Somali refugees are being harassed and rounded up in Kenya and the semi-autonomous enclave of Puntland in the wake of deadly bombings by al Shabab militants in Uganda, the United Nations said on Friday.
Authorities in Puntland sent back more than 900 displaced Somalis to the conflict zone in central Somalia this week, but so far Kenya has not deported Somalis who can prove they have refugee status, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said.
'Against the backdrop of recent terrorist attacks, we have noted growing numbers of incidents of xenophobia, round ups and deportations of displaced Somalis', Melissa Fleming, UNHCR spokeswoman, told a news briefing in Geneva.
Xenophobia: the justified fear that people who are different than you and have been harming your people plan to harm you again.
'We are calling on the Puntland authorities to halt these push-backs', she added. People fleeing fighting in southern and central Somalia need international protection and forced returns to that part of the country place their lives at 'grave risk', according to UNHCR. 'We fear those who have fled for very good reason, young men in the age group between 18 and 25, are very often targeted for recruitment by al Shabaab', Fleming said. Somali insurgents have killed two African Union peacekeepers in fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, a spokesman for the AU peacekeeping force said on Friday.
Coordinated bomb attacks on the Ugandan capital Kampala this month were the first claimed by Somali rebels outside Somalia, although there have been fears for some time in Kenya that the violence could spill over their long and porous border. 'We are receiving frequent reports of verbal and physical harassment in (Somali) communities as well as arrests, arbitrary detention, extortion and even push-backs of Somali refugees'.
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07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[Maghrebia] The experiment of Libya's dialogue with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) did not gather as much media attention as some participants probably hoped it would. However, this does not diminish the importance of the outcome. The Libyan state opened the door to absorbing jihadists who renounce the use of violence as a means for change and to reintegrating them into society.
Despite the many shortcomings of this experiment, it undoubtedly remains one of the pioneering approaches that deserve examination, in order to measure the extent of its success in turning the page of struggles between Arab governments and armed Islamist groups.
The dialogue between the Libyan government and the LIFG began in 2006 and reached its peak in the month of Ramadan in 2009 when the leadership of the group published major revisions under the title "Corrective Studies in Understanding Jihad, Accountability and the Judgment of the People".
The revisions resorted to Islamic legal arguments to conclude that it is not permissible to take up arms in order to overthrow Arab and Islamic governments.
The authors of the revisions were six of the leading figures of the LIFG: the emir, Abdul Hakim al-Khuwailidi Balhaj (Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq); his deputy, Khalid Muhammad Al-Sharif; the spiritual leader, Sami Mustafa Al-Saaidi (Abu al-Munzir al-Saaidi; the group's first emir, Miftah al-Mabruk al-Thawadi (Abdul Ghaffar); the military commander, Mustafa Al-Said Qunayfid (Abu al-Zubair); and Abdul Wahhab Muhammad Qayid, the elder brother of Abu Yahya al-Libi.
The authors acknowledged they were wrong for taking up arms against the regime of Colonel Muammar Kadhafi, which they unsuccessfully attempted to overthrow in the mid-1990s.
They also criticised at length interpretations they deemed contradictory to the teachings of the Islamic religion, such as indiscriminate violence that some armed groups commit in the name of jihad, an indirect reference to some operations carried out by al-Qaeda or other organisations which espouse the same ideology.
The LIFG leaders added to their revisions a letter of apology to Kadhafi for attempting to overthrow his regime and assassinate him. In the letter, they stated that they were wrong in even forming an armed group, which was understood to be their agreement to dissolve it.
The LIFG stances shocked some of the Islamists aligned with jihadist movements aligned with al-Qaeda.
Some al-Qaeda supporters posting on internet forums were not pleased with the initiative and called for the continuation of fighting against individuals they described as apostates in the Arab world (the governing regimes) and against the West, which they claim supports these regimes and keeps them in power.
However, it is noteworthy that after the publication of the revisions in its complete version, there has been no Islamic legal reasoning from al-Qaeda or its supporters rejecting what the LIFG presented. This clearly indicates that critics have not found any Islamic jurisprudential deficiencies in the principles on which the LIFG leaders based their conclusions.
