[DAWN] Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid 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... said in an interview published on Sunday that he saw no good in America's presence in Afghanistan.
Good thing we're leaving, then. Sayonara!
The Afghan leader referred to the Taliban as his "brothers", to the Americans as "rivals" and claimed that he had not spoken to US President Barack Obama They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them... since June.
The interview to The Sunday Times, London, was widely reproduced in the US where commentators pointed out that Mr Karzai was purposely distancing himself from Mr Obama as the Afghan leader's 12-year reign comes to an end.
"This whole 12 years was one of constant pleading with America to treat the lives of our civilians as lives of people," he said, adding that he met Mr Obama at Nelson Mandela's funeral in South Africa but did not speak to him.
"Letters have been exchanged" though, he added.
Insisting that he "saw no good" in the American presence in Afghanistan, Mr Karzai said: "They did not work for me, they worked against me."
Although the United States spent $648 billion during the Afghan war, Mr Karzai said it did not help him.
"The money they should have paid to the police they paid to private security firms and creating militias who caused lawlessness, corruption and highway robbery," he said.
"They then began systematically waging psychological warfare on our people, encouraging our money to go out of our country."
Mr Karzai also blamed the United States for creating "pockets of wealth and a vast countryside of deprivation and anger" in Afghanistan.
Asked why he was refusing to sign a bilateral security agreement with the United States, Mr Karzai said: "Under pressure, our kings signed things and all that turned out to be disastrous for Afghanistan. Under pressure today if I do the same I don't know the consequences."
Mr Karzai said he did not worry about the possibility that his refusal to sign the agreement could cause the US and other Western nations to reduce their financial assistance to Afghanistan.
"Money is not everything. If you ask me as an individual, I would rather live in poverty than uncertainty," he said.
Mr Karzai praised Britannia for trying to improve Afghanistan's relations with Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#3
It worked for the Germans and Japanese after '45. Of course they didn't squabble about a Status of Forces Agreement that you and your counterparts in Iraq did.
#10
airandee, if the US leaves, Karzai will be right behind us, if not in front. Especially if we do as I have long suggested - the first Americans out should be his security detail.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/04/2014 16:46 Comments ||
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NAIROBI, KENYA: Two Kenyan police officers were Monday arrested in connection with the abduction of two top officials of Ethiopias Ogaden National Liberation Front ( ONLF) from outside a popular restaurant in Upper Hill, Nairobi last week. The officers, an inspector and a constable attached to Nairobi Area CID are expected to face charges of espionage for Ethiopias intelligence services.
I suppose Ethiopia needs to spy on its neighbors, but really, they think Kenya is a threat?
Nairobi head of CID Nicholas Kamwende confirmed the arrests and said the officers expected in court Monday morning. They will face various charges following the abduction of the two ONLF officials, said Kamwende.
He added the officers had been identified by witnesses as having participated in the abduction of Mr Sulub Ahmed and Ali Hussein who were members of the ONLF negotiation team that was in Nairobi for a proposed third round of talks.
Ahmed and Hussein were members of ONLF central committee and were abducted on January 26 from outside Arabian Cuisine in Upper Hill area. They were later driven out of the country to Ethiopia by intelligence officials from Addis Ababa and their whereabouts are not known.
ONLF officials who asked not to be named had said security agencies from Ethiopia and Kenya were involved in the kidnapping. They had been invited for a lunch date at the restaurant near TSC headquarters when they were abducted by men who were in three waiting cars. One of the cars, a black Toyota Prado and the driver were seized and detained at the Turbi police station the following day but the two were missing amid speculation they had been taken across to Ethiopia.
The ONLF officials who spoke in Nairobi said the two officials were invited by the Kenyan government for peace negotiations. Their whereabouts in Ethiopia are yet to be known.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
ONLF: Armed rebel group in Ethiopia, made up of Somali's. Definitely not Ethiopian "officials". Trying to create separate state.
[An Nahar] Arab and Tuareg rebel leaders from crisis-torn northern Mali told a visiting U.N. Security Council delegation Monday they want to resume talks with the government.
