Rome, 15 Nov. (AKI) - Kuwait is afraid of Iran's nuclear ambitions and wants the international community to do more to stop it from developing atomic weapons, according to the head of one of the country's daily newspapers.
Ahmad Abd al-Aziz al-Jarallah, the editor of Al-Siyasa, told Adnkronos International (AKI) Kuwaitis feared the consquences if Iran's ambitions were unchecked. "Kuwaitis are not convinced that Iran wants to develop its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes and are afraid that it could develop a weapon that would damage the whole region," he said. "The Iranian nuclear plants are closer to Kuwait, only 500 kilometres from the gulf, than Tehran, 1,000 kilometres away. This gives us a clear image of the dangers that they could pose to Kuwait and Zahran in Saudi Arabia," he said.
Speaking about the position of Italy with respect to seeking a solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, he said each country had to make its own considerations. "China for example, has a position that is dictated by its own interests as well as Russia, the US and Italy," he said.
He said Rome is convinced that "diplomatic solutions and negotiations would yield results", as they had in North Korea and Libya. "We in Kuwait can do nothing but observe," he said. "We don't want to wake up one day and see that Iran has its first nuclear bomb, like what happened in India and Pakistan."
He said the thing that made Kuwaitis happy was that these foreign countries consider Iran's nuclear project as serious as it is for Kuwait.
The newspaper editor said the essence of Kuwait's difficulties with Iran was the fact that its political system contained more than one state and more than one decision-making body. He said the resignation of Ali Larijani from his position as secretary-general of the Supreme Council for National Security was due to the fact that "he had shown a precise position in his international interviews and his numerous meetings, without however convincing those in executive power in Iran of his ideas".
According to Jarallah, those in-charge in Iran believe it's better to play "the card of subterfuge" at an international level. "If we look back over the years, we see a real similarity between Saddam Hussein and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a level of media control and vanity in the face of Western forces," he said. " It is not about having a battle with the US and the allied forces."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Chickens coming home to roost, I see! The Kuwaitis 'quaking' in their skirts and slippers! Was it not, just a few weeks ago that they where guilty of 'piling on' with respect to the US holding Iranian hostages suspected of belonging to the Quds Force, for their release; and for a prompt backing off of the US in the guiding (some say pushing)of 'Internal Iraqi politics'? The little white poodle will yap, and yap...but how fast it scampers for the flap door when the slightest 'breeze' comes through the yard!!
AMMAN, Jordan -- At every opportunity, the Iraqis pull out photos of themselves side by side with U.S. soldiers, photos they feared to share inside their country. They offer up laminated notes of appreciation from American commanders. They flash expired U.S. Embassy badges they still keep in their wallets.
Thousands of Iraqi employees of U.S. contractors, forced to flee to this capital out of fear, are desperately trying to leverage their American ties into entry to the United States. But most languish for months in a bureaucratic and psychological limbo, their status as uncertain as their future.
"We are here only because of our work with the Americans," said Intisar Ibrahim, 53, a tall, solemn engineer who left Iraq two years ago. "They have an obligation to help us, but until now we have not seen any help." Maybe they should read Yon. Even AP says Iraqis are returning to Baghdad.
Timing of this article makes you wonder if the Post felt the need to do a little push-back ...
More than four years after the U.S.-led invasion, the number of Iraqis being resettled in the United States is expanding, although the numbers are minuscule and the pace is glacial. Only those who have worked directly for the U.S. government or military -- a tiny percentage of the refugees -- are eligible for fast-track immigration processing. An estimated 100,000 Iraqis employed by U.S. contractors -- from office cleaners to managers to highly skilled professionals -- have much lower priority, although they faced similar dangers and underwent rigorous background checks.
In Iraq, these workers paid a price for being America's allies. They led double lives sheathed in lies and secrecy. Many were killed. Those fortunate enough to make it to Jordan have found that life as a refugee is precarious.
Life as a refugee is 'precarious' -- there's an astounding insight. Thanks, WaPo, I might not ever have figured that out on my own.
Their fates are influenced by post-Sept. 11 security concerns, dwindling bank accounts and the growing impatience of Iraq's neighbors with the flood of refugees. They fear having to return to Iraq, their clandestine lives and, in their minds, certain death.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/17/2007 12:07 ||
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#1
Of course none of them dream of the untold wealth that exists for the taking by other Iraqis living in the US...
#2
A goodly number of these refugees may have valid reason to fear returning home. They may have sought work for Americans specifically in order to build a bridge out for themselves. There were a lot of people who did bad things for Saddam's regime, and mostly they just faded out of sight. Not all of those who made blood enemies out of various Shia or Kurds had enough power or wealth to move to Switzerland or whatever.
