RFE/RL
Bashir Baygzad, the security chief of the northern Afghan city of Sheberghan, told Radio Free Afghanistan on 15 January that a man who was arrested on 14 January as he was allegedly preparing to assassinate General Abdul Rashid Dostum was working for the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Nope. Surprise meter didn't budge...
Baygzad identified the alleged would-be assassin as a 27-year-old man from the Chahardarah district of Kunduz Province who recently moved to Kabul. Baygzad added that the arrested suspect said during his interrogation that 12 to 24 people have recently entered northern parts of Afghanistan to carry out "terrorist" activities. The report did not specify the identities of those people. Anybody want to bet they didn't enter from Pakistan? I need some easy money...
Baygzad also said the suspect was attempting to gain entrance to the palace where Dostum lives via a water channel, but was prevented from doing so by a fence and was caught. According to the report, the man intended to blow himself up close to Dostum. One of the boomer boyz they've been training next door, in the low-rent district of Central Asia.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 10:58 am ||
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I would not like to piss off General Dostum and get caught.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 12:49 Comments ||
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I'm not sure which would be worse: having a tank driven over a person, or having a tank driven over only part of a person. I think I'd have tried assassinating somebody else.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2003 22:17 Comments ||
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A Kuwaiti soldier has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the Iraqi Government, the authorities in Kuwait said on Friday. Mohammed Hamad al-Juwayed, a 40-year-old sergeant in the National Guards, has been accused of handing over documents to Iraq and aiding "acts of terrorism" in Kuwait. Mohammed is probably very unhappy right about now...
A statement from the Interior Ministry said Mr Juwayed "provided security and military information to the Iraqis and spied on movements of senior Kuwaiti officials with the intent of facilitating terrorist and sabotage operations". The Interior Ministry statement accused Mr Juwayed of providing Iraqi agents with plans and important information. "The perpetrator of this crime will receive the punishment he deserves, after he has been brought before the courts in accordance with the laws in force." Sounds like a blindfold and a cigarette may be in his future...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 11:02 pm ||
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A heated argument between two truck drivers, one a Saudi and the other an Egyptian, degenerated into a fight during which the two men grabbed violently at each otherâs long beards. Okaz reported that passersby failed in their attempt to separate the two men, and they only stopped when one of them realized that most of his beard had been torn off his face. Hand me a tissue, please?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 01:17 pm ||
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Lahj, January 12 2003 - Brigadier General Yahya Al-Mutawakkil, the third man in the ruling party the General People's Congress (GPC) was announced dead by the hospital management in the Intensive Care Unit of one of Aden's hospitals. His three bodyguards were also killed in a horrifying traffic accident when they were on their way to Sanaa after attending seminars promoting the GPC for elections in the economic capital Aden. Their car crashed into another vehicle, whose passengers are in critical conditions. An accident?
The accident occurred in a dangerous turn the highway 25 kilometers away from Aden at 8:00 in the morning. The dangerous turn makes it plausible...
The accident sent a shockwave throughout the country because Al-Mutawakkil is among the most powerful people in the country and has been known for his major contributions to the GPC party since the 1970s. Investigation is taking place at the moment to know whether the incident was purely an accident or there were other factors behind it. Could be coincidental, I guess. Could be I'm an Irishman named Murphy, too...
This comes a few weeks after Jarallah Omar, the counterpart of Al-Mutawakkil in the opposition Yemeni Socialist Party, was assassinated in Sanaa. "It would be tragic if we lose two of our finest politicians in such a short time" said a source at the Ministry of Interior. Unless the other car was full of nuns, I'll continue to believe it was a hit...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 12:38 pm ||
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I'd figure that they knew the "dangerous turn" would be the best place for the ambush so as to deflect such suspicions, but I'd say this is a hit, just well disguised. I mean, two pols get dusted a few weeks apart? That's not a coincidence.
Bahrain has pledged to increase military cooperation with Kuwait and help protect the sheikdom from any Iraqi attack. The pledge by Manama came during a visit to Kuwait by Bahraini King Hamad Bin Issa Al Khalifa. It was the first open pledge of military support for Kuwait by a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. "We will rush to your side if called upon," King Hamad said. "Any threat to Kuwait represents a threat to Bahrain. And this is why we are here, in the framework of joint defense coordination with our Kuwaiti brothers." Hamad held talks with Kuwaiti Emir Jaber Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah. Officials said the Hamad's visit focused on defense cooperation. I wish I knew more about the internal politix of the Gulf States. Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai, and Qatar seem to have unobtrusively aligned themselves in a direction that's consciously opposite that of Soddy Arabia. They've had to keep their heads down while doing it â I'd guess the Soddies are miffed at having another king on the peninsula, f'instance; al-Jazeera manages to cheese everybody in the neighborhood periodically, to include the Sods; and the Master Kingdom managed to botch a coup in Qatar. While the Sods are busy exporting wahhabism, the Gulf States seem to spend more time on increasing their standard of living.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 10:59 am ||
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Bahrain has run out of oil, and has apparently decided to become the Hong Kong (old style) of the region. The Gulf States have also noted that both the Iraqis and the Iranians have no problem what so ever in using their area for target practice. Since we've moved in, the Big Two have stopped shooting up islands, ships, oil rigs, etc. Yay for us!
Islamic terrorism has forced France to reconsider one of its most fundamental principles, the separation of church and state. It is considering proposals to allow the state to fund the building of mosques, as part of a bold scheme to create a French version of Islam, rather than let France's second biggest religion fall further under the sway of foreign powers, notably Saudi Arabia. A spokesman said: "One cannot be opposed to the foreign financing of places of worship and at the same time do nothing about it." The Frenchies are smart people â seems they should be able to come up with some method of either forbidding it or tightly controlling it. Competing with the Soddies in suberting one's own country seems to be a dead-end street...
The French state is not permitted to build places of worship under a 1905 law, the last of a series of anti-clerical measures passed around the turn of the century, but, since September 11, the government has been searching for ways to communicate with and control France's five million Muslims. Pierre Bedier, the minister responsible for property and building law, said: "In 1905, the government thought that Catholics were anti-republican and constituted a menace. Today it is Islam which poses this question. It would be unrealistic not to respond to this concern." So what'd you come up with, Pierre?
There are 1,600 mosques in France but most are little more than a small room. But money from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states has been cascading into France for the funding of Islamic cultural centres and new mosques. The Grand Mosque in Lyons, for example, cost £3 million and was 90 per cent funded from Saudi Arabia. So the princies were kind enough to toss £3 million your way and you just couldn't pass it up?
In many areas, local authorities try to foster better relations with Muslims by skirting the 1905 laws and giving them cheap rents or land. The only region exempt from the law is Alsace-Moselle, for reasons dating to the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871. This week, the leaders of a new nationally elected Muslim council were welcomed by President Jacques Chirac to the Elysee Palace. "Welcome to the palace. Please leave your firearms with the footman..."
The council is similar to ones that exist for Catholics, Jews and Protestants. It gives Muslims a single body which the government can talk to on issues from education and work to mosque building and the harbouring of Islamic terrorists. Governments had been trying since the 1980s to create such a body but it took the terrorist threat and the new interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, to make it happen. At the end of last year, M Sarkozy forced France's Muslim leaders into meeting after meeting until they came up with a plan for a central council. Seems like it would have made more sense to disband the other councils, but that's probably just me...
M Chirac told the council that in the past he regretted "there was no organised dialogue between Muslim representatives and the French authorities". He hoped that "the Islam of France and the Muslims of France" would "achieve the same status - with equal rights and duties - as all our other citizens". Ummm... It's not the same status they want, Bub...
The 16-member council includes a wide range of Muslim opinion, from the westernised to leaders deeply hostile to the West. And what's the proportion?
M Sarkozy has said he will do all he can to prevent foreign Muslim clerics from settling in France and preaching militant Islam. It'd be a real good idea to toss the ones you've already got, too...
Police already keep a close eye on mosques which might provide cover for terrorists, such as the Abu Bakr mosque in Lyons. Its imam, Chellali Benchellali, an Algerian-born cleric, is the father of two men being held in connection with terrorist investigations. One was arrested last month in Paris, the other was taken by the Americans from Afghanistan to their Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. Obviously a really devout family...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 09:42 pm ||
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"In many areas, local authorities try to foster better relations with Muslims by skirting the 1905 laws and giving them cheap rents or land."
