Mullah Omar, the shadowy Taliban leader, has purportedly sent a letter to The White House indicating an interest in peace talks.
The unsigned note claims to carry a message directly from the one-eyed militant to Barack Obama, urging the US president to release senior Taliban fighters from Guantánamo Bay as a first step towards peace talks in Afghanistan.
If the letter is confirmed to have come from the fugitive mullah it would be the strongest indication yet that the upper echelons of the Taliban movement are prepared to come to the negotiating table after ten years of insurgency.
This week, Leon Panetta, the US Defence Secretary, said that the US wanted to end its combat role in Afghanistan by the middle of 2013, a year earlier than previously publicised, enabling an expedited draw-down of the USs current 90,000-strong fighting force.
Last month, the Taliban made a surprise announcement that it would open a political office in Qatar, although questions remain over whether the movement is serious about a long-term settlement or wants to bargain for prisoner releases.
[An Nahar] Britannia appointed Thursday its first ambassador to war-torn Somalia for 21 years, Foreign Secretary William Hague said, as he made a landmark visit to the anarchic capital Mogadishu.
"I am delighted to have made the first visit to Mogadishu by a British Foreign Secretary for over 19 years. This is a sign of Britannia's commitment to the people and country of Somalia," Hague said in a statement.
"As a further demonstration of our long-term commitment to Somalia, the UK's new ambassador to Somalia, Matt Baugh has today presented his credentials to (Somali) President Sheikh Sharif."
Hague was one of the highest profile visitors and the most senior British official to the war-torn Somali capital in two decades.
The last British ambassador left Somalia 21 years ago, as the Horn of Africa spiraled into chaos during the 1991 ouster of president Siad Barre.
The new ambassador, previously Britannia's Senior Representative to Somalia, will remain based in the Kenyan capital, a British embassy front man in Nairobi said. He will move to Mogadishu and open an embassy only "when the security situation allows," the front man added.
The appointment, and Hague's surprise visit, comes ahead of a London conference due on February 23 aimed at resolving the protracted crises in the lawless Horn of Africa nation.
Britannia's Foreign Office says the event "aims to bring together leaders of key partner countries and organizations... to help galvanize a common approach to address the problems and challenges of Somalia that affect us all."
This includes tackling the issues of extremism and the "underlying causes of instability and conflict in Somalia."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
why would you need an ambassador too this shithole?
Posted by: chris ||
02/03/2012 8:13 Comments ||
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#3
"As a further demonstration of our long-term commitment to Somalia, the UK's new ambassador to Somalia, Matt Baugh has today presented his credentials to (Somali) President Sheikh Sharif."
Let me guess - a briefcase full of pound sterling, or maybe a Happy Meal?
[An Nahar] A Cairo court has sentenced the Arab world's most famous actor, Adel Iman, to three months in jail for "defaming Islam" in several roles on stage and screen, the Egyptian comic said on Thursday.
Imam, a U.N. goodwill ambassador who has been described as the Arab world's Charlie Chaplin, was sentenced to hard labor in absentia, he told AFP after being sued by Asran Mansur, a lawyer with Islamist ties.
"I will appeal the ruling," Imam said.
"Some people seeking fame filed a suit against me over works I have done which they consider insulting to Islam, and this is of course not true," he said.
The 71-year-old celebrity has a long history of legal tangles with Islamists who regard the actor's work as blasphemous.
Especially when the actor makes fun of them...
In the latest case, the actor said the works criticized are the 1994 movie "Al-Irhabi" (The Terrorist), in which he portrays an Islamic fundamentalist and the play "Al-Zaeem" (The Leader), a comedy in which Imam pokes fun at the region's autocratic leaders.
"All the works in which I have starred went through the censors. Had they been found to be defamatory, the censors would have banned them," Imam said.
Obviously Egypt found some new censors...
Imam has acted in more than 100 films and 10 plays that are highly appreciated by the Arab public for their irreverence towards both the powerful and the religious.
In a 1998 TV debate, called "Star on a Hot Tin Roof", Imam squared off with three Islamists from the Moslem Brüderbund, the movement whose members now hold a strong majority in Egypt's parliament.
Since 2000, Imam has served as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency, alongside likes of film star Angelina Jolie and Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani.
"In the course of his rich career, he has mixed humor with sadness to portray ordinary people who are victims of injustice and poverty," the agency says in a biography of imam on its website.
"For all these reasons, Imam became a symbol for people promoting tolerance and human rights ...which often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... in the Arab world," it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Yemen Human Rights Horia Mashhoor said on Wednesday that an independent commission will be formed with the aim of investigating violations committed against human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... since the outbreak of anti-regime protests in last February.
"Probes about killing of protesters in Sana'a , Taiz and Abyan lack transparency, and Yemen's judiciary lack enough fairness," she added.
In her meeting with Middle East and North Africa director of the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy(NED) Abdul Rahman Al-Jubouri, she made clear that Yemen needs special legalizations that cope with international laws.
Mashhoor revealed that the ministry seeks to hold a national dialogue conference to solve Yemen's problems and come up with joint national views on human rights.
She revealed that Human Rights Ministry would be shifted to an independent supreme authority which enjoys impartiality.
