Afghanistan's opium production will increase by nearly 50 percent this year to a record 6,100 tonnes after an "alarming" jump in cultivation in the lawless south, the UN drugs office announced. The area of land planted with opium -- of which Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of world supply -- rose 59 percent this year as compared to last year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.
The sharp increase in the number of acres planted would lead to a likely harvest of 6,100 tonnes -- a 49 percent hike over the 4,100 tonnes produced the year before. "This year's harvest will be around 6,100 tonnes of opium -- a staggering 92 percent of total world supply. It exceeds global consumption by 30 percent," UNODC global executive director Antonio Maria Costa said in Kabul.
The hike comes despite government and international efforts costing millions of dollars to try to stop Afghanistan's trade in illegal opium, most of which ends up in the heroin markets of Europe, Russia, China, Central Asia and Iran. "These are very alarming numbers. Afghanistan is increasingly hooked on its own drug," Costa said after presenting the figures to President Hamid Karzai.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Somalis interim president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed has attended on Saturday an opening ceremony to new military training course in Deynunay military camp in the suburb of Baidoa town 240km southwest of the capital where Ethiopian and Ugandans military experts provide the training.
Officials from the cabinet and the parliament of the government also attended the occasion which happened in the Deynunay military camp 20km of Baidoa, the capital of Bay region in southwest of Somalia.
Around 500 soldiers of former Somali forces will take advantage from the training opened today in Baidoa outskirt. They will be trained for the best techniques of the security establishment. The training which the first of its kind will last for 40 days to enable the government forces to bring security.
President Yusuf who delivered his speech at the opening ceremony urged all the troops in camp to benefit from the Ugandans and Ethiopian military experts during the training to restore their military capacity. He has pledged when the Somali troops finish the training course they will have military equipment and enough fund. The move came as former national troops encamped outside of Baidoa town, southwest of Somalia as part of the national security plan of the government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Hopefully they will get some real training. A small group, well-trained can defeat a much larger group of IGs (Idiots w/ Guns). And done even a few times can change the course of a war.
#2
Well, if you are going for training in that part of the world, then the Ethiopians and Ugandans are the best around. Both armies have a history of success against insurgent/bandit/terrorist bands, and both have a naked self-interest in providing the rump state of Somalia's forces with realistic and effective training. And 40 days is about enough for a good weapons and fire discipline course, with troops that have already undergone some training and/or have real-world combat experience. In the main, you will have to get these troops out of the spray and pray approach to combat that seems so popular in their neck of the world. No more fully auto, spraying from the hip until the magazine is empty; aimed semi auto fire using a proper shoulder and cheek weld, and bothering to have actually battle-zeroed the weapon.
Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha vowed the regime would maintain its opposition to a UN peacekeeping force for Darfur and hailed Hezbollah as a model of resistance, official media said yesterday. "We have options and plans for confronting the international intervention," state news agency SUNA quoted Taha as telling a rally in the North Kordofan State capital of El Obeid late Thursday.
He called for "an effective working programme and strenuous action" to oppose the UN force...
He cited the toll which the Hezbollah had "exacted in the ranks of the (Israeli) army" during the devastating conflict in Lebanon through its "determination, patience and political will". "We are prepared for all possibilities," the vice president said. He called for "an effective working programme and strenuous action" to oppose the UN force approved by the Security Council on Thursday, but did not elaborate.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
I'm sure a 12-ship cell of B-52s with good old unguided iron bombs would do wonders for his opinion. These people need to experience a really GOOD example of superior firepower in action.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/03/2006 15:25 Comments ||
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North Korea has accused the United States of threatening war by carrying out a test of its missile defense system and conducting joint military exercises with the South.
The North's semi-official Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland also attacked South Korea for taking part in the annual war games and said it would only drive Pyongyang to build up its self-defence capability. "The US staged not only a large-scale north-targeted naval and air combined maneuver in the waters around the Korean Peninsula with troops of its allies involved but carried out a missile test-fire to strike the DPRK and intercept its missiles," the committee said in a statement carried by state media.
It called the "Ulchi Focus Lens" military drills, which ended on Friday, "little short of a declaration of war against the DPRK (North Korea)", saying the exercises had been "of a more provocative nature" than previous war games.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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FREEREPUBLIC.com > YONHAP NEWS > North Korean missle vehicle movements have been detected. Possible new Norkie missle tests may be in the offing for the world circa [mid]September.
#4
The recent successful ballistic missile defense tests suggest that air strikes aren't needed. We can sit back, watch Kimmie and keep working to collapse his country on his head. Continued economic sanctions, shut down the banking and counterfeiting, stop the drug running, etc. Keep ignoring him every time he bangs his spoon on the high chair.
