After his 13 hour flight to Afghanistan, Obama was unable to meet Karzai face-to-face on his short visit because helicopters were grounded by winds and weather. Instead, Obama held a video conference with Karzai only hours after leaked cables suggested American diplomats considered him weak and paranoid.
The office of president of Afghanistan is nearly powerless, and therefore so is the man who holds it. President Obama has made no secret that he is out to get Karzai, and he has promised to pull American troops out of Afghanistan on a timing that guaranteed that the however-curruptly elected government of Afghanistan would not be able to survive attacks by the Taliban and tribal warlords individually and in concert. Is it any wonder that President Karzai appears paranoid and weak, or that the oh-so-perceptive State Department employees might comment to the home office that he is so?
Nor, given the things President Obama has said about and to President Karzai, is it any wonder the latter feels no overwhelming need to experience the former's waspishness in person.
Ben Rhodes, a National Advisor, said the secret trip had been planned for more than a month so that Obama could meet troops in the war zone between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Good for him. Glad he went there and supported the troops. Exactly the right thing to do.
"It's always tough to serve in harm's way but when you're away from loved ones in the holiday season it's particularly hard, and the president wanted the ability to come out and have some time with them," Rhodes said.
A progress report on the nine-year-long war is expected to be released within weeks, assessing the effect of additional troops sent since last December. Aides said the December assessment would not be a "policy review", but an update.
The White House played down any breach with Kabul caused by WikiLeaks revealing Washington's vexation at Afghan corruption and Kazai's capricious leadership.
It's not like it's news to anyone involved, or anyone paying the slightest bit of attention.
In one secret memo the American ambassador portrayed Karzai as "unfamiliar with the basics of nation building" and "overly self-conscious" that his time of rave reviews from the West was over.
[Tolo News] Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan has offered his resignation because of increasing fears that documents to be published in WikiLeaks could end up with his replacement
The Canadian ambassador in Kabul, William Crosbie, has warned Ottawa that the US diplomatic cables will include criticisms he made about Afghanistan's Caped President Karzai and his powerful family at a meeting with other diplomats, and that this could require him to be replaced.
Mr Crosbie wrote in a diplomatic letter to Ottawa that, "My words about Karzai and the influence of his family may attract attention, and they will be damaging for our relations with him and his government if they do so."
"Much depends on how Karzai reacts to the WikiLeaks. Will they cause him to take steps that will be unacceptable for our ongoing support? There are several critical decision points in the coming weeks," he added.
The note is the first indication that leaks of cables could harm Canada's interests in Afghanistan.
Mr Crosbie is the only foreign diplomat named in the US cables recorded as criticising Mr Karzai and his family.
"The message is a report of a lengthy meeting on Feb. 20, 2010, in which I speak in very critical terms about the misuse of power by Karzai and his family (AWK is named)," Mr Crosbie wrote.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai remains a partner for the US although he disapproves Washington's campaign in the country.
American politicians believe that Mr Karzai`s critical remarks reveal 'impatience of a country that has been living in a state of war for 30 consecutive years'.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that his country wants to bring Afghanistan back to normal life but added that this will definitely take time. The Pentagon chief noted that a Nato summit in Lisbon approved a four-year plan on handing over control of some areas in Afghanistan to the local law-enforcement agencies within a year or two.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has also touched upon the issue. He said that the UK troops will leave Afghanistan by 2015, and stressed that the British army has been staying there not to build an ideal democratic society but to help the Afghan police ensure security amid Al-Qaeda threats.
Judging from what politicians say one may think that the situation in Afghanistan is not that bad after all.
Recently, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that a Nato-led mission, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, has achieved remarkable progress, with corruption remaining the only obstacle to stability in the region.
British military chiefs do not agree, however, and insist that the situation remains quite complicated and will hardly change for the better in the next four years.
It is evident that the US and British troops have got 'stuck' in Afghanistan. The Taliban are not going to surrender and continue to control the biggest part of the Afghan territory.
At the same time, relations between the ISAF and the Afghan authorities (and President Karzai in particular) have grown tense.
It appears that Washington and London have failed to learn sad lessons of the Iraq campaign, although Mr Cameron has said that ''the government would learn lessons from Iraq -- where there was no plan for winning the peace".
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... a Canadian envoy has warned that President Karzai may "burn his bridges" with Nato as a potential fallout over the newly released US diplomatic cables, a Canadian paper said on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"...Iraq -- where there was no plan for winning the peace".
Oddly enough, there is now enough peace for political quagmire to set in. Tanker trucks are no longer exploding and maiming hundreds. If it ain't peace, it's pretty close.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/03/2010 6:37 Comments ||
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#2
..for political quagmire to set in.
Many are looking for the same 'solution' in the Beltway as well.
#3
Karzai's no dummy. He knows that NATO is just looking for an excuse to bug out, leaving him twisting in the wind. So he is highly motivated to make other arrangements.
[Maghrebia] In light of the recent hijacking of the Tunisian-owned merchant vessel Hannibal II, Maghreb residents are increasingly concerned about the growing danger of Somalia's instability. To shed light on the situation, Magharebia spoke to Somali political analyst Mohammed Omar in Mogadishu. He tells the story behind the radical jihadi group al-Shabaab and reveals the movement's ties to international terrorists. As a keen observer of the violent events that have rocked Somalia in recent years, Omar has a deep understanding of the country's history and why it matters to the rest of Africa. He explains that the terrorist group imposes its radical ideology on the population by force and maintains little support among Somalis. Omar also provides a breakdown on the rise of Salafist groups and the links between al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Magharebia: Can you describe for us the origins of al-Shabaab?
Mohammed Omar: It's difficult to specify a certain time and say that the movement appeared at it, as its foundation has been a gradual process. In 1997, the Salafist al-Ittihad al-Islami group declared that it would relinquish its armed approach and would turn into a dawa (preaching) group. That decision angered some of the low-level leaders who didn't like it and who insisted on their armed approach.
After September 11th, the possibility that Somalia would be a target for a US attack increased; something that mobilised those young leaders to establish the movement, which soon had training bases in the Somali capital, which was controlled by warlords supported by external regional and international entities.
Magharebia: What is the relationship between al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)?
Omar: There's certainly co-operation between al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab, as evidenced by the statements made by the two sides. Al-Shabaab says that it is a part of al-Qaeda and boasts about its affiliation to Osama bin Laden, and al-Qaeda issues statements that support al-Shabaab and gives them pieces of advice, as al-Zawahri and Abu Yahya al-Libi usually do.
With the progress of training activities, it is believed that communication links between the group and the international al-Qaeda organisation started to increase. Foreign elements started to flow to Somalia. In the meantime, al-Shabaab was accused of carrying out liquidations against some secular figures and some of the Somali army officers who were accused of espionage. This has led the warlords to declare war on the group under the umbrella of the "anti-terror war".
Magharebia: Is al-Shabaab composed of only Somali citizens or are they receiving support from other regions?
Omar: It's clear that the group doesn't consist of Somali elements alone; rather, there are foreigners from different countries. However, The infamous However... it is difficult to estimate their number; some say their number is more than 1,000, while others dismiss that number, but estimates show that their number was not less than a few hundred.