For his part, Al-Jabouri stressed that NED seeks to help Yemen in the field of enacting legislations of the constitution and election laws, pointing out that NED would support and train the consultative body belonging to the Human Rights through Ministry.
In an interview with the state-run 26 September newspaper, Mashhoor made reference to the existence of a big gap between laws and their application on the ground.
Mashhoor has said she seeks to shut down private custodies run by some officials and tribal leaders, stressing that the existence of such custodies contradicts Yemen laws and international conventions.
Mashhoor has vowed to release all political prisoners held in security forces.
Separately, Mashour stated that Yemen's high-ranking officials take over 90 percent of allowances and benefits allocated to government ministries while low-ranking employees get nothing.
She affirmed that Yemen's financial systems encourage corruption, demanding to carry out significant financial reforms.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Yemeni deputy minister of information threatened to resign due to what he called "irresponsible and reckless behaviors" of the editors of the state-owned Newspapers: Al-Thwara and al-Jimohria.
"Quitting is more honorable to me than keeping my job unable to make any decision," said al-Janadi.
He said he would present his resignation next week because state-run al-Thwara has removed the poster of the outgoing President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... from its top front page, stressing that "Saleh is still the legitimate leader of Yemen".
He demanded that editors take into account that Saleh's General People Congress party still has half of the seats in the National Unity Government; therefore, they must respect him.
Al-Jandadi has been the former regime and GPS front man since the revolution broke out in February. He used to defend and justify the killings of peaceful protesters. On some occasions he went to deny that protesters were getting killed and claimed they were acting to get the international community on their side.
Yemeni public media has changed dramatically since the formation of the National Reconciliation Government.
Elsewhere, Yemeni Minister of Information Ali al-Amrani survived an liquidation attempt as his car came under fire when he was driving back form the weekly cabinet meeting. The attackers bravely ran away without being intercepted.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Yemeni Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed met on Tuesday with the Indian, Cuban, German, and Dutch ambassadors respectively in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.
During his meeting with the Indian ambassador Dr, Awsaf Saed , they reviewed the relationships between the two countries in terms of military cooperation and ways to enhance it.
Nasser has noted out the historic bilateral relationships between India and Yemen and stressed the importance of improving it in a way that serves the aspirations and interests of the two countries peoples.
For his part, Saed has reiterated his country's stance that stands by Yemen's stability, security and unity and delivered to Nasser an invitation from his Indian counterpart to attend the International Defense Exhibition which will take place in India in March this year.
In separate meetings, Nasser r reviewed with the Cuban acting ambassador Oscar De Louis, and German ambassador Hollinger Green the bilateral military cooperation with their respective countries in terms of medical treatment.
Nasser has also met in his office in Sana'a with the Dutch ambassador Leonie Kyulenyer.
During the meeting, they discussed the current relationships between Yemen's and Netherlands' armies especially in the Naval field, and how best bolster it and take it to new horizons.
For her part, Leonie Kyulenyer said that she is relieved that the political scene in Yemen has made great progress and that tensions between conflicting parties are being increasingly eased.
Nasser briefed the diplomats the latest developments in the Yemeni political and security arenas, the military committee's mission, which is tasked with clearing armed manifestations from the central cities and restructuring the army units, and Yemen's role in fighting terrorism.
Massive popular protests calling for an end to the authoritarian role of President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... combined by al-Qaeda insurgency in the south and Shiite rebellion in the far north has shaken Yemen to the bone, leaving thousands killed, pushing the economy to the brink of collapse and triggering a catastrophic humanitarian disaster.
Saleh has signed a deal under which he relinquished power to Vic President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, the consensus candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
Saleh has left Yemen for USA for further medical treatment of wounds and burns inflicted in an liquidation attempt last year at the Presidential Palace, and he is most likely not going to come back home again.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The High Court yesterday granted anticipatory bail for a month to 489 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists from different districts in nine separate cases filed on charges of vandalising public property and obstructing police from discharging duties.
The cases were filed after the country witnessed a number of incidents of violence on January 29 centring a mass procession programme by BNP-Jamaat led four-party alliance.
An HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan passed the order after hearing nine separate bail petitions submitted by the accused.
Among the accused leaders and workers, 138 from Borguna, 181 from Laksmipur, 16 from Nilphamari, 70 from Kurigram, 35 from Faridpur and 48 from Chandpur appeared before the court seeking bail yesterday.
Barrister Moudud Ahmed, advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain, advocate Zainul Abedin and barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon appeared for the accused.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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Pyongyang on Thursday issued an "open questionnaire" that demands answers from Seoul if relations between the two Koreas are to improve.
It's not an eHarmony style questionnaire...
The official KCNA news agency said that the questionnaire came from the policy department of the National Defense Commission, which "solemnly urges" South Korea to answer it "since it loudly trumpets a resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and improvement of relations."
Intra-Korean, surely.
The department is also known as the General Reconnaissance Bureau, the headquarters of the regime's anti-South Korean operations, led by Kim Yong-chol.