We don't want a war, we want North Korea to implode. That's just where it's heading right now.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/03/2006 11:19 Comments ||
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#5
You little NKor pissants don't need to have any concern about Uncle Sam. You poor f**kwits better pay some very considerable attention to Uncle Abe. He's going to clean your clock. See the train coming down the track ?
#8
We can sit back, watch Kimmie and keep working to collapse his country on his head.
I respectfully disagree. If Kim is flying transshipments of missile components or nuclear technology through Russia, then we must consider aerial interdiction.
Iran could could quite possibly have all of its juvenile warhead component waterfowl aligned save for want of fissile material. It's enrichment and purification is 90 yards out of the nuclear touchdown. We do not need Kim to help Iran circumvent this last burdensome and time-consuming step in a snit of anti-Western pique.
If North Korea did not have this cozy relationship with the mullahs, my response might be different. They do, and it's not. This is why it's so important to put all of these rogue regimes on open notice that one attack upon us results in an attack upon all of them. The thieves are just too thick for any more of this irksome winnowing.
BERLIN The prime suspects in the failed attempt to blow up two German trains were partially motivated by anger over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, a leading investigator said in an interview released Saturday.
The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten first published the 12 cartoons in September 2005. One of the pictures showed Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.
Some of the caricatures were republished in German newspapers and other European media months later, sparking protests across the Muslim world, with rioters torching Danish and other Western embassies.
Train bombing suspect Jihad Hamad, 20, told interrogators in Lebanon that fellow Lebanese student Youssef Mohamad el Hajdib, 21, "interpreted it as an attack of the Western world on Islam," said Joerg Ziercke, head of Germany's Federal Crime Office, or BKA.
El Hajdib was arrested Aug. 19 in the northern German city of Kiel, and Hamad was picked up a few days later in Lebanon.
The men are suspected of planting crude bombs July 31 on two trains at Cologne station, where they were seen in grainy surveillance camera video pulling wheeled suitcases.
The bombs were found later in the day on regional trains in Koblenz and Dortmund. Authorities have said that the detonators went off but failed to ignite the devices.
Ziercke told Focus magazine that further motivation for the suspects came with the death of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed June 7 in a U.S. airstrike north of Baghdad.
"Both of the prime suspects believed that international terrorism had lost its most important leader," Ziercke said in an interview released to The Associated Press ahead of publication. "The conflict in Lebanon also played a role (in motivating them) though we know the planning for the attacks had already begun earlier than that."
The BKA confirmed the content of the interview.
In addition to Hamad, Lebanese authorities have arrested three other men in connection with the case: Ayman Hawa, Khaled Khair-Eddin el-Hajdib, Khalil al-Boubou. They were rounded up by police acting on information from Interpol.
German officials have also taken a 23-year-old Syrian, Fadi al-Saleh, into custody in the southern city of Konstanz on suspicion he did Internet research in preparing the bombings.
Lebanese prosecutor Pierre Francis on Saturday charged all six suspects in the case, a development that appeared to signal that Beirut would refuse to extradite to Germany the four men held in Lebanon.
The charges came as a security team headed by German intelligence chief Ernst Uhrlau, was in Beirut meeting with Lebanese army intelligence and security chiefs. Uhrlau arrived under tight security Friday in what Lebanese newspapers said was a mission to seek the extradition of the men.
Ziercke said he did not believe Hamad and el-Hajdib came to Germany with the intent to prepare attacks.
"The radicalization first took place here, through al-Qaida propaganda found on the Internet," he said.
The bomb plans were also found on the Internet, and the devices would have cost a total of about 200 (US$250) to 300 (US$385) to build, he said.
"We found instructions that account for about 90 percent of their bombs," he said. "They diverged from the plans only in a couple points and it was here that the technical mistakes were made."
But Ziercke rejected suggestions that the sloppy construction of the bombs and other clues DNA, fingerprints and the use of their own passports in travel meant they were untrained amateurs.
"To the contrary: They had counted on their plan working," he said. "Then the crucial clues would have been obliterated. We, for example, would never have found any suitcases that we could match to people seen on video surveillance."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I hope this sends a loud and clear message to Europe and all Western societies. If these turds were willing to slaughter hundred's of people over some stinking cartoons, imagine what'll happen when we start burning Korans in the streets. There is no hope of accomodation, only extermination. I've said it before;
#2
If it's not one thing it's another. The gentleman were looking for an excuse to be angry. They're nothing more than a sack full of bile. Perhaps 18 months (or whatever absurd sentence is handed down)in a German prison will temper that slightly.
#4
All of you at Rantburg are one sided Jews. Your're so biased because of the hate your filled with that you can't really see whats going on in the world. The only thing your blog is good for is spreading hate, lies and fear. People will eventually read, and see you for what you really are which is nothing more than a small group of people trying to bring about fear and hatred.
