Afghanistan's top Muslim clerics urged President Hamid Karzai on Friday to push ahead with a proposal for talks with the Taliban that would be mediated by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. Calls for negotiations between Afghanistan's government and the Taliban have been mounting as the militant group has stepped up attacks in recent years despite efforts to defeat it by Afghan and international forces.
President Barack Obama has urged the Afghan government to encourage moderate elements of the Taliban to reconcile with the government. Karzai has repeatedly said he is open to talks with top Taliban leaders but has made few apparent moves to start such a process. However, Karzai has previously asked King Abdullah to facilitate contacts with the Taliban.
The leaders of Afghanistan's powerful Muslim clerics' council pressed Karzai in a meeting Friday to push the talks forward, said Faiz Mohammad, a council member from Kunduz province. They proposed a meeting that would include government and Taliban representatives and also former jihad leaders, other prominent Afghans and representatives of neighboring countries, Mohammad said. Karzai's office issued a statement summarizing the meeting, without saying if it would take any action.
The African Union's high-level panel on Darfur will not consider the evidence the International Criminal Court has gathered against Sudan's leader as it works toward peace, former South African president Thabo Mbeki said Thursday.
The eight-member panel will, however, meet with Sudanese government, rebels and other officials to assess how to bring about peace while punishing those guilty of war crimes in Darfur, said Mbeki, the panel's chairman. The panel is made up of current and former African officials, aided by legal experts.
Carla del Ponte slaps her forehead and wonders how she missed out on that gig ...
The panel is charged with working with those involved in the peace process, advising the AU on how to treat those who have committed atrocities, and advising the AU on reconciliation in the country.
"It's not in our mandate to assess the ICC or what it's done," Mbeki told journalists. Mbeki said the panel will have a report ready by the end of July.
The former South African leader did not directly respond to questions about whether he will be firm with Sudanese officials, given that he was viewed as not being tough on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as he mediated that nation's political crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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A Dutch MP who was refused entry to Britain has launched an appeal against the Home Office's decision to ban him. Freedom Party MP Geert Wilders has asked the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal to overturn the ruling.
He had been invited to show his film Fitna - which refers to the Koran as a "fascist book" - in the House of Lords when he was refused entry last month. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had judged his presence in the UK to be a threat to public security.
After he was sent back to the Netherlands from Heathrow last month, the Home Office said there was a blanket ban on Mr Wilders' entry to the UK under EU laws enabling member states to exclude someone whose presence could threaten public security. Holland's foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, has described the refusal as "highly regrettable".
Mr Wilders had been invited to the House of Lords for a screening by the UK Independence Party's Lord Pearson. It went ahead as planned, despite Mr Wilders' non-attendance.
Earlier this year, a Dutch court ordered prosecutors to put the MP on trial for inciting hatred and discrimination by making anti-Islamic statements. A date for the appeal hearing is not likely to be set for four months.
#1
Wilders should appeal to parliamentary ego. That is, that the government is preventing parliament from doing its job of gathering information to make informed decisions. He can compare it to the government banning newspapers from parlimentarians, as they might see something in there that the government does not wish them to see.
Tajikistan has started building a railroad to connect its capital Dushanbe to a bridge on the Afghan border, a key link in the projected NATO supply route through the former Soviet Union.
The United States plans to transit nonmilitary supplies for its troops by railroad through Russia and ex-Soviet Central Asian states. A formal agreement with Tajikistan, the ultimate link of the new transit path is still to be signed. The new route is important to the United States, as Taliban militants have stepped up attacks on the traditional supply corridor in Pakistan.
"Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, speaking at the launch ceremony, invited foreign investors to take part in the project," Rahmon's office said in a statement.
The cost of building the 146-kilometer link is estimated at $131 million.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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(RIA Novosti) - North Korea's planned launch of a rocket that it says will deliver a satellite into orbit will take place on April 4, Japanese news agency Jiji Press reported on Friday. The Japanese agency cited diplomats in Beijing as saying the launch will go ahead on April 4 barring adverse weather conditions or last-minute repairs.
The secretive communist state earlier announced plans to launch the communications satellite between April 4 and 8. The U.S. and South Korea have accused the North of using the launch as an excuse to test-fire a long-range missile.
The communist state announced plans last month to launch a satellite using a three-stage rocket from the newly constructed Musudan-ri launch pad on the country's northeast coast. The North earlier said the first stage of the carrier rocket would fall into the Sea of Japan, and the second stage into the Pacific Ocean.
Seoul and Washington say the country will be testing a long-range Taepodong-2 missile, thought to have a range of 6,700 kilometers (4,100 miles), which could potentially reach the U.S. states of Alaska and Hawaii. Japan has warned that it could position interceptor missiles, to shoot down any North Korean missiles threatening its territory.
Pyongyang first tested a long-range missile in 1998, when it launched a Taepodong-1 over northern Japan, claiming that it carried a domestically-developed satellite