The questionnaire consists of nine questions. It asks whether Seoul can "feel deeply sorry and be determined to apologize" for having banned all but a handful of South Koreans from paying their respects after Kim Jong-il's death;
Can, yes. Does? Absolutely not, obviously. A poor start by the questioner. Let us go on.
whether it is willing to "officially express its intention at home and abroad to implement the joint declarations" adopted after the first and second inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007;
Were it willing, it would have done so in, say, 2001 or 2008. A pointless question.
and whether it will "declare to the world" that it no longer blames the North for the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010.
There is going to be a mighty short response from the South...
Which is worse, from the North Korean perspective: a quietly raised eyebrow or ill-concealed snickers?
It also demands Seoul suspend large-scale military exercises, suspend anti-North Korean propaganda campaigns, resume inter-Korean exchanges, and abolish the National Security Law.
Snickers it is, then.
"It's a pity that the North issued such an absurd statement for propaganda purposes," a Unification Ministry official said. "We don't think it necessary for the government to respond to each question."
Or to any of them...
Oooo. Ladies and gentlemen, let us pause to admire a perfectly executed sniquere diplomatique.
Prof. Kim Yong-hyun of Dongguk University said the questionnaire bodes ill for inter-Korean relations. "Although the questionnaire looks as if the regime is urging Seoul to change its policy toward the North, it in fact made clear that it has no intention to improve relations with the Lee Myung-bak administration," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
ION NOT-COREA/CORYE, WORLD MIL FORUM > [OpEd]CHINA SHOULD DECLARE OKINAWA + DAOYUS [Senkakus = Japan] AS SOVEREIGN OR SUBSIDIARY TO CHINA IFF JAPAN DECLARES SAME AS PER DAOYUS, NANSHAS + OTHER DISPUTED ISLANDS.
* SAME > US ALLY PHILIPPINES IS THE WEAKEST LINK IN THE FIRST ISLAND CHAIN WHICH CHINA CAN EASILY BREAKTHROUGH/OVERWHELM.
* SAME > FORMER USDOD OFFCIAL SAYS JSDF FORCES SHOULD BE STATIONED ON GUAM ISLAND ALONGSIDE THE US MILITARY. Assistant SecDef Gregson.
* WAFF > [StrategyPage] CHINA INVADES JAPAN. Rise in PLAAF incursions vee JSDAF.
#3
MOre from WORLD MIL FORUM > [Global Times = Prof. Liang Feng]NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY EXPERT: PROPOSED RELOCATION OF 3000 US MARINES FROM OKINAWA [original = 8000 Marines] TO HAWAII [Third Island chain] WEAKENS US ISOLATION/CONTAINMENT OF CHINA, HELPS CHINA EXPAND IT SCOPE OF CONTROL INTO WESTERN PACIFIC. US WILLING TO GIVE CHINA ONE-HALF OF PACIFIC OCEAN?
IIUC, the Professor sees it as de facto GEOPOL = STRATEGIC RETREAT by the US in favor of China, Eventual Chinese takeover of GUAM-WESTPAC inferred by US fallback to Hawaii???
A Belgian politician risks causing an uproar among Muslims after starting a 'Women Against Islamization' campaign featuring his 19-year-old daughter wearing a burka and a bikini.
The accompanying photo is too, um, um, big, yeah, that's it, too big for Rantburg's formatting rules. You'll just have to hit the link for yourselves...
Filip Dewinter, leader of the far-right Vlaams Belang party, used a shot of his daughter in a dark blue bikini for the political campaign. The glamorous teenager wears an open burka that covers her head and face, while the rest of the garment is draped over her back. The provocative image seems likely to inflame tensions between Islamic groups and nationalists in the country.
The poster has the words 'Freedom or Islam?' written on a red panel across Ms Dewinter's breasts. Further down the poster a white panel with the words 'You choose!' is seen covering the teenager's crotch.
Ms Dewinter told the Belgian press she does not feel used by the party. She said, "I've suggested (the poster) myself, I have learned to live with it but I have had everything up to death threats made at me."
She said that she "wanted to make this statement," and added, "What is the greatest contrast with a niqab? Nude.
"The campaign fits in perfectly with how I feel about the whole issue . As women, we must choose: freedom or Islam."
The teenager says that she has been threatened by Muslim groups, and added, "Death threats and criticism no longer scare me off."
Her father said, "Women are always the first victims of Islam. We want to make clear that they have a choice."
The potentially incendiary poster comes after The Islamic fundamentalist group Shariah4Belgium was criticized for its aggressive stance. That group opened the country's first Sharia court, a putting it on a collision course with Western civilization the Belgian nationalists.
#2
Interesting after reading the Sir Richard Burton story on another thread (about the naked muslim ladies racing for their veils, not clothes).
They made the ad knowing it would upset folks. Their are folks waiting for a pretext to be upset. It is unfortunate the Europeans let these battles occur on their own soil.
Collaboration between Latin American drug cartels and groups such as Iran's Quds Force and the Islamic terror group Hezbollah is growing far faster than most policymakers in Washington, D.C., choose to admit, a former U.S. intelligence official testified Tuesday.
Michael A. Braun, former chief of operations and intelligence for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told lawmakers that the operational capability of such groups is being strengthened by the close relations that they are working hard to develop with very powerful organized criminal organizations in our neighborhood and throughout Latin America.