That's because the number keeps changing, eager volunteers coming in from abroad at one end, eg England and America, and getting killed, either because they aren't very good at it or because they revealed that they'd changed their mind about jihad being their calling, at the other end.
Magharebia: How does the Somali street view them?
Omar: The Somali street differs in its view of al-Shabaab movement. However, The infamous However... the overall view seems to be negative since the group didn't come with the consent of the people
and doesn't express the aspirations of the Somali people who long for the establishment of security and stability, creation of a state of institutions, and activation of national reconciliation as the basis for establishing an effective state. The second factor that makes people's view of that group a negative one is the presence of foreigners
Damned foreigners beating our men for singing and our women for wearing support garments!
who take part in charting the group's policies. The group doesn't express the hopes of the Somali people. Another factor is their adoption of a bloody approach on the domestic level and aggressive policy towards neighbouring countries.
Magharebia: There were a number of terrorist attacks carried out by al-Shabaab in African countries. Do such operations mean that this movement has moved from the local Somali problem to an international one?
Omar: Yes, there are operations carried out by al-Shabaab in several countries, such as the Kampala bombings in which 70 people were killed, and which al-Shabaab grabbed credit for. Currently, there are increasing consultations among neighbouring countries to ward off the threats of al-Shabaab in the region. Both Uganda and Burundi, which have forces in Somalia, are calling for sending troops to Somalia to fight al-Shabaab as part of the war on al-Qaeda all over the world.
Magharebia: Is there any relationship between al-Shabaab and maritime piracy, such as the hijacking of the Tunisian fat merchantman Hannibal II?
Omar: It's widely believed that al-Shabaab is not actually engaged in piracy, although they are controlling several ports in southern Somalia. They are accused of turning a blind eye to the pirates in the areas under their influence, perhaps because they believe that Western countries are the most affected parties in these operations. International forces arrest gangs of pirates every day, but no charges are made against any of them of belonging to al-Shabaab; something that dismisses any links between al-Shabaab and piracy.
Magharebia: How do they finance their operations?
Omar: As far as financing is concerned, outside observers can't give their opinions about it. However, The infamous However... we can just say that the enormity of operations that al-Shabaab is carrying out and the vast areas of land they are controlling require large-scale financing. If the link between the parent organisation and al-Shabaab is confirmed, then there must be some sort of financing.
Magharebia: How do you see the future of this group in the near term?
Omar: Most analysts believe that the chances of survival for al-Shabaab may wane due to the factors I cited above - their project doesn't stem from the Somali people's priorities, presence of foreign agenda, the area they control is ruled by force, etc. Most analysts make this conclusion. They also talk about the forces that will benefit from the group's disappearance.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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#2
Wow! Three of "the infamous however" in one article. is it really necessary to use this tag on every single appearance of the word "however" in any given article? It's tiresome. Let's throw in a break from tags on "Meanwhile", "Human Rights", "Hilary Clinton", etc.. No longer funny due to overuse, a break of a week or so from this irritation would be nice.
Not a great deal of deep thinking being done on the subject, it seems. Oh, well, it's not as if this government's reputation can be much worse on the subject of deep thinking internationally...
[Arab News] Major problems faced by Saudi freshmen in foreign universities were discussed at a forum in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Only just now? The 9/11 hijackers were mostly in the U.S. on student visas, as I recall.
Speaking to an audience of students who have qualified for the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program at the third day of the forum, which began on Monday, Muhammad Al-Bajad, a faculty member at Prince Naif University for Security Sciences, warned students about joining groups or parties that are banned in the countries where they go.
"A student should not become involved in any activity that violates the law of that country, and should not make friends with students who are unsafe to associate with," Al-Bajad said.
Good advice, even if one isn't Saudi.
He further warned against giving contributions or gifts to illegal or unlicensed organizations.
Ditto. Nor to drug dealers or pimps. Even if one isn't a foreigner on a student visa.
"Just because the female in question is not wearing a black sack, it does not mean she is exposed cat meat, no matter how we interpret such behaviour at home."
In his address, Deputy Minister of Minister of Education Faisal bin Abdul Rahman Al-Muammar said Saudi students should work hard to achieve academic excellence and reminded them that their counterparts from other countries do not enjoy the privileges enjoyed by them.
Although those others do get to talk to members of the opposite sex without worrying about being beaten by the Muttawa.
Makki warned students intending to pursue higher education in Ireland to be careful about the validity of their visas because they cannot be extended there and they will be forced to return to Soddy Arabia for visa renewal.
He added that the ministry provided accommodation for Saudi students because of the high cost of living there. "The most important reason for sending students to Japan is to help them take advantage of the country's expertise in science and technology," Al-Damak said. He also stressed that students should be punctual when attending lectures.
In his speech, director of legal administration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Muhammad Al-Shamri said students should abide by the immigration laws of the country and the regulations of the university where they are studying.
They should also take care not to break traffic regulations and rules governing intellectual property rights and keep away from potentially dodgy places.
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Imam Muhammad Islamic University Muhammad Al-Tuweijari called on students to work hard and not be overcome by fear of failure, disappointment or depression while in foreign countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] [Arab News] The role of Saudi women in Al-Qaeda is, apparently, marginal; only 15 women have been established to have links with the terrorist organization.
The tasks of women snuffies in the earlier days were confined to assisting in logistic matters such as helping wanted beturbanned goons travel without attracting police attention in addition to offering moral support to them. Gradually some of them turned to terror recruiters, financiers and even a media relations officer like Bint Najd, who distributed terror propaganda online.
Al-Qaeda started recruiting women in the Kingdom in 2004. The first known female terrorist was the wife of the Kingdom's Al-Qaeda chief Saleh Al-Oufi, who was killed in 2005.
Many terror activists donned women's clothes and moved in women's company to cross police checkpoints undetected. Ali bin Abdul Rahman Al-Ghamdi, one of the 19 Al-Qaeda men wanted by the Interior Ministry in the past, used to travel between Madinah and Jeddah wearing abaya and in the company of women before he surrendered to Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs Prince Muhammad bin Naif in 2003. His Moroccan wife was also with him.
Wives of beturbanned goons used to accompany their husbands and help them go underground. Al-Oufi's wife hid his three children in a relative's house in Madinah after Al-Oufi's name figured in the ministry's list of bandidos published in 2003. She was caught in July 2004 when police raided a house in King Fahd district in Riyadh. Isa bin Saud Al-Oushi and Muejib Abu Ras Al-Dossary were killed in a police encounter in which three other beturbanned goons were maimed. It was also reported that police recovered the decapitated head of kidnapped American John Marshall from a cold storage within that house. Authorities also seized weapons from the house.
Al-Oufi's wife and three children were released by order of Interior Minister Prince Naif and sent to her brother before her husband was killed in a confrontation in 2005.
Wafa Al-Shehri is another notable Saudi female terrorist. She is wife of Saeed Al-Shehri, the second in command of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Her association with Al-Qaeda started with her marriage to Abdul Rahman Al-Ghamdi, who was killed in a clash with police in Taif in 2004. Later, Wafa married former Guantanamo detainee Al-Shehri after fleeing to Yemen.
Another Saudi woman in Al-Qaeda is Haila Al-Qusayyer, 47, the terror financier referred to by fellow beturbanned goons as Madame Al-Qaeda and Umm Al-Rabab. Al-Qusayyer had been wife to two Al-Qaeda beturbanned goons -- Abdul Kareem Al-Homaid and Muhammad Suleiman Al-Wakeel.
