US efforts to tame the growing Taliban insurgency through negotiations would fail unless the Afghanistan government agreed to such talks, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday.
In an interview with CNN, Karzai objected to the strategy of having US military commanders conduct direct talks with Taliban members in order to persuade them to abandon their struggle and join local militias.
"If you want to accomplish a local deal with a certain Taliban commander at a tactical level, good enough," the Afghan leader told CNN's GPS program. "But even that has to be done in agreement with the Afghan administration (government) at the local, provincial level. Without that knowledge in the Afghan administration, this peace process will not go anywhere."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"Negotiate" Holding a loaded weapon, or you won't be taken seriously.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/20/2009 12:09 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Afghans accused of human rights violations over three decades of war should be barred from running in the August 20 presidential election, a commissioner of the state-appointed rights watchdog said Sunday.
Western backers of Afghanistan, which is in the grip of a growing Taliban insurgency, pledged extra troops for securing the poll and for paying most of the cost of $230 million for the vote, the second direct one in the country's history.
The official nomination of candidates was planned for next week, and names that appeared on unofficial lists included warlords linked with past crimes, Ahmad Nader Nadery, officer of the Independent Human Rights Commission told Reuters.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
That place is even a worse s$$$-hole than I thought it was. I thought it was at least partially decent. I've seen squatters with better accommodations. Still, an ARCLIGHT, or a few napalm canisters, would change some attitudes very quickly.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/20/2009 14:46 Comments ||
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[Maghrebia] An Algiers criminal court on Saturday (April 18th) postponed the terrorism trial for suspects in the deadly April 11th attack on a police station in the eastern Algiers suburb of Bab-Ezzouar, local press reported. Of the 57 defendants, 52 will be tried in absentia, including al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb leader Abdelmalek Droukdel. The trial will resume June 16th. The five men in custody reportedly revealed plans for other terror operations, including bomb attacks against the Embassy of Denmark and the national security chief, Colonel Ali Tounsi.
In related news, Droukdel and 60 members of his organisation have begun negotiating a truce with security forces in Boumerdes, Tizi Ouzou, and Lakhdaria, El Khabar reported on Sunday. Reportedly, an intermediary was dispatched to the Kabylie region with letters addressed to Droukdel from repentant terrorist and former GSPC commander Hassan Hattab.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The head of a Saudi literary forum received death threats for hosting a woman poet in one of the forum's seminars, local press reported Saturday.
Ibrahim al-Hamid, head of al-Jawf Literary Forum, hosted poet Halima Mozafar and two other male poets in the two separate halls in the Prince Abdulellah cultural center. The seminar was attended by al-Jawf Police Chief and a considerable number of security officers, the Saudi newspaper al-Watan reported Sunday.
Before the seminar Hamid received text messages on his cell phone threatening to kill him. "Your mother will lament your death like your corrupt predecessors. We will shed your blood if this ... comes to the seminar. You are the one who declared war on God and his prophet and all believers," he quoted one of the messages, pointing out that he crossed out some of the obscene words in the text.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Roses are red
Violets are blue
This death threat
Is for you
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2009 10:07 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Sixty more Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel are likely to be indicted for their alleged involvement in the February 25-26 carnage in the BDR headquarters.
An official of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) tasked with the investigation said the BDR personnel are likely to be shown arrested in the mutiny case today. Seeking anonymity, the CID official said, "On the basis of our own intelligence and after scrutiny of the video footages, we identified around 60 jawans and have primarily interrogated them at Pilkhana."
Meanwhile, five other BDR jawans have been taken to the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) cell for intensive interrogation after investigators found their active involvement in the mutiny.
Two other jawans yesterday confessed to their involvement with the killings and lootings at Pilkhana during the mutiny while eleven others were placed on remand for interrogation by a Dhaka court. The court also sent sixteen jawans to jail after they were produced before it in the case primarily filed with Lalbagh police station and later shifted to New Market Police Station.
Another investigator said the five taken to TFI for interrogation were directly found to be involved in the mutiny. "We expect to get important information from them," he added.
Our Court Correspondent adds: Two more Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans -- sepoys Mohammad Rajib and Rian Ahmed -- made statements yesterday confessing their involvement in the killings and lootings at Pilkhana. Metropolitan Magistrates Julfikar Hayat and Tofael Hassan recorded statements of sepoys Mohammad Rajib and Rian Ahmed after the investigation officer of the case produced them before the court. After recording their statements, the two were sent to jail.