The Libyan authorities rewarded the LIFG in March by releasing three of its six leaders who co-authored the revisions, in addition to 200 Islamist jihadists who were either affiliated with the LIFG or with the "Iraq networks", which included youths arrested under suspicion that they were preparing to leave for Iraq and engage in fighting there, or even to prepare for operations inside Libya itself or in neighbouring countries.
The release of these prisoners was not the only step taken regarding these individuals. Dr. Saif al-Islam al-Kadhafi, the son of the Libyan leader, who has been a pivotal figure in all the dialogues that occurred between the imprisoned LIFG leaders and the chiefs of the security agencies since 2006, promised that the government would take care of those released from jail and help them reintegrate into society and rebuild their future.
So far, it has not been clear as to how this help is being provided -- or if it is being provided at all -- and whether the government has provided them with homes or job opportunities, or even loans so that they can start their own business projects to earn a living.
Honouring these promises will be of utmost importance. It could remove any excuses some could use to encourage the released prisoners to return to violence, based on the pretext that the government did not honour its promises.
However, this is not the only hurdle preventing a complete reconciliation between the government and the freed jihadists.
One hurdle is the extremism displayed by some of the youths eager to take part in what they consider as jihad, whether it be in Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia.
Indications of this extremism emerged during the dialogue that took place among the Islamists themselves inside the Libyan prisons before the release of the LIFG leaders earlier this year.
In the prisons, it became apparent that the LIFG leaders belonged to a different generation from the "neo-jihadists", who were openly supportive of al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden. This new generation, according to a recent London seminar evaluating the LIFG revisions, refused to engage in any type of dialogue with regimes they deemed as "apostate".
Despite the wide Islamic knowledge that LIFG leaders possess, some of the imprisoned youths were solely focused on waging jihad, even though they lacked the knowledge about many of its conditions, which the LIFG leaders tried to explain to them, but to no avail.
The reconciliation between the Libyan state and the Islamists could be at danger if an al-Qaeda affiliated cell engaged in violent acts and bombings. This could prompting a reaction by the government against all the Islamists that have been released, regardless of whether or not they support al-Qaeda.
Another hurdle is the ambiguity surrounding the stance of some in the Libyan state towards reconciliation with the jihadists. This could possibly be due to the nature of the jamahiriya system of government.
Even though Saif al-Islam al-Kadhafi was successful in securing consent of the authorities to release the LIFG prisoners, other parties within the Libyan regime do not trust the Islamists. Some high ranking officials in the Libyan government believe that the LIFG leaders changed their stances only after they were defeated militarily, and after the group was wiped out, initially inside Libya in the mid-1990s, and subsequently when the LIFG leaders were handed over to Libya after their arrests abroad in the context of the "war on terror". Some Libyan security officials openly stated they still viewed the Islamists as security threats.
But perhaps the most significant hurdles, and to which none of the two parties addressed, have to do with the political future of those jihadists who agreed to renounce violence and who now reject the actions of al-Qaeda and groups with similar ideologies.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
IIRC TOPIX > THE US deems AL QAEDA IN MAGHREB a de facto THREAT.
Google Translate. For a map, click here.
Five unidentified men were arrested including four prison guards and an inmate from a Durango prison for the July 18th massacre of 18 poeople at a birthday party in Torreon, Mexican news reports say.
At the moment Mexican press is releasing reports they say are confirmed by legal officials in Coahuila, even though no official information has been released so far.
North Korea says it will use its "nuclear deterrent" in response to joint US-South Korean military exercises this weekend. Pyongyang was ready to launch a "retaliatory sacred war", the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, quoting defence officials.
Tensions between the two Koreas have been high since the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. An international investigation said the ship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo, a claim strongly denied by Pyongyang.
"All these war manoeuvres are nothing but outright provocations aimed to stifle the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea] by force of arms," KCNA reported the powerful National Defence Commission as saying. "The army and people of the DPRK will start a retaliatory sacred war of their own style based on nuclear deterrent any time necessary in order to counter the US imperialists and the South Korean puppet forces deliberately pushing the situation to the brink of a war."
