[Iran Press TV Latest] Afghan President Hamid Karzai has arrived in Pakistan to discuss the extradition of recently captured militant leaders.
Karzai arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday evening and will stay through Thursday. It is the Afghan leader's first trip to Pakistan since he was re-elected in a disputed presidential election in August.
The Afghan president is to meet with top Pakistani officials including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Karzai's visit comes after Pakistani's Inter-Services Intelligence reportedly arrested several Taliban leaders, including second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
However, a Pakistani court has restrained the government from extraditing militant leaders to any other country, raising the prospects of a new row between Kabul and Islamabad.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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[The News (Pak) Top Stories] The 670 Pakistani nationals, who went missing after 9/11 incident, have been languishing in various jails of Afghanistan, sources disclosed on Wednesday.
However, the government officials prepared a report stating 153 Pakistani nationals, who, according to them, were languishing in Afghan jails, the sources said. Sources in the NWFP government told this news agency that Afghan government did not inform it about the 670 Pakistanis, adding that record of only few Pakistanis is available. It is a fact that most of the youth from Malakand, Swat and other tribal areas had gone to Afghanistan on the invitation of Sufi Muhammad.
Sources said that 670 Pakistanis are still missing and have been included in the list of missing persons, while Afghan govt has officially confirmed 153 Pakistanis in their jails. According to sources, currently there are more than 500 Pakistanis, belonging to Malakand and other areas of the NWFP, are languishing in Afghan official jails and private jails of warlords. Most of the Pakistanis have been detained in Nangarhar, Kabul, Kanduz, Bagram, Herat and Mazar Sharif, sources added.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
More proof that we are fighting Pakistan not Afghanistan!
The Libyan president of the U.N. General Assembly is among more than 180 people banned from traveling to much of Europe due to a diplomatic row between Libya and Switzerland, Libya's U.N. mission said on Wednesday.
Ali Abdussalam Treki, former Libyan foreign minister and president of the General Assembly since last September, is on a list of Libyans whom Tripoli says are barred from obtaining visas in the so-called Schengen area. The borderless travel zone incorporates 25 European countries -- 22 European Union members plus Switzerland, Iceland and Norway -- where free movement of persons is guaranteed.
Libya is calling for an end to the visa ban for the people on the list, which was provided to reporters by its U.N. mission, and for both sides to resolve the dispute in arbitration mediated by a neutral country.
"We could have a solution, not to escalate everything," Libyan Ambassador to the U.N. Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham told reporters at the country's mission. "We want a solution." Shalgam himself, as well as Libya's OPEC Secretary Abdullah Albadri, are on the list. A spokesman for the Swiss mission declined comment.
Libya said Switzerland started imposing restrictions on granting Schengen visas to Libyan citizens in August 2009, and later issued a list of people prohibited from obtaining visas. A Libyan newspaper wrote about the list in February, but the full list of names was only now made available.
Treki's spokesman said the assembly president "stresses the need to resolve this dispute in a manner that upholds the principles of international law."
#1
It's not a "diplomatic row". The Libyans are holding a Swiss citizen hostage. If they released him immediately and unconditionally the ban would be lifted.
BTW even though the Swiss hostage had sought refuge in the Swiss embassy, the Libyans got hold of him by threatening to storm the embassy. So much for diplomatic protocol.
If the Swiss (or other Europeans for that matter) had any guts they'd let this "UN Assembly Chief" in, arrest him and release him only in exchange for all western hostages in Libya. Screw diplomatic immunity.
Maybe the reconciliation with Libya will be judged as Bush's biggest blunder. Gaddafi had to make inconsequential concessions while the floodgates of surrender and appeasement were opened.
#3
Gaddafi had to make inconsequential concessions
Not exactly inconsequential. Colonel Qaddafy turned over his entire nuclear development program, lock, stock, and Chinese instruction manuals still in their plastic sleeves. This left him with only, presumably, his biological and chemical programs, but the nukes were to have had pride of place when completed. And it was all his own idea -- nobody had a clue he'd done anything in that direction.
#4
Gaddafi ratted out his nuclear supply network which put pressure on them; he however was freed of sanctions and as I said above "floodgates of appeasement were opened", ie European nations could coddle Gaddafi without getting into trouble with the US.