Meanwhile, a metropolitan magistrate court placed seven jawans on five days remand and five others on four days remand each for interrogation in the case. The jawans facing a five-day remand are sepoys Abdur Rashid, Abdur Rashid (2), Habibur Rahman, Habib Ullah, Suman Miah, Suman Mollah and Mintu Sheikh while subedar Ramendra Nath Bishwas, Lance Nayek Shariful Islam, sepoys Syed Anwar Hossain and Zikrul Haque were remanded for four-day each.
Thirty-nine jawans and civilians, including yesterday's two, have so far given confessional statements on different dates. A total of around 1,050 jawans and civilians are now shown arrested in the mutiny case.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA First, North Korea warned of war. Now North and South Korea are planning their first talks in more than a year.
South Korea on Sunday accepted North Koreas request for dialogue about the future of the Kaesong industrial complex, just inside North Korea. Seoul hopes to cool off tensions that have been rising steadily since North Koreas launch of a long-range Taepodong-2 missile on April 5.
The two Koreas agreed to talk Tuesday only after more saber rattling by North Korea. North Korea said South Korea would be considered to have issued a declaration of war if Seoul joined the US-backed Proliferation Security Initiative. North Korea correctly sees itself as a target of PSI, a program begun by the US in 2003 for monitoring and interdicting shipments of nuclear material. It currently includes about 15 core counties, and dozens of others participate on an ad hoc basis.
A North Korean military spokesman Saturday used harsh language about the dangers of PSI, saying the group of traitors led by South Koreas President Lee Myung Bak should never forget that Seoul is 30 miles south of the border with the North.
South Koreas unification ministry called that implied threat lamentable, but the government decided to put off joining PSI until after Tuesdays meeting. Foreign ministry officials have said the government had already decided to join the PSI, but there were signs of second thoughts.
The ostensible reason for Tuesdays talks is the future of the Kaesong industrial complex, where about 100 South Korean companies have factories employing some 40,000 North Koreans. South Korea is demanding to see a South Korean worker whom North Korean authorities detained recently for bad-mouthing the communist system to a North Korean, believed to be a waitress in a snack bar.
Its not clear yet whether North Korea will use that case as a lever against Seouls decision to join the PSI.
It's not clear? It's clear to me. The Norks will use that against the South and use the two reporters they pinched against the U.S.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION TOPIX > COMMUNIST PARTY OF JAPAN SURGES AS ECONOMY WITHERS [gaining electoral strength = incrs voted into power].
BRUSSELS: The international community should treat both Pakistan and India equally with regards to nuclear privileges, former information minister Sherry Rehman said on Sunday. She told a private TV channel Pakistan deserved equal status as India, as Islamabad has been playing a vital role for restoration of peace in the world in accordance with the United Nations. She said that being a nuclear power, Pakistan has played a responsible role against the war on terrorism.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/20/2009 16:38 ||
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Err.... AQ Khan
Posted by: john frum ||
04/20/2009 17:12 Comments ||
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Now that she's outta the loop, Sherry should now enter into her true calling, Pakistani MILF p0rn...
After cracking down on pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Navy will carry out anti-piracy patrols near the island nation of Seychelles following a request from the country. An Indian warship and survey vessel, the INS Nirdeshak, is currently in the area and will patrol the area after several incidents of Somali pirates operating near the nation were reported earlier this month.
The Seychelles Armed Forces today said it had requested the Indian Navy to patrol the exclusive economic zone of the country. The Navy confirmed that INS Nirdeshak has already been sent to the region.
While details of the area to be patrolled and the deployment of additional warships in the region will be discussed at a later stage, the Nirdeshak, which is a survey vessel of the Navy but is "adequately equipped" to undertake anti-piracy missions, will begin operations immediately.
The pirates have been going after ships near the Seychelles, so the Indians step in to help. This is a very smart move on the part of the Indians, and one that is completely consistent with their vision of being the preeminent regional power in the Indian Ocean.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
THis "MARITIME JIHAD" for control of the HORN/WEST AFRICA REGIONS is just beginning - as the future OWG "1000-FLAG/NATIONS" GLOBAL TASK FORCE, etc. begins to offensively push agz the Pirates, IMO they will fall back in active defense = fighting retreat towards the defensive military umbrellas of NUCLEARIZING IRAN + PROTO-ISLAMIST SOUTH ASIA.