Roll out the welcome wagon --- what an original idea for making the fifth column feel at home. Spelling word for the day: S-U-I-C-I-D-E. Maybe it's good that the French troops will stay home and not go to Iraq. They will be needed in the streets when we go in.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/18/2003 1:18 Comments ||
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The radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, who has made a series of inflammatory remarks about a war against the West since the 11 September atrocities, is facing expulsion from his mosque in north London. Abu Hamza, 45, who lost his hands and left eye fighting in Afghanistan, has been told he has until Monday before he is expelled by the Charity Commission from the Finsbury Park mosque. But he is vowing to keep preaching at the mosque until he is arrested. It is run by the North London Central Mosque Trust, of which Abu Hamza is an officer. He is accused of bypassing the trustees, in effect taking over the mosque and using it for political ends in breach of charity rules. The Charity Commission, which regulates charities, has sent him a Provisional Removal Order telling him he must leave the mosque. Abu Hamza said that if the Archbishop of Canterbury had a right to discuss war on Iraq, he should be able to comment on the so-called war on terror. He said his legal team would appeal against the expulsion. The commission said Abu Hamza's sermons were of "such an extreme and political nature" that they conflicted with the trust's charitable status. It also said the cleric's association with the mosque was damaging the reputation of the charity running it. About dammed time they kicked him out. Yemen still wants him for his alleged links to a group of British men accused of a bomb plot in Aden. One of the suspects was his son, Muhammad Kamil Mustapha. Why don't you just extradite him and put a end to his trouble making?
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 03:07 pm ||
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I do not know why the Brits give these guys such a forum to rant on and on. Are they intimidated by these well-financed guys (re: "legal team")or what? What are all theise MI-guys assigned to? Ar they waiting for a twin-towers-type job to act? After all, they were pretty aggressive with the Provos.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 15:35 Comments ||
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"Hamza, an engineer originally from Syria, may or may not have been in that war but he certainly didn't lose his hand and eye in it. His injuries are possibly attributable to some other event: a bomb-making gone wrong?"
#5
I may take heat for this, but I think the British are on the right track on this. As long as this dweeb doesn't step over the line (and he may have already) the Brits would rather let him rant in plain sight, than in hiding.
This is one reason why I think going into Afghanistan after OBL may have been a mistake. Should've kept him in sight, and then pulled one of those hellfire-predator things like in Yemen. (That was sure lovely wasn't it? Hooray CIA!)
Source: NNI
Pakistani authorities are confident of getting very important information from the three foreigner suspects of al-Qaeda booked last week, about the presence of their other comrades in Pakistan. "We believe of getting some very important information during the investigations from these three suspects of al-Qaeda, a network of Osama bin Laden but cannot share the findings as it may effect ongoing process of interrogation," a highly placed source revealed to NNI here Wednesday. The investigators have been concentrating to know about those fugitives of al-Qaeda who have gone underground and looking for their hiding places in the country. Roughly translated, they haven't gotten anything yet, but they're still hitting them, and expect them to cough up something to make the pain stop. Meanwhile, real estate agents are picking up extra dough as the roaches scurry before the light's turned on...
In two different operations in the last week, an Australian, recently Muslim convert, was arrested on January 4 and two other Arabic speaking were arrested on January 9 from a house in Karachi. The Australian has been identified at the official level as Jack Thomas, a taxi driver in Melbourne. However yet the official level identification of the two who were arrested five days after the first arrest is being awaited. It's been so long, they can't remember what their names were originally...
When Asked Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema, Chief of National Crises Management Cell of the Interior Ministry to tell if the operation was made on January 9 on a tip of Jack Thomas, he said, "I am sorry cannot offer any comment as I am not privy to it." We can probably assume it was...
Jack Thomas, a 29 year of age, Australian was dragged down from an international flight bound to Hong Kong at Karachi International Airport by Pakistani authorities. Jack, who traveled to Afghanistan via Pakistan in spring of 2001, was booked under Pakistan Security Act on his alleged involvement in anti-state activities. He got training in the camps of al-Qaeda at Afghanistan during 2001 and shifted to Pakistan sometime in 2002. He is alleged of having very close links with Osama bin Laden. The two Foreigners believed Arabs were arrested in a pre dawn operation on January 9 in Karachi that was supervised by the FBI agents. One suspect of al-Qaeda during the operation managed to escape. Why do I still have the feeling that was Khalid? Dammit.
The two foreigners identified themselves in the preliminary investigation as Abu Hamza from Yemen, and Abu Umar, an Egyptian citizen. Police had also arrested the wife and three small children of the man who identified himself as Abu Umar. However later both of them have claimed they are from Iraq and a Jordanian based Palestinian. The authorities have also recovered an Algerian Passport from their house of another suspect of al-Qaeda. "The presence of mukluks and a lava-lava in the house suggest they may actually be an Equimeaux and a Samoan, respectively..."
The top questions of the investigators include whereabouts of Ayman al-Zawari, top leader of al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden and another important activists of the network, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. It'd be nice if that Samoan Egyptian fellow turned out to be Ayman, wouldn't it? The news that's been released on this nab suggests there's something unusual about the snag...
Pakistani Interior Minister, Faisal Saleh Hayat yesterday said that the arrested suspects of al-Qaeda believed having close links with Ayman al-Zawahri, top lieutenant of Osama bin Laden. "These foreigners are being questioned about their linkage with al-Zawahri and also whereabouts of the same," Hayat said. The main agenda of investigation is to get the information from these suspects about those al-Qaeda activists hiding in Karachi, the source said. Ummm... Step outside, toss a rock, you'll hit one of them...
The Interior Minister Faisal Hayyat said these two suspects of al-Qaeda have not been yet handed over to the United States "but are being interrogated by our own intelligence agencies." First the truncheons, then the giggle juice. It helps relieve the pain...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 03:21 pm ||
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Want to find al-Qaeda sympathisers in Porkistan? All you need is a Peshawar phonebook.
Source: NNI Jihad in the way of Allah is the only answer to terrorism, and through Jihad the world could be liberated of tyrannies, said Qazi Hussain Ahmed here while addressing a seminar arranged by city lawyers. Guess it all depends on your definition of "terrorism," huh?
Condemning the dual American standards, the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami and a central leader of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, told the participants Muslims were being subjected to oppressions in Chechnya, Kashmir, Palestine and Bosnia, but the so-called US conscious [I think he means "conscience." -Fred.] was silent there. Qazi Hussain Ahmed pleaded that peace in the world could only prevail if there is sustainable justice parallel to the end of hunger and fear. "Establishment of a society based on justice was possible only through the protection of people's lives and honours," he observed. "So as soon as the khalifate is up and running, everything'll be just peachy..."
The absence of a just society in our age is due the fact that the oppressed cannot withstand the oppressor, he said. "And we want the oppressed to rise up and face the oppressor," the JI Amir said, adding "there is no other way." "So get out there an jihad!"
Referring to his Japan visit and subsequent meeting with the last surviving victim of the atom bomb attack on Hiroshima, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the lady had no answer when told Japan could have averted the devastation had she possesses the bomb too. That was a stupid statement even for Qazi...
The Jamaat leader resented the current "Muslim-bashing" in the United States, specifically the Pakistanis. "Muslims are made to work there under brazen violation of all international norms and are humiliated," he deplored. Life is tough when your a turban in Texas. Not quite as bad as day-to-day in Pakland, but tough, I'm sure...
Later talking to reporters, the JI leader opined that the ulma form all schools of thought are now joining the MMA because of unity and resolve in ranks and files.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 01:54 pm ||
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So what does the MMA/JUI generalisimo Maulana Fazlur Rehman say about the MMA's surprising support in the by-elections in Punjab? The bearded 300 pound jihadi, says the electors voted, "to express their hatred for America.."
Source: http://nni-news.com
Remember, under the constitutional federal distribution formula, the jihadi provinces get over 19% of federal transfers. And this includes massive U.S. aid funds. Somebody take a hint.
