VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Saudi Arabia has quietly begun talks on a U.N.-sanctioned agreement that could curtail any outside probe of its atomic intentions - a move that heightens concerns in a region already edgy about rival Iran's nuclear program. The Saudis deny any plans to develop nuclear weapons, and diplomats close to the International Atomic Energy Agency told The Associated Press that the U.N. nuclear monitor has no firm evidence that would cast doubt on the Saudi assertions. Phone calls to the Saudi representative to the IAEA or the government in Riyadh for comment were not returned. But the diplomats say that past Saudi nuclear interest is heightening worries, as is the timing of the efforts to sign on to the IAEA's small quantities protocol that would exempt the country from most of the agency's control authority.
Born of more trusting days, the agreement has been joined by dozens of countries, most of which have never experimented with nuclear weapons. But the protocol is now viewed with suspicion within the agency, after revelations of other loopholes that have allowed prewar Iraq, Iran, Libya and other countries to work secretly on known or suspected nuclear weapons programs. The protocol frees countries from reporting the possession of up to 10 tons of natural uranium - or up to 20 tons of depleted uranium, depending on the degree of enrichment - and 2.2 pounds of plutonium. It also allows them to keep silent about work on nuclear facilities secret until six months before they are ready for operation. And once a protocol is signed, the country's word is normally not questioned. Experts say 10 tons of natural uranium can be processed into the material for up to two nuclear warheads. And Iran and South Korea both used substantially smaller amounts of uranium or plutonium in laboratory-scale experiments with suspected links to arms programs. Saudi Arabia has never negotiated an agreement that would define IAEA controls, even though it is obligated to do so as a signer of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Such foot dragging, and now the move to sign on to a small quantities protocol, have contributed to concerns about the protocol within top IAEA echelons.
"As has become clear over the last several years, states can conduct nuclear activities of proliferation concern with quantities of nuclear material much smaller" than allowed under the protocol, Pierre Goldschmidt, a deputy IAEA director general, said in a report in February. Goldschmidt's comments - and similar statements from IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei - reflect an agency drive to close loopholes to the inspections system.
The Saudi push comes amid increased nuclear-generated tensions in the region, fed by suspicions that Iran might want to develop the bomb. And it highlights important gaps in nuclear controls just before a high-level international nonproliferation conference is to convene next month in New York. While the Saudi government insists it has no interest in going nuclear beyond a small research reactor built in the 1970s, in the past two decades it has been linked to prewar Iraq's nuclear program, to Pakistan and to the Pakistani nuclear black marketeer A.Q. Khan. It has expressed interest in Pakistani missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and credible reports say Saudi officials have discussed taking the nuclear option as a deterrent in the volatile Middle East.
"It certainly is a region of tension, and the (nuclear control) requirements should be tightened instead of eased," said David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector who now runs the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington. "What if the security situation prompts the Saudis to rethink their (nuclear) options - or what if a (nuclear-minded) terrorist group sets up on Saudi territory?" A Vienna-based diplomat familiar with the issue said that while there is no firm evidence that the Saudis "have been playing around, we can never be sure" should the IAEA's authority to inspect be curtailed and it be restricted to taking the word of the government that all is well. He, like the other diplomats, spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
Worries about Saudi Arabia were nonexistent in the 1970s, when the first small quantities protocols were negotiated. The overriding fear back then was that the Cold War could turn nuclear. While the Nonproliferation Treaty, which came into force in 1970, was designed to contain the spread of nuclear weapons, the focus was on developed countries on both sides of the ideological U.S.-Soviet divide. Small quantities protocols were thus welcomed as a way to allow investigators to focus on the visible nuclear threat. By the late 1990s, a decade after the end of the Cold War, more than 70 nations, many of them in the developing world, had signed on to the protocol. Among them are countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Tonga, whose openness and geographic location make them of little concern. Others, like Yemen, are more worrisome as part of the volatile Middle East and as a potential base for terrorist groups.
But the Saudi case is even more disquieting considering the country's past record. British newspapers and several think tanks have reported independently on the existence of a Saudi position paper as recently as two years ago that listed the possible acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability as a deterrent.
Further back, Saudi defector Muhammad Khilewi produced documents in 1994 purporting to show that the Saudi government had paid up to $5 billion to Saddam Hussein to build nuclear weapons on condition that should the project succeed, some of the bombs would be given to the Saudis.
The former diplomat's papers also appeared to show Saudi payments for Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. Later, in 1999, Prince Sultan Bin Abd al-Aziz, the Saudi defense minister, toured part of Pakistan's secret nuclear facilities.
Well, where did you think the Paks got the money for the "Islamic Bomb"?
While there, he reportedly met with A.Q. Khan - the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb who four years later would be identified as the head of the international nuclear black market that supplied the illicit programs of Iran, Libya and possibly North Korea.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 11:40:06 AM ||
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The bitter election battle in the East End has spilled into violence, with extremist Muslims and anti-war protesters targeting George Galloway and Oona King.
Anti-war campaigner Mr Galloway was forced to take refuge from Islamic militants who denounced him as a "false prophet".
The former Labour MP said "the police saved my life" after supporters of radical group Hizb-Ut-Tahrir clashed with members of his Respect party last night.
Labour's Ms King had her car tyres slashed and the vehicle was pelted with eggs by a gang of youths angry at her support for the Iraq war. Both incidents triggered fears for the safety of Mr Galloway and Ms King as they prepared for a stormy hustings meeting in Bethnal Green and Bow tonight.
Labour's 10,000 majority in the seat is under serious threat from Respect and the contest has been marked by some of the most vitriolic campaigning in the general election.
Mr Galloway was electioneering on the Osier council estate in Bethnal Green last night when a gang of 30 Muslim fundamentalists, who claim voting is un-Islamic, surrounded him and his supporters.
The men said they were angry at Mr Galloway's attempt to woo Muslim voters. They said they were "setting up the gallows" for him and warned any Muslim who voted for his anti-war Respect party that they faced a "sentence of death".
After a fight broke out between the two groups, police were called and Mr Galloway was forced to hide in his car in an alley until the violence calmed down. Two men were later arrested.
One resident said: "I heard shouting and looked out into the street to see a large group of Asian men. Many of them were fighting.
"There were punches and kicks thrown, then a large number of police arrived and broke up the riot."
Speaking to the Standard minutes after the attack, Mr Galloway said it was clear the men were worried that he could become MP for an area with a large Muslim population.
"I was meeting people who live in the flats. Hizb-ut-Tahrir suddenly filled the room and blocked the door. I tried speaking calmly. They then said I was parading as a false prophet and served a sentence of death on me. They were claiming I was representing myself as a false deity and for this apostasy I would be sentenced to the gallows," he said.
"They said they were setting up the gallows for me. Thank God my daughter was not with me. She was in the car outside. Otherwise there would have been nobody to call the police. The police saved my life." The former MP is challenging Labour's Oona King in the seat on 5 May, but Hizb-ut-Tahrir has declared that it will fight his bid.
Mr Galloway, who is due to share a platform with the leader of Hizb-ut-Tahrir on Saturday at a debate on Muslims and politics, said he was being targeted because he offered a democratic solution to Muslims. Hizb-ut-Tahrir is not illegal but it has been banned from university campuses for stirring trouble between Jewish and Muslim students. It supports Palestinian suicide bombers.
Last night's incident came hours after another group of Muslim men disrupted a general election media meeting of the Muslim Council of Britain. A group thought to be followers of cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed attacked the Council, claiming no one should vote in the election.
Ms King came under attack from Respect supporters at the weekend, it emerged today. One Labour activist, Mohamed Chowdhury, said: "We left the area to chants of "Oona get out' and 'get out of our estate' and were attacked with eggs again. However, when we returned to the car in Toynbee Street we found it covered in eggs. As we got in the car, more eggs were thrown".
