest in Japan's kidnapped citizens, Japan should have, too.
The Japanese governments posters show the map of a blood-red North Korea blotting out the eyes of a Japanese teenager. They hint darkly that this countrys youth are at risk and urge Japanese to open their eyes to the threat from North Korea.
The posters were on prominent display at a rally this week to call attention to Japanese abducted by North Korea three decades ago and who, Japan says, are still being held there.
The people who usually show up at such events family members, their supporters, members of right-wing organizations waited for a special first-time guest: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. We can never compromise on the abduction issue, Mr. Abe told the crowd. I swear that my administration will tackle this as its top priority.
Outside Japan, the abductions may have played out long ago, after North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-il, admitted four years ago that the crimes had occurred and returned five survivors. But here, they are still a burning issue, kept alive in the news media every day by nationalist politicians and groups that pound at the topic as firmly as their cherished goals, like jettisoning the pacifist Constitution and instilling patriotism and moral values in schools.
The highly emotional issue has contributed to silencing more moderate voices who expose themselves to physical harm or verbal threats from the right wing.
By championing this one cause, Mr. Abe rose from obscurity to become prime minister three months ago. But Mr. Abe, who has backpedaled on economic changes undertaken by his popular predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, has begun to plummet in the polls. To survive politically, he will probably have to keep leaning on the abduction issue.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
If Kim Jong-Il kidnapped the senior staff of the New York Times, I'd be willing to forget about it.
#2
DMFD, I'll go you one better. If they kidnapped the ENTIRE staff of the New Yuk Times, I'm certain it would be one of those MIB memory-erasure moments for me. Absolutely sure of it. I'd just have a big smile, followed by "New Yuk Who? Is that a new Chinese band?"
Posted by: mac ||
12/17/2006 1:06 Comments ||
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#3
I have a little list,
I have a little list,
of folks who won't be missed.
of folks who won't he missed,
On the News Staffs all aroumd town.
(Actualy quite a big list)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 9:47 Comments ||
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The conflict in Afghanistan could sound the "death knell" for Nato, Lord Carrington, the organisation's former secretary general, has said. The former Conservative foreign secretary said Nato's future had been plunged into doubt by the refusal of so many of its members to send troops into the most dangerous areas in the south.
He said that it was "dangerous" that only Britain, America, Canada and the Netherlands had been willing to put their troops on the frontline against the Taliban. In an interview with GMTV which will be broadcast tomorrow Lord Carrington said that Afghanistan posed a grave threat to the organisation.
"I think it may be the death knell of Nato unless we're very careful," he said. "I think we ought to ask ourselves what on earth Nato is for?" What a great question. We've been asking that since the Soviet Union went poof in the night.
His concerns were shared by Lord Owen, the former Labour foreign secretary, who accused President Jacques Chirac of France, of undermining Nato. "Chirac's role in helping to destroy Nato, I think, is very considerable, in marked contrast to [the former French president Francois] Mitterrand."
"We can live with the different French view of Nato but I think the way that they are trying to always push European union instead of Nato is going to get the Americans to just say, 'well, to hell with it'." And they just might succeed.
#1
Carrington's right. Most of the NATO members are hangers-on who contribute almost nothing. Screw them. Let them pony up the cash for their own defense from now on. They've been riding on our backs for too damned long.
Posted by: mac ||
12/17/2006 11:14 Comments ||
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#7
Let it, and good riddance. If the West survives the latest Islamist assault, it will not be with any of the existing, antiquated alliances. I wonder if it will even be with the existing 'government' in Washington. Read Gates of Vienna: The Government is Not Your Friend
#8
Thanks for the reference SR-71. This is a worthwhile read for everyone. I think this is very close to the truth. That's why we have to jump on this shit in airports and airplanes. We can't allow our freedom to be infringed. We can do everything we can collectively to stop this nonsense and keep these bastards off planes. How? If other airlines do not respond as US Air has, get up and leave the plane. Let them choose whether they cater to 250 paying customers or six assholes. Done several times, their decision will be easily made.
MADRID, Spain -- The threat of a terror attack by Islamic militants during the Christmas and New Year's holiday travel season is extremely high, and the biggest concerns are in Europe, where several terror plots have already been foiled this year, intelligence and security officials say.
While the year-end period is always a time of concern because of the vast number of travelers, authorities' anxiety is palpable this year. "Oh Trevor, I'm so afraid!"
European fears that terrorists might be planning something come in the waning days of a convulsive year that saw terror schemes thwarted in Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy.
A senior French counterterrorism official told The Associated Press that intelligence agencies throughout the continent are on "tenterhooks" and that "all of the warning lights are red," though they have yet to uncover any specific plan for attack. "The threat is at its highest level," said the French official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secretive nature of his job. "All (security) services are on tenterhooks. And it's not just us (in France). Work is under way everywhere but nothing concrete is emerging. Ends of the year are often bad. This year we haven't managed to distinguish a precise plot." "They're out there somewhere!"
Those fears were echoed in Britain. John Reid, Britain's top law enforcement official, said Sunday that it was "highly likely" that terrorists would attempt to mount an attack over the holiday period, when the number of travelers swells. He gave no other details.
According to the intelligence officials, authorities are more concerned about an attack in Europe than the United States right now. But one of the officials noted that worries at the holidays are common since Sept. 11, 2001.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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HT to Drudge
Former Clinton Defense Secretary William Perry, a member of the Iraq Study Group, said Saturday that Iraq could turn into a "quagmire" if the Bush administration fails to change strategy.
Perry, who led the Pentagon under President Clinton, delivered the Democratic Party's weekly radio address.
Referring to the Vietnam War, Perry said: "The term 'quagmire' recalls one of the saddest periods in American history, which we do not want to relive. But I believe that is likely to happen if we 'stay the course' in Iraq." unlike Somalia, or the Balkans or....
Perry reiterated the recommendations of last week's report from the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Rep. Lee Hamilton. Baker's group is a sellout. Ignore them
"We need to accelerate the training of Iraqi army and police forces," Perry said. "We need to begin to pull out U.S. combat brigades, with the goal of having all except rapid-reaction forces out by first quarter of 2008. ... We need to push friendly regional powers to assist. We need to put pressure on unfriendly regional powers to stop arming militias and fomenting violence. And finally, we need to invigorate the Israeli-Palestinian peace process."
