[An Nahar] Potential presidential candidate Omar Daudzai was appointed as Afghanistan's acting interior minister on Sunday, putting him in a high-profile public role seven months before the country's first democratic transfer of power.
Daudzai will move back to Kabul from Islamabad, where he has been ambassador to Pakistain since 2011 during a time of fractious ties between the two rivals and neighbors.
Last month Daudzai, a former chief of staff to President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... , set up an office in Kabul and announced that he would be a "probable" candidate in the elections due on April 5.
Karzai, who is barred from standing for a third term, has said he will not back any runner in the wide-open race, but Daudzai is seen as one of his closest associates and loyalists.
Daudzai, 55, from Afghanistan's biggest ethnic group the Pashtuns, was a member of the Hezb-e-Islami faction during the Soviet occupation and later went on to work for the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... Presidential front man Rafi Ferdous confirmed the appointment, which came after interior minister Mujtaba Patang was ousted by parliament last month over accusations that he had failed to thwart the threat from Taliban rebels.
Patang was dismissed soon after the Afghan government formally took responsibility for nationwide security from U.S.-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... troops, but he remained as the "acting" interior minister until Sunday.
Afghanistan's 350,000-strong security forces are suffering a steep rise in attacks as the NATO combat mission winds down, with police and army casualties said to have increased by 15-20 percent since 2011.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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Egypts army-backed government unveiled a constituent assembly on Sunday almost devoid of Islamists, and gave it 60 days to review amendments that would erase Islamic articles brought in by the Muslim Brotherhood and more hardline Islamic parties.
The constitutional review is part of a road map unveiled by the administration that took power after the army deposed President Mohammed Mursi on July 3. Egypt will hold parliamentary and presidential elections only once the constitution is approved in a referendum.
Reflecting a power shift as the government cracks down on the Brotherhood, accusing it of terrorism, the changes proposed in a first draft of the constitution may open the way for a comeback by some members of the old order associated with Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled in a popular revolt in 2011.
The proposed amendments would remove Islamic articles - hotly disputed by secularists - that include one that gave Muslim scholars a say over some affairs of state, and also lift a ban on some Mubarak-era officials assuming public office.
Drawn up by a 10-member committee of experts appointed by decree, the draft preserves the privileged status of the military, which it effectively shields from civilian oversight.
Although Islamists won five popular votes held since 2011, the constituent assembly will have only two Islamists among its 50 members. One belongs to the hardline Salafi Nour party, the other is a former Brotherhood leader now harshly critical of the group he left last year.
While the assembly includes the founders of the Tamarud petition campaign that galvanised support for protests that led to Mursis downfall, there is no obvious place for the pro-democracy youth movements that ignited the 2011 revolt against Mubarak.
There are also places for Muslim scholars, representatives of the church, the arts, unions, members of secular parties and prominent figures such former Arab League chief Amr Moussa and renowned heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub.
Its a very establishment list, said Nathan Brown, an expert on Egypt based at George Washington University in the United States, adding: The procedure does seem to tilt in favour of accepting what the experts have drafted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Thousands of protesters held a protest in Yemen's main southern city of Aden on Sunday to renew calls for independence from the north and reject the Sanaa regime's apology for a 1994 civil war.
The protesters waved the flag of the formerly independent south and banners reading: "We reject apologies," and "Our demand is freedom and independence."
The protest was called by the separatist Southern Movement to mark the 42nd anniversary of the creation of the army of South Yemen, which was an independent state until it united with the north in 1990.
"No dialogue, no negotiations, we are masters of our decisions," shouted the protesters, who also organized a symbolic military parade by retired soldiers and sang the national anthem of the former South Yemen.
After unification in 1990, the south broke away four years later, triggering a short-lived civil war that ended with the region being overrun by northern troops.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#3
Pedro Mendiondo Gómez. Born August 13, 1945. Graduated from the Enseñanza Superior Militar Military Academy. At the triumph of the Revolution he joins the Youth Patrols and the Association of Young Rebels. In 1961, he begins studies on artillery and during the Missile Crisis he becomes part of a Popular Defense Battalion as the leader of the unit.
Joins the Revolutionary Armed Forces in 1963 at the San Julián Military School, and upon graduating he holds different positions in a number of units in the Revolutionary Air Defense and Air Force (DAAFAR), where he is eventually named its Chief of Staff.
