Offenses related to piracy will now be prosecuted in local courts, following recent settlement of legal frameworks that will facilitate fair prosecution, Tanzanian Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mathias Chikawe said.
Such offences were prosecuted in Kenya and Seychelles on a special embargo, the minister told The Guardian in Dar es Salaam in a recent exclusive interview.
He said prosecution of piracy suspects along the Indian Ocean coast was done according to special agreement that had to be entered between the countries sharing the oceans waters before the accused are arraigned.
Prosecution was only administered in Kenya and Seychelles which had already ratified international conventions covering a bilateral agreement that Tanzania is yet to enter.
Recent years have witnessed a series of pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean waters believed to be Somali Islamists who hijack ships. The perpetrators also demanded lots of money from the shipping companies in ransom, threatening international shipping.
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[Al Ahram] Egyptian Interim President Adly Mansour visited Sunday Abbasiya Coptic Cathedral to wish Pope Tawadros IIa merry Christmas, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.
The visit is considered the first of its kind, as previous presidents extended their Christmas greetings by phone or through presidential envoys.
Pope Tawadros welcomed Mansour on behalf of Fathers of the Church, the General Congregation Council and the Ministry of Endowments.
According to Tawadros, Mansour's good sentiments and affection portray a "beautiful message" to Egyptians.
Mansour was eager to send greetings to the Pope to show the country`s appreciation to the role of the Church in the face of any conflicts that might threaten national harmony.
He also stressed that the unity between Mohammedans and Copts should last to show the strong bond between the two religions.
The spokesperson of the presidency, Ambassador Ihab Badawi, expressed that Mansour "was keen to show Pope Twadros II the appreciation of Egypt to all the efforts of the Coptic citizens who have been working for the welfare and interest of the country."
The majority of Egyptian Christians are Orthodox who start the Christmas celebrations on 7 January.
Egyptian Christians have faced tough times since the ouster of Islamist former president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... in July. After a bloody police crackdown on two pro-Morsi sit-ins in August, churches were attacked, ransacked and torched across Egypt.
Some Morsi supporters accuse the Christian minority of being behind the ouster of Morsi.
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[An Nahar] Debate on Tunisia's new constitution was suspended on Sunday after a deputy claimed he had received death threats because a colleague accused him of being an "enemy of Islam."
The accusation came a day after the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) adopted articles making Islam the state religion but guaranteeing freedom of conscience.
Sunday's row broke out after Mongi Rahoui, from the leftwing Popular Front, accused Habib Ellouze of the Islamist ruling party Ennahda of calling him an enemy of Islam.
Such words are not taken lightly in Tunisia, where the suspected liquidation by krazed killer Salafist Moslems last year of two opposition politicians plunged the country into a political crisis that has still not been resolved.
The interior ministry said threats against Rahoui and two other people had been made on Facebook and that it was taking steps to protect them.
"The ministry has taken all security precautions to ensure the security of the parties and opened an investigation to determine the seriousness of the threats," a statement said.
Addressing Ellouze, a hardline Ennahda member known for his controversial comments, Rahoui asked: "How much more blood must there be before we understand that we are united (under Islam)?
"I tell you that I am a Moslem; that my father, my mother, my grandfather and my people are Moslems.
"What (Ellouze) said yesterday, that I am an enemy of Islam, has lead to death threats against me."
Ellouze had been quoted by a radio station Saturday as saying Rahoui is "known for his animosity toward religion."
He said his words had been misinterpreted and apologized to Rahoui.
A number of secular opposition deputies angrily protested that such words could spell the same fate for Rahoui as befell Chokri Belaid and Mohammed Brahmi last year.
Ennahda's detractors accused the moderate Islamist party of failing to rein in the Salafist krazed killers.
Sunday's session began at 1100 GMT, and was suspended twice.
Following the exchange between Rahoui and Ellouze, some deputies demanded that the assembly vote again on an amendment rejected Saturday that would make it a crime to accuse someone of apostasy.
Deliberations were to resume later, with deputies focusing on the chapter on civil rights.
They were then set to move on to discuss forming an electoral commission to oversee elections this year.
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[An Nahar] An Egyptian court on Sunday gave suspended one-year sentences to 12 activists including youth leaders of the 2011 uprising for an attack on a former presidential candidate's headquarters.
Those sentenced include Alaa Abdel Fattah and Mona Seif, prominent youth activists known for their leading role in the revolt that toppled president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
They were convicted of torching and destroying the election campaign headquarters of Ahmed Shafiq in May 2012, but acquitted of looting the premises.
They had been referred to trial under now deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... , who defeated Shafiq in the May and June 2012 election.
Shafiq had withdrawn the complaint against them at the time, saying he did not want to be used by Morsi as a pretext to crack down on secular dissidents.
The jail sentences can be enforced within three years if the defendants are convicted in any other trials.
Abdel Fattah is currently in detention for allegedly taking part in a violent and illegal protest in November. The date for his trial has yet to be determined.
In late November, the military-installed government passed a law that bans all but police-sanctioned demonstrations.
In December, a court sentenced three prominent activists who spearheaded the anti-Mubarak revolt to three years in jail for organizing an unlicensed protest.
Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohammed Adel were convicted in the first such verdict against non-Islamist protesters since Morsi's ouster by the military in July.
Some secular activists who had supported Morsi's overthrow now accuse the military-installed government of restricting freedoms.
And in December, Shafiq, who served as Mubarak's last premier, was acquitted of corruption charges by Egyptian courts, paving the way for his return more than a year after he fled abroad after losing narrowly losing to Morsi.
Shafiq has since founded a political party, and now that he is free to return, intends to build on it ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for mid-2014, a front man told Agence La Belle France Presse last month.
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[Dhaka Tribune] A single vote was not cast till 4pm yesterday at Ramdhana primary school polling centre at Biswanath, polling centre, polling centre of 'missing' BNP leader M Elias Ali, albeit there were 1910 registered voters in the poll centre. Witnesses said some cocktails were blast beside the polling centre. Presiding officer of the poll centre Md. Bozlur Rahman said yesterday, "A single vote was not cast till 4pm."