President Bush has been meeting over the last week with current and former military leaders -- as well as advisers from other parts of the government -- to assess possible new strategies for the Iraq war. But he has made it clear he will not map out a new war strategy until his new defense secretary, Robert Gates, has taken over and offered his counsel.
The Iraq Study Group report was critical of just about every aspect of the administration's war policies. Bush welcomed some of its recommendations but dismissed others, particularly the call for withdrawing a substantial number of U.S. troops over the next year.
Perry said he believed the report "will frame the debate in our country this coming year. And it will demonstrate that it is possible, even in the poisonous political climate that now exists, to address important national problems in a truly bipartisan manner." "as long as you do everything we say"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 10:22 ||
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#1
I have no problem with the left prposing change in strategy as ling as they are honest about it. But the fact is after almost four years of leaks and lies, and now this proposal to surrender you have to wonder if they even have a plan at all to win the war.
We know they have a plan, they always have a plan, to surrender/retreat, but can they step up under center and take a snap?
This last four year and I have yet to hear someone from the left use the term "win" in regards to a war.
They know what is at stake. If Bush does somehow, despite all the leaks and lies perpetrated by the left to undermine presidential and national authority to conduct war, manage to establsh security and democray in Iraq, it will damage the left's ability to interfere with warmaking policy for a generation.
That ultimately is what is at stake and the stakes have never been higher.
It is critical Dubya puts a 'W' in the win column for America.
BRITISH detectives believe that the radioactive substance used to kill former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko cost in excess of $12 million, The Times reported today.
The newspaper said preliminary results from the post-mortem on Litvinenko's body have shown that he was given more than 10 times the lethal dose of polonium-210, large quantities of which were found in his urine.
Litvinenko fell ill on November 1, and died on November 23. Several of his friends have blamed the Kremlin for the murder, but Russia has repeatedly denied that it had any involvement in the ex-spy's death.
"You can't buy this much off the internet or steal it from a laboratory without raising an alarm so the only two plausible explanations for the source are that it was obtained from a nuclear reactor or very well connected black market smugglers," an unidentified British security source was quoted as saying.
United Nuclear Scientific Supplies, based in New Mexico and one of the few companies allowed to sell polonium-210 over the Internet, told The Times that it would take at least 15,000 units of the isotope to kill someone.
With each unit costing $88 dollars (US$69), that would mean that it would cost more than $12.8 million dollars to deliver the fatal dose, the newspaper said.
The Times also said British detectives in Moscow continuing their investigation were due to return to Britain in the coming week.
Citing unnamed security sources, the newspaper said Russian officials refused to ask questions of Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun - both of whom met with Litvinenko on the day he fell ill - which British detectives wanted answered.
They have not complained publicly, the newspaper added, because of the importance of the case to diplomatic relations between Britain and Russia.
MANCHESTER, N.H., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told an audience in New Hampshire Muslim clerics pulled off a plane for praying should have been charged criminally.
Gingrich made the remark Friday night, as he delivered the keynote speech at the Manchester Republican City Committee Christmas dinner, the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader reported.
"Those six people should have been arrested and prosecuted for pretending to be terrorists," Gingrich said.
"Those six people should have been arrested and prosecuted for pretending to be terrorists," Gingrich said. "And the crew of the U.S. airplane should have been invited to the White House and congratulated for being correct in the protection of citizens."
The imams, who had been attending a conference in Minneapolis, were pulled off a US Air flight to Phoenix after other passengers said they had been acting suspicious. They were questioned by the FBI for several hours and then released.
Their suspicious behavior apparently consisted of reports that they had prayed in Arabic and that they were not sitting together but had walked around to talk to each other.
Gingrich said last month the United States might have to accept new curbs of First Amendment rights to fight terrorism.
#5
He's late,
I'm trying to figure out if he's simply posturing, or if he really gets it?
Currently my thoughts are running 80/20 in favor of posturing (For the delay)
If he was serious, just have them arrested now.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 10:01 Comments ||
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#6
If these Imams had been traveling alone and tried this shinola, the other passengers might have beaten them up and tied them up with duct tape. Airline passengers have become testy about these things.
I hope this is a subtle undercurrent in our society. For too long we have avoided confronting Moonbats, aggressive panhandlers and outright insane people. A return to the good old days when if somebody acted freakishly and hostile in an aggressive manner, the typical response was to punch them on the nose.
I long for the day when some uniformed soldier is confronted by such a kook, screaming things like "Nazi!" and "Baby-killer!", and an ordinary citizen takes it upon himself to give said kook a glorious shiner, before apologizing on behalf of the clobbered kook to the soldier.
A relatively few such incidents and many nut cases would soon intuitively learn to keep a sock in it.
#8
"Their suspicious behavior apparently consisted of reports that they had prayed in Arabic and that they were not sitting together but had walked around to talk to each other."
Err...the suspicious behavior consisted of a lot more than gets reported in the article above.
RB folk following the story would know this. Someone in Manchester, NH reading this story might not.
If someone didn't know all the facts underlying the flying imam story, then one could come away with a view that Newt is out of his gord for calling for the arrest of the imams based upon only what gets reported in the article above. It's a travesty of reporting and perhaps...just perhaps... calculated to make Newt look like a srewball.
Redneck Jim: Posturing? If so I'll take it. By Newt speaking out it keeps the story alive for another day. I'm hopeful CAIR will make another tactical mistake and will soon respond to Newt and the story will be kept alive for even another day. Keeping the facts of this case alive works to the advantaage of the good guys.
Prediction: If the dhimmicrats (Conyers, Mullah Ellison, Pelosi et al) make good on the threat to pass legislation outlawing racial and religious profiling (End Racial Profiling Act) watch for Newt to lead a tough vocal charge against it outside the halls of congress.
Newt gets it in my opinion.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/17/2006 10:38 Comments ||
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#9
Never been high on the Newt even if he is a fellow Georgian. But following what we've seen out of Washington the past few years, what the heck.
#10
I don't think one could make the charge of 'pretending to be terrorists' stick.
But a charge of disorderly conduct? Now that one would work ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 11:30 Comments ||
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#11
If you can get a trip to the slammer for telling a joke about a bomb, you should get one for pretending to be a terrorist. I'd add incitement to riot. Get a real cop, a jury of my peers, and I'll bet you could send them up for a long time.