Mendiondo Gómez served in Angola where he rose to the rank of Colonel. He has been awarded the Order for Service to the Homeland and the medals Ignacio Agramonte and Internationalist Combatant.
It was suggested the other day that the ZeroHedge story we ran smelt of propaganda. It seems the suggestor was correct.
[PJMedia] A website that ran a story alleging that the chemical weapons responsible for 1,429 deaths came from the Saudis to rebels who mishandled them has anti-U.S. and anti-Saudi links, as well as ties to the Occupy movement.
MintPress was started last year in Minneapolis by Mnar Muhawesh, a Shia and a St. Cloud State college graduate with Paleostinian immigrant parents who hired a start-up slate of experienced correspondents with funds from mysterious unnamed investors.
Correspondents and staff writers include writers and analysts with experience contributing to Iran's Press TV, J Street, Russia Today, Al-Jazeera ... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula, as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS... , Occupy Wall Street, AlterNet, TruthOut and Electronic Intifada. The site promises to run stories through a "social justice" lens.
The Anti-Defamation League has mentioned Muhawesh as it keeps track of anti-Israel press.
Turkish police blocked the entrance to Istanbul's Gezi Park, the epicentre of anti-government protests in June, on Sunday to prevent a demonstration there against a possible military intervention in Syria. Riot police advanced with shields but held back from using tear gas or water cannon against about 1,000 activists who instead formed a human chain on the city's celebrated Istiklal Avenue, according to an AFP photographer who witnessed the scene.
"United States, killers, stay out of Syria," shouted protesters, who are firmly opposed to Ankara's support for proposed US-led air strikes against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
Smaller human chains were formed in neighbourhoods across Istanbul, with many protests organised by the same groups who had occupied the park to fight against its commercial development.
June's unrest erupted when a peaceful sit-in on May 31 was met with a heavy-handed response that left at least five dead and thousands injured in three weeks of clashes between protesters and police.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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h/t Gates of Vienna
Foreign diplomacy doesnt always resolve world-class problems, but it sure does rake in the swag.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was given a half-million bucks worth of diamond and ruby jewelry by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and received $58,000 worth of bling from Brunei. I wonder how much Clintons got for Kosovo
[Dawn] Sources at the Prime MInister's secratariat said that Premier Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... woud give approval of a joint grand targeted operation during Tuesday's meeting of the federal cabinet to be held in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... to finally decide regarding steps for peace in the port city.
The joint operation would include personnel of Rangers, FC and Sindh Police, the sources added.
Morover Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to assure the Sindh government of the support and assistance of the federal government and of proivision of all resoures for the restoration of Karachi's law and order situation.
Sources further said that Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had provided Sharif with a complete briefing over the situation in Karachi, which includes reports of Sindh Police, Rangers and intelligence agencies, and that the prime minister is expected to issue direct instructions for indiscrimninate action to be taken over the issue.
A top-offcial of the Sindh Police, requesting not to be named, said that the prime minister would be briefed about the Sindh Police's position to tackle the situation in the metropollis city.
The briefing would include information regarding the last month's acquisition of GSM caller locator system by the police departmen, six years after recquisitioning it.
GSM caller locator allows police Sherlocks to spot the exact location from where a mobile phone call is being made.
Sindh police are already in possession of CDR and RBS sytems which enable police to access to information over calls and messages over mobile phone services and to precise pinpointing of an already detected mobile device.
Prior to the acquisition, police had heavily depended on the intelligence agencies when they needed to locate cellphone calls.
Moreover the prime minister would also be informed about the shortage of vehicles (particularly Armored Personnel Carriers), weapons and ammunitions faced by Sindh police with regards to restoring peace in Karachi.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The Pakistain Mohammedan League Functional (PML-F) opposed on Saturday the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... (MQM) demand for deployment of the army in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... for the restoration of peace and supported the federal government proposal for targeted operations in the city against all criminal gangs.
Talking to news hounds after meeting his leaders and candidates in the recent by-elections, federal minister for overseas Paks and a big shot of the PML-F Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashdi said the demand for army deployment was against democratic norms and it could affect the overall recently completed democratic process.
"The constitution allows army deployment in certain cases, but the situation in Karachi doesn't need to call the armed forces," he said. "If such a demand in Karachi meets success, it would set a precedent and the deteriorating situation in any part of the country would lead to a call for army deployment."