#4
Yeah, didn't do anything about Bosnia. Just let the Yugoserbians take it all over. Obviously the Iranian air force was bombing Belgrade back in 1999.
Posted by: Herman ||
01/17/2003 17:17 Comments ||
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A senior member of the militant group Abu Sayyaf has been arrested on kidnapping charges in the southern Philippines, military officials said Friday. Adjid Moro, who also goes by the names of Abu Pakistan and Wahid Malli, did not resist arrest Wednesday when soldiers swooped down on a house in the city of Zamboanga following weeks of surveillance, officials said. Ever notice the big guys never resist arrest? Guess they're too important to give their all for the cause.
Moro was a procurement officer and founding member of Abu Sayyaf, a separatist group with alleged links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network. He was also being investigated in connection with a series of attacks in the southern Philippines, authorities said. He's a big catch. As procurement officer he will know where the money and arms come from.
The group is holding four Jehovah's Witness members and three Indonesia tugboat crewmembers it kidnapped last year. It has also been blamed for a series of bombings in Zamboanga late last year that killed 12 people, including a Green Beret, and injured more than 200 other people. Send in the truncheons! Waiter, a glass of your finest giggle juice for Mister Adjid!
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 12:42 pm ||
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From Ingrid Arnesen
CNN
Friday, January 17, 2003 Posted: 11:26 PM EST (0426 GMT)
CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- President Hugo Chavez's government can take over facilities necessary to keep basic goods flowing to Venezuelans in light of a months-old general strike that has crippled the country's economy, a court ruled Friday.
After the decision by the country's superior court of agricultural affairs, national guard troops took over a Coca-Cola distribution plant in the state of Carabobo, firing tear gas at opposition protesters who scuffled with them in front of the plant.
A short time later, soldiers drove trucks from the plant to the army's regional headquarters. The army is to turn over the beverage products to the state consumer protection agency, Indecu, which is to distribute Coca-Cola to stores.
The court decision will also affect the distribution of products such as rice, corn, flour and beer.
Last week, Chavez asked for a judicial investigation into the extent that the general strike was threatening the distribution of necessary goods.
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said the Coca-Cola plant had been given 48 hours notice that it would be taken over.
Rodrigo Calderon, vice president of communications for Coca-Cola Latin America, told CNN the plant had stopped widespread distribution December 2 because of gas shortages and supply problems.
"It also became too dangerous for our personnel to deliver the product," he said.
Calderon had no comment on the action by the national guard.
"Our main objective is to resume our business," he said.
Meanwhile Friday, no major incidents were reported during an opposition march Friday in the capital, Caracas.
The strikes, accompanied by daily demonstrations, are designed to force Chavez, a leftist, to either resign or call a referendum on whether he should continue in office. Opponents of the fiery populist leader, elected in 1998, accuse him of being autocratic and mismanaging the country.
Chavez has refused to either resign or call a referendum. The Organization of American States has been trying to negotiate an end to the standoff.
The strikes have especially hurt the oil industry. Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter.
Thats it, now its "go time" pal! You can take a mans economy down, but take away his god given right to drink a cold Coke and youre ass is in big trouble. Whats next?, is he going to make Pepsi the offical drink of Venezuela?
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/17/2003 11:28 pm ||
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Well, at least they got their priorities straight: got to have the government keep a steady supply of the five basic food groups---Coca Cola, rice, corn, flour and beer. No veggies. No meat. No fish. Maybe no oil.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/18/2003 1:30 Comments ||
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Donna Sheehan wants to stop what she believes is the U.S. military's naked aggression in Iraq by taking off her clothes and getting women across the world to do the same. The 72-year-old California artist has recruited her friends and neighbors to use their nude bodies to spell out the words "No War" and "Peace." 72 years old? Naked? Sorry. I have to wash my hair that day...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 10:36 pm ||
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Fred --- This is a very bizarre story. Do you do a double take, do you puke, or what? And I went to Berkeley, '66 thru '70. Where does one begin?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/18/2003 0:58 Comments ||
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When are the people of California going to realize that the vast majority of the U.S. population rarely care or even listen to anything that happens in that state. Most of it is there for entertainment purposes only. I am refering to Democrats, Tree Huggers, Hollywood Saviors of the World, Hal Bob Comet worshipers and Naked 72 year old ladies. To the normal and over taxed citizens of California, I'm sorry you have to put up with these wackos besides having to deal with Davis's, you know Al and Gray
#3
Sympathy appreciated Bobbing. I live in No. Calif. and trust me, there are plenty of us who see people like Donna Sheehan totally for what they are: complete loonies.
And when this fad wears off, maybe they'll stick Roman Candles up their asses and put on a new show for the media...
On the other hand, streakers like her and her facile friends discredit the pro-Saddam movement at least as much as the parade puppeteers.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
01/18/2003 3:47 Comments ||
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I think this women fits my idea a amarican INFIDEL pool girl
#8
Yeah, Tu, after popping a blood vessel in my eye upon seeing those pics of Moore the other day, I don't think I could take a nude 72-year-old . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
05/26/2004 12:00 Comments ||
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Although the funny thing is, if 18 - 25 year-olds were doing the nude protests, there would probably be a huge crowd, though not necessarily for the political statements being made . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
05/26/2004 12:08 Comments ||
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Hey has anyone else noticed that this post is dated 1/17/2003?
Oh, Fred....
Tommy Lapid, bare-knuckled commentator and crusader against state-subsidized Judaism, has emerged, grinning, as the biggest surprise of this most surprising campaign season â the man who would be kingmaker in Israel. Opinion polls consistently indicate that Lapid's minor party, dedicated to cutting the government benefits of religious Jews, is poised to become the third-largest faction in the next Parliament, which could make his a pivotal voice in determining the next governing coalition. From right, left and center, other Israeli politicians are suddenly gunning for Lapid in hopes of drawing his party's new support away. It is hard to have a conversation with Labor Party politicians without hearing Lapid compared with Archie Bunker, their calculated shorthand for an armchair reactionary. Interesting development. It'd be amusing to watch the Paleos go from bitching and moaning about a Jewish state to bitching and moaning about a secular state...
Lapid, a 71-year-old Holocaust survivor, is enjoying that. "I take it as a compliment," he said Wednesday of the comparison to the most famous, if fictional, product of Queens. "I do look like him, and I am pugnacious." Bad thing for the sidecurls gang. It's hard to discredit a Holocaust surivor...
The new support for Lapid's Shinui Party arises partly from voters' impatience with the major parties over the stalemate with the Palestinians, the dismal economy, scandal and a clinging malaise. But it also demonstrates that Israel's longstanding contest between secular and religious Jews is intensifying. He called the religious "a minority that has privileges and no responsibilities," citing exemptions from army service and tax breaks. I really do like this guy... so far.
To strictly religious Israelis it is Lapid who is the intolerant one. To them it is Lapid's vision that endangers Israel. Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, a member of Parliament and leader of a strictly Orthodox party, called Lapid's movement "a big danger" and "a tragedy for the people of Israel." Because...?
He said Lapid had created an outlet that legitimized a deep-seated desire of many Israelis. "A lot of the Israelis, they have in the deep of their minds, for probably many years, these feelings to run away from being a part of the chain of the Jewish people," Ravitz said. "You know, to be a Jew is not so easy." I'm sure it's not. But the uncomfortable fact is that we're fighting against a system in which the state is controlled, either directly or indirectly, by the religious establishment. In the rest of the West, the religious-based states are gone â state and religion are separated.
The surge behind Lapid is not just a reflection of anti-religious sentiment. In a political system divided along ethnic as well as religious lines, his party appears to be drawing from Israel's elite of Ashkenazim, with roots in Eastern and Central Europe. Further, his party's name, Shinui, or Change, incorporates an inchoate revolt against the status quo. Opinion polls consistently suggest that in elections to be held on Jan. 28, Shinui could more than double â almost triple, some analysts have predicted â its present six seats in Parliament. This campaign has already produced its share of reversals, but at the moment Shinui looks likely to displace a religious party, Shas, as the third-biggest faction. That doesn't seem like a bad thing to me. Glancing at their website, they seem kind of liberal, but they want to end the exemption of the religious from the draft. I find conscientious objectors tiresome â not everybody has to drive a tank or be an infantryman. Every army needs somebody to type up the morning report, carry stretchers, or set up communications gear, to name just a few options.