In response, the White House said it was not interested in a "war of words" with North Korea. State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US wanted "more constructive action and fewer provocative words" from Pyongyang.
The North had already promised a physical response to the military exercises during an Asian regional security forum in Vietnam. North Korea's delegation spokesman at the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum (ARF) said the exercises were an example of 19th century "gunboat diplomacy".
"It is a threat to the Korean peninsula and the region of Asia as a whole," he said.
#2
Again, NORTH KOREA-AS-USUAL threats + rhetoric may no longer suffice for KIMMIE + REGIME given the NOKOR's worsening FOOD + ECON PROBS [IMO also read, IDEOLOGICAL]???
ISLAMIST IRAN may desire to become a NUCLEAR ENERGY + SSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH NUCWEAPS STATE = REGIONAL/WORLD POWER, BUT-T-T IRAN DOESN'T HAVE THE PROBS THAT NOKOR HAS IN PRESENT NOR WILL IT HAVE FOR A TIME TO COME YET.
versus
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > IRAN TO PUT A MAN IN SPACE BY 2019.
SAFELY TO + FROM SPACE = IMO also read, LR ACCURATE IRBMS + ICBMS come 2019.
#3
Pragmatically, IMO KIMMIE may try to do something militarily where MIL ASSETS ARE DAMAGED BUT WHERE US-ALLIED CASUALTIES are ideally at a MINIMUM IFF NOT ZERO.
IMO Kimmie's priority to preserve his Regime, Dynasty + Power, NOT induce its destruction by either CHINA OR THE US-ALLIES.
ULTIMATELY, KIMMIE will desire to observe + test POTUS BAMMER'S = USA's, + also CHINA's, MILPOL "STRONG RESPONSE" TO ANY NEW INCIDENT, OR LACK OF SAME.
IOW KIMMIE WANTS TO SEE WHOM'S "DA MAN/BOMB" TO FOLLOW + DEAL WITH IN NORTHEAST ASIA.
#4
Pragmatically, IMO KIMMIE may try to do something militarily where MIL ASSETS ARE DAMAGED BUT WHERE US-ALLIED CASUALTIES are ideally at a MINIMUM IFF NOT ZERO.
We have many automated/unmanned facilities in Korea?
Germany has granted asylum to 50 Iranian citizens who fled their country after the so-called 'Green Revolution' protests that followed last year's presidential elections, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.
A spokesman for the ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a report in the Spiegel news magazine and said that 12 of the asylum seekers have already arrived in the country. Another 26 have been approved, while the remainder still have to be processed.
The presidential election of June 2009, which saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected, sparked massive street protests by supporters of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi, who charged that the polls had been rigged.
The pro-Moussavi movement was nicknamed the 'Green Revolution' after the campaign colour they had adopted.
The Spiegel report said that the majority of the dissidents involved in the protests had taken refuge in Turkey prior to their application for help from Germany.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere made the decision to admit Iranian dissidents in March, and a figure of 50 was agreed with regional ministers in May.
#1
The Spiegel report said that the majority of the dissidents involved in the protests had taken refuge in Turkey prior to their application for help from Germany
run away oh dissidents to safe places. speak softly and carry no stick. find no common voice and orginization. expect rescue after chosing your fate. Face the basjid and fight understanding you must. Till you bear the need to conquer, till you face them and move as one to bear the batons, nothing happens
He was the local weatherman, sending up weather balloons twice a day above this remote community of 450 full-time residents near Bristol Bay and preparing short-term forecasts for pilots and fishermen.
As Rodney Dangerfied would have said, "He was a quiet man" ...
She was a stay-at-home mom who drove their 4-year-old to preschool, sang in the town choir and picked berries with her girlfriends. She took part in the community play, in which she portrayed a fairy godmother who acted as a prosecutor in court, confronting the Big Bad Wolf for his crimes against Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs and the Boy Who Cried Wolf.
