[Beirut Daily Star: Region] Arab states of the Gulf and Red Sea said on Monday that they are planning a joint anti-piracy force, insisting defense of the crucial Red Sea waterway was the "primary responsibility" of littoral states.
Indeed. How lovely they finally remembered.
Saying it was necessary to prevent the spread of piracy to the Red Sea or the Gulf, 11 regional states agreed on an all-Arab Navy Task Force, to be initially led by Saudi, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
This should be amusing, especially for our readers with boating experience.
The delegates to the conference in the Saudi capital stressed the "importance of the exclusion of the Red Sea from any international arrangements, especially the fight against sea piracy."
Royal Saudi Navy commander Lieutenant General Prince Fahd bin Abdullah told journalists: "This subject is now under negotiation and we are hoping to reach an agreement to form this force."
"Who can we get to front the funding for this?"
Joining the talks were representatives from Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the UAE and Yemen.
Fahd said part of the effort would be to design ways of cooperating with the flotillas from some 20 foreign countries now patrolling sea lanes in the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa to stop pirate attacks. "One of the objectives of the meeting is to discuss joint Arab coordination with multinational forces operating in the region to combat piracy and to agree on the mechanisms of the Arab contribution" to these efforts, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Royal Saudi Navy commander Lieutenant General Prince Fahd bin Abdullah
So a general, not an admiral, commands the navy, and a prince, to boot? Methinks the problem has been detected...
#2
The delegates to the conference in the Saudi capital stressed the "importance of the exclusion of the Red Sea from any international arrangements, especially the fight against sea piracy."
#4
On the bright side, assuming they catch any pirates they can just kill them with impunity.
What - you thing the Useless Nitwits will say anything against a non-Westerner?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/01/2009 19:45 Comments ||
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#5
Barbara, Pappy's quote is relevant to yours: they are declaring, in typical Arab/Muslim arrogance, that the Red Sea is outside of all international agreements that would hamper them.
Whotta power! If we did the same, they'd squeal like pigs.
#6
#1 Royal Saudi Navy commander Lieutenant General Prince Fahd bin Abdullah
So a general, not an admiral, commands the navy, and a prince, to boot? Methinks the problem has been detected... Posted by Spot
Think in terms of "Ships of the Desert" Spot. Ships of the Desert.
#7
in typical Arab/Muslim arrogance, that the Red Sea is outside of all international agreements that would hamper them.
That, and the ability to control (or not control) maritime traffic, such as that heading to the Mediterranean, the western Mediterranean in particular.
Feats don't fail me now...
SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said science and technology are the powerful engine driving the construction of a strong nation during his latest trip to a semiconductor factory and a science academy, state media reported Wednesday.
Kim gave "field guidance" to the Hamhung Semiconductor Materials Factory and the Hamhung Branch of the State Academy of Sciences, both in Hamhung in the northern province of North Hamgyong, said the reports without giving a date for the visit.
Kim expressed "great satisfaction over the fact that they laid solid material and technical foundations of the factory by fully displaying the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and are mass-producing quality semiconductor materials, the Korean Central News Agency said.
Kim has made nearly 80 field trips this year, compared to about 50 last year. By traveling nationwide so often, Kim, 67, who reportedly had a stroke in August last year, appears to be trying to demonstrate he is fully in charge of the country, Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said earlier this week.
Recent photos showed Kim wearing sneakers on rough road trips or flat dress shoes in farms and factories, instead of his signature platform shoes he used to wear before the reported stroke to add height to his stature.
Kim "warmly encouraged the workers there in their dynamic 150-day campaign," the report said, referring to the North's labor mobilization project that started in late April. "Our science and technology can serve as a powerful engine for the revolution and construction and provide a scientific and technological guarantee for building a great prosperous and powerful nation only when they are closely combined with production," Kim was quoted as saying at the science school.