The responsible election officers at the polling centre was passing their idle time. Some people only thronged outside the poll centre.
In addition, there were no voter in the Chahifaganj government primary school polling centre at Khajanji union of Biswanath. Agents of the candidates and law enforcement men were found chatting.
No vote was cast at 21 out of 38 polling centers in four unions of sadar upazila under the Lalmonirhat-3 constituency. Very few voters cast votes in the rest of the polling centers.
Seeking anonymity polling officer at Barabari Government Primary School polling centre said, "I closed the ballot box without any vote."
Abdu Sattar, 58, a farmer of Barabari village said, "I didn't find any interest to cast my vote in the one-sided polls." He also said nobody of his village cast their votes.
However some AL men allegedly said their voters could not come at the polling centres as BNP men made obstacle. They also said Sindurmoti village of Panchagram union is a stronghold of BNP. Polling centers in four unions were found without voters.
No single vote was cast at Agardhari Kaminia Kamil Madrasah, Agardhari Mahila Madrasah, Godhagata and Shibpur polling centres under Jamaat dominated sadar upazila in Satkhira.
Presiding officer Aftabuzzaman said, no vote was cast at Godhagata government primary school polling centre which had 1885 registered voters.
A voter cast his vote at Shialdanga government primary school polling centre. Miscreants set afire at the polling centre in the morning the day before the polls.
Shialdanga government primary school centre had got 1 vote among 2367 voters, said presiding officer Shankar Kumar Roy.
No voter among 2797 voters did not cast vote at Maria Primay School in Charghat area in Rajshahi.
Golam Mortoza, officer-in-charge of Chargat, said it is 'mysterious' why voters did not came to cast vote.
Local BNP leaders and activists guarded the polling centre. Sources said BNP leader Abu Sayed Chand gave murder threat the day before the polls. He along with his men visited the houses of the voters.
No vote was cast at Bazrapur and Purandarapur polling centres under Moheshpur upazila in Jhenaidah. There were 2542 and 3528 respectively voters were registered.
Only a single voter had cast his vote at Khalishpur polling centre in Jhenaidah district.
Kollanpur Rawshinia Dakhil Madrasah presiding officer Farid Ahmed and Kollanpur Government Primary School presiding officer Abul Kalam Azad said any single vote was not cast at the polling centres in Sirajganj district.
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[Dhaka Tribune] Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rokibuddin Ahmad claimed the 10th parliamentary elections were held in fair manner in 97% constituencies across the country.
The CEC made the statement at a presser early Monday.
While replying to query about the total turnout in the polls, he said: "The commission can say about total voting turnout after it gets results from all the constituencies."
Asked about the suspended polling centres, he said: "If the voting difference between the contestants will be found greater than the number of voters in the suspended polling centres, elections will be held in those centres."
"I have not left any stone unturned," he replied a query whether he is satisfied with the elections.
Voting at 440 polling centres in the country has been postponed following attacks allegedly by anti-polls activists on the eve of the 10th national elections.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels... the counting of votes has been postponed in Bogra 7 and Dinajpur 4 constituencies.
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[Bangla New Age] The BNP-led opposition alliance on Sunday rejected the 'unilateral,' 'farcical' national elections and asked the government to immediately resign and announce a fresh schedule of the 10th parliamentary elections under a neutral non-party government.
The BNP chairperson's advisory council member Osman Farruk hours after
the polling said that people had rejected the 'farcical elections' and had not responded to the call of the prime minister and ministers to go to polling centres.
Farruk at a news briefing at his house at Gulshan in the capital claimed that voter turnout in the elections was not more than 3 to 5 per cent.
He asked the government to sit for a dialogue with political parties to form an election-time government immediately, cancelling the results of the 'farcical elections.'
The BNP leader also asked the government to hand over power to a neutral
non-party government for holding the 10th parliamentary elections afresh.
Farruk said that an insignificant participation of voters in the elections was the reflection of non-confidence in the government.
As an Indian journalist asked about the Election Commission's claim of about 60 per cent of votes being cast, he said the commission was 'spineless, subservient to the government and the puppet of a political party [the Awami League].'
He said that the figures the commission gave were 'unacceptable.' Farruk said that the BNP had figures from various polling centres which showed that only 3 to 5 per cent of the votes were cast.
He said that voting in Bangladesh is like a festival but it was festive and it could be called an obituary of democracy.
In reply to a question, Farruk said that they were demanding a blanket resignation of the government.
He said that their first condition to dialogues with political parties was to cancel the election results.
He termed the government 'illegal' and said that it had no moral right to spend tax payer's money this way.
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[Bangla New Age] At least 25 candidates, mostly independent ones, reportedly withdrew from the race in the 10th parliamentary election on Sunday in protest against vote rigging and beating up of their polling agents in several districts including Dhaka, Brahmanbaria, Laxmipur, Sirajganj, Barisal and Jamalpur.
Brahmanbaria 3 constituency's Jatiya Party ...aka Jatiya Front; a political party established by Bangladictator Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1986 to lend a veneer of respectability to his rule. Since nobody was amused he was forced to resign by popular demand in 1990. The party remains in existence with about a dozen seats in Bangla's parliament... -JP candidate M Farid Ahmad had boycotted the election as he was unable to cast his vote.
He alleged that his vote was cast by someone else before he entered the Annada Government High School polling station in Brahmanbaria town at about 11am.
He also described the election as 'selection'.
Meanwhile, ...back at the bunker, his Excellency called the chief of staff and complained that the artillery was keeping him awake... New Age Brahmanbaria correspondent said in Brahmanbaria 5 constituency M Mamunur Rashid, candidate of Jatiya Party, also withdrew from the race at noon protesting vote rigging by Awami League candidate Fayzur Rahman's polling agents and supporters who allegedly forced his polling agents to leave 105 polling booths among the 126 booths.
15 individual candidates also withdrew from the race accusing physical attacks and forcible ouster of their polling agents from the poll booths and massive vote rigging by the ruling party activists in different districts including Dhaka, Sirajganj, Jhineidah, Barguna and Narayanganj.
In Dhaka 6 and Dhaka 15 constituencies, independent candidates M Saidur Rahman Shahid and M Ekhlas Uddin Mollah boycotted the election protesting vote rigging and intimidations by ruling party activists.