Attempts to turn Israel into a state based on Halacha (Jewish religious law) endanger our future. We seek to separate state and religion, while preserving the country's Zionist character.
Shinui supports the peace process. However, Arafat is not a partner for peace, and negotiations have to be conducted with moderate Palestinians. The cessation of terror is an indispensable condition for progress in the diplomatic negotiations. Illegal outposts must be evacuated immediately.
I'm not sure, but I think if I was an Israeli, I'd probably be voting for them.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 10:16 pm ||
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I really like this guy. Israel needs more of him, and less of Shas and their ilk.
Two al Qaeda suspects were taken into custody as they tried to enter the United States after their fingerprints were matched with ones lifted by U.S. military officials from documents found in caves in Afghanistan, law-enforcement authorities said yesterday. The two men are among 330 aliens apprehended at the border since September as presumed law-enforcement threats, as part of a federal program known as the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System â a fingerprinting system that matches foreign visitors against databases of known criminals and terrorists. The unidentified men are of Middle Eastern descent. It was not clear yesterday where the men were detained or where they are being held. Bet it's a sunny island getaway.
The U.S. military, during risky and often time-consuming searches, destroyed scores of al Qaeda and Taliban caves, confiscated tons of arms and ammunition, and found dossiers with photographs, papers containing the fingerprints of various individuals, computers, tape recordings, instruction manuals and receipts. American soldiers, assisted by federal law-enforcement authorities, lifted what was described at the time as "a great number" of latent fingerprints from papers found in the caves, and others seized in abandoned hideouts and training camps for al Qaeda and Taliban members. The prints were added to the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System for screening incoming aliens. Thousands of al Qaeda and Taliban guerrillas disappeared from Afghanistan after the Taliban regime collapsed in November 2001. They abandoned a number of training camps, which yielded significant intelligence about the activities of al Qaeda and the terrorism network's founder, Osama bin Laden. Fingerprints taken from the hundreds of detainees at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, also have been added to the computer database to prevent others from using their identities to enter the United States, the authorities said. Those detained by immigration officials at the border under the program also include wanted criminals, aliens who committed more-serious felonies in the United States in the past, aliens with fraudulent documents, persons who were deported and were attempting to re-enter the country illegally, and others who had previously violated U.S. immigration laws.
One alien, identified as a Tunisian national, was held after his fingerprints identified him as having been convicted of multiple drug-trafficking offenses, one federal law-enforcement official said. Another detainee was a Dominican Republic national who had been convicted of aggravated assault and burglary and been deported on a prior visit to the United States. Attorney General John Ashcroft implemented the first phase of the Immigration and Naturalization Service program on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, establishing fingerprint checkpoints using state-of-the-art digital technology at all ports of entry. "This system will expand substantially America's scrutiny of those foreign visitors who may present an elevated national security risk. And it will provide a vital line of defense in the war against terrorism," Mr. Ashcroft said at the time. Congress required in the USA Patriot Act that the Justice Department develop the entry-exit system to provide greater protection against terrorist attacks. It works!
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 02:28 pm ||
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Of course, CAIR says this is "discriminatory and counterproductive".
Fred, I think my symapthy meter's busted. Do I have yours by mistake?
Arab officials dismissed on Friday the idea that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein might step down and go into exile to avert a U.S.-led war on his country, saying there was no such proposal. The officials and Iraq observers said considering Saddam's intimidating persona no Arab official or even people from his inner circle would consider presenting such an idea to the man who has ruled Iraq with an iron fist for more than two decades. "Those who recently saw Saddam say the idea of exile is not something that would even cross his mind," said Iraq expert Khairallah Khairallah. One senior Arab official told Reuters: "Until now nobody has proposed to President Saddam anything or talked to him about exile or resignation".
"All these reports are wishful thinking and aimed at local consumption. Saddam will not step down," a Gulf official added. There's a whole lot of denying going on.
The officials said speculation in the media and in diplomatic circles was part of a U.S.-led campaign of psychological warfare to undermine Saddam's will to fight and encourage a coup against him. They said Arab leaders familiar with the Iraqi leader's personality were unlikely to make such a bold suggestion. "Rumours have been floated that Arab leaders are pressing Saddam Hussein to quit and seek asylum overseas. In view of Saddam's character and record, this is a wholly unrealistic scenario," Middle East analyst Patrick Seale said.
"They are trying to provoke the Iraqi leadership to anger, and perhaps goad it into an impulsive act of hostility by a campaign of psychological warfare," he said in a commentary published in Dubai's Gulf News daily this week. "Bwaah Ha Ha Ha Ha! The Evil Plan Ver 2.4!"
Long-time observers of the Baghdad government say not even high-ranking members of Saddam's entourage have the courage to present him with such a proposal. "Hey Sammy, what do you think about the whole exile idea?" BANG! "Ouch"
"I don't believe that any Arab envoy can deliver such a message to Saddam given his character and conflictive ties with his neighbours but maybe a non-Arab could be able to do it when the time comes," said Khairallah. Maybe Blix will ask during his visit?
In Damascus, a top Iraqi envoy branded as absurd reports that Saddam was negotiating exile in a sympathetic state. "This is absurdity," Ali Hassan al-Majeed, a Revolutionary Command Council member and cousin of Saddam, told Reuters. "It's a psychological war technique, and if you ask an infant in Iraq he wouldn't believe such reports."
German magazine Der Spiegel said Iraq was seeking guarantees to let Saddam and top aides to go into exile as a way to end current tension, possibly to an African state. The magazine later said its story was based on reports from other news agencies and not its own sources. So they just picked it up off the wire. Where did it start? Fred, was that you?
Nope. Nope. Wudn't me. I started the rumor about Taha Yassin Ramadan and the poolboy...
In Washington, a Gulf diplomat said Saudi Arabia had proposed that the United Nations or world community offer amnesty to all but the most prominent Iraqis, ruling out Saddam. The idea would be to encourage a last-minute coup against Saddam, averting the bloodshed of a war, said the diplomat. The Gulf diplomat said the Saudis would advocate their idea next week at a meeting in Turkey, where the leaders of Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey are expected to discuss ways of averting a U.S. attack. "Hey, Saddam! It's the Saudi's idea! They're behind the whole thing. They're laughing at you! Are you just going to sit there and let them do that? Come on, what are you waiting for? What are you, chicken?"
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 03:05 pm ||
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I think he should become iraqi pool boy cause it is time to stop the blood shed !
A former chairman of the Disarmament Commission of Somaliaâs Transitional National Government (TNG), Gen. Muhammad Nur Galal, said yesterday that the availability of arms in Somalia was the major impediment to the countryâs reconciliation. That's because the national passtime is taking pot shots at each other...
During a recent visit to the Kingdom, he told Arab News: âTwo years ago, the TNG established the Disarmament Commission stipulated by the interim charter. The commission planned to invite the former Somali armed forces. The army can enforce security and disarm the militias. The lack of funds, however, precluded even the beginning of the commissionâs work.â The former Somali armed forces? They're still around? What have they been doing for the past dozen years?
He said since the beginning of a civil war in 1991, the former armed forces had not participated in the clan wars or had the capabilities to enforce security and stability throughout the country. But they've been collecting pay checks?
The TNG refused to supply the resources needed to empower the commission. Arab countries granted adequate financial assistance to the TNG. Unfortunately, the aid was mismanaged. The commission has finally been dissolved, said Gen. Galal. "The aid was mismanaged" means they put the money in their pockets...
He said 3,000 well-equipped military personnel could control the capital, Mogadishu, and the entire southern region. International financial aid is needed. Why? Is there still room in their pockets?
This assistance could be in the form of military logistics and training. Better idea than giving them cash, isn't it?
He said the arms in the hands of the civilian population are two types: heavy and light. Some people bought weapons in order to safeguard their property. Heavy weapons can be bought from their owners while the light ones can be taken by force. You know that saying about prying from cold, dead fingers? That's it.