"Even if we have to go to the planet Mars to quickly resume the dialogue with the Malian government... we are ready," said Mohammed Maouloud Ould Ramadane of the Arab Movement of Azawad (MAA) after meeting the Security Council delegation.
The visiting team includes the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, and the French ambassador, Gerard Araud.
They met in the capital, Bamako, with leaders of the MAA and two Tuareg gangs, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA).
Azawad is the name Mali's Tuareg and Arab minorities use for the country's vast desert north, where they are concentrated.
The west African country, which straddles the continent's Saharan and sub-Saharan regions, went kaboom! into crisis in 2012 when the MNLA launched a rebellion claiming Azawad as an independent state.
Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist groups seized on the chaos created by the rebellion and a coup in Bamako to take control of northern Mali, ruling it under a brutal vision of Islamic law until former colonial ruler La Belle France sent in troops to flush them out in January 2013.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] King Abdullah Monday decreed jail terms of up to 20 years for belonging to "terrorist groups" and fighting abroad, as it struggles to deter Islamist Saudis from becoming jihadists.
"Taking part in combat outside the kingdom, in any form" will be punished by jail terms of between three and 20 years, said the decree published by state news agency SPA.
However will they cleanse their gene pool of bad recessives now?
Similar sentences will be passed on those belonging to "extremist religious and ideological groups, or those classified as terrorist organizations, domestically, regionally and internationally," it said.
Supporting such groups, adopting their ideology or promoting them "through speech or writing" would also incur prison terms, the decree added.
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... set up specialized terrorism courts in 2011 to try dozens of nationals and foreigners accused of belonging to Al-Qaeda or being involved in a wave of bloody attacks that swept the country from 2003.
Scores of Saudis are believed to have joined Islamist Death Eaters fighting in Syria, where Riyadh is a strong backer of the nearly three-year rebellion against the regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath...
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] UAE-Qatar relations remain strong despite Doha's ambassador being summoned over remarks by a holy man linked to the Moslem Brüderbund, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan said Monday.
"There are no disputes between the brothers" said Abu Dhabi's strongman, who is also deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, in remarks carried by WAM state news agency.
"Differences take place between brothers in one family, but nothing can separate between us and our brothers in Qatar," he said, stressing that he enjoys strong links with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Abu Dhabi summoned Doha's envoy on Sunday to protest against "insults" to the UAE made by Egypt-born holy man Youssef al-Qaradawi ...crackpot Egyptian Islamist theologian. He is best known for his program Shariah and Life on Al Jazeera, with an estimated audience of 60 million kindred souls worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, which occasionally advocates things like slavery and thumping the old lady with a rod no thicker than an inch, and has published more than 120 books, including Islam: The Future Civilization. Joe has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the Moslem Brüderbund. Some of his views have been controversial in the West, though less so among the rubes of the Mysterious East, and he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving Islam a bad name.... , who is based in Qatar.
The spat was the first of its kind by a member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, 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 the United Arab Emirates -- against another GCC state since the bloc's formation in 1981.
Qaradawi staunchly backs Egypt's deposed Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... , unlike the UAE which supports the interim government installed in Cairo by the military that overthrew Morsi last July 3.
In a weekly Friday prayers sermon in Doha last month, Qaradawi lashed out at the UAE, accusing it of "standing against Islamist regimes, punishing its leaders and putting them in jail."
His comments came just days after the UAE tossed in the clink Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! a group of 30 Emiratis and Egyptians to terms ranging from three months to five years for forming a Moslem Brüderbund cell.
The Brotherhood is banned in much of the region, and the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia pledged billions of dollars in aid to Egypt after the overthrow of Morsi, who hails from the Islamist organization.
Qatar, however, has backed the Brotherhood in several countries swept by the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, and has criticized Cairo for banning the group and launching a deadly crackdown against it.
On Saturday, Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah disavowed Qaradawi's remarks, saying "they do not reflect Qatari foreign policy" and insisting that ties between the two nations are "strategic in all aspects."