The ultraviolent Los Zetas Mexican drug cartel and others allow them to operate freely in our neighborhood, and theyre getting closer to our doorstep, he said during a hearing by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
If we dont do something about it and really get serious about it, I think theres gonna be hell to pay at some date in the probably not too distant future, said Mr. Braun, who retired from the DEA in 2008 and is a managing partner at the international drug law enforcement consulting group Spectre International.
The committees chairwoman, Rep. Ileana Ros-Letinen, asserted that Irans ongoing diplomatic alliance with several Latin American leaders could be giving the Islamic republics intelligence forces and proxy groups a platform in the region to carry out attacks against the United States.
Some may question the congressional focus on the Iran-Latin America nexus because they wrongly believe that Irans influence in the region is exaggerated, said Mrs. Ros-Letinen, Florida Republican.
She called for the hearing amid mounting international concern over Irans nuclear program and on the heels of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads recent tour through Latin America.
Many policy analysts and Democrats have expressed skepticism over the extent to which a foothold has been gained in the region by Iranian intelligence elements, including the elite Quds Force, part of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/03/2012 12:14 Comments ||
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""Some may question the congressional focus on the Iran-Latin America nexus because they wrongly believe that Iran's influence in the region is exaggerated,""
ISLAMABAD: Relations between the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the judiciary were further strained on Thursday when the apex court, rejecting all arguments of the state counsel, summoned Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to appear on Feb. 13 to be indicted with contempt over his refusal to pursue corruption cases against the president.
Experts say that if convicted, Gilani could be jailed for up to six months and disqualified from public office.
Speaking to reporters, Aitzaz Ahsan, the premiers counsel, said he would advise his client to appeal against the charges, but this is just a procedural matter.
Meanwhile, Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, chairman of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Punjab chapter, told Arab News he doesnt think that Gilani would remain in his office after the next hearing. This is the end of the road for Gilani. Given the way they (the government) were treating the Supreme Court, the conviction looks logical, he said.
Judge Nasir-ul-Mulk told the court there were grounds to proceed against Gilani over the governments refusal to follow a court order and ask Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The government argued that Zardari has immunity from prosecution while head of state and accused judges of plotting with the military to wage a witch-hunt against him. Switzerland shelved the cases in 2008, when Zardari took office.
Most of senior constitutional lawyers do not agree with the presidents immunity under Article 248.
Habib Wahabul Khairi argued that they (the government) have lost a case that had no substance in that. Several Supreme Court decisions especially the one in which a six-member bench headed by then Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman in 1975 have established that no corruption charges can be withheld under immunity plea against any head of state, he said.
For many, appointing Ahsan as the PMs counsel was a pressure tactic, but since he himself was one of the candidates as Gilanis replacement, there were less chances of his success. He had no argument in the court thus doomed the political carrier of Gilani. Khairi added.
Lt. Gen. Abdul Qayyum, former aide of Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, while talking to Arab News, expressed his satisfaction over the active role of the higher judiciary. He said Pakistani courts have set a new precedent by proving that no one is above the law.
So he's ready to shove Gilani and Zardari under the armored personnel carrier...
Until now the top judiciary has exercised restraint in passing any harsh decisions despite several alleged constitutional violations, but this time they may go by to book. And it wont be a surprise for anyone in Pakistan.
In early January, the judges threatened to hold Gilani in contempt if he didnt write the letter to the Swiss authorities, and ordered him to make a rare appearance before the court to plead his case.
Gilani struck a conciliatory tone before the judges on Jan. 19, and his lawyer, Ahsan, agreed to argue the issue of the presidents immunity when the hearing resumed. The government previously insisted presidential immunity was a right, and therefore didnt need to be debated in court.
But Ahsan appeared to do a U-turn, refusing to specifically address the issue of presidential immunity. Instead, he simply argued that Gilani should not be held in contempt because his lawyers advised him he did not have to send the letter. The judges didnt accept that, and after five-hours of debate, said Gilani would be charged.
Ahsan said he would advise Gilani to appeal before Feb. 13, something that could draw out the proceedings further.
A defendant has the right to appeal in a contempt case in Pakistan even before a trial begins.
It was my wish that there confrontation between institutions of the state should be avoided, but now the situation is looking tense, Ahsan told reporters outside the court.
Government supporters say the court is trying to oust Zardari because of enmity between the president and the chief justice. They also claim the case cant be separated from tensions between the government and the army, which has carried out three coups in the countrys history. In those cases, the Supreme Court either stood by or legitimized the actions.
The court has also ordered an inquiry into a secret memo scandal that is also threatening Zardari. The memo was allegedly sent to Washington by the government last year asking for help in stopping a supposed military coup. The government has denied the allegations, and the case appeared to lose steam last week when the main witness refused to come to Pakistan to testify.
The graft case against Zardari relates to kickbacks that he and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, allegedly received from Swiss companies when Bhutto was in power. They were found guilty in absentia in a Swiss court in 2003. Zardari appealed, but Swiss prosecutors ended up dropping the case after the Pakistani Parliament passed a bill giving the president and others immunity from old corruption cases that many agreed were politically motivated.
The Pakistani Supreme Court ruled the bill unconstitutional in 2009, triggering the slow moving process.