Kim was accompanied by Workers' Party department directors including his Jang Song-thaek, his brother-in-law believed to be the de-facto No. 2 figure in the country overseeing state affairs on behalf of the aging leader. Jang, married to Kim's younger sister Kim Kyong-hui, reportedly plays a key role in grooming the leader's third and youngest son, Jong-un, as the successor.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
You sure about who said that? I recall Obama saying something about "putting [compliant and obeidient] scientists to work in his administration", just like Kimmie.
#2
Our science and technology can serve as a powerful engine for the revolution and construction and provide a scientific and technological guarantee for building a great prosperous and powerful nation only when they are closely combined with production," Kim was quoted as saying at the science school.
poor kimme, the starvation, and deprivation imposed on majority of population, limits any potential for advancement to the level of general incompetence exhibited by his social infrastructure. kimmes new found beliefs in the potential of class bound states that are delimiters to goals. his high hopes, and keen understanding of the tools of compulsion, leading to breakthrough after breakthrough wont last long, as the production sought must be bought, in a free and open market.....
Perhaps this is the reason the Nork ship turned around, though anything the Burmese thugs say has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Rangoon says it will inspect the North Korean cargo ship Kangnam, which is suspected of heading to Burma carrying weapons-related materials, a news report said Tuesday. The Kangnam is being trailed by the missile destroyer USS John McCain.
Radio Free Asia on Tuesday said the Burmese junta has pledged to inspect the Kangnam and not to allow the North Korean ship to enter any Burmese port if it is carrying items banned by the UN.
It can't possibly be that the Burmese generals are actually worried about the UN. Perhaps their Chinese mentors are using them as a way to have the Norks turn the ship around without conceding anything?
Experts speculate that Burma was acting under international pressure. Inspection of North Korean vessels by individual states is encouraged by Clause 11 of the UN Security Council Resolution 1874, which was passed on June 12. But the resolution merely "calls upon" member states to inspect suspicious vessels, leaving the decision up to Burma. Rangoon may have been swayed by China and Russia, which both support the resolution, while South Korea and Japan are two major trading partners, RFA quoted unnamed observers as speculating.
Burmese authorities would be obliged to seize and dispose of any weapons and weapons-related materials they found under Clause 14 of the resolution.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I just wonder if the NORK ship is loaded to the gills with explosives salted with uranium, praying for the Mc Cain to get close enough to boom the ship and plant evidence of there being nukes on the Mc Cain? (Raidioactive wreckage)and they've turned around so the boom will be in shallow enough water to reach with diving subs like the Alvin.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/01/2009 1:35 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I have difficulty believing that Burma didnt know what was on the ship from the moment it sailed.
Maybe the PRC put the screws on Burma. I cant rule that out. My working hypothesis is slightly less conspiratorial - when it sailed, the NORKS didnt think they wouldnt get a port on the way, so they didnt bother filling it with extra fuel tanks (a pretty expensive proposition anyway, I imagine, if all it was was a shipment of small arms - they will save that option for when they are actually shipping a nuke)
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
07/01/2009 9:55 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I bet LH is right in making the maneuvers about fuel. As fuel-short as NorK is, they probably didn't load any excess, just enough to get them somewhere that would 'sell' them more (Hong Kong?) or maybe even Burma, but without any spare for playing games with the McCain etc.
#4
ION WORLD MIL FORUM > SK MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: SOUTH KOREA PLANS TO INCREASE ITS RESERVE FORCES BY 100,000 [10 Corps]. SOUTH KOREAN MILPOL CONCERNS FOR NORTH KOREAN CIVILIANS. Within 50-60 days after an outbreak of war between NOKOR + SOKOR, and the defeat of North Korean combat/military forces, the SOUTH desires to send these new troops into the NORTH to control post-conflict CIVIL-GOVT OPERATIONS.
ALso, SAME > US-SOUTH KOREAN "WAR PLAN 5027-5": NORTH KOREA MUST EFFEC DESTROY OR OTHERWISE FORCE SOUTH KOREA TO CAPITULATE WITHIN 48-72 HOURS OR ASAP BEFORE US MIL REINFORCEMENTS CAN ARRIVE IN TWO WEEKS.