#3
The word may be out that with things getting fixed up in Iraq it is the last chance to get into thte US on a sympathy visa. I suspect every Iraqi who can dreams of a chance to get to the US is working their story as hard as possible.
#4
This article is very biased. A lot of Iraqis work for the US for two reasons - (1) the pay is much higher than that for local employers, and (2) there is the hope of a foreign passport. But neither of these motivations makes its way into the essay. If there is danger - well, that's what the high pay is meant to compensate for.
Posted by: ryuge ||
11/17/2007 04:44 ||
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#1
"The war against Islamofascism is in many respects a 'values issue,' " Bauer wrote. "That may seem like an odd statement at first glance, but, as I have often said, losing Western civilization to this vicious enemy would be immoral."
"It's the ultimate life issue," said Rick Scarborough, president of the Texas-based conservative Christian group Vision America. "If radical Islam succeeds in its ultimate goals, Christianity ceases to exist."
It looks like America's Christian leaders have finally gotten the memo. How long will it take for them to begin condemning shari'a law as a wholesale violation of human rights? More importantly, when will they demand thatin order for Islam to be practiced in AmericaMuslim majority nations must demonstrate reciprocity by allowing genuine freedom of religion?
Afghanistan is a perfect example of the usual Muslim hypocrisy. Despite having signed the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights), which guarantees religious freedom, Christian convert Abdul Rahman narrowly escaped a death penalty for apostasy. These sanctimonious bastards resorted to the transparent ruse of trying to declare him mentally unbalanced or insane before Italy finally granted Rahman asylum.
It should be further noted that even President Bush spoke out against Rahman's arrest, saying, "It is deeply troubling that a country we helped liberate would hold a person to account because they chose a particular religion over another". Yet, neither Bush nor Rice can come to grips with how shari'a law is the root cause in all of this and neither of them can bring themselves to condemn its installation in Afghanistan or Iraq despite it being the utter antithesis of American and democratic values.
America's Christians will need to look towards far more enlightened leadership than that coming from the White House if they are to begin marshalling their resources in the coming life-and-death struggle with Islam.
A resolution introduced in Congress this week condemns the imposition of martial law in Pakistan and calls on President Bush to suspend military assistance to Pakistan. The resolution was moved by New York Democratic Congressman Gary Ackerman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. The Bush administration has for too long relied on one man to achieve our anti-terrorism objectives in Pakistan, said Ackerman.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The Bush administration has for too long relied on one man to achieve our anti-terrorism objectives in Pakistan, said Ackerman.
He's right. Let's rely on Nawaz Sharif or Benazir Bhutto (under whom the Taliban grew strong) or Hamid Gul (who's probably on the Taliban payroll) instead.
#3
Right, Zhang Fei, the two are no less ugly or guilty as far as their roles are concerned. The media seem always to avoid stating such known facts. Blinking opportunistic wannabes recasted in new "saviour" roles. Rubbish.
LTC Stephen Michael at St Johns. LTC Michael told me today that when al Qaeda came to Dora, they began harassing Christians first, charging them rent. It was the local Muslims, according to LTC Michael, who first came to him for help to protect the Christians in his area. Thats right. LTC Michael told me more than once that the Muslims reached out to him to protect the Christians from al Qaeda. Real Muslims here are quick to say that al Qaeda members are not true Muslims. From charging rent, al Qaedas harassment escalated to killing Christians, and also Muslims. Untold thousands of Christians and Muslims fled Baghdad in the wake of the darkness of civil war. Most of the Christians are gone now; having fled to Syria, Jordan or Northern Iraq.
Today, Muslims mostly filled the front pews of St Johns. Muslims who want their Christian friends and neighbors to come home. The Christians who might see these photos likely will recognize their friends here. The Muslims in this neighborhood worry that other people will take the homes of their Christian neighbors, and that the Christians will never come back. And so they came to St Johns today in force, and they showed their faces, and they said, Come back to Iraq. Come home. They wanted the cameras to catch it. They wanted to spread the word: Come home. Muslims keep telling me to get it on the news. Tell the Christians to come home to their country Iraq. Look at the pictures. A CATHOLIC MASS, in BAGHDAD. Attended by Muslims who are protecting the Christians and who want their Christian neighbors to come home. These are the people that Reid and all the antiwar clowns would sentence to extermination at the hands of extremists - the women and little girls and brave citizens who stood up and showed their faces.
One of the most hopeful pictures I've seen in all the Iraq news.
In the absence of bad news from Iraq, the WaPo comes up with scary stuff.