#12
That's right Dr. Steve. This is clearly disorderly conduct. Same with the bleating in an airport terminal. How about tripping over one of these jackasses who's down on the floor, then suing for physical damages. We need to go after these fools now. I can see that a citizen might perform a citizen arrest on the moonbats, encounter physical and verbal abuse from the vermin, and therefore approximately 100 -200 bystanders would have every right to join in in the defense of the original citizen. Cluster f**k results. When enough cops arrive to untangle things, you'd find severely damaged moonbats on the bottom of the pile. And, strangely, no one would be able to recall how any of it began.
#13
How about you call your local FBI office and make a bomb threat at the local sporting event. See how long it takes them to trace your call, arrest your ass, and throw you in a pound-me-in-the-ass prison for 5-10.
What these unholy men did was the exact same kind of thing. Somehow I don't think you will get far with a claim of racism with your bomb threat.
Acting like a group of terrorists and calling in a bomb threat are the same sort of thing and should be treated the same.
#15
I don't think one could make the charge of 'pretending to be terrorists' stick.
Try attempting to open a cockpit door and see what charges you are brought up on.
These imams interfered with a flight in progress. Didn't some of them occupy seats they were not assigned to? At least one did in the first class section and I recall reading that some of them tried to sit together even though their seats were not adjacent. So many of their actions were specifically designed to trigger security thresholds that at least a few of them could be justifiably charged with intentionally interfering with a flight in progress.
The airline needs to countersue in order to recover any delay costs, extra crew pay and all attorney's fees.
#16
Yeah, many things need to be done, and many people are 'coming over' Newt's not the first, neither is Brigitte Gabriel, but this jihad crap has been burning for decades, and we are finally starting to call a spade. Leaders lead, so go Newt.
#17
We seem to be headed for the situation where the citizenry begins to take direct action to protect themselves because they recognize that the government is no longer protecting them. That is called anarchy in some places.
The political administration of Khyber Agency has stepped up a political process to stem clashes between two religious groups that have left more than 100 people dead from both sides this year. The administration sent a jirga to Tirah Valley under Senator Hameedullah Khan to negotiate a ceasefire between the groups, Ahmed Khan, assistant political agent of Bara, told an Afridi tribe jirga in Peshawar on Saturday. The jirga met to discuss the ongoing clashes between the Pir Saifur Rehman and Mufti Munir Shakir groups, deferring a ceasefire decision till Monday, said jirga participants. The jirga decided to empower the political administration to take a decision on the confiscation of property of Rehman, they added. While the government was finding a political solution, the two groups continued attacking each others positions in Tirah Valley. Reports said 10 people had died in the clashes over the last two days.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said today that badly overstretched American forces in Iraq were losing the war there, and that a temporary increase in troop levels probably would not help.
But, he quickly added, we havent lost.
The situation could be reversed, General Powell said in one of his most extensive commentaries on the Iraq war since leaving office. He urged an intense effort to train and support Iraqi security forces and strengthen the government in Baghdad.
General Powell was deeply skeptical about proposals to increase troop levels in Iraq, an idea that appears to have gained ground as President Bush reconsiders the United States strategy there.
There really are no additional troops to send, General Powell said, adding that he agreed with those who say that the United States Army is about broken.
General Powell said he was unsure that new troops could successfully suppress sectarian violence or secure Baghdad.
He urged the United States to do everything possible to prepare Iraqis to take over lead responsibility; the baton pass, he said, should begin by mid-2007.
We are losing we havent lost and this is the time, now, to start to put in place the kinds of strategies that will turn this situation around, General Powell said on the CBS News program Face the Nation.
Military planners and White House budget analysts have been asked to provide Mr. Bush with options for increasing American forces in Baghdad by 20,000 or more, and there are signs that the president is leaning in that direction.
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the incoming Democratic majority leader, said today that he would go along with an increase in troops in Iraq if it were clearly intended to lead to an ultimate troop withdrawal by early 2008.
Mr. Reid supported the proposal of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group to undertake a broad regional effort to gain diplomatic support for a peaceful Iraq.
General Powell endorsed a related study group idea: opening talks with Syria and Iran.
The general has kept a low public profile since leaving office in January 2005, but he has emerged at crucial points in the growing debate over Iraq to weigh in, as when he said that Iraq was now embroiled in civil war.
An increase in troop strength, he said today, cannot be sustained. The thousands of additional American troops sent into Baghdad since summer had been unable to stabilize the city and more probably could not tip the balance, General Powell said. The deployment of further troops would, moreover, impose long-term costs on a badly stretched military.
While Mr. Reid suggested that he would support a troop increase for only two or three months, Gen. Jack Keane, one of five Iraq experts who met with Bush last Monday, called that schedule impossible.
General Keane, a retired Army vice chief of staff, asserted that Iraq could not be secured before mid-2008. It will take a couple of months just to get forces in, he said on the ABC News program This Week.
The presidents request to military planners and White House budget officials to provide details of what a troop increase would mean indicates that the option is gaining ground, senior administration officials said.
Political, training and recruiting obstacles mean that an increase larger than 20,000 to 30,000 troops would be prohibitive, the officials said. The increase would probably be accomplished largely by accelerating scheduled deployments while keeping some units in Iraq longer than had been planned.
General Powell said this meant it would be a surge that youd have to pay for later, as replacement troops became even harder to find.
The current strategy stresses stepping up the training of Iraqi forces and handing off to them as soon as possible.
Senator Reid made clear that his support for a troop increase depended on its being linked to an overall withdrawal plan. We have to change course in Iraq, he said on the ABC News program This Week. But in the meantime, Mr. Reid said, Democrats would give the military anything they want.
General Powell, who as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff helped lead an earlier American-led coalition that forced Iraqi troops out of Kuwait in 1991, said that he was unsure this time whether victory could be achieved.
If victory means you have got rid of every insurgent, that you have peace throughout the country, I dont see that in the cards right now, he said. But it was possible to install a certain level of order and security.
General Powell said the Iraq war had left Americans a little less safe by curtailing the forces available should another major crisis arise. But, he added, I think thats all recoverable.
He supported the call for talks with Syria and Iran, although the latter, he said, would be more difficult.
I have no illusion that either Syria or Iran want to help us in Iraq, General Powell said. But there were times, he said, when difficult contacts can be productive.
Before he visited Damascus as secretary of state, General Powell said, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel asked him not to go. But Mr. Sharon then added that it would be helpful if General Powell should ask Syrian leaders to stop Hezbollah militants in Lebanon from firing rockets into Israel.
