[Al Ahram] EU's Bernardino León is the latest diplomat to leave Egypt as the presidency on Wednesday declared negotiations over the Egypt crisis a failure
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08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] The Salafist Nour Party spokesperson Nader Bakkar said in a televised interview with CNN on Thursday that his party will reconsider the new political roadmap if the "Islamic identity of the state" in Egypt's constitution is amended.
In the 2012 constitution, Article 221 of the draft charter states that the term "principles of Islamic Sharia" -- mentioned in Article 2 of the constitution as the "main source of legislation" -- basically refers to the Islamic jurisprudence followed by the four main schools of Sunni Islam.
The Nour Party successfully campaigned for changing Article 221 from how it was formulated in the 1971 constitution, which left the "principles of Islamic Sharia" more vague and did not limit it to the four main schools of Sunni Islam.
Bakkar confirmed during the interview that all those participating in setting the new roadmap have agreed that the Islamic identity of the state will be preserved.
On July 3 military commander-in-chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi unveiled a new roadmap for Egypt's political future proposed by the opposition, which included the removal of President Mohamed Morsi to make way for prompt presidential elections.
The new roadmap was announced in the presence and approval of several political figures, including a member of the Nour Party. The Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II were also present.
The roadmap also involved empowering the head of Egypt's High Constitutional Court (HCC) with presidential authority until a new president is elected via early presidential elections, forming a new government and a committee to amend controversial articles of the temporarily suspended constitution.
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08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] An Egyptian presidential aide rejected statements by US Senator John Maverick McCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... describing the popularly-backed military overthrow of Mohamed Morsi as a coup d'etat.
"John McCain is distorting facts. His clumsy statements are unacceptable in form and substance," presidential aide Ahmed El-Moslemani told Ahram Arabic website Monday evening.
McCain, who made the comments at a presser in Cairo on Monday, is the first US official visiting Egypt to refer to the removal of Morsi as a military coup. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said last week that the Egyptian army had "restored democracy" and averted civil war by deposing the Islamist president.
A source from Egypt's foreign ministry told state news agency MENA that Egypt's interim foreign minister Nabil Fahmy was dismayed at McCain's statements and that the ministry is preparing an official response.
McCain expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... s during a news conference in Cairo earlier on Monday over the country's political process, saying the US "cannot support Egypt that is not moving to a democracy."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
His mind's on vacation but his mouth is working overtime.
/channeling Mose Allison
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/09/2013 13:26 Comments ||
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#2
His clumsy statements are unacceptable in form and substance,"
The problem with the US is that this phrase is appropriate for virtually all our politicians and gov't officials. (not to mention celebrities of all shapes and sizes)
[MAGHAREBIA] Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jarandi wrapped up his two-day visit to Algeria on Wednesday (August 7th) with agreements to enhance security co-ordination.
The move came after a spate of attacks in Tunisia's Jebel Chaambi region tied to al-Qaeda-linked militants, just across the border from Algeria.
Algeria and Tunisia stressed the need to expand such co-ordination to include Libya and the Maghreb as a whole by establishing strategies to confront the scourge of transnational terrorism.
The two sides also agreed to update operational procedures and enhance intelligence co-ordination.
In a joint press conference with his Tunisian counterpart, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said the security co-operation between the two countries was "not just a hope for the future, but a reality".
Medelci spoke about red lines that Algeria would not cross, namely military intervention on Tunisian soil. He also confirmed that Algeria was concerned with what is happening in Tunisia, but said the Tunisian government retains full responsibility for ensuring the country's security.
Meanwhile, Medelci stressed the need to involve Libya in the security equation, adding that he discussed Libya's contribution in talks with his Tunisian counterpart and stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation to face challenges in the region.
For his part, Jarandi confirmed that Tunisia needed Algeria's counter-terrorism expertise.
"The Algerian experience is of interest to us, and there is consultation between the security agencies in the two countries," he said.
He added that co-ordination has existed for a while and was not just the result of recent events. But he admitted to the difficulty of controlling Tunisia's southern border to monitor arms smuggling, noting that it would require huge capabilities.