Al-Wakeel was killed in a security operation following a botched attempt against an Interior Ministry building in 2004.
Saeed Al-Shehri reportedly threatened to make several attacks and kidnaps in order to force the authorities to release Al-Qusayyer, who was captured by Saudi forces from the house of another wanted cut-thoat in Al-Khobaitiah district of Buraidah, Qassim province.
Al-Shehri, who planned to make Al-Qusayyer his second wife, sent two cut-thoats, Yusuf Al-Shehri and Raed Al-Harbi, from Yemen to Buraidah to smuggle her to Yemen in October 2009. Both beturbanned goons met their end at a checkpoint in Jazan.
Al-Qusayyer was noted for her fundraising skills, often collecting money from wealthy Saudis on the pretext of raising money for orphans and widows.
Bint Najd was the media chief of Al-Qaeda in the Kingdom. She operated more than 800 online clubs and blogs to promote the orc ideology and carried pseudonyms such as Al-Asad Al-Muhajir (The Migrant Lion), Al-Ghariba (The Exotic), Bint Najd Al-Habibah (Najd's Beloved Daughter) and Al-Najm Al-Satie (The Glowing Star).
She uploaded the orc websites with audio and video recordings and official statements of Al-Qaeda.
Abdul Munim Al-Mushawweh, director of the online Al-Sakeenah (Tranquility) Campaign against virulent deviant preaching that has been credited for reducing the online presence of extremism in the Kingdom, said he used to debate with the advocates of orc ideologies, including Bint Najd, but she never listened to his advice and was eventually jugged.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
for a guy who wants to kill Islamic extremists, Putin has been awful chummy with some of the biggist of their enablers and funders
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/03/2010 9:57 Comments ||
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#2
As per WIKILEAKS DOCS, RUSSIA is allegedly belabeled as a "VIRTUAL MAFIA STATE" CONTROLLED BY A COVERT RULING OLIGARCHY OF STATE SECURITY SERVICES, wid HIS VLAD-NESS repor being fingered by a Ukrainian Businessman as de facto linked to ORGANIZED RUSS CRIME = RUSS MAFIAS???
See ISRAEL NN > [US DefSec GATES]USDS: RUSSIAN DEMOCRACY HAS DISAPPEARED, replaced by above Oligarchy.
ARTIC = 'CUZIN DIMITRI deemed BETTER + MORE PRAGMATIC FOR US INTERESTS THAN 'CUZIN VLAD.
* RENSE > WIKILEAKS CLAIMS 200 US NUCLEAR BOMBS [hidden = stored] IN EUROPE.
A confidential State Department cable made public this week highlights China's role in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
The U.S. ambassador in far-off Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, confronted China's ambassador about a covert attempt by Beijing to bribe the government there to shut down the strategic U.S. military transit base at Manas in exchange for $3 billion in cash.
That's a substantial bribe. Why is China so interested in the war in Afghanistan?
#1
Chinese intelligence personnel, however, are another story, according to U.S. officials who have said Beijing's intelligence presence is very large in the country.
Mr. Zhang advised the U.S. ambassador on how to keep the base. "Just give them $150 million in cash [per year, and] you will have the base," he said.
That's probably closer to reality.
Russia is the top influence there because of their historical connection, China is moving in on a commercial basis, but they see Kyrgyzstan as small fry and the US need a base there because of Afghanistan. The The Kyrgyzis are trying to play one against the other, which would be closer to the truth because the average bureaucrat there lives in an alternative reality, in which money appears on trees, hence the three billion figure. They will then watch the reaction before making their next move. The thing with them is to make up a cock and bull story about why you can't give them anything and then get them to commiserate with you until the next time. That's what I do when I'm dealing with them.
Satellite images indicate North Korea might have suffered considerable casualties when South Korea returned fire after the North shelled its frontline island last week, a lawmaker said Thursday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) presented to parliament an image taken by the South's own satellite and another one collected by an unidentified foreign commercial satellite.
Kwon Yong-Se, a ruling party lawmaker who chairs the intelligence committee, told reporters after the presentation that about 10 shells landed near the North's military positions on Mudo island.
The South's shells mostly landed between two clusters of barracks about 100 metres (330 feet) apart and some came close to one of the clusters.
"One of the shells hit the rear of the barracks. It is possible to assume considerable casualties occurred," Kwon said.
In light of the fact that the impact circle of the South's indigenous K-9 self-propelled guns is 50 metres, the impact is believed to have been considerable, Kwon said. K-9 is 155mm.
#2
The North on November 23 fired up to 170 shells of which 80 hit Yeonpyeong island
Meanwhile, back at the ranch -
South Korea in response fired 80 rounds from its self-propelled guns. Of these, 35 landed in the sea, 15 on Mudo island and 30 at Kaemori on the mainland, according to the NIS.
Apparently, these are not the newer "smart" rounds. Not even a bomb in a pickle barrel from 20,000 feet.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/03/2010 6:43 Comments ||
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#3
Intersting site ... found it via Instapundit.
re the SoKo M109's SP's (or K-9). I don't believe the SoKo Army has Excalibur rounds in their operational inventory ... yet. Nice to have satellite imagery PRK will have to get that data from their ChiCom handlers. GPS data into the shell and pull the lanyard. CEP is 10 meters under most condidions. Almost as accurate as Paveway (One Bomb, One Target) in the case of Excalibur using PSWP's Rules of Modern Battlefield: If you are observable, you will be seen, if you are seen you will be targeted, if you are targeted, you will be hit.
#4
welcome PPWS, stick around - you'll find much to like
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2010 13:30 Comments ||
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#5
FREEREPUBLIC > KOREAN PENINSULA WAKES UP TO A NEW REALITY.
ARTIC > ROK = SOKOR must contemplate or consider that the North may choose to USE ALL OF ITS CONVENTIONAL, NUCLEAR WEAPONS? BEFORE IT BECOMES EXTINCT [self-implodes + collapses].
Artic also read, CHINA NOT SAFE FROM DESPERATE, PRE-COLLPASE DPRK MIL, NUKE THREAT.
* SPACEWAR.COM > NORTH KOREAN CRISIS REVEALS [US-Allied] IMPATIENCE WID CHIN'S CAUTION.
Also from SAME > MASS DISPLAY OF AIRCRAFT, WARSHIPS AT JAPAN-US EXERCISE, + SOUTH KOREA PLANS MORE DRILLS + TALKS WID US, JAPAN OVER NORTH.
* GLOBALRESEARCH.CA > SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL: THE RISE OF NEW KOREAN WAR?
* SAME > NORH KOREA AS PRETEXT: US BUILDS ASIAN MILITARY ALLIANCE AGZ CHINA + RUSSIA.
* DAILY TIMES.PK > CHINIA ISSUES WARNING [do not exacerbate/worsen] ON US-SOUTH KOREA-JAPAN TALKS, as per DPRK = NOKOR.
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > US TO PROTECT SMALL [Asian]NATIONS FROM CHINA'S BULLYINH | US REASSURES ASIAN ALLIES UN-NERVED BY CHINA.