The Army has summoned the top U.S. commander in Iraq back to Washington to preside over a board that will pick some of the next generation of Army leaders, an unusual decision that officials say represents a vote of confidence in Gen. David H. Petraeus's conduct of the war, as well as the Army counterinsurgency doctrine he helped rewrite.
The Army has long been criticized for rewarding conventional military thinking and experience in traditional combat operations, and current and former defense officials have pointed to Petraeus's involvement in the promotion board process this month as a sign of the Army's commitment to encouraging innovation and rewarding skills beyond the battlefield.
Some junior and midlevel officers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been particularly outspoken in their criticisms, saying the Army's current leadership lacks a hands-on understanding of today's conflicts and has not listened to feedback from younger personnel. "There are some great captains and majors who have great insight into this type of warfare. They are not leaving because they don't have enough money; they are leaving because no one is listening to them. They don't trust the people above them," said an Army officer who served two tours in Iraq, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
"It's unprecedented for the commander of an active theater to be brought back to head something like a brigadier generals board," said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, former head of the Army War College. A senior defense official said Petraeus is "far too high-profile for this to be a subtle thing."
The board, composed of 15 Army generals, will examine a pool of more than 1,000 colonels to select about 40 brigadier generals, expected to lead the service over the next decade or longer. Although each board member has an equal vote on the candidates, Petraeus will be able to guide the discussion.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/17/2007 12:01 ||
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#1
Nothing succeeds like success. I'm sure that Generals Grant, Sherman, Pershing, Eisenhower or MacArthur (PBUH) never involved themselves with picking the next generation of General officers.
#2
You are correct 'Moose, General Marshall picked all the ones you mentioned while running Benning.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
11/17/2007 16:44 Comments ||
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#3
I hope that means this guy and others like him will finally get a well-deserved shot at a star. And while we're at it...why not an overall housecleaning of the general-officer ranks, the way Marshall did when he took over as Chief of Staff before the start of WWII? From what I've read and heard (including here at the 'Burg), there are plenty of superb LTC's and Colonels who should be generals, and conversely, some hard-charging captains who should be colonels.
And just to keep the conversation going...I've read in more than one place that the Army's getting short of company-grade officers, especially in the combat arms. Can you say "battlefield commissions", boys and girls? I knew you could!
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
11/17/2007 19:28 Comments ||
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#4
Petraus's inclusion is a signal to the Col's and lower that "outside the box" aggressive thinking will be rewarded and promoted. I can't think of a better message to send to retain the kind of Mil hierarchy America needs. WTG
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2007 19:58 Comments ||
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#5
The existing personnel system is designed for peacetime managers. It's a defect in most military bureaucracies in history. We've had more than enough run through the WOT that some people can pick out the leaders who understand the job is victory rather than managers who think the job is to avoid defeat.
A federal appeals court in San Francisco today handed a major victory to the Bush administration, ruling that a lawsuit challenging the government's warrantless wiretapping program could not go forward because of the "state secrets" privilege. In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the government, which had argued that allowing an Islamic charity's claims that it was illegally spied upon to go forward would threaten national security.
In the opinion, Judge M. Margaret McKeown flatly rejected the government's argument that "the very subject matter of the litigation is a state secret."
However, after privately reviewing sealed information from the government, McKeown said on behalf of the three-judge panel, "We acknowledge the need to defer to the executive on matters of foreign and national security and surely cannot legitimately find ourselves second-guessing the executive in this arena."
The victory was not absolute. The court sent the case back to a lower court to consider whether the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires the government to seek warrants for anti-terrorist wiretaps from a special court, preempts the state secrets privilege. The proceedings on that issue could take months.
But coming from three judges, all appointed by Democratic presidents, in one of the most liberal federal circuits in the country, the ruling demonstrates a reluctance by the courts to intervene in President Bush's handling of the war on terrorism.
Ninth circus finally shows some sense ... and a fear of once again looking foolish in front of the Supremes.
The lawsuit, filed by the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation and two of its attorneys, challenged the National Security Agency's spying endeavor, called the Terrorist Surveillance Program, which was launched after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was one of 50 legal challenges brought across the country after the surveillance program's existence was revealed in a December 2005 story in the New York Times.
A little noticed prohibition in the Democrats' $50 billion Iraq funding bill that passed the House Wednesday would effectively end CIA renditions, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU, one of the largest nonprofit organizations fighting the Bush Administration on torture and civil liberties issues, lauded House members for passing the bill, which faces a rocky road in the Senate.