Police are investigating. Witnesses claim the youths wore Respect badges, but there is no suggestion that Mr Galloway knew about or condoned the violence.
#1
Mr Galloway was electioneering on the Osier council estate in Bethnal Green last night when a gang of 30 Muslim fundamentalists, who claim voting is un-Islamic, surrounded him and his supporters.
The men said they were angry at Mr Gallowayâs attempt to woo Muslim voters. They said they were "setting up the gallows" for him and warned any Muslim who voted for his anti-war Respect party that they faced a "sentence of death".
Questions: Have any "moderate Muslims" stepped forward to denounce this asshattery? Do they even exist?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/20/2005 22:32 Comments ||
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So, they want to hang Galloway, do they? I knew if we looked long enough we would find some point of agreement, some common ground, with the Islamozoids. Ain't reconciliation wonderful?
An alleged trespasser was discovered aboard the carrier Harry S. Truman while it was making a port visit in Portsmouth, England. The trespasser was discovered while the carrier was anchored off Stokes Bay, Gosport. "After his discovery, the ship's security conducted a search of surrounding areas and found no suspicious packages or damage," said Cmdr. Dave Werner, a 2nd Fleet spokesman.
The Telegraph newspaper identified the man as Abdoul Masmoud Yessoufou and said he'd allegedly bypassed both British Royal Navy and U.S. Navy security to get on the ship. The Truman departed on schedule.
I'd say her security force is going to be putting in a little overtime on training.
#1
They'll be running the "repel boarders" drill, over and over, like the "Herbies" sequence in Miracle.
"Again!"
Posted by: Mike ||
04/20/2005 15:08 Comments ||
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repost - apparently this nut's been in a lot of off-limit places...
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/20/2005 15:20 Comments ||
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A man who managed to get on board a US aircraft carrier has been arrested again attempting to enter a naval base less than 24 hours after being made subject to an anti-social behaviour order banning him from entering prohibited areas.
Under the terms of the order Abdoul Masmoud Yessoufou was banned yesterday from entering non-public areas of Portsmouth Naval Base after he was caught on board the USS Harry S Truman on Saturday. But at 8.52am today, the 37-year-old from Newport, Isle of Wight, was arrested as he attempted to enter a gate at Portsmouth Naval Base.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: "MOD police arrested a 37-year-old man at an entrance to Portsmouth Naval Base on suspicion of breaching an Asbo. "He is currently in custody at Portsmouth Central Police Station."
Yessoufou sparked a security review at the naval base as he managed to get past both Royal and US Navy security to get on board the visiting nuclear-powered warship. He was able to walk around for two hours unhindered before he was found, arrested and detained initially under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The Asbo issued by Portsmouth magistrates yesterday banned Yessoufou from entering restricted areas of the naval base, Portsmouth Continental Ferryport and Southampton International Airport, punishable by five years imprisonment. The court heard that Yessoufou had previously been convicted of entering airside areas at Heathrow on three occasions in February this year and on another occasion at Southampton airport.
Either he is a nut who just likes going places he ain't supposed to, or he is the worlds worst spy.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 15:47 Comments ||
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Anyone sneaking aboard a Naval vessel is taking their lives into their hands and a Muslim doing so in a foreign port at this point in history is particularly foolish.
They should have held him aboard until they got out to sea and then let him swim home.
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has denied that the Bush administration's policy of promoting freedom and democracy around the world is aimed at "fomenting revolution" but praised efforts by people in other countries to "throw off the yoke of tyranny."
In an interview Wednesday with CNN, Rice took aim at the leadership of Belarus, a former Soviet republic that is now an independent country.
While not naming Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Rice called Belarus "truly still the last remaining true dictatorship in the heart of Europe" and said she would hope "that you would begin to see some democratic development" in that country. Rice added "if it brings about democratic progress, why is it a bad thing for people to throw off the yoke of tyranny and decide they want to control their own futures?"
There have been popular uprisings over the last year and a half in three former Soviet republics -- Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Lukashenko has condemned the political upheavals in those places as Western-inspired and vowed there will be no such "colored revolutions' emerging in his country. This remark referred to Georgia's so-called "Rose Revolution," Ukraine's "Orange Revolution" and Kyrgyzstan's "Tulip Revolution."
Rice is in Moscow to prepare for President Bush's participation in upcoming celebrations May 9 that mark the end of World War II in Europe. Asked about recent U.S. criticism of President Vladimir Putin's clampdown on independent media and centralization of power, Rice said Washington is raising the issues "not in an accusatory way ... not through a sense of criticism, but rather to try to talk about why democratic progress is so linked to Russia's future development as well as to the future of U.S.-Russian relations."
The secretary said the dismantling of Yukos Oil company and the upcoming verdict in the trial of former Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovsky is directly affecting Russia's relations with the West. "I would hope that Russia recognizes that this is something that people are watching very carefully and this is going to have a tremendous impact on both how the investment climate and Russia's political future are going to be viewed in the international community," Rice told CNN.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 3:52:22 PM ||
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#1
About time someone notices. Europe is totally blind to this fact. Something about oil and gas pipelines.
A court held preliminary hearings Tuesday for the only surviving suspected hostage-taker in last year's deadly school seizure in southern Russia, and his trial will begin May 17. The trial of Nur-Pashi Kulayev will take place in the Supreme Court of North Ossetia, the Russian province where the raid took place, and it will be open to the public, said Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel.
Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev has claimed responsibility for the attack in which a group of gunmen held more than 1,000 hostages in a school for nearly three days in the town of Beslan. The raid ended Sept. 3 in gunfire and explosions, killing 330 people more than half of them children.
Shepel, the lead prosecutor in the case, said 317 of the victims were hostages and the others were 10 special forces officers, two emergency workers and one Beslan resident. Officials said that of 32 assailants who took part in the raid, 31 were killed. Shepel said the authorities had identified 20 of them, including two Chechen women who wore explosives belts around their waists. Kulayev has confessed to participating in the school raid, but insisted he didn't kill anyone. He has been charged with terrorism, hostage-taking, murder and attempts on the life of law enforcement officers among other charges. The charges carry either a life prison sentence or the death penalty. However, Russia has maintained a moratorium on the death penalty since 1996 as condition for joining the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organization.
The school hostage crisis was the deadliest in a string of terror attacks staged by militants outside Chechnya, where Russian forces are battling separatist rebels. President Vladimir Putin has ordered security forces to deal "more severely" with suspected Islamic militants in the south, and law enforcement agencies recently have launched a series of sweeps to target suspected extremists outside Chechnya.
Shepel said violence in southern Russia was fomented by international terrorists striving to carve out an Islamic state in the Caucasus Mountains region, echoing a claim by Putin and other officials. Shepel's aide, Sergei Prokopov, said investigators uncovered evidence of international terrorist activity in the region while investigating the Beslan attack and a raid in December on a drug control agency office in the southern province of Kabardino-Balkariya. He did not elaborate.
This article starring:
Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel
NUR PASHI KULAIEV
Chechnya
SHAMIL BASAIEV
Chechnya
Shepel's aide, Sergei Prokopov
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:24:08 AM ||
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#1
I'm sure some good lawyer will get him off with a short life sentence at club Lubyanka.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/20/2005 11:14 Comments ||
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Let me get this straight. He participated but insists he did not kill anyone. Is that the best he can do???!!! ... Why not say "the badman Basayev kidnapped me and drugged me and tortured me and then threatened to kill my family etc so I did it to save them" ... They should whack him for stupidity alone once they've sucked all info and leverage they can out of his carcass.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has long said he does not fear any external threats as the communist country's 1.1-million military is ready to "crush" any invaders. But Kim is actually concerned that he may be assassinated or removed from the post by the United States, according to a North Korean secret military document. Sounds like a reasonable concern to me. Makes sense.