With Bush gone there's no serious effort to stop proliferation anymore. Whatever nuclear equipment Gaddafi surrendered he can buy again with his oil money. Since Libya is no longer subject to sanctions there's even the possibility that there won't be a net monetary loss.
So I just don't see the real permanent negative consequences for Gaddafi that resulted from the 2003 deal.
Gaddafi is a political actor who can be deterred, but right now he utterly unafraid. I fear he's going to kill many, many Europeans and Americans before someone's going to stop him.
#3
Once again, our shameless State Department in support Arab appeasement and foreign energy whores. They would have the recovering Abdelbaset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi teaching political science at Syracuse University. A sandstone Cairn at Arlington must be weeping about now.
[Maghrebia] Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Senegalese Armed Forces Minister Abdoulaye Balde talked Tuesday (March 9th) in Nouakchott about shared security concerns, ANI reported. "We discussed matters of common interest related to national defence as well as managing the common border," Balde said about the meeting with Ould Abdel Aziz. In an effort to stem illegal migration, terrorism and trafficking, Mauritania last month created 35 official checkpoints on its borders with Senegal, Mali, Western Sahara and Algeria.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The screening of Geert Wilders' controversial anti-Islam film in the U.K. Sunday outraged Muslims and rights organizations earning the far-right Dutch MP the labels "fascist" and "racist."
The film, called Fitna, was screened at the House of Lords in response to an invitation Wilders got on March 5 from Lord Malcolm Pearson, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and member of the House of Lords, and Baroness Caroline Anne Cox, cross-bench member of the House of Lords.
Wilders' trip to the U.K. is part of the Stop Islamization Of Europe (SIOE) campaign. SIOE is an organization whose goal is to prevent Islam from becoming a substantial political force in Europe. Wilders' visit is supported by the far-right English Defense League (EDL).
The film, which declares Islam is incompatible with democracy and calls the Quran a fascist book, was scheduled for screening in the U.K. in 2009. However, Wilders was denied entry to the country. He was accused of inciting hatred and designated a persona non grata. The ban was overturned in October 2009, a moved that Wilders called a "victory for freedom."
British rights groups slammed the visit and submitted a complaint to the Interior Minister, calling Wilders the Dutch version of the English Defence League (EDL), whose sole goal is to fight the presence of Islam in Europe, and the far-right British National Party (BNP), which restricts its membership to Caucasians only.
Protesters from Unite Against Fascism (UAF) waved signs that read "EDL+BNP= Nazi racist thugs" and chanted "EDL, go to hell, and take your Nazi mates as well." The police made sure to keep UAF protestors away from ADL supporters who carried signs welcoming Wilders.
Meanwhile, Muslims inside and outside the U.K. continued their campaign against what they perceive as systematic and intentional insults directed against their religion, their holy book, and their prophet.
The campaigns, which are mostly launched on the internet and call for boycotting countries that insult Islam, cite Wilders' movie, the Danish cartoons, and Theo Van Gough's movie Submission as just a few, yet flagrant, examples European insults to Islam..
However, online campaigns also indicate that Muslims are losing hope as they no longer trust that serious political action will be taken to stop spread of Islamophobia in Europe.
The ban on Wilders' film last year was not only praised by Muslims, but also by British officials who view the MP as a fanatic extremist intent on inciting intolerance in Europe.
British MP George Galloway expressed his support for the British government's decision to ban Wilders from the U.K.
"I believe that this man, Wilders, from Holland is a racist hater of Muslims, hater of Islam, and he shouldn't be allowed into our country to whip up that hatred," Galloway said in a T.V. interview.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
The film, called Fitna, was screened at the House of Lords
#2
what they perceive as systematic and intentional insults directed against their religion, their holy book, and their prophet And what's the problem they have with that? Every other religion has EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM. Islam must be 'special.'
#5
The 'special' Anguer, is that Islam features, what has got to be, the most pathetic 'god' anyone every came up with. He can't stand any criticism or competition, no defectors, not even a rather lame cartoon or two.
Their god is 'special' in a 'short-bus' sort of way.