* SAME > THREE MOST LIKELY REGIONAL FLASHPOINTS FOR A SECOND KOREAN WAR.
To wit,
!. NK-SK Naval clash in NORTHERN MARITIME BOUNDARY. NOKOR has fired over 1000 Arty shells apprxi 19 times since last year 2008 at SOKOR positions on Y. DUCK ISLAND [I of 5 in WEST SEA Region].
2. "JIANG NAM" NUCLEAR? VESSEL VERSUS US NAVY [USS John Mccain, etal.]. The "Jiang Nam" is at this time believed to be oper along the CHINESE COASTLINE. NOKOR threat of war and mil retaliation iff its ships are stopped-searched.
3. NK-SK GROUND-AIR CONVENTIONAL CLASHES ALONG DMZ [Limited War?]
MINE > Lest we fergit, the UNKNOWN "RUSSIA FACTOR" FOR = AGZ CHINA, US-ALLIES.
* SAME > NORTH KOREA'S ASYMETRIC/ALTERNATIVE MIL THREAT TO DEFEAT SOUTH KOREA: USE OF EMP-MICROWAVE BOMBS IN A "FIRST STRIKE" OR "SURPISE ATTACK" AGZ SOUTH KOREA. USE OF NUCLEAR-, WMD-ARMED SCUDS + 88,000 ELITE COMANDO TROOPS.
#5
ION WORLD MIL FORUM > SK MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: SOUTH KOREA PLANS TO INCREASE ITS RESERVE FORCES BY 100,000 [10 Corps]. SOUTH KOREAN MILPOL CONCERNS FOR NORTH KOREAN CIVILIANS. Within 50-60 days after an outbreak of war between NOKOR + SOKOR, and the defeat of North Korean combat/military forces, the SOUTH desires to send these new troops into the NORTH to control post-conflict CIVIL-GOVT OPERATIONS.
ALso, SAME > US-SOUTH KOREAN "WAR PLAN 5027-5": NORTH KOREA MUST EFFEC DESTROY OR OTHERWISE FORCE SOUTH KOREA TO CAPITULATE WITHIN 48-72 HOURS OR ASAP BEFORE US MIL REINFORCEMENTS CAN ARRIVE IN TWO WEEKS.
* SAME > THREE MOST LIKELY REGIONAL FLASHPOINTS FOR A SECOND KOREAN WAR.
To wit,
!. NK-SK Naval clash in NORTHERN MARITIME BOUNDARY. NOKOR has fired over 1000 Arty shells apprxi 19 times since last year 2008 at SOKOR positions on Y. DUCK ISLAND [I of 5 in WEST SEA Region].
2. "JIANG NAM" NUCLEAR? VESSEL VERSUS US NAVY [USS John Mccain, etal.]. The "Jiang Nam" is at this time believed to be oper along the CHINESE COASTLINE. NOKOR threat of war and mil retaliation iff its ships are stopped-searched.
3. NK-SK GROUND-AIR CONVENTIONAL CLASHES ALONG DMZ [Limited War?]
MINE > Lest we fergit, the UNKNOWN "RUSSIA FACTOR" FOR = AGZ CHINA, US-ALLIES.
* SAME > NORTH KOREA'S ASYMETRIC/ALTERNATIVE MIL THREAT TO DEFEAT SOUTH KOREA: USE OF EMP-MICROWAVE BOMBS IN A "FIRST STRIKE" OR "SURPISE ATTACK" AGZ SOUTH KOREA. USE OF NUCLEAR-, WMD-ARMED SCUDS + 88,000 ELITE COMANDO TROOPS.