Since January, the case has consumed Pakistans highly polarized political and media elite, deflecting attention from what many say are existential threats to the country like an ailing economy and a violent Islamist insurgency that is showing little sign of ebbing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain said on Thursday it was willing to do whatever Afghans wanted to end the 10 years of war with the Taliban, but insisted the process should not be led by the Americans or any other foreign power.
A day after talks with Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... billed as a fence-mending visit designed to ease frosty ties, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar sought to refute perceptions that Islamabad was an obstacle to peace.
"We're willing to do whatever the Afghans want or expect," Khar said when asked whether Pakistain was ready to push the Haqqani network towards peace talks, but stopped short of naming the group or commenting further.
She said Karzai was due in Islamabad in the middle of the month and that she would travel with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to Qatar, where the Taliban have set up a liaison office for talks with the Americans.
She said it was "not in anyone's interest" for Afghanistan to slide back into the chaos of the past, but said Pakistain had "so far" not played any substantial role in the contacts there between the Americans and the Taliban. Analysts say that Kabul and Islamabad have felt sidelined by the Qatar contacts. Khar did not comment explicitly, but said it was imperative that the Afghans were central to any eventual grinding of the peace processor, still "miles away".
"It is Afghanistan to decide and as a friendly neighbour, it is our job and responsibility and will to stand strongly behind that. The only prerequisite that Pakistain has is that it should be an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-driven, Afghan-backed process which has the ownership of Afghan people."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
They want a deal which has their people Haqqanis,Mullah Omar etc in the new Afghan Govt.
Posted by: Paul D ||
02/03/2012 6:35 Comments ||
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#2
This shows a lack of understanding. Many forms of tribal organization, like the Taliban, lack true leaders. What they call leaders are just the few that others want to follow, for the time being.
This means that their leaders have no real or lasting authority, and no one is bound by anything anyone else says. So treaties are useless and empty.
From our point of view, making peace with the Taliban is as meaningless as if Iran decided to sign a peace treaty with Jimmy Carter right now. Carter has no authority. He is just an aging, egotistical, sanctimonious putz.
About 200,000 missiles are aimed at Israel at any given time, a top Israel Defense Forces officer said on Thursday, adding that Iran's ability to obtain nuclear weapons was solely dependent on the will of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The remarks by Military Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi came after IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said on Wednesday that the threats facing Israel have increased and intensified in recent years due to regional instability.
Speaking to the Herzliya Conference, Gantz said that Iran's nuclear program is a "global problem and a regional problem," adding that Tehran's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons must continue to be disrupted.
On Thursday, Kochavi, speaking at the opening session of the Herzliya Conference's closing day, spoke of the growing threats Israel was facing: "a more hostile, more Islamic, more sensitive Middle East, one more attune to public sentiment, less controlled by the regimes, and less susceptible to international influence."
The chief of military intelligence then indicated that about 200,000 missiles were aimed at Israel at any given time, adding, however, that "Israel's military deterrence is intact."
Referring to Israel's concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions, Kochavi presented a relatively tame estimation of a possible timeline en route to an Iranian atomic bomb, saying that the project depended more on the will of Iran's Supreme Leader than on any technological advancement.
#1
On Thursday, Kochavi, speaking at the opening session of the Herzliya Conference's closing day, spoke of the growing threats Israel was facing: "a more hostile, more Islamic, more sensitive Middle East, one more attune to public sentiment, less controlled by the regimes, and less susceptible to international influence."
It's that Arab Spring thingy. If you thought Mubarak, Qadaffy and Assad were bad, wait till you meet their replacements.
#2
I wonder how big a seismic shock would be needed to prematurely detonate a missile warhead that is stored underground? Would have to happen at night, wouldn't want to blow up all the schools that those shining example of humanity hid them beneath. They would have to explain the hospitals.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
02/03/2012 16:07 Comments ||
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#3
As per HUGO CHAVEZ, unfortunately futurist LAND, ISLAND-SINKING "EARTHQUAKE/SEISMIC/TECTONIC"
BOMBS would be mostly non-discriminatory = non-selective in the casualties caused, espec in relation to Air-based EMP Weapons.
DEDICATED EQ BOMBS MAY NOT HAVE THE DETERRENT EFFECT AGZ USAGE THAT NUCWEAPS HISTORICALLY HAVE, + will destroy both the Military + Econ value of its Target + peripheral Region(s), as it places the costs burden of recovery + rebuilding on an Enemy.
Undoubtedly, many World countries includ Nuclear Powers will deem such NT + Weaps Sys as inherently "destabilizing", which in trun infers that any country employing such will mainly do so COVERTLY, ee as A PDENIABLE, MILPOL OPERATION-OTHER-THAN-WAR [OOTW].
E.g. D *** NG IT, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY CATEGORICALLY UNDENIABLY .... A HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE NUCPLANT OR MIL, NUKE DEPOT "ACCIDENT" AR RANDOM, NOT A WILY DASTARDLY EQ BOMB(S) DELIBERAT PLANTED BY FOREIGN SPECOPS!
Iran was working on developing a missile with 10,000 km range that would put America in reach of a potential Iranian attack, Strategic Affairs Minister and Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Thursday.
I'm sure the CIA is working on a report that says this could never happen...
