A small building contractor is planning to take one of the world's largest petrochemicals companies to court in France, in a move that is likely to raise questions about the true extent of reform to Saudi Arabia's legal system.
Thinet International, a small construction company originally spun out of Vinci construction group of France, will next month launch legal action against Saudi Arabia's Sabic. Thinet is suing for damages of $100m (â¬81m, £56m) in a dispute over the construction of the petrochemicals group's headquarters in Riyadh.
Thinet has turned to the French legal system after its victory in the kingdom's relatively new commercial courts was overturned on appeal. Under the French Civil Code, any French citizen or company can appeal against an unfavourable foreign court ruling if it feels unfairly judged.
Sabic, 70 per cent owned by the Saudi government, awarded the $120m contract to Thinet in 1998. However it withheld final payment, claiming delays meant the building was not completed on time, although it moved into the headquarters.
Thinet took its case to the commercial section of the kingdom's grievance board, the Saudi equivalent of the arbitration and claims tribunal, as set out by the Sabic contract. The judges found in Thinet's favour and Sabic was ordered to pay about $35m. However this was overturned after Sabic appealed against the judgment. The judicial review panel ruled that Thinet's complaint should have been judged under civil and not commercial law.
This means that Thinet's case in Saudi Arabia will now be tried according to Sharia law, which the French company argues will take far longer and is not equipped to deal adequately with contractual disputes. Sharia law does not recognise the payment of interest or penalties, for example.
Thinet's experience is likely to exacerbate the concerns of foreign businesses operating in the kingdom.
The World Bank estimates that commercial disputes in Saudi Arabia take 44 procedures and 360 days to resolve, at a cost totalling some 20 per cent of the contract value. US commercial disputes require fewer than 10 procedures and 250 days, costing an estimated 7.5 per cent of the contract value.
Sabic said it would not comment on the dispute while it was before the courts.
The group is the world's seventh largest petrochemicals company, operating in more than 100 countries. Its chairman is a member of the royal family, Prince Saud bin Thunayan al-Saud. Last year it generated operating income of SR23.6bn (£3.5bn, $6.3bn, â¬5bn) and sales of SR68.7bn.
Thinet, which operates mainly in the Middle East, generated sales last year of nearly $100m and made a modest profit after several years of losses. The company attributes the losses to the dispute.
Posted by: leader of the pack ||
08/08/2005 15:22 ||
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"com" you had some comments about this awhile ago. What's your current view?
But now, from an unexpected source, comes a devastating challenge to this powerful dogma: in a newly released book, investment banker Matthew R Simmons convincingly demonstrates that, far from being capable of increasing its output,
Saudi Arabia is about to face the exhaustion of its giant fields and, in the relatively near future, will probably experience a sharp decline in output. "There is only a small probability that Saudi Arabia will ever deliver the quantities of petroleum that are assigned to it in all the major forecasts of world oil production and consumption," Simmons writes in Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy. "Saudi Arabian production," he adds, italicizing his claims to drive home his point, "is at or very near its peak sustainable volume ... and it is likely to go into decline in the very foreseeable future."
...
#1
Well, the last time this came up I emailed some Aramco engineers. They all said that production costs will rise, because, yes, injection rates are up and the newer, more effective, recovery tech costs more -- but there is still lots of oil there. Two suggested that those who keep harping on the Saudi oil bust, which has been predicted for the last 40 yrs, BTW, are actually in the business of selling books and giving economic seminars - not Saudi oil production.
Who do I believe? Ooooh, toughie. Between no-shit engineers working on the production facilities in Saudi -- or somebody else. Anybody else. I'll go with the Engineers, Alex. The oil prod rate upticks take time, the major fields have been producing for quite awhile and ambient pressures have dropped, but they can do it. One Engr even tossed a prediction out there - 50 more yrs at current levels. So I'd wager 20-25 is safe, given sizable increases in prod rates coming online in about ~3 yrs, per Bush's request of CP Abdullah.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/08/2005 12:58 Comments ||
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#3
These folks crack me up. They either have a professional interests in selling "we are running out of oil" or a TYRANZI political one. WTF does a rich banker know about oil? Not a damn thing, he spouts the crap "analysts" feed him, another bunch that knows very little about petroleum production and recovery. They know even less about the oil fields in Saudi Arabia. Yes some day we will run out of easily recoverable oil but that day is sometime in the unknown but not near future.
The cost of oil will rise. The cost of everything rises I submit that oil has been artificially low for years. There are loads of stuff that we could do to reduce demand. Many are simple. But most we as a nation will not do out of apperent laziness or lack of understanding. We can deal with the issue like adults or run around in circles screaming and shouting and do nothing. Doing nothing is stupid and expensive and against our national interest. We could start by building a few more refineries to handle heavy sour which we here in the US have quite a bit of. We could smack down the TRANZI enviros with facts and get them out of the way of securing energy security. Talk is cheap. Lets do something.
#4
At $60 per barrel tar sands are quite profitable (Canada, Venezuela for instance have LOTS). Oil shale is probably profitable, if you are willing to absorb the environmental problems (US has lots.) Various secondary and tertiary production enhancement processes are profitable. SOME of these things are happening, but I suspect a lot are not. Why not? Because they involve a lot of cash up front, and take a long time to pay out, and investors are not convinced the elevated prices are 'for real'. Contractions in economies (e.g. China) and even oil conservation efforts act a lot faster and can destroy the economics of high cost megaprojects.
Increasing (or long-term maintainance) of Saudi production would probably be one of these expensive projects. With the additional complication of religious politics.
New fields are actually cheaper and simpler, as long as you have new places to look.
#5
"Doing nothing is stupid and expensive and against our national interest. We could start by building a few more refineries to handle heavy sour which we here in the US have quite a bit of. "
Canada has a larger reserve than Saudi Arabia, but it requires different technology to extract it. I think it is processed through heated water or steam, but that is an avenue Americans should put on the fast-track. We could use the added jobs that would include adding a distribution system. The ME supply is too easily disrupted.
#6
This spike is a bit different than in the past as long-term (viz., for delivery in 2011) futures have followed the spike and are trading over $60/bbl. In the past the longest-term contracts had typically hovered around pre-spike prices or shown only modest increases. Thus, for risk averse holders of secondary sources like the Alberta tar sands, there presently exists a way to stabilize prices and guarantee profitability for a number of years should they so choose.
Personally I think the price spike isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's going to move some serious money and serious technical talent into alternative energy, a field absolutely overrun with moonbats. If it becomes painful enough it could engender some federal regulatory reforms which would almost certainly spread beyond the oilfield. Both of those would clearly be positive outcomes.
#7
The price increase is not bad, but government intervention is. The government doesn't know what it is doing any more than any of the other players. But it takes it a lot longer to stop doing stupid things because it can take money from the taxpayers at gunpoint to continue to finance stupidity long after it is apparent to everyone else.