#6
CHINESE MIL FORUM >RUSSIA DECLARES WAR ON CHINESE BUSINESSMEN IN RUSSIA/RUSSIA SEES CHINESE GOODS BEING SOLD CHEAPLY AND MAKING MONEY [Growing anti-Chin Nationalism, sentiment in VladLand = Russia?]; + WMF > RUSSIA'S ANTI-CHIN ECONOMIC "9-11": WHY VALDIMIR PUTIN IS BEING HEAVY-HANDED AGZ CHINA?
MOSCOW = RUSS = VLADVEDEV has confiscated or "detained" approxi 6000 CONTAINERS [circa 100,000 tonnes worth] full of Chin-made goods, and worth US$2.0BILYUHN. MORE TO COME.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials said Tuesday that a North Korean ship has turned around and is headed back toward the north where it came from, after being tracked for more than a week by American Navy vessels on suspicion of carrying illegal weapons.
The move keeps the U.S. and the rest of the international community guessing: Where is the Kang Nam going? Does its cargo include materials banned by a new U.N. anti-proliferation resolution?
Did Kimmie bow to the UN? Perhaps Kimmie doesn't want to antagonize Bambi while Bambi is helping their mutual friend Zelaya in Honduras? Did the ship blow a gasket and is now limping home? Did the Burmese decide that they didn't need the guns and ammo that badly? Was there not a safe port within reach?
The ship left a North Korean port of Nampo on June 17 and is the first vessel monitored under U.N. sanctions that ban the regime from selling arms and nuclear-related material.
The Navy has been watching it -- at times following it from a distance. It traveled south and southwest for more than a week; then, on Sunday, it turned around and headed back north, two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence.
Nearly two weeks after the ship left North Korea, officials said Tuesday they still don't know where it is going. But it was some 250 miles south of Hong Kong on Tuesday, one official said. Though acknowledging all along that the Kang Nam's destination was unclear, some officials said last week that it could be going to Myanmar and that it was unclear whether it could reach there without stopping in another port to refuel.
Two officials had said earlier in the day Tuesday that the Kang Nam had been moving very slowly in recent days, something that could signal it was trying to conserve fuel.
Or that they had a mechanical problem, or that Kimmie was stalling for time, or maybe the Vietnamese decided not to let them refuel.
They said they didn't know what the turnaround of the ship means, nor what prompted it.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said Sunday that Washington was "following the progress of that ship very closely," but she would not say whether the U.S. would confront the Kang Nam.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
kimmie doesnt give a bottle of kimchi for Zelaya, dont be silly.
My guess (caveat:I am not a navy guy and dont know the fuel and range issues) is that they did NOT have a safe port within reach. So they turned around, just as the UNSC policy envisioned.
I really doubt they were afraid of a Burmese inspection. Burma is the damned consignee on the arms shipment, they already KNOW whats in it, they friggin paid for it.
A good thing that happened on Obamas watch (so far) but really, the policy wasnt obamas alone,and it was in some respects an obvious policy that flowed out of ideas circulated years ago, IIUC.
Note- UNSC CAN be useful against baddies - IF the baddie is someone who has managed to piss off the PRC as well as us. A big enough IF not to RELY on the UNSC, but still reason not to write off the UNSC.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
07/01/2009 9:51 Comments ||
Top||
#7
(caveat:I am not a navy guy and don't know the fuel and range issues)
Answer,
Navy ships can refuel under way, civilian snips Can't so naval ships have near infinite range (We also can take on provisions, and the ship distills fresh water from seawater) Again, effectively Infinite.
Stern chases are very much in the navy's favor from the very start.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/01/2009 14:46 Comments ||
Top||
#8
HMMMMMM, HMMMMMM, NOKOR HAS THREATENED PER SE WAR = NUKE-WMD FIRESTORM?SHOWER/RAIN AGZ THE US-ALLIES IFF ITS SHIPS ARE STOPPED ANDOR ITS TEST LAUNCHES ARE INTERCEPTED. Hence, the RUSH LIMBAUGH-ian, Spicy Kimchee-Squid Questionne'-vouz is will this NOKOR SHIP [ships?] head back home; or else linger in the region during Nokor's upcoming new launch towards Hawaii???