The 39-page booklet, published by the North Korean Peoples' Army in 2004, states that "the heart of the revolution" is the prime target of the enemies, in clear reference to Kim Jong-Il.
The document, obtained by Seoul's intelligence agency, says the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has told the Pentagon to make North Korea's military leadership, not nuclear facilities, the chief aim of efforts to end the nuclear crisis. Sounds like a plan.
"The United States has founded new terror information organizations and is infiltrating spies and terrorists into our country," the document claims. That is a tough one. I hope that we are making headway.
The document, created for general-level officers, calls for senior officers to step up ideological indoctrination campaigns for soldiers and urged servicemen to safeguard Kim Jong-Il at the cost of their lives. Turn up the gain on the Propagandatron.
"Officers must teach their soldiers in great detail about the U.S. concentration of advanced murder weapons and psychological warfare on North Korean operations," it said. Good. The more they learn, the worse off they will will be. It is like learning about lightning.
The military document also calls for the military's "unswerving loyalty" to Kim Jong-Il at a time when "the situation gets tense, noting that Iraq's Saddam Hussein regime collapsed as its key troops were dispersed by U.S. psychological warfare. That's the fact, Jack. Bwahahahahaha!
"Saddam's 100,000 soldiers had pledged loyalty to their leader, but abandoned the president as the enemies' psychological warfare reached a peak," the document says. This can happen to you, too.
"Benefiting from bribery in Iraq, the United States has been trying to use the same tactic toward the republic [North Korea]. The main targets of such bribery operatives are our military officers," it says, warning the North Korean secret service about propaganda and possible bribery attempts by foreign agents. "Here, Comrade. Have a candy bar."
The document also called for the military to brace itself for economic sanctions, which it said were "aimed at weakening national solidarity behind the command post of the revolution."
A January edition of North Korean monthly magazine, Public Education, recently obtained in Seoul, also said the United States was plotting to kill senior North Korean officials and to bribe them to gain information from inside the communist country. "If ya can't bribe 'em, just kill 'em. Note of caution: do not get this statement backward.
"The United States recently plans to conduct a massive operation to bribe and buy off our officials," it said. It called on North Korean teachers to make their students aware of the dangers of what it described as the U.S. imperialists' cunning ploy.
South Korean intelligence officials and experts said the documents appeared genuine.
"The document shows the North Korea leadership was shocked and frustrated by the fall of Saddam Hussein's Iraq," said Chung Young-Tae, a North Korea specialist at South Korea's state-run Korea Institute for National Unification. The program of Shock and Frustration.
Kim vanished from public view for six weeks when the U.S.-led war began in Iraq in March 2003, sparking speculation he was hiding in a bunker for fear of attacks. "I'm heading to the bunker. Do not contact me until everything settles down."
"North Korea reinforced Kim Jong-Il's security after Saddam's capture," a South Korean intelligence official said.
With Hussein ousted, North Korea and Iran are the two remaining members of what President Bush called the "axis of evil." Kim's concerns were fueled as some in Washington called for regime change or at least regime transformation to end North Korea's nuclear drive. Justified fears, I might say.
The country's 1.1-million-strong armed forces, the world's fifth largest, are the backbone of Kim's iron-fisted rule. Kim rules the country in the capacity of the top military officer under his "army-first" policy. Army first, people and food, a distant second.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/20/2005 4:56:31 PM ||
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I wonder if he'll name his trusted horse the leader of the government.
#2
If only there were a chance that the CIA really is trying to get to one of Kim's underlings. Unfortunately, CIA is so comprehensively incompetent these days that I'd be surprised if they even knew how to get close enough to offer a bribe, much less successfully pass one.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
04/20/2005 22:01 Comments ||
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But Kim is actually concerned that he may be assassinated or removed from the post by the United States, according to a North Korean secret military document.
#5
I sure hope he doesn't find out that the US has managed to infiltrate his most trusted inner circle and the leadership of his military. It would be really disastrous if he found that out that the people he trusts most - are out to get him.
AUSTRALIANS travelling to Gallipoli for Anzac Day services should exercise extreme caution, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today. There was no specific terrorist threat in Turkey but people had to be aware of the potential for danger, Mr Downer said. We have no information that any terrorist attacks are being planned in Turkey at this time, including Gallipoli," he said.
"But it is important that if people go to public places, crowded places, in Turkey, that they do exercise extreme caution. "There have been terrorist attacks in the past in Turkey, people have been killed by terrorists in Turkey."
Mr Downer urged Australians among the expected 20,000 people at Gallipoli on Anzac Day to read the Government's Turkish travel advisory and to lodge their names with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's register. http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/
Posted by: God Save The World ||
04/20/2005 3:24:45 AM ||
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In their decision not to pick a pope from a part of the world in which the church is actually growing, the cardinals showed that they've nevertheless not given up on the continent where the papacy was born....
Although there is plenty of religious apathy in Europe, it is far less powerful than the antipathy directed not just at the Catholic Church in Europe but at religion in general. It's not that Europeans think the church is out of touch or backward, but that they -- or rather an influential group of intellectuals and politicians -- heartily despise everything about it. Some of this was visible yesterday. Within hours of his election a BBC profile had already speculated that the new pope had honed his rhetorical skills in Nazi Germany (he deserted the Wehrmacht at age 15) while some on the German left were describing his election as a "catastrophe." I expect we'll hear far worse insults in the next few days. The "Ratzinger-as-Nazi-Rottweiler" MSM meme was pretty easy to predict.
The Catholic scholar George Weigel calls this phenomenon "Christophobia". Weigel began investigating the phenomenon after being struck by the European Union's fierce resistance to any mention of the continent's Christian origins in the draft versions of the new, and still unratified, European constitution. In his recent book, "The Cube and the Cathedral," Weigel lists the many sources of this very powerful, very profound and very European -- as opposed to American -- antipathy. He cites, among other sources, the experience of the Holocaust, which many European intellectuals concluded was the logical outcome of Christian bigotry through the centuries; the disappointment still felt among European leftists over the collapse of European communism, which many "blame" in part on the church; the legacy of the 1968 rebellions, which, there as here, opposed traditional authority of all kinds; and Europeans' tendency to associate the church with the "right" in general and Christian Democratic political parties in particular. To this I would add one more: Europe's present associations of "religiosity" with "America," and in particular with George W. Bush, who still scores reliably high negatives in opinion polls across the continent.
For the many Europeans who dislike religion, it was easy enough to dismiss the late pope as a "backward" Pole, and to find him inconsequential even when he somehow persuaded millions of young people to attend his outdoor "youth" Masses. But the advent of a German pope, who in fact shares many of John Paul II's views, may well make religion part of the European political debate again, this time on the western as well as the eastern half of the continent. At the very least, a German-speaking pope will be hard for Germans to ignore.
This will be a debate worth watching, even if you aren't Catholic or religious (and I am neither), because it will reveal much about the direction in which European politics is heading. It might also hold clues to the future of the battered, long-suffering transatlantic relationship. While many of the cultural differences between Europe and America are vastly overstated, the religious differences are profound. It's hard to be in politics in this country and not at least pay lip service to religion, as John Kerry can attest. In Europe, by contrast, political leaders who profess religious beliefs are derided. Tony Blair is mocked for his piety; the French protested when their president went to the pope's funeral; and the Italian politician Rocco Buttiglione had to withdraw his candidacy as European commissioner on the grounds that his Catholicism might get in the way of his legal judgment. You hit the nail on the head, Annie. If "the West" still has any meaning at all, then the Euros will have to come to grips with the facts that communism is dead, liberal capitalism is here to stay, and American religiosity is by far a better alternative than Euro-dhimmitude.
WASHINGTON, April 20 (AFP) - French investigators are tracking USD 7 million (EUR 5.3 million) transferred by PLO treasurer Nizar Abu Ghazaleh to the Paris bank account of ex-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's widow, The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday.