The Iraq funding measure revises the Army Field Manual to prohibit torture and abuse, including waterboarding, and authorizes an array of specific interrogation tactics. It specifically states that CIA operatives must adhere to these rules as well.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Delphi ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
ION, REALCLEARPOLITICS > AMERICA'S VULNERABLE ECONOMY {Economist Magz] + THE CRASH OF 2008 [Patrick Buchanan].
#2
THAT is funny. Since when can the Congress amend field manuals that are written by the executive branch (last time I looked, the Dept. of the Army was under DoD which was the executive branch).
#3
Crosspatch, the DoD is a creation of Congress, which under Article I of the Constitution is responsible for the military. It's entirely within their rights to tell the Army what to do and how to do it.
Congress can certainly write legislation to amend the Army Field Manual if it so wants.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/17/2007 1:46 Comments ||
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#4
Although I support the practice of 'Rendition' and torture (hell, they did it to our boys[beheadings, stringups, dissections, etc.]); I do so with the understanding of it's application(s) being done secretly and with plausible deniability. If the program leaks to be 'splayed wide open' for all to gaze and gawk, then yes; shut it down and let's get back to leaving the combatants and insurgents where they should be...lying face down on the battlefield. No questions asked, no answers given!! Ohh, and stop the live embedding; allow it only for delayed historical retelling.
#5
remember, this is the same $50 Million bill that requires an Iraq withdrawal timetable, and will be number 42, as in 0-42 won-loss record against the President in the Iraq political battle. It's guaranteed a veto, and Pelosi/Reid already know they can't override it. Look for more votes to peel away from the cut-n-run cowards as the elections near, and the situation in Iraq continues improving. The majority of congress won't wanna be left holding the flaming bag of poop when the troops run out of funds (while successfully doing their difficult tasks) right before the election.
Yes, I do question the Donks' patriotism, as well as their intelligence
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/17/2007 9:46 Comments ||
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#6
I'd worry less about their patriotism if they were smarter.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
11/17/2007 16:47 Comments ||
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The Maulana was shifted to the HMC on Friday after he was diagnosed with having diabetes. He is diabetic and his condition is not serious, the doctor said on condition of anonymity.
The shifting of the 75-year-old TNSM chief to the hospital led to speculations that the government is considering using him to pacify the situation in the troubled Swat district where his son-in-law Maulana Fazlullah is leading a rebellion against the government. NWFP caretaker Home Minister Shazada Gustasap said on Friday the government had no plans to involve Sufi in any move to counter the insurgency in Swat.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Many think that the government plans to release the Maulana and that is why he has been shifted to Peshawar on a military helicopter from the Dera Ismail Khan jail where he had been imprisoned since December 2001.
This article starring:
Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi
Maulana Sufi Muhammad
TNSM
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 19:18 ||
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Top|| File under: TNSM
Saturday witnessed the first violent reactions in Balochistan against the emergency as police detained around 200 activists of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) who blocked the highway connecting Balochistan with Sindh.
PPP supporters and the police skirmished in different parts of Balochistan as the police arrested around 200 anti-emergency protesters from various districts and the provincial capital. PPP sources said that police had conducted raids at different places and had arrested around 200 party workers from Quetta, Kuchlak, Chaman, Qila Saifullah, Loralai, Turbat, Jaffarabad, and Noshki districts.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 19:13 ||
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Some religious leaders condemned the government in Friday sermons for launching a military operation in Swat and arresting lawyers, political and religious leaders. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad in Friday sermon at Jamia Masjid Mansoora said the government was pushing the nation to the brink of civil war by suspending basic human rights and imposing ban of freedom of expression. He said the government should allow peaceful protests if it wanted to avert civil war.
Qazi demanded that the government restore the deposed chief justice and lift the state of emergency. He said the government should ensure that free and fair elections were conducted. He condemned the detention of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) female workers. The way PTI female activists have been treated reminded the Israeli polices treatment of Palestinian women, he said.
Jamattud Dawah chief Prof Hafiz Saeed in a Friday sermon at Masjid Al-Qadsia said, Islamic Sharia is the only possible solution to the current political crisis faced by the country. He said there could be no progress without ending the atmosphere of servitude. He also criticised the government for the treatment meted out to the judges, lawyers and politicians. He said judges were guardians of the Constitution, but they had been put under detention. Freedom without giving sacrifices is not possible and many of us have now realised it, he added.
This article starring:
Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamattud Dawah
Hafiz Saeed
Jamattud Dawah
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf
Qazi Hussain Ahmad
Jamaat-e-Islami
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Former railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Friday that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would not boycott the upcoming general elections.