Answering a question, he said he supported the proposal of the interior minister that called for targeted operations in Karachi which, he said, would be effective and result oriented.
"We support the PML-N government and also their proposal for Karachi. The political parties should act in a way that may lead to a consensus policy on Karachi and our party believes that the police and Rangers have the capability to handle the situation," said Pir Rashdi.
The PML-F reaction followed the trend of major parties opposing the MQM demand for army deployment as both the ruling parties at the centre and in the province called it an 'undemocratic' move and a 'condemnable call'. The Awami National Party, however, found it in line with the ANP's longstanding suggestion.
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09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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[Debka] Syria, Iran and Hizballah are let off the hook by the lifting of the imminent US military threat against Bashar Assad over his use of chemical weapons on Aug. 21. Not only that, but the threesome have won an unforeseen tactical advantage: President Obama's turn to Congress to authorize that attack gives them at least a fortnight for launching a pre-emptive strike against US forces and its allies. I guess there may be a downside in voting "present"....
#1
In the case of Turkey and Jordan, I suspect they paid into the election fund for the purchase of this unreliable administration and now they're going to find out just how unreliable it is.
The Hamas government said Sunday it was "surprised" to hear that Egypt is planning to create a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip.
"Surprised" being a synonym for "frightened"...
Ehab Ghissin, spokesman for the Hamas government, said that there should be no buffer zones "between brothers and friendly countries."
There aren't: witness the U.S. and Canada. This should be telling you Gazooks something...
Ghissin expressed hope that the Egyptian move would not "solidify the blockade" and increase the suffering of the people in the Gaza Strip.
Because that might cause the remaining shopping malls in Gazoo to close...
He called for establishing a free trade area instead of a buffer zone along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
So that the Gazooks can freely obtain all the ammo and rockets they need...
And freely exchange the weaponry for their home-made forged currency.
Egyptian newspapers quoted Palestinian sources as saying that 90 percent of the smuggling tunnels along the border with the Gaza Strip have stopped functioning as a result of Egypt's security measures.
If only that's true, what a great bit of news.
That number has been bruited about for months. But nobody is claiming the Gazans are starving, so there may be error brackets around that it.
The sources said that the Egyptian army was waging an "unprecedented" campaign to destroy houses and tunnels.
It's like the Egyptians woke up one morning and decided that the Jordanians, Kuwaitis and Iraqis were right about the Paleos...
According to the sources, the planned buffer zone would be between 25 and 500 meters wide and 10 kilometers long.
Meanwhile, dozens of Egyptian families demonstrated on the Egyptian side of the border in protest against the demolition of their homes by the army. The protesters said that the Egyptian army has notified many families living close to the border with the Gaza Strip of its intention to demolish their homes as part of its effort to create a buffer zone in the area.
You could always move to Mauritania...
The families said that in the past few days the Egyptian army destroyed several houses without allowing them time to remove their furniture and personal belongings.
The Egyptian authorities have also banned Palestinian fishermen from entering Egypt's territorial waters near the Egyptian town of Rafah. Last weekend, Egyptian naval troops opened fire at a fishermen's boat near Rafah, injuring six people. The Hamas government has demanded clarifications from the Egyptians over the incident.
Seems clear to me...
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Paleos even wore out their welcome with Egypt. There are even limits to Egyptian patience.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/02/2013 0:30 Comments ||
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#2
no buffer zones "between brothers and friendly countries."
...nor should there be "smuggling tunnels" between friendly countries. Like so many in the Arab world they see no connection between what they want and what others might want.
No wonder Oblather has such an affinity for these people. It's all me, me, me all the time.
[Ynet] Israeli satellite takes off from Kazakhstan, joins 3 other satellites which are already operational
The satellite Amos 4, operated by the Israeli company Spacecom, has been launched into space from Kazakhstan on Saturday.
The satellite joins Spacecom's Amos 5, 2 and 3, which are already operational in space. Amos 6 is expected to be space-ready in 2014.
This problem with directionality is no doubt due to having wandered in the desert for forty years.
The satellite is carrying sophisticated communication equipment that allows it to function as a remote transmission and broadcast hub.
It orbits the earth at a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers over the equator, and moves with the direction of the earth's rotation.
Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri addressed the launch and said: "In the digital and satellite era, space and cyber space are critical issues when it comes to Israel's security. The Israeli Space Agency is expanding its work significantly and launching this satellite is another milestone in the journey that the State of Israel has set -- entry into the list of five leading national space programs.
In the meantime, the Arabs have managed to reignite a thirteen hundred year long religious civil war. Good going, guys!
#3
I was wondering about Moses I, suspected to have a serious maneuvering and communications ability. Further out is the possible Amos-Moses Bait-Killer Sat.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading west toward the Red Sea to help support a limited U.S. strike on Syria, if needed, defense officials said on Sunday.
The Nimitz carrier strike group, which includes four destroyers and a cruiser, has no specific orders to move to the eastern Mediterranean at this point, but is moving west in the Arabian Sea so it can do so if asked.
"It's about leveraging the assets to have them in place should the capabilities of the carrier strike group and the presence be needed," said the official.
"We try to reduce the physics of time and space so we can be as ready as possible should we be needed," said a second official, cautioning that decisions about ship positioning in the Mediterranean were still being finalized.
The Nimitz carrier group had been in the Indian Ocean supporting U.S. operations in Afghanistan but was due to sail east around Asia to return to its home port in Everett, Washington, after being relieved in recent days by another aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman.
Given the situation in Syria, U.S. military officials decided to reroute the Nimitz and send it west toward the Red Sea, and possibly the Mediterranean, officials said.
[An Nahar] La Belle France will soon declassify secret defense documents detailing Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons in defiance of international conventions, a government source said Sunday.
Will the list include the shipments from Saddam Hussein in 2003?
The comment came after the Journal du Dimanche weekly said French intelligence agents had compiled information showing that some of the weapons had been stockpiled for nearly 30 years.
The arsenal included over 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents, the paper said.
"The citations from the notes are correct," the source said. "The government plans to make public the declassified documents on the Syrian chemical arms program."
According to the Sunday newspaper, the arsenal included Sarin and mustard gas. The secret documents showed that Syrian scientists had also worked to develop a powerful agent that was far more toxic that Sarin.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] U.N. Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... on Sunday pressed U.N. chemical weapons inspectors to speed up their verdict on a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, his front man said.
Samples collected in Syria will start to be sent to European laboratories from Monday. The U.N. also revealed that two Syrian government officials are observing the handling of evidence collected during a U.N. investigation into the August 21 attack near Damascus that prompted western threats of a military strike on Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... 's forces.
Pressure on the U.N. is mounting as the United States said on Sunday that it has proof that sarin gas was used by government forces in the attack on the Ghouta area, in the Damascus suburbs, which it says left hundreds dead.
Ban spoke with the U.N. chemical weapons inquiry chief Ake Sellstrom on Sunday, the U.N. front man Martin Nesirky told news hounds.
"In light of the horrendous magnitude of the 21 August incident," Ban asked Sellstrom "to expedite the mission's analysis of the samples and information it had obtained without jeopardizing the scientific timelines required for accurate analysis," Nesirky said.
"They discussed ways to further accelerate the process," he added.
The samples collected by inspectors who left Syria for their base in The Hague on Saturday will start to be sent to two laboratories in Europe from Monday, according to the front man.
The United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... has refused to announce its timeline for finishing the analysis. Ban told envoys from the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members on Friday that it could be ready in two weeks, diplomats said.
Sellstrom told Ban that "two Syrian officials were observing the process" of handling the samples in The Hague, according to the U.N. front man.
Nesirky said the presence of the government officials was part of the "guidelines" for the U.N. inquiry which was established after a demand by the Syrian government.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Soooooo, nothing is going to happen until the week of 09.09 at earliest, awaiting the U.S. Congress and lab findings. I am encouraged by the idea of using (2), presumably independent, labs, but the concept of "a fair trial then we'll hang 'em" is not new....
#2
This news is going to be aged faster than Nancy Pelsoi on a July Texas day. By the middle of the month we can focus back on the Republicans War on Women.
[An Nahar] The head of Syria's opposition National Coalition on Sunday urged Arab countries to back U.S.-led Western strikes on the Damascus regime over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
"I am here before you today to appeal to your brotherly and humanitarian sentiments and ask you to back the international operation against the destructive war machine" of the Syrian regime, Ahmed al-Jarba told a Cairo meeting of Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... foreign ministers.