The Tunisian official confirmed that his country was determined to preserve its relations with Algeria, which he said "some people want to undermine". He noted that the security situation in Tunisia forces the two countries to work together to confront terrorism.
With regards to bringing in Libya on the security co-operation, Medelci pointed to last January's tripartite meeting in Ghadames. The top Algerian diplomat also talked about a Maghreb plan approved one year ago on security co-ordination "in its broad sense".
The Tunisian foreign minister arrived in Algiers on Tuesday heading up a senior delegation. He was received the following day by Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, and the two sides evaluated bilateral relations in many fields, a government statement said. While highlighting the special, historical relations between the two peoples, Sellal expressed Algeria's willingness to make every possible effort to further enhance co-operation between the two brotherly countries.
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08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Satellite images suggest North Korea may have doubled uranium enrichment capacity at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, a US think-tank that tracks North Korea's nuclear weapons programme said Thursday
The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said the images showed the building housing the gas centrifuge plant at Yongbyon had been expanded to twice its original size over the past four months.
When North Korea revealed the existence of the facility to visiting scientists in 2010 it contained 2,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium.
Assuming that the recent expansion would allow the doubling of that number to 4,000 centrifuges, the facility could produce as much as 68 kilograms of weapons-grade uranium a year -- enough for three nuclear bombs with a little left over, ISIS said in a report.
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08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Are they consuming the nation's total electrical capacity to refine their Uranium? How fast can the peasants pedal their bicycle-powered generators?
[Jpost] US President Barack Obama Jedi mind meld... and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone Wednesday about events in Syria and Egypt, the White House.
An exercise in pointlessness, as neither has the will nor the ability to affect events in any way whatsoever.
And yes, the above is the entire Jerusalem Post article. Really, what more need be told?
[BOSTON] Two former UMass-Dartmouth students with ties to Boston Marathon terror bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were indicted today on obstruction of justice charges for allegedly trying to impede the Boston Marathon terror bombing investigation.
Kazakhstan nationals Dias Kadyrbayev, 19, and Azamat Tazhayakov, 19, are accused of helping to get rid of incriminating evidence that Tsarnaev left behind in his college dorm room on April 18, three days after the terror bombing killed three and maimed 260 in Boston.
The two face charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice. They are to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Tuesday in US District Court in Boston.
According to US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office, the two acted after Tsarnaev sent them a text message telling them they could go to his dorm room and "take what's there.'' The indictment, unsealed today, includes the text of the message Tsarnaev sent.
"If yu [sic] want yu [sic] can go to my room and take what's there but ight [sic] bra [sic] Salam aleikum,'' Tsarnaev texted to his friends.
The two students allegedly collected Tsarnaev's laptop, fireworks, and a backpack and took them to their apartment in New Bedford.
Later that night Kadyrbayev, with what prosecutors called Tazhayakov's "knowledge and agreement,'' put the items in a garbage bag and put them in a dumpster at the apartment. They were later recovered by law enforcement after several days of searching a New Bedford dump.
The two were already in jug, facing a May 1 criminal complaint charging them only with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
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08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] The U.S. State Department on Thursday warned Americans not to travel to Pakistain and ordered nonessential government personnel to leave the U.S. Consulate in Lahore because of a specific threat to that diplomatic mission.
In a travel warning, the State Department said the presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups posed a potential danger to U.S. citizens throughout Pakistain.
None of the consulates in Pakistain or the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad were affected by the earlier closures.
The personnel drawdown at the Lahore consulate was a precautionary measure and wasn't related to the recent closures of numerous U.S. diplomatic missions in the Mohammedan world, two U.S. officials said. The consulate in Lahore was scheduled to be closed for the Eid holiday from Thursday through Sunday and no reopening had been scheduled, one of the officials said.
The officials were not authorized to discuss the order by name and requested anonymity.
Earlier this week, 19 U.S. diplomatic outposts in 16 countries in the Middle East and Africa were closed to the public through Saturday and nonessential personnel were evacuated from the U.S. Embassy in Yemen after U.S. intelligence officials said they had intercepted a recent message from al-Qaeda's top leader about plans for a major terror attack.
None of the consulates in Pakistain or the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad were affected by the earlier closures.