They also alleged that AL candidates' associates forced their polling agents to leave the polling booths in both the constituencies.
In Sirajganj 5 constituency, independent candidate M Ataur Rahman boycotted the election by arranging a press briefing claiming that, his polling agents were beaten up by the supporters of ruling alliance.
Independent candidates of Jamalpur-2 and Barisal-2 constituencies, M Atikur Rahman and Sabina Akhter also withdrew from the race protesting 'massive vote rigging and fake votes' by the ruling party-backed supporters and polling agents.
Sabina said that it has been proved that no free fair election could be possible under the present AL-led government.
Meanwhile, ...back at the secret hideout, Scarface Al sneeringly put his proposition to little Nell... Golam Kibria Tipu, JP candidate for Barisal-3 constituency announced boycotting election at 2:30pm and claimed his voters and polling agents were ousted or barred from performing duties by the WP cadres supported by local AL activists and leaders.
Abul Hossain Shikdar, Barguna-2 independent candidate, announced his withdrawal from election alleging vote rigging, capturing of vote centers, ousting of voters and polling agents by the supporters of AL candidate.
New Age Jhenaidah correspondent reported that only independent candidate of Jhenaidah-1 constituency Nayeb Ali Joarder had withdrawn from the race alleging vote rigging by the ruling party candidate's men.
In Laxmipur 4 constituency, two independent candidates Azad Uddin Chowdhury and AKM Sharif Uddin boycotted the election on Sunday morning alleging that the ruling party candidate's polling agents were involved in vote rigging in 65 poll booths of the constituency.
Both the independent and JP candidates of Narayanganj 1 constituency, M Showkat Ali and M Zoynal Abedin Chowdhury withdrew from contest bringing allegation against AL candidate Golam Dastagir Gazi and his associates of forcibly ousting their polling agents from the polling centers.
Besides, Independent candidate of Munshiganj 2 constituency Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Patuakhali 1 constituency's independent candidate M Shafiqul Islam, Cox's Bazar 4 JP candidate Taha Yeahia, independent candidate Amirul islam of Noakhali 6 constituency, JSD candidates Afzal Hosain Joki and Sadequl Islam of Manikganj 1 and Lalmonirhaat 1 constituencies and in Sherpur 2 constituencies' independent candidate Badiuzzaman Badsha, in Chittagong 12 constituencies' JP candidate Sirajul Islam, Mymensingh 11 constituency's' independent candidate M Sahadat Islam Chowdhury, Dhaka 5 constituency's' Tarikat Federation candidate Arzu Shah Sayedabadi, Feni 3 constituency's' JP candidate Anwarul Kabir and Jamalpur 1 constituency's' independent candidate Aziz Ahmed Hasan also withdrew from the polls in the protest on similar allegations.
Only 12 out of 41 registered political parties, including the ruling Awami League and its coalition partners, fielded 390 candidates including 109 independent candidates.
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SEOUL -- North Korean leader Suet Face Kim Jong-un recently held a military rally to implore his troops to accomplish goals he'd laid out for the new year, Pyongyang's media reported on Sunday.
The Rodong Sinmun, the communist regime's main newspaper, said Pudgy Kim presided over the meeting of troops under the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces in Pyongyang on Saturday. The paper noted that Jang Jong-nam,
No, not that Jang, that one that is now Purina Dog Chow...
Was dog chow. Now is thoroughly incorporated dog.
And the rest is neatly lined up with the magnetic north.
minister of the People's Armed Forces, and Ri Yong-gil, head of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, were present at the rally. Choe Ryong-hae, director of the General Political Bureau, however, was not named as being among the attendees. Choe has emerged as a new key figure of the North Korean leadership among Pyongyang watchers after the North's evil young leader executed his uncle in a purge.
In his New Year's address, Kim stressed that the North will continue to strengthen its military, saying bolstering its defense capabilities is "the most important of all state affairs."
#2
And the rest is neatly lined up with the magnetic north.
Pristinely ignorant of the study here, but I wonder whether it seriously considered orientation vs light? Seems like bad policy to hunker down with one's blind, vulnerable side toward dark or sun. Males' relatively haphazard urination might be explained by relative invulnerability or insouciance rather than insensitivity to Gaia's elimination orientation beacons. Sounds like N vs. S is more or less random? Could cattle in general be (selfishly!) more tuned in to predation than to the cosmic stylings of G-d's great electric guitar? Wonder if they go wobbly around midday. Guess I'll have to read the doggone thing. Sorry for OT.
#3
I think you are on to something ZF, dawgs try to align on the Lunar ellipse in my experience, I mean unless it LEMME OUT! LEMME OUT, then any perfect place will do. By perfect I of course mean the most public.
A nascent market economy began to develop across North Korea after the famine of the mid- to late 1990s, which prompted many to seek other ways to make a living rather than relying on the state. Now more North Koreans are believed to rely on the informal market economy than in East Germany, the Soviet Union and China when they opened to the outside world.
More than 80 percent of North Koreans are apparently buying and selling goods in the black market or engaging in other commercial activities to make ends meet, learning about free market economics. Experts say the trend is wide-spread and mature enough to dispel concerns that North Koreans, once reliant on state handouts, would have a hard time adjusting to capitalism if the two Koreas are reunited.
The experts didn't say anything about how all these people would starve if they weren't engaged in the black market, did they?
One study based on 2009 census data suggests that 83 percent of North Koreans or 14.48 million derive some of their income from commercial activity. In North Hamgyong Province, which suffered heavily from famines, the figure is nearer 93 percent, and even in Pyongyang, which still has a functioning ration system, the proportion is 56 percent.
Another study by Seoul National University finds that 70 percent of North Korean defectors had experience selling goods in open-air markets or other commercial activity. And that applies even to 68 percent of defectors who were privileged members of the Workers Party. The younger, the more experience they had, with 92.3 percent in their 30s and 88.2 percent in their 40s.
Defectors said their main sources of income were retail sales (37.2 percent), earning foreign currency (11.1 percent), reselling products at higher prices (eight percent) and manual labor (7.1 percent). Hardly any said their main source of income was payments earned working in state-run factories, and 42.2 percent said they received no handouts from the state.