#6
Good grief 'Stupidwhiteman', you're gonna have to do a hell of a lot better than that!
In the past, we've been insulted by true professionals here! I ask you fellow RB'ers, who can forget the very excellent Aris and Murat? The twists and turns in their arguments, the incoherent ramblings and the blatent ignoring and ignorance of presented facts - ah, the old days ;)
SWM, you need to read the archives and get up to speed. Don't worry, we'll wait for you. Oh, and bring a bigger brain.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
09/03/2006 17:34 Comments ||
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#7
it's "you're" you stupid f*ck. One-sided has a hyphen in it. Let me guess? Canuck Paki?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2006 18:22 Comments ||
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#8
heh heh - a holiday weekend gift chewtoy
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2006 18:23 Comments ||
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#9
See SWM?
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
09/03/2006 18:28 Comments ||
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#10
#4 "stupidwhiteman" - it's obvious you're neither white nor a man (even though you may have male DNA).
I guess one out of three ain't bad.
By the way, tomorrow's our holiday. If you're going to volunteer to be our holiday chew-toy, at least get the day right.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/03/2006 18:32 Comments ||
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#11
[intercom] Paging trailing wife to Troll Flensing.
#12
Zenster, Stupidwhiteman's word construction was corrected by a Hawaiian-shirtwearing engineer. There's nothing I can see to add to the ignonomy of that. Well done, Frank G.!
Baloch nationalist leaders believe that their survival lies in separation from Pakistan and the time has come for a decisive battle. Now there is no choice but to get liberation from Pakistan. The time has now come to fight a decisive battle, MNA Rauf Mengal of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) told Daily Times.
The nationalists longstanding demand for independence gained strength with the killing of tribal chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, and his subsequent burial against his familys wishes. Rauf Mengal said the actions of the Punjab-dominated establishment and its political cronies had led the people of Balochistan to lose any hope that their problems could be resolved through political dialogue. The nationalists do not believe the governments story that Bugti was killed accidentally in an explosion in his cave hideout. The cold-blooded murder of Bugti will never be forgotten, Mengal said. Now every Baloch is a member of the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army), he said.
Nationalists also mocked the federal governments claims it is developing Balochistan, saying even the hometowns of pro-government sardars Jam Muhammad Yousuf and Yar Muhammad Rind lacked basic infrastructure. Water is a precious commodity in Balochistan. The roads and education and electricity infrastructure is inferior to the other three provinces, Rauf Mengal said. Former Balochistan chief minister Akhtar Mengal agreed that the Baloch people wanted liberation from Pakistan, because of the establishments decades of atrocities. He alleged that security forces used chemical weapons against Bugti, and the fact that the government buried his body without showing it to anyone lent credence to this claim. He made similar allegations at a press conference in Quetta on Saturday.
Dr Abdul Hai Baloch said General Pervez Musharraf appeared to be following in the footsteps of General Yahya Khan in East Pakistan. Baloch hatred of the armed forces was at its peak. He urged opposition parliamentarians to resign and launch street protests to rid the country of military rule
Posted by: john ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Pro-Taliban militants encouraged by tribal elders signed an agreement with Pakistan's government Saturday to ensure "permanent peace" in this volatile northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, intelligence officials said. Under the agreement, which is likely to be unveiled by the government next week, no militant will attack government officials or security forces, and in return the army deployed in North Waziristan "will not carry out operations against them," said an area intelligence official on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
"This is a good development because the Taliban have promised to stay away militancy," said the official, adding "the Taliban have also agreed to distance themselves from foreign militants."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
the Taliban have also agreed to distance themselves from foreign militants
A distance of say, 2 feet, should suffice.
No more holding hands, except on the Eid holiday.
Posted by: john ||
09/03/2006 7:34 Comments ||
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Of course, neither side has any intention of upholding the agreement in any way.
#3
How can you sign a peace agreement with yourself. Taliban is Pakistan and Pakistan is Taliban. One lives within the other, much like bowel and anus.
Former U S Secretary of State James Baker, who heads an independent panel charged with taking a fresh look at US policy in Iraq, met the most senior Sunni leaders in the Iraqi coalition government yesterday. Baker held talks in Baghdad with Vice-President Tareq Al Hashemi and Deputy Prime Minister Salam Al Zobaie, both members of the Sunni minority who form the backbone of the insurgency fighting to oust US forces from Iraq.
Zobaie has been meeting Sunni tribal leaders as part of the Iraqi government's efforts to defuse the insurgency. Hashemi has been critical of the national reconciliation plan, saying it is vague and fails to set a timetable for a US troop pullout. The US embassy declined further comment on the unannounced visit to Iraq. It was not clear how long Baker, who also met President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, had been in the country.