So beloved were Paul Rockwood Jr. and his wife, Nadia, that when they left King Salmon in May to move to England, where Nadia was born, more than 30 people -- pretty much their entire circle of friends -- showed up at the airport. The choir sang "Wherever You Go," and "people were just bawling," said Rebecca Hamon, a friend of the couple. What none of them could have known was that FBI agents were meeting the small turboprop plane in Anchorage to question the Rockwoods on suspicion of domestic terrorism-related crimes.
This week, Paul and Nadia Rockwood pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Anchorage to one count of willfully making false statements to the FBI; in Paul Rockwood's case, it was a statement about domestic terrorism. The plea agreements state that Rockwood, 35, had become an adherent of extremist Islam who had prepared a list of assassination targets, including U.S. service members. And, though no plot to carry out the killings was revealed, he had researched methods of execution, including guns and explosives, the agreements say.
Federal charging papers said his wife, 36, who is five months pregnant with the couple's second child, lied to investigators when she denied knowing that an envelope she took to Anchorage in April at her husband's request contained a list of 15 intended targets. (None were in Alaska.) She told FBI agents that she thought the envelope contained a letter or a book. She gave it to an unidentified individual who her husband believed shared his radical beliefs, the FBI said. Nadia knew exactly what was on the list and what it was for, federal authorities said.
"Obviously we take it very seriously when somebody starts talking about building bombs and component parts and killing citizens because of a hatred that is fueled by violent Internet sites," said Karen L. Loeffler, U.S. attorney for Alaska. Loeffler, who would not elaborate on how the FBI became aware of the Rockwoods, said the investigation does not involve any other terrorism suspects, and no additional charges are expected.
The plea agreements the couple signed said Paul Rockwood converted to Islam in late 2001 or early 2002 while living in Virginia and became a follower of radical U.S.-born Muslim cleric Anwar Awlaki, now believed to be living in Yemen. "This included a personal conviction that it was his religious responsibility to exact revenge by death on anyone who desecrated Islam," his agreement said.
Anwar again. I sometimes wonder if we should trace every person who's ever been in his presence for more than ten seconds ...
Here in King Salmon, where the biggest thing is the annual red salmon run -- it happens to be the biggest one in the world -- this has the air of a poorly written movie. "If all terrorists were this harmless, we'd all be living in a much less complicated world," said Hamon, who lived in Camarillo before moving 12 years ago to King Salmon, on the Alaska Peninsula, 280 miles southwest of Anchorage.
If U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline accepts the plea agreements, Paul Rockwood Jr. will serve eight years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Nadia Rockwood, who is free and in seclusion in Anchorage, would be sentenced to five years' probation and return to England. Sentencing is set for Aug. 23.
England? Why not a Sharia state? Oh, right ...
Some of the targets on Rockwood's list listened in by telephone to Wednesday's plea hearing in Anchorage federal court, though none of them was identified and none of them spoke. The couple said very little, beyond entering their guilty pleas.
"We've known them since Zaid was a tiny little tyke," Hamon said, referring to the couple's son. "Everybody was sad they had to leave. Then when this came out, we were all completely shocked. It's just impossible for me to imagine the friend that I knew being involved in anything like this."
President Asif Ali Zardari has proposed the withdrawal of Indian and Pakistani troops from Siachen glacier, the highest battleground in the world, a private TV channel reported on Friday.
Talking to a delegation of journalists from the Sukkur, Hyderabad and Larkana press clubs at the Sindh Chief Minister's House on Friday, President Zardari said India was spending $50 daily on each of its soldiers stationed at Siachen, while Rs 50 each were being spent on Pakistani soldiers.
"Even though Indian expenditures in Siachen are far more than Pakistan's, we propose that the matter should be resolved amicably through talks, so that resources of the two countries can be spent on the welfare of their people," he said.
He said that the talks between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India had failed due to India's internal political problems. The president termed the United Nations' report into Benazir Bhutto's murder incomplete, saying the UN had released the report despite the government's request to take more time to make it comprehensive. He said the government's investigation into the assassination was still underway. He said that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had faith in a free media, an independent judiciary and democracy.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Versus
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > [US ALternative radio Host-Author DAVID BARSAMIAN] US EYEING KASHMIR FOR MILITARY BASE AGZ CHINA.