[Geo News] Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik Sunday said Pakistan sincerely conducted investigation into the Mumbai attacks and so far six suspects have been arrested. Talking to media on the occasion of Valima reception of the son of Pakistan People's Party leader Jehangir Badar, the Advisor said that India has not provided answers to all the queries put forward by Pakistan. He underlined need for India's cooperation in connection with Mumbai attacks probe. Â"The accused cannot be awarded punishment in the absence of concrete evidence,Â" he said. Rehmand Malik called for provision of the verified copy of Ajmal Kasab's statement given before court. Â"We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations whether it happens in Pakistan or any other part of the world,Â" the Advisor asserted. He told the reporters that national policy is being devised to tackle the menace of terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Federal information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that he understands that the instance of Taliban is wrong and if media also thinks the agenda of Sufi Mohammad is wrong then it should support the government. Talking with media here on the occasion of valima ceremony of the son of Jahangir Badar, secretary-general Pakistan People's Party, he said that the Nizam-e-Adl has been implemented in Swat for maintaining peace so that Taliban throw away their weapons. Kaira said that Pakistan achieved success on diplomatic level in Tokyo and it has also been assured an aid of $5.25 billion which is beyond expectation. Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the world understood Pakistan's point of view and 36 countries have assured their cooperation so that the loss caused by the war against terror can be overcome.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Sunday warned to halt supplies to Afghanistan-based NATO (Northern Atlantic Alliance Treaty) in Pakistan if the US continues with drone attacks in the FATA.
The warning was issued through a resolution passed by participants of a JI public meeting here. Ahead of the meeting, the participants took out a rally against drone strikes, military operation in FATA, the country's cooperation with the US in its war on terror. They also protested the arrest of JI, NWFP, deputy chief Sahibzada Haroonur Rasheed.
Protests: JI, FATA, Deputy Secretary General Zarnoor Afridi said Rasheed's arrest was unlawful and implicated in a concocted case.
He warned the government of protest across the NWFP and FATA if Rasheed was not freed.
Afridi said drone attacks in the FATA were violation of the Geneva Convention and basic human rights of the Tribal Area inhabitants. He criticised the government for failing to protect public life and property in FATA. He urged nation to protest against the drone strikes in the country. He said halting NATO supplies inside Pakistan would help press the US for stopping drone attacks. JI, Bajaur, Amir Sardar Khan said it was shameful for the government that it had agreed to the killing of its people to please the US. He alleged security forces had demolished villages and killed innocent people in Bajaur and other agencies to protect the US interest in the region. He said drone strikes and military operation in Tribal Areas had compelled thousands of locals to migrate from troubled region.
Sardar Khan accused the government of following US interests and not the national interests. He demanded that the government change its internal and foreign polices to safeguard Pakistan. JI, Khyber, Amir Shah Faisal Afridi said the JI's threat to halt NATO supplies was justified in view of growing drone hits in the FATA.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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The United States should not attach any conditions to the aid it is giving Pakistan to help it root out terrorism, former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday. Sounds like a call for an open-ended boodle.
Talking to reporters before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Musharraf urged the nation, especially the media, to focus on the current challenges facing the country, Online reported.
Joint strategy: He said the armed forces and the government should jointly devise a strategy to fight terrorists in the country, adding that the Swat deal would be good for the country only if it brought peace and justice, but it could not be supported if it infringed the sovereignty of the state.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
what's bad is that it will happen: but if you live in the US and need assistance there ARE requirements that YOU have too meet and live up too
There exists no government in Malakand division, Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Mufti Munibur Rehman said on Sunday. Talking to a private TV channel about the peace deal with TNSM chief Sufi Muhammad, he said the government had, unconditionally, given Malakand division to Sufi.About Sufi's fatwa against democracy, Rehman said the government should be asked why it had made a deal with Sufi, who calls the democracy in Pakistan un-Islamic. "By signing agreement with Sufi Muhammad, the government, perhaps, has accepted Sufi Muhammad's fatwa against democracy." The former president of Supreme Court Bar Association, Aitzaz Ahsan termed the statement by Sufi amazing, saying the apex courts of Pakistan were constituted in accordance with the 1973 constitution. Religious scholars of Pakistan had termed the constitution Islamic, since the Council of Islamic Ideology formulated it, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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The biggest challenge for the US is fighting the Taliban in Pakistan, US Senator Ted Kaufman has said. "Pakistan is a big problem right now," he told reporters near the Afghanistan border. The US senator said he was initially troubled by Pakistan's recent truce with the Taliban in Swat. "I thought a lot of the problem was that the Pakistani government just didn't have the will [to deal with the Taliban]. ... But now that I've been over there, I'm not sure they have the capacity." Kaufman spent two days in Pakistan before travelling to Afghanistan. "The good news is that people on both sides seem to be confident about the plan introduced by President Obama. They feel we're on the right track," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
They have plenty of troops and weapons but mentally they are not ready to get dirty on their own like they do with India.