Baker, a close friend of the Bush family who served under President George W Bush's father, sat silently at a news conference held after his meeting with Zobaie. "James Baker was the engineer of US foreign policy for many years. He has been sent by George Bush personally to find out the reality of what is happening in Iraq," Zobaie said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Yeah, well here's the reality. The reality is that we are the only thing standing between you and your maker.
Efforts to secure the release of an Israeli soldier captured by militants in the Gaza Strip appear to be gaining speed, with reports Israel may release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in return for the corporal.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, of the ruling Hamas movement, has confirmed published reports that Egypt is mediating talks on a prisoner swap between Israel and armed groups in Gaza that seized the soldier.
"The Egyptians are making a lot of efforts," he said. "There are certain things going on to solve this question but there is nothing specific.
"We hope the Egyptian efforts succeed."
Israel's major Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported that under secret talks brokered by Egypt, Israel could release up to 800 Palestinian prisoners in return for Corporal Shalit, who turned 20 last Monday while still in captivity. Quoting unnamed security officials, the newspaper said Israel would free the prisoners in three stages and that the negotiations were being held up over the timetable of the releases.
It said Israel had refused as part of the deal to release Marwan Barghuti, a leader of the Palestinian uprising and a senior figure in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
Corporal Shalit's father, Noam, has told AFP that talks over his son's release are under way. "There are indirect contacts by Egyptian intermediaries," he said. "For the moment, there is no progress but I hope there will be some soon.
"That would be normal after 70 days."
But asked to comment on Sunday's reports of a prisoner swap, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: "We do not talk with terrorists".
The Jewish state has officially demanded Corporal Shalit's unconditional release but local media have reported that talks have been under way for some time. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said last month Israel would negotiate for the release of two soldiers whose capture by Hezbollah militants on July 12 sparked the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.
Threatened by a potentially nuclear-armed Tehran, Israel is preparing for a possible war with both Iran and Syria, according to Israeli political and military sources.
The conflict with Hezbollah has led to a strategic rethink in Israel. A key conclusion is that too much attention has been paid to Palestinian militants in Gaza and the West Bank instead of the two biggest state sponsors of terrorism in the region, who pose a far greater danger to Israels existence, defence insiders say.
The challenge from Iran and Syria is now top of the Israeli defence agenda, higher than the Palestinian one, said an Israeli defence source. Shortly before the war in Lebanon Major-General Eliezer Shkedi, the commander of the air force, was placed in charge of the Iranian front, a new position in the Israeli Defence Forces. His job will be to command any future strikes on Iran and Syria.
The Israeli defence establishment believes that Irans pursuit of a nuclear programme means war is likely to become unavoidable. In the past we prepared for a possible military strike against Irans nuclear facilities, said one insider, but Irans growing confidence after the war in Lebanon means we have to prepare for a full-scale war, in which Syria will be an important player.
#1
Good idea to go after terror sponsors, but bad idea to do it without US participation. The Rice' approach of diplomatic gesturing with the Ayatollahs, in face of non-diplomatic refusals causes the enemy to clarify their position. Richard Perle, et al believe that the US "blinked" in face of Ayatollah aggression. I believe that cause has already been taken, to deal with Iran by a military solution.
The Iranian opposition has shifted from Reform to Regime Change. That delivers the firm US allies in Iran, that were not present a year ago. Check out this pdf of Senate testimony by a "Regime Change" promoter:
#3
If Israel expects war with both Syria and Iran, it would make sense for them to take on one at a time, i.e. attack Syria first. Blitzkrieg on Syria, then Hezbollah is cut off with no resupply from Iran, and Iran has no ground front with Israel.
Egypt's President Mubarak said that his country had made contact with Syria with the objective of convincing Hizbullah to find a solution regarding the release of two kidnapped IDF soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, Israel Radio reported early Saturday morning. In another interview to Ah-ram, the president confirmed that negotiations were taking place concerning Gilad Shalit, emphasizing an exchange for Palestinian prisoners. He added that Israel was waiting for information regarding the soldier's condition.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has disclosed that negotiations are ongoing to secure the release of kidnapped soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants, according to an interview published by a semiofficial daily Saturday. Israel is waiting for a Palestinian "initiative" that spells out Palestinian conditions for a prisoner exchange, Mubarak told Al-Ahram newspaper. Their demands could include the freeing of Palestinian prisoners who are women or minors, he said.
The Egyptian president did not provide information on official involvement in the talks, but said that non-governmental groups from each side were participating. He did not name them.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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A PALESTINIAN government of national unity that includes Hamas offers a way to get the Middle East peace process back on track and allow the EU to recognise Hamas, EU foreign ministers agreed last night.