I do not see PPP boycotting the general elections. It will participate in the process but will adopt a different strategy keeping in view the elections results, he told CNBC. He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), PPP, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) would emerge as major political parties after the elections. He said the PML-Q would emerge as a strong political party in the elections because of unprecedented development projects across the country during its tenure. To a question about the PML-Nawazs position in the elections, he said the PML-N did not have enough candidates to field in all constituencies.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Jailed chief of the defunct Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM), Maulana Sufi Muhammad, was admitted to hospital on Friday after he reported problems with high blood pressure and high sugar levels, a prison official said. He has been admitted to Hayatabad Medical Complex from Dera Ismail Khan prison where doctors are examining him, the official told Daily Times, requesting not to be named. He is very weak and we want to provide him a detailed check-up.
NWFP caretaker Home Minister Shehzada Gustasip said the maulana was brought to Peshawar for a medical check-up as a goodwill gesture from the government.
"Gustasip" sounds like it should be something spelled backwards. But so does "Pisatsug," only not quite so much.
However, he denied that the TNSM chiefs presence in Peshawar meant that he could be set free to play a role in countering rebel Swat cleric Maulana Fazlullah. There is no such game plan, Gustasip told Daily Times.
Which leaves things at 50-50 that there is.
Maulana Fazlullah is the son-in-law of Sufi Muhammad, who led an uprising against the government in the early 1990s to demand the enforcement of Islamic laws in Swat and Malakand. The banned TNSM chief is regarded as ultra-conservative and inflexible towards compromising his stand on the enforcement of Shariah, and some security officials had suggested that he be released to counter Maulana Fazlullah, a plan that has not received broad approval.
It's in the same category as injecting yourself with cancer to cure pneumonia. Ultra-conservative and inflexible seem to be synonyms for "lunatic" in Pashto.
The TNSM chief has been serving a prison term since 2001 after he was found guilty, on several counts, for providing Islamic volunteers to the Taliban to fight against the US-backed Northern Alliance.
... with stupendously bad results, we might add.
This article starring:
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi
Maulana Fazlullah
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi
Maulana Sufi Muhammad
Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi
Shehzada Gustasip
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: TNSM
ISLAMABAD: US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte reached here on Friday to assess the deepening political crisis in Pakistan after the proclamation of emergency by President General Pervez Musharraf, and press him to for an early restoration of the Constitution and democracy.
He telephoned former premier Bhutto, and said moderate forces should work together to put the country back on a democratic path. Before his phone conversation with Bhutto, Negroponte also met with National Security Adviser Tariq Aziz, AFP repoted.
Diplomatic sources told Daily Times Negroponte would ask Musharraf to fulfill his promise of doffing his uniform, adding that he would also push Musharraf to restore the Constitution and civil liberties.
Will meet Musharraf: He will meet Musharraf today (Saturday), Online reported. The sources told Daily Times Negroponte would also meet Caretaker PM Muhammadmian Soomro, Foreign Minister Inamul Haq and PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto besides other opposition leaders. He is scheduled to visit the Foreign Office today (Saturday) to meet the foreign minister.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday rejected the interim setup put in place by President General Pervez Musharraf to hold general elections in the country.
Benazir categorically rejected the interim government, saying it was merely an extension of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) made up of traitors to the country.
Addressing her first press conference since being released from house arrest, the former prime minister said caretakers who took oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order deserved no mercy. She said it was difficult to negotiate with President Musharraf again because he had not kept his word in the past.
She said the time had come for army commanders to choose between loyalty to their boss and their country. She said transparent elections were impossible under a state of emergency with one person holding absolute power.
That's a not very subtle attempt to split the military. Toying with the loyalties of the praetorians can set a dangerous precedent.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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More than 100 Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) supporters were arrested outside various mosques in Karachi on Friday, but police denied these arrests. The JIs Sarfaraz Ahmed told Daily Times that more than 100 MMA and JI activists had been taken into custody. Police chief Azhar Ali Farooqui denied the arrests.
In Peshawar, police arrested four Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leaders and three Awami National Party (ANP) activists from separate rallies on Friday. JUI-F NWFP General Secretary Maulana Shaujaul Mulk, former ministers Asif Iqbal Dudzai and Amanullah Haqqani and JUI-F NWFP Information Secretary Abdul Jalil Jan were arrested from a rally staged by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) activists. Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, including MMA provincial naib ameer Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, evaded arrest. At a rally in the Hashtnagri area, police arrested three ANP activists Yasir Zaman, Mohammad Zaman and Alamgir Khalil.
JUI-Fs maiden rally: The JUI-F workers and leaders took to the streets in Peshawar for the first time to protest against the emergency rule. After Friday prayers, the JUI-F protesters started a march from Markazi Darul Qura at Namakmandi but police stopped them near the Cinema Road. The PPP womens wing workers in Peshawar also protested against the state of emergency and suspension of the Constitution.