"I urge your assistance and support for a military strike against the regime, which has sought the support of the Iranians and Hizbullah," added Jarba.
He noted that "national illusory sovereignty has no meaning in the face of the behavior of the regime, which has exposed the country to all types of intervention."
Arab League foreign ministers had initially planned to meet on Tuesday to discuss an imminent U.S.-led punitive strike on Syria for allegedly gassing civilians on August 21 in Damascus suburbs.
The meeting was brought forward to Sunday as U.S. President Barack Obama If you have a small business, you didn't build that... said he was determined to launch a strike on Syrian regime targets and would seek congressional approval for it.
Washington says the alleged chemical attack killed hundreds of people and Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said on Sunday that Washington had proof the Syrian regime used sarin gas.
The United States has pointed to the vaporous Arab League as a potential ally for military action against Syria but several member states of the Cairo-based organization are opposed to a strike.
Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and Qatar, major backers of rebels fighting to topple Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators... , want firm action while other Arab states such as Syria neighbors Iraq, Leb and Jordan have ruled out joining any attack.
Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi foreign minister told a news conference that the international community must stop "the aggression against the Syrian people before these people perish."
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09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] An al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement official criticized Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... on Saturday for allegedly ignoring U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 and "confiscating" the authorities of President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too...
In remarks to An Nahar daily published on Sunday, the official, who was not identified, said a speech made by Berri a day earlier had loopholes mainly over the legitimacy of the weapons of the army and the resistance in the South.
Berri launched an initiative calling for the resumption of national dialogue among bickering politicians for a period of at least five consecutive days to discuss the form and policy statement of the future government, revive talks on a new electoral law, and support the military to deal with arms in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and salvage the eastern Bekaa Valley and the northern border with Syria from the chaos of arms and gunnies.
The initiative also includes a call to address a national defense strategy, a thorny issue that hasn't been resolved in the past years over differences on Hizbullah's arms.
Berri "ignored international resolutions and mainly resolution 1701 that organized armed presence in the South," the official said.
The speaker added new articles to these resolutions, he said, wondering whether Berri was seeking to come up with a new resolution that outstrips 1701.
The official also criticized Berri over his call for dialogue.
"He cut the road on the president who was a pioneer in inviting" for such a dialogue, the source said.
Berri "confiscated the constitutional authorities of the president that enable him along with the Prime Minister-designate to form the government," he said.
The cabinet formation efforts are not the role of the national dialogue members, he added.
The Mustaqbal official also slammed the March 8 alliance, which Berri's Amal movement is part of, for not abiding by previous decisions reached at the national dialogue table.
"The problem lies in lack of trust in Hizbullah and the rest of the March 8 factions that approve certain things at the dialogue table and then act on their own," the official told An Nahar.
"The last example is the Baabda Declaration," he said in criticism to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria despite approving the declaration that calls for keeping Leb at a distance from the regional developments and crises.
Other March 14 alliance officials also criticized Berri for failing to discuss Hizbullah's arms, which they said are imposing self-security in Beirut's southern suburbs.
They said Berri only referred to Tripoli and the Bekaa, a reference to the northeastern border town of Arsal whose residents are staunch backers of the Syrian rebels.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"The problem lies in lack of trust in Hizbullah and the rest of the March 8 factions that approve certain things at the dialogue table and then act on their own"
S'okay dude - we seem to have the same problem here in the US.
[DAILYMAIL.CO.UK] Brutal dictator Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... has amassed more than 1,000 tonnes of poison gas including sarin and XV, the most toxic nerve agent ever created.
A leaked intelligence report said the tyrant possessed missiles capable of firing the deadly substances 300 miles - within range of British military bases in Cyprus.
It says something that in all this time, they never shot them off at Israel. Why d'you suppose that is?
The news comes as the U.S. insisted Washington had its own evidence that Assad henchmen used the deadly chemical wepaons against civilians.
Secret service chiefs in Gay Paree also laid the blame for the massacre of civilians in a chemical attack in Damascus on August 21, which the US claims killed 1,429 civilians including 426 children, squarely on the regime.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Hmmm. How do you say "Curveball" en francais?
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
09/02/2013 2:02 Comments ||
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Posted by: no mo uro ||
09/02/2013 5:40 Comments ||
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#5
It says something that in all this time, they never shot them off at Israel. Why d'you suppose that is?