And give the Paleos lots of danegeld.
Diplomats described the present state of the peace road map as "a mess", especially after the invasion of Lebanon by Israel and the war with Hezbollah.
European ministers held a brainstorming session in Finland yesterday. The Finnish minister Erkki Tuoioja, chairing the two-day meeting, said they have to be ready to talk to all parties, including Hamas and Syria. However Hamas, which is on the EU's terror list, would first have to recognise Israel, he added.
But a government of national unity, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is negotiating, offers a way out of this difficulty. President Abbas is insisting that parties to such a national government would accept conditions the same as those set by the EU an end to violence, recognition of Israel and adherence to agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
After the meeting Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said that with agreement on a government of national unity there will be at least tacit acceptance of a two-state solution. This line of thinking was put to the ministers by the hapless EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana. We are interested in talking to that unity government. Of course, in that government, there will be Hamas people, he said.
But all of this is conditional on President Abbas succeeding in forming a multi-party government.
Mr Ahern pointed out there would be additional problems as the Hamas deputy prime minister, six other ministers and 30 members of the legislative council are all in Israeli jails.
And likely to stay there, especially if springing them means the EU is going to give the Paleos money.
Despite France and Britain publicly insisting they cannot talk to Syria either, there was general agreement that all parties involved in the Middle East, including Syria, must be included in discussions.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Now, I'm supposed to feel sorry when Muzzies (born and rised) in EUrope try (or even succeed) to carry out indiscriminate mass murder there?
A low profile Muslim separatist group welcomed a Thai military gesture for exploratory talks aimed at ending over two years of bloody violence in southern Thailand, the Nation newspaper said on Sunday. The paper quoted a leader of the outlawed Pattani United Liberation Organisation (PULO), previously thought to have disbanded, as saying that almost daily killings in southern Thailand could be stopped through negotiations. "PULO stands firmly by its principle that the Pattani issue can be solved through negotiations provided there is sincere commitment from the government in handling the problem-solving process," said PULO foreign affairs chief Kasturi Mahkota in a statement that the paper believed was sent from Sweden.
Thai army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin said on Friday, after over 20 explosive devices went off almost simultaneously in banks in southern Yala province, that an army dialogue with leaders of separatist groups might help end bloodshed in three Muslim- dominated provinces near Malaysia. "Some government units have tried to establish contact with their leaders. Only talks at this level can we restore peace and reconciliation," Sonthi told reporters. The Thai army chief's initiative has not been supported by the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who earlier described Muslim militants in the area as "bandits".
PULO was known as one of several small and low-key separatist groups campaigning for autonomy for the region, a sultanate until annexed by overwhelmingly Buddhist Thailand a century ago. The group, active in the 1970s and 1980s, was believed to have disbanded in the 1990s. Though not claiming direct responsibility for violence in the south, the group re-emerged in 2004 and 2005 through web site postings warning foreigners to stay away from key public places in Bangkok and southern Thailand.
A former Indonesian Government official says talk of uranium enrichment in Australia is making Jakarta nervous. Doctor Dewi Anwar was an adviser to former Indonesian president Habibi and has spoken to Radio National. Dr Anwar says Australia needs to reassure its neighbours that it has no desire to acquire nuclear weapons. "I think it's very important that Australia does assure the international community that it will not add another security threat to the already very unstable global situation at the moment," she said.
"Indonesia and the (Association of South East Asian Nations) ASEAN countries would probably be concerned about Australia doing uranium enrichment until we get more details of it."
Dr Anwar also says her country could consider the possibility of uranium enrichment. "Indonesia would also have the right to enrich uranium as long it is for peaceful purposes and within the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards," she said. "Because Indonesia would not want to be totally dependent on a few nuclear suppliers."
But the Foreign Affairs Minister has assured Indonesia that Australian uranium will not be used to make nuclear weapons. Mr Downer says there is no cause for concern. "I would have that international security would have been better served by enriched uranium coming from a country as secure, as stable, as democratic and as responsible as Australia," he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/03/2006 11:30 Comments ||
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#5
"Indonesia and the (Association of South East Asian Nations) ASEAN countries would probably be concerned about Australia doing uranium enrichment until we get more details of it."
Sure, like Australia has just been so guilty of blowing up nightclubs full of Muslims and provoking hatred in South East Asia, hasn't it?
Twit.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
09/03/2006 13:03 Comments ||
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#6
What's sauce for Iran is sauce for Australia. I hope they whip up a tidy nuclear arsenal and offer free tastings to Indonesia if they ever again let Bashir see the light of day. Muslims should be nervous, veeeeeery nervous.