According to Ya'alon, the missile was based on a solid fuel propellant and would have been able to significantly increase Iran's offensive capabilities. In November , a mysterious explosion rocked an Iranian missile base near Tehran where Iran was working on developing this long range missile.
Someone dropped a wrench at the wrong time...
Ya'alon also said that Turkey is helping Iran bypass the sanctions that have been imposed on it in recent months. According to the vice prime minister, who was in the United States last week for talks on Iran with senior officials from the Obama administration, Turkey was helping Iran circumvent the sanctions by allowing it to use its banking system.
So the Turks are playing both sides of the street...
Ya'alon said that the Israeli government was committed to stopping Iran's nuclear program "in one way or another."
"We need a credible military option. The Iranians understand the West has capabilities, but as long as the Iranians don't think that the West has the political stomach and determination to use it they will not stop," Ya'alon affirmed. "Currently they don't think that the world is determined."
Ya'alon also stated that all Iranian facilities can be reached in a military strike. "Anything built by humans can be destroyed by humans... I say this from experience as a former IDF chief of staff," he said.
Ya'alon also said that Iran and Hezbollah were working with drug cartels in Mexico to learn how to smuggle materials into the US, a conduit that could one day be used to smuggle weapons into the country.
Ya'alon said that the "crippling sanctions" that are being imposed on Iran such as the ban on oil exports could succeed in posing a "clear dilemma" for the regime, whether it wants to continue its nuclear program and risk the survival of the Islamic regime or stop and open in dialogue with the West.
Ya'alon said that the West still does not fully understand the severity of the nuclear threat posed by Iran. "America is the larger Satan," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2012 09:05 ||
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#1
I really got an appreciation for the concept of "Overkill" (missile failure rate) when visiting the Titan II missile museum south of Tucson.
They had a big chart to explain overkill, describing the percent of high quality American missiles that it is assumed would fail at various stages during and after launch.
Missiles failed in silo. Failed leaving the silo during launch. Failed in the first stage (boost system) just after leaving the silo. Failed still in first stage at Challenger altitude.
Failed at separation and ignition of second stage (post-boost vehicle system), which is a big jump in failures. Failure on reaching zenith and separation and ignition of third stage (re-entry system).
You also have to add in failures of the navigational system, guidance system, the weapons arming system, anti-missile systems and other nuclear detonations which can damage and destroy, and make ineffective.
And last but not least, the nuke may fail in many ways, including an unplanned high explosives detonation, or if timing for the detonation isn't exact.
This is why the US tested and tests all its major missiles at frequent intervals.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/03/2012 12:16 Comments ||
Top||
#4
OOOOOOOOOO, you just know Bug Bunny's GREMLIN WW2 toon character is involved.
Well, iff OWG Caliphate-happy Militants-Terrorists = Non-State NGOS/TANGOS/Proxies armed or wid access to LR IRBMS, ICBMS isn't enough for worry, WHAT IS???
Iran said Friday it launched a satellite into space carried by a homemade rocket.
The launch, which had been announced months ago, comes at the start of a series of festivities celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution on Feb. 11. It also comes at a time of high tensions between Iran and the United States and Israel, with the latter pushing for strikes against Irans nuclear program.
The state-run TV reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched the rocket carrying the Navid Elm o Sanat (Good message of science and industry) satellite. According to the TV, the satellite carries camera and telecommunication devices and is completely designed and produced in the Islamic republic.
The microsatellite, which weighs 110 pounds, will orbit the earth at an altitude of up to 234 miles, the Associated Press reported, citing the Islamic Republic News Agency.
Iranian officials announced in November that they planned to launch three satellites, including Navid, in the early weeks of 2012. The countrys space agency is also planning to set up a launch site, together with the ministry of defence, in the southeastern region of the country.
Irans space program is controversial, as western nations fear the rockets can be used for regional attacks and if the country were to produce a nuclear weapon be fitted with a nuclear warhead. Iran had repeatedly stated that its missile program is for defensive purposes only.
#8
See also RIAN > IRAN TO SET UP SPACE LAUNCH BASE, in the country's SE adjacent next to the Sea of Oman + Indian Ocean.
ARTIC = Iran hopes to send up its first man or men into space [orbital mission only?] come 2019.
HMMMM, HMMMM, dare IRAN = CHINA [Xinjiang/West China] = BASE THE BULK OF ITS FUTURE STRATEGIC NUKE MISSLE + SPACE LAUNCH ASSETS, ETC. IN SE IRAN???
SEA OF OMAN = Weirdly + mysteriously aka WHERE IRAN CAN PREEMPTIVELY STRIKE US CVNS + EBGS???
Just sayin.
* FYI SAME > As per RosCosmos, RUSSIA is planning for a MANNED MOON SHOT of its own come 2020.
Wanna beat POTUS NEWT? [China?] in giving the Moon formal sovereign Statehood???
Dats good - OWG-NWO, UNO-led GLOBAL SPACE DEFENSE + US GMD-SPACE DEFENSE [Other?] = GUAMANIANS + US-WORLD MAY NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LOOKING UP INTO THE SKY COME YEAR 2030 + SEEING MOON EXPLOSIONS [Comet Apophis?].