#1
We have only the administration to blame for the fact that non-entities like Powell (you read that right) can have their sophomoric crap taken seriously by anyone. After five years at war, the US still has no voice.
We now know that Rummy actually buys the rather delusional strategy in Iraq to which CENTCOM is married (see interview with Cal Thomas). And by this point, we also know that the WH really does think silence or a bit of low-key mumbling of empty slogans really is sufficient communication in a modern democracy at war. Even when standards have evaporated, and presumed adults (and senior serving and former officials) belch forth non-stop cheap-shots, empty criticism, or even damaging leaks that destroy ongoing intel operations and undermine our credibility with friend, foe, and crucial neutrals.
It's sickening. Dubya's fortitude will probably hold the line in the absolute minimal sense, but to some extent the sacrifices to date are already being squandered.
Sen. John Kerry said meeting with American and British troops in Iraq on Saturday helped clear his thoughts about what needs to be done to stabilize the country and he looked forward to hearing ideas from Iraqis.
Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004 and possibly a future contender, conferred Saturday with U.S. and British officers in the southern city of Basra and with American troops in Diyala province during a nine-day Middle East tour. 'Today was very informative and very helpful in crystallizing some of my thoughts insofar as what we can negotiate ... and what needs to be accomplished,' Kerry told The Associated Press by telephone. 'I certainly learned more about what the troops can or can't achieve,' he said.
Read that carefully, he's still slamming them.
At Camp Warhorse in Diyala, northeast of the capital, Kerry said he also met local Iraqi officials responsible for one of the most sectarian-charged areas of the country.
Kerry declined to elaborate on how the visit affected his views on Iraq because his meetings continue Sunday. He is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a firsthand assessment on 'what's possible in the political dynamics.'
"I'm not sure if I'm for it or against it. 'It' being whatever you're asking about. We have to run My New Views by our Marketing Feedback people, first."
Kerry, a critic of Bush administration policies in Iraq, said the most important challenge now was to achieve 'whatever success is possible.'
He arrived in Iraq after visits to Egypt and Jordan. He also plans to visit Syria for talks with President Bashar Assad and travel to Lebanon, Israel and the West Bank.
Syria has influence with Iraqi Sunnis, and some leaders of the Sunni-led insurgency are believed to be living there. Kerry has criticized the Bush administration for refusing to engage with Syria and Iran, as was recommended by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Kerry acknowledged that Syria's influence with Sunni insurgents is limited 'but it can create mischief as it has been.' He said discussions with Syria were important because of Damascus' involvement in a range of regional issues, including Lebanon and the Palestinian areas.
A mind like a steel trap, ya just can't slip nuthin' by this guy.
#1
He arrived in Iraq after visits to Egypt and Jordan. He also plans to visit Syria for talks with President Bashar Assad and travel to Lebanon, Israel and the West Bank.
#2
"Soldier, you can have latrine duty or meet with Senator Kerry"
"How long is the latrine duty, sir?"
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12/17/2006 9:42 Comments ||
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#2: "Soldier, you can have latrine duty or meet with Senator Kerry"
He's not going to use the Latrine, Is he?
Good, then I'll take the Latrine, it's the smaller shitpile Sir.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/17/2006 9:56 Comments ||
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#4
'I certainly learned more about what the troops can or can't achieve,' he said.
Fuc*king wanker, loser, shi*bird! The "troops can achieve" whatever the bloody fu*k you permit them to acheive "Senator!" You wouldn't make a good pustule on a 19 year old ranker's bum, you phony banana nose moron! Patoooeh!
#5
Who's paying for this trip?
He's really making our country look bad. We need to have one voice, not have several idiots taking it on themselves.
This Senator doesn't represent me. How dare he do this.
It's one thing for free speech, but how is this perceived in other countries, they must think we're crazy as hell.
I need a break, I'm going to a cookie bake party.
Posted by: Jan ||
12/17/2006 12:28 Comments ||
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So did Kerry pull his head out of his ass ?
I think not.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs Shia prime minister called on Saturday for the return of all officers of Saddam Husseins disbanded army in a political overture to disaffected Sunni Arabs aimed at reducing sectarian violence.
Nuri Al Maliki made the call at a national reconciliation conference of Shias, Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians meant to halt communal bloodshed. A senior politician from the powerful Shia Alliance said representatives of some Sunni Arab insurgent groups were in attendance, but delegates said participants names would remain undisclosed.
The new Iraqi army is opening the door to former Iraqi army officers. Those who do not come back will be given pensions, Maliki said, in remarks in which he also told leaders to embrace reconciliation as a safety net from death and destruction.
Better to give them all pensions on the promise that they refrain from armed violence. These officers are the same men who helped make the old Iraqi army a failure. They repeatedly stole their men's wages and food; they repeatedly beat their men for infractions; and they were lousy soldiers. Bringing them back into the new army poisons that. If they're a problem as a part of the insurgency, peel them away with money.
Shortly after the US invasion to topple Saddam, US administrator Paul Bremer dissolved the Iraqi army, a move experts said drove many Sunni Arab soldiers and officers into the mostly Sunni insurgency fighting the Shia-led government.
Iraqi officials said Malikis call was also part of a four-step plan to speed up the transfer of security from multi-national forces to Iraqis. The plan includes expanding Iraqs forces, get them better training, equipment and weapons.
The Defence Ministry has recruited former Saddam officers but limited the invitation to junior officers. Malikis plea, addressing a long-time demand by Sunnis, was the first extended to all ranks. Malikis Shia-led coalition government, which took office seven months ago, has said it would not talk to armed groups with Iraqi blood on their hands, a comment aimed mainly at Sunni Islamist Al Qaeda. But it has extended an olive branch to armed groups that stop fighting and join the political process.
Iraq has held conferences before that were designed to bring about reconciliation but they failed to stop sectarian killing or bring into the fold some disaffected Sunni groups. If things remain the way they are this reconciliation conference will resemble its predecessors, said Saleem Al Jibouri, from the Accordance Front, the largest Sunni bloc.
Many participants, some talking off the record, cast doubt that the conference would bring immediate solutions. This conference does not have a magic wand to change things overnight, Takki said.
The only positive thing about this conference is that people are talking to each other, said another official.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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"These officers are the same men who helped make the old Iraqi army a failure. They repeatedly stole their men's wages and food; they repeatedly beat their men for infractions; and they were lousy soldiers. Bringing them back into the new army poisons that." Apparently the new Iraqi officers are up to the same old tricks as Saddam's officers, so at least Maliki's advice would get these vets off the streets, so to speak. Assign these guys to seal the border with Saudi Arabia.