#16
There's case, IMO, for the accusation from Beck )cc banning the korn) - but its the term fascist Beck used which I find misleading. Beck meant the superficial book burning popular definition rather than the merging of business and government. If authoritarian, yeah ok but he (beck) took the easy charged word path. Whatever, his show, maybe time constraints or such.
I will say that many other civilizations when faced with enemies at the gates have done far further measures than "ban the ideological book of the enemy"; Rome vs. Carthage in Punic immediately comes to mind, mandatory blackouts of British cities during blitz, many examples.
(Not stating whether I agree or disagree with Wilders or Beck, just taking a look).
I do tend to fall on the ideological opposite side of tired cadenced chants and people who murder cartoonists. Notice than no MPs claim that there isn't intolerance, there is, just that some people make it show up on TV. I've seen these flicks, if they make you so mad you want to chew through a branch and piss on the fire department here is one of your problems: Poor Impulse Control. Of course it is that control which seperates humans from the animals - go figure it out.
The South Korean Red Cross has delivered 20 tons of powdered milk to North Korea to assist expecting mothers and young children in the impoverished country.
A group of South Korean Red Cross officials crossed the heavily-armed border Wednesday morning accompanied by two trucks carrying US$138,000 worth of powdered milk.
The aid was delivered to North Korean officials in Kaesong following the communist regime's response in January to accept Seoul's offer last year to send corn, milk and medical supplies.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
This should be OK as long as the milk isn't fortified with juche and melamine.
#2
I recall article after article that Asians are lactose intolerant, sending milk is NOT a "Nice" gesture, it gives them the shits and is best used as a Laxative or not drunk at all.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/11/2010 20:16 Comments ||
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[Dawn] An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan again failed Wednesday to frame charges against five young Americans accused of plotting attacks with Al-Qaeda-linked groups, lawyers said.
The US citizens facing trial in the eastern city of Sargodha were arrested in December 2009. Judge Anwar Nazeer has rejected a plea by defence lawyers for them to be released on bail because of lack of evidence.
The judge has adjourned the hearing until March 17, public prosecutor, Naveed Akram Cheema said.
"Charges could not be framed against the accused today, because some documents were needed which were not annexed with the charge sheet filed by the police earlier," he said. "We requested the court that we want to attach these documents and the court has fixed March 17 for the next hearing," Cheema said.
The judge decided Wednesday to transfer the hearing from an anti-terrorism court to Sargodha district jail for security fears, lawyers told reporters.
The proceedings were held amid tight security and reporters were not allowed inside the prison where the accused have been languishing.
The men, aged between 18 and 25, face life imprisonment if found guilty.
A Pakistani court has also barred their deportation to the United States, where they all lived before travelling to Pakistan last year. Just as well, Bambi would just apologize to them ...
The men have claimed to have been tortured in custody but prison officials have denied the accusations.
A US diplomat visited the court before the trial began and left before the hearing started, making no comment to reporters.
Pakistani officials say the men planned to travel to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban against US troops. They have denied links to Al-Qaeda and said they wanted to go to Afghanistan for charity work.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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An agent linked to disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan had offered Saddam Hussein a $150 million nuclear "package" deal guaranteeing Iraq a weapons-assembly line capable of producing nuclear warheads in as little as three years, the Washington Post reported today.
The offer made in 1990 to then Iraqi president as troops massed on his border near the start of the Persian Gulf War included not only weapons designs but also production plants and foreign experts to supervise the building of a nuclear bomb, the daily said citing documents uncovered by a former UN weapons inspector, David Albright.
Iraqi officials at the time appear to have taken the offer seriously and asked the Pakistanis for sample drawings as proof of their ability to deliver, the documents show according to the nuclear weapons expert, who describes the proposed deal in a new book, the Post said.
Khan's alleged interest in selling nuclear secrets to Hussein has been reported in numerous books and news articles. But the newly uncovered documents suggest that Khan's offer of nuclear assistance was more comprehensive than previously known, the daily said.
A 1990 letter attributed to a Khan business associate offered Iraq a chance to leap past technical hurdles to acquire weapons capability.
"Pakistan had to spend a period of 10 years and an amount of 300 million U.S. dollars to get it," begins one of the memos as cited by the Post
"Now, with the practical experience and worldwide contacts Pakistan has developed, you could have A.B. in about three years' time and by spending about $150 million."