Read, NOKOR "FIRST-STRIKE" = "BOLT-FROM-THE-BLUE/SEA" as per this vessel [others?] already in the East-Central Pacific regions???
#9
Navy ships can refuel under way, civilian snips Can't so naval ships have near infinite range (We also can take on provisions, and the ship distills fresh water from seawater) Again, effectively Infinite.
Depends. The Chinese merchant (arms) ship off the coast of South Africa was able to refuel. Likely because the crew were either PLAN or PLAN-reserve. The NorKs could have a similar set up wrt crew. Astern refueling really isn't that hard; at the worst, they meet up with a fuel barge in a sheltered cove and take on fuel at anchor.
[Kyodo: Korea] China denied Tuesday a new report saying Dear Little Leader Kim Jong Un, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's third son, had visited China secretly earlier in the month. 'The relevant report has no basis whatsoever,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular press conference. 'It is creating something out of nothing.'
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] A grand jirga in FR Bannu area of Janikhel Tuesday demanded the government to stem the military action. The jirga, which was held in Bannu, took stock of the homecoming process of IDPs. The tribal veterans demanded the government to stop the bombardment in the area, so that the affected people may safely return to their areas. The jirga participants said the Janikhel tribes will extend every kind of support to the government and will accept the responsibility of safety of their area.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] A grand jirga in FR Bannu area of Janikhel Tuesday demanded the government to stem the military action. The jirga, which was held in Bannu, took stock of the homecoming process of IDPs. The tribal veterans demanded the government to stop the bombardment in the area, so that the affected people may safely return to their areas. The jirga participants said the Janikhel tribes will extend every kind of support to the government and will accept the responsibility of safety of their area.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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"Only the aid from Iran continues to come in, and that too is only for bereaved families and for charities," Islamic Jihad Deputy Secretary-General Ziad al-Nahla, who is based in Damascus, recently told the Saudi-based newspaper Asharq Al Awsat. The problem is that a large part of the donor funds intended for Jihad is deposited in banks in the West Bank, where the funds are confiscated. "We can still guarantee the minimum necessary and the money reaches the Strip via the tunnels, just like the weapons," explained Nahla. The freeze on aid to Islamic Jihad is part of an overall effort by Hamas and senior Jihad officials to merge the two movements and create a joint leadership coalition in preparation for the possible reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah and the formation of a national unity government. The goal is to have Jihad fighters join Hamas' military establishment and to fold Islamic Jihad's administrative officials and civil infrastructure into the Hamas government and civil mechanisms. Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Abdallah Shalah, Nahla and some of the organization's leadership in Gaza, such as Mohammed al-Hindi, support the merger with Hamas and are working to promote it.
Hindi's opponents, however, such as Abdallah al-Shami and Nafez Azzam, object to the merger because they see it as eliminating the Jihad organization. This is the source of the big dispute within the organization and the economic pressure on its Gaza branch. One of the public expressions of this dispute occurred several weeks ago at a gathering in Gaza: Hindi talked about the Palestinian Authority's arrest of Jihad activists in the West Bank and "forgot" to criticize the arrest of organization members by Hamas. In response, Shami stood up and left in a demonstration of anger. Islamic Jihad activists also mention the pressure placed on them by Hamas during the tahadiya (cease-fire), when it arrested activists and confiscated the weapons of Jihad members who wanted to continue shooting at Israel.