Posted by: Kofi Annan ||
08/08/2005 18:57 Comments ||
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The only government intervention that's necessary is abolishing federal excise taxes on energy and clearly the regulatory underbrush that's been preventing new development.
#9
Personally I think the price spike isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's going to move some serious money and serious technical talent into alternative energy, a field absolutely overrun with moonbats.
Not only alternative energy, but in proofing new fields and improving extraction technologies. The third world's biggest benefit over the US is its lack of laws -- no environmental or safety laws, so compliance costs are a lot lower. Higher costs from the third world make US fields and sources more attractive.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/08/2005 19:51 Comments ||
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#10
University prof friends of mine are arguing its more like 100-120 years more before the Saudi fields head downward - 40 or 120, its a'close enuff fer a'Govmint work, as we or most of us will be dead by then to care.
Btw, I've read some time ago a fringe, but very interesting, book about the non-existence of Mahomet and the falsehood of the early history of islam. While I was not convinced, the theory exposed was sufficiently backed by actual finds and others books to be very thought-provoking (I've never read Ibn Warraq, my bad, will have to remedy that, but it is my understanding that he posits a similar theory about the early days of islam, minus the "Mahomet mythical patriarch" bit).
The interdiction of archaeological searches by infidels in Medina and Mecca would be so very convenient for the tenants of official islamic history... and so would be the actual erasure of their past.
Regardless of that, this article a good thing to remember next time someone complains about the lack of western respect for islam... look at who is doing the desacration.
#2
I must confess that the prospect of that site (of mohhamed's epileptic hallucinations and the room where he lay his head on the lap of his menstrating wife and recited nonsense) being demolished causes no sadness. I don't give a damn.
The Saudis don't give a damn idea. That should tell us something.
Posted by: john ||
08/08/2005 11:05 Comments ||
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A tiny bit of background...
There is a small museum in a restaurant (or maybe it's a restaurant in a museum, heh) in Al Dammam where they've preserved some Qu'uran (of course), some swords, tools, camel saddles and blankets, rugs (of course), colored window glass, and other assorted things of nominal historical value. It's something like a Saudi TGI Friday's (TAI Friday?) - heh - though I can't quite remember the name - something like The Heritage (Anyone there reading this to verify / correct?). You can request dining in a private room - with each room decked out in the style of some part of the Kingdom. Rugs and pillows, no chairs in the rooms. Different art patterns in the wall paint scheme and such differentiate the region each room represents. For example, what is now the Eastern Province was wealthier than Riyadh and other interior regions because of Gulf trade - so rooms depicting art and style from that area have shiny things like hammered brass door decorations. The expensive stuff, doncha know. The Riyadh goat herders room is pretty stark, comparatively speaking.
What I'm saying is that they do have some sense of history, but it doesn't enjoy the Western variety's official standing and Govt support. They're not old enough, yet, to think about it that way, I guess, assuming they ever would. You have to admit the Western version can sometimes go overboard and declare everything from dead trees to cracks in the sidewalk as "historical" - and gain control over it.
I know folks who have taken what we would call object d'art out of the Kingdom without much (any?) hassle - just packed it up with the rest of their household goods and shipped it out without being contested by Customs - that may change if SA survives another 20 years.
#5
This depressing pattern of excavation and demolition has led Dr Angawi and his colleagues to keep secret a number of locations in the holy cities that could date back as far as the time of Abraham.
#6
"the nomad-mentality factors in a lot as well."
I'd agree - they would leave any cumbersome things they had acquired when they moved on - fully expecting them to be there when they passed through, again - and I'm sure they were. But when the Bedu mostly stopped their cyclical travels, well... These are the goodies the people I know keep running across, and collecting, when they do their 4WD excursions into the Empty Quarter and areas between population centers.
I saw them come through Al Khobar in '92 and '93 - pitching huge tents on empty lots in the city. Generated some double-takes, actually, cuz they'd be out there in front of the tent drinking tea when I'd come out to get in my truck to go to work - every day for maybe a week (?). Then the lot would be empty one day when I came home. But I didn't see any evidence of their passing through AlK '00 -'03.
#8
It's not history if you're trying to go back to the 7th century. It's actually the future. Go figure
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/08/2005 13:39 Comments ||
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I suppose if your culture and society
-lacks any music worth a damn
-has not produced art worth a damn
-has zero scientific and technical accomplishments
-has little redeeeming value
You might not give a hoot if bulldozers destroy your history
Posted by: john ||
08/08/2005 14:50 Comments ||
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#10
"I suppose if your culture and society
-lacks any music worth a damn
-has not produced art worth a damn
-has zero scientific and technical accomplishments
-has little redeeeming value"
that would certainly be true of the wahabis. No wonder many of the other muslims look down on them.
Prince Muhammad ibn Nawaf will be the new Saudi ambassador to Britain, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal announced here yesterday during a wide-ranging press conference that touched on Saudi-British intelligence-sharing, Saudi-US relations as well as the Kingdom's interests in preserving global oil-market stability and supporting the new government of Iraq. The nomination of Prince Muhammad, son of former intelligence chief Prince Nawaf, is the first major appointment made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after taking over as the Kingdom's new sovereign on Aug. 1. Prince Muhammad is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Studies and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Coming to a Soho brothel near me soon.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/08/2005 7:20 Comments ||
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#2
Hmmmph! No beard and a wimpy moustache. What kind of Soddy prince are you anyway? I recommend looking here for a few tips.
Members of Muslim communities in the city where two of the 7 July bombers lived have visited London to pay their respects at each of the bomb sites. The delegation from Leeds laid wreaths and said prayers at the four sites in which 52 people were killed. Bus bomber Hasib Mir Hussain, 18, lived in Holbeck and Aldgate bomber Shehzad Tanweer, 22, came from Beeston. Edgware Road bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, lived in Dewsbury, West Yorks, but worked at a Beeston school.
The visit followed further talks between Muslim communities in Leeds and a delegation from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). The delegation, which has been organised by the Leeds Islamic Centre, includes members from various sections of the local community in the city and will be joined by MCB representatives. The groups paid it resepcts first at King's Cross station. They then went to Tavistock Square, Aldgate Tube station and Edgware Road London Underground station.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Who exactly are they paying respect to? prayers for what?
#2
But they ain't gonna pray and worship with none of us stinking kafir. Probably praying that allan don't po all the UK to the point where they are forced to go back to "muslim lands" and live in real "muslim" style.
#7
Depends on what sect. I am willing to give Ahmadists or Ismailis the benefit of doubt. If they were even remotely related to Salafists/Wahabists then it was all takiya to avoid backslash and their prayers if any were about a bloodier result for next bombing.
DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Three Irish Republican Army-linked men who have resurfaced in Ireland after fleeing convictions for training rebels in Colombia are unlikely to face extradition back to the South American nation, Irish officials and experts said Monday. Breaking his silence on the matter, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he expected the three -- Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and Jim Monaghan -- to be shipped back to serve their 17-year prison terms imposed eight months ago. Uribe said Colombia "cannot close its eyes to this."
But legal authorities say Ireland's lack of an extradition treaty with Colombia, combined with international concerns about poor human rights standards and prison security there, should prove too high a barrier to clear. They agree that a local, minor prosecution for the men's passport violations -- they traveled abroad using forged passports and evidently sneaked back into Ireland without passing through immigration and customs checks -- appears more likely.
"It is the case that this country does not have an extradition treaty with Colombia," Prime Minister Bertie Ahern wrote in Monday's edition of The Irish Times. "If we receive a request for assistance from the Colombian government, it will be considered in accordance with our legal obligations. That will be subject to scrutiny in the courts, as is right and proper in a democracy." Remy Farrell, a Dublin lawyer who is an expert in extradition law, said Ahern's government faced a daunting series of legal hurdles, making the possibility of an extradition years from now "at best slight." "So long as there is no bilateral extradition treaty between Ireland and Colombia, there can be no extradition," Farrell said. "This then begs the question as to whether the (Irish) government would enter into such an agreement."
The biggest obstacle to establishing a treaty, Farrell said, was Colombia's human rights record, which he noted has been criticized by the United Nations. The risk that the men could be killed in prison could also be cited as a reason to refuse extradition, he said.
The three men, using false identities, were arrested in August 2001 while trying to leave Colombia after spending five weeks in jungles controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the major rebel group trying to topple the country's U.S.-backed government. British anti-terrorist police have identified Monaghan as the IRA's senior weapons engineer and McCauley as one of his deputies. Sinn Fein, the IRA-linked party, initially denied any knowledge of Connolly, but two months after the arrest announced he was Sinn Fein's Cuba-based representative for Latin America, a previously unknown post.
The men at various times have claimed either to have been nature-lovers on vacation or researchers into Colombia's peace process.
State prosecutors accused the trio of training the FARC rebels how to make IRA-style car bombs and heavy mortars. The rural-based FARC has begun using such weaponry in cities, most prominently in August 2002, when a mortar barrage during Uribe's inauguration killed 27 civilians outside the presidential palace. The three were initially acquitted of training rebels in June 2004, but the judge ordered them to remain in Colombia pending the government's appeal. The appellate court in December ruled 2-1 to convict the men on all charges -- but police couldn't find them.
Uribe downplayed the lack of an extradition treaty. "Extradition these days is something I consider only natural in international relations," Uribe told a Bogota broadcaster, Radio Melodia. "It should be applied whether or not there is a treaty because in a world so globalized, countries should not hold back from carrying out extraditions." Earlier, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos said the government's own legal officers hadn't drafted any formal extradition request yet. "The least we expect from the Irish government is they either pay their sentence in Irish jails or that they be extradited," Santos told RTE radio. "How? We do not know exactly at this precise moment."
Posted by: Steve ||
08/08/2005 12:17 ||
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#1
TRANZI bullshit to keep these terrorists from facing justice. No wonder Ireland is a gross exporter of humans, the residents can't take the asshatery.
A confidential report by France's intelligence service that was finalised days before the 7 July London bombings pointed to the threat of an Al-Qaeda attack on Britain, the French daily Le Figaro said Monday. The conservative daily said the report by the DCRG intelligence agency also highlighted the need to closely observe France's Pakistani community with a view to preventing an attack on French soil. An official at the interior ministry confirmed the existence of the report, but cautioned it was "a very technical study on the Pakistani community in France". He said it was not aimed at lecturing Britain on what might happen on its own soil.
So you didn't really warn Britian, like the title suggests
Le Figaro said the report, which focused on France's Pakistani community, was completed just before the July 7 attacks on London in which 56 people were killed, including the four suicide bombers. According to the report quoted by Le Figaro, "the United Kingdom remains under the threat of plans decided at the highest level of al-Qaeda. These (plans) would be put into practice by operatives, with support of Jihadists within the large Pakistani community in Britain. France is not immune from this kind of violent group... observation of the Pakistani community" was essential to prevent any acts of violence on French territory.
The report pointed to "the multiplication of passages through France by Pakistani activists from south Asia or London and the setting up of underground or official representations of the main extremist groups". In particular it named the Lashkar-e-Taiba, an organisation which is linked to Al-Qaeda, adding that several hundred Pakistanis living in France "have chosen the path of terrorism and salafism to express their hatred of the West." Salafism is one of the most radical expressions of Islam.
Le Figaro said that in April 2005 France had refused entry to a Pakistani Islamic senator who was a member of a Pakistani parliamentary delegation in Europe "because of his membership of an Islamist group linked to the Taliban". The hardline Islamic Taliban, which had ties with al-Qaeda, ruled Afghanistan until it was ousted in a US-led campaign in late 2001. Another Islamist senator managed to stay in France in November 2004, even though he had been banned from French soil, the report said. After he left, police arrested the people who had helped him stay in France, Le Figaro said. The report said that the refusal to deliver visas had unleashed strong criticisms against France from "Pakistani extremists".
That would have been Fazl in France in November, and Sami in April...
Posted by: Steve ||
08/08/2005 11:14 ||
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#1
The hardline Islamic Taliban, which had ties with al-Qaeda, ruled Afghanistan until it was ousted in a US-led campaign in late 2001.
What? The Taliban was ousted? And they had ties to Al-Qaeda? Why didn't someone tell me this before? Why didn't you guys catch this news? Once again, the MSM scoops Rantburg.
Another Islamist senator managed to stay in France in November 2004, even though he had been banned from French soil...
Technically speaking, when you are walking on dead bodies, you are not actually on French soil, however blood-soaked it may be.
HT Drudge - He spoke about this last night on his show. Today he posted the info.
The mother of a fallen U.S. soldier who is holding a roadside peace vigil near President Bush's ranch -- has dramatically changed her account about what happened when she met the commander-in-chief last summer! Cindy Sheehan, 48, of Vacaville, Calif., who last year praised Bush for bringing her family the "gift of happiness," took to the nation's TV outlets this weekend to declare how Bush "killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity."
THE REPORTER of Vacaville, CA published an account of Cindy Sheehan's visit with the president at Fort Lewis near Seattle on June 24, 2004: "'I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis,' Cindy said after their meeting. 'I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith.'
"The meeting didn't last long, but in their time with Bush, Cindy spoke about Casey and asked the president to make her son's sacrifice count for something. They also spoke of their faith.
"The trip had one benefit that none of the Sheehans expected.
"For a moment, life returned to the way it was before Casey died. They laughed, joked and bickered playfully as they briefly toured Seattle.