Palestinian officials said the Palestine Liberation Organisation controlled a bank account in Tunisia from which millions of euros in unexplained payments were made to Suha Arafat - payments they suspect were connected to contracts issued by the Palestinian Authority (PA) under Yasser Arafat before he died last year, the report said.
"Unexplained? I had to sleep with that fat sweaty pig, I earned every penny of it!"
The officials are trying to find out whether the money transferred to Suha Arafat came through Al Bahr and Al Sakhra, two companies which routinely handled purchase orders placed by the PA and which apparently were seeking, according to one official, to "create a war chest in case the PLO fell back on hard times," it added.
As head of PLO finances, Ghazaleh played a key role in the transfers to Suha Arafat, according to Palestinian officials and French judicial officials probing PLO funds, it said. Ghazaleh, who died last week, was also chairman of Al Bahr, and Suha Arafat played a key but unofficial role at the firm, helping to broker purchases, according to the daily.
Died, did he? Well, that's handy, isn't it.
The investigation follows a European Union probe that found no mishandling by the PLO of the more than USD 500 million (EUR 384 million) the EU donated to the Palestinian Authority from 2000 to 2003. The French inquiry focuses on the legality of the funds passing through Suha Arafat's Paris account. The Wall Street Journal said that neither Suha Arafat nor her family members, nor PLO Chairman Mahmud Abbas or officials of Al Bahr or the PA could be reached for comment.
"It's mine, dammit! All mine!"
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 12:28:31 PM ||
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CAN'T A POOR, GRIEVING WIDOW EVEN SIT DOWN FOR A LEISURLY SIX HOUR LUNCH WITHOUT BEING DISTURBED BY THE VULTURES OF THE MEDIA AND THEIR CONTEMPTIBLE LIES! ALL I HAVE ARE MY MEMORIES AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!!
A Syrian-born German who is accused of being Osama bin Laden's business associate in Germany lost a second appeal on Monday against extradition to Spain to face grave terrorism charges. Mamoun Darkazanli, a Hamburg trader who was accused of dealings with al-Qaeda soon after the 11 September 2001 attacks but was not detained because of a lack of evidence, was arrested last October at Spain's request. Judges in Hamburg have said that his business dealings since 1997 in Spain, Germany and Britain helped the terror network. He is alleged for example to have helped bin Laden purchase a freighter.
In a three-pronged legal challenge, Darkanzali's lawyers have now lost their case before a Hamburg appeals court and an appeal to an administrative tribunal in Berlin. They went to the capital to argue that the federal government broke the law with an extradition order. Darkanzali has argued that his constitutional rights as a German citizen bar his extradition. But the tribunal disagreed on Monday. A court spokesman said Darkanzali still cannot be extradited until an appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe is decided. Darkanzali's lawyers may also decide to appeal the Berlin decision to a higher administrative tribunal. Spain accuses Darkanzali, who married a German woman and reportedly traded goods by telephone from his apartment in an inner- city district of Hamburg, of being a member of a terrorist organisation, a charge with a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail.
This article starring:
MAMUN DARKAZANLI
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:13:55 AM ||
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PEORIA, Ill. - Heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. posted record first-quarter profits Wednesday, riding over the crushed carcasses of Rachel Corrie and others of her ilk an ongoing sales surge that outpaced Wall Street's expectations and boosted the company's earnings estimates for the year. The Peoria-based manufacturer's net income was $581 million for the quarter, or $1.63 a share, up 38 percent from $412 million, or $1.16 a share, during the same quarter a year ago. . . . Caterpillar, the world's No. 1 maker of moonbat-squashing earth-moving equipment, reported sales of $8.34 billion for the quarter that ended March 31, up 29 percent from $6.47 billion a year ago and easily eclipsing analyst estimates of $7.3 billion in sales. . . . Shares of Caterpillar rose $4.14, or 4.9 percent, to $89.09 in early trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. . . .
Guess the "Stop Caterpillar" movement isn't doing all that well.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/20/2005 3:47:54 PM ||
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Gutless indeed. They should be demanding that the Donks produce proof to back up their allegations or STFU. But no, these spineless wonders go right along. At this rate, by 2010, the Dems will hold power in all branches of government because at least they're willing to fight for what they believe in. It's the Republicans who are coming off as the political whores in all of this.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
04/20/2005 1:54 Comments ||
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This is all about making excuses. So Bolton landed on some subordinates? Treated a few people rudely? Golly gee, bet that's never happened in Halliburtonthe Brookings Institute the Open Society Institute Washington before.
Voinovich is calculating the political price he has to pay on Bolton, pro v con, and right now the con side is slightly ahead. Yes, he's a political whore, but aren't they all?
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2005 9:08 Comments ||
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I've already emailed Voinovich and let him know he will never get my vote for anything, anytime. He should resign in disgrace for this.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/20/2005 11:01 Comments ||
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WTF is wrong with the Republicans in the Senate? Are they scared to rule as a majority? All the time the Donks had PRIOR to the hearing and all of a sudden they come up with new charges at the END of the hearing process? What they did was calculate how much BULL SHIT they could trot out at one time and still have the THIN appearance of being truthful. What they did was plant some doubt with this small shit about being "mean" to subordinates. BFD if being mean meant you couldn't lead then Patton never would have been given a second command in WWII and that goes for most Generals and politician in the world. Now they probably have some woman that was traumatized after working for Bolton and he probably made her cry once. Once I would like the Senate to act like a Senate and not a ladies gossip session.
#6
The Senate Republicans are underwhelming at a minimum. Would someone tell me why Bill Frist is the majority leader? I mean, has the guy done anything to keep the troops in line? Bolton is exactly what the US needs at the UN right now. Voinovich should be run out of town on a rail, but so should Hagel, Snow and a few others. The lack of guts in domestic politics starts at the top with the president. He has used his veto power exactly never. Time to get some back bone.
#7
Agree with all of the above: the Senate Repubs are utterly spineless twits. After the last few years I can't see myself ever voting (D) again, but these Repubs are making it almost as hard to vote (R).
And, being in Mass, writing to my Senators is like spitting in the ocean.
#9
just did - since I'm in CA, I'm sure I'll go in the email shredder. I also, however sent an email to the Rep Sen Campaign committee, which raises money for all Rep Senators. ... F*&k you, George!
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/20/2005 15:19 Comments ||
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I agree with all of the above. Voinovich, Snowe, Chafee, Hagel, Spector etc are a bunch of RINOS, and should be run out of the GOP as soon as possible/
#11
I am sure there is a more appropriate committee for the Snowe, Voinovich, etc. crowd. Perhaps a subcommittee on the lack of intelligence, their own of course.
Voinovich stiffed Lugar big time. Biden behaved worse during the FR Committee meeting than any of the allegations against Bolton.
Gutless turd indeed!
Posted by: Dennis Kucinich ||
04/20/2005 16:34 Comments ||
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I had another thought today while i was listening to the LLL Senate. Maybe (just maybe) the Republicans are letting them have as much rope they want to go hang themselves with? The more whining and crying you hear from the Donks, the less electable they seem. I reccommend that everyone read the Time interview with Babs Boxer. She really thinks she is mainstream and that for some reasons the Republicans owe her (and her party) something for beating them in the election.
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has recommended to President Bush that he nominate Marine Gen. Peter Pace to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a senior official said Wednesday. Bush was expected to announce his choice soon, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Pace, 59, currently the Joint Chiefs vice chairman, would be the first Marine to hold the top job in the military. The Joint Chiefs chairman is the senior uniformed adviser to the president and the secretary of defense.