Probably for the same reason Israel hasn't fired its nukes at neighboring Muslim states - they represent the Samson option - a threat to bring the entire temple down on any invaders.
[THEHILL] The idea of "slam dunk" intelligence should disappear from national security discussions, Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said Sunday.
"The word 'slam-dunk' should be retired from the American national security issues," Kerry said on NBC's "Meet The Press."
"We are saying that the high confidence that the intelligence community has expressed and the case that I laid out the other day is growing stronger by the day," he continued.
During the George W. Bush administration, then-CIA chief George Tenet reportedly told Bush that intelligence showing Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was a "slam dunk."
The phrase became a symbol for the botched intelligence that the Bush White House used to justify the invasion.
Kerry spoke in response to his claim that evidence shows sarin gas was used in the Assad regime's alleged chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus last month.
"Individuals who were engaged as first responders in East Damascus, I can report to you today that they have tested positive for signatures of sarin," he said on Fox News. "So this case is going to build stronger and stronger."
Kerry, who was to appear on five networks on Sunday, made the case that evidence of a chemical attack is strong.
"We know where this attack came from. We know exactly where it went. We know what happened exactly afterwards," he said on Meet the Press, according to a transcript.
"We know the preparations were being taken before for this attack, we know people were told to use their gas mask to prepare for the use of the chemical barrage. We also know that after it took place, they acknowledged that they had done it and were worried about the consequences and whether the U.N. inspectors were going to find out," Kerry said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
feckless crapweasel doesn't like being held to the standards he demanded of Boooosh
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/02/2013 9:31 Comments ||
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The phrase became a symbol for the botched intelligence that the Bush White House used to justify the invasion.
Continuing to reference the war Iraq as the wrong war, the evil Bush war. This has curiously become a mantra which Champ's regime chirps at nearly every opportunity.
One must ask the question, why is this anti-Bush narrative on Iraq still being enforced, or even still being discussed? One possible justification may be the need to distance the regime from a failing Iraqi government rapidly moving into the Iranian camp. When the Iraqi government finally collapses, the regime will herald it's demise as the culmination of the Bush failed policy and wash their hands of it.
[ABCNEWS.GO] Syria on Sunday derided President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... 's decision to hold off on punitive military strikes, but also took precautions by reportedly moving some troops and military equipment to civilian areas.
The B.O. regime countered that its case for military action against the regime of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... is getting stronger, saying it now has evidence that the toxic gas allegedly used in strikes on rebel-held areas was the nerve agent sarin.
The administration predicted Sunday it will obtain congressional backing for limited strikes. After days of edging closer to military action against Syria, Obama suddenly announced Saturday he would first seek approval from Congress, which gets back from summer break Sept. 9.
Assad, in turn, tried to project confidence in his escalating showdown with the U.S., saying in comments carried by state media Sunday that Syria is "capable of confronting any external aggression."
From the sidelines, others exhorted the U.S. either to get involved or stay out of the brutal two-and-a-half-year-old conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives and displaced millions of people.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... remained defiant Sunday after his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it... decided to seek congressional approval for a military strike, reiterating his country was ready for any intervention.
"Syria... is capable of facing up to any external aggression just as it faces up to internal aggression every day, in the form of terrorist groups and those who support them," he said in comments carried by state news agency SANA.
In his first official remarks since Obama's unexpected announcement on Saturday, Assad said that Syria continues to "record victory after victory."
Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad earlier told news hounds in Damascus that Obama "was clearly hesitant, disappointed and confused when he spoke yesterday."
Obama's decision effectively pushes back any military action aimed at punishing Assad's regime over an alleged deadly poison gas attack until at least September 9, when U.S. politicians return from their summer recess.
The United States and other Western and Arab countries have blamed the Syrian government for the suspected August 21 attack, which Washington says killed more than 1,400 people -- accusations Damascus categorically denies.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels... a senior Iranian official warned in Damascus on Sunday that U.S. interests in the region would be at risk if Washington launched a military strike against his country's ally Syria.
Iranian officials have issued stern warnings against U.S.-led military action targeting Syria and the latest came from the chairman of the foreign policy committee of Iran's parliament.
"I hope that the United States will not undertake any precipitated and irrational action, due to the sensitive situation in the region," Allaeddine Boroujerdi told news hounds.
"The Americans cannot threaten the countries of the region and expect that their own interests will not be threatened," he said, a day after talks with Assad.