For the first time in 11 weeks, they felt whole again.
"'That was the gift the president gave us, the gift of happiness, of being together,' Cindy said."
Sheehan's current comments are a striking departure. She vowed on Sunday to continue her protest until she can personally ask Bush: "Why did you kill my son?"
In an interview on CNN, she claimed Bush "acted like it was party" when she met him last year. "It was -- you know, there was a lot of things said. We wanted to use the time for him to know that he killed an indispensable part of our family and humanity. And we wanted him to look at the pictures of Casey.
"He wouldn't look at the pictures of Casey. He didn't even know Casey's name. He came in the room and the very first thing he said is, 'So who are we honoring here?' He didn't even know Casey's name. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear anything about Casey. He wouldn't even call him 'him' or 'he.' He called him 'your loved one.'
Every time we tried to talk about Casey and how much we missed him, he would change the subject. And he acted like it was a party.
BLITZER: Like a party? I mean...
SHEEHAN: Yes, he came in very jovial, and like we should be happy that he, our son, died for his misguided policies. He didn't even pretend like somebody...
On her current media tour, Sheehan has not been asked to explain her twist on Bush; from praise to damnation!
#5
I don't blame Ms. Sheehan so much as I do the scumbags that put rants like hers on the airwaves; they know these items only serve up red meat to those who would prefer to see American resolve dissolve.
#8
It's really very pathetic - and I don't mean that in the sarcastic, nasty sense. It's just truly pathetic. No winners here. She's someone who hit rock bottom and can't find her way up. She's desperately seeking attention in ways that ironically degrade her sons death and thus only cause her to sink further. I hope she can find peace. It's too bad that there are so many who happily encourage her to degrade herself and her son for political gain. It's just sad all the way around.
#9
Her son was not a child - but a man who made a decision about deciding to protect his country. He made a commitment to carry out the foreign policy of this President and this administration when he raised his hand and volunteered for duty. He knew that he might die, but he made a commitment and kept it to the penultimate conclusion of his life.
His mother, though she misses him, should be praised for having raised a warrior... and pitied for not being able to respect her son's commitment, patriotism, and dedication.
It's sad. She's not respecting his sacrifice and she's listening to LLL wormtounges. I hope she wises up.
#10
I truly feel sorry for her. She's stuck in the anger phase and there are people with political agendas intent on keeping her there.
Somebody get that woman to a church where she can get some love and support and tap into the power that transcends earthly cares so that she can find a meanigful way accept the mortality that faces all of us.
Hat tip - LGF
Looks like the veil CAIR hides behind in beginning to thin...
War On Terror: An American Muslim pressure group has come out strongly against police profiling of young Muslim men behaving suspiciously at train stations. But the group doesn't have our best interests at heart.
The terror-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says two New York officials' push for such targeted profiling on city subways is offensive and ignorant.
"Terror comes in all shapes and sizes," insists Wissam Nasr, director of CAIR's New York branch.
Never mind that eight young Muslim men bombed London's tube. Or that 19 young Muslim men attacked New York in 2001. Or that every suspect on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists is a Muslim man, with nearly half going by the name Mohammed.
CAIR's national spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, says police should ignore such obvious terror traits and search riders at random, while paying close attention only to people "sweating." Never mind that during New York's balmy summer months, that would include folks who don't remotely fit the terrorist profile.
CAIR should know better than anyone who does fit the terrorist profile. Three of its own officials were recently convicted of terror-related crimes. One even worked for Hooper. He's now in prison for conspiring to kill Americans.
#4
Fortunately, Americans are wising up to CAIR's tactics despite the efforts of the MSM to hide everything. I would like to see CAIR, the ACLU and the NAACP all outed for what they really are.
Terrorist, socialist and communist organizations.
August 8, 2005: The new American strategy in the war on terror is arguably the most comprehensive since the attacks of September 11, 2001. This strategy had its start when U.S. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld sent a memo to his staff in October 2003, wanting to know whether the war on terrorism was being won, and if they were killing more terrorists than were being recruited. This is not to say there had not been serious progress made since 9/11 â in those two years, two state sponsors of terrorism had already been taken out (the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Saddam Hussein in Iraq).
The planners started by looking at what each agency thought on how best to fight the war. What the planners found was that the various services, commands, and even agencies in the Pentagon each had different ideas as to how to deal with terrorism. That had to change. So, the planners went to work identifying what terrorists needed. There were eight items in the list: Ideological support, funds, safe havens, communications and movement, foot soldiers, leadership, weapons, and access to targets. Each of these are needed to sustain a terrorist organization over the long haul. Foot soldiers are required to carry out attacks, for instance. Funds are needed to support the organization. Safe havens are required for training and planning. Leadership handles the planning. Communications and movement are needed for coordinating operations and to evade pursuit. Weapons and access to targets are needed to carry out actual attacks.
The Pentagon still plans to go for big fish like Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and others. However, the enemy has been broadened to include extreme Islamist groups of all stripes. This is due to an enhanced understanding of how groups have worked together. Three areas will get more emphasis. First, assisting countries dealing with terrorism, then going after supporters of terrorism, and working with the State Department in its effort to reduce the appeal of terrorism. Often this involves humanitarian work â like the relief efforts of the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2003. The military is also carrying out more information operations â which have been controversial in the past.
Part of this change has come about because of the success in taking out the terrorist-sponsoring regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. A number of terrorist groups, like Abu Sayyaf (Philippines) and Jemaat Islamiya (Indonesia), operate in countries that are not hostile to the United States. In those cases, the best alternative is to assist those countries in the efforts against the groups.
Finally, the task of coordinating these efforts, and for getting a global perspective has been given to Special Operations Command. This flexible command not only has been carrying out assistance and training since the 1960s, but also has gathered intelligence (often in preparing the battlefield), and can carry out quick operations (like the raid against Mullah Omarâs compound in October, 2001). These efforts will now expand.
Ultimately, the Pentagon is shifting gears â getting ready for a long, generation conflict more akin to the Cold War as opposed to World War II. The Pentagon will be using every tool in its toolbox, from training the forces of friendly nations (as is being done in Iraq and Afghanistan), to public diplomacy, to military force in fighting the war on terror.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/08/2005 09:48 ||
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I guess the MSM and LLL fit in under 'Ideological Support'.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/08/2005 12:02 Comments ||
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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5, 2005 â Each week the cast of "CSI: NY" uses scientific skill to solve mysteries. But the reason Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld visited the show's set in Studio City here Aug. 4 was no mystery: actor Gary Sinise is a solid supporter of U.S. servicemembers, and Rumsfeld's a big fan of Sinise and his efforts.