Future OWG "THE GOVTS-PERTS GLOBAL CONSENSUS IS THAT, OOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPSIES, THERE IS NO GLOBAL GOVTS-PERTS CONSENSUS" NOTWITHSTANDING.
[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... said Thursday that the fall of the Syrian regime will not result in the Hezbullies handing over their weapons, and insisted on the adoption of a "political solution" in Syria rejecting a military intervention.
"It is crazy to bet that the fall of the Syrian regime will result in Hizbullah handing over its weapons," he said during a talk show on LBC.
Jumblat added: "Assad has cut ties with everyone and made Syria suffer today."
He stressed on the need to cease fire in Syria and to adopt a political solution.
"The political solution is the best." Jumblat said.
He pleaded with the Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Sonny, disguised as Fredo, trying to be Mike... to "declare a cease of violence, release the detainees, abolish article 8 of the constitution and to have elections."
"You cannot convince the Syrian citizen in Huran or any other region that there are reforms while blood is being spilled," Jumblat said, adding that "even when the observer group went to Syria, a cease-fire did not happen."
The PSP leader rejected a military intervention which would cause "chaos in Leb and Syria."
When asked about the Lebanese issues, Jumblat said that "we must be firm in stating that Israel is the enemy and we should have dialog with the resistance for gradual absorption."
He called for switching from the "people, army, and resistance" slogan to the " State of resistance, as Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah suggested in 2006 on the dialog table."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Hizbullah are going to be buried with their weapons in their hands.
[Dawn] Iran has enough radioactive material to produce four nuclear bombs, Israel's chief of military intelligence, General Aviv Kochavi, asserted at a security conference on Thursday.
"Today international intelligence agencies are in agreement with Israel that Iran has close to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of uranium enriched to 20 percent, which is enough to produce four bombs," he told the annual Herzliya conference.
"Iran is very actively pursuing its efforts to develop its nuclear capacities, and we have evidence that they are seeking nuclear weapons," he said.
"We estimate they would need a year from when the order is given to produce a weapon."Israel and much of the international community have long accused Iran of using its nuclear programme to mask a drive for weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
The Jewish state has pushed for tough sanctions against Iran and warned that it retains the option of a military strike if necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining atomic weapons.
Israel has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, which international experts believe contains between 100 and 300 nuclear warheads, but has never confirmed or denied such reports.
Speaking at the same conference, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon said Iranian nuclear facilities, believed to be underground and heavily reinforced, were not immune to attack.
"In my military experience, any site protected by humans can be penetrated by humans," said Yaalon, a former head of Israel's armed forces, in comments broadcast on Israeli public radio.
"At the end of the day all their sites can be hit.""We argue that one way or another the Iranian military nuclear programme must be stopped," he added. "Such an unconventional regime must not have an unconventional (weapons) capability.'
"A combination of tools are available to the West," Yaalon said. "That combination must include diplomatic isolation of the regime; the second tool is economic sanctions ... and the last thing is a credible military option."
Yaalon also referred to an Iranian military facility rocked by a deadly kaboom in November, claiming Iran had been developing a missile there intended to threaten the United States.
He said the site, at Bid Ganeh, near Tehran, was conducting research and development on a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometres (6,213 miles) at the time of the blast, which killed at least 36 Revolutionary Guards.
It was "aimed at America, not us," a statement from the organisers of the Herzliya Conference quoted him as saying. Iran's military said the kaboom was the result of an accident.
The chief of staff of Iran's armed forces said at the time that the base was used in the production of "an experimental product" that would unleash "a strong fist in the face" of the United States and Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Given how many Iranians + Muslims are educated domestically + overseas in US + Western + Asian universities as per Science + Engineering, its impossible for MOSSAD or other to eliminate Iran's current + potential pool of Nuclear Perts.
Short of internal Regime Change, does the US-NATO-EU + UNO + Israel, etc. have the patience to see iff Iran = another post-Cold War/Soviet CUBA???
Would it affect the outcome if they did? This is the army that could not beat Saddam Hussein's, back before the Americans taught them quality has a quantity all its own.
"In the area of defence, there is a 127 per cent increase," Ahmadinejad said in his statement to politicians.
He gave no monetary figure for the increase, nor any indication on how it would be spent.
Iran's official defence budget for the current fiscal year -- which ends in mid-March -- is around $12 billion, on top of which parliament has authorised a $3 billion extension.
The announced increase in military spending comes at a time of high international tensions over Iran's nuclear programme, which the West and Israel suspect includes a drive to develop atomic weapons.
Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that Israel is contemplating air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, possibly sparking a wider conflict that could draw in the United States and European allies.
Iran, which maintains its nuclear activities are peaceful, has warned it could close the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, through which a third of global marine oil traffic passes, if it is attacked.
The Islamic republic is subject to UN sanctions limiting arms imports.
However it has a considerable domestic military industry that develops its own weapons, including cruise and ballistic missiles.
Ahmadinejad on Wednesday presented his budget proposal to parliament.
It foresees a total budget of 5.1 quadrillion rials, or $443 billion at the government's official budget exchange rate of 11,500 rials per dollar.
That makes the budget roughly the same in rials as for the current Iranian fiscal year -- but $40 billion less when expressed in dollars because of an official devaluation of the rial over the past year.