In contrast, 13.2 percent of the defectors said their entire household made up to W1 million (US$1=W1,051) selling goods or other commercial activities, while 13.7 percent said they made up to W500,000, 31.7 percent up to W300,000 and 16.6 percent up to W100,000. And 15.1 percent said they made more than W1 million.
Eight out of 10 North Koreans did not receive even W10,000 from the state, while more than seven were earning more than W100,000 selling goods.
Kim Byung-yeon at Seoul National University said North Koreans sold anything from fruit and vegetables grown in their own gardens to meat and fish, home-made food products, goods stolen from state factories, products smuggled across the border and especially even international aid goods. The range has diversified even more recently.
Cho Bong-hyun of the IBK Economic Research Institute said there are around 500,000 businesses in the North at present. Around 400,000 are small service businesses such as barber shops and restaurants, and around 100,000 are involved in manufacturing. Although private businesses are prohibited in principle, they are tolerated as long as they give a portion of their earnings to the state. This has created employers like store owners and people who own fishing boats or transport.
An informal financial market has also sprung up in the form of loan sharks who have grown rich selling goods at open-air markets and have now turned to lending money. "These loan sharks are expanding their influence in the financial market by even settling huge trade payments for merchants, and some rent out business licenses from the state," said one source.
Loan sharking is an old, old business...
North Korea recently tweaked its laws to enable factories or other businesses to obtain loans. Cho said, "North Korea experienced the market economy through the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex and there won't be major obstacles in shifting to a capitalist system after reunification."
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#1
Again, unfortunately Beijing = China is unlikely to accept any formal inter-Korean Reunification between North + South Korea as long as the reunification of mainland China wid TAIWAN remains undone. And as long as a PLA General, NOT KJU, remains in charge of the DPRK's armed forces
Beijing by definition is in effective control of the DPRK already despite PCorrect Media, Diplomatic rhetoric to the contrary.
FIRST REUNIFICATIONS COME FIRST!
Either Pudgy finds a way to dev + deploy Nukes despite China's oversight, or else he finds a way to start or exploit US-China, Other major war in East Asia, MORESO IFF THE DPRK CANNOT WAIT LONG ANYMORE FOR "PEACEFUL" INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES TO TAKE PLACE.
In the view of the DPRK, the worst thing that could possibly happen right now is that a China-Japan andor China-US mil conflict does NOT occur in the East, South China Seas or Indo-Pak, etc.
THERE WILL BE A DAY SOON WHEN NO AMOUNT OF WESTERN OR INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID, ETC. TO NORTH KOREA WILL PREVENT OR SUBSTITUTE FOR A CHINESE TAKEOVER ANDOR FORMAL ANNEXATION OF NORTH KOREA.
[An Nahar] Investigators have found 12 weapons inside the Paleostinian mission in Prague where a New Year's day kaboom fatally maimed its envoy, police said Sunday.
At the same time Prague police chief Martin Cervicek denied media speculation that an arsenal of more than 70 weapons had been kept at the embassy, but would not give details.
"I firmly protest against false information that coppers found about 70 weapons. This doesn't make sense," the website of Prague daily Dnes quoted him as saying.
Cervicek said the weapons including submachine guns and pistols would undergo DNA and ballistic tests, but that no further information would be made public before that has happened.
Jamal al-Jamal, the 56-year-old ambassador to the Czech Republic since October, died on January 1. Police later ruled out an liquidation, instead advancing the theory that the blast was caused by an anti-theft device inside a safe Jamal was manipulating.
They also said unregistered weapons were found inside the mission in violation of diplomatic treaties.
The Czech police are pursuing their investigation into the blast with Paleostinian officials sent to Prague.
Jamal will be repatriated on Monday, his daughter Rana, who lives in the Paleostinian city of Ramallah, said.
She has cast doubt on the police theory of the cause of her father's death telling Dnes on Saturday, "What is certain is that it was not an accident."
Paleostinian officials have given contradictory accounts of the kaboom.
Paleostinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki has described the death as an "accident" caused by an old safe booby-trapped to explode if opened the wrong way. But a front man for the Paleostinian embassy said the safe in question was new, often used, and contained "no built-in anti-theft system."
The ambassador's daughter said she was convinced the explosives were put inside the safe when the diplomatic mission was recently moved from a different address in the Czech capital.
"A political or other motive" could be behind her father's death, she said, without elaborating.
"I don't know and I won't mention anyone."
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#2
Thanks for the link, it's key to why the USAF does not have the lead on this effort. Unless things have changed dramatically, Cyber Warfare is 'also ran' mission for the Air Force. It's been an on again, off again with varying degrees of USAF command emphasis. As I recall, the current Director NSA (DIRSNA) General Keith Alexander began the Army Cyber effort at INSCOM with the Cyber Warfare Center (CWC) way back in the early 1999-2002 timeframe. Locating the center at Fort Gordon has other collaborative benefits involving the Army Signal Center and other, regionally focused intelligences elements on post. It's actually a smart and economic beneficial decision.
A lawyer representing Pakistans former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said Sunday the retired general would not make a scheduled appearance at his treason trial on Monday because of an ongoing illness.
Told you so. He'll be sick until Uncle Fester is overthrown, and then he'll have a miraculous recovery...
The 70-year-old was rushed to a military hospital on Thursday after developing what a police official called a acute cirrhosis heart problem while being taken to hear treason charges against him at a special tribunal in Islamabad.
Everyone is aware of his sickness. The whole world knows that he is in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and the court also knows that, lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri told AFP by telephone.
We just have to make an oral request in the court that since he is not well, his presence should be dispensed with, Kasuri said.
The ex-dictator spent his fourth day in the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi, the garrison city bordering Islamabad, on Sunday.
The court had adjourned its proceedings Thursday and summoned Musharraf to appear on Monday, but Kasuri said he hoped it would now exempt his personal presence.
The court is not making a special concession to Musharraf. It is according to the law. Human life is over and above justice, Kasuri added.
Doctors treating Musharraf had sent his medical reports to experts in Britain, Kasuri told AFP on Saturday, to determine his further treatment at home or abroad.