Rumsfeld visited the CSI set to thank Sinise personally for his support of the "America Supports You" program through his "Operation Iraqi Children" effort. Sinise, who stars in "CSI: NY" as Detective Mac Taylor, co-founded Operation Iraqi Children with Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand in March 2004. The organization collects and ships school supplies and toys to Iraq for distribution by U.S. troops, providing much-needed materials for Iraqi children while boosting the morale of the servicemembers who pass them out, Sinise said.
In addition, Sinise has made two visits to Iraq as part of USO shows and uses his rock group, "The Lt. Dan Band," named after the character Sinise played in the movie, "Forest Gump," to entertain the troops.
Rumsfeld praised Sinise's efforts to the cast and crew of "CSI: NY," who took a short break from shooting an episode during his visit.
The tides were temporarily turned on the set, as the show's cast and crew gathered around Rumsfeld, shaking hands, snapping photos and asking for autographs, as they watched Rumsfeld and Sinise step into Sinise's trailer for a private chat. "I've never seen Gary so excited," said Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of the CSI franchise and executive producer of "CSI: NY." "This man is such a patriot and loves his country so much," Zuiker said. You don't have to protest to love your country?
So much so, Zuiker said, that he always knows the perfect gift to give Sinise for his birthday or any other special occasion: a check for his Operation Iraqi Children effort.
Rumsfeld, who joked with Sinise about going to rival high schools in Chicago, told the cast about "all the wonderful things this man has done for the men and women in uniform across the country." He thanked Sinise for his personal involvement in supporting the troops and presented him with a commemorative Pentagon paperweight and official secretary of defense coin to add to Sinise's extensive coin collection gathered during troop visits.
The secretary also shared Sinise's hopes of expanding the program into Afghanistan as well as Iraq. Sinise told the American Forces Press Service he feels honored to be doing his part of help the troops. "They need us out there," he said. "We're blessed in this country to have an all-volunteer service, not a mandatory service. And I feel obligated to support them as they keep very, very busy on several fronts."
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/08/2005 07:36 ||
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Its nice to read about non-asshat celebrities, considering there seems to be so few of them. I wonder if Rummy's visit just killed off Sinises' movie career though.
Hizbullah officials have voiced their opposition to pardoning Lebanese citizens who collaborated with Israel during its occupation of Lebanon. Marjayoun-Hasbaya MP Qassem Hashem, a member of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc, announced that several MPs are preparing a bill to deny Lebanese nationality for all "agents" who obtained Israeli citizenship "after they became Israelis through loyalty to their Zionist masters."
In a statement in Marjayoun, Hashem said the agents "are not part of national reconciliation and cannot be encompassed by any amnesty law because they were Israel's tools ... and chose willingly to betray their country." Christian politicians, including Kesrouan MP Michel Aoun's Reform and Change parliamentary bloc, want to propose an amnesty law that will enable members of the now-defunct South Lebanon Army (SLA) to return home with their families. The Maronite Patriarch has suggested that amnesty be offered in the spirit of national reconciliation. Hizbullah commander in the South Sheikh Nabil Qaouk said the trial of agents was the minimal action required, adding that "pardoning them is a betrayal of the Lebanese people's sacrifices and the sacrifices of prisoners, detainees, martyrs and the wounded."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2005 12:08 ||
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Is that the [Tania] group.
Posted by: hey mo ||
08/08/2005 15:47 Comments ||
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), created in May 1979 as an ideological force to defend Iran's fledgling Islamic regime, now stands poised to strengthen its political and military clout. In a recent meeting with IRGC high commanders, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei discussed important changes in the IRGC's role, the most significant being the creation of a center tasked with formulating the corps' strategic policies. The center will also prepare a long-term program for increasing the IRGC's autonomy vis-a-vis the traditional military establishment. The IRGC is thus on the verge of being transformed from a junior player in the country's military defense, to a key factor in the country's military and security doctrine -- a rise that could come at the army's expense.
The Birth Of The Corps
Article 150 of the Iranian Constitution defines the primary role of the IRGC as protector of the revolution and its achievements. Among the tasks carried out by the corps were the monitoring of citizens' activities, enforcement of the dress code, and the seizure of material not favored by the regime. However, President Mohammad Khatami provided insight into the corps' actual functions during a meeting with IRGC commanders in March 2000 in which he praised the IRGC's defense of Iran during the 1980-88 war with Iraq, its protection of Iran's reconstruction plan, and efforts to ensure the country's security. The IRGC's core domestic mission, in practice, can thus be described as being ideological, political, and partly economic in nature, while carrying out both military and security duties.
Article 154 indirectly expands the IRGC's political and military relevance beyond Iran's borders, wherein it defines the Islamic Republic's mission as one that seeks the happiness of mankind in human society and recognizes independence, freedom, and justice as universal human rights. While eschewing interference in other countries' internal affairs, furthermore, the article stipulates Iran's support for the rightful struggles of oppressed peoples against their oppressors anywhere in the world. Thus, the IRGC's interest in aiding the Lebanese, Bosnians, Palestinians, and others against their "oppressors" is effectively prescribed in the constitution.
Expanding Horizons
Another constitutional article affords the IRGC a great opportunity to strengthen its political and military presence. Article 151 says the government is obligated to provide military-training facilities for everyone in the country, in accordance with the precepts of Islam under which all individuals should have the ability to take up arms in defense of their country, and thus the system of the Islamic Republic.
This constitutional green light resulted in the creation in 1979-80 of the Basij Resistance Force, a volunteer paramilitary force that is subject to the IRGC. General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, the commander of the IRGC, predicted that in the Third Five-Year Development Plan (2000-04) the number of Basijis will expand to 15 million (9 million men, 6 million women) to better counter potential domestic and foreign threats. While apparently falling short of the goal outlined in the plan, Basij commander Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi estimated the number of Basij personnel at 10.3 million in March 2004 and 11 million in March 2005.
Rahim-Safavi described the Basijis as a means to protect internal security and to serve as a powerful deterrent force against foreign incursion. To facilitate these efforts, members of the Basij have received standard military training and have also been taught asymmetrical warfare techniques by the IRGC. There are Basij units in all government agencies, universities, factories, and municipal localities. The "Velayat Project," under which thousands of pupils are exposed to Islamic principles and studies, is part of the effort to create a 20-million-strong army in Iran and constitutes another opportunity for the IRGC to expand its role. The IRGC-governed Basij Resistance Force took responsibility for the military training of the project forces. Of the 10,000 volunteers who enrolled in the project, only 3,200 were accepted to participate in this summer's training.
The Palestinian issue is also a source of attraction for Iranian youth to enroll in paramilitary organizations. Believers in a "clash of civilizations" who prepare for total war with the enemies of Islam and Iran can fill out recruitment applications published in the weekly "Parto Sokhan." The headquarters of the Tribute to the Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement, which is affiliated with the IRGC, is behind the recruitment drive. The effort has reportedly culled 40,000 volunteers to undergo special training to become suicide bombers for serving the Palestinian cause against the Israeli occupation.