But the UAE foreign ministry said that response "did not reflect a decisive stance rejecting Qaradawi's speech", and therefore Abu Dhabi had to take "an unprecedented measure" and summon Doha's ambassador.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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Police in a district of Dagestan just south of Makachkala have reportedly asked members of the Salafi sect to sign documents promising to notify police if they leave the republic.
Yelena Denisenko, a representative for the Memorial Human Rights Group in Dagestan, said that "they gave out forms with printed text saying 'I, so and so, am obligated to inform police within three days if I take a trip outside of the republic ... 'and on top of that the person is required to indicate what form of transportation they'll be taking, for what purpose, etc."
"I was told that one girl tried to travel to Rostov for medical treatment, but she was not allowed to leave the republic, although she had a medical aim," he said.
The head of the district's police dispatch center defended the measure, saying that it was part of wider "preventative measures" ordered by the Interior Ministry. He said, "There are heinous crimes being committed on the territory of the Russian Federation, including those of a terroristic character. In connection with this, there is an order for all Dagestanis who are on file with the police to warn us about their intentions to travel outside the republic."
The police official added that "no one is prohibited from leaving; they can go wherever they want -- Moscow, Vorkuta, Stavropol -- but we need to know about it."
He said the move was not in any way connected with the Olympic games, adding that "it will continue even after the games."
He claimed that no one was forced to sign the documents, and that it was all done voluntarily. He said, "We went from home to home, discussed the matter, explained that this is being done for security reasons and so that these people wouldn't be tormented with checks in other regions."
Citizens of the republic of Ingushetia found themselves facing similar restrictions in early January, when they were advised by the republic's security council to avoid taking trips to Sochi's Krasnodar region unless absolutely necessary.
North Korea could be preparing for another missile or space rocket test as two 45,000-gallon fuel tanks and a pump facility have turned up in satellite pictures of a missile launch site in Tongchang-ri. They had not been seen since November last year.
38 North, a website run by Johns Hopkins University, published an article by Nick Hansen on Jan. 29 saying that North Korea seems to be modifying the facility so that it can launch 43-m long-distance missiles.
Another story is apparently being added to the nine-story gantry tower, enabling the North to launch a missile 25 percent longer than the one it tested in Dec. 2012, Hansen said.
The new fuel tanks "could be used to fuel vehicles in mobile missile units and a pad possibly intended for use by those units for training."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
This sounds like it is for their Level 3 Certification. Perhaps they'll make make Balls 23 in September.
[DAWN] Two committees, nominated by the federal government and the Pak Taliban, will hold a preliminary meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday (tomorrow) to chart a roadmap for peace talks, DawnNews reported.
Earlier last week, Prime Minister 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... had announced that his government would pursue peace talks with the Taliban despite a recent spate of attacks.
The premier had named a four-member committee comprising his Advisor on National Affairs Irfan Siddique, veteran journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, former ambassador and expert on Afghanistan affairs Rustam Shah Mohmand and former ISI official Major (Retd) Amir Shah to facilitate the dialogue.
Whereas, banned myrmidon organization Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) on Saturday had nominated Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... , Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... , former chief holy man of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad Maulana Abdul Aziz, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI), and Mufti Kifayatullah, a former politician of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... (JUI-F) from Mansehra ...a city and an eponymous district in eastern Khyber-Pakthunwa, nestled snug up against Pak Kashmir, with Kohistan and Diamir to the north and Abbottabad to the south... to hold talks with government negotiators.
However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... PTI chief Imran Khan backed out of the Taliban committee after his party declined a request for him to represent them in peace talks with the government today.
Moreover, Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... also announced that he would not participate in the dialogue process.
Speaking to DawnNews, the government's negotiator Irfan Siddique said the meeting between the two committees is scheduled to be held tomorrow at 2 pm.
Three Taliban-nominated committee members meet
Earlier today, the five-member committee, nominated by the Pak Taliban to facilitate the dialogue process with the government, had held its first meeting in the federal capital today.
The meeting, chaired by Maulana Samiul Haq, was attended by Professor Ibrahim and Maulana Abdul Aziz.
Mufti Kifayatullah could not partake in the meeting whereas Khan was chairing a meeting of his party's core committee.