The mistrust among component parties of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is the biggest hurdle in the way of the restoration of the religio-political alliance.
The two parties -- the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) -- who claim massive support among the religious groups, however, are not ready to trust each other.
In a recent meeting convened to take a decision on the revival of the alliance, the leaders of these parties quoted several incidents of the past and accused each other of defying unanimous decisions taken by the Central Executive Council of the MMA. Six religio-political parties representing various sects of the Muslims of the country had formed the MMA initially.
The Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's oldest religio-political party, claims to be the home of Muslims belonging to all sects, saying they are not representatives of any specific sect. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Noorani) represents the Barelvi school of Sunnis.
"We are registered as the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) and do not add Noorani or any other name to it," said Qari Zawar Bahadur, the central secretary general of the party. Former National Assembly leader Fazlur Rehman-led JUI-F, and former senator Sameeullah-led Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sameeullah (JUI-S), represent the Deoband school of thought.
Professor Sajid Mir-led Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith represents the Ahle Hadith (Wahabi) school of thought, while Allama Sajid Naqvi-led Pakistan Islami Tehreek represents Shias. About three years ago, the JUI-S quit the alliance over differences on policies, but the party's major contention was with Fazlur Rehman, as he refused to give more share in power to Sameeullah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the MMA was ruling under Akram Durrani of the JUI-F.
To keep the number of parties at six, the alliance leaders allowed the entry of a new party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Senior (JUI-S).
The party represents the Deoband school of thought in Punjab and is headed by Maulana Abdur Raheem from Chakwal.
The other two, the JUI-F and the JUI-S, have a majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The formation of this alliance has roots in the peace committees formed by the Punjab government in mid-1990s, when sectarian violence was at its peak.
The Shias and Sunnis and the Deoband school of Muslims were declaring each other Kafir (non-Muslim). The Shias were united under the banner of Sipah-e-Muhammad, while the other two, the Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, under Sunnis.
The groups were always in confrontation with each other and killings were at their peak.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Iran Press TV Latest] An Iraqi cleric has called on the US to end its intervention in Iraq's internal affairs and stop destabilizing the country with occupation.
We're working on it, pal. Do your part and help keep the lid on.
Sadr City's Friday Prayers Leader Seyyed Muhammad al-Musawi described US meddling in Iraq's internal affairs as the main reason behind the delay in the formation of a new government in the country. He added that the power vacuum caused by US interventions only has only resulted in more insecurity and despair in the country.
Musawi blamed the US for the violence across the country, accusing American troops of withholding important intelligence from Iraqi security forces.
"We have noticed that Americans have not supported Iraqi security forces with any intelligence, they have also shown no support when the violence was tense in the country," Musawi told thousands of Iraqis attending the prayers.
This article starring:
Seyyed Muhammad al-Musawi
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > KHAMANEI CLAIMS HIS LEADERSHIP [+ Authority] IS EQUAL TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PROPHET OF ISLAM [Prophet Mohammed as well as SHIITE IMAMS]???
[Al Arabiya Latest] The U.N. Human Rights Council appointed former U.N. war crimes prosecutor Desmond de Silva and two other people on Friday to investigate Israel's May 31 forcible boarding of a boat bringing aid to the Gaza Strip.
A statement said the British lawyer will be joined by Trinidadian judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips and Malaysian women's rights advocate Mary Shanthi Dairiam in examining whether Israel violated international law.
"The expertise, independence and impartiality of the members of the mission will be devoted to clarifying the events which took place that day and their legality," said Thailand's ambassador Sihasak Phuangketkeow, current Council president.
"We call upon all parties to fully cooperate with the mission and hope that this mission will contribute to peace in the region and justice for the victims," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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Israel will return the Turkish aid ships on which its troops killed nine activists in May, Israeli officials said on Friday, in what appeared to be a new bid to repair frayed ties with its former ally.
Turkey, once a rare Muslim friend of Israel, withdrew its ambassador and suspended joint military exercises after the May 31 raid on the ships taking aid to Gaza. Ankara has also demanded an apology, something Israel has resolutely refused.