[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: In addition to the 75,000 armed Palestinians drawing salaries in the PA as reported below there are large groups in the Fatah militias as well as other illegal Palestinian militias.]
Dec 17 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah has called for early elections, stoking fears of civil war between Fatah's forces and those loyal to the ruling Hamas faction. Here's how the rivals stack up militarily:
ABBAS'S PRESIDENTIAL GUARD
With U.S. backing, Abbas's elite presidential guard has grown to at least 4,000 men, up from 2,500 members when Hamas took power in March.
Last week, Hamas accused the presidential guard and a Fatah strongman of trying to assassinate Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh as his convoy was leaving the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Fatah denies the charge.
U.S. plans call for expanding the presidential guard to at least 4,700 members in the near term. Palestinian officials say the force would eventually grow to at least 10,000 members.
The United States and Israel have also backed a proposal by Abbas to let about 1,000 members of the so-called Badr Brigade, a Fatah-dominated force based in Jordan, into the Palestinian territories to reinforce Abbas's guard.
Under U.S. guidance, European states have committed non-lethal equipment, including vehicles, to the presidential guard. Washington has also helped organise shipments of guns and ammunition to the guard from Egypt and Jordan.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last week that the Bush administration, pending U.S. congressional approval, would provide tens of millions of dollars in direct support to strengthen Abbas's forces.
ABBAS'S GENERAL INTELLIGENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY FORCES
Under Abbas's control, General Intelligence is believed to have 5,000 members. Fatah has accused Hamas of killing several of the unit's leaders in the Gaza Strip in recent months.
The killing a week ago of three schoolboys, whose father was an intelligence official considered close to Abbas, deepened the divide between Fatah and Hamas. Hamas denies involvement.
National Security Forces under Abbas's direct command include Military Intelligence and the Naval Police. They are not as well equipped as the presidential guard but are believed to have up to 30,000 members in all.
HAMAS'S EXECUTIVE FORCE
First deployed by the Hamas-led government on the streets of Gaza in May, Hamas says its "Executive Force" has grown from an estimated 3,000 members to nearly 6,000.
The force is built mostly from members of the Hamas armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, but it includes some members from allied militant factions such as the Popular Resistance Committees.
The force appears to be well equipped using the group's own resources. Israel and the United States believe Iran has provided tens of millions of dollars in support to bolster the force. Hamas does not provide any information about the force's sources of funding.
PALESTINIAN POLICE AND PREVENTIVE SECURITY
In theory, these fall under the jurisdiction of the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry. But in practice, they are dominated by loyalists of Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas has struggled to exert control over them.
Their total strength is estimated at about 30,000.
#3
The Naval Police were supposed to be the fledgling navy of the PA, and originally tasked with preventing smuggling. Arafat turned them into a Praetorian Guard, answerable only to him. They were involved in the Karine A weapons smuggling.
The Naval Police now operate from land-locked bases in Gaza and the West Bank. They aren't much better than a militia at this point.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday appointed a new collective leadership for his Fatah Party, in a bid to revamp the troubled movement ahead of early elections. Abbas' office did not release the names, but Fatah officials confirmed the lineup.
Several of those appointed are younger activists who long clamored to win a senior role in the party. Fatah's Old Guard has refused to step aside, making the party increasingly unattractive to voters. Among those appointed are Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan and Jibril Rajoub, former national security adviser, said Ahmed Ghneim, a Fatah leader in Jerusalem. The new committee will take charge immediately, said Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
The announcement came just hours after Abbas called for early presidential and legislative elections, in a dramatic challenge to the ruling Islamic militant Hamas. Fatah has been in disarray since being trounced by Hamas in parliament elections in January. In choosing the committee, Abbas is signaling he is ready to sideline other party institutions, controlled by the older generation.
Ghneim, also among those appointed, said that "when we have an active leadership, that would help Fatah in the upcoming period." Ghneim is a close associate of jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti, seen as a potential presidential candidate if Abbas does not run again. Also appointed were Rauhi Fattouh, a Abbas envoy and former parliament speaker, as well as Ahmed Heles, a prominent Fatah leader in Gaza. "The president has announced it because Fatah needs an organizational structure to lead the group on the ground, specially after the announcement of early elections," said Mohammed Hourani, a Fatah spokesman in the West Bank.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Saturday called on the world to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas amid escalating violence and political turmoil in the West Bank and Gaza. Blair who maintains a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is key to broader peace in the Mideast, backed Abbas' announcement of new elections as a way of breaking the political impasse between rival Palestinian groups. The British leader urged the international community to show support for the Palestinian president, who is locked in a power struggle with the militant Islamic Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair on peerage selling tour of the Middle East...
President Mahmoud Abbas decided Saturday to revive the PLO negotiating department, signaling he will pursue peace talks with Israel despite a growing political crisis at home.
The decision, announced by Abbas' office, came just hours after Abbas called for early presidential and legislative elections, in a dramatic challenge to the ruling Islamic militant Hamas.
Abbas also decided to appoint a new leadership committee for his Fatah Party, in apparent preparations for the elections, his office said. Fatah has been in disarray since being defeated by Hamas in parliament elections in January. The party's younger leaders have complained that the movement's Old Guard is refusing to step aside, thus making Fatah increasingly unattractive to voters. It was not immediately clear who would be included in the new party leadership.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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A non-leader of the non-People is ready to negotiate.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Ineffectual Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Saturday for elections to end his violent standoff with Hamas - a gamble that Palestinians will back him as he seeks to weaken the Islamic militants, avoid civil war and keep momentum for peace overtures with Israel.
Hamas accused Abbas of trying to topple its government, promised to block the elections and urged supporters to take to the streets. ``This is a real coup,'' said Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas hard-liner. A coup is generally done with tanks.
Later Saturday, in Gaza, thousands of Hamas supporters marched in protest and 18 Palestinians were wounded in spirited festivities clashes between the two political camps.
``We have a crisis. We have an authority with two heads. So what do we do? Bullets or ballots?'' asked Saeb Erekat, an aide to Abbas. ``Abu Mazen said ballots,'' he said.