The Reformation Of The IRGC
The IRGC's active involvement in domestic politics began following Ayatollah Khomeini's death in 1989. In the 1990s some IRGC commanders denounced then-President Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani's political, social, and economic reforms as damaging to the values of the revolution. Under Khatami's presidency (1997-2005) the reform movement accelerated -- a development that had the additional effect of helping the IRGC gain prominence.
Following the 1999 student riots, some hard-line elements of the IRGC warned Khatami that his reforms were endangering the revolutionary order and that the IRGC could not stand by and watch as the fruits of the revolution were destroyed. As a result, these IRGC officers said, they essentially had no alternative than to intervene to uphold the interests of the Islamic regime.Iran's parliament contains about 80 former IRGC members, while other former members command the regular army and the national police. In a letter to Khatami, 24 IRGC commanders stated that they would take the law into their own hands unless the president cracked down on demonstrators. It became clearly evident that the IRGC's opposition to the reform movement was such that it would take action to counter it when deemed necessary.
In 2003, Rahim-Safavi wrote in a letter to the Majlis speaker: "The IRGC considers itself responsible for the defense of the Islamic Revolution, its achievements, and the ideology and values of Imam Khomeini. We insist upon avoiding political games and infighting among different parties and groups. [Parliamentarians] should also refrain from extremist actions and respect the dignity of the Majlis. Our main mission is to stop those who wish to destroy and overthrow the Islamic Revolution."
The Future
It is clear that the IRGC stands on solid ground at the onset of the new political era in Iran. Using the experience it gained in carrying out large projects during the war with Iraq, the corps has become a force in Iran's economy by launching numerous companies. Many of these enterprises receive lucrative government contracts and are active in the agriculture and oil sectors, on road and dam construction, and in automobile manufacturing. In addition, former IRGC commanders run the Oppressed and Disabled Foundation, an extremely powerful and wealthy organization that takes care of underprivileged Iranians.
The IRGC's long reach into political affairs is also increasingly apparent. Iran's parliament contains about 80 former IRGC members, while other former members command the regular army and the national police. Still more occupy important civilian and government positions, such as municipal councilors, mayors, provincial governors, university professors, and businessmen. And possibly most significant, none other than the country's new president -- Mahmud Ahmadinejad -- served with the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War.
However, Ahmadinejad's August 3 inauguration leaves the IRGC's future far from clear, and begs a number of questions. Are the new president's ties to the IRGC strong enough to lead to a significant increase in its involvement in foreign affairs, domestic politics, and the economy? Will the IRGC, which already receives the lion's share of the defense budget, play an even more dominant role in military affairs and security decision making? As always, Iranian affairs are very dynamic and unpredictable, but history teaches us that for every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction. And there is little doubt that attempts to establish the militarization of power will be met with resistance from within.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/08/2005 09:22 ||
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A Love Letter from EurAsiaNet to the IRGC. Gee, how pointless.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received his Syrian counterpart Sunday, the first head of state to pay an official visit to the newly-inaugurated Iranian leader, and reiterated that the two countries should unite against their opponents. Syrian President Bashar Assad emphasized terrorism in his comments after arriving in Tehran for a two-day visit. "Iran and Syria should pay attention to terrorism, which is spreading in the Middle East," Assad said.
"And who would know about this more than our two countries?" he added.
Spreading, if I'm not mistaken, from Iran and Syria, in fact...
"Common threats deserve the formation of a united front by Iran and Syria more than ever," Ahmadinejad said at a joint news conference with Assad. "Boosting relations could protect the region from the threats." The Iranian leader did not identify the source of the threats but, in a commentary on the visit, Iranian state television said: "Cooperation between the two countries is important because the United States and Israel have invaded the region."
Think they're worried?
In a February visit to Tehran by Syria's prime minister, Iranian and Syrian officials spoke of forming a "united front" to counter external pressure, but nothing concrete about an alliance has emerged. The Iranian TV commentary said "Syria considers boosting relations (with Iran) as a way of reducing U.S. pressure on Damascus."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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The Dogan Media Group (rivals of the Uzan group who ripped off Motorola and Nokia for multi-billions) are publishing a news weekly, Kaide ("Al-Qaeda" in Turkish) which openly praises its namesake and idolizes Osama bin Laden. Kaide, which looks like an Al-Qaeda bulletin and includes all Al-Qaeda announcements, is published legally in Istanbul and sold at newsstands across Turkey.
#3
Ever heard of the word Counterterrorism?
It can be very demoralizing to extremists to come to the realization that they are no longer able to hide behind the system. I think Mossad has a branch named LAP that does stuff like that, maybe it is time turkey had a similar service.
August 8, 2005: Whoâs winning in Iraq? The government is getting stronger. Each month, more areas of the country become âsafe.â But âsafeâ is a relative term in Iraq. The northern Kurdish areas, and most of the Shia Arab south have been free of constant violence for over a year. The areas being made âsafeâ now are towns and neighborhoods in central and western Iraq. Iraqâs neighbors, who are all hostile for different reasons, have come to accept the prospect of an Iraqi democracy controlled by the Shia Arab majority.
Each of the neighbors is hostile for a different reason. The Turks are afraid that the Iraq government will give the Iraqi Kurds too much autonomy, and tolerate Iraqi Kurds supporting Kurdish separatism in Turkey. As far as the Turks are concerned, this is already happening. While most Iranians want the Iraqi democracy to succeed, the Islamic conservatives who run Iran do not. The Iranian hard liners are encouraging and supporting the Iraqi Arab Shia radicals to try and take control of the government. This is a long shot, and troublesome even as it fails.
To the south, Kuwait wants Iraq to settle down, but cannot forget that even a democratic Iraq will probably still believe Kuwait should be part of Iraq. Some Kuwaitis believe that Iraq should be kept weak, lest there be another invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia would rather have the Iraqi Sunni Arabs running Iraq, preferably as a dictatorship. The Saudis will always want that, but in the meantime, they have to work with the current Iraqi government because Islamic radicals are fighting democrats in Iraq as well as royalists in Saudi Arabia. Jordan is in a situation similar to Saudi Arabia, made worse by the fact that Jordan was always, for economic reasons, been an ally of Saddam Hussein. Syria is another dictatorship that does not feel comfortable with a democracy next door. Syriaâs situation is further complicated by the fact that Syria is run by non-Sunni Arabs, who belong to the Alawite sect. Moreover, the Syrian leadership share a common political philosophy with the deposed Saddam Hussein government. There have long been feuding Iraqi and Syrian factions of the Baath party. While Syria was a long time foe of Saddam because of this, they would prefer to have an Arab dictator (preferably Shia) running Iraq. But for the moment, Syria will be nice to whatever government runs Iraq.