* WMF > "USS GEORGE WASHINGTON" NUCLEAR AIRCRAFT CARRIER APPEARS OFF CHIN DAOYUS ON FIRST DAY OF US-JAPAN MILITARY DRILL, USAF B-52'S, FIGHTER JETS FROM GUAM BASE + OKINAWA ENGAGE IN SIMULATED "DEFENSIVE" ATTACK SORTIES AGZ "LARGE ENEMY SHIPS" TRYING TO PREVENT US-JAPAN RECONQUEST OF CPLA-HELD DAOYUS [Japan = Senkakus Islands].
* WMF > JAPANESE MEDIAS: ALLEGED "LIGHT" CHINESE FISHERY PATROL BOATS ARE EQUIPPED WID PLA-SUPPLIED ARMED HELICOPTERS + HEAVY WEAPONS. PATROL BOATS + PLA-ARMED COMMERCIAL FISHING TRAWLERS MAY BE PART OF CHIN "NEW STRATEGIC PLAN" AZG JAPAN FOR CONROL OF THE DAOYUS.
Now all their families will be killed. Nice going Wikileaks, more blood on your hands.
Among senior North Korea officials whose defection to the South was revealed by the WikiLeaks cables is Sol Jong-sik, the first secretary of the Youth League in North Korea's Ryanggang Province. Sol (40) fled the North in June last year, it emerged on Thursday.
Another is the chief of an overseas mission in Northeast Asia, who defected in the second half of last year. And a former head of a North Korean corporation charged with earning hard currency for the regime has also defected to Seoul.
"Sol Jong-sik was one of the most prominent officials in their 30s and 40s who assumed key positions in Pyongyang and provincial regions after Kim Jong-un was designated as the heir apparent to the leadership last year,” a North Korean source said.
The Youth League is a key social organization with a nationwide network. Many of the league's senior members move on to key offices in the Workers Party. "Sol is interested in the outside world and likes South Korean TV dramas," the source said. "I understand he fled the North due to a problem caused by these propensities."
A directory for North Korea's organizations published by the Unification Ministry in 2009 identifies Sol Jong-sik as the first secretary of the Youth League in Ryanggang Province. But in the 2010 edition the entry is blank.
The high-ranking diplomat in Northeast Asia "fled the North late last year and the head of the corporation in charge of earning hard currency traveled overseas to buy electrical materials and defected," another source said.
According to a U.S. diplomatic cable disclosed by WikiLeaks, then foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan told U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues Robert King, who was visiting Seoul in January this year, "An unspecified number of high-ranking North Korean officials working overseas had recently defected." The situation in the North was becoming "increasingly chaotic," Yu added.
The National Intelligence Service refused to confirm the reports.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, this is just the sort of thing we need for good goverernance, isn't it?
Funny how even the holiest of do-gooders has collateral damage.
Good thing Julian doesn't have a conscience.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/03/2010 6:14 Comments ||
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#2
cant wait to see the true believers spin this one. why cant the feds shut off his server for hosting copyright material they have no rights to?
Posted by: abu do you love ||
12/03/2010 7:05 Comments ||
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#3
Actually I asked the copyright question, too, and was told the U.S. officials cannot act on copyright issues because everything the U.S. government writes has no copyright attached to it?
Can anyone confirm this? I guess a take down notice claiming the DCMA should have been the easiest way of stopping the publishing on websites?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/03/2010 9:13 Comments ||
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#4
It's funny how the government has more mechanisms for protecting the rights of Sony and Disney than they do for protecting the lives of people in war zones or trying to escape tyranny.
#5
there are many more 'leaks' on that site than the ones getting all the press. i am sure some of them can be protected somehow.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
12/03/2010 9:35 Comments ||
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#6
where's Anon1 to defend Assange and glow in his halo light? Real blood on his hands indeed
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/03/2010 10:41 Comments ||
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#7
From the Q & A in the Guardian earlier today
JAnthony
Julian.
I am a former British diplomat. In the course of my former duties I helped to coordinate multilateral action against a brutal regime in the Balkans, impose sanctions on a renegade state threatening ethnic cleansing, and negotiate a debt relief programme for an impoverished nation. None of this would have been possible without the security and secrecy of diplomatic correspondence, and the protection of that correspondence from publication under the laws of the UK and many other liberal and democratic states. An embassy which cannot securely offer advice or pass messages back to London is an embassy which cannot operate. Diplomacy cannot operate without discretion and the
protection of sources. This applies to the UK and the UN as much as the US.
In publishing this massive volume of correspondence, Wikileaks is not highlighting specific cases of wrongdoing but undermining the entire process of diplomacy. If you can publish US cables then you can publish UK telegrams and UN emails.
My question to you is: why should we not hold you personally responsible when next an international crisis goes unresolved because diplomats cannot function.
Julian Assange:
If you trim the vast editorial letter to the singular question actually asked, I would be happy to give it my attention.
Enough said, I guess.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/03/2010 11:38 Comments ||
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#8
am I the only one who thinks Julian looks just like Gollum?
I could be satisfied if he spent a good number of years in solitary confinement, pondering the results of his actions... including having so much time to think, uninterrupted.
#12
Hard labor at Leavenworth - put him in the cell next to Manning. Or else send him to Supermax in Colorado with all those wonderful terrorists he just helped.
North Korea "fattened up" people selected for reunions of families separated by the Korean War with regular meals and vitamins, Der Spiegel reported Wednesday quoting a U.S. diplomatic cable disclosed by WikiLeaks.
Now they'll get all thinned out in a concentration camp, along with all their families. Nice going, Wikileaks.
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul filed a report on the reunions in August 2009 that said North Koreans are selected for the reunions based on their loyalty to the state and "transported to Pyongyang and then fattened up with regular meals and vitamins to mask the extent of food shortages and chronic malnutrition in the North."
The same report recounts the experience of a South Korean delegation to the North, who were reportedly asked to provide a "gift" and required to pay "US$50 per person" themselves for a banquet arranged for them.
Another cable, filed by the U.S. Consulate General in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang in 2009, touched on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. According to the dispatch, one businesswoman, who is powerful enough not to fear the North Koreans, met Kim Jong-il at his guest villa on Mt. Myohyang, where she found the dictator "in good health and spirits." She said she got the impression that Kim, "detail-oriented, charismatic and with a good memory," was in control of everything.
Kim, thought to be seriously ill, seems not to be following doctors' orders and concerned about his health at all," the cable said. He "lit a cigarette as soon as the formal one-hour meeting ended, drank champagne before dinner, whiskey cocktails during the meal, and continued to chain-smoke throughout the private dinner."
It added the businesswoman recalled Kim's mistress, "Kim Ok, sitting on a separate sofa and taking notes."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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China obtained information in 2008 that North Korea has a secret underwater nuclear facility in its coastal waters, leaked U.S. diplomatic cables show.
According to a Sept. 26, 2008 cable from the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai disclosed by WikiLeaks, a North Korea expert in Shanghai announced this in a meeting about the six-party nuclear talks with Christopher Beede, the political and economic chief at the consulate.
The expert said the nuclear declaration the North submitted to China, the chair of the six-party talks, in May the same year was "incomplete" and Beijing had information that the North had a secret underwater nuclear facility. "For this reason, a debate has emerged within the Chinese leadership" over the six-party talks, he added.