The ex-dictators sudden health scare was met with skepticism from Rantburg readers some observers and feverish media speculation that his departure from Pakistan on medical grounds possibly to either Saudi Arabia or the UAE could be imminent.
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[Wash Times] Kerry says war no longer belongs to Americans.
The U.S. has inserted 200 troops in Iraq since 2012, but they cannot directly help the Iraqi military repel a surge of al Qaeda fighters, even as the country succumbs to sectarian violence and insurgents claim control of two key cities. "War no longer belongs to Americans" but we remain involved and are still picking sides.
#3
Observing the current Russian and Syrian model [much like the Russian models of WWII and Stalingrad], is most interesting. Disrupting rebel jihadist LOC [lines of communication, re-supply] while concurrently permitting rebel occupations of key terrain, which can then be bombed into rubble. It may take several more years, but eventually the Syrians and Russians will run completely out of jihadists.
#7
"What side is the US picking in the Middle East"? - Political-Legal Dialecticism + "safe" Politics or Geopol would say "both".
The Sunni Saudis historically like to stay in the shadows, so iff proposed future OWG "Islamic/
Middle East/ Persian Gulf Union", etal. ever needs a serious MilPol public ass-whuppin' before the International community, Shia Rising Iran is your Boy to do it.
#8
What has never been explained is the presence of more than 1,500 US and NATO troops at the huge air base north of Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. It is a sort of Kurdish security blanket, but it could be useful for other things.
[Al Ahram] The United States will support the Iraqi government and tribes fighting al Qaeda-linked Sunni Moslemgunnies in Anbar province but will not send US troops back to Iraq, US 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 on Sunday.
Islamist gunnies linked to al Qaeda and tribal fighters have taken control of Ramadi and Falluja, the main cities in the Sunni Moslem-dominated province of Anbar, which adjoins Syria, in a serious challenge to the Shi'ite-led government's authority.
Iraqi troops and allied rustics are trying to retake the province.
Speaking to news hounds in Jerusalem, Kerry said the United States was concerned about events in Anbar, which was the heart of the anti-USrebellion after the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003.
While pledging to help Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, he made clear there was no question of UStroops returning to Iraq. The United States withdrew its troops from Iraq in 2011 after failing to reach agreement with Maliki's government on a continuing presence.
"This is a fight that belongs to the Iraqis," he said. "We're not contemplating putting boots on the ground. This is their fight, but we're going to help them in their fight."
Kerry declined to provide details on what the United States might do to assist Maliki, whom Washington has repeatedly urged to share power with the Sunni minority - in part to prevent a renewed Sunni insurgency against the central government.
Al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been steadily tightening its grip in the desert province in recent months in a bid to create a Sunni Moslem state straddling the Syrian frontier.
This week's seizure of territory in Ramadi and Falluja was the first time in years that Sunni turbans had taken effective control of the region's most important cities and held their positions for days.
Kerry said the violence had regional implications.
"This is a fight that is bigger than just Iraq ... The fighting in Syria is part of what is unleashing this instability in the rest of the region," he added.
"We can't want peace and we can't want democracy and we can't want an orderly government and stability more than the people in a particular area, in a particular country or a particular region," he said. "This fight, in the end, they will have to win, and I am confident they can."
The Iraqi military's cooperation with rustics against al Qaeda echoes a decision by local tribes in 2006 to work with UStroops to fight al Qaeda forces who had taken control of most of Iraq's Sunni areas after the USinvasion.
UStroops and local tribes finally beat back al Qaeda in heavy fighting after a "surge" of USforces in 2006-07.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#1
As per WORLD NEWS + DAILY MAIL, ditto the Brits.
US troop elements presently in Iraq are repor NOT allowed to help, but only observe, the Qaeda-vs-IGA fight???
#5
We're all Japanese, South Koreans, Filipinos, Taiwanese, + Vietnamese, etal, i.e. "CHINA" = OBAMA/GLOBALISM-THREATENED US ALLIES, BFFS IN EAST ASIA NOW.
* TOPIX > [Real Clear World] 2014: GOOD YEAR FOR A GREAT WAR?
* SAME > WHY CHINA + JAPAN MIGHT GO TO WAR!?
* SAME > [Canberra Times] TOM SWITZER: TOLL OF CHINESE HEGEMONY FORGETS US REGIONAL INTERESTS.
Pray tell, what US "Regional Interests" would those be, as "post-US", "Mahanist", future World #1 wannabe Rising China repor desires the "weak/declining" US to be contained or isolated only in EASTPAC + US WEST COAST by 2020.
Not unlike Perts claiming that the World may be be "unlivable" circa 2050 [2050-2100] as per GWCC, which SSSSHHHHH .... CCCCCCCC can only happen iff the Sun explodes unto preliminary or early Red Giant phase, Asteroid-Comet impacts notwithstanding, THE US WILL HAVE TO LIKELY LOSE = "NOT WIN" AGZ CHINA IN EAST ASIA MIL CONFLICT FOR IT TO BE RESTRICTED TO EASTPAC + US WEST COAST COME 2020 OR ASAP AFTERWAR.
A senior Iraqi military commander said Sunday that it will take a few days to fully dislodge Al-Qaeda-linked fighters from two key western cities.
Lieutenant General Rasheed Fleih, who leads the Anbar Military Command, told the state television Sunday that two to three days are needed to push the militants out of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi. Fleih added that pro-government tribes are leading the operations while the army only is offering aerial cover and logistics on the ground. He didnt elaborate on the operations.
The quiet and safe life that is sought by the Anbaris will not be completely restored before few hours or two to three days, God willing, Fleih said.
Residents say it has been quiet since Saturday night in Fallujah, where militants still control the centre of the city. Sporadic clashes took place on Sunday in and around Ramadi. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety.
Tensions in Anbar have run high since December 28, when Iraqi security forces arrested a lawmaker sought for terrorism charges. Two days later, the government dismantled a months-old, anti-government protest camp, sparking clashes with militants.
To ease the tension, the government withdrew army forces from the cities. The opposition see the army as a tool of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to target his rivals and consolidate power.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said that America would support Iraq in its combat with Al Qaeda, but without sending troop on ground.