âWarlords can never agree on a genuine pact. Every warlord wants to be a Somali leader. They have a good relationship with Ethiopia. Addis Ababa supplies them arms. In fact, Ethiopia has been engaging in destabilizing Somalia by supporting the warmongers. Landlocked Ethiopia seeks Somali mini-states in order to use its seaports and exert great influence in the Red Sea region. The warlords and their arms suppliers are the main obstructions to peace,â Gen. Galal added. Oh, damn those Aethiopians! We should just put all of East Africa under Soddy administration. That'd fix everything...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 01:25 pm ||
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Every time I hear a Somalian sob story I put my Blackhawk Down DVD on, chew a little qhat, and forget about em. Let em eat stones
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/17/2003 16:58 Comments ||
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico's government hopes the U.S. Navy (news - web sites) won't close its Roosevelt Roads Naval Station after it halts bombing exercises on the nearby island of Vieques in May, the U.S. territory's governor said.
Gov. Sila Calderon, who had pressed for a halt to the training, said Wednesday that her government will lobby for the base on the main island of Puerto Rico to remain open. With some 4,800 employees and temporary contractors, Roosevelt Roads is one of the the region's largest employers.
"The people of Puerto Rico don't have any interest in the closing of the Roosevelt Roads base," Calderon said. "The government of Puerto Rico is interested in that base staying in Puerto Rico, for all the economic benefits."
The Navy says training now under way is the last scheduled on Vieques. It will abandon its firing range there by May 1, turning over the island's eastern third to the U.S. Department of the Interior to become a wildlife refuge.
The United States stopped all live-fire training in Vieques in 1999 after a guard was accidentally killed. It has used non-explosive bombs and shells since then.
Once the Navy leaves Vieques, all operations at Roosevelt Roads associated with Vieques will be discontinued, Navy officials have said. Adm. Robert Natter, commander of the Atlantic Fleet, went further last week, saying: "Without Vieques there is no way I need the Navy facilities at Roosevelt Roads â none."
Other Navy officials said any decision about closing the base in eastern Puerto Rico would have to be made by an independent commission that has yet to begin its work.
The Navy estimates the base injects some $300 million each year into the Caribbean island's economy.
Training continued Thursday with two U.S. warships firing inert shells at the island. The USS Arleigh Burke and USS Cape St. George participated in the training, said Lt. Cmdr. Kim Dixon, a spokeswoman.
President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the base built in 1940, and it was used for World War II naval operations.
The Navy has trained on Vieques since 1947. Opponents say the exercises have damaged the environment and the health of the island's 9,100 residents, but the Navy denies the accusations.
Well, Boo-Hoo-Hoo, Sila. 4800 jobs gone, but the birds and trees are safe. Do you think Adm. Natter got major satisfaction shoving it up her butt?
#2
U.S. is not so much an empire as the head of a disturbed household - with a bunch of rebellious teenagers raving about 11 p.m. deadlines and parental "oppression" - but who still manage shock and disbelief when you cut off their money supply.I don't envy you.
Posted by: El Id ||
01/17/2003 13:47 Comments ||
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The olde axiom is still true: Think througha all of the implications before you s--t in your messkit.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 13:47 Comments ||
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When it closes, they can all go to work for the "Sharpton for President" campaign....
France played down on Friday fresh violence in Ivory Coast but warned warring factions not to endanger peace talks it is hosting in the hope of ending a bloody four-month conflict. Closed-door talks held by the ex-colonial power near Paris were briefly disrupted on Thursday as Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo's government accused rebels of breaking a truce by attacking loyalist positions at the western town of Blolequin. The French Foreign Ministry said its troops had inspected the area and called the incident minor, but issued a stern warning it would not allow the cease-fire to be threatened. "Vous guys ain't been listening, have vous?Allow moi to put it in simplisme terms for y'all: Knock it off, or we'll kill you."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 12:22 pm ||
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This is why the Euros dont like unilateral action. They cant make it work when they do it.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/17/2003 14:15 Comments ||
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South Korea is prepared for war in the event that diplomacy fails to defuse an intensifying nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, the country's top defense official said today. "If the North Korean nuclear problem cannot be solved peacefully and America attacks North Korea, war on the Korean Peninsula will be unavoidable," Defense Minister Lee Jun told parliament. "Our army is prepared for the worst-case scenario." Jun added that if North Korea follows through on restarting its nuclear reactor and proceeds to build nuclear weapons, the weapons likely would be trained at South Korea. Took 'em long enough to notice, didn't it?
His comments served to underscore that, despite South Korea's "sunshine policy" of reconciliation and engagement, the North remains an enemy dating back to the Korean War in 1950-53. That's today's installment of "Statment of the Obvious." Tune in tomorrow, when you'll hear Sammy say, "Them Merkins just don't like me!" Until then...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 12:17 pm ||
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U.S. military commanders will likely rule Iraq for at least several months in the aftermath of a U.S.-led ouster of President Saddam Hussein, according to Bush administration blueprints for Iraq's future that outline a broad and protracted American role in managing the reconstruction of the country. The administration's plans, which are nearing completion, envision installing a civilian administration within months of a change of government, U.S. officials said. But the officials said that even under the best of circumstances, U.S. forces likely would remain at full strength in Iraq for months after a war ended, with a continued role for thousands of U.S. troops there for years to come. Soddy toilet paper consumption reached record levels when they read that part...
Iraqis relegated to advisory roles in the immediate postwar period would gradually be given a greater role, but they would not regain control of their country for a year or more, according to current U.S. thinking. Either Sammy's going to pack the treasury into his suitcase and "resign," or he's going to "fall down the stairs." If the Soddies let this scenario happen it'll be checkmate for them...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 12:14 pm ||
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And pray tell, why would Sammy worry for the Saudis?
The White House said Friday that chemical warheads found in Iraq had not been declared by Saddam Hussein's government as required by U.N. rules, and called the discovery "troubling and serious." Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer stopped short of calling the weapons cache a breach of an anti-arms U.N. resolution, saying the United States has already found Saddam in violation of several U.N. rules. U.S. officials hope the discovery of 11 empty chemical warheads at a storage area 75 miles south of Baghdad will bolster their case against Saddam. Iraq said the weapons were on its 12,000-page declaration required by the U.N., an assertion disputed by Fleischer. "Yeah, it's in there somewhere. You could look it up..."
Fleischer also dismissed Saddam Hussein's claim Friday that Iraqi enemies would witness a face "suicide" at the gates of his capital if an attack were launched. "We are much less interested in Saddam Hussein's talking and much more interested in Saddam Hussein's disarming," Fleischer said. That's what press secretaries say instead of "Shuddup, Sammy!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 12:10 pm ||
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The United States is raising the level of its military coordination with Israel in advance of its expected war against Iraq. Next week, General Charles Wald, deputy commander of the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), will visit here. Wald, who is in charge of ties with the Israel Defense Forces, will meet with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and senior IDF officers. He will apparently also visit the American soldiers who came to Israel with the Patriot missile batteries. Wald took over as deputy head of USEUCOM just last month, and his trip to Israel is being billed as a get-acquainted visit. Israeli sources, however, predict the talks will focus on the expected war with Iraq. "Our strategic coordination with the Americans is at a much higher level than it was during the 1991 Gulf War," a senior security source said. Wald, a fighter pilot who saw action in both Vietnam and Iraq, is also considered the acting commander of USEUCOM, which has responsibility for Israel. In the U.S. military hierarchy, the official commander of USEUCOM is also the head of NATO's military forces and thus spends most of his time running the NATO command in Brussels. Wald is familiar with the Middle East having served as commander of Central Command's air forces in the late 1990s. Central Command is responsible for the Gulf states.
Wald's visit will follow hard on the heels of that of Gen. Charles Simpson, who left the country on Wednesday. Simpson, the director of air and space operations at USEUCOM, has been appointed chief liaison officer with Israel in the event of a war with Iraq. Simpson met with Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazy and other senior officers to set up working procedures for coordination in the event of a war. Other members of the American liaison unit who came with Simpson are staying here to set up a system of communications between the IDF and the Pentagon. In addition, there are currently 600 American soldiers stationed here to man the two Patriot batteries that came to participate in an air defense exercise, Juniper Cobra 3, with the IDF's antimissile batteries. The New York Times reported yesterday that the Patriot batteries will remain here at least through mid-February.. They'll be there until the shooting stops.