[Dawn] Pak authorities will hang four convicts on death row later this month, ending a five year stay on the execution of death sentences ordered by the outgoing president, officials said Thursday.
Inspector General Sindh prisons Nusrat Mangan told Dawn.com that four condemned prisoners, including two members of the banned sectarian outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... (LeJ), would be executed at the Sukkur jail and Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Central prison on August 20, 21 and 22.
Mangan said none of the four prisoners had approached the superior courts for a review of their sentences and would therefore be executed as per the orders of the Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC). He said one of the condemned bully boyz was awarded the death sentence in six cases, while another was awaiting the death penalty in four cases.
The executions will be the first to be carried out in Pakistain in five years. The Sukkur jail has not carried out a death sentence in 11 years.
Under the previous government led by the Pakistain People's Party (PPP), no one except a soldier convicted by court martial was put to death since 2008. The Pakistain Mohammedan League - Nawaz (PML-N), which came to power in the May 11 general elections, ended the moratorium imposed by President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... in 2008.
The PML-N led government in July had announced there would no longer be any general amnesty for the convicts awaiting execution, raising concerns from human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... activists and opponents of capital punishment.
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08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... tried Thursday to ease tensions with India by urging both sides to work swiftly to shore up a 10-year ceasefire threatened by recent attacks.
Sharif said that it was imperative for both India and Pakistain to take effective steps to ensure and restore ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC), the heavily militarized border dividing the disputed Kashmire region.
The prime minister expressed these views during a briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials at the Foreign Office in Islamabad.
He made the remarks after a Pak civilian was injured by firing from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmire.
The remarks also come shortly after the Indian government for the first time directly accused the Mighty Pak Army of involvement in an ambush that killed five Indian soldiers on Monday in Kashmire. Pakistain denied any part in Monday's incident.
India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony alleged that specialist Pak troops had been involved in the attack and hinted at stronger military action.
But Sharif, who was elected in May and who backs rapprochement with India, said he was looking forward to meeting his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.
In remarks and released by his office, he said existing military channels could be more "optimally utilised" to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Pakistain, he said, is prepared to discuss steps with India for further strengthening of existing mechanisms both at the political and military levels.
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08/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] In response to new EU guidelines to boycott settlements, Israel will not sign further agreements with Union. Israel to demand clarifications regarding expected limitations
At a cabinet meeting Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided that Israel will not sign additional agreements with the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , such as a scientific cooperation agreement, due to the expected EU limitations on the settlements.
At the end of the meeting, State officials said that the EU's decision significantly harms the process of renewing negotiations with the Paleostinians.
The meeting, convened by Netanyahu, was attended by Ministers Tzipi Livni , Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Ya'akov Peri, Shai Piron, Yair Shamir and Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin.
Following the meeting, State officials clarified that Israel will request further clarifications from Europe in order to better understand the meaning of the limitations of the EU on activities beyond the 1967 border lines.
Three weeks ago, the EU High Commission announced its intentions to distinguish between Israeli entities working within the 1967 border lines and those operating beyond them. The decision, which is expected to take effect in 2014 until 2020, surprised the cabinet in Jerusalem as well as the Israeli foreign Ministry.
The decision to exclude settlements from European funding was revealed on the eve of the American announcement regarding the renewal of negotiations between Israel and the Paleostinians. The EU limitations were preceded by numerous warnings, which were not well-received in Israel.
The EU decision cast a shadow on significant agreements which were supposed to be signed by Israel in the near future. According to the cabinet meeting held Thursday, the Israeli government is not expected to sign any additional agreements with the European Union as long as there is a distinction between activities within the 1967 border lines and activities in the settlements.
#3
The Europeans are teaching morals to the Jews, after the Holocaust.
As far as I know the vast majority of Europeans did not see a problem in mass killing innocents civilians.
Some people never learn ...
Posted by: Ana ||
08/09/2013 10:02 Comments ||
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[Ynet] State Department says negotiations will be held in Jerusalem, Jericho; stresses Washington 'does not accept legitimacy of continued settlement activity'
Israeli and Paleostinian negotiators will resume peace talks in Jerusalem on Aug. 14, the US State Department said on Thursday.