While Israel lost a powerful ally in the region, Turkey also rallied outraged Arab and Muslim nations and while doing so staked its claim to a leading role in the Middle East under its AK Party government which has its roots in political Islam. Talks to return the Mavi Marmara cruise ship and the two other flotilla vessels had been held up by Israel's demand that the owners sign undertakings not to mount new aid missions to the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. 'A decision was made yesterday to allow the ships to leave without further conditions. Turkey has been informed. They will leave soon', an Israeli official said. The Turkish embassy was handling discussions on how to retrieve the ships, another Israeli official said, but the embassy had no immediate comment.
Israel admitted errors in planning the high seas seizure but justified the lethal force of its marines, saying they came under club, knife and gun attacks after rappelling down from helicopters. Activists dispute that account.
Though it has resisted Turkish demands for a wider international investigation and a formal apology, Israel has pursued fence-mending talks. It has also eased overland trade to Gaza, many of whose 1.5 million Palestinians are aid-dependant. Israel also lifted an advisory on Tuesday against its citizens visiting Turkey, citing fewer protests that might have endangered them. Defence Minister Ehud Barak voiced hope that renewed Israeli tourism to Turkey would improve relations. Asked why Israel no longer sought formal Turkish assurances that the ships would not sail for Gaza again, an Israeli official cited Ankara's rejection of the idea. There were also legal challenges in negotiating such a deal with the IHH, a Turkish Islamist charity that chartered the Mavi Marmara and which the Jewish state has designated a terrorist organisation, the official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Israel warned the United Nations early Friday that two ships preparing to sail from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip to bring aid to the blockaded territory would not be allowed to reach their destination.
"The stated intention of these vessels is to violate the existing naval blockade of Gaza," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Gabriela Shalev said in a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Nigerian Ambassador Joy Ogwu, the current president of the Security Council.
Israel recently eased its blockade of the Gaza Strip in response to intense international criticism of a May 31 Israeli commando raid on a flotilla of aid ships. Nine pro-Palestinian Turkish protesters died in the confrontation.
Israel is allowing more food and other aid into Gaza via land crossings but continues to maintain the naval blockade.
Egypt also decided to ease its closure of Gaza after the flotilla raid, opening its borders to restricted travel and limited humanitarian convoys. The move restored a link to the outside world for at least some of Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians.
Gaza has been controlled by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas since 2007.
"Israel reserves its right under international law to use all necessary means to prevent these ships from violating the aforementioned naval blockade," Shalev said.
"Furthermore, it cannot be ruled out that these vessels carry weapons or individuals with provocative and confrontational intentions," she added.
U.N. officials have urged countries not to attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade and urged all parties to show restraint.
U.N. under-secretary-general for political affairs Lynn Pascoe told the Security Council on Wednesday that "such convoys are not helpful to resolving the basic economic problems of Gaza and needlessly carry the potential for escalation."
Shalev noted that aid could be delivered to Gaza by land and said that those sending ships to the territory were doing so not to bring aid to the Palestinians but "to incite a confrontation and raise tension in our region."
In the latest challenge to the blockade, a Libyan aid ship blocked by Israeli missile ships from steaming to Gaza arrived in the Egyptian port of el-Arish on July 14. Its cargo was to be unloaded and handed over to the Red Crescent to deliver to Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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Bethlehem Maan Six rounds of indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks have resulted in a big zero, Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan said Friday. The big doughnut, goose egg, zip, zippo, zilch, nada, nuthin...
In an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya channel, Dahlan said three days of meetings with the PLO Executive Committee, Fatahs Central Committee and the party's Revolutionary Council concluded that Palestinians will resume direct negotiations only if the preconditions set by the Arab League are met. What's that? A decent menu and hookers?
The sentiment echoed those of Amr Moussa, Arab League chief, who said following his meeting with Mitchell on Sunday, that Palestinians could not enter direct talks with Israel without written guarantees. Moussa told reporters that moving from proximity talks into direct ones without any confirmation or guarantee on Israels seriousness means that we have entered into crisis management and not solving the crisis. Moussa has previously referred to the indirect talks as a comprehensive failure. Well, Jerry...it's not like you're not used to that.