The Israel Navy and the American Sixth Fleet also conducted a joint naval exercise this week
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 11:14 am ||
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"USE-U-COM"...
is it just my lack of sufficient caffeine, or does that sound just a little bit TOO much in character with how the Europeans have been so recently portrayed as expecting the US to do all the fighting for 'em while they look on from the sidelines and "consult"?
A Palestinian suicide bomber was killed Friday morning when an naval patrol boat fired at his small, booby-trapped boat, causing it to explode, a leaflet issued by the Islamic militant Hamas movement in Gaza said. The leaflet named the bomber as Mahmoud al-Jeemasi, an activist of Hamas' military wing Iz a-Din al-Qassem in his mid-twenties. It said al-Jeemasi had been on a mission to carry out a suicide attack. The leaflet spoke of a small boat, contradicting an initial report by IDF sources that the navy had fired at an unmanned, booby-trapped raft. Poor Mahmoud, didn't kill anyone, so he only rates a leaflet.
"We did not see anyone on the raft. We also fired in the air
beforehand and nobody saw any person jumping into the water or
move," an IDF source said. The sources had initially said no one was injured in the explosion, which occurred about four kilometres off the shore of the northern Gaza Strip settlement of Dugit Friday morning. It happened in the same area where a booby-trapped Palestinian fishing boat rammed into an Israeli naval boat two months ago, killing the militant steering the boat and lightly injuring four Israeli soldiers. Booby and Palestinian seem to go together.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 10:59 am ||
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"We did not see anyone on the raft. We also fired in the air beforehand and nobody saw any person jumping into the water or move," an IDF source said. The sources had initially said no one was injured in the explosion...
Are they sure Mahmoud's itty-bitty bits o' fish food? Or did he set the boat on course and bravely bail before anybody saw him? Is this going to be another case of the dear departed showing up at the wake, whereupon Mom dies of a heart attack at the sight of him and the whole thing makes Reuters?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2003 12:03 Comments ||
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as Taranto would say"Oddly Enough!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/17/2003 13:35 Comments ||
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Thanks to Paul (no, not that one, the other one!) for the link!
Despite recognition from the West, the Palestine Liberation Organization continues to engage in drug trafficking and weapons deals in cooperation with insurgency groups throughout the Middle East, according to a new study. Oh, hold me, Ethel! I'm so disappointed in them. But why would they do that?
A recently-released report, commissioned for B'nai B'rith, Europe, asserts that the PLO earns billions of dollars through a range of illegal activities, Middle East Newsline reported. Those activities include drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering and counterfeiting in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and such Arab regimes as Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Sudan. Uhhh... North Korea's not an Arab regime. They mean "axis of evil regimes and their wannabes."
"The PLO's transformation into the Palestinian Authority in 1993, as a result of the Oslo Accords, did not impede the organization's illegal activities," the report, entitled "Where Does the Money Go: A Study of the Palestinian Authority," said. "On the contrary, it enhanced them. As the whole world gave the PA legitimacy, it abused this status to expand its illegal activities." Kind of like putting the Barzini clan in charge...
The report said that contrary to assertions by the PA and its Western supporters, the PLO and Arafat's regime have won additional financial support since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian war in 2000. The PA saw an 80 percent increase in donor financing in 2001 as a result of increased funding from Arab and Islamic regimes. In all, the report said, the PA obtained $1.02 billion in 2001. In 2000, the figure was $555 million. The report said the PA has laundered money through off-shore banks in Cyprus, Hong Kong and Monaco. The PA used the PLO for money-laundering. The PA budget process: "One for you, one for me. One for you, two for me..."
The PLO continues to obtain funds from Arab regimes and companies in exchange for a pledge not to attack them, the report said. The PLO also earns revenue from charities, drug trafficking and weapons deals. Vicious little bastards, aren't they?
The report was authored by Rachel Ehrenfeld, a researcher at the New York-based American Center for Democracy. Ms. Ehrenfeld has testified in Congress and served as a consultant to Western governments regarding PLO finances. Presumably she knows her stuff...
The report, in part, draws from official Palestinian documents captured by Israel over the last year. Estimates of the PLO's fortune have varied. In 1994, the British government asserted that the PLO amassed $10 billion. Last year, Israeli officials estimated the wealth of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, who controls PLO and PA financing, at $1.3 billion. "Clearly, the PLO and its successor, the PA, have played an indispensable role in creating the financial model for today's terrorist organizations," the report said. "Close examination of the methods and institutions that account for the PLO's success can help us to better track how Al Qaida and other terrorist organizations operate financially." Great job for somebody who likes murk...
The report cited such PLO enterprises as Samed and the Palestine Commercial Services Co. The PLO formed Samed in 1970, to control and operate its economic activities and today the firm operates duty-free shops and holds interests in airlines throughout Africa. Ahmed Qurei, today speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, has for years headed Samed. The PA is also said to own shares in stocks traded in Frankfurt, Paris, and Tokyo. They include stocks in Mercedes-Benz. "Under the PA's control, massive merchandise counterfeiting enterprises flourish, making millions of dollars a year, with royalties going to senior Palestinian Authority figures," the report said. "The merchandise includes CDs, DVD's, clothing, cosmetics, and schoolbooks. This is done in cooperation with Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations." There's no real surprise here. Like most of the terrorist organizations we've seen, the PA is run like a family business, with the guys at the top getting a large rakeoff, the while bitching about how tough the common folk have it. Even the Paleo-in-the-street bitches about it, when he's not rushing off to blow himself up. The same situation applies in Iraq, with Sammy and his cronies having very large bankrolls, assuming they can make it someplace without extradition treaties, while the hoi-polloi goes without.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 10:59 am ||
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It does sound like the bent-nose boys, don't it? Maybe we oughta meet 'em on their own terms - put a contract on Saddam, fer instance, if he does manage so slither out from under the hammer.
#3
Nice watching the Paleos march today in Gaza supporting Saddam's regime, and Hamas threatening to harm Merkins if we attack Iraq. Like the ululating bitch on 9/11 the images bring a certain reality to exactly why we support Israel over these cretins
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/17/2003 17:48 Comments ||
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Arab interior ministers have agreed on a multi-phase plan to bolster security cooperation against Islamic insurgents. The interior ministers finished the 10th meeting organized by the Arab League with a series of agreements to fight insurgents and help block their financing. The forum of interior ministers was chaired by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz. Officials said the interior ministers plan to explore ways to end Islamic propaganda for the recruitment of insurgents and planning of attacks. The plan would also cover sermons given in mosques during after Friday prayers as well as Islamic fundamentalist literature distributed in and around mosques. That might involve firing and/or jugging a few imams and muftis and such, so I doubt if it'll happen in most places...
Other elements of the proposal would draft regulations on financing to Islamic charities that would stress transparency of funds. Arab League justice ministers have also joined the effort in drafting legislation against money-laundering. The tugs in the other direction from this measure will probably make it nothing but lip service, too. I doubt if the Arabs will really start cleaning up their own houses until Iraq's been settled and probably not until the Axis of Evil member after them goes down. They still think of themselves as the winning side...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 10:59 am ||
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Source: Dawn
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has agreed to leave Iraq and go into exile in an African country if certain conditions are met, three diplomats in the United Arab Emirates were quoted as saying on Thursday. "Condition one: Bush has to go, too..."
The diplomats in Dubai, one Western and two Arabic, who did not want to be named or reveal their sources, said the Iraqi leadership was prepared to accept a deal under which Saddam Hussein would leave the country if he was guaranteed not to be prosecuted or persecuted by the United States or any of its European allies. Hussein would be accompanied by other members of his government and their families, and an African country was considered as the location for their exile, they said. That would probably be Libya...
According to observers in the region, news of a possible exile for Saddam could be related to recent announcements that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria were due to present a proposal to avoid an invasion in the next few days. The speculations gained pace after Syrian President Bashar al Assad cancelled a scheduled trip to Tehran on Wednesday and a visit of Iraq's Gen Ali Hassan al Majid to Cairo was postponed. Bingo.
Egyptian media had first announced that al Majid, a member of Iraq's Revolution Council and a lover cousin of President Saddam, wanted to bring Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak a message from Saddam. No new date had been set for the visit, it was said. "The timing was not appropriate," Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said in Cairo on Thursday. "He can probably stop by for a few minutes on his way to the Central African Republic..."