Sources said that while addressing the meeting, Samiul Haq had said the four-member committee nominated by the federal government to further the dialogue process with the Taliban had not contacted them, adding that the negotiating team would soon finalise its strategy.
He expressed hope that the government would find a better solution to problems while holding dialogue with the Taliban.
Meanwhile, ...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck and Manuel's rivalry was entering a new and more dangerous phase... Professor Ibrahim had said he was very optimistic about negotiations with the Taliban while underscoring that problems could only be resolved through dialogue.
He moreover said that the Taliban would first demand the implementation of Shariah law in Pakistain and said if the government really wanted to impose it in the country in a democratic manner, it could have easily been done in the past 65 years.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Chairman of the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... will not act as a representative for the five-member committee nominated by the Pak Taliban to further dialogue with government negotiators, said a statement issued by the party's core committee, DawnNews reported.
A meeting of the PTI's core committee, chaired by Khan, was held in the federal capital on Monday.
During the meeting, the committee focused on Khan's nomination among five other political and religious leaders by banned Death Eater organization Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) as representatives to facilitate peace talks with government negotiators.
Khan has been a vocal supporter of negotiating with the myrmidons.
However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... the core committee meeting decided that Khan would not represent the Taliban committee.
According to the party's statement, the negotiations should be held within the framework of the Constitution in a transparent and open environment, adding that there should be a ceasefire between the government and the Taliban.
PTI spokeswoman Shireen Mazari told AFP that because a senior party figure, Rustam Shah Mohmand, was already on the government team, Khan's presence was not needed.
"The core committee of Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaaf appreciated Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain's offer to our chairman Imran Khan to become part of their committee," Mazari said.
Separately, the meeting stressed that Prime Minister 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... should increase pressure on the US government to stop drone attacks on Pak soil.
Earlier on Saturday, the Pak Taliban had nominated the names of PTI chief Imran Khan, Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... , former chief holy man of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad Maulana Abdul Aziz, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI), and Mufti Kifayatullah, a former politician of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... (JUI-F) from Mansehra ...a city and an eponymous district in eastern Khyber-Pakthunwa, nestled snug up against Pak Kashmir, with Kohistan and Diamir to the north and Abbottabad to the south... said to have close ties with the Taliban.
Earlier last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said his government had decided to pursue peace talks with Talibs to end years of violence despite a recent spate of attacks.
The premier had named a four-member committee comprising his Advisor on National Affairs Irfan Siddique, veteran journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, former ambassador and expert on Afghanistan affairs Rustam Shah Mohmand and former ISI official Major (Retd) Amir Shah to facilitate the dialogue.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
...maybe this guy, with the new beard, can. What's up with the beards? Carney and Kerry both...
[DAWN] Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... on Monday dissociated him and his party member from ongoing dialogue process between government and Pak Taliban which according to him would prove 'ineffective'.
Addressing a presser following a meeting of the party's advisory committee, he said that JUI-F would not join the current dialogue process. He said that decision was taken unanimously by the JUI-F members.
"I pray for the success of peace talks but I am not hopeful that talks would succeed," said Fazlur Rehman.
Describing reasons for distancing his party from dialogue, the JUI-F chief said that they were neither consulted nor informed about the government's decision to initiate peace talks with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP).
Maulana Fazlur Rehman also expressed his reservations over his party proposed Jirga system being ignored in grinding of the peace processor, which he emphasized enjoyed the trust of both the Taliban and political parties.
"Mufti Kifayatullah will not be part of the committee suggested by the TTP for negotiation with the government," he said reacting to inclusion of the JUI-F leader in Taliban's negotiating team.
Earlier, Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... also said that he will not act as a representative for the five-member committee nominated by the Pak Taliban to further dialogue with government negotiators.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban had nominated the names of Imran Khan, Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... , former chief holy man of the Lal Masjid Maulana Abdul Aziz, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim of the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI) and Mufti Kifayatullah.
Earlier last week, Prime Minister 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... said his government had decided to pursue peace talks with Talibs to end years of violence despite a recent spate of attacks.