As an organization, Islamic Jihad still adheres to its positions and criticizes those of Hamas, which recently made specific mention of the "1967 borders" in reference to the Palestinian state. So far, Islamic Jihad has refused to join the conciliation talks with Fatah and it rejects outright the Arab initiative and the Egyptian plan for reconciliation. The disagreement between the organizations attests also to the new direction Hamas adopted following the Cairo speech of U.S. President Barack Obama and the deepening ties between Syria and Washington. Shalah and Khaled Meshal, the Hamas political leader in Damascus, are already preparing the organizational foundation for the next stage, and judging by Meshal's declarations it is moving closer to the positions of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with regard to a negotiated solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. There is still no formal recognition of the State of Israel here, but even a long-term tahadiya agreement would obligate Hamas to demonstrate its complete control in the Gaza Strip to prove that it is a trustworthy security force. Such control cannot tolerate rebelliousness from Islamic Jihad. Thus the moderate economic pressure that Islamic Jihad in Damascus is exerting on its "daughter" in Gaza, and the quiet with which it is reacting to the confiscation of funds in the West Bank.
#2
I would think that a program such as this also provides good information for us. We should know as much as possible about every aspect of the Pak program should certain events occur. Some people might like to if they should cut the red wire or the black one. ;-)
#4
The article talks about computer simulations in place of actual tests for "stockpile management". If we had a CIA worth a damn, we would provide the Paks with a simulation program that looks really spiffy but would actually make sure the nukes don't work. Too bad we don't have such a CIA, they're too busy undermining politicos.
#5
"Modernizing" sounds like a great way to steal their weapon cores & replace them with radioactive medical waste. One could only fantasize about American spies brave enough to try it.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
07/01/2009 9:43 Comments ||
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#6
A. If thats teh andrew cockburn I think it is, hes a far leftie and unreliable source
B. If it IS true, its about making the weapons safer, mainly. The odds of the nukes creating a problem through a f**k-up are at least as high as their actual use.
C. I would VERY MUCH HOPE that this was accompanied by intelligence gathering.
D. I dont see how a simulation program could render the weapons non-functional.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
07/01/2009 9:59 Comments ||
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#7
It is indeed that Andrew Cockburn
Posted by: john frum ||
07/01/2009 13:33 Comments ||
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.
___
Iran's feared Basij militia asked the country's chief prosecutor Wednesday to investigate embattled opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi for his role in violent protests that it said undermined national security in the aftermath of last month's presidential election.
The semiofficial Fars news agency said the militia known as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's street enforcers sent the prosecutor a letter accusing Mousavi of taking part in nine offenses against the state, including "disturbing the nation's security," which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
Posted by: ed ||
07/01/2009 10:15 ||
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warns of revenge on pro-democracy states
Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned the regime would seek revenge against states it has accused of fanning pro-democracy demonstrations in the wake of its disputed election.
Mr Ahmadinejad used the attack on Western powers send a defiant message in his first public comments since his controversial re-election was upheld by the electoral authorities on Monday. He said: "We must use all the capacities to break the monopoly of the global powers."
"Those who asked for the annulment of 10th presidential election are anti-revolutionary and against the regime," hardline cleric Ahmad Khatami told the official news agency IRNA. "If anyone said there was fraud in the election, he has lied and committed a sin,"
[Iran Press TV Latest] Foreign Secretary David Miliband says Britain and Iran have agreed to resolve the dispute over the arrest of four local British Embassy staff in Tehran.
The Tuesday announcement came one day after Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed that five of the nine detainees had been released following primary investigation into their alleged role in 'inciting mass public protests' following the June 12 vote.
Miliband told parliament that the decision had been reached for the safekeeping of the interests of both countries and expressed concern over the "continued detention of some of our locally engaged staff in Tehran."
"I have discussed this issue with Iranian Foreign Minister (Manouchehr) Mottaki and we both agreed in our second telephone conversation yesterday that a swift resolution was in both of our interests," Miliband said, calling for the release of the remaining Embassy employees.
The announcement of the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election sparked opposition rallies in the capital Tehran with defeated candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi rejecting the result as fraudulent and demanding a re-run.
Iran has lashed out at foreign 'interference' in its internal affairs, saying the 'biased' attitude of European countries and their media incited the post-election unrest
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
A word of advice to UK: drop your pants before you spread.
[Iran Press TV Latest] An Iraqi security official says the terrorist Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) triggered the recent post-election unrests in Iran.