Most of Iraqâs neighbors would like coalition forces out of Iraq, now, so that they can interfere on the side of their favorite faction, in an Iraqi civil war. That could get very ugly, but one thing most of Iraqâs neighbors agree on, anything is preferable to an Iraqi democracy.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/08/2005 09:55 ||
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August 8, 2005: The August 3rd coup that ousted Mauritanian President Maaouiya Ould Sid Ahmed Tayas was a consequence of very complex Mauritanian tribal politics. There are two major ethnic groups in the country, Arabo-Mauritanians (sometimes termed âWhiteâ Mauritanians), in the north, and Afro-Mauritanians, in the south. Afro-Mauritanians are generally animist or Christian, while Arabo-Mauritanians are almost entirely Moslem, ranging from secular to conservative. Afro-Mauritanians have very little influence in the country.
Although the coup was initially reported as a possible Islamist response to Tayasâ pro-Western policies, both Tayas and Col. Ely Ould Mohammed Vall, who replaced him, are more or less secular Arabo-Mauritanians. The two men had formerly been close collaborators, and Vall had played a key role in the 1984 coup that brought Tayas to power. In return, in 1987, Tayas made Vall Director of National Security. Vall still held this post when the 17-member Council for Justice and Democracy ousted Tayas and named Vall president.
The roots of the coup seem to be tied up in tribal politics. There are 36 âWhiteâ Arabo-Mauritanian tribes. About a dozen of these are traditionally warrior peoples, and have high status in the informal caste system among the tribes. Tayas came from the relatively small Samossad tribe, traditionally merchants and traders rather than warriors. Vall is tied to one of the principal warrior clans, who, not incidentally, tend to be very over-represented in the countryâs armed forces. Apparently in recent years there has been rising resentment among the warrior tribes over the distribution of booty in the country, as Tayas was seen as increasingly favoring his own clan.
Tayas, who was attending the funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia at the time, has been offered asylum in Niger, from which he had declared that he remains President and intends to return to his country. In a surprising development, the coup has been widely condemned in the Arab press (except by the Palestinians, because of Tayasâ pro-Israel policies), and by the African Union collectively, and many African national leaders, despite the fact that several of the latter owe their positions to precisely the same process.
Meanwhile, France has placed its forces in Senegal, Chad, and Gabon (in each of which there is a small brigade-type task force) on alert for possible NEO (Non-combatant Evacuation Operation), and action in which the French are likely to be supported by the U.S.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/08/2005 09:38 ||
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Edited for a taste of what the article is about.
al Qaeda and allied groups are using the Internet to recruit more fighters, spread their message and train their followers to commit acts of terror. Samples of terrorist manuals and screenshots of jihadist Web sites are also available.
Al Qaeda suicide bombers and ambush units in Iraq routinely depend on the Web for training and tactical support, relying on the Internet's anonymity and flexibility to operate with near impunity in cyberspace. In Qatar, Egypt and Europe, cells affiliated with al Qaeda that have recently carried out or seriously planned bombings have relied heavily on the Internet.
Such cases have led Western intelligence agencies and outside terrorism specialists to conclude that the "global jihad movement," sometimes led by al Qaeda fugitives but increasingly made up of diverse "groups and ad hoc cells," has become a "Web-directed" phenomenon, as a presentation for U.S. government terrorism analysts by longtime State Department expert Dennis Pluchinsky put it. Hampered by the nature of the Internet itself, the government has proven ineffective at blocking or even hindering significantly this vast online presence.
Among other things, al Qaeda and its offshoots are building a massive and dynamic online library of training materials -- some supported by experts who answer questions on message boards or in chat rooms -- covering such varied subjects as how to mix ricin poison, how to make a bomb from commercial chemicals, how to pose as a fisherman and sneak through Syria into Iraq, how to shoot at a U.S. soldier, and how to navigate by the stars while running through a night-shrouded desert. These materials are cascading across the Web in Arabic, Urdu, Pashto and other first languages of jihadist volunteers.
There's nothing stopping us from setting up our own websites, full of bomb making instructions guaranteed to be more hazardous to the the maker than the target.
And why not set up our own cells while we're at it? Jihadis check in, but they don't check out.
Do this often enough and no jihadi will trust a damn thing he sees on the net.
Saddam Hussein's family said Monday it has dissolved his Jordan-based legal team, canceling the power of attorney it had given to international lawyers in a move seen as reorganizing Saddam's legal counsel ahead of his upcoming trial. In an "urgent" statement, Saddam's family said it has appointed Iraqi lawyer Khalil Duleimi as Saddam's "one and sole legal counsel." Duleimi was part of the Jordan-based legal team for the past year and attended some of Saddam's initial court hearings in Baghdad. I was so looking forward to Ramsey Clark's brilliant defense strategy.
Posted by: ed ||
08/08/2005 06:16 ||
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this is gonna be another milosevic trial. He will die oold age before he ever gets tried
#2
Actually, TH, you just perfectly described why this case was never going to be allowed anywhere near the ICT and will be tried in Iraq by Iraqis. He'll be convicted before year-end, is my guess.
#3
All the defense team has to do is read the full text in court of Saddam's latest masterpiece Get Out, Damned One. They will immediately either declare him insane and send him on his merry way or shoot themselves from boredom in which case he escapes.
Mauritania's new army rulers ordered the release on Sunday of around 20 Islamist activists who had been jailed by ousted President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya for their alleged links with a group allied to al Qaeda.
That's the bad sign I've been expecting...
In a move designed to reassure political parties, the junta also appointed a civilian prime minister, Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, to head a caretaker government. The detainees freed on Sunday were part of a group of some 60 people arrested by security forces since April in a clampdown on Islamist activists and politicians which critics say was an excuse to stifle dissent. ``This is a new era, a page has been turned,'' said Moctar Ould Mohamed Moussa, one of the released prisoners, as he walked out of the main civilian prison in the capital Nouakchott to be met by cheering relatives.
So now, back to work, setting up his private Islamic army. Next step will be for a few people to be killed for insulting Islam...
The detained activists had been accused by Taya's government of colluding with the Algerian-based Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), a movement allied to al Qaeda. But many Mauritanian Arabs say Taya overstated the Islamist threat to justify a crackdown on opponents and curry favor with the United States -- whose military trained his army to fight radical militants thought to be active in the Sahara desert. ``The Islamists are the majority in Mauritania. They do not preach violence. The former president rounded them as extremists so as to win support from the West,'' said Yacoub Ould Moine, a university maths professor who was standing outside the prison.
We'll wait and see. I imagine a state as close to being failed as Mauritania is going to attract Qaeda like flies.