It is widely expected that Bush will name Navy Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, Jr., to succeed Pace as vice chairman. Giambastiani, 56, was Rumsfeld's senior military assistant before being named commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command in 2002. The Pace and Giambastiani moves are among many changes in the works at senior levels of the Pentagon. The Navy's top officer, Adm. Vern Clark, is due to retire this summer, and the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. John Jumper, is due to depart this fall. The job of Air Force secretary is vacant, and the current Navy secretary, Gordon England, has been nominated to replace Paul Wolfowitz as deputy defense secretary. Rumsfeld's top policy aide, Douglas Feith, also is leaving. If confirmed by the Senate, Pace would succeed Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, who is scheduled to retire late this summer after four years as chairman. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Teaneck, N.J., Pace graduated from the Naval Academy and got a master's degree in business administration from George Washington University. After basic training in 1968, he was sent to Vietnam as a rifle platoon leader. He later served in Korea, as a commander for two years during the Somali intervention, in Japan and as head of the U.S. Southern Command. He became vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs in 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Joint Chiefs chairman has the authority to transmit communications from the president and defense secretary to leaders of the nation's combatant commands, but does not exercise direct military command over any forces.
Posted by: tu3031 ||
04/20/2005 11:52:27 AM ||
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Heh.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
04/20/2005 12:26 Comments ||
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148 F-22s for the MAGS
120 C-17s for Tactical Airlift.
Funds to lease 300,000 acres in N. Dakota has a basing zone for the Marine Land Based Nuclear Option 2015.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Ya know, on September 12, 2001, I went with some friends to the local blood bank. By then we knew it was futile, but it was...something. We were in line for about three hours before the blood bank officials brought in an American Airlines flight crew (in uniform) along with a phalanx of news photographers and dismissed the peasantry. While I waited, a nice lady gave me a red/white/blue ribbon to wear and I read the September 2001 issue of Readers' Digest. Cover story, the execution of Tim McVeigh.
Something told me even then that the gov't was a bit hasty...
#2
It might be an aid trap, but there's no denying that presenting it at this point in time can draw attention away from Goo-fi's Oil-For-Palac^H^H^H^H^HFood entanglements.
10.04.2005 1200 UTC in position 00:50S— 047:36E off eastern coast of Somalia. Armed pirates boarded a ship underway. They took hostage all 17 crewmembers, hijacked the ship and forced her to anchor close to Somali coast. IMB piracy reporting centre alerted relevant authorities. Further news is awaited.
[A]fter a quiet spell, serious attacks have resumed off Somalia. Since 31.03.2005, three incidents were reported where pirates armed with guns and grenades have attacked ships and fired upon them. These attacks took place far away from Somali coast. Eastern and north eastern coasts of Somalia continue to be high-risk areas for hijackings. Ships not making scheduled calls to ports in these areas should stay away from the coast.
11.04.2005 at 1700 UTC in position 07:35N- 082:07E east coast of Sri Lanka. Two unlit speedboats approached a container ship underway at starboard quarter. When boats came close, crew directed searchlights and boats moved away.
12.04.2004 at 0200 LT in position 06:02.24S106:55.68E Jakarta Anchorage, Indonesia. Armed robbers boarded a bulk carrier and attempted to enter engine room. Alert crew raised alarm and robbers escaped in a speedboat.
14.04.2005 at 0800 UTC in position 02:59N - 100:47E, Malacca Straits. An airborne helicopter from a French warship spotted four 15m long boats, powered by three outboard engines with their front covered by canvas. Each boat was manned by two persons wearing masks. Boats approached a container ship underway and came within 300 metres. Upon sighting the helicopter, boats altered course and headed towards Indonesian coast.
16.04.2005 at 2230 LT at Wharf 114, Tg. Priok port, Indonesia. A robber mingled with stevedores and stole equipment from a general cargo ship. Duty crew recovered the equipment and robber escaped empty handed.
And if at first you don't succeed...
17.04.2005 at 0500 LT at Wharf 114, Tg. Priok port, Indonesia. A robber mingled with stevedores and tried to steal equipment from a general cargo ship. Duty crew prevented theft.
Singapore Straits— since 05.04.2005, three attacks have been reported.
According to Spanish press reports, Spanish law enforcement officials discovered drawings of ferriers that cross the Strait of Gibraltar between Ceuta and Algericas, as well as notes on zodiac watercraft, during an examination of the jail cell of a Moroccan national, who was arrested 23 Mar on non-terrorist charges in the Spanish enclave Ceuta. Police also found drawings for a rudimentary bomb detonation mechanism, information on the ferries' access ramps and doors taken from
safety information printed on ferry tickets, and notes on how to
produce homemade explosives. These findings led law enforcement to conclude this individual was planning a speedboat suicide attack against ferries making the Morocco-Spain crossing.
Posted by: Pappy ||
04/20/2005 1:31:46 AM ||
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The Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network is drawing up plans for an attack similar to the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, a senior Singapore official said, citing intelligence provided by Indonesia's government.
According to a letter written by a member of the al-Qaida-linked group and obtained by Indonesian authorities, Jemaah Islamiah (JI) had recruited more members and was plotting suicide bombings, said Minister of Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng.
"A letter recovered in Indonesia, written by a JI member, said that 12 operatives were ready to be martyrs and that plans for a Bali-style attack were underway," Wong told intelligence officials in a speech late on Monday.
"The writer acknowledged in the letter that this particular form of communication (letter writing) was chosen because the Internet and the telephones in the region were being monitored by the authorities," Wong said, according to a text of his comments received by Reuters on Tuesday.
From Malaysia to Singapore and Indonesia to Philippines, authorities have uncovered an elaborate web of militant networks connected to Jemaah Islamiah and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida.
Wong did not reveal when or how Indonesia had obtained the letter, or provide information on where the attacks were planned, but Singapore based analyst Rohan Gunaratna said it was clear Jemaah Islamiah was expanding in Southeast Asia.
"There are two reasons why the JI group can expand and launch new attacks. One is that the Philippines is a strategic base and new leaders and members are being produced. As long as camps in the Philippines remain active, the JI will fight back," he said.
"The second reason is because the JI has not been proscribed as a terrorist group in Indonesia, which is their main recruiting base. As long as it remains a legal organization, JI will be able to disseminate propaganda, raise funds, recruit and grow," said Gunaratna, author of "Inside al-Qaida: Global Network of Terror".
Wong said Jemaah Islamiah was reinventing itself by recruiting Caucasians and recent converts to Islam who defy the conventional stereotype of terrorists while moving into countries that do not require entry visas.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:19:12 AM ||
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Lebanon's new Cabinet prepared yesterday to seek Parliament approval, saying its priority is to arrange quick elections and to cooperate in a sensitive UN investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The 14-member Cabinet held its first meeting yesterday after it was formed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, ending a nearly two-month government crisis and opening the way for crucial Parliament elections.
The elections are supposed to take place before Parliament's term ends May 31. The anti-Syrian opposition expects to win the vote and end the domination of pro-Damascus lawmakers. Mikati's government has to quickly push an election law through Parliament for the vote to be held on time. Information Minister Charles Rizk said the Cabinet's priority would be to "uncover the truth about Hariri's assassination in collaboration with an international investigation commission" and to prepare "as soon as possible, a new electoral law" — as well as work to revive Lebanon's economy, ailing after months of turmoil.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 8:27:59 PM ||
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April 20, 2005: Unrest continues among the Arab population along the Iraqi border. Iran is actually a multi-ethnic empire, with a core of ethnic Iranians surrounded by other minorities.
Medes, Persians, Elamites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Sumerians, Moabites, Naphtalites, Hittites, Luwians, the occasional Samoan, that sort of people...
North of the Arabs are Kurds and Turks (Azeris). In Western Iran there are Afghans and Baluchis. These minorities comprise over a third of the population. The Arab minority, however, is special, as they sit on top of most of Iran's oil.
I'm starting to come to the conclusion that Arabs actually ooze the oil they sell us. They only pretend to drill for it. Nobody else consistently lives on top of the stuff...