National Security Advisor Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said in an interview with al-Hayat that certain members of the terrorist group had instigated and fomented the recent political unrest in Iran.
"We have intelligence reports available that certain elements of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) infiltrated into the crowd of protestors [after the election results were announced] and sparked the riots."
The announcement of the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election sparked opposition rallies in the capital Tehran with defeated candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi rejecting the result as fraudulent and demanding a re-run.
President Ahmadinejad's victory caused Mousavi supporters to take to the streets to protest the vote result. The rallies turned violent, resulting in the death of at least 20 people.
Al-Rubaie, however, rejected claims that MKO members had entered the country through neighboring Iraq, claiming that MKO terrorists were 'either already in Iran or had entered it from another country'.
Iranian security officials had earlier reported that a large number of MKO members who were involved in recent riots had been identified and arrested.
According to security officials, the detained MKO members had confessed to receiving extensive training in Iraq's camp Ashraf to create post-election mayhem in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Former Iranian president Seyyed Mohammad Khatami calls for effective measures to be taken to restore public trust and safeguard the Islamic establishment.
In a Sunday meeting with members of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Khatami raised the alarm that the breach of public confidence could shake the foundation of the Islamic establishment.
Khatami said it was inappropriate to slander or arrest people in response to what he called "logical objection and civil behavior of a large segment of the society who protest against the election results."
The two-time Reformist president then suggested that the formation of an 'impartial panel' to look into the issue could remove any ambiguities and restore public trust.
Citing his adherence to the principles of the Islamic Revolution, Khatami stressed the need for taking measures to ensure freedom of expression for all and 'by doing such, the establishment will ensure that the people will be present in the political scene in the future.'
Khatami added that the religious and democratic principles integrated into the Islamic establishment must be protected by the best possible approach.
"The nation-oriented establishment will become vulnerable if its social resources are lost," warned the former president.
The veteran Reformist figure described defeated candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi as one of the 'religious, noble and valuable assets' of the Islamic Revolution whose 're-emergence in the political scene is an opportunity for the country'.
Following the announcement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner of the June 12th election with nearly two-thirds of the votes, defeated candidates Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi rejected the result as fraudulent and demanded a re-run.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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[Beirut Daily Star: Region] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday hailed his disputed re-election as a victory for the Iranian people and a defeat for the Islamic Republic's enemies. The June 12 poll sparked Iran's most vigorous internal unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but hardliners have regained the upper hand in Iran, whose nuclear program has alarmed the West. "This election was actually a referendum. The Iranian nation were the victors and the enemies, despite their ... plots of a soft toppling of the system, failed and couldn't reach their aims," the state IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Iran often accuses the West of seeking to promote a "velvet revolution" to overthrow its 30-year-old Islamic system.
The body that supervised the vote ruled out any further legal appeal and said those alleging fraud should be prosecuted. "Based on Iran's constitution, the Guardian Council is the top legislative body to review complaints over the election. The council members have unanimously approved the election result," its spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai told a news conference. "The case of the 10th presidential election is closed," Kadkhodai said, a day after the council dismissed complaints raised by two defeated candidates, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi.
Kadkhodai urged the judiciary to take legal action against those who "spread rumors about election-rigging."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/01/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
short round's wrong -- This is truly a defeat for anyone who actually cares about the best interests of iranians.
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.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Foreign Secretary David Miliband says Britain and Iran have agreed to resolve the dispute over the arrest of four local British Embassy staff in Tehran. 
[Beirut Daily Star: Region] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday hailed his disputed re-election as a victory for the Iranian people and a defeat for the Islamic Republic's enemies. The June 12 poll sparked Iran's most vigorous internal unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but hardliners have regained the upper hand in Iran, whose nuclear program has alarmed the West. "This election was actually a referendum. The Iranian nation were the victors and the enemies, despite their ... plots of a soft toppling of the system, failed and couldn't reach their aims," the state IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