"A.B." was understood to mean "atomic bomb," Albright wrote in "Peddling Peril: How the Secret Nuclear Trade Arms America's Enemies," released this week.
Aid from the Pakistani scientist could have accelerated Iraq's quest for a weapon if the Iraqi leader had not run out of time, writes Albright, a former UN inspector who now heads the non-profit Institute for Science and International Security.
One memo cited in the book promised to provide "all the vital components and materials" needed to make fissile material, and added that "two to three Pakistani scientists could be persuaded to resign and join the new assignment" in Iraq.
Pakistan says Khan acted alone in seeking to sell his country's nuclear secrets. But Khan, in a series of memos and letters obtained by The Post, says he carried out the instructions of senior government and military officials.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A new play has shocked audiences in the Gaza Strip by shouting out what many in the Hamas-ruled territory mutter behind closed doors -- that Palestinian politicians are a bunch of crooks.
The biting comedy entitled "Umbilical Cord" goes after the Islamist Hamas and its secular Fatah rivals, accusing them of ignoring the suffering of their people and selling out to Iran and the United States, respectively. Though it takes to task all the main Palestinian factions, the play is remarkable for its criticism of Hamas, which has ruled the embattled territory since driving out its Fatah rivals in June 2007.
"I was afraid it would be prevented from being shown," said director Hazem Abu Hamid, whose invitations to the three-night run this week gave little hint of the content. "It's an escape valve for what people say in secret... their frustration about the division and their anger over the foreign aid that interferes with decisions."
Against the backdrop of a tumble-down refugee camp, the play's working-class characters relate tales of suffering under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the territory tightened after the takeover.
At one point a character representing Hamas claims to have liberated Gaza, from which Israel withdrew all of its troops and settlements in 2005, and of being "steadfast against the siege", drawing an angry reaction from other figures in the play.
"Gaza is under siege and every day the (Israeli) tanks enter," another character says. "The steadfastness against the blockade comes from our martyred children."
"But we bring you money in exchange for your martyred children," the man representing Fatah chimes in.
"Take my life and give me back my son. This is a dog's life, with no electricity, no flour, no jobs," says an actress playing a Palestinian refugee whose son was killed in an Israeli incursion. Not the snappiest play around. Perhaps Sean Penn and Alec Baldwin could help them out ...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Maybe not Our Town, but perhaps a milestone as the scale fall from their eyes and the Paleos begin to realize they have been played for patsies and suckers by the entire Arab world and the Persians, too. And the worst part - the Juice are still there.
[Iran Press TV Latest] The European Parliament backs the findings of a UN investigation that highlights Israel's war crimes in Gaza during the December 2008-January 2009 incursion into the costal region.
On Wednesday, European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the European Union to "demand the implementation of the Goldstone report's recommendations."
The resolution, which was approved by a vote of 335-287, said that the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, should monitor the progress of the implementation of the Goldstone report.
The report accused Israel of committing war crimes during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza while at the same time claimed that Hamas also violated international law to some degree.
It also called on both sides to prepare a report on the issue for further review by the UN.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
So this PS4, PSNetwork2 and MW4 won't be available for CES till 2014? Who'd thought the Air Force could be outsourced to Sony as a vidgame with people paying to play?
[Al Arabiya Latest] U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew into Riyadh on Wednesday for talks expected to focus on Iran's nuclear program and Washington's push for tough sanctions against Tehran.
Gates was due to meet King Abdullah as the Obama administration kept up a concerted effort to rally international support for punitive sanctions against Iran, despite misgivings by China and other countries.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are "incredibly concerned about Iran's nuclear program," as well as its growing missile arsenal and "destabilizing" role in the region, a U.S. defense official told reporters earlier.
"The secretary will provide an update about where we are on our policy on Iran as we pivot from the engagement track to the pressure track," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Frustrated with Iran's response to U.S. overtures for dialogue, the Obama administration has shifted its emphasis, vowing to pile pressure on Tehran to persuade it to abandon its uranium enrichment work.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] With the launch of Iran's first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr long overdue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the nuclear facility will become operational in 2010.
"The Bushehr nuclear power plant will be launched this year. Adjustment and aligning work is now being done," Lavrov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying on Tuesday.