The premier had named a four-member committee comprising his Advisor on National Affairs Irfan Siddique, veteran journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, former ambassador and expert on Afghanistan affairs Rustam Shah Mohmand and former ISI official Major (retd) Amir Shah to facilitate the dialogue.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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Iraq has signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran to buy weapons, ambassador of Iraq to Iran, Mohammed Majid Al-Shaikh said, Iranian Tasnim News agency reported on Feb. 3.
"The Iraqi defence ministry believes that Iranian military equipment is very effective," the ambassador said.
Chased all the infidels out of the Gulf of Rumsfeld, after all...
He added that according to the ministry, Iraqi army should be supplied with Iranian-made military equipment.
Al-Shaikh did not unveil any information about the type of military equipment which Iraq will buy from Iran. Tasnim news agency has announced that the detailed text of the interview with Iraqi ambassador will be published in the coming days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Excerpt:
American pressure to settle negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians has recently brought the word "boycott" to the front on countless occasions. But the boycott of Israel goes way back.
Boycott is not justified
"The attempts to boycott the State of Israel are not moral or justified," Netanyahu said. "Moreover, they will not achieve their purpose. Firstly, they only serve to make the Palestinians become more entrenched in their stance of refusal. Secondly, no pressure will make me abandon the State of Israel's vital interests, of which security of the civilian population is foremost."
#2
"In each and every generation they rise up against us to destroy us."
Especially urgent for Europeans --- as they know (subconsciously if not consciously) that they don't have a lot of time left.
The United States may be granted basing rights in Mindanao by the Bangsamoro Political Entity once the final peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is signed and implemented, according to an in-house think-tank of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The Office of Strategic and Special Studies (OSS) said Washington played a key role in the peace talks both directly, through "secret" meetings between US officials and MILF leaders, and indirectly by providing aid. A book published by the OSS entitled, "In Assertion of Sovereignty: The Peace Process" said, "One thought is about an American-led plot to lend a debt of gratitude by helping Mindanao become independent and get repaid in terms of grant of US rights to set up bases there."
According to the OSS, General Santos City in South Cotabato is under consideration as the future site for a US base.
From 1999 to 2008, six meetings between US government officials and MILF leaders have reportedly taken place.
"In February 2008, (former) US ambassador Kristie Kenney visited the main militant base of Camp Darapanan in the town of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and met with MILF chairman Al Haj Murad and Central Committee members," the book said.
The meetings were so secret that "the visit was done apparently with no prior co-ordination with the appropriate government authorities."
"The day before the visit, Kenney was with then DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo for the opening of the Balikatan exercises," it said.
Reports about Kenney's "secret" meeting with the MILF leaders was first made known by WikiLeaks in 2011. The OSS book has confirmed this.
Posted by: ryuge ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
HHHMMMM, HHHHMMMM, interesting, iff Macalanang + MILF do an International "Cam Ranh Bay", where foreign powers save China-PLA are allowed to set up in Subic + Mindanao as opposed to just the US only???
It would help both PHIL national security + economy, including to spur dev throughout the perennially poverty-stricken Southern PHIL from which helped to create the general Moro insurgency.
Lest we fergit, the PHIL allowing China + PLA to set up Milbases on PHIL territory is an option that has found favor in Washington DC as a way to reduce South China Seas tensions between China + PHIL + ASEAN.
* TOPIX > BRITAIN SEEKS RETURN TO INFLUENCE IN ASIA.
"Britain" also read, NATO-EU???
Iff not .... ...
* BHARAT RAKSHAK, BIGNEWSNETWORK > CHINA COULD TARGET OKINAWA [+ Guam] DURING SOUTH CHINA SEA CONFLICTS: US OFFICIAL [USAF] - JAPAN TIMES.
* Also from BHARAT RAKSHAK + JAPAN TIMES > US COULD CHANGE ITS MILITARY POSTURE IFF CHINA SETS UP SECOND ADIZ, in the SCS.
* WORLD NEWS > [Taipei Times] PLA SEEN AS SEEKING TO LIMIT US PROTECTION OF TAIWAN.