Across the West Bank and Gaza, streets were largely deserted as everyone watched Abbas' 90-minute address, peppered with criticism of Hamas. ``I ... decided to call for early presidential and parliament elections,'' Abbas said from his West Bank headquarters, after outlining months of failed coalition talks. ``Let us return to the people, to hear their word, and let them be the judge.'' So long as they do what he wants them to do.
His aides said they expected the vote to be held by the summer. In coming days, Abbas is to meet with the Central Election Commission to hear how much time it will need to prepare. Once he issues a formal decree calling for elections, the balloting must take place within three months.
In an immediate step toward parliamentary and presidential elections, Abbas announced he has appointed new Fatah leaders. Fatah officials said the party's younger leaders, who had long clamored for a role in decision-making, would now be given a chance. Fatah's old guard had refused to step aside, a key reason the movement remained in disarray after its election defeat.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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This deserves the big bowl of popcorn.
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Ineffectual Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday called for a political solution to resolve a Palestinian crisis but made clear he had the right to sack the Hamas government. Abbas, making a much anticipated and lengthy speech on Palestine TV, blamed the governing Hamas movement for a crisis that has renewed fears of civil war. He has yet to comment on whether he would call early elections, a step his aides said he might threaten to take in the speech.
The crisis is getting worse ... Without a political agreement, security will remain disturbed, Abbas said. Security went to hell the day the Israelis pulled out of Gaza.
Abbas added that he had the authority to dismiss the government. This is a constitutional right. I can do it whenever I want, Abbas said. "Look at meeeee! I'm important!"
Aides to Abbas earlier said they expected him to say in his speech that he would allow one more attempt at forming a new government of technocrats, and that if that failed, he would call fresh parliamentary and presidential elections. In which Hamas will be elected with a larger majority.
Hamas, which surprised Fatah to win parliamentary elections in January, has said it would regard any call for fresh elections as a coup. Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamass faction in parliament, said on Friday that Hamas would not agree to an early election or a referendum on the issue. He did not say what action Hamas would take if Abbas called new elections. They're already shooting at each other. What's next, heavy artillery?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Russia is to begin supplying Iran with nuclear fuel early next year despite mounting concern in the West that this could accelerate Tehrans plans to build a nuclear bomb. Sergei Shmatko, head of Atomstroyexport, Russias state nuclear fuel exporter, said last week that preparations to send fuel to Iran would start next month and the first consignment was expected to reach the Islamic republic in early spring.
The announcement, at a time when Russia is asserting itself as an energy power, has caused anxiety in western countries which are trying to convince the Kremlin to end its nuclear co-operation with Tehran. The concerns were strengthened yesterday when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reported to have told a Kuwaiti envoy that Iran was ready to transfer its nuclear technology to neighbouring countries.
The nuclear fuel will be sent to Bushehr, Irans first nuclear power station, which has been built by Russia over the past decade as part of a £450m contract. Iran says the plant will be used to produce energy and that its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes. Officially at least Moscow accepts the claim. The West has little doubt that Tehrans real aim is to build a nuclear bomb and is afraid that as a nuclear power Iran would threaten Israel and destabilise the region.
Shmatko estimated Bushehr would become glass operational about six months after the first fuel reaches it in March. We are simply fulfilling our contractual obligations, said Irina Esipova, of Atomstroyexport. Every country has a right to develop its own peaceful nuclear power programme. The fuel is ready and in storage in Siberia. In the spring it will be sent to Tehran by plane.
After lengthy negotiations last year Moscow signed an agreement with Iran that the Russians believe will prevent the Islamic republic from developing a nuclear device.
Spent nuclear fuel produced at the Bushehr plant is to be sent back to Russia for storage and the process will be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. But there are fears in America that Iran will find ways of siphoning off spent fuel containing plutonium, which could be used for a bomb.
Far from seeking to appease the United States, Russia has been in talks with Iran about the possibility of building as many as five more reactors, including a second one at Bushehr, over the next 10 years. The Russians are playing a complex game of brinkmanship, said a western diplomat. The contracts with Iran are lucrative but they also give the Kremlin influence. On the other hand it knows the Iranians want the bomb. To allow this to happen would not be in Russias interest so it wants to help Tehran but not so much as to allow it to build a bomb. It may be a shrewd game but its also dangerous. The Russians may yet decide to postpone fuel shipments. Well, the Russians are known for the skill at delicate diplomacy and technology, so I'm sure it will be OK.
The timing of Atomstroyexports announcement has also raised eyebrows since it came in the week that the United Nations is debating Irans nuclear programme. Russia, which has the power of veto in the security council, has up to now opposed imposing sanctions on Tehran. America, Britain, France and Germany quietly agreed this autumn to exclude the issue of Russian assistance for Bushehr as a way of securing agreement for toothless sanctions.
Ilan Berman, an expert on Iran at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, said that the American view was: If doing a deal with Bushehr is the only way to get an agreement on sanctions, then so be it. Bushehr is too well known to be regarded as a prime site for development of nuclear weapons. However, if the Iranians do go nuclear, it will be a large component in the story of how they succeeded, Berman said.
The Kremlin has recently softened its stance at the UN and may be open to a resolution that puts pressure on the Iranians but falls short of full sanctions. Talks resumed on Friday at ambassadorial level and may be put to a vote at the security council this week.
Quest To Topple Western-Backed Government Could Hurt Shia's Long-Term Interests
Hezbollah's ability to draw hundreds of thousands of Shiites to central Beirut to rally against the Lebanese government is the most visible evidence that the militants are now the undisputed representative of the country's Shiite community. Yet some of the party's coreligionists have started to publicly question Hezbollah's political monopoly. They worry that its ambitious gambit to topple the Western-backed government is intended to benefit backers in Iran and Syria and will be detrimental to the long-term interests of Shiites. "Hezbollah's actions definitely are not in the interests of Shiites nor of Lebanon," says Sheikh Ali al-Amine, the Shiite mufti of the Jabal Amel district of south Lebanon.
Shiite voices of dissent are few, but are gaining more attention at a time when Lebanon is serving as a battleground in the emerging struggle between Iran and its regional allies dubbed by some as a "Shiite crescent" and the Sunni-dominated Arab world led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Hezbollah is caught in the vortex of this regional contest, torn between satisfying the demands of its foreign patrons while serving the needs of its domestic Shiite constituency.