The source said some Chinese leaders believed that "continued momentum in the six-party talks is critical to their success" and that "Washington must adopt a more flexible attitude." Others took the "incomplete nuclear declaration as evidence that the regime in Pyongyang is truly 'a ticking time bomb'" and regarded "Washington's tough stance on verification as a potential opportunity" to control the North.
But a senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official said on Thursday said the cable "is not true. If it were true, would participating nations of the six-party talks have kept quiet?"
#2
ION PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > CHINA FINDS US-TAIWAN TIES "IRKSOME", espec US Arms Sales to same.
IMO ARTIC read, CHIN-DESIRED "WARM-WATER PORTS".
MORESO GIVEN
* TOPIX > RUSSIA CHANGES ITS MIND ON DISPUTED JAPAN ISLANDS.
Oh yeah, RUSSIA will repor accept + tolerate a formal visit by Japanese PM NATO KAN to its NOW-ARE-PERMAMNENT-RUSSIAN-SOVEREIGN-TERRITORY FORMER JAPANESE KURILES, but just to make sure that Nippon is ticked off has changed its mind about EVAR! giving back at least TWO OF SAME BACK TO JAPAN [Cold War promise].
JAPAN GAINED A DIPLOMATIC VISIT BUT LOST TWO ISLANDS, presum that Moscow was gong to return them back at some point in the future.
[Chosun Ilbo] North Korean hereditary supremo Kim Jong-il's son and heir Jong-un ... aka Baby Leader... ... who looks pretty well fed ... Hasn't missed a lot of formula, that 'un...
ordered the military in early November to prepare for an artillery attack on South Korea, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday quoting a source.
The Japanese daily quoted the source, who is familiar with North Korea-China relations, as saying, "Early last month, the North Korean military issued instructions in Kim Sonny Jong-un's name to senior military commanders to get ready to counter the enemy's provocations any time." The source quoted an unnamed North Korean Army officer as commenting on the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong. "It had been planned. We had been preparing for that for a long time."
The North Korean military was waiting for a chance and then attacked under the pretext of countering an annual South Korean military exercise, the daily speculated.
"According to several sources familiar with the internal situation in the North, the regime needed to accelerate efforts to establish the image of Kim Sonny Jong-un as a strong leader to quell discontent among some soldiers," the daily said.
"Some intelligence reports say the North will stage a military exercise for all troops for six months from Wednesday to tighten controls," it added.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... a leaked U.S. diplomatic document disclosed on Wednesday speculates that a disastrous currency reform the regime carried out late last year was aimed at ferreting out those who opposed Kim Sonny Jong-un as the heir to the leadership.
According to a telegram from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow disclosed by WikiLeaks, David Shear, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, met a "major player" involved in North Korea-China trade in Shenyang, China on Dec. 15 last year to get information about the internal situation in North Korea.
The official, identified with 12 "X"s instead of his name, said the most important reason why the North Korean regime conducted the currency reform was to ferret out opponents of Kim Sonny Jong-un. The aim was to control inflation and narrow the economic gap, apparently in the belief that opponents of the reform would also oppose the succession. But Kim Jong-il's eldest son Jong-nam opposed it, he said.
Jong-un inclines to Vietnamese-style reform, while Jong-nam reportedly prefers Chinese-style economic opening. Kim senior supported the currency reform and thus Jong-un.
Kim Jong-il has become more paranoid recently to the point where he ordered all students and academics home from China right after an exchange student in China sought asylum in a foreign country.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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[11129 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#1
Why does this vaguely remind of how, when they had finished a fox hunt successfully, some of the blood from the fox was smeared on the pasty face of some fat cheeked young son of a noble lord? A practice called "blooding".
[The Nation (Nairobi)] British police know the whereabouts of Julian Assange, his lawyer said on Thursday amid reports that they have failed to detain the WikiLeaks founder because of an error in a Swedish arrest warrant.
Newspapers in Britain reported that the 39-year-old Australian was believed to be in southeast England and that Scotland Yard had been in touch with his legal team for weeks but had been hamstrung by Stockholm's mistake.
"Scotland Yard know where he is, the security services from a number of countries know where is," Mark Stephens, Assange's London-based lawyer, told AFP.
"The (British) police are being slightly foxy in their answers, but they know exactly how to get in touch with him, as do the Swedish prosecutors."
Asked about the reports that the nomadic former computer hacker was in southeast England, Stephens said: "I have not said that. I am not saying where he is."
A WikiLeaks front man said on Wednesday that Assange had to remain out of the public eye because he had faced liquidation threats following the whistleblowing website's publication of secret US diplomatic cables.
Swedish police said on Thursday they would issue a new international warrant for Assange on suspicion of "rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion" to replace one that could not be applied because of a procedural error.
The announcement came after Sweden's supreme court refused to hear an appeal by Assange against the warrant which relates to events in Sweden in August. Interpol has also placed him on a wanted list.
The Times and the Independent quoted British police sources as saying that Assange had supplied Scotland Yard with his contact details when he arrived in the country in October.
They have his telephone number and know where he is staying, the police sources said. Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency, which certifies extradition requests received from outside Britain, nor Scotland Yard, which acts on them, both refused to confirm the reports.
"We do not discuss any purported communication regarding extradition cases unless a person has been placed before the City of Westminster Magistrates Court," a Scotland Yard front man said.
Stephens has said the Interpol move may be related to US anger over the revelations by WikiLeaks, which has also published papers on the Iraq and Afghan wars in recent months.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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#2
Because Profiling would actually help solve the problem. And the goal isn't to solve the problem or make flying safer - but too exploit the problem to extend government control over people's lives.
#3
...because if it is done to the muzzie community then the idea could shift to other 'communities' that would be subject to similar scrutiny for levels of violence and dysfunctional group behaviors that can't just be ignored by blaming someone else for it all.
#4
Muslims could actually help everybody else out a lot by volunteering for special security inspection just for them.
Not only would it reduce a lot of tension directed at them, and expedite them on their travel, but it would show up the hated inspections of the general public as even more useless.
What's not to like? Less hassle for them, and sympathy from many others.
#7
IIRC LAURA INGRAHAM + then-new PATRIOT ACT > ANTI-TERROR PROFILING + ANTI-DUBYA WASHINGTON PCORRECTNESS-DENIABILITY = USDHS-CIS making non-Profile Matching Grandma + Aunt Sally, etal. strip their clothes while allowing Bomb-happy AHMED through the Gates???
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A hardline, pro-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric Friday offered a reward [about $6k]
for anyone who kills a Christian woman sentenced to death by a court on charges of insulting Islam. [the other day a self professing "highly knowledgeable" fellow told me that "Christianity is as bad as Islam" I asked him how many Ministers set up reward funds for killing people who insulted Christianity? He told me I was a fool and left indignantly before I could ask him if he thought his synagogue's security upgrades had been funded to thwart Christian radicals]
The sentence against Asia Bibi has renewed debate about Pakistan's blasphemy law which critics say is used to persecute religious minorities, fan religious extremism and settle personal scores. Non-Muslim minorities account roughly 4 percent of Pakistan's about 170 million population.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/03/2010 13:03 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
How about an award for this mook's head, on a platter?