"Negotiations between the Israelis and Paleostinians will be resuming Aug. 14 in Jerusalem and will be followed by a meeting in Jericho (in the West Bank)," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a briefing.
Despite the fact that the presence of any Jews in the Palestinian Territories is flatly illegal.
The sides held their first peace negotiations in nearly three years in Washington on July 30 in US-mediated efforts to end the conflict of more than six decades.
Nothing was accomplished, but the canapes were lovely.
Psaki said US envoys Martin Indyk and Frank Lowenstein will travel to the region to help facilitate the negotiations.
She signaled that no major breakthroughs were likely at the meeting, saying: "Secretary Kerry does not expect to make any announcements in the aftermath of this round of talks."
At least nobody will have to overcome false expectations...
The announcement came as Israel said it had given preliminary approval for the construction of more than 800 new homes in Jewish settlements on occupied West Bank land, a move that would complicate peace negotiations.
How can they complicate a no-outcome situation?
Psaki said Washington had taken up the issue with the Israelis.
"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity and opposes any efforts to legitimize settlement outposts," Psaki said.
That's nice, dear. If you hold your breath much longer your face will turn blue, after which you will pass out in the usual manner. You might want to sit in that nice chair in the corner so you don't fall and bump your head -- repeated minor concussions have been demonstrated to cause brain damage, and you can't afford to lose any more brain cells.
This is actually a policy shift: the U.S., and all previous presidents, had in the past refused to condemn the settlements as 'illegal'. We even vetoed a U.N. resolution that called them illegal. By saying that they are 'illegitimate' they're doing the next best thing as far as the Paleos are concerned. Champ once again (and I'll bet without thinking) has given away an important chip.
"The Secretary has made clear that he believes both the negotiating teams are at the table in good faith and are committed to making progress," she added.
He also believes in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy.
Kerry has said the sides have given themselves about nine months to try to reach an agreement.
And if anything is actually resolved, Israeli voters will deal with it in a thoroughly democratic referendum. Clever move on Prime Minister Netanyahu's part, but then negotiation strategy was a key part of his pre-politics experience.
The United States is seeking to broker an agreement on a two-state solution, in which Israel would exist peacefully alongside a new Paleostinian state created in the West Bank and Gazoo Strip, lands partly occupied by Israel since a 1967 war.
Not the Gaza Strip. Israel left the Gaza Strip in 2005 or so, after Egyot refused to take it back, and got a rain of missiles in exchange.
The latest direct talks collapsed in late 2010 over Israel's building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
That was the excuse, anyway. It'll be something similar this time, too.
#1
That's too bad. But American State Department was Israel's enemy from day one---regardless of what elected officials said or even wanted. Now they finally got themselves a POTUS sympathetic to their goals.
#2
One of the challenges we've faced for a considerable period of time g(r)om, is the State Departments self appointed role as a global outreach organization for the UN. Just my umble opinion.
When I was a child the following song was going around. I have no idea where it came from or the rest of it:
"Nobody wants me
Everybody hates me
Guess I'll go eat worms..."
[AnNahar] Most Paleostinians trying to go to Leb from strife-torn Syria have been denied entry over the past two days, a rights group said on Thursday.
"The Lebanese government began on August 6, 2013, to bar Paleostinians from entering the country from Syria," New York-based Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... said.
"Refusing to allow asylum seekers to enter the country violates Leb's international obligations."
Which obligations specifically? I don't recall any obligation to allow your enemies to immigrate into your country...
An HRW statement said people stranded at the border included "entire families, children, the elderly and the sick."
Right next to the Zionist-bombed baby milk factory, he forgot to add...
It said Lebanese authorities "should urgently rescind its decision to bar Paleostinians from Syria from entering Leb... Leb is turning people back without adequately considering the dangers they face."
From August 6, it appears "the only Paleostinians allowed to enter Leb were Paleostinians with Lebanese wives or mothers, or who had plane tickets to leave Beirut that day," HRW said.
It said there has been no public announcement of a change in policy.
HRW said that under international law Leb must abide by the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending people back to places where their lives or freedom are threatened.