According to the three diplomats, further conditions for Saddam's departure would be the withdrawal of United States troops from the Gulf region, the end of United Nations arms inspections and sanctions against Iraq as well as measures against the production of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. However, the US had so far rejected these conditions and Egypt was now trying to convince Baghdad to accept a compromise, the diplomats said. The original condition was for Iraq to disarm. We'd also need a say in the structure of the new government...
Cairo has in recent days been the centre of a flurry of regional diplomatic activity involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Iran, aimed at resolving the standoff through diplomatic and political means, which was "our objective", according to Maher. Politicians and observers had repeatedly dismissed speculations that Saddam might resign, adding that such rumours could have been spread deliberately in order to cause uncertainty amongst government officials in Baghdad. Baghdad said Saddam Hussein would not leave his country under any circumstances. On, the other hand, truth is a matter of convenience among Arabs, isn't it?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/17/2003 10:59 am ||
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#1
Let's just say that telling the truth to someone not of your tribe and/or religion is *optional*...
#2
If Sammy does step down - and I don't expect him to - it opens up a really interesting can o' worms, moreso than a straight war would do. All the exile groups are going to demand a piece of the pie, the lower-level Ba'athists are going to expect to hang in there. The Islamists are going to be grabbing for whatever power's available.
And everybody's going to be pointing to all the things that the Merkins have done wrong to bring this all about. Bush will have won a "war" without firing a shot, and the Dems will be bitching because he didn't, just as hard as they would have if he had.
I'm thinking seriously of becoming an alcoholic...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2003 11:46 Comments ||
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The whole Baathist system has to come down. We will have to send thousands to exile, not just Saddam or the top 10. The arabs are trying water down the crisis by focusing on Saddam. Too bad Harry Truman is not around. He wouldn't mince words. Keep up the heat.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 12:36 Comments ||
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#5
With Qaddafi's bad health, and Sammy's willingness to move to Libya, does anyone else sense something fishy going on behind the scenes? It's probably nothing.
At least 10,000 Palestinians rallied in Gaza City Friday in support of Iraq and against United States military action against the Gulf state. The demonstrators, supporters of various Palestinian factions, marched Gaza City's main street waving Palestinian and Iraqi flags and carrying posters of Palestinian President Yassir Arafat and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The crowd had gathered at Gaza's Palestine square, after the weekly Moslem Friday prayers held in several mosques in the city. It headed for the yard of the unknown soldier in Remal neighborhood, before arrived at the building of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The Yard Of The Unknown Soldier?
The demonstrators chanted slogans denouncing U.S. warnings to hit Iraq, shouting "George Bush listen to us, Iraq will never surrender." Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the Islamic militant Hamas movement, as well as leaders of other political factions, led the demonstration. Wonder who picked up the tab for organizing this little shindig?
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 10:46 am ||
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"George Bush listen to us, Iraq will never surrender."
I don't think Sheikh Yassin reads the papers.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2003 11:01 Comments ||
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#2
But wait, I thought there was no tie between the palestinian terrorists( of which al queda is just one organization) and iraq? Martin Sheen may not think so, but the people in Gaza seem to think there is.
Have the leftist idiots in holloywood been lying to us? I feel so used..........
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/17/2003 11:19 Comments ||
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#3
"...complete with the lawn-mower of the Unknown Soldier..."
Clicking on the title will take you to the "best available" order-of-battle of forces deployed in CENTCOM's part of Southwest Asia, as well as EUCOM forces in Turkey participating in Operation Northern Watch. This site is run by GlobalSecurity.org and contains the latest satellite photos, including pictures of Diego Garcia showing portable shelters for B-2 bombers and B-52s and KC-135s on the ramp. Also has maps showing all the bases in the region and too much more to post here. Check out their home page for all the links.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 10:35 am ||
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#1
I hate to be a butthead, and I know you are only the messenger, but should GlobalSecurity be publishing this? I was in Army Intelligence (no oxymoron intended)some years back and find this lack of operations security disturbing.
#2
This is all sourced from public records and news media. Not very secret to begin with. Tactical security is far more important and that seems to be holding.
When you tell a guy "Hey, I'm going to hit you with this hammer" you usually show him the hammer.
#3
There is a great deal of good information on the site, but if you try to be quantitative with the data, its gets real fuzzy real fast.
Try and determine the position and disposition of the Carrier Battle Groups and youll quickly see what I mean. Much of the data is very interesting,, but it doesnt always track to AP and UPI reports of troop movements.(My god!, you dont think they are lying about troop movements do you, perish the thought! )
I do find the info interesting, I just try to remember that its not all together accurate, and thats legitmate and expected of a real wartime condition.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/17/2003 11:10 Comments ||
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#4
I'm not too worried about the "compromises" in this case. I think it's become SOP over the past few wars to cover up leaks by making sure that all the conflicting information there is also gets published, preferably by somebody who pretends to be authoritative.
I think this is part of the psywar, not directed so much at Sammy and his gang, but at the Arabs, to show that we're serious. They're so scared of us going into Iraq and setting up a liberal democracy under a latter-day McArthur that they might end up sending in their own force to take Sammy out. Iraq as anything other than a Third World kleptocracy upsets their regional world view too much. The government Iraq will end up with if they have their way will probably resemble Egypt's or Lebanon's more than it does some regime that has a concept of individual liberty.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2003 11:50 Comments ||
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#5
I wonder if Saddam truly understands what a Carrier is. I'm sure he's seen them on CNN but until you've actually been on one, seen the flight operations, etc, its all too big to grasp. A couple of carriers are even harder to grasp.
#6
Its funny that you say that about carriers. I have some of my funniest conversations with european friends who dont understand just how big our military is and how small and generally inconsequential theirs is.
Usually the Euros start by saying how much we need their help militarily, then I try to go over the raw numbers ( 10 carrier battle groups, 10 Ohio/2 Seawolf class submarines, 15 assault carriers, a strategic world reaching air force, world circling reconnisance RPV's, ICBM's, and not the least 300,000 pissed off revenge seeking troops and so on) and they stop me and say that they had honestly had no idea that we had that much stuff.
The word from the afghanistan action was that many of our "allies" could not even work with our guys in the field due to the fact that they could not work at night in joint excercies due to a lack of equipment and training with night vision tools.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/17/2003 14:07 Comments ||
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#7
Not to mention a lack of secure communications equipment. Not sure if that was resolved though.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said Friday that Iraq had mobilized its forces to defeat U.S. forces at the gates of Baghdad should they invade his country. "We have determined and planned to defeat the aggressors. We have mobilized our abilities, including those of the army, people and leadership," he said in the text of a televised speech marking the 12th anniversary of the Gulf War. "Baghdad, its people and leadership, is determined to force the Mongols of our age to commit suicide at its gates," Saddam said. Calling U.S. troops the "new Mongols," the Iraqi leader said they would not be able to conquer a "mobilized and determined" Iraq. "The army of Hulagu has come again to clash with Baghdad after it was born anew. They will commit suicide on the walls of Baghdad and other Iraqi cities," he conveyed. For history buffs, in 1258, under Hulagu Khan, the Mongols invaded Baghdad and put an end to the remnants of the once-glorious 'Abbasid Empire. The ancient systems of irrigation were destroyed and the devastation was so extensive that agricultural recovery, even in the twentieth century, is still incomplete. Hey, Saddam, compared to the U.S. military, the Mongols were wimps!
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 10:21 am ||
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#1
The Mongols disrupted the basic maintenance of the extraordinary (for its time) irrigation system for a couple of years. That was all it took and the region never recovered. Most of the Mongol troops were actively "pro-nomadic" and took great delight in destroying to things that they viewed as non nomadic, like wells and such.
#2
I think we should email the pentagon and nominate "Operation Hulagu" for the liberation of Iraq. Ask if we can chip in some coins for a rug. It was a Mongol tradition to take the leader of the enemy, as in the case of Baghdad 1258, and encase them rolled in the rug. He was then trampled to death within that rug. Sort of like a full body Depends. While we don't have the horses like the Mongol, we do have the horsepower. Crunchies!