The budget not only encompasses government spending and revenue but also those of Iran's vast sector of state companies that dominate the country's economy.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
With an 80% currency devaluation, double doesn't seem like much.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
02/03/2012 10:30 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Hey Achmed, where do I put the da fence?. da fences!, we don't need no stinking fences!. Do I look like I know what I'm doing. I didn't get paid on my last gig. Ask that short round guy over there that's doing all the talking standing on that box. Hey! Short Round, I like that. Badda bing badda boom.
#3
Let's see. Ahmadinejad would increase Iran's military spending, Obama would decrease ours. Iran would build nuclear weapons. Obama gave us nuclear stockpile reductions.
These trend lines aren't good.
Posted by: American Delight ||
02/03/2012 20:42 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Expansion of a country's national andor defence budgets is expectant iff it is working on LR Ballistic Missle = Space Rocket Programs.
* ION TOPIX > IRANIAN LEADER [Ayatollah Khamenei] WARNS US, ISRAEL AGZ MILITARY STRIKES, warning that "from now on" Iran will support any Group or Govt, etc. that challenges Israel + its "Zionist Regime" [IMO also read, USA].
IIUC KHAMENEI = IFF IT MEANS DEFEATING US HEGEMONY + US, WESTERN THREATS; IRAN WILL NOT REFRAIN FROM [arrogant] FACE-OFFS = CONFRONTATIONISMS VEE THE US-WEST.
* SAME > IRAN'S TOP AYATOLLAH: WE'RE TRUMPING THE WEST, BUT BEWARE IN-FIGHTING AT HOME.
"WINNING" [Charlie Sheen], but wid caution???
Iran will be rude iff they d **** well wanna be.
* SAME > [Canada] PM STEPHEN HARPER FEARS IRAN WILL USE ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS IFF IT IS ABLE TO PRODUCE THEM.
versus
* SAME > ISOTOPES HINT AT [unknown = new] NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS [two] IN 2010.
Western analysis appear to suggest that the DPRK is dev a stronger Nuke Warhead than believed.
Sir Richard Burton, the famous British explorer, told an amusing story of an accidental encounter between his exploring party and a group of Muslim women bathing naked in a river. When they saw each other, the women ran screaming for their clothes. To his surprise all they grabbed was a face covering, leaving their breasts and vagina uncovered, which they seemed unconcerned about.
Which raises the question, what constitutes a Muslim woman's private parts?
Is the face most private, followed by breasts and vagina or do they all have different weightings.
A Muslim woman is threatening to sue Chevron unless the gas giant issues her a better apology for refusing to serve her while she was wearing a veil that exposed only her eyes.
Wilfredo Ruiz, the attorney for La Fleur Mohamed, said Chevron's apology was "light" and did not properly remedy the "embarrassing moment" his client experienced on Oct. 28, 2011.
"If Chevron does not move away from the rheotoric, then we will pursue a legal action," Ruiz told ABCNews.com. "If they admit their errors and compensate accordingly for a very oppressive way of treating her, then we don't see a need to go trial."
Chevron acknowledged that Mohamed was asked to remove her veil for "security purposes" and said it was protocol for people to remove masks and head coverings for the safety of gas station attendants.
"The incident occurred within a few days of Halloween -- a time when retailers are prone to increased theft from persons wearing masks and other facial coverings," said Chevron spokesman Brent Tippen. "We fully believe that our employee acted without the intent to violate Ms. Mohamed's religious principles and any suggestion that discrimination is acceptable at Chevron is completely false."
Ruiz, however, said the safety argument was not valid since a police officer was present.
"The argument goes down the drain that this is a safety issue when someone is escorted by a sheriff and there is still a denial to serve her," he said.
Tippen said the officer was not there to facilitate the transaction, but only to inquire about the employee's decision not to serve Mohamed while she was covered.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a complaint this week on behalf of Mohamed with the Florida State Commission of Human Relations after months of corresponding with Chevron regarding the issue.
"Chevron has been talking out of both sides of their mouth, saying they apologized, but see no signs of discrimination," said Nezar Hamze, a spokesperson for the Council on Islamic-American Relations in South Florida. "We think they're maneuvering."
Hamze said he believed the officer on the scene did all he could do, since it was a civil issue.
Ruiz said Mohamed's elderly parents were in the car visiting from St. Vincent at the time of the incident. She was "crying" and called a friend to escort her car home, worried that her car may run out of gas with her parents inside.
Mohamed was in the news last year for being photographed wearing her niqab in a headshot after she was arrested for domestic battery. She was later re-photographed in accordance with jail policies, which required her to show her face.
#1
She shouldn't have NEEDED gas because she shouldn't have been driving with a sack over her head - it's hard enough to see properly and drive safely without it.
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.
The High Court yesterday granted anticipatory bail for a month to 489 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists from different districts in nine separate cases filed on charges of vandalising public property and obstructing police from discharging duties.
Pakistain said on Thursday it was willing to do whatever Afghans wanted to end the 10 years of war with the Taliban, but insisted the process should not be led by the Americans or any other foreign power.
Walid 
Iran has enough radioactive material to produce four nuclear bombs, Israel's chief of military intelligence, General Aviv Kochavi, asserted at a security conference on Thursday.
Mahmoud 