Six rounds of US-initiated proximity talks have seen US peace envoy George Mitchell shuttle between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators relaying positions. Direct negotiations were broken off when Israel launched its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip in December 2008.
Fatah officials have repeatedly complained that Israel has failed to respond to proposals on the key Palestinian issues of borders and security.
In the interview, Dahlan said the Palestinian side will present the results of proximity talks in the upcoming meeting with the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee, adding that if Israel continued to ignore President Mahnoud Abbas proposals, Palestinian negotiators should approach the UN Security Council. Well, that should accomplish...not much.
The former naval chief for Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the country has set aside 100 military vessels to confront each warship from the U.S. or any other foreign power that might pose a threat, an Iranian newspaper reported Saturday. Off the port bow. What is that, ensign?
Looks to be...an Iranian in a rowboat. With a blunderbuss.
Take him out.
Aye, aye, sir.
Saffari said more than 100 foreign warships were currently in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, adding that their sailors were "morsels" for Iran's military to target, the newspaper reported.
By putting the number of foreign warships at 100, the general appeared to suggest Iran has 10,000 military vessels at the ready. Iran is known to have many speed boats used by the Guard, but there is no public information about how many larger military vessels it has.
#1
Did they hire the NORKS propaganda writer? Also what are these vessels those speed boats with a couple heavy machine guns? I bet they can't wait too have a turkey shoot with the Phalanx system.
Posted by: chris ||
07/24/2010 16:23 Comments ||
Top||
#2
...but there is no public information about how many larger military vessels it has.
There's not? Took me about 5 seconds on a Googgle search, Mr. AP Iranian reporter guy.
#5
Bathtub floaties don't count. They might have 100 vessels but if they should attack, every port they have will be gone as well as their fuel supply. They will get about 24 hours use out of them, if that.
The head of Iran's nuclear energy agency announced Saturday that the country had launched a "serious" nuclear fusion research program, according to state-run Press TV.
Ali-Akbar Salehi, the chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said as many as 50 scientists were participating in the research to break into alternative energy, Press TV said.
The process of nuclear fusion consists of forcing hydrogen nuclei to collide at high speed and fuse together, which releases energy, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) website.
The goal is to eventually develop fusion plants to generate electricity, the IAEA said, but research worldwide is still in the early stages. The agency called nuclear fusion a "long term, sustainable, economic and safe energy source."
Salehi acknowledged the project will take time.
"It takes 20 to 30 years before this process can be commercialized but we have to use all the capacity in the country to provide the necessary speed for fusion research," Salehi said, according to Press TV.
The US and the European Union have further discredited the United Nations by pursuing unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic, an Iranian lawmaker says.
Member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Parviz Sarvari criticized the EU for attempts to impose further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, saying such moves "will destabilize the United Nations."
"On the one hand, Europe and the US use the UN to adopt resolutions and on the other hand, they breach [the very] resolutions adopted. This is what will [eventually] lead to the destabilization of the United Nations," Fars News Agency quoted Sarvari as saying on Friday.
The remarks come following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday during which they advocated negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program while threatening the country with tougher sanctions.
The UN Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran in June. Shortly afterwards the Washington adopted unilateral sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.
Sarvari voiced objection to the performance of the United Nations, saying, "It is moving towards serving US interests and has been turned into a tool in the hands of world powers."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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Iranian Commerce Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari has warned against any plan for the inspection of the country's cargo ships, saying perpetrators will regret the act.
Ghazanfari questioned West's authority to scrutinize Iranian ships and said, "Iran reserves the right to respond to inspections as any such attempts will be a move beyond the sanctions resolution," Mehr news agency reported on Friday.
He also slammed the fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran's nuclear program and said the new measure will fail to change the country's stance on its nuclear program.
The Iranian official further pointed out that the Islamic Republic will continue to "fully" support its cargo fleet.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had earlier warned that Tehran will retaliate if its cargo ships come under inspection and that it will delay resuming nuclear talks to teach the West the manner of talking "to our nation."