Condemning a statement by Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad declaring high courts and the Supreme Court as un-Islamic, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain rejected on Sunday the Taliban's sharia law. Altaf's in London and Sufi's in Swat. Guess who's gonna win that argument.
Addressing an ulema convention in Karachi by telephone from London, he said the Taliban's law was based on violence, and urged people to unite against the menace of Talibanisation. He said the MQM was not against sharia, adding the party was against the "sharia of the Taliban". He claimed the enforcement of the Nizam-e-Adl was just the beginning of the Talibanisation of the country, adding innocent people were being punished on false accusations. He said the time had come to choose between the Taliban and Pakistan. The two are rapidly becoming one, aren't they? Make yourself comfy in London, Altaf. You're gonna be there for awhile.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iyad al-Samarrai, a Muslim Brotherhood member and strong critic of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, was elected as Iraq's parliament speaker Sunday after the post was left vacant for nearly four months.
"We need a process of reform in parliament," Samarrai told reporters after the vote as he vowed to work with rival political blocs to advance legislation in the 275-member assembly and strengthen its oversight capacity. He also said he would focus on trying to pass an oil and gas law to speed up the development of Iraq's vast petroleum resources, legislation that has been stalled for years amid disputes between Iraq's Arab and Kurdish blocs.
Muslim Brotherhood member
Samarrai, who heads the parliamentary delegation of the National Concord Front, Iraq's largest Sunni Arab bloc, was elected by a majority of 153 votes to the office which is reserved for a Sunni.
A total of 232 MPs participated in the secret ballot, with Samarrai's sole opponent Mustafa al-Hiti winning 34 votes and 45 MPs casting blank ballots, according to a parliamentary official.
Lawmakers were trying to fill the post for the past four months, but no candidate managed to secure the required majority of 138 votes, including Samarrai, who fell just two votes short in a vote in February.
Samarrai belongs to the Islamic Party, the Iraqi branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement founded in Egypt in 1928 with members and offshoots across the Muslim world. The Islamic Party was accused of having close ties to the Sunni insurgency in the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and some of its members were detained and had their offices raided by U.S. and Iraqi forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD - Iraq created a military task force Sunday to battle gangland-style crime after the latest bloodshed: gunmen with silencer-fitted weapons killing at least seven people during a daylight heist of jewelry stores.
The swift government response to the robberies appeared to reflect worries by Iraqi officials about a rise in violence in recent weeks and their efforts to display a tough stance. Although attacks remain well below levels of past years, Iraqi authorities are under pressure to show greater competence as U.S. commanders gradually hand over security duties before their planned withdrawal from most urban bases by June 30.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered a full-scale investigation by a police-military committee. Hours earlier, he reminded Iraqis that it is impossible to wipe out lawlessness and extremist violence with one blow.
There are channels and cells that will stay ... so security is not finished by one military strike, he said in a speech in central Baghdad.
The Iraqi military said a criminal gang using weapons equipped with silencers was behind the slayings in the Shiite-dominated al-Tobji neighborhood of northern Baghdad. The robbers escaped in waiting cars with jewelry and cash, witnesses said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears of militant reprisals.
Though extremist attacks have declined dramatically in Iraq, the number of robberies and attacks on jewelry stores, currency exchanges and pawn shops appears to be increasing. A day earlier, gunmen used similar tactics during the robbery of a currency exchange in the southern city of Basra. At least two people were killed.
Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, an Iraqi military spokesman, said the gunmen in the Baghdad robberies used three cars in the heist. The robbers made off with an unknown amount of money and jewelry, he said.
Al-Malikis office said a military committee will investigate the incident and track down those involved, and it urged citizens to come forward if they have information.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated Monday that without the Palestinian leadership's recognition of Israel as the national state of the Jewish people it would not be possible to advance the diplomatic process and reach a peace settlement.
Your move, Ismail ...
A statement from Netanyahu's office said he was insistent in his approach that such recognition was a matter of substance and principle that enjoyed wide recognition in the country and around the world.
Bibi understands that a 'two-state' solution doesn't work if one party is calling for the extermination of the other.
However, the statement continued by saying that the prime minister had never set this as a pre-condition for the opening of negotiations and dialogue with the Palestinians. Finally, an Israeli gov came up with something to confuse the USDS Chamberlains
#2
I'm with Netanyahu. There is nothing to talk about if the other side doesn't recognize you. Shut up and shoot.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/20/2009 11:39 Comments ||
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#3
Netanyahu is very prudent in making state recognition his foundation and line in the sand. It is the very DNA of any diplomatic effort. Until recognition of the Jewish State and it's right to exist occurs, military action is the only recourse.
[Bangla Daily Star] As Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war moves into what appears to be a bloody end game, all eyes are on a small strip of coastal jungle, looking for signs of the elusive leader of the Tamil Tigers.
The rotund rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, a 54-year-old with decades of experience surviving military onslaughts and political intrigue, has not been seen at the guerrillas' public functions for nearly 18 months.
In that time he is thought to have commanded his forces from the safety of underground jungle bunkers, and his mystique is likely to continue to hold sway until he is found -- dead or alive.
"We can't find anyone who has seen Prabhakaran recently," said Dharmalingam Sithadthan, a former associate of the rebel leader who is now the head of a Tamil group allied to the island's government. "The army can truly claim victory only after they can show what happened to Prabhakaran. They must either show his body or capture him alive."
Moving the goalposts again?
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were once seen as one of the world's most efficient guerrilla outfits, lording over a third of Sri Lanka's territory and controlling an overseas fund-raising network as well as a lucrative shipping business. But now the rebels are outnumbered and surrounded in the jungles outside Mullaittivu, their former military headquarters. Defeat would end a more than 30-year campaign for a Tamil homeland within the Sinhalese-majority island.
In February, government troops captured a two-storey air conditioned bunker hidden in a coconut grove in Mullaittivu district -- thought to be one of Prabhakaran's main bases. Pictures released by the defence ministry purported to show that Prabhakaran had left behind a stuffed tiger, a paintball gun and a bottle of cognac.
Sri Lankan media then speculated that he may have already slipped off the island by boat. That sparked alerts in nearby India -- where he is wanted in connection with the 1991 assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi -- as well as in Malaysia.
Residents who managed to flee the conflict zone told reporters in the northern town of Vavuniya that they believed he had fled and was coordinating the last-ditch fight from a ship operating in international waters.
With his hideouts captured, observers believe, Prabhakaran may not be able to mingle freely with civilians because he has so many enemies -- either for sending Tamil children onto the battlefield or for crushing any challenge to his leadership.
The defence ministry, however, has said the level of resistance the military continues to encounter indicates he may still be on the ground.
Indian writer MR Narayan Swamy, a biographer of Prabhakaran, said he believes the rebel leader has little choice but to fight on until the end. "He cannot give up -- or cannot be even seen to be giving up," he said. "A Prabhakaran who fights and goes down will become a legend, at least to his people. A Prabhakaran who runs away will be seen differently by even many of those who have supported him."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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Or he could run a convenience store in Cleveland.
#2
I don't think it's moving the goalposts - Prabha is and has always been the center of gravity for the LTTE. Killing or capturing him would result in the Tigers' collapse.
TEHRAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a rare effort to intervene in the justice system, urged Tehrans chief prosecutor on Sunday to fairly examine the cases of an Iranian-American journalist and an Iranian-Canadian blogger. The Iranian-American journalist, Roxana Saberi, has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for Washington, her lawyer reported Saturday. The other detainee is Hossein Derakhshan, a blogger who has been jailed since November without any official charges.
Beginning to figure out that holding westerners on trumped-up charges doesn't help in the long run? Talk to Kimmie, he's been doing this a while ...