"If the United States carry out a foolish act, our response will be decisive," said Boroujerdi, in remarks translated from Farsi into Arabic by an interpreter.
On Saturday, the head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards warned that a U.S. strike would trigger "reactions beyond" Syria and bolster extremism.
And Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said a strike on Syria would be a "disaster" for the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
F it! Let's bomb the hell out of this country! They deserve it!
Posted by: Whomoper Oppressor of the Danes1311 ||
09/02/2013 17:40 Comments ||
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Riyadh will support a US-led strike against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime if the Syrian people support it, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister says, dpa reported.
Could you possibly be a little more weaseley in your support?
"We stand by the will of the Syrian people. ... Whatever they accept, we accept, and whatever they refuse, we refuse," Saud al-Faisal told reporters in Cairo, ahead of an Arab League meeting.
He also called on the international community "to use all its power to stop the (regime's) aggression against the Syrian people."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the Islamic Republic's new destroyer, Lavan, will soon join the country's naval fleet, PressTV reported.
It's actually a Hengam-class landing ship, tank, at just under 3,000 tons displacement...
"The overhaul of the Islamic Republic's destroyer, Lavan, is complete and [the vessel] will soon join the Navy," Sayyari said on Sunday while elaborating on the latest achievements of the country's naval forces.
Sayyari highlighted the importance of a strong naval force, saying, "The Navy should be able to defend national interests in territorial and free waters so that it could guarantee the country's progress."
Iran's Navy launched the renovated Shaheed Bayandor destroyer
which joined the country's naval forces on March 16, has been designed and built by Iranian experts using state-of-the-art navigation equipment and complex defensive systems.
When asked whether Iran had dispatched a fleet to the Mediterranean in the face of the US military buildup there for an attack on Syria, Sayyari said the Iranian Navy has not received any orders to send military ships near the Syrian coastlines.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/02/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Fleet tugs. They keep forgetting the fleet tugs.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
09/02/2013 1:51 Comments ||
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#2
If there's ever any shooting, the Iranian Navy will be getting a Fleet enema, Harpoon style...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/02/2013 7:38 Comments ||
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#3
future reefs
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/02/2013 9:32 Comments ||
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[Xinhua] The Iranian army will stage a large- scale military maneuver in late September, a senior Iranian commander said Saturday.
Quoted by Press TV, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, said the exercise, dubbed the Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 5 (Defenders of the Velayat Skies 5), will be larger than the previous one held in the eastern part of Iran last year.
Various long-range radars and passive defense systems will be tested during the drill, he was quoted as saying without elaboration on the area and scope of the exercise.
Modafe'an-e Aseman-e Velayat 4 military drill was held jointly by the country's army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in November last year.
In the 2012 drill, an upgraded high-precision long-range S-200 ground-to-air defense system, and indigenous missile defense systems named Qader, Ya Zahra 3, Mersad 3 and Hog. were tested, according to Press TV.
Also, electronic and surveillance systems were used to detect manned and unmanned enemy aircraft flying at low altitude.
F-14 and F-4 fighter jets, shoulder-launched weapons, as well as Sayyad 40, a mobile electronic interception system, and Rassed 32, a smart surveillance system were also tested then.
The drill covered an area of 950,000 square kilometers in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, South Khorasan, Sistan-and-Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Kerman and parts of Fars and Yazd provinces.
Over the past few years, Iran has held several military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of the Armed Forces and to test modern military tactics and equipment.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/02/2013 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.
[An Nahar] Potential presidential candidate Omar Daudzai was appointed as Afghanistan's acting interior minister on Sunday, putting him in a high-profile public role seven months before the country's first democratic transfer of power.
[An Nahar] Thousands of protesters held a protest in Yemen's main southern city of Aden on Sunday to renew calls for independence from the north and reject the 
... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means 
Turkish police blocked the entrance to Istanbul's Gezi Park, the epicentre of anti-government protests in June, on Sunday to prevent a demonstration there against a possible military intervention in Syria. Riot police advanced with shields but held back from using tear gas or water cannon against about 1,000 activists who instead formed a human chain on the city's celebrated Istiklal Avenue, according to an AFP photographer who witnessed the scene.
Nawaz Sharif
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Xinhua] The Iranian army will stage a large- scale military maneuver in late September, a senior Iranian commander said Saturday.