PHIL? Japan? ROK? ASEAN?
China is increasingly confident it can defeat any US or US-led military intervention as per Taiwan WHICH IS ASCRIBED AS CHINA'S ULTIMATE/MAIN PRIZE IN ANY MILITARY CONFLICT IN NE OR EAST ASIA.
* INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM [Arirang News = Oriental Daily News] > JAPANESE FIGHTER ENTERS CHINA'S DEFENSE ZONE [East China Sea] DURING ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, in an alleged foolish move on the part of Japan + SDFS that will only serve to escalate curent Sino-Japanese tensions to new levels.
As per PLA MGEN. Luo Yuan.
VERSUS
* DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > NO SOUTH CHINA SEA AIR ZONE, CHINA ASSURES ASEAN.
Nice to hear, but in reality may not mean anything as China already intends to expand + fortify its CG + PLA garrison in its new offshore Sansha/Sasha province in the SCS, ala wid new or improved Air-Sea capabilities to include the basing of PLAN Destroyers. ANY NEW CHINA ADIZ IN THe SCS CAN EASILY BE QUIETLY PCORRECTLY MERGED OR CONSOLIDATED INTO THE NEW-N-IMPROVED RECCE, DEFENSE CAPABILITIES, ETC. OF THE SANSHA/SASHA PROVINCE.
* RELATED WORLD MILITARY FORUM > PLA DAILY ARTICLE: "WAR WILL NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER NEW YEAR" FOR THE FIRST OR OPENING MOVES. WAR AGZ JAPAN CAN OCCUR SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ADVANCE WARNING OR CIRCUMSTANCE.
* INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > US TO CHINA: "HAPPY NEW YEAR"; CHINA TO US: "GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK" | QUARTZ.
Time to pay up, you Amerikan slackard = couch potato???
* SAME > [2012 Artic Repost] HILLARY CLINTON REVEALS CHINA CLAIM TO TERRITORIAL RIGHTS IN HAWAII.
OWG Globalist 1/2-1/2 fair-n-equal sharing of the Pacific = weirdly-n-mysteriously devols in future to 2/3-1/3 or 3/4-1/4 or 7/8-1/8 China to US???
[An Nahar] ran's foreign minister said Monday that he believed a final deal with world powers over Tehran's contested nuclear program was possible within six months.
Mohammad Javad Zarif made the comment in an address to a political think tank in Berlin, a day after pledging good faith in the next round of talks later this month aimed at dispelling Western fears.
He noted that under an interim accord between Iran and the so-called P5+1 -- the United States, Russia, China, Britannia, La Belle France and Germany -- which took effect last month, a 12-month deadline had been set for implementing the final agreement.
"But I believe we can do it by July 20th, that's the first six months, and I believe we should do it, and I believe it's possible to do it," Zarif told the German Council on Foreign Relations.
World powers hold another round of talks with Iran on February 18 after reaching the initial accord in November to curb uranium enrichment and open up nuclear facilities to allay concerns that Tehran is seeking to acquire atomic weapons.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
So, they figure to explode thier first Nuke within 6 months?
[An Nahar] The U.N. under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs on Monday voiced disappointment over the international community's failure to ensure safe passage for aid to civilians in conflict-torn Syria.
Valerie Amos told a Syria aid meeting in Rome of her "disappointment that discussions last week in Geneva -- focused as they were on the political -- did not make progress on the humanitarian side."
The talks between the Syrian government and opposition delegations had been rich with the "potential to build trust between the two sides", but ended without "any further progress on the issue of access to besieged communities."
Italia's Foreign Minister Emma Bonino, hosting the meeting, spoke of her frustration that aid was blocked despite having the necessary medicines, food and transport ready.
"Things are not moving forward. On the contrary we must admit that the international community has largely failed in ensuring access to the necessary humanitarian aid," Bonino said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Don't feel bad, UN. Think of all your other successes. Like... like...well, all the others.
[An Nahar] An alleged suspect of the suicide kaboom that targeted Hermel over the weekend denied media reports that accused him, considering it a "joke."