Mr. Ahmadinejad, who will be attending an international conference on racism on Monday and is expected to seek re-election in June, may be seeking to cast himself as a defender of human rights, analysts said. He may also be trying to prevent radical forces from sabotaging a possible reconciliation between Iran and the United States.
President Obama, speaking at a news conference in Trinidad on Sunday, said he was gravely concerned about Ms. Saberis safety and called for her release. She is an American citizen, and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort of espionage, Mr. Obama said, adding that the United States would ask Iran for a proper disposition of this case.
In Mr. Ahmadinejads letter, he urged Tehrans prosecutor general, Saeed Mortazavi, to examine the cases fairly, the official IRNA news agency reported. Although the courts workings are secret, Mr. Mortazavi, known as a hard-line conservative, would be the one to at least oversee the prosecution of both cases.
The letter was written by the presidents chief of staff, Abdolreza Sheikholeslami, on behalf of the president, who left Tehran for Geneva on Sunday to attend the United Nations conference on racism. At the presidents insistence, you must do what is needed to secure justice and fairness in examining these charges, the letter said, IRNA reported. Take care that the defendants have all the legal freedoms and rights to defend themselves against the charges and none of their rights are violated.
Sounds more like providing cover than demanding justice, huh ...
Irans president has no direct authority over the courts the Constitution prescribes separation of powers and it was not clear what effect his letter would have. Analysts here suggested the letters intent may have been to stake out a political position before the June 12 election, where he would face liberal opposition and may want to inoculate himself against criticism on the human rights front.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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...This might be slightly encouraging except for the fact that the Iranians told Bambi to go pound rock salt:
TEHRAN, Iran Iran has urged President Barack Obama not to comment on the case of a U.S. journalist convicted for spying and sentenced to prison before learning the details.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi says Obama's training as a lawyer does not mean he should comment on Roxana Saberi's case without the proper context. He spoke to reporters during his weekly press briefing Monday.
Obama said Sunday he was "gravely concerned" about the safety and well-being of Saberi and was confident she wasn't involved in espionage
Iran announced Saturday that Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was sentenced to eight years in prison for spying for the United States. Tehran has not released many details of the case.
And he'll shut up like a good dhimmi, too.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/20/2009 5:36 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] American President Barack Obama on Sunday urged Tehran to free the imprisoned Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the judiciary to ensure that Saberi enjoys her legal right to defend herself.
Obama said he was "deeply concerned" for the safety of Saberi, saying he was confident she was not involved in spying.
"Obviously I'm gravely concerned with her safety and well being," Obama told a news conference in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where he was attending the Fifth Summit of the Americas.
"We are working to make sure that she is properly treated and to get information about the disposition of her case. She is an American citizen and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort espionage," he added. "She is an Iranian-American who was interested in the country which her family came from and it is appropriate for her to be treated as such and be released."
He said Washington would be in touch with Tehran about the case through Swiss intermediaries.
President Ahmadinejad earlier urged Tehran's prosecutor to ensure that Saberi enjoys her legal right to defend herself, a day after she was sentenced to eight years in jail for spying for the United States, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
If Ahmadinejad does release her what will the US President do? Kiss his feet? I'm sure he would like that.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/20/2009 11:30 Comments ||
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#4
Some will hate OBAMA even if he was the janitor at a school very sad. As said before when he BANGS THE MULLA FUKS in iran every
rantbastard what will be the spin then lamos.
G.A.L= GET A LIFE
#5
This is the view the ayatollahs will see when Obama "BANGS THE MULLA FUKS". But then Play4Keeps is a bottom playa who gets confused who is the Banger and Bangee.
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2009 11:45 Comments ||
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#6
Play4Keeps
Can I fix you some nice hot cocoa? I guess we should feel sorry for you that the crap you're spewing out of your mouth doesnt make sense.
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.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA First, North Korea warned of war. Now North and South Korea are planning their first talks in more than a year.
BAGHDAD - Iraq created a military task force Sunday to battle gangland-style crime after the latest bloodshed: gunmen with silencer-fitted weapons killing at least seven people during a daylight heist of jewelry stores.
[Bangla Daily Star] As Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war moves into what appears to be a bloody end game, all eyes are on a small strip of coastal jungle, looking for signs of the elusive leader of the Tamil Tigers.