Posted by: Don ||
01/17/2003 11:39 Comments ||
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Don --- If we got Operation Hulagu as the name, it would completely psych out everyone. The press and commentators would be backlogged with bs, and Saddam would show us all his hidden weapons and beg for mercy. One word... intriguing....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 12:47 Comments ||
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#4
In addition to dropping leaflets in certain areas of Iraq, we should be dropping crates of white hankys as well. I think they'd understand that not-so-subtle hint.
#5
How 'bout a nice planeload of cards that say "With deepest sympathy"?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2003 15:22 Comments ||
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#6
Actually the Caliph of Baghdad was crushed in a rug due to the Mongols' respect for his office. They didn't want to shed his blood, or at least see the blood they did shed. I guess afterwards they didn't bother to unroll the rug to check their results. How about calling the liberation of Iraq "Operation Rugroll" or better yet, "Operation Rugrat"? At least the US Military can release some videos of our tanks rolling over rolled-up carpets, as part of their training.
Arab leaders are planning a coup to oust Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, reported Time magazine. Saudi Arabia is reported to be behind the plot which proposes encouraging Iraqi generals to topple Saddam and his inner circle. The aim is to avoid a United States-led war with Iraq which could spark other wars in the region. The aim is to prevent the U.S. from establishing a reasonably democratic non-Islamic Iraq next door. Might give the locals ideas that the same thing would work in Saudi itself.
The Saudi idea requires a United Nations resolution declaring an amnesty for the Iraqi officials if they got rid of Saddam, Western and diplomatic sources were quoted as saying. Such an amnesty would extend to all but 100 or 120 of the most senior ruling Baath Party officials, including his sons, close relatives and others who have long formed part of the ruling circle. Who are the only people with the power to overthrow Saddam.
Saudi Arabia is reported to be actively canvassing support for the initiative. Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and the Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul flew to Riyadh this week to discuss the plan with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the magazine said. According to Time, concerns for the region's stability prompted the Saudi initiative. "Riyadh fears that war in Iraq could lead to chaos, civil war among ethnic factions and military incursions by neighbours like Turkey and Iran," said the magazine. Riyadh fears that they are next on Bush's short list.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 10:11 am ||
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#1
And their fears are justified. An amnesty resolution from the UN for war criminals, such a neat idea! Then the Saudis will have a shell for another one when it is their turn on the docket.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 10:40 Comments ||
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I don't think they're next. If Sammy leaves town in the dead of night tomorrow, the day after that Bush will notice that NKor really does present a horrible threat to civilization. Or maybe Iran does. I wonder if he'll shorten the Axis of Evil to only two members, or if he'll add someone - Syria? - to take Iraq's place?
Regardless, I think Bush intends to weaken international Islamism before he takes on the Soddies. If he doesn't, we might end up facing a united Muslim world. That's not a military threat, except for the WMDs the Paks and Syrians, etc., would kick in, but it'll be a diplomatic nightmare. It'll be bad enough even when all the pieces are in place.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2003 11:57 Comments ||
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#3
The House of Saud has the collective moral restraint of an alleycat. Today's Le Monde - www.lemonde.fr - has two articles on a French initiative to revise the 1905 legislation, viz separation of church and state, in order to deal with massive Saudi financing of the extremist, Salafi mosques which are polluting France. The Saudi entity needs to be: gonzo, out-of-here, kaput.
#4
Fred,
I don't think the Soddis are next, either, but they'll fall soon. Once we boot Saddam and have established control in Iraq, I expect Iran to boil over. I'd like to think that the students and decent folks there will prevail but that isn't certain. If it does come about, I expect the Gulf states to announce, quickly, just how much more democratic and liberal they're becoming. They'll follow the Qatari lead. And THAT will be what pushes the Shi'a minority in eastern Saudi-controlled Arabia over the edge to revolt.
Well, that and some well-placed CIA operatives whispering in their ear about how much better they'd have it on their own :-)
That will cause the House of Sodd to fall apart. I figure Syria will boil over at some point; that causes Hezbollah to launch an all-out attack in a "use it before you lose it" operation. They'll get stomped by the Israelis, and that will set the stage for Syria to wobble. The Paleos have no idea just how alone they're going to be.
Well, enough wishful thinking -- back to work for me!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/17/2003 17:51 Comments ||
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#5
So what's Yassir doing lately? He is not cheering for Sammy (TM) so he must still be in Ramallah eating take-out and staring bug-eyed at the debris on his bed left over from the last Israeli tank shelling.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 19:30 Comments ||
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#6
Steve W: Re your thoughts on Iran... Didja see today's NY Times: "Political Fervor of Iranian Clerics Begins to Ebb".
"...[T]wo decades later [after the 1979 revolution] many clerics here are openly questioning the wisdom [of the establshment of fundamentalist, religious rule]... The foray into politics, they say, has stained the image of the Shiite clergy... 'The political performance of clerics in the past two decades has caused a lot of problems for all clerics,' said Abolfazi Moussavian, 47, a midranking cleric who teaches at Mofid University in Qum. '...people have become skeptical toward clerics and blame them and religion for the current problems.'"
This report could be part of an attempt to play good-mullah/bad-mullah for American consumption, in the interest of future survival. But my take is that some of the Iranian clerics are beginning to realize that the primary products of their 20+ years of rule are a screwed-up country full of pissed-off people. Looking for a way to get off the tiger, perhaps?
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
01/17/2003 20:33 Comments ||
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#7
Ugh...visual: - lounging softly in a feather boa, Depends® on under Victoria's Secret Lingerie⢠(and of course, Baby Wipes® nearby ) wearing a freshly washed (yeah, right) khaffiyeh..trying to entice fresh EU tribute...
ugh - gotta stop doing the Cuervo Tradicional shots on Fridays....
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/17/2003 20:44 Comments ||
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#8
Yasser...ugh
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/17/2003 20:45 Comments ||
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A source close to the Egyptian Presidency said that the visit of member of the revolution's leadership council in Iraqi Ali Hassan al-Majuid to Egypt, delegated by President Saddam Hussein was postponed to a later date. The source did not explain the reasons behind the postponement. Al-Majuid, one of Saddam's cousins, was expected to arrive in Egypt on Saturday. Not coming, is he?
For his part, the Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Maher indicated that "the issue of the visit of an Iraqi envoy to Cairo, debated by press reports is now postponed ." However, a source close to the Egyptian Presidency stressed on Wednesday that the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be meeting with a special envoy for the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Saturday in the context of the increased Arab diplomatic activities in order to avoid a likely war against Iraq.
An Egyptian media source said recently that the Iraqi envoy is Ali Hassan al-Majuid, he is a cousin for the Iraqi president and a member at the revolution's leadership council in Iraq. You don't suppose that all those Arab proposals urging Saddam to go into exile or supporting a coup attempt had anything to do with him not paying you a visit, do you?
Posted by: Steve ||
01/17/2003 09:59 am ||
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#1
The Kleptothugracy of Egypt has upscale ideas about the importance of protocol. When high level visitors come, they frequently change their reception committee, dates of the meeting, subject of the meeting, etc. All this is of immense importance to the egos and self importance of the higher levels in Egypt.
#2
Fred --- Sounds like your evil plan (TM) is working. The USA et al are staging for massive war (this is beyond threats), applying psyops on the troops and high command, the UN is equivocating a bit less, and the arab governments are publicly calling for him to step down. Nobody in the mainstream press talks about it, but after Iraq, others will move into our crosshairs. Anybody who takes Saddam needs to be a bonafide tyranny, too. Pinning everything on Israel does not have the effect that it used to have in the good olde days. About time these guys started feeling the heat.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/17/2003 10:35 Comments ||
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#3
Lot's of psyop action on the home front, too. History Channel is running all sorts of GWI stuff, AMC has John Wayne (Jacksonian Icon) starring in lots of "Indian Wars" flicks. How's that for a meme?
The History Channel stuff has been excellent this week.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
01/17/2003 14:10 Comments ||
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#5
The nice thing about the buildup is that if Saddam leaves and we occupy without firing a shot we're in position to use that equipment to take out (a) Syria (b) Saudi Arabia (c) Iran.
It'd be nice to keep the three of them nervous and guessing.
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