#2
You wouldnt want to be one of the 4% minority in Pakistan.
How about we treat muslims the same way they treat christians in muslim countries.They would quickly leave the West!
Posted by: Paul D ||
12/03/2010 16:48 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Pakistan Anti Terrorist Act, Article 7:
'Prohibition of acts intended or likely to stir up sectarian hatred.
---A person who--¬(a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviors, or
(b) displays, publishes or distributes any written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting; or
(c) distributes or shows or plays a recording of visual images or sounds recording of visual images or sounds which are threatening, abusive or insulting; or
(d) has in his possession written material or a recording or visual images or sounds which are threatening, abusive or insulting with a view to their being displayed or published by himself or another.'
'Whoever commits a terrorist act shall---
(1) if such act has resulted in the death of any person be punished with death; and
(ii) in any other case be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years but may extend to life imprisonment, and shall also be liable to fine.
#5
I agree that this Imam should have just issued his own death warrant. I also know how this could be done with minimal exposure, by using an assassination dead pool.
An anonymous source posts a list of names in some isolated part of the Internet, then bettors place bets that someone on the list will die. With each bet, the bettor gets a random, 13 digit code number. The bettor whose bet is closest to the time when the person named on the list dies wins the pool, less a small fee for administration.
This means that those who place bets are either those paying for the assassination, or the assassin. They never meet and know nothing of each other.
Of course, whoever is managing the assassination pool could cheat the assassin, but even with considerable anonymity, that might not be a very wise thing to do.
The trick is to get the location of the pool known to just those individuals with a stake in having someone die, and those who might be interested in speeding up the process, and winning a whole bunch of money.
Not something I'd even want to know the possible existence of, Anonymoose. It could so easily get out of hand, given even one member with an odd sense of humour.
First they want us to leave, now they want us to stay ...
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The ongoing U.S. military draw down in Iraq is making it more difficult for the United Nations to carry out its operations, which range from the humanitarian to the development to the political fields, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his latest report issued Wednesday.
“While there has been gradual progress over the past several years in making the United Nations more self-reliant in Iraq, certain security and logistical arrangements still being provided by the United States will need to be replaced,” he said in his report to the UN Security Council, in which he also cites continuing though lower-level violence and the need to build swiftly on gains in the political field to provide essential services to the Iraqi people.
The UN doesn't need to be 'self-reliant' in Iraq. The Iraqis need to be self-reliant. One good way to do that is to boot the UN parasites.
“While steps are being taken in this (security) regard, this will only be possible with strong financial support from member states,” he said, adding that overall the withdrawal of U.S. forces is likely to have a short- to medium-term effect on the security situation as the central government attempts to assert itself.
The secretary-general commended all political blocs for reaching agreements that appear to have ended the deadlock in forming a new government after elections in March. “The breakthrough represents a major milestone in democratic progress for Iraq and should pave the way for the first peaceful transition between elected governments under full Iraqi sovereignty,” he said.
Ban called on leaders to swiftly complete forming the new government and ensure that it is inclusive and broadly participatory. “Progress in this regard will help put the country on the path towards democracy, national reconciliation and long- term stability.”
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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[11126 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The UN is engaged in setting up a large, country-sized refugee cam modeled on the Paleos. Just think how much skim they can get out of a scam this size.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
12/03/2010 9:49 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"While steps are being taken in this (security) regard, this will only be possible with strong financial support from member states."
#3
HMMMMM, HMMM, wehell now, unless I've missed something, "GLOBALISM" + "DIVERSITY" + OWG-NWO, + 1990's CLINTONIAN "[Arrogant Fascist Male Brute]US MUST BE RESTRAINED/CONTROLLED"
+ DA LIKE = US ALLIES BEING ABLE TO EFFEC PICK UP WHERE THE OBAMA-VERIFIED "WEAK/DECLINING"
US - the OWG MIGHTY USSA = OWG WEAK USRoA Global SSR, America = Amerika - LEAVES OFF, among other.
Correct-a-mundo???
Technically speaking, any "US DRAWDOWN" shouldn't seriously hamper anything.
[Arab News] Iraq's interior minister called Thursday for the death penalty for a group of 39 Al-Qaeda-linked suspects even before they have been put on trial for allegedly plotting to bomb targets in Storied Baghdad.
Showing off the handcuffed suspects at a Storied Baghdadpresser, Interior Minister Jawad Al-Bolani told news hounds he is confident the men will be found guilty, citing their alleged confessions, documents and video found at their homes that he said showed their earlier attacks and plans to carry out new ones.
He did not say when the men were jugged, but described them as operatives of the Islamic State of Iraq, an Al-Qaeda wing, who were based in Iraq's western Anbar province.
"Today, we will send those criminals and the investigation results to the courts that will sentence them to death," Al-Bolani told news hounds. "Our demand is not to delay the carrying out of the executions against these criminals so that to deter terrorist and criminal elements." The prisoners, who were wearing orange jumpsuits, were silent throughout the news conference.
Al-Bolani, who is struggling to keep his job as Iraq's leaders vie for top ministry posts in the new government, said sentencing the men to death quickly would ensure they are not released by security forces.
He said swift execution, as many Iraqis demand for terrorists, also would serve as a deterrent to bad boys.
Al-Bolani wore a black-and-white tribal headdress at Thursday's announcement -- a nod to several Anbar sheiks who were in the audience.
Authorities said one of the suspects was tasked with recruiting imported muscle to launch attacks in Iraq, such as the Oct. 31 siege on a Catholic church in Storied Baghdad that left 68 dead and is believed to have been carried out by men with north African accents.
Iraq had earlier announced the arrests of 14 suspected in the bloody church siege. Officials said those detainees were related to Thursday's 39 suspects only through shared support Al-Qaeda.
Al-Bolani said the recruitment was unsuccessful, adding: "Al-Qaeda in Iraq has failed in recruiting non-Iraq or Arab members who used to come from different countries." His remarks came as the Defense Ministry front man announced the capture of a Moroccan fighter in a raid in the northern city of djinn-infested Mosul. The front man, Maj. Gen.
Mohammed Al-Askari, said two fighters who were killed in the Thursday morning raid were not from Iraq.
Al-Bolani's comments appear to belie millions of dollars the US has spent trying to implore the rule of law on Iraq, in part by making sure detainees get a fair trial.
Abdul-Rahman Najim Al-Mashhadani, head of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization that has been helping reform Iraq's judicial system, scoffed at Al-Bolani's comments and predicted at some of the suspects would be found not guilty.
"Verdicts should be issued by courts, not by ministers who should be confined to the powers given to them only, especially if they are in the outgoing government," Al-Mashhadani said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] It would probably just be easier to come up with a very short list of things Paleostinians aren't angry about.
Israel has granted preliminary approval for 625 new homes in east Jerusalem, prompting an angry response from Paleostinians on Thursday as peace talks remained stuck over settlement construction.
The plan for a new housing project received preliminary approval from a district planning committee, which published an announcement on Nov. 25. Further approval is required, and if the plan is given final approval construction will not begin for about two years.
According to the announcement in the Maariv daily, the homes are part of a "residential neighborhood" in Pisgat Zeev, a sprawling area of 50,000 residents. Israelis consider it a neighborhood of their capital, while the Paleostinians view it as a settlement.