This article starring:
ABDUL JALIL JAN
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl
Abdullah Virk
Alamgir Khalil
AMANULLAH HAQQANI
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl
Amer Tufail
ASIF IQBAL DUDZAI
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl
Babar Ghumman
Chaudhry Manzoor
Chaudhry Tariq
Fazl Abbas
Ijaz Samaa
Imtiaz Warraich
Khalid Bajwa
Lala Shakeelur Rehman
Malik Shumail
Malik Tahir Akhtar
Mohammad Zaman
MUSHTAQ AHMED KHAN
Jamaat-e-Islami
Police chief Azhar Ali Farooqui
SARFARAZ AHMED
Jamaat-e-Islami
SHAUJAUL MULK
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl
Sheikh Iqbal
Tariq Gujjar
Yasir Zaman
Zahid Bashir
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Ma'an Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades on Friday accused Hamas forces of arresting their spokesperson, Aqil Ash-Sheikh Khalil, in Gaza City, a statement said. "Hamas-affiliated militias arrested Sheikh Khalil after watching him for a long time. They took him to the Al-Mashtal headquarters, which Hamas uses as a detention centre for keeping and torturing Fatah's members," the statement said.
Sheikh Khalil is the general commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades in the Saftawi area of Gaza City and is 'wanted' by Israeli forces. Khalil is the second Al-Aqsa Brigades spokesperson to be arrested by Hamas in a month. Nasir Abu Fool, the spokesperson and general commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades Yasser Arafat forces was seized a month ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
Ma'an Deposed Palestinian prime minister Isma'il Haniyeh on Thursday evening called for the formation of a "transparent and impartial national committee" to investigate Monday's bloody events in Gaza City that left seven dead and scores injured following a rally to commemorate the death of Yasser Arafat.
The violence occurred as the rally began to disperse. Eyewitnesses said Fatah supporters began taunting the Hamas-affiliated police force who then opened fire on the crowd.
The leader of the de facto government in Gaza demanded the release of all those arrested after the shootings except those thought to have been responsible for inciting violence.
Hs said his government will "adhere to its duties towards the victims" of the rally.
"Despite the facilitations which the government made, Hamas was not invited to attend the celebration. Furthermore the speakers at the rally attacked Hamas and the government and after the memorial ended peacefully, the sudden turn of events to bloodhshed surprised everyone," Haniyeh said.
Haniyeh called for the formation of a committee to hold a national dialogue to deal with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as foreign affairs. He also demanded the release of all Hamas members detained by Palestinian security in the West Bank.
He never shuts up, does he?
Meanwhile a meeting was held on Thursday evening between the de facto government's interior minister Said Siyam, spokesperson Eyhab Al-Ghussain and representatives of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and Islamic Jihad to discuss what happened at Monday's gathering.
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Hamas said on Friday it had freed dozens of members of the rival Fatah movement detained after a mass rally in Gaza City in honour of the late Yasser Arafat ended in eight people being shot dead. The interior ministry of the Hamas-led government dismissed by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said that it had freed dozens of people who were arrested after the trouble and rioting that broke out during the demonstration. A ministry statement said Ismail Haniya, prime minister in the sacked government, approved the releases. Hazem Abu Shanab, a spokesman for Abbass secular Fatah movement, confirmed that a small number of people held by Hamas had been released overnight. I have ordered the release of all the people arrested if there is no proof against them of an attack on the security forces, Haniya said in a speech broadcast on Hamas television on Thursday. Hamas rounded up at least 200 Fatah party members in Gaza on Tuesday a day after the deadly rally at which Islamist gunmen killed eight people.
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that the United States is incapable of launching a military strike against Iran but would regret an attack if it carried one out.
America is today incapable of staging a military strike against Iran for several reasons, Ahmadinejad told Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel in an interview, according to an Arabic voice-over of his remarks in Farsi.
The ground is not prepared for a strike in either economic, political or military terms, he said.
And of course, they know full well that the Iranian peoples response (to any attack) will be harsh, and they will regret it, Ahmadinejad said. In practice, then, they do not want to launch a strike against Iran. They are agitating and applying pressure on (UN) Security Council members in order to deceive and extricate themselves from the impasse in which they are, he added. US Democratic lawmakers on Friday vowed to wield constitutional powers to thwart any military strike against Iran.
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11/17/2007 19:21 ||
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VIENNA - The UN nuclear watchdogs mixed assessment on Irans disputed nuclear activities suggests Teheran is willing to do only just enough to stave off further UN sanctions, analysts said on Friday.