A source close to the military junta told Reuters half a dozen prisoners would stay in jail after they admitted ties to the GSPC. The cases of other detainees were being reviewed. Opposition leaders said the new prime minister had once been one of Taya's men, but should be given the benefit of the doubt. ``He is someone from the old regime but he is someone who wants change,'' Mohamed Ould Maouloud, leader of a moderate opposition party, told Reuters. ``We will judge him by his work,'' he said.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/08/2005 05:06 ||
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Unfortunately, we're a little busy right now. Is this a former British colony? If so, perhaps they could do something. If it's a former French colony, then oh, well.
I suppose it doesn't matter all that much, as I don't believe Mali or Senegal is all that important. Maybe just interdict them. Prohibit flights to and from, and shoot any Mauritanian found outside the country.
Interesting background info on the Pak army Going back to Pak army's economic superpower...What percentage of the GDP and GNP is it?
asidd66: This is difficult to calculate but their own estimates are about 4 % of GDP. I would say that their share in private sector assets is about 7-10 percent of private sector assets. This is a large number for any single group.
How much land does the forces own in each province?
asidd66: Difficult to bifurcate but to give you a taste - they own about 7-9 million acres in Punjab alone.
Posted by: john ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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Let's kidnap a few Paki generals and establish a market price for them. Start with Hamid Gul.
Posted by: ed ||
08/08/2005 6:13 Comments ||
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Might be quite a lucrative racket.
Posted by: john ||
08/08/2005 10:48 Comments ||
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NOUAKCHOTT - Mauritanian Prime Minister Sghair Ould MâBareck, who had remained in post after a military coup in the northwest African state, on Sunday handed in his ceremonial sash, parking pass, executive washroom keys and resignation as well as that of his government, sources close to the presidency said.
Seeing as he wasn't needed any more ...
Ould MâBareck announced his resignation following a meeting with Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, the head of the ruling Military Council for Justice and Democracy that was set up after last Wednesdayâs coup.
"I'll go quietly. Don't shoot!"
The new regime has promised to hold a referendum on a revised constitution within a year, followed by presidential and parliamentary elections that should take place within two years at the most. Following the announcement, Vall immediately summoned Sidy Mohamed Ould Boubacar, a leader of the former ruling Social Democratic Republican Party (PRDS), the sources said. Boubacar, who served as prime minister under ousted President Maaouiya Ould Taya, and later as ambassador to France, is widely tipped to head the transitional government that is to be set up to see the country through to new elections. Under a constitutional charter adopted by the Military Council on Saturday, the Council head exercises executive power and nominates the prime minister and members of the transitional government.
"We'll nominate you to be PM, but we're keeping the parking card for ourselves."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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What about bicycle gears? Did he have any of those?
My guess is that they were rioting because they think Garang was assassinated. What's the committee think?
Sudanese President Omar Bashir yesterday decreed the formation of a ministerial committee to probe deadly rioting that erupted following the death of former southern rebel John Garang, official media said.
Good move. Form a committee. That always works.
The panel will investigate âcircumstances that led to the eruption of riot, murder, arson and damage against the citizens in Khartoum and other states in the wake of announcing the death of First Vice President John Garang.â The riots, which mainly pitted Christian or animist southerners against Muslim northerners earlier this week, left 111 people dead in Khartoum and 19 in two southern towns, according to the Red Cross. The committee, which is chaired by Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Bekri Hassan Salih, is to probe âthe reasons, motives and parties that contributed to the incidents,â state media said, quoting the text of the decree. It will also investigate any âsecurity shortcomings and negligence in dealing with the incidents.â The committee has two weeks from the date of commencing its task to submit its report to the president.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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One of two main challengers to President Hosni Mubarak in next month's elections said Sunday that if elected, he would abolish Egypt's emergency laws and release all political prisoners. But Noaman Gomaa, a law professor who leads the New Wafd Party, told reporters he would not let the Muslim Brotherhood stand as a party in elections. "We reject any party founded on a religious basis," Gomaa said, referring to Egypt's biggest Islamic group. "They should be left as a religious social group, one that spreads the principles of Islam."
The Brotherhood's political role has long been problematic. Although tolerated, the Brotherhood is outlawed and cannot contest elections. Many Egyptians who favor greater democracy fear that if the Brotherhood were allowed to run, it win overwhelmingly. Echoing current government policy, Gomaa said that if the Brotherhood wanted to take part in politics, it should support independent candidates or ally itself with an existing party. By endorsing nominally independent candidates, the Brotherhood has 15 seats in the 454-member parliament and is the largest opposition bloc. In the 1984 elections, Gomaa's New Wafd allied itself with the Brotherhood and won 58 seats in parliament. Today the Wafd has four seats.
Gomaa, 70, and Ayman Nour, 40, a former Wafd member who leads the Al-Ghad party, are the biggest names standing against Mubarak, 77, in elections scheduled for Sept. 7.
Lemme see, here. Hosni, at 77, is getting to the point where he's going to fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Antiquities. He and Gomaa, assuming they get along, can share Grecian Formula. An actuary would expect one or both to be pushing up daisies five years from now. It doesn't look like Nour's got much of a chance, which means the Land of Denial won't be bubbling over for another year or two.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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One of two main challengers to President Hosni Mubarak in next month's elections said Sunday that if elected
Mauritania's self-declared head of state on Sunday named a new prime minister to replace the former premier who resigned along with his Cabinet after last week's coup. A judge freed 21 people who had been detained for plotting against the ousted regime, a U.S. ally. Junta leader Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall named Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar as prime minister, the government said in a statement. The 49-year-old Boubacar returned to Mauritania on Saturday from France, where he had been serving as ambassador since 2004.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2005 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Prince Muhammad ibn Nawaf will be the new Saudi ambassador to Britain, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal announced here yesterday during a wide-ranging press conference that touched on Saudi-British intelligence-sharing, Saudi-US relations as well as the Kingdom's interests in preserving global oil-market stability and supporting the new government of Iraq. The nomination of Prince Muhammad, son of former intelligence chief Prince Nawaf, is the first major appointment made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after taking over as the Kingdom's new sovereign on Aug. 1. Prince Muhammad is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Studies and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Hizbullah officials have voiced their opposition to pardoning Lebanese citizens who collaborated with Israel during its occupation of Lebanon. Marjayoun-Hasbaya MP Qassem Hashem, a member of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc, announced that several MPs are preparing a bill to deny Lebanese nationality for all "agents" who obtained Israeli citizenship "after they became Israelis through loyalty to their Zionist masters."
One of two main challengers to President Hosni Mubarak in next month's elections said Sunday that if elected, he would abolish Egypt's emergency laws and release all political prisoners. But Noaman Gomaa, a law professor who leads the New Wafd Party, told reporters he would not let the Muslim Brotherhood stand as a party in elections. "We reject any party founded on a religious basis," Gomaa said, referring to Egypt's biggest Islamic group. "They should be left as a religious social group, one that spreads the principles of Islam."