Saddam Hussein thought these Arabs would would rise in rebellion when invading Iraqi troops entered the area in 1980.
"Hey, Mahmoud! Let's rise up against our Mede and Persian masters and install the bloody-handed dictator next door into power!"
"Oh, good idea, Ahmed!"
Didn't happen. But the Arab-Iranians do maintain their culture, and the Iranian majority has never been happy with this.
"Ardeshir! Those ignorant Arabs just hung a couple dozen of their fellow citizens!"
"So? Us Medes and Persians do that all the time!"
"Yeah, but they tied all the knots left-handed!"
"Damn them! They must be killed!"
The current unrest was caused by government efforts to control Arab language press. A lot of this censorship is not just being hard on Arab media, but the continuing efforts of the Islamic conservatives to stamp out dissident media. There is no press freedom in Iran, and hasn't been any for over two decades. Iran is blaming foreign media, and, of course, the United States, for the unrest. Al Jazeera operations in Iran have been shut down, and other foreign media threatened.
The growing unrest among Arab-Iranians is, of course, partly due to the outbreak of democracy in neighboring Iraq. For the past two years, Arab-Iranians have watched with growing envy as Shia Arabs across the border gain more power over their own affairs.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 11:54:26 AM ||
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This could get downright entertaining. First of all, with the Kurds and Arabs 'gettin' agimitated', it will be a contest who will be stirred up next, the Balochis and Pathans in the SE or the Azeris in the north. Either way, having Pathans or Turks upset with you can be very bad ju-ju.
The US will press Syria to "get completely out of Lebanon", President George Bush said in an interview with Lebanese television last night.
"The United States can join with the rest of the world, like we've done, and say to Syria, get out - not only get out with your military forces, but get out with your intelligence services, too; get completely out of Lebanon, so Lebanon can be free and the people can be free," he told viewers of the LBC channel.
"Or else ... ," he didn't need to add.
Mr Bush said he was pleased to see the Syrian army withdrawing, but the withdrawal should include people who "have been embedded in parts of government ... They need to get completely out of Lebanon so the people of Lebanon can decide the fate of the country, not another government, not agents of another government, but the people".
The US has been pressing Syria to withdraw before May so that the parliamentary elections due next month can be held without influence from Damascus. In previous elections Syria has had a major role in selecting the candidates.
"The elections need to be free and fair, without interference," Mr Bush said last night, adding that monitors should oversee the balloting.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2005 12:07:40 AM ||
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Or else ... ," he didn't need to add.
jew manipolation of true is the reason why every 50 60 or 70 years they are roasted... time is comming
I like my meat well done
Lebanese leaders appointed a new government Tuesday, ending a seven-week stalemate and pushing the country toward crucial parliamentary elections. The breakthrough came as the number of Syrian troops in Lebanon dwindled to 1,000 the lowest in 29 years. Lebanon plunged into political crisis with the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minster Rafik Hariri, which ushered in almost two months without a firm government and increased calls by the opposition and the United States for Syria to withdraw all its forces before new elections could be held in the country. Lebanon's opposition has accused the then Syrian-backed Lebanese government and Syria of involvement in the bombing that killed Hariri and 20 others charges both countries denied. But the United States said it also wanted Syria to end the presence of its intelligence services in Lebanon to allow for elections without any pressure from Damascus. The political breakthrough came when Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati succeeded on Tuesday in forming a new Cabinet, paving the way for parliamentary elections next month. Mikati announced the formation of an exceptionally small Cabinet, with only 14 ministers instead of the outgoing 30. None will run in the elections a condition Mikati sought to show neutrality in the bitter polarization between pro- and anti-Syrian factions.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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Kushtia: Firearms produced at clandestine factories operated by criminals across Kushtia border are being smuggled into Bangladesh.( The Daily Star )
There are at least four such factories in Nasirpara and Kacharipara villages in Zalanagi thana in Murshidabad district. The two villages are within three kilometres of the border in India, sources said. Some well organised gangs who operate in border areas in the two countries are engaged in the arms smuggling.
On Monday, BDR caught an Indian national -- Asmot Ali at Fulbari border point in Damurhuda upazila in Chuadanga and recovered a pistol from him. He identified himself as son of one Khoda Box of Malyia village in Chapra thana in Nadia district. He told BDR that such pistols and other common and cheaper firearms are produced in those clandestine factories and smuggle those into Bangladesh, BDR officials told this correspondent.
Such arms carriers were nabbed earlier also while trying to enter Bangladesh through different border points in Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga districts, BDR sources said. They said they know presence of such clandestine factories close to the border in India and had raised the issue at BDR-BSF flag meetings. The last such meeting was held in Chuadanga on April 13. BSF officials at the meeting said they check the border and nab criminals, at times with firearms, according to the BDR sources. Murshidabad district in India and Kushtia in Bangladesh are divided by Mathabhanga river.
It was gathered from different sources that several gangs are active at several points in the border. Prominent among them are Foisal-Fahmid Bahini of Jamalpur in Bangladesh and Lalchad Bahini of Philipnagar in India. In Bangladesh, these are sheltered by some local Union Parishad leaders and ruling party men, sources said. The arms smugglers mostly use Jamalpur, Chilmari, Ramkrishnapur, Bilgathua and Bhagjote points. Of these, the smugglers prefer Jamalpur point the most, the sources said.
BDR personnel recently arrested two smugglers at this point and seized several firearms, they said. The arms which are being smuggled into Bangladesh include pistol, pipe gun, shutter gun, revolver eight-shooter gun and swan-off rifle. Of these, pipe gun, shutter gun, some types of pistols like Moyuree and some other light firearms are produced in these factories. These firearms are popular among criminals because of cheap rate. Foreign made firearms are also smuggled through these points. A shutter gun and a pipe gun is sold at between Tk 1000 and Tk 5000 in Bangladesh.
Humm, I wonder what the difference is? I figure they must be some kind of homemade single shot weapons, but I haven't been able to find a description.
Outlaws in the southwestern region of the country are the main buyers. The smugglers supply arms according to demand of the buyers. There are about 275 kilometers border in greater Kushtia including Chuadanga and Meherpur districts. The gangs usually use consignments of fruits, eggs, rice, vegetables and other items to smuggle firearms.
An official source said that most of the 1,939 illegal firearms surrendered by criminals in Khulna division in 1999 in response to the then Awami League government's general amnesty were made in India.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/20/2005 8:35:22 AM ||
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America's senior military commander in Afghanistan warned yesterday that Taliban-linked terrorists might launch a large-scale attack in coming months in a desperate attempt to reverse their waning fortunes.
But Lt. Gen. David Barno said predicted the near-total collapse of the Taliban within a year.
"As these terrorist capabilities grow more and more limited, the hard-core fanatics will grow more and more desperate to try and do something to change the course of events in Afghanistan," Barno said. "Terrorists here in Afghanistan want to reassert themselves, and I expect that they will be looking here, over the next six to nine months or so, to stage some type of high-visibility attack."
He did not give details or say whether he had specific intelligence reports.
"I think we must all remain realistic and clear-eyed with the understanding that the enemy is still dangerous. He's been reduced in his capabilities, but he remains a desperate foe who will try and create events and inflict losses," he said.
Barno noted that a number of senior insurgents have already abandoned the fight and said more would follow.
However, he said, a small number of hard-liners funded by al-Qaida were likely to continue the struggle indefinitely.
"The diverging organization that I see evolving over the next year or so" involves "much of the organization, probably most of it, I think collapsing and rejoining the Afghan political and economic process," Barno said at a news conference in the capital. "A small hard-core remnant of the Taliban - which is essentially a wholly owned subsidiary of al-Qaida" - will "continue to wage some degree of a terrorist fight."