"I have no links to the bombing in Hermel. It was a joke by a guy and without my prior knowledge," he told LBCI.
Ahmed Abdul Karim, who was suspected of carrying out the suicide kaboom that targeted a petrol station in Hermel, said a guy informed media outlets that he carried out the attack showing them his military identification card.
A military identification paper of Abdul Karim went viral over social media early on Monday.
Fnaideq municipal chief Khaldoun Taleb also denied the alleged jacket wallah hails from the northern village in district of Akkar, offering his condolences to the families of the victims.
The municipal chief deemed media reports concerning the name of the suicide bomber as false as no one in the records of the town hold the circulated names.
Media reports said that the suicide bomber hails from the town of Fnaideq.
On Saturday, a suicide kaboom hit the area anew after a suicide bomber set explosives inside a Grand Cherokee inside a petrol station.
The Al-Nusra Front in Leb claimed the attack on Twitter, saying it was a suicide kaboom in response to Hizbullah's involvement in Syria.
It was the seventh attack to target Hizbullah in Leb since mid-2013, when the group sent men to Syria to fight alongside Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... 's troops against mainly Sunni rebel groups.
Taleb stressed on the historical ties between Fnaideq and the northeastern town of Hermel, condemning the attack that targeted the town.
The municipal chief said that the "residents of Fnaideq denounce such terrorist acts and those who carry them out."
He offered his condolences to the families of the victims, considering that "what targeted Hermel targets all Leb."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Political officials on Monday called for boosting cooperation among security agencies, in the wake of the suicide kaboom that hit a passenger van in the Shwaifat area, the second kaboom to rock Leb in three days.
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... asked military, security and judicial authorities to "be strict in pursuing the instigators and perpetrators of the bombings that are taking place on Lebanese soil, in order to arrest them and refer them to the relevant judicial authorities."
Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan called during an interview on LBCI for "providing the necessary political protection for all security agencies in the country."
He voiced his belief that "an all-embracing cabinet would alleviate the sharp polarization in the country and would contribute positively in confronting crises and terrorism, in addition to providing a political cover for security institutions."
Meanwhile, ...back at the wine tasting, Vince was about to start tasting his third quart... State Minister Marwan Kheireddine, who is close to Arslan, said "the same as the latest bombings, this blast was aimed at killing people and there are no religious or political centers in the area."
For his part, MP Ali Ammar, member of Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc, said "this crime is part of the terrorist operations that are targeting the entire region and further unity is needed among the Lebanese."
"We must confront the takfir ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... is through strengthening our security institutions and pressuring the countries that support them," Ammar added.
"The society must be liberated from the sectarian and inflammatory rhetoric and a cabinet must be formed as soon as possible," he went on to say.
Ammar also stressed that "no one will be able to defeat the resistance, no matter what they do."
And as it condemned the attack and voiced solidarity with the victims' families, the March 14 General-Secretariat noted that "Hizbullah's involvement in the ongoing fighting in Syria will only bring to Leb further disasters, destruction, terrorism and tears."
"Stability in Leb can only be achieved through specific measures on the ground, involving the deployment of the Lebanese Army along the Lebanese-Syrian border to protect our people in Akkar and the Bekaa, with the assistance of U.N. forces as allowed by (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1701, which was endorsed by Hizbullah in 2006," the general-secretariat added.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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[Jerusalem Post] BERLIN - Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Mohammad Zarif said on Monday a final deal with world powers on Tehran's nuclear program is possible within six months if there is good will and he was not worried about the US Congress trying to impose new sanctions.
US President Champ used his State of the Union address last week to veto any legislation that threatens the talks with Iran. US senators including some of Champ's Democrats have co-sponsored a bill that would impose new restrictions on Iran if talks on a permanent accord falter.
But Iran has warned that it will walk away from negotiations - raising the risk of conflict in the Middle East - if the bill becomes law. It is now stalled in the Senate.
"With good will we can reach an agreement within six month," he said in a speech to the German Council on Foreign Relations. "I don't fear a decision in the US Congress ... The US president has promised to veto it."