Syria is home to some 500,000 Paleostinians. Many lived in Yarmouk in southern Damascus, a district that has been torn apart by shelling, rendering much of it uninhabitable, residents say.
It sorta looks like Gaza...
A source in the General Security directorate told Agence La Belle France Presse that "so far we have been the country with the most open border policy for people traveling from Syria."
Leb had been granting Paleostinians coming from Syria a seven-day renewable visa.
"We dealt with the Paleostinian situation from a humanitarian point of view," said the source, adding that Leb "is not a country of asylum."
"They should not be coming here. Their files are with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Syria, not in Leb," he said of the agency tasked with registering and aiding those whose ascendants fled historic Paleostine.
The source also said Leb "has been promised help by the international community to deal with the influx. That help didn't come."
Seems like the world is tapped out when it comes to helping Paleos...
Some 675,000 people fleeing Syria's conflict -- among them 60,000 Paleostinians -- have sought shelter in Leb, the U.N. says, though the real number is believed to be much higher.
U.N. and other humanitarian agencies say there has been a major funding shortfall to help mitigate the impact of the refugee crisis.
"While the Lebanese government, like those of other neighboring countries, is struggling to meet the needs of the growing refugee population, closing the border is no answer," said HRW deputy Middle East director Joe Stork.
On July 26, the U.N. refugee agency said it is negotiating with Leb over the country's plan to enforce new border controls that could affect the flow of Syrian refugees.
"We will continue to engage with (the authorities) to ensure that refugees in need of protection will have access to Leb but also that the legitimate security concerns of the government are respected and observed," said Ninette Kelley, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Beirut.
Her statement came three days after the government announced new entry controls. Several ministers insisted that the new rules would not close the border to refugees fleeing Syria.
But they said that in the future they would recognize as refugees only those fleeing parts of Syria that have been wracked by violence.
"In order not to allow people with terrorist ties or other security problems to take advantage of the humanitarian situation, we are now being stricter and ensuring that only people with a valid ID or passport are allowed in," a General Security source told AFP in the wake of the decision.
The U.N. Development Program's Luca Renda has also warned of a range of problems in communities in Leb that are hosting refugees.
"Competition for jobs, crowding of services, scarcity of drinking water, pressure on waste collection, issues of sanitation (and) increasing tensions between communities," he said.
[AnNahar] Moscow has rejected a Saudi proposal to abandon Syria's president in return for a huge arms deal and a pledge to boost Russian influence in the Arab world, diplomats told Agence La Belle France Presse.
On July 31, President Vladimir Putin ...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... , a strong backer of Syrian leader Bashir al-Assad, met Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's influential intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, after which both Moscow and Riyadh kept a lid on the substance of the talks.
"Every two years, Bandar bin Sultan meets his Russian counterparts, but this time, he wanted to meet the head of state," said a European diplomat who shuttles between Beirut and Damascus.
"During the meeting at the Kremlin, the Saudi official explained to his interlocutor that Riyadh is ready to help Moscow play a bigger role in the Middle East at a time when the United States is disengaging from the region," the diplomat added.
Bandar proposed that Saudi Arabia buy $15 billion (11 billion euros) of weapons from Russia and invest "considerably in the country," the source said.
The Saudi prince also reassured Putin that "whatever regime comes after" Assad, it will be "completely" in the Saudis' hands and will not sign any agreement allowing any Gulf country to transport its gas across Syria to Europe and compete with Russian gas exports, the diplomat said.
In 2009, Assad refused to sign an agreement with Qatar for an overland pipeline running from the Gulf to Europe via Syria to protect the interests of its Russian ally, which is Europe's top supplier of natural gas.
An Arab diplomat with contacts in Moscow said: "President Putin listened politely to his interlocutor and let him know that his country would not change its strategy."
"Bandar bin Sultan then let the Russians know that the only option left in Syria was military and that they should forget about Geneva because the opposition would not attend."
Russia and the United States have been trying for months to organize an international peace conference between Assad's regime and the opposition to take place in Geneva, but so far to no avail.
Asked about the Putin-Bandar meeting, a Syrian politician said: "As was the case before with Qatar and Lavrov (in talks), Saudi Arabia thinks that politics is a simple matter of buying people or countries. It doesn't understand that Russia is a major power and that this is not how it draws up policy."