The Paleostinians have refused to resume peace talks with Israel without a full construction freeze that would include the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the part of the city they want for the capital of a future state. Israel, which sees all of Jerusalem as its own capital, has rejected that condition and has continued approving new projects there even as US mediators try to revive the talks.
The leader of the Paleostinian government in the West Bank, President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas, was to meet with US officials Thursday for an update on those efforts.
"It seems obvious that we have received the Israeli answer to the American attempts to stop settlements," Paleostinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday. Israel has chosen "settlements and not peace," he said.
In the Gazoo Strip, which is ruled by the bad boyHamas, always the voice of sweet reason, group, Israeli soldiers killed two gunnies from the Islamic Jihad organization in an overnight clash along the Gazoo-Israel border fence, the Israeli military said.
Islamic Jihad did not immediately confirm the deaths.
Violence has dropped in Gazoo since the end of Israel's offensive in the territory in early 2009, but bad boy attacks on the border and sporadic rocket fire have continued.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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[11126 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
[Arab News] The Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, movement would accept the outcome of a Paleostinian referendum on a future peace treaty with the Jewish state, its Gazoo leader said on Wednesday. So long as the vote goes the way they say it's supposed to go ...
Ismael Haniyeh, addressing a news conference in the Israeli-blockaded enclave, signaled a softening of Hamas' long-standing position prohibiting the ceding of any part of the land of what was British-mandated Paleostine until 1948.
"We accept a Paleostinian state on the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital, the release of Paleostinian prisoners, and the resolution of the issue of refugees," Haniyeh said, referring to the year of Middle East war in which Israel captured East Jerusalem and the Paleostinian territories.
"Hamas will respect the results (of a referendum) regardless of whether it differs with its ideology and principles," he said, provided it included all Paleostinians in Gazoo, the West Bank and the diaspora. The Hamas charter, drafted in 1988, regards all of the land of Paleostine, including what is now Israel, as the heritage of Mohammedans.
The idea of a referendum on a future peace accord with Israel was rejected by some Hamas leaders when it was proposed by Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas several months ago.
Negotiations between Abbas and Israel have since faltered over Israel's refusal to halt settlement building in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Haniyeh said Israel was not willing to give the Paleostinians a fully sovereign state and he therefore had no hope the fragile US- brokered attempts to revive peacemaking would succeed. He said his movement was willing to cooperate with Western and European countries "who want to help the Paleostinian people regain their rights."
The United States and European Union shun Hamas as a terrorist organization and do not recognize its Gazoo authority.
"We urge European foreign ministers to revise their position regarding meetings with the elected government," Haniyeh said, adding that contacts were being made with United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society officials in the Gazoo Strip in this regard. Haniyeh denied Israel's claim to have killed three members of the Al-Qaeda organization in Gazoo in the past month.
Israel said two of three forces of Evil it killed in November were planning attacks against Israeli and western tourists in the Egyptian territory of Sinai.
Haniyeh told news hounds that such allegations are lies meant to prepare the ground for future Isreali attacks on Gazoo. He says he sent a reassuring letter to Egypt's intelligence chief.
He said a priority of his government was to avoid a military escalation with Israel by persuading other bad turban factions to preserve a de facto cease-fire.
Hamas had repeatedly distanced itself from Al-Qaeda and had not hesitated to condemn Al-Qaeda-claimed attacks in some Arab and Western capitals, he noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
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[11136 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
So they vote for peace. Can Hamas control all the gunnies? Can they enforce anything except mayhem?
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/03/2010 6:17 Comments ||
Top||
#2
am sure the locals will vote 80-85% against any peace accord that leaves Israel standing and/or Jews alive.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
12/03/2010 7:07 Comments ||
Top||
#3
If you can't believe a Muslim, who can you believe?
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > [Bloomberg] BRAZIL FORMALLY RECOGNIZES STTAE OF PALESTINE WID PRE-1967 BORDERS.
* SAME > US LAWMAKERS BLAST BRAZIL'S PALESTINIAN MOVE.
ARTIC(S) = US Officials are repor upset at Brasilia's action, despite the latter's well-meaning intentions, as it + any followon International recognition of same [+ UN?] may prove to the Paleos + PA that A SOVEREIGN PALS. STATEHOOD IS ACHIEVABLE WIDOUT ANY NEED FOR PEACE = SHARING LAND, ETC. WID ISRAEL???
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/03/2010 13:39 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Two decades ago would be 1990. Gulf War was 1990. Lebanese civil war ended in 1990. Algerian Civil war was beginning a new phase. Somalia civil war started in 1991. Ethiopian civil war continued until 1991. Civil war still raged in Afghanistan. The first intifada was raging in Israel until 1993. Yeah, I'd say there was war in more places. Most was Muslim on Muslim violence though.
#3
"Two decades ago" > IMO technically yes, but the US-World is still far from being secure.
IMO MOUD > is thinking that "2012" + UNIVERSAL/PAN-ISLAMIST NUCLEARIZATION, espec as per possession of STRATEGIC WEAPS = NUCWEAPS, will force the major Muslim powesr to rein in the MilTerrs + consolidate their VARIOUS STTAE, ISLAMIC AGENDAS, HENCE MOUD'S OVERT CALLS FOR REGIONAL, INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM UNITY.
HOWEVER ["infamous However" = 1970's "But still"], ITS DOUBTFUL THAT ISLAMIC OR ISLAMIST NUC WILL ALTER THE GLOBAL + VIOLENT/IMPERIALIST SCOPE OF JIHAD AGZ THE US-WEST = NON-MUSLIM WORLD.
"GLOBALISM" + OWG-NWO, etc = "NOT DOMINATION = LARGE OR HEGEMONIC "GREAT/MAJOR POWERS" OF THE 19th + 20TH + EARLY 21ST CENTURIES MUST UNILATERALLY GIVE-UP-N-SHARE POWER, WEALTH, + AUTHORITY WID ANY + ALL OTHERS, + do so INCLUSIVE OF THE NORMAL "GREAT GAME" OF GEOPOLX.
Again, the US = US-Allies may be seemingly
"winning" the GWOT, but Radical Islam is not absolut defeated or destroyed yet - Radicla Islam is not only NOT PER SE DEFEATED OR DESTROYED IN HISTORIC SENSE BUT IS DE FACTO EXPANDING ITS JIHAD + GOING NUKULAAR.
RISING CHINA = [post-Nukies]RADICAL ISLAM = SEE THEMSLEVES AS THE "SOLE", "POST-US", "SUCCESSOR" TO GLOBAL LEADERSHIP.
Dat whole "OWG Islamist-Jihadist NUCLEAR Caliphate/Sultanate" thingy.
Myself + a friend saw what was likely a MUSLIM
H-2 CONSTRUX LABORER/WORKER [USMC Buildup from Okinawa?] pray openly on the ground in a local MCDONALD'S PARKING LOT - NO BIGGIE IN THE ORDINARY OR GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, EXCEPT THAT AFAIK I HAD NEVER SEEN OR OBSERVED SAME EVER BEFORE ON GUAM. Not in my "Madonna fan" Lifetime until 2010.
"The Chinese are coming, the Chinese are Coming" VERSUS "The Muslims are Coming, the Muslims are Coming" ... TO GUAM-WESTPAC.