Sheikh Amine has become Hezbollah's most visible critic after sparking controversy four months ago by publicly refuting Hezbollah's claim of a "divine victory" in its summer war against Israel. Still, he appears an unlikely critic of Hezbollah. Wearing a black turban that marks him as a descendent of the prophet Muhammad, he was once close to Hezbollah and in 1981 taught the youthful Hassan Nasrallah at a Shiite seminary in the Iranian city of Qom. The sheikh remembers the future Hezbollah leader as "clever and a quick learner." "I never wanted to turn myself into a figure of opposition to Hezbollah. But during the war I saw mistakes," he says. "The aim of Hezbollah is to capture all the Shiite sect and push it into the unknown."
During the war, Mona Fayyad, a professor at the Lebanese University in Beirut, penned an acerbic opinion piece titled "To be a Shiite now," railing against the sect's subservience to Hezbollah. "To be a Shiite is to keep silent and not to ask what is the purpose of liberating a country. Is it to destroy it all over again and to make it possible for it to be occupied once more?" she wrote.
A year ago, Mohammed Mattar, a Shiite lawyer, filed a lawsuit against a prominent Hezbollah cleric who had issued a fatwa, or religious edict, forbidding any Shiite from accepting a ministerial post after the pro-Hezbollah ministers walked out of the government. "The edict crossed the red line between democracy and a parliamentary system run by the clergy," Mattar says, describing the fatwa as the "politics of intimidation." The lawsuit, which was signed by five Shiites and three Christians, was, he says, "bold, but ultimately you have to defend the principles of the republic. If you want to live in a society ruled by clerics, go to Iran."
Those that have spoken out against Hezbollah say they have been subjected to subtle intimidation. Amine had to cancel his e-mail address after receiving anonymous hate mail, while others have been told they are not welcome at social events. Lokman Slim, a vocal Hezbollah critic who heads Hayya Bina, a political reform group, says his name was included on two "lists of dishonor" circulated on the Web during the war. "The Hayya Bina Web site was shut down during the war due to kindly advice, slash, threats," he says with a wry smile.
Hezbollah's dominance of Shiite politics in Lebanon has its roots in the Lebanese state's historical neglect of the Shiite community. Traditionally marginalized by Lebanon's Christian and Sunni elite and ruled by a handful of feudal clans, the Shiites were mainly confined to the impoverished rural south and east. Hezbollah was established with Iranian support in the wake of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and soon began to challenge the already existing Amal Movement for dominance of Shiite politics.
Both groups secured loyalty through offering services to their constituents. Nabih Berri, the leader of Amal and Lebanon's parliamentary speaker, adopted a typically Lebanese system of patronage, using his influence within the state to provide his supporters with employment in government institutions.
Hezbollah, which initially operated outside the state, used Iranian funds to build a shadow social welfare network for poor Shiites that included schools and hospitals. The battlefield successes of Hezbollah's military wing against Israeli occupation forces further sustained its popularity and earned it a regional standing.
Today, Hezbollah is a formidable multifaceted organization, arguably the second-largest employer after the Lebanese state, with some 35,000 Shiite families directly or indirectly dependent on the party. Last year, it formed a strategic alliance with rival Amal, effectively absorbing the movement into its own apparatus. That leaves Hezbollah as the only real representative of Shiites, making it all but impossible for an alternative Shiite political entity to emerge. "According to opinion polls, Hezbollah commands the support of over 90 percent of the community and it's very difficult for any new group to compete against that," says Amal Saad-Ghorayeb of the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Center in Beirut.
Hezbollah's Shiite opponents argue that the party's popularity is lower than the polls suggest. But they agree that the state's historical disregard for Shiites is to blame as it created a social and political vacuum that was subsequently filled by Hezbollah. Although they say there is a need for a political alternative, swaying Shiite public opinion away from Hezbollah is a near hopeless task. "We are unable to compete against Hezbollah as secular republican Shiites," says Slim. "They have God on their side, and it's impossible to compete."
GRAZ, Austria (Reuters) - Austrian police have arrested one man and are seeking the head of a firm suspected of exporting to Iran components that could be used in nuclear weapons, a state prosecutor said on Friday. Marx said something timeless about westerners, sales, rope and hanging.
Iran covered up sensitive atomic activity from the U.N. nuclear watchdog, IAEA, for almost 20 years and has a history of acquiring components on the black market and other unregulated channels to outwit export curbs, diplomats and analysts say. They also worked with A. Q. Khan to develop a sophisticated distributed development program to hide the extent of the work.
Prosecutor Manfred Kammerer said a three-man import-export firm, Daniel Frosch Export, was suspected of having supplied capacitors and accelerators to Iran which can be used in civilian industry but also for atomic weapons. Kammerer, confirming a report on Friday in a regional newspaper, said Erich Frosch, father of the company director, had been arrested and some electronic parts seized in August in the southern Austrian city of Graz.
Kammerer said police also wanted to detain company director Daniel Frosch but he had moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before August following repeated warnings from Austria's economics and labor ministry, which oversees exports controls, to stop the deliveries to Iran. Got out of Dodge, did he?
Daniel Frosch's lawyer said he had done nothing illegal. "The accusations against my client are baseless. Business with Iran was done, but the devices and parts delivered were for civilian use ... in accordance with Austrian export law," lawyer Gerald Ruhri told Reuters. "Lies! All lies!"
Kammerer said capacitors and accelerators were on a list maintained by industrialised nations of parts and technology of potential use in nuclear arms and restricted for export to Iran. "They seem to be dual use items. I don't know the specifications but the capacitors are normally for more military applications," a senior IAEA diplomat said.
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12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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Oh good lord.
London, Dec. 16 The European Union accused Iran on Friday of having a negative impact on peace in the Middle East. The EU expresses its concern about the negative impact of Iranian policies on stability and security in the Middle East. The statement came at the end of a two-day summit of EU heads of state in Brussels.
The 25-nation block underlined that Tehran needed to play a responsible role in the region. Contrasting the EU approach which has been irresponsible to date ...
It deplored Iran's failure to halt uranium enrichment activities, something required of it by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and the United Nations Security Council. This could only have negative consequences for relations between the EU and Iran, it said. Golly gee, ya think? Any chance you clowns could, you know, do something about this?