The UN Security Council passed a US-sponsored anti-Iran resolution on June 9 that imposes restrictions on the country's shipping industry in addition to other sectors.
Under the new sanctions regime, countries have the authority to inspect cargo ships, heading to or from Iran, in their own territorial waters.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
ISRAEL FORUM/TOPIX > VARIOUS > [Debka] OBAMA BRANDISHING MILITRAY OPTIONS AGZ IRAN
| NO MORE MEETING IRAN HALFWAY ON NUCLEAR THRESHOLD OR LIMITED [nuke]ARSENAL.
* SAME > US, IRAN POISED FOR NAVAL CLASH | A NAVAL CLASH IS IN THE CARDS BEFORE TALKS RESUME.
versus
* TOPIX > HILLARY: NO NUCLEAR TALKS UNTIL NORTH KOREA ADMITS TO "CHEONAN" ATTACK.
[Arab News] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Russia's president on Friday of turning against Tehran and joining the US in spreading lies about its nuclear program, in the latest sign that Iran is drifting apart from a one-time key backer.
Ahmadinejad said Dmitry Medvedev entered a "propaganda drama" directed by Washington by saying last week that Iran was getting closer to being able to develop nuclear weapons.
The Iranian president has had harsh words for Moscow since it became apparent that Russia would support last month's new United Nations sanctions against Tehran for its refusal to stop parts of its nuclear program. In the past, Iran had depended on allies Russia and China -- and their veto power at the Security Council -- to block tough penalties.
"Russia is a great nation and we are interested in continuing friendship between the two nations but his (Medvedev's) remarks are part of a propaganda drama that is to be carried out by the US president against the Iranian nation," Ahmadinejad said in a speech posted on his website Friday.
"In fact, Mr. Medvedev has kick-started this drama," he said.
Russia is in a difficult position in the international standoff with Iran, in part because it does not want to jeopardize decades of political and trade ties with the country. Still, Moscow has lately shown increasing frustration with Iran, and last month backed the new sanctions.
Iran insists its nuclear work is only for generating power and other peaceful uses. The US and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop a nuclear weapons capability.
Medvedev said last week that although Iran is "an active and trusted trading partner ... this does not mean we don't care how it develops its nuclear program and what its military components look like. In this respect we expect explanations from Iran." He also urged Iran to find the courage to cooperate with the international community over its disputed nuclear program.
On Friday, Ahmadinejad answered back, saying Medvedev was joining the US against Iran and harming Russia's interests.
Ahmadinejad first delivered unusual criticism of Medvedev in May, accusing him of caving in to US pressure for new sanctions, saying "justifying the behavior of Mr. Medvedev today has become very difficult." Russia has a series of energy and weapons contracts with Iran, including a batch of sophisticated S-300 ground-to-air defense missiles.
Last month, the Russian government said the new UN
sanctions forbid delivering the weapons, while Iranian officials later insisted the sanctions don't cover contracts signed before the restrictions entered force.
Russia and Iran penned the S-300 agreement in 2007, but their delivery has stalled amid pressure from the West.
Last week, Sergei Chemezov, the head of the state-owned industrial giant Russian Technologies, said the contract had not been annulled pending a decision from the president.
The truck-mounted S-300 missiles can target aircraft, low-flying cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, according to weapons experts.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/24/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"In fact, Mr. Medvedev has kick-started this drama," he said.
#2
Then... well... they shouldn't trust anything Russia has done for them..
Why I bet that reactor is rigged some how...
and....
You just know the S-200-300-400's are too...
Damm!
Better trash it all..
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.
North Korea says it will use its "nuclear deterrent" in response to joint US-South Korean military exercises this weekend. Pyongyang was ready to launch a "retaliatory sacred war", the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, quoting defence officials.
The mistrust among component parties of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is the biggest hurdle in the way of the restoration of the religio-political alliance.
Bethlehem Maan Six rounds of indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks have resulted in a big zero, Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan said Friday.
The former naval chief for Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the country has set aside 100 military vessels to confront each warship from the U.S. or any other foreign power that might pose a threat, an Iranian newspaper reported Saturday.