"Syria and Russia have had close ties for over half a century in all fields and it's not Saudi riyals that will change this fact," he added.
The meeting between Bandar and Putin came amid tension between Moscow and Riyadh over the conflict in Syria, as Russia has accused the Saudis of "financing and arming forces of Evil and bully boy groups" in the war which has killed more than 100,000 people since March 2011.
While there was no official reaction to the meeting, Russian experts also said Putin had apparently turned down the Saudi offer.
According to military expert Alexander Goltz from online opposition newspaper Ejednevny, "such an agreement seems extremely improbable."
"Support for Assad is a matter of principle for Vladimir Putin," he said. "Even the bait of $15 billion, a huge sum that represents two years' turnover for Rosoboronexport (Russia's arms exporting agency), will have no effect."
Independent security expert Andrei Soldatov, who runs the Agentura.ru website said: "This disinformation is aimed more at destabilizing Assad and his entourage.
"Assad's position is growing stronger and stronger, and the Kremlin knows this. Turning against them in this situation would be very stupid ... And don't forget that in general the Saudis take years to keep their promises."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/09/2013 01:45 ||
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#1
"Assad's position is growing stronger and stronger, and the Kremlin knows this. Turning against them in this situation would be very stupid ... And don't forget that in general the Saudis take years to keep their promises."
(a) Puti can see past next week's headlines.
(b) He learned how to tell when a ROPer is lying.
#2
Vlad telling the Saudis, "Thanks, but no thanks, as we already promised our Russian Airborne Troops a nice tour of Syria ... ... and maybe Japan + Manila"!
[Ynet] Iran has constructed a rocket-launching site that could be used for testing ballistic missiles, a report from a military intelligence publication said on Thursday.
Satellite imagery analysed by Jane's Intelligence Review showed extensive construction over the last three years at a site of what Jane's says is a launch tower and pad, an area to prepare rockets for launch and an administration and support section.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/09/2013 01:29 ||
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#1
See - clearly POTUS Carter's = POTUS Bammer's
"red lines" do work ... ... NOT!
Get ready for a Nuclear Iran, espec an Iran armed wid ASBMS, + ultimately Nuclear-armed Radical Islam = Global Nuclear Jihad.
Iran per se may not want to see Sunni or Radical MilTerrs go Nuke-WMDS, but autonomous decentalized third-party Islamic NGOS + aligned Radicals, etc. think otherwise.
[Al Ahram] Two blasts that maimed four Israeli soldiers on the border with Leb were in fact an "ambush" set by Hezbollah, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported on Thursday.
The kabooms hit the patrol on Wednesday when the troops ventured 400 metres (yards) into south Leb, parts of which are controlled by the powerful Shiite movement.
"The enemy blundered when they violated the border with Leb, and fell into a trap that only the resistance could set," said the newspaper, which has links to Hezbollah.
"Only Hezbollah can make bombs that blow up Israelis" when they pass by, it said.
Hezbollah, which has close ties to Iran and the regime in Syria, is considered Israel's arch-foe, and the two fought a brief but bloody summer war in 2006.
"The Israeli unit fell into a well-set ambush and the enemy found itself faced with a difficult question: 'How did Hezbollah know we were there?'" the daily wrote.
"The ambush is a dangerous failure for the enemy because it shows that Hezbollah has an intelligence structure that allows it to know when a patrol arrives, its route and to set a trap for it," it added.
"That means the resistance is prepared for every eventuality, in case of confrontation on a wider scale or in case of a general conflict."
The Lebanese army said four Israeli soldiers were maimed by kabooms 400 metres inside Lebanese territory.
Israel's military confirmed the toll without specifying what side of the border the soldiers were on as they were "carrying out nocturnal activities in the Lebanese border area when the kaboom occurred".
Posted by: Fred ||
08/09/2013 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.
John 
North Korea
[BOSTON] Two former UMass-Dartmouth students with ties to Boston Marathon terror bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were indicted today on obstruction of justice charges for allegedly trying to impede the Boston Marathon terror bombing investigation.
President Asif Ali 
Nawaz Sharif
...Second and fourth President of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