Hey, Indonesia - here's a free clue. Australia doesn't need nuclear weapons to kick your sorry butts if they decide they want to. They're quite capable of doing it with conventional weapons.
So quit your whining and don't make Australia come back there.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/03/2006 15:26 Comments ||
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#8
The plain fact is that both Canada and Australia will be supplier countries under the GNEP initiative and will want to enrich fuel.
It is a step up the value chain.
Posted by: john ||
09/03/2006 16:52 Comments ||
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#9
It also gives them reserves of fissile material*
Just about that long for me, too, Texas Redneck. The Beslan Atrocity was the last straw. From that point on I was willing to assume the worst instead of hoping for the best. A fleeing crowd of children being gunned down snapped something inside of me. I thought 9-11 had done that, and perhaps it did in a patriotic sense. But Beslan broke something even more fundamental inside me, possibly my sense of humanity. Something I don't ever think will be whole again, not even when Islam is only a bad memory.
(Petra) The U.S government through the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), donated 700 tons of wheat to the World Food Program (WFP) for immediate release and transport to Lebanon, according to a statement issued by the U.S embassy in Amman. The wheat will be used to respond to the immediate food needs of those affected by the conflict, the statement said.
U.S Ambassador in Amman David Hale said the donation demonstrates the goodwill of the American people to the people of Lebanon. " Funding for this contribution is part of the U.S commitment of $US230 m. for humanitarian, reconstruction and security assistance to Lebanon announced by President Bush, Hale said in brief remarks.
The wheat commodity that was milled into floor is part of the U.S humanitarian aid that will amount up to 25,000 tons, he said. The ambassador highly appreciated Jordan's humanitarian support to Lebanon in deeds rather than in words through establishing an airlift for relief and medical supplies to the war-stricken country.
On his part, WFP representative in Amman Mahmoud Juma'ah commended the Jordanian media in highlighting the program's humanitarian efforts to assist Lebanon. The program is proud of its longstanding partnership for over four decades with Jordan particularly in developing the agricultural sector and creating permanent resources for the poor.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Wheat? We can't shot wheat from launchers
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/03/2006 0:53 Comments ||
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#2
I'm sure there are also hungry people in America who would of welcomed this 700 tons of wheat to eat.
#4
Is it our fault that these people who chose to support terrorists are going hungry ? Why should we have to help feed the enemy ? And why should we allow the enemy to come to our countries to live so that they can escape from the hell in which they have built around themselves... To me, they have no-one to blame for their problems but themselves. But sure enough, the West is also easy to take advantage of, to come here to live, and live freely in our awesome socities..
#7
I'm sure there are also hungry people in America who would of welcomed this 700 tons of wheat to eat.
I appreciate the sentiments but I doubt you could find a 1,000 hungry Americans that would know what to do with wheat. Now if it was 700 tons of potatoe chips I'd agree completely.
#9
I see you've never heard of using flour as a "Dust Bomb".
You have an open can of flour, set a small explosive charge ubder it, set off the charge and "Dust" the house, then a second charge (Simply some kind of flame) and "Boom", no house.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/03/2006 12:19 Comments ||
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#10
"I appreciate the sentiments but I doubt you could find a 1,000 hungry Americans that would know what to do with wheat."
You can't be serious! Most poor folks in the South know how to make Biscuits and Gravy, and both require wheat flour.
"I see you've never heard of using flour as a "Dust Bomb"."
The State Department announced Wednesday US assistance could start reaching Lebanon by next week. The delivery had been put into question after a high-ranking Congressmember announced this week he would ask the Bush administration to freeze its aid package to Lebanon. The congressmember, California Democrat Tom Lantos, said the freeze would last until the Lebanese government takes control of its borders and: displays responsibility. At a press conference in the United Arab Emirates, US Ambassador Michele Sison was asked how the US could reconcile sending aid to Lebanon after giving Israel most of the weaponry that attacked the country.
US Ambassador to UAE Michele Sison: "I want to make very clear that of course America is making and has made a long term commitment to help the people of Lebanon. We believe that every person deserves to live in a free and open society and of course we have stated throughout, particularly during the the period of the crisis that we reject the killing of innocents to achieve a radical agenda and I am looking at Hizbollah as I speak to this."
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a newspaper interview published Saturday that he hoped for a negotiated solution over Iran's disputed nuclear program rather than sanctions. Patience can be more productive than leveling UN sanctions, Annan told Le Monde on Friday, a day before arriving in Tehran to discuss the nuclear program with Iranian leaders, as well as the crisis in Lebanon following a cease-fire between the Iranian-backed Hizbullah and Israel.
"I will discuss the (nuclear) problem, but I will not resolve it," Annan was quoted as saying. He said that during his contacts with Iranian officials he has insisted that a negotiated solution be found "that would avoid another conflict in a region already subjected to great stress at this moment."