The European Council reiterates its full support for efforts to find a negotiated solution to the nuclear issue and regrets that Iran has not engaged seriously with the far-reaching proposals presented to Iran by the High Representative on 6 June. These could serve as a basis for a long-term agreement, which would give Iran everything it needs to develop a modern civil nuclear power industry while addressing the concerns expressed by the IAEA Board and the UN Security Council, it said, adding, In the absence of action by Iran to meet its obligations, the European Council supports work in the Security Council towards the adoption of measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Which will be blocked by Russia and/or China, thus getting the EU off the hook.
The EU expresses deep concern at the Iranian government's recent statements concerning the EU and individual Member States, as well as its threats towards Israel, and the continuing deterioration of human rights and political freedoms of its citizens.
The EU will keep all of these issues and its policies under close review and will calibrate its approach in the light of Iran's actions, the statement said. If you didn't know better you'd think that was some sort of threat.
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12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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EU accuses Iran of negatively impacting Middle East
"...But in a GOOD way", a spokesman later cringed.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/17/2006 8:14 Comments ||
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cringed? LOL, Mike K!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2006 9:48 Comments ||
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Alternating bluster with bribery.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday his country was ready to transfer nuclear technology to neighboring countries, nearly a week after Arab states on the Persian Gulf announced plans to consider a joint nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad told a top Kuwaiti envoy he welcomed the decision by the Islamic republic's Arab Gulf neighbors to pursue peaceful nuclear technology, state-run television said. ``The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to transfer to regional states its valuable experience and achievements in the field of peaceful nuclear technology as a clean energy source and as a replacement for oil,'' state media quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Mohammed Zefollah Shirar, a top adviser to the Kuwaiti emir.
Such a technological transfer would be legal as long as it is between signatory states to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, or NPT, and as long as the International Atomic Energy Agency that monitors the treaty is informed of the transfer.
The Gulf Corporation Council - made up of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman - said last week it was commissioning a study on setting up a nuclear energy program for peaceful purposes, which would abide by international standards and laws.
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12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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TEHERAN - Irans supposedly moderate according to the gullible MSM former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani is leading the polls of the Experts Assembly elections while the candidate linked to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in sixth place, several local news agencies reported on Saturday.
Rafsanjani, one of Ahmadinejads main opponents, represented the coalition of supposed reformists and moderates in the Experts Assembly elections while Mohamad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi stood for the presidential camp.
The Experts Assembly has the power to appoint, supervise and even oust Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who constitutionally has the final say in state affairs. Like that's going to happen.
Rafsanjani and former supposed reformist President Mohammad Khatami appeared together Friday at the polling station in the Jamaran mosque in north Tehran, demonstrating their political solidarity for the future. Looks like the anti-Mahmoud Common Front.
ISNA news agency reported that also in the parliamentary by- elections, reformist candidate Soheyla Jolodarzade from the Labour party is leading the polls while Hassan Ghaffouri-Fard, a former vice-president of Rafsanani, is second. The results of the municipality elections are not yet clear.
Reformist activist and former deputy interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh told the Kar news agency that the Ahmadinejad camp had lost the elections, but observers said no objective analysis of the results could be made before results were finalised.
The election turnout was reportedly over 55 per cent which is a record for two rather technical elections with no direct impact on political developments.
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#1
The election turnout was reportedly over 55 per cent which is a record for two rather technical elections with no direct impact on political developments.
Which is why the Iranian news orgs are playing it up. It's a safety valve. It's a 'we're democratic, too". It's a floor wax and a dessert topping...
Were it two elections with political impact, the mullahs would be announcing the election results.
UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council has extended for another six months the mandate of a UN force that for the past 32 years has monitored the ceasefire between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights. The 15-member body decided Friday to renew the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force until June 30, 2007, according to a unanimously adopted resolution.
In his report issued earlier this month, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended that the continued presence of UNDOF in the Golan Heights was essential given the situation in the region.
The force was established in May 1974 to supervise the disengagement accord between Syrian and Israeli forces after the 1973 war. It consists of 1,025 troops from Austria, Canada, India, Japan, Nepal, Poland and Slovakia.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2006 00:00 ||
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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.
Afghan President Hamid Karzais incendiary claims that the Pakistani government is backing the Taliban have harmed ties between the key US allies and could boost the Islamist militia, analysts say.
The Taliban on Saturday denied accusations by Afghan leaders the group was being sponsored by Pakistan, an issue souring relations between the two nations. 
UNITED NATIONS, United States (UPI) -- The actor 
The availability of guns in Birmingham has been laid bare by a Home Office report which reveals firearms can be obtained in the city for £50. Birmingham and London follow Greater Manchester and Liverpool as the cities where criminals find it easiest to get hold of firearms.
The conflict in Afghanistan could sound the "death knell" for Nato, Lord Carrington, the organisation's former secretary general, has said. The former Conservative foreign secretary said Nato's future had been plunged into doubt by the refusal of so many of its members to send troops into the most dangerous areas in the south.
MADRID, Spain -- The threat of a terror attack by Islamic militants during the Christmas and New Year's holiday travel season is extremely high, and the biggest concerns are in Europe, where several terror plots have already been foiled this year, intelligence and security officials say.
The political administration of Khyber Agency has stepped up a political process to stem clashes between two religious groups that have left more than 100 people dead from both sides this year. The administration sent a jirga to Tirah Valley under Senator Hameedullah Khan to negotiate a ceasefire between the groups, Ahmed Khan, assistant political agent of Bara, told an Afridi tribe jirga in Peshawar on Saturday. The jirga met to discuss the ongoing clashes between the Pir Saifur Rehman and Mufti Munir Shakir groups, deferring a ceasefire decision till Monday, said jirga participants. The jirga decided to empower the political administration to take a decision on the confiscation of property of Rehman, they added. While the government was finding a political solution, the two groups continued attacking each others positions in Tirah Valley. Reports said 10 people had died in the clashes over the last two days.
Sen. John Kerry said meeting with American and British troops in Iraq on Saturday helped clear his thoughts about what needs to be done to stabilize the country and he looked forward to hearing ideas from Iraqis.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs Shia prime minister called on Saturday for the return of all officers of Saddam Husseins disbanded army in a political overture to disaffected Sunni Arabs aimed at reducing sectarian violence.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday appointed a new collective leadership for his Fatah Party, in a bid to revamp the troubled movement ahead of early elections. Abbas' office did not release the names, but Fatah officials confirmed the lineup.
President Mahmoud Abbas decided Saturday to revive the PLO negotiating department, signaling he will pursue peace talks with Israel despite a growing political crisis at home.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - 
TEHERAN - Irans 