Where would the Iraqis be without Kerry's moral support?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
The Czechs are looking into the mysterious explosion
"Is it that mysterious, Moshe?"
"Hush David. Let them have their illusions."
that took the life of Palestinian Ambassador Jamel al-Jamal at his residence on New Year's Day. An arms cache was subsequently discovered in the related diplomatic facility. As you might guess, neighbors of the Palestinian diplomatic facility are not too thrilled. A "Palestinian" needs his weapons, dontchknow.
The Czech investigation appears to have hit a roadblock insofar as it depends on information to be provided by the Palestinians themselves. A translated Czech Press Agency news story quotes Jiřί edivý, described as the head of the security studies section at Prague´s CEVRO Institut:
"I´m horrified. This is not only a blatant violation of diplomatic norms and habits but also of security rules related to keeping such an arsenal, that also impli[cat]es the tragic death of ambassador Jamal al Jamal," said Sedivy. Tragic death? Not to me.
He said he is afraid that apart from Prague, similar arms arsenals may also be secretly kept at other Palestinian embassies in Europe and overseas. Gee, ya really think? Duh!
"I[n] my opinion this is very probable. The [Prague] blast, which occurred by sheer coincidence, may have uncovered something incredible...on the verge of monstrosity," Sedivy said. Arming some terrorists? Hunting perhaps? Antique collection?
Elk Hunting Season in Bohemia...
He said Palestinian representatives have "played theatre" within the investigation into the case so far. Shakespeare?
More like Monty Python but without the wit...
Their possible explanation that the weapons were to help defend the embassy is unacceptable. No one jeopardised Palestinians in Prague, Sedivy said. Those Juice are everywhere!
Moshe and David agree...
"From the beginning it has not been a mere minor local scandal that would be soon over...but an incident of international dimensions," Sedivy said.
He said the find of the weapons at the future Palestinian embassy is a far more complex issue than how official places have presented it.
Sedivy also said he does not trust the version about the exploding safe that killed the ambassador. Inspector Cleuseau, "It was a bomb".
What kind?
"The exploding kind."
"This is utter nonsense...In my opinion he died as a result of improper manipulation of an explosive," Sedivy said, adding that the ambassador probably did not respect safety rules for handling an explosive. Red wire/ green wire?
Moshe and David know those wires. I think it was a 10 second delayed trip on the safe handle...
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/06/2014 12:18 ||
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#1
Throw in a brown or black wire and things really get confused.....
[Ynet] Breach in fence through which Bat Yam bus blast terrorist's infiltrated Israel remains penetrable despite constant IDF patrols in area. Defense establishment aware of breaches, reporting 6,000 Paleostinians enter Israel illegally every month
The breach in the border fence through which the Bethlehem terrorist behind the Bat Yam bus blast infiltrated into Israeli territory is still penetrable, Ynet learned Sunday.
Reportedly, Paleostinians have continued to enter Israel illegally through breaches in the border fence near south Mt. Hebron since the Bat Yam terror attack, including on Sunday.
During questioning, Sami Harimi, who planted an bomb on a bus in central Israel, confessed to have infiltrated into Israeli territory through the border fence, along with other Paleostinians. Before laying the explosive, Harimi said he had stopped at a Jaffa mosque to pray.
A Sunday IDF patrol revealed that though military troops are regularly patrolling along the fence, Paleostinians continue to infiltrate into Israeli territory with the help of runners who charge several hundred shekels per person.
Sources with the defense establishment estimated that currently some 80,000 Paleostinians who have crossed into Israel illegally reside in the State, and that some 6,000 cross the border fence every month.
The sources are aware of the fact that several locations along the border are penetrable to infiltrators, and attributed the breaches to lack of funds and legal disputes.
Lieutenant Colonel Eli Jeno with the Givati Brigade said that "when an infiltrator is caught, he is released shortly, unless he is caught a third time, in which case penalties are hardly deterring, if at all."
According to Jeno, most of the infiltrators are in search of employment and the State must regulate the issue. "We faced seven incidents in which we were forced to shoot in the direction of Paleostinians who tried to sabotage the fence."
[An Nahar] 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... Sunday rejected Israeli and Paleostinian remarks the U.S. was biased as he made a whistlestop tour of allies Jordan and 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... to woo support for his peace plan.
Kerry promised any agreed plan would be "fair and balanced" and likened his efforts to broker a compromise between the conflicting demands of the two sides to a puzzle.
"In the end all of these core issues fit together like a mosaic, like a puzzle and you can't separate out one piece or another," Kerry said in Jerusalem before flying to Amman, and later Saudi Arabia.
Each piece was interlinked, he stressed, and depended on the compromises the other side might be prepared to make.
"And there's always tension as to when you put your card on the table as to which piece you're willing to do, when and how," said Kerry.
But he warned his efforts could ultimately fail, saying he could not tell when "the last pieces may decide to fall into place, or may fall on the floor, and leave the puzzle unfinished. That's exactly what makes this such a challenge."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
Fair & balanced Jawn would be to take you and the rest of (Arab Israeli) Peacemakers and feed you, alive, to starving rats.
Where do they get these Alexander Haig ass clowns?
Just put your life and your family's future in the hands of John Kerry. Like its gonna happen.
He's the guy who was up on stage ass grabbing with John Edwards wasn't he? And where is Edwards now? Kerry is another ripe buboe. Ever get the impression your government is a slime pit?
#3
Fair and balanced - a noble and admirable goal. Not quite sure how you balance "We want to kill you all" vs "Leave us the heck alone", but then I'm not a weaselly diplomat.
As for the thing with starving rats in #1, that's serious pay-per-view material there. Have your people call my people.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that any Middle East peace plan would be "fair and balanced," as he sought to push Israeli and Palestinian leaders towards final status negotiations.
No one believes him even though he epoxied his lips together as shown in the pic...
The US chief diplomat, on his 10th visit to the region since taking office less than a year ago, kicked-started nine months of direct negotiations in July after a three-year hiatus. He has since stepped up his efforts to bring about a peace deal as an agreed late-April deadline looms and the two sides refuse to budge on their mostly irreconcilable demands.