Barno did not name any commanders who had turned themselves in, saying only: "In the last month or so we have seen very prominent figures come out in different parts of the country - very unexpectedly in a couple of cases - who were part of the leadership of the Taliban."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/20/2005 12:04:29 AM ||
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Here's Perv's opening, if he's got the nerve to take it...
Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) leaders and workers alike are distraught over their leader Asif Ali Zardari's decision to toe the line of the establishment despite arrests and harassment of party leaders and workers on his arrival. Zardari's views about rapprochement with the military establishment have surprised party workers more than their parliamentarians. Though they did not criticise the comments of their leader, they were also not ready to adopt Zardari's point of view. In his Sunday's press conference, Zardari stated that the army was a permanent reality in the country and his party would value the opinion of the institution and take it along with them. Zardari sent a clear message to the establishment that the PPP was ready for talks, hence accepting the institution from which the present rulers derived their strength. The PPPP workers arranged a great welcoming reception for the spouse of Benazir Bhutto in response to which the government launched a manhunt to prevent the procession from reaching the airport.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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a chance for Perv to ally with the PPP and break completely with the MMA? Wonder what Condi et al are saying to Perv about this now. Or if this is even high on the radar screen.
The Israeli financial minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has severely criticized the PA chief, Mahmoud Abbas, and accused him of doing nothing to stop Palestinian armed operations against Israeli targets. "He is not a peace partner", Netanyahu said of Abbas during a party in an Israeli settlement held to observe the Jewish Passover. He called for intensifying the occupation of the Palestinian lands describing them as Israeli lands.
Netanyahu described the PA as groups of "terrorist militias". None in the PA was trying to dismantle the resistance factions' infrastructure, thus, we don't have, indeed, a real peace partner, according to the finance minister. "He is not advocating terrorism as what the late Yasser Arafat used to do, but, at the same time, he is not doing anything to stop it as what the late Egyptian president, Anwar Sadat, and Jordan King Hussein, did" he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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PA premier Ahmed Qurei is to sign a letter of intent on Wednesday with the EC on the establishment of an EC bureau in the PA-run territories that would contribute to upgrading its police's performance. The bureau targets restructuring the PA police force and supporting it with financial and technical assistance to enable it carry out duties in providing security and stability in addition to imposing law and order. The premier is also expected to hold meetings with American envoys to brief them on the PA preparations for the Israeli evacuation of the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank areas.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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PA premier Ahmed Qurei is to sign a letter of intent on Wednesday with the EC on the establishment of an EC bureau in the PA-run territories that would contribute to upgrading its policeâs performance.
A letter of intent? Yawn. Even a full-fledged official agreement on parchment wouldn't mean a hell of a whole lot. Paleos are involved here.
The bureau targets restructuring the PA police force and supporting it with financial and technical assistance to enable it carry out duties in providing security and stability in addition to imposing law and order.
Well, imagine that; the idea of Paleo police doing actual police work. Whether they really will engage in actual police work remains to be seen.
Amidst real fears of Hamas' victory in the upcoming Palestinian legislative election this coming July, the Israeli premier, Ariel Sharon, was pressuring the PA chief, Mahmoud Abbas, to postpone it being the only one who can do so. Palestinian sources have revealed in statements to the London-based 'Al-Sharq Al-Awsat' newspaper that Sharon had discussed the matter with the US president, George W. Bush, during their meeting in Texas last week, and the Russian envoy to Tel Aviv, and asked both to exercise similar pressures on Abbas.
Israeli sources and some Fatah members have expressed their fears of a Hamas victory in the elections and found the postponement a chance to re-arrange matters to confront the fast-growing popularity of Hamas. In an interview with the French 'Le Figaro' newspaper published on Tuesday, the Israeli first deputy premier, Shimon Peres, said that "I think we should help Abbas more, and we will do so". He warned that any Hamas victory in the election will herald an end to the peace process.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Let the Paleos hold their elections on time. And if Hamas wins, and the attacks start anew, send in the IDF to gun down as many fighters as they can and sweep the area clean. Time to give the Paleos a taste of a REAL occupation.
Stern words from a man who's better at uttering stern words than confronting terrorism with force...
Hey, man. Gotta respect the sash.
President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that wherever there was terrorism or any violence, it had to be confronted with force. Addressing the Philippine Congress, he said in places where militants had already embraced terrorism, the use of force was inevitable and there was no doubt about that.
"Unless you can bribe them, recruit them, form alliances with them, whatever...
President Musharraf also called on Muslim and Western nations to do more to rid the world of terrorism, urging them to eliminate problems such as poverty to keep Muslims off a radical path, but recommending force to crush those already sowing terror. President Musharraf asked minority-Muslims in the Philippines, which has been struggling to deal with terror groups, to reject extremism, and backed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's efforts to forge a peace deal with a large Muslim separatist group.
In effect allowing them to set up their own autonomous area, from which to expand their influence...
The Pakistani president called on Muslim nations "to do more to reject extremism and intolerance and promote socio-economic development that is lacking in many Muslim societies". He also urged Western nations to help settle long-standing political disputes "that have caused so much pain in the Muslim world", adding that the West should help extricate poor countries from misery. "I urge the Muslims of the Philippines to shun the path of confrontation, suppress extremism," President Musharraf said in his congressional speech, which drew loud applause from lawmakers. But he called on the government to respect Muslims' rights, tradition and culture to allow them to live in harmony in society. President Musharraf also said democracy was "firmly rooted" in Pakistan. He underscored the advance of democracy in Pakistan under his rule, citing the emergence of a vibrant local media, a parliament that checks excesses of officials and a greater role for women in governance.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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I know you guys like to bag Musharraf but from my perspective he's doing a reasonable job in challenging circumstances.
#2
except when it comes to being democratic. He is not quite cutting the mustard, there.
Before you say it, yes he would probably lose any serious election and RoP extremists would rule the country within the year. Then we could bomb the Paks back to stone throwing, or dust the place and start over (hydrogen bombs are good for this).
They need to make the choice of going one way or the other on their own . . . sink or swim.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
04/20/2005 7:42 Comments ||
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JF, so we need Musharraf to be more democratic so we produce a situation where we can nuke them. There is no sign of you being ironic, so I have to conclude that you are one of the nuke-em-all nuts.
Read the article carefully, he is saying the right things and also claiming to do them.
#4
Phil is correct. And in any case, we will leave the Paks to the Indians if it comes to that, we'll take the Iranians and the Israelis get the Syrians and Turks if they want it. But it won't come to that and part of that is Perv's tightrope walk that pleases no one but keeps the peace and him alive. Think about Pakland after a successful asassination.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
04/20/2005 7:56 Comments ||
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The Islamists achieved their best ever electoral performance at the last elections in Pakistan: 11%
This was after all the major Islamist political parties representing the hostile sects within Sunni and Shia Islam were convinced to put aside their differences and form and alliance, one that is virtually defunct since Qazi and Fazl want to rule the show.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/20/2005 9:23 Comments ||
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I doubt the ISI would wait for the next election if Perv were removed from the scene. Thereafter the Islamists would receive 99.86% in all polls.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
04/20/2005 10:01 Comments ||
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President Musharraf also called on Muslim and Western nations to do more to rid the world of terrorism, urging them to eliminate problems such as poverty to keep Muslims off a radical path, but recommending force to crush those already sowing terror.
I am sooooo sick of the "poverty is the cause of terrorism" schtick. Look, there's more than enough money to go around over there if the gov't cronies just quit hogging it. The ME is sitting on top of the biggest black gold mine there is, and yet, there's extreme poverty and somehow it's our (the West's) fault? Give me a break. And somehow, I don't think AQ, binny, KSM, Mullah Omar, etc (top terrorists) were worried about money....it's the ideaology, stupid!