Iran has again provided just enough cooperation to try to buy a further reprieve from an additional Security Council resolution, said Mark Fitzpatrick, an expert on non-proliferation at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. It certainly is not enough for the US and Europe, for whom Irans ongoing current activity is more problematic than the lingering questions about the past, Fitzpatrick told AFP.
However, the level of cooperation Iran showed may be enough for Russia and China.
Undoubtedly it will be, since all three are partners in this escapade.
While the United States has vowed in the wake of the report to press ahead with its drive for additional sanctions, China and Russia, who are also permanent members of the UN Security Council, are reluctant to back such a motion. In fact, according to the Irans official news agency IRNA on Friday, Russia has informed the IAEA that it is poised to deliver the first consignment of fuel for a nuclear power plant under construction at Bushehr on Irans Gulf coast.
Once they get paid, of course.
Simon Barrett, director and Iran expert at the London-based think tank, International Media Intelligence Analysis (IMIA), also believed that Iran was simply buying time. Teheran wants to prove theyre cooperating with the UN, while at the same time expanding their enrichment activities. That brings them closer to the nuclear bomb.
Boy howdy that's a tough call. Buying time, you think? What was your first clue?
An official close to the IAEA said the watchdogs inspectors had been able to confirm for the first time Irans claim that it had 3,000 centrifuges enriching uranium. That is the number scientists believe is sufficient, in ideal conditions, to produce enough enriched uranium in one year to make a single nuclear bomb.
In the report sent to its 35-member board on Thursday, the IAEA found that Iran had taken important strides in revealing the extent of its nuclear programme. But it was still defying UN demands that it suspend uranium enrichment and had also refused to sign the so-called Additional Protocol, a key document allowing unrestricted inspections. That made it difficult for IAEA inspectors to be certain there were no undeclared nuclear activities in Iran, the report complained.
Which means they really have no clue what's going on in Iran, just as they had no clue in Libya, Iraq, Malaysia, Pakistan ...
Indeed, the agencys knowledge of Irans current nuclear activities was diminishing, the report warned. Trying to extract information from Iran was like trying to crack a nut, an IAEA official said. You have to ask for the precise piece of information to get at it. Its not thrown at you, he said.
We have a president who knows how to crack nuts ...
The United States, which has long been pushing for further sanctions against Teheran, said the findings proved that Iran was just stringing the IAEA along.
In a telephone interview with AFP, the US ambassador to the IAEA, Gregory Schulte, said: Maybe theyve shed some additional light on activities in the 80s and 90s, but we know less and less about what theyre doing in 2007. Like every other country, Iran had an obligation to cooperate with the IAEA. They dont have the right to make that obligation conditional, Schulte said.
The next step to further sanctions will come later this month with a second report by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. If Solanas report finds that Iran is not cooperating sufficiently, the UN Security Council could vote for additional sanctions.
Solana will fudge just enough to get the Euros off the hook, and even if he doesn't, Russia and or China will veto anything the Security Council tries to do.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, also believed that sanctions alone were not the answer. The US and other states must recognise that sanctions alone will not convince Iran to comply or suspend its programme, he told AFP. Such pressure must be accompanied by direct engagement on a broad range of issues if a resolution to the crisis is to be achieved any time soon.
There's a simpler solution. Daryl doesn't know what it is, but we do.
Kimball acknowledged that while the report showed progress in some important areas, troubling questions remained. From this point forward, it is vital that Iran accelerate and enhance its cooperation with the IAEA to address the other issues in the workplan and agree to abide by the Additional Protocol in order to diminish concern and suspicion about the purpose of its enrichment and heavy water reactor projects, Kimball said.
Or else .. what, exactly? Problem with the do-gooders, the UN, the IAEA and the Dhimmicrats is that they aren't willing to say what, exactly, and then mean it. The Mad Mullahs know that and so work goes on.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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BERLIN - Germany said on Friday the UN atomic watchdogs mixed assessment of Irans nuclear programme is on the whole not encouraging.
The report shows areas of light and of shade but on the whole it is not encouraging, foreign ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger said. Iran has not met its commitments and has pursued enrichment work. It still has to present us with proof that the aims of its nuclear programme are purely peaceful, he added.
"We're not going to do anything about it, of course, which makes it especially discouraging," he added.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report published on Thursday that Iran has made some progress in revealing the extent of its nuclear programme but was still defying UN demands that it suspend uranium enrichment. Iran had provided sufficient access to individuals and responded in a timely manner to questions, but cooperation has been reactive rather than pro-active, the IAEA said.