"I can guarantee all parties that President (Barack) Obama and I are committed to putting forward ideas that are fair, that are balanced, and that improve the security of all the people of this region," Kerry told reporters in Jerusalem before departing for the Jordanian capital.
And that the Israeli generals are too focused on the security of their nation...
Kerry urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to make "tough choices" to bring about a lasting peace after decades of conflict, saying there was still "tension".
If the Paleos will make "tough choices" like foregoing the right of return then maybe there's a basis for talk. Otherwise it's all blabber...
"We're at the table today because of the determination to try to resolve this issue, and both of them (Netanyahu and Abbas) have made tough choices to stay at that table. We are now at a point where the choices narrow down, and the choices are obviously real and difficult.
"There's always tension as to when you put your card on the table, as to which piece you're willing to do, when and how. So it has to move with its particular pace."
Kerry has pledged to work even more intensively in the coming months, seeking first to agree a framework to guide the talks.
So we have more of this to look forward to...
A peace treaty would deal with all the core issues dividing the two sides, including the contours of a future Palestinian state, refugees, the fate of Jerusalem claimed by both as a capital, security and mutual recognition.
Kerry insisted Saturday there had been "progress" in the talks, despite bitter recriminations by both sides and mostly irreconcilable demands for any future peace deal.
"We're not there yet, but we are making progress," he said, adding everyone was "working with great intensity" to try to reach a deal.
"I'm confident that the talks we've had in the past two days have already fleshed out and even resolved certain kinds of issues and presented new opportunities for others," said the US secretary of state.
"We are beginning to flesh out the toughest hurdles yet to be overcome."
The toughest hurdles have been known for fifty-plus years, Jahwn...
But Kerry's latest trip to the region has been clouded by bitter recriminations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
A cabinet member close to Netanyahu said Sunday Israel rejects any US-proposed security concessions for the Jordan Valley, where the West Bank borders Jordan.
"Security must remain in our hands. Anyone who proposes a solution in the Jordan Valley by deploying an international force, Palestinian police or technological means... does not understand the Middle East," said Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz.
The international force would have a quick, new nickname: "targets"...
The comments came after a Palestinian source said the United States was proposing a mixed Israeli-Palestinian military presence to ensure security in the area, without setting a deadline when the Israeli troops would be withdrawn.
The Palestinians support having an international security force brought in to patrol the Jordan Valley under a peace deal, but Israel insists on maintaining a long-term military presence on the territory it currently occupies.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Fair and balanced just like federal taxes: half pay and the other half receive.
#2
Shouldn't a leftie go up in a puff of smoke if they mouth the Fox New motto?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/06/2014 8:10 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Fair and balanced would be the Palestininas paying ack _all_ aid they have received since 1948 and spent on terrorism or indoctrination instead of getting jobs. Fair and balanced would be for the Palestians compensating Israel, Lebanon and any other country who has been victim of their acts of fascist terror.
The Philippines' largest militant group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said that 2014 is a "crucial year" for the peace process.
The MILF said the year 2014 is a time for both they and the government "to make hard and eventful decisions, which are political milestones in their talks that would ensure the establishment of the Bangsamoro government in 2016.
"Within the first quarter of this year, the parties must sign the comprehensive peace agreement to enable the Bangsamoro Transition Commission to finish the final draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law for submission to President Benigno Aquino III, who will certify it as urgent bill in order to give just enough space and time for Congress to pass it into law," it said.
"Failure to do so will make the future gloomy," it added.
Posted by: ryuge ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
Top|| File under: Moro Islamic Liberation Front
#1
Apparently the accords between Manila + MNLF still aren't done deal.
Manila continues to insist that Bangsamoro will have only autonomy, although more + more it perhaps may be more correctly labeled as "free association", i.e. limited independence???
Two-state solution, ala Israel + PA but wid PHIL characteristics???
[An Nahar] Syria's Islamic Front, the country's biggest rebel alliance, issued Sunday a strong warning to jihadists, three days after a new front made up of local turbans emerged against them.
"We fight against whoever attacks us and whoever pushes us to battle, whether they are Syrian or foreign," said the Front, an alliance that groups tens of thousands of rebels seeking to topple Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... .
Since Friday, along with the Syrian Revolutionaries Front and the nascent Army of Mujahedeen, the Front has been engaged in fierce fighting with the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The focus of combat has been in opposition areas in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, but spread to Hama and Raqa provinces on Sunday.
Scores of fighters have been killed on both sides in battle as well as in ambushes, car kabooms and summary executions by ISIL.
ISIL has been accused of horrific abuses in areas where it operates, and also of seeking hegemony by taking key roads and checkpoints from its rivals.
Some Assad opponents have even accused it of serving regime interests.
"In our charter... we said we are grateful and thankful to the foreigners who came to help us" in the war against Assad's troops, the Islamic Front said in Sunday's statement.
But "we will not accept any group that claims to be a state."
Analysts say a key complaint against ISIL among rebels, including Islamists, is that its jihadists refuse to operate within the broader opposition dynamic.
Instead, it commands its own institutions and rejects cooperation with other rebel groups.
The Islamic Front's statement comes a day after ISIL distributed an audio statement warning rebels to stop pressuring it, or that it would withdraw from the front lines in Aleppo city and let in Assad's forces.
ISIL also accused its rivals of waging a "media war" against it, and of "stabbing (it) in the back."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant
[An Nahar] A Syrian former premier who defected from Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... 's regime in 2012 is a frontrunner to head the main opposition National Coalition, a dissident told Agence La Belle France Presse Sunday.
"Riad Hijab and (current coalition chief) Ahmad Jarba are the two candidates for the presidency," coalition member and veteran dissident Samir Nashar said.
"The election is about to take place," he added, speaking to AFP by telephone from Istanbul.
Hijab, the highest-ranking defector so far, abandoned Assad a year and a half into the revolt demanding the fall of his regime, fleeing via Jordan.
He comes from the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, much of which has been destroyed in nearly three years of all-out war.
Hijab is competing for the presidency against Jarba, who became coalition chief after a heated election on July 6.
Jarba has close ties to 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... , a key backer of the anti-Assad revolt.