Posted by: BA ||
04/20/2005 10:02 Comments ||
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#8
The first condition to remove poverty is getting rid of a religion who, betwen other things, forces people to stop working five times a day in order to proclaim that their prophet is the greatest, forces people to spend most of their hard earned money in making the Saudis richer (aka as the Hadj business) instead of investing it in productive activity, who sets schools where youngsters learn nothing marketable, only hate and being able to recite the Holy Book from memory (even when they don't understand a word of it because they don't speak Arabic) thus creating a culture with a strong emphasis on mechanic memorization instead of creative thinking. When they get rid of a religion who has been the cause for the whole Arab world having translated less books in ONE THOUSAND years than Spain in a SINGLE year, a religion who tries hard for reducing women to animal-like ignorance thus not only depriving their countries of the women's workforce but also impacting negatively on the intellectual development of their offspring (remember the part about the crucial first four years ie when the baby is primarily cared by his mother? his crass ignorant mother in hard-line muslim countries?).
When investors will say "Pakistan is full of intelligent, educated, hardworking people" instead of "Pakistan is full of fanatics looking for a fight and who dream of becoming rich not through work but through war and looting(1)" then and only then will be the poverty eardiacted in Pakistan.
(1) cf politicians who promise Indian slaves to each pakistani after India's conquest
"When criminals in this world appear
and break the law that they should fear
and frighten all who see or hear
The cry goes up both far and near for Underdog
Underdog."
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will not ally with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) because they have too many ideological differences, said Asif Zardari on Tuesday. "There are several differences, but issues related to the rights of women, and the religion column in the new passports, illustrate the wide gulf between us," Zardari told reporters after a meeting of the PPP Punjab executive committee in Faisal Town. "The MMA does not want a democracy, but they exploit the idea to gain power," he said. The intelligence agencies had made a big mistake by "creating" an "organised and aggressive force" in the MMA, he said.
I think we were just discussing this yesterday, in fact...
Reminded that he was on very good terms with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the secretary general of the MMA, he said, "No doubt I am on good terms with him, but it does not change the fact I am a member of a liberal political force," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Asif Ali Zardari's statement that the army has an unavoidable role in politics violates the three-point agreement signed between Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) president, and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leadership to restore democracy in Pakistan, said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the MMA president. He said that it appeared as if Zardari would replace Fahim as the president of the PPPP. He asked why Fahim had signed the agreement with the MMA when he knew that Zardari was holding talks with the military-led establishment.
He reiterated that President General Pervez Musharraf should quit his offices of president and chief of army staff, which he had occupied unconstitutionally. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Ahmed said that the MMA would launch a rally from Lahore to Gujranwala if the government did not release MNA Qazi Hameedullah and party workers detained in connection with the Gujranwala mini-marathon and April 2 strike. Asked why the MMA opposed the PPPP's initiative of talks with the government when it had itself negotiated with the government and signed the 17th Amendment, Ahmed said that the MMA had made a mistake and the PPPP should not follow suit because Gen Musharraf never honours his word.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
I think this old fart needs one of those SNL Candygrams.
MANILA - Philippines President Gloria Arroyo on Tuesday offered free transport home to thousands of nationals working in Iraq after one of them was gunned down in Baghdad at the weekend. Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the shooting death on Sunday of Rey Torres, a driver and security guard working at a US military camp in the Iraqi capital served as a "warning that the situation in Iraq remains dangerous to our people."
And not a single picture of a chicken in the Rantburg photo archives.
He said the foreign and labor departments "stand ready to help to facilitate the repatriation" of Filipinos who volunteer to leave the country.
The killing of Torres was the second attack in Iraq that led to Filipino casualties in the past week.
The Philippines is flying home five other Filipinos whose convoy was ambushed by unknown gunmen in Baghdad on Saturday, leaving two of them slightly injured.
There are at least 6,000 Filipinos in Iraq according to Philippine government estimates, even though Manila banned travel to the country following the abduction in July 2004 of truck driver Angelo de la Cruz and accountant Roberto Tarongoy in November.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
If the Phillipines had its act cleaned up somewhat of corruption, etc etc, Filipinos could work at home, instead of having to travel to the ME for work.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/20/2005 11:19 Comments ||
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The Kurdish newspaper Aso reported on Sunday that the Kurdish language is still not allowed to be used in Kirkuk's hospitals. The newspaper reported that in a meeting in Kirkuk Childrens Hospital, Dr. Shahen requested that Kurdish writings in the hospital should be removed and only Arabic should be used as it is the language of the holy Islamic book Qur'an. The same newspaper reported a few weeks ago in issue number 69 that the Iraqi Islamic Party, the large Sunni party which boycotted the January elections in Iraq, condemned the use of Kurdish with the Latin alphabet in its newspaper 'Dar-Al-Salam' and regarded it as a threat to the Arabic language.
Posted by: phil_b ||
04/20/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
If they want to speak "arabic" they can move their sunni asses to Saudi "Arabia" except the Saudi's won't have them.
Being the losers means you lose. Something "Arabs" will argue to death because that is all they know how to do, argue and kill other humans. The time the sunni have for screwing around with this bull shit is running out.
#2
Good. The more the Arabs insist in linking Arabic and Kuran, the more they insist on cultural imperialism the more the Kurds will see Islam as merely a tool for enslavement and reject it.
#3
condemned the use of Kurdish with the Latin alphabet
I presume Kurdish is traditionally written in Arabic script, like Farsi (Persian) to which it is related. OTOH I wonder if Kurdish is written in Latin script in Turkey, since Turkish is written in Latin script (since Ataturk). I could see where the Iraqi Kurds would be interested in switching to Latin script, both to improve ties to their brothers in Turkey, to be closer to the West, and to differentiate themselves from both Arabs AND Iranians. OTOH I could also see where Iraqi Arabs could find this threatening(and i dont suppose the Turks would be too pleased either - while they themselves use the Latin script, they can hardly be happy with links between their Kurds and the Iraqi Kurds)
#6
from http://www.omniglot.com/writing/kurdish.htm
Kurdish is a member of the Western Iranian branch of Indo-European languages. Approximately 26 million people speak Kurdish in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakstan and Afghanistan
Kurdish began to appear in writing in a version of the Persian alphabet during the 7th century AD. However for much of their history, the Kurds have prefered to use Arabic, Persian or Turkish for their literary works. The first well-known Kurdish poet was Ell Herirl (1425-1495), and Kurdish literature started to become popular during the 16th century.
In Turkey Kurdish is written with the Latin alphabet and in parts of the former Soviet Union it is written with the Cyrillic alphabet.
When Kurdish is written with the Arabic script, Arabic loan words retain their originally spelling, though are often pronounced quite differently in Kurdish.
Posted by: too true ||
04/20/2005 12:11 Comments ||
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#7
The fact is that Arabic script lacks vowels so while it can more or less transcribe vowel-poor languages like Arabic (only three vowels: a, u, i plus a kind of semi-vowel who could be transcribed e) it is unadequate for vowel-rich languages like Turkish and indo-european languages who have ten or more vowel sounds if you count accented characters (or several ways to utter the same letter like in English) and a lot of diphtongs so there is no way to guess the word by looking at the consons
#9
BTW - veal can be kosher if its slaughtered properly (just like beef). But no, it cant be consumed in proximity to dairy products - but then thats true for any meat, even, by a stretch of rabbinic logic that troubles even me, poultry.:)
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A Syrian-born German who is accused of being Osama bin Laden's business associate in Germany lost a second appeal on Monday against extradition to Spain to face grave terrorism charges. 
Lebanon's new Cabinet prepared yesterday to seek Parliament approval, saying its priority is to arrange quick elections and to cooperate in a sensitive UN investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister 
The Israeli financial minister, 
PA premier 
Amidst real fears of 
President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that wherever there was terrorism or any violence, it had to be confronted with force. Addressing the Philippine Congress, he said in places where militants had already embraced terrorism, the use of force was inevitable and there was no doubt about that. 
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will not ally with the 