NUKULAAR = NUCLEAR[ized], of course.
CHINA > RUSSIA IN THE JAPANESE KURILES, LR IRAN MISSLES IN CENTASIA + COVERING THE UIGHURS...
#4
E.g. NEWS KERALA/TOPIX > {Wikileaks Docs] PAKISTAN NUKES MAY FALL INTO TERRORISTS HANDS, FEAR US DIPLOMATS.
Or into IRAN'S hands, i.e. "JUMP-STARTING" IRAN'S NUCPROGS TOWARDS DEV OF ADVANCED POST-URANIUM NUCWEAPS, + by extension MILTERRS, OTHER INSURGENTS WID SIMIL ADVANCED POST-URANIUM NUCWEAPS???
Again, US hasn't won the GWOT, but neither has Radical Islam despite US successes.
#5
ABOVE > OOPSIES, forgot to say that US fears a DESTABILZ OR COLLAPSED PAKISTAN + PAK NUKES ENDING UP IN MILTERR HANDS could ultimately lead to a NUCLEAR CLASH/WAR WID NUCLEAR INDIA, + INITIATE "WORLD'S FIRST NUCLEAR WAR".
On a separate note, DITTO "FIRST NUC WAR" DANGER exists as per DPRK + DPRK NUCPROGS.
ISRAEL-VS-NUCLEAR-IRAN-VS-NUCLEAR-ARABS, MYANMAR, etc.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/03/2010 11:57 ||
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[11128 views]
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#1
Nothing new here. One of the reasons the ALQ-165 was never deployed on carrier based F-18s (the principal aircraft for which it was developed) is that it is too heavy. When tested for catapult launch, it broke the mounting bolts. Stronger bolts resulted in broken mounting brackets. Stronger mounting brackets resulted in breaking the keel of the airplane. Good systems engineers and rigorous requirements prevent stuff like this, but both are in short supply.
#2
VERTREP is a good way and engines are routinely brought aboard the CVs this way and not with the 'cranes' as the article says (at least not underway)
there is a risk: witnessed the only aft fuel cell in the inventory for the trusty Intruder 'float-checked' when the CH-53 lost a motor on a hot Indian Ocean day ( is there any other).
and heat mats sounds like a real rube goldberg set up.
cancel the STOVL and buy only the conventional ones. the lift fan is going to be a maintenance nightmare.
#4
Next-gen catapults are going to be electrically driven, rather than curent steam. and max T.O. weight of F-35 is well below cat design max throw weight. I can see no reason for STOVL on CVs and looking at design I do not see a lot of FOD protection for operating from primitive / roads for runways. At least the harrier placed the jet blast for vertical ops at several locations rather than being concentrated. And it is direct bleed air, not some shaft driven fan with complex doors and such. I only hope the USMC dumps this albatross like they did the A-12 Avenger II. (disclaimer, i worked that program and SecDef Cheney killed my second career when he axed the aircraft, dammit)
#7
Can the catapults on existing CVs be retrofitted with the electromatic variety? Without it, we won't have a lot of platforms to launch the F-35 from.
#8
Gorb, that's the plan or so I thought I heard, at least for the last batch, prior to the new designs - a retro fit when they do the midlife renewal.
Yesterday they were blaming us...
[Arab News] Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad accused the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society on Wednesday of complicity in the murder of a nuclear scientist, days before talks aimed at defusing a nuclear standoff.
Scientist Majid Shahriari, killed in a bomb attack on his car, was buried Wednesday in a funeral attended by Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who will meet the European Union's foreign affairs chief on Dec. 6 and 7 for talks.
No one has grabbed credit for the bombing, nor another similar attack on the same day, which Tehran has blamed on countries seeking to stop the nuclear program.
"Committing terrorist acts shows well that you do not have the intention to negotiate, but you want to show hostility toward the Iranian nation," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA news agency.
"In these kinds of terrorist acts, undoubtedly the United Nations is in cahoots with Zionists."
A separate car boom at around the same time Monday as the one that killed Shahriari, maimed another nuclear scientist, Fereidoun Abbasi, who is personally subject to UN sanctions because of his involvement in suspected nuclear weapons research.
Iranian state media said the attacks on the scientists were part of a Western campaign to sabotage its nuclear program. According to Iran, that campaign included the abduction of Iranian scientists, the sale of faulty equipment and the planting of a destructive computer worm known as Stuxnet.
Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Ali Abdollahi said "protection for academics will be pursued more seriously."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/03/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
ION TOPIX > [Gulf Cooperation Council]GCC EXPECTS WAR WID IRAN.
ARTIC = US-VS-IRAN WAR SCENARIO may also involve NATO State TURKEY, but at least the US agz Iran???
#2
Man, if the UN eloi want to kill someone, they drop them down an elevator shaft. Stickybombs via Cycles of Violence isn't their style.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
12/03/2010 13:43 Comments ||
Top||
#3
TOPIX > {Wikileaks] LOOSELY-SECURED HEU STOCKPILES IN PAKISTAN SPARKS US ALARM.
ARTIC = Gov-Pol Nepotism = Corrupt $$$, Influence factors seemingly decides whom is selected for SESITIVE PAK NUCPLEX MANAGEMENT + SECURITY, NOT COMPETENCY OR QUALIFICATIONS, ETC. FOR DA JOB.
IOW, ITS A BONAFIDE MIRACLE THAT PAK MILITANTS HAVEN'T GONE NUKULAAR YET, AS NO NEED FOR SAME TO BUY ON "BLACK MARKETS/MAFIAS" WID SERIOUS INTERNAL GOVT-LED NUCLEAR INCOMPETENCE, CORRUPTION LIKE THESE.
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.
[Tolo News] Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan has offered his resignation because of increasing fears that documents to be published in WikiLeaks could end up with his replacement
[Maghrebia] In light of the recent hijacking of the Tunisian-owned merchant vessel Hannibal II, Maghreb residents are increasingly concerned about the growing danger of Somalia's instability. To shed light on the situation, Magharebia spoke to Somali political analyst Mohammed Omar in Mogadishu. He tells the story behind the radical jihadi group al-Shabaab and reveals the movement's ties to international terrorists. As a keen observer of the violent events that have rocked Somalia in recent years, Omar has a deep understanding of the country's history and why it matters to the rest of Africa. He explains that the terrorist group imposes its radical ideology on the population by force and maintains little support among Somalis. Omar also provides a breakdown on the rise of Salafist groups and the links between al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
[Arab News] Major problems faced by Saudi freshmen in foreign universities were discussed at a forum in Riyadh on Wednesday.
[Arab News] [Arab News] The role of Saudi women in Al-Qaeda is, apparently, marginal; only 15 women have been established to have links with the terrorist organization.
[Chosun Ilbo] 
[The Nation (Nairobi)] British police know the whereabouts of Julian Assange, his lawyer said on Thursday amid reports that they have failed to detain the WikiLeaks founder because of an error in a Swedish arrest warrant.
[Arab News] Iraq's interior minister called Thursday for the death penalty for a group of 39 Al-Qaeda-linked suspects even before they have been put on trial for allegedly plotting to bomb targets in 
[Arab News] 
[Arab News] The 
Most Muslims support a role for Islam in politics