Germany is part of the so-called three plus three group of nations --Britain, France, Germany as well China, Russia and the United States -- leading international efforts over Irans nuclear work. But Germany, Irans largest European trading partner, has opted to wait until ongoing European and UN diplomatic efforts have run their course.
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LONDON - A meeting of world powers on tougher sanctions on Iran has been cancelled after China pulled out, European diplomatic sources said on Friday, revealing tensions after a key report into Teherans atomic activities. Political directors from Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China were due to meet on Monday to assess a report about Tehrans nuclear programme by the UN atomic watchdog and from the European Unions foreign policy chief.
Theres no meeting scheduled now because the Chinese are saying that they cant make the date, said a European diplomatic source. I think its partly related to genuine travel difficulties, but also linked to resistance on the broader question of sanctions from that quarter.
The so-called P5+1 group -- the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany -- have struggled to maintain consensus over hitting Iran with harder sanctions. The United States recently imposed unilateral economic sanctions and has not ruled out military action against Iran. Britain has also been pushing hard for a third round of sanctions, including restrictions on energy and financial investment in Iran.
But China and Russia, both with veto power in the Security Council, have argued strongly to give more time to negotiations to encourage Iranian compliance with international demands.
A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday said Iran had made important strides towards clarifying past nuclear activities but disclosures remained incomplete and it had also dramatically expanded uranium enrichment. Diplomats in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, believed its report showing Iran was starting to shed light on nuclear activities would be seized on by Russia and China as grounds for shelving further sanctions. There is frustration on the Western side over China and Russia not having the same sense of urgency about Iran, and this problem may well increase due to this report, said a European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
'Same sense of urgency'? Let's call it for what it is: obstruction. Russia, China and Iran are in cahoots. It's really that simple.
Iran has threatened to stop cooperating if hit with more sanctions. Russia and China want to preserve strong trade ties with Iran and say isolating the Islamic Republic could lead to wider Middle East conflict.
If Security Council avenues remain blocked, European Union states could consider separate sanctions to back up a broad US embargo against the Islamic Republic. Germany -- one of Europes biggest trade partners with Iran which has so far been reluctant to consider a halt to new export guarantees -- said on Friday it would consider the possibility of separate EU measures.
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11/17/2007 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A federal appeals court in San Francisco today handed a major victory to the Bush administration, ruling that a lawsuit challenging the government's warrantless wiretapping program could not go forward because of the "state secrets" privilege. In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the government, which had argued that allowing an Islamic charity's claims that it was illegally spied upon to go forward would threaten national security.
Saturday witnessed the first violent reactions in Balochistan against the emergency as police detained around 200 activists of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) who blocked the highway connecting Balochistan with Sindh. 
Hundreds of political workers were arrested on Friday across the country for protesting against the emergency rule and suspension of the Constitution.
Ma'an Deposed Palestinian prime minister Isma'il Haniyeh on Thursday evening called for the formation of a "transparent and impartial national committee" to investigate Monday's bloody events in Gaza City that left seven dead and scores injured following a rally to commemorate the death of Yasser Arafat. 
Hamas said on Friday it had freed dozens of members of the rival Fatah movement detained after a mass rally in Gaza City in honour of the late Yasser Arafat ended in eight people being shot dead. The interior ministry of the Hamas-led government dismissed by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said that it had freed dozens of people who were arrested after the trouble and rioting that broke out during the demonstration. A ministry statement said Ismail Haniya, prime minister in the sacked government, approved the releases. Hazem Abu Shanab, a spokesman for Abbass secular Fatah movement, confirmed that a small number of people held by Hamas had been released overnight. I have ordered the release of all the people arrested if there is no proof against them of an attack on the security forces, Haniya said in a speech broadcast on Hamas television on Thursday. Hamas rounded up at least 200 Fatah party members in Gaza on Tuesday a day after the deadly rally at which Islamist gunmen killed eight people.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that the United States is incapable of launching a military strike against Iran but would regret an attack if it carried one out.
VIENNA - The UN nuclear watchdogs mixed assessment on Irans disputed nuclear activities suggests Teheran is willing to do only just enough to stave off further UN sanctions, analysts said on Friday.
BERLIN - Germany said on Friday the UN atomic watchdogs mixed assessment of Irans nuclear programme is on the whole not encouraging.
LONDON - A meeting of world powers on tougher sanctions on Iran has been cancelled after China pulled out, European diplomatic sources said on Friday, revealing tensions after a key report into Teherans atomic activities. Political directors from Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and China were due to meet on Monday to assess a report about Tehrans nuclear programme by the UN atomic watchdog and from the European Unions foreign policy chief.