The coalition holds an election every six months to choose its head.
The latest vote is taking place in the framework of the coalition's general assembly meeting in Istanbul, which opened on Sunday and is set to end on Monday.
Coalition members are also expected to take a final decision on whether to attend proposed peace talks in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... slated for January 22.
A key coalition bloc, the Syrian National Council, has reaffirmed its decision to boycott the talks, raising fears the opposition will not attend the so-called Geneva 2 conference at all.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Iran's deputy chief of staff General Mohammad Hejazi said Sunday the Islamic republic was prepared to provide military equipment and advice to Iraq to help it battle al-Qaeda.
"If the Iraqis ask, we will supply them with equipment and advice, but they have no need of manpower," Hejazi was cited by the official IRNA news agency as saying.
Hejazi said there had not been any request from Iraq to "carry out joint operations against the 'takfir ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... i' terrorists," a term used to describe al-Qaeda.
Iraqi forces are preparing a major attack to retake the city of Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids... which has been taken over by fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is also a major force in the rebellion against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... in neighboring Syria.
Both Iran and Iraq are predominantly Shiite Mohammedan nations, and their governments have strengthened political and economic ties in recent years.
Iran is also a key ally of the Assad regime and acknowledges having sent what it calls "military advisers" to Syria, although there are claims it also has combatants there.
Al-Qaeda is an hard boy Sunni Mohammedan organization that views Shiites as apostates.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
A proxy war between Iran and Saudi.
I wonder at what point SA becomes overtly involved. It can't allow Shiia states from Iran to the Med.
[An Nahar] The family of Saudi national Majed al-Majed, the chief of a Qaeda-linked group who died Saturday in Leb, has submitted a request to the Saudi foreign ministry for the repatriation of his body, Saudi Ambassador to Leb Ali Awad Asiri announced Sunday.
"The kingdom has not asked for his appointment with Doctor Quincy," Asiri added in an interview with LBCI television.
In remarks to MTV, the Saudi ambassador said his country has "full confidence" in the Lebanese judiciary, noting that it did not "reject or accept" anything that had to do with al-Majed's interrogation prior to his death.
"We will ask Lebanese authorities to hand over al-Majed's body to his family after they finish their procedures," he added.
Asked about the Saudi grant to the Lebanese army, Asiri said: "The kingdom has not asked Leb for anything in return for the $3 billion donation to the army and we're betting on the Lebanese state and its institutions."
"The kingdom does not support militias to usurp the political decisions of any country and the grant to the Lebanese army has not been suspended after al-Majed's death," he noted.
Earlier, caretaker Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi said that the Lebanese authorities would bury al-Majed, the chief of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, in Leb if his family or Riyadh refused to repatriate his body.
In remarks to pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat published on Sunday, Qortbawi said that as with any other foreigner, usually a dead person's family or country ask to receive the body.
But if they rejected to do so, "then we will make the appropriate arrangements to bury him in Leb," he said.
"The request to receive the body is made by the embassy of the involved country to the Lebanese foreign ministry, which transfers it to the justice ministry," Qortbawi told the newspaper.
"The justice ministry in its turn will send the request to the public prosecutor's office, which is the main decision-maker in that regard," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A top Hizbullah official on Sunday warned that the Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are "present in Leb," noting that the best response to the bombings that are hitting Leb is the "speedy formation of a national unity cabinet."
"Ever since we went to Syria to confront the takfir ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... i terrorism, we have managed to rein in the crimes of these takfiri terrorists," Hizbullah Executive Council deputy head Sheikh Nabil Qaouq said during a memorial service in the South for Malak Zahwi and Iman Hijazi, who were killed in the Haret Hreik kaboom.
"The international community and the peoples of our nation have realized the firmness of our stance and that the battle is against the takfiris and not against the Syrian people, as both segments of the Syrian people, those who support the regime and those who oppose it, have understood that the takfiri terrorism is a threat to everyone, as is the case in Leb," Qaouq added.
He noted that the deadly attacks in Sidon, downtown Beirut, Dahieh and Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... are part of the "same scheme of sedition" that is rocking Iraq and Syria.
"It has the same source of funding and arming and it can only be confronted through a clear, unified stance. This stance must be endorsed by all political forces in the country because everyone is targeted and entire Leb is in danger," Qaouq cautioned.
"Al-Nusra Front and the ISIL are present in Leb and some parties have pledged allegiance to (ISIL chief Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi and (Nusra chief Abu Mohammed) al-Golani," he pointed out.
Qaouq called on all Lebanese parties to "unite in the face of this threat, especially that Leb has become a hub for takfiris who are carrying out terrorist and criminal operations in Leb and Syria."
The top Hizbullah official underlined that "the response to the criminal wave of bombings that is targeting all the country and all the Lebanese is the speedy formation of a national unity cabinet that closes the doors in the face of takfiri Death Eaters and immunizes stability and national unity."
Qaouq noted that the top priority of this government must be "agreeing on a national strategy to confront the takfiri terrorism that poses a threat to the entire country," warning that "it's not about the attacks on Hizbullah, the Shiites, the South or Dahieh, as these (takfiris) want to ignite fire in Leb, the same as they ignited it in entire Syria and entire Iraq."
The Hizbullah official pointed out that "we are before an extraordinary opportunity to form an inclusive political cabinet that does not eliminate anyone" and "we must not waste it."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in the Levant
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.
[Dhaka Tribune] Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rokibuddin Ahmad claimed the 10th parliamentary elections were held in fair manner in 97% constituencies across the country.
A lawyer representing Pakistans former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said Sunday the retired general would not make a scheduled appearance at his treason trial on Monday because of an ongoing illness.
[Al Ahram] The United States will support the Iraqi government and tribes fighting al Qaeda-linked Sunni 
Is it just me ? 
[An Nahar] Secretary of State 
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that any Middle East peace plan would be "fair and balanced," as he sought to push Israeli and Palestinian leaders towards final status negotiations.
The Philippines' largest militant group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said that 2014 is a "crucial year" for the peace process.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[An Nahar] The family of Saudi national Majed al-Majed, the chief of a Qaeda-linked group who died Saturday in 