Zarif was visiting Berlin after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry and other members of the six powers negotiating with Iran at the annual Munich Security Conference at the weekend.
Iran reached a landmark preliminary agreement with them in November to halt its most sensitive nuclear operations, winning some relief from sanctions in return. Talks with the six powers about a definitive settlement begin in Vienna on Feb. 18.
The meetings with Kerry and others from the six powers in Munich evoked the easing of antagonism between the Islamic Republic and the West, with Zarif describing the talks in Vienna as an historic opportunity Iran would not squander.
Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely peaceful but Western countries have long suspected Tehran of covertly researching the means to develop a nuclear weapon.
The prospect of a deal has lessened the risk of Israel or the United States taking military action against Iranian nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran acquiring a nuclear bomb.
"We will not start a military operation against anyone - I say: against anyone," Zarif said in Berlin on Monday.
Kerry and Zarif have met several times since the election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, last June paved the way for the thaw in relations with the West.
Zarif told Reuters in an interview on Saturday, however, that Iran was not prepared, as part of a long-term deal on the scope of its nuclear activity, to give up research on advanced centrifuges that could greatly speed up its enrichment of uranium.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
02/04/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Technically, FM Zarif is correct - as per SecState Kerry's comment about ow the Bammer's Syria policy is collapsing, THE ONLY WAY FOR POTUS OBAMA TO "SAVE/SALVAGE" HIS FAILED-OR-FAILING SYRIA + MIDDLE EAST FOREIGN POLICY IS TO SEND US TROOPS BACK TO SAME IN VARIOUS NEW MILACTIONS OF SUBJECTIVE OR UNCERTAIN OUTCOME.
Risking most Politically-Incorrect new Wars + American casualties in the period leading up to the 2014 November Elex, aka poten one of the most important Elex in US history.
* MSM-NET = YEAR 2014 is ... ...
> DO-OR-DIE FOR IRAN.
> DO-OR-DIE FOR CHINA.
> DO-OR-DIE FOR GWOT = WAR ON TERROR.
> DO-OR-DIE FOR OBAMA-CARE.
Lest we fergit, LIMITED MILSTRIKE OR PROTRACTED MAJOR WAR AGZ IRAN = NEW 9-11's OR WORSE TAKING PLACE ON US SOIL.
#2
As per POL DIALETICISM, iff the OWG Globalists desire for the US to be like Europe, then by extension the US = EU = have large soon-to-be-majority politically active or decisive Muslim populations whom as a class will prioritize [hardline?] SHARIA LAW + POLITIES over that of other in the Govt-Nation.
OWG Amerika = UK + EU = "SHARIA ZONES" = future REGIONAL SHARIA LAW, COURT SYSTEMS = NATIONAL SHARIA LAW, COURT SYSTEMS???
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.
[DAWN] 
NAIROBI, KENYA: Two Kenyan police officers were Monday arrested in connection with the abduction of two top officials of Ethiopias Ogaden National Liberation Front ( ONLF) from outside a popular restaurant in Upper Hill, Nairobi last week. The officers, an inspector and a constable attached to Nairobi Area CID are expected to face charges of espionage for Ethiopias intelligence services.
[An Nahar] UAE-Qatar relations remain strong despite Doha's ambassador being summoned over remarks by a 
Police in a district of Dagestan just south of Makachkala have reportedly asked members of the Salafi sect to sign documents promising to notify police if they leave the republic.
North Korea could be preparing for another missile or space rocket test as two 45,000-gallon fuel tanks and a pump facility have turned up in satellite pictures of a missile launch site in Tongchang-ri. They had not been seen since November last year.
Nawaz Sharif
a city and an eponymous district in eastern Khyber-Pakthunwa, nestled snug up against Pak Kashmir, with Kohistan and Diamir to the north and Abbottabad to the south...
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Finally, a story about technology and defense system incubators. 
The United States may be granted basing rights in Mindanao by the Bangsamoro Political Entity once the final peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is signed and implemented, according to an in-house think-tank of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
[An Nahar] ran's foreign minister said Monday that he believed a final deal with world powers over Tehran's contested nuclear program was possible within six months.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