Asked about indications that the United States wants to move to sanctions, Annan replied, "I do not believe that sanctions are the solution to all problems. There are moments when a bit of patience produces lots of effects. I think that is a quality we must exercise more often."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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Kofi isn't going to do anything until Tel-Aviv is a radioactive hole.
Technically, the man is right. Only large quantities of munitions will do the job. I just don't think that's what he has in mind. We need to strap Kofi to the first nuclear device Iran produces.
#6
The world fiddles with UNO diplomacy while Radical Iran uses its terror proxies to destabilize and threaten the whole of the ME, inlcuding other ME Muslim nations, under the PC guise/cover of pan-Muslim hatred of Israel = in reality is PDeniable Iranian regional-wide mil conquest.
#7
Funny paper cartoon the other day defined a liberal as someone who's convinced Mel Gibson is anti-Semetic, and the UN is not.
Posted by: regular joe ||
09/03/2006 8:44 Comments ||
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The UN is actively supporting and funding terrorists organizations and regimes. As such, is, therefore, itself a terrorist organization and must be banned and all funding cut off.
#12
For once I agree with Coffee - sanctions aren't the best solution for Iran.
However, I suspect he and I would differ on what is the best solution for Iran.
His "ideas" involve flapping his lips and issueing "sternly worded" letters.
My ideas involve B-52s.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/03/2006 15:22 Comments ||
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#13
All of you at Rantburg are one sided Jews. Your're so biased because of the hate your filled with that you can't really see whats going on in the world. The only thing your blog is good for is spreading hate, lies and fear. People will eventually read, and see you for what you really are which is nothing more than a small group of people trying to bring about fear and hatred.
#16
Ah, a troll! I must say it's been a while. Trolls are always welcome. I do have one question though. You charge us with hate, lies and fear, yet you immediately charge all of us as 'being Jews' as if that were a negative thing. I am not Jewish, but I would be proud to be called a Jew, or a member of any other freedom loving society or race. You use 'Jew' as a hateful slur in the same sentence you accuse us of hate. Thus is a favorite moonbat tactic. If you want to debate issues intelligently, I'm sure that even the most novice among us would be able to meet you head on. If you only want to call names, the DailyKos is just a url away.
#17
Oooh, over here as well SWM? With the same drivel too I see - well, I'll repeat myself too...
Good grief 'Stupidwhiteman', you're gonna have to do a hell of a lot better than that!
In the past, we've been insulted by true professionals here! I ask you fellow RB'ers, who can forget the very excellent Aris and Murat? The twists and turns in their arguments, the incoherent ramblings and the blatent ignoring and ignorance of presented facts - ah, the old days ;)
SWM, you need to read the archives and get up to speed. Don't worry, we'll wait for you. Oh, and bring a bigger brain.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
09/03/2006 18:30 Comments ||
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#18
Ouch, #17 Tony. You're on a roll today. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/03/2006 18:34 Comments ||
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Heh! ;)
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
09/03/2006 18:38 Comments ||
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#20
Well, I've been out of pocket for a while (HSI in KY isn't exactly speedy). Anyways, I'm pleased to come back and see a troll in our midst. That, and I agree with Coffee on 2 things, and that makes a 3-fer for today:
(1) Kofi will just talk, and won't "solve" the Iranian issue.
(2) Sanctions are NOT the "answer," but like others here, I believe the answer lies in other arenas that Coffee won't enter.
Posted by: BA ||
09/03/2006 20:38 Comments ||
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#21
[intercom] Paging trailing wife to troll flensing.
#22
Reflex antisemitism is what passes for philosophy for those to stupid to read Plato, Zenster. I don't have the energy to try to teach the untrainable* today, I'm afraid.
*Technically speaking, "trainable" is the I.Q. category just below "slow", if I recall my mother's work with the mentally retarded correctly. I think it refers to something around 70-80 on the standard scale, or a mental age of 9-12 years. Perhaps those Rantburgers who work in the field would be so kind as to correct me -- I just used to so enjoy visiting with Mama's retards (as she fondly referred to them in those halcyon pre-PC days) on the odd school holidays.
#23
My apologies. Trainable is defined as an IQ of 40-54 and a mental functionality of kindergarten to first grade. But I only used to enjoy playing with the darlings, I never qualified to set up training programs for them.
#26
Stupidwhiteman, not everyone here is Jewish, White(or Black) but every true believer of the anti humanity Cult of Perversion and its insidious ways deserve the bashing it gets.
Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr said on Saturday night that UN envoy Geir Pederson had assured him that Israel would lift its air and sea blockade on Lebanon within a week. Murr also claimed that the UN envoy had guaranteed him that IDF soldiers would withdraw from southern Lebanon within one or two weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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the UN envoy had guaranteed him that IDF soldiers would withdraw from southern Lebanon within one or two weeks.
And you take the UN's word for anything?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/03/2006 12:23 Comments ||
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On the other hand Elias Comptroller recommends Olmert criminal probe
Amidst burgeoning criticism over the government's handling of the war in Lebanon, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss on Sunday urged Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to launch a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for illicit political appointments the premier allegedly made when he served in his previous position as Industry and Trade Minister, the Justice Ministry said.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was holding talks in Tehran on Iran's controversial nuclear programme and a request for help in shoring up a nearly three-week-old truce in Lebanon. His visit comes as the United States leads a drive for UN sanctions against Tehran after it refused to heed a Security Council deadline on Thursday to halt sensitive nuclear operations.
The truce in Lebanon was also to feature prominently as the United Nations seeks to expand its force in the south of the country to keep the peace between Israel and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which Tehran backs. Annan was holding talks with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday afternoon and was expected also to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chief nuclear negotiatior Ali Larijani during his stay, officials said. "I am here to discuss implementation of (UN Security Council) Resolution 1701 which deals with the situation in Lebanon," Annan told reporters after arriving. "I will also discuss issues in relation to this region, to the international community. I'm looking forward to my talks with Iranian leaders," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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The EU is giving Iran two more weeks to clarify its position on the latest demands to halt its controversial nuclear programme. It came at a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Finland. Foreign policy chief Javier Solana is to meet Iranian officials next week to clear up ambiguities surrounding Tehran's stance.
The ministers were also discussing energy issues and relations with Russia. Talks centred on a possible new strategic agreement with Moscow. "We want to speak and deal with Russia with one voice," said Finland's foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja.
"Russia is an important partner for us, a strategic partner, and I was of course very happy with our meeting here which is a good example of the kind of cooperation across the border which we want to see develop with Russia," he added. The new cooperation agreement will cover energy, trade and human rights issues. The EU expects to be able to launch negotiations with Russia after a summit in November.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/03/2006 00:00 ||
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clarify? Needing two more weeks?
If it were any clearer.....
Posted by: Jan ||
09/03/2006 1:48 Comments ||
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When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.
When all you have is diplomacy everything looks like negotiations.
Heres a clue either tell Iran that you dont care if the US wipes you off the face of the earth [Goodbye and thanks for all the fish] or just tell the US you dont care a squat about a nuclear armed Iran. Either case will generate far more action, all beyond your further interference. Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.
The show is called "The Path to 9/11" and it is going to air Sunday, September 10, and Monday, September 11.
485 DK comments as of my posting....heh heh
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/03/2006 18:26 ||
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I can't think what they're upset about. As I understand it, the "ABC docudrama" will blame the people in our government responsible for ignoring terrorism for years and letting it build up to 9/11.
Oh, wait....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/03/2006 18:39 Comments ||
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Sandy Burglar can explain everything...but he won't.
#4
Perhaps they should just follow the lead of the right side of the blogosphere. Marshall the FACTS to disprove the assertions of the media. Oh, wait ...
#5
The Wizards at Kos are running a poll, so far they believe that "Corporate Media Consolidation" represent a bigger threat to Democracy than Terrorism. Leftism, a mental illness.
#6
Oh man! Spend some time reading the comments, it's a hoot! Some idiot referred to Clinton as the "Clenis", I assume that's a contraction of Clinton and Penis. I'll have to write that one down.
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.
(SomaliNet) Somalis interim president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed has attended on Saturday an opening ceremony to new military training course in Deynunay military camp in the suburb of Baidoa town 240km southwest of the capital where Ethiopian and Ugandans military experts provide the training. 
North Korea has accused the United States of threatening war by carrying out a test of its missile defense system and conducting joint military exercises with the South.
BERLIN The prime suspects in the failed attempt to blow up two German trains were partially motivated by anger over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, a leading investigator said in an interview released Saturday.
Pro-Taliban militants encouraged by tribal elders signed an agreement with Pakistan's government Saturday to ensure "permanent peace" in this volatile northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, intelligence officials said. Under the agreement, which is likely to be unveiled by the government next week, no militant will attack government officials or security forces, and in return the army deployed in North Waziristan "will not carry out operations against them," said an area intelligence official on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Former U S Secretary of State 
Threatened by a potentially nuclear-armed Tehran, Israel is preparing for a possible war with both Iran and Syria, according to Israeli political and military sources.
A PALESTINIAN government of national unity that includes Hamas offers a way to get the Middle East peace process back on track and allow the EU to recognise Hamas, EU foreign ministers agreed last night. 