He, however, did not specify an exact date for the launch of the plant, explaining that Russia's state nuclear giant Rosatom was in charge of the timetable.
Earlier this month, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi had also announced that the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr plant would become operational this year.
"The Bushehr power plant will be launched according to schedule by the end of the spring (late June). There is no problem in the process," Salehi said.
The construction of the Bushehr plant started in 1975 when Germany signed a contract with Iran. Berlin, however, pulled out of the project following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
As a result of the withdrawal, Iran signed a deal with Russia in 1995. Under the Iranian-Russian agreement, the plant was originally scheduled to come on-stream in 1999 but the completion of the project has repeatedly been delayed.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
What is the over-under on how long it stays operational?
That depends on what percentage of technicians are on the Israeli payroll, SteveS. After all, the project was s'posed to be complete ages ago, but somehow things kept going wrong...
Iran's president says the US must explain what its troops are doing in Afghanistan, as catching terrorists only requires intelligence work not military deployments.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the comment in a joint press conference with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Wednesday morning.
The Iranian president was responding to a question about the recent arrest of Jundallah leader Abdolmalek Rigi.
"Rigi is supported by the same people [and] governments, who have ill intentions for the government of Afghanistan and the Iranian nation. Rigi was a terrorist, who along with his associates killed more than 140 people," said Ahmadinejad.
"Was Iran able to stop him? Yes, we arrested Rigi. Of course that was achieved with the cooperation of the Afghan and Pakistani intelligence services... but [in that process] Iran killed no innocent people," he added.
"Is this not an example of the right way to fight terrorism? Why those who claim to be eager to fight terrorism are unsuccessful? Well the answer is that they themselves started terrorism and they want to fight it now. But they can't."
Ahmadinejad said that fighting terrorism is not possible with military surge, adding that terrorism can only be fought with intelligence cooperation.
Ahmadinejad was also asked about the significance of the simultaneous visit of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates to Afghanistan, to which he responded by asking the American official about the objectives of his trip.
"My question to Mr. Gates is what is he doing here? Your country is 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) away from the Middle East...Are you here to capture terrorists? Well if so it is clear what you must do, but if you are here to do something else, admit to it."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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The German Ambassador to Tehran has been summoned by an Iranian parliamentary committee over Berlin's decision to release the leader of a Kurdish terrorist group 'Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK).
"As a country which has broad relations with Iran, Tehran expects Germany to end its support for the PJAK terrorist group," Mehr News Agency quoted the Chairman of the Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying.
He added that Iran has strongly called on Germany to hand over the PJAK leader Abdolrahman Haji Ahmadi who is responsible for the killing of almost 300 Kurdish Iranians.
"The terrorist nature of individuals does not change through different nationalities. Germany should bring the PJAK leader to trial if it is truly determined in the campaign against terrorism," Boroujerdi said.
He expressed regret that the German police released Haji Ahmadi after his capture.
The German Ambassador Bernd Erbel vowed to convey Iran's concerns and expectations to his country's officials.
PJAK is an offshoot of the internationally-recognized terrorist group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which conducts deadly operations in Kurdish-populated regions of western Iran, as well as Turkey.
According to a New York Times report in October 2007, PJAK has "direct or indirect discussions" with American officials. Its ringleader reportedly visited Washington in the summer of 2007.
The group is even branded as a terrorist group by the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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Oil Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi has said that Iran is prepared to supply Zimbabwe with crude oil and refurbish its refineries.
Mir-Kazemi made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting with Zimbabwean Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Didymus Mutasa in Tehran.
"Zimbabwe is eager to utilize Iran's expertise for refurbishing of one of its refineries and to buy crude oil (from Iran)," Mir-Kazemi said.
He added that Iran has expressed its readiness to train the work force in the Zimbabwean oil industry in order to enable them to run and manage the country's oil operations in the future.
Mutasa, on his part, expressed optimism that Iran could supply the oil needed by Zimbabwe.
On Monday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran will help Zimbabwe as much as possible in view of the sanctions imposed on Harare by the West.
The Islamic Republic will stand by Zimbabwe against "illegal pressures," he said during a meeting with Mutasa.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/11/2010 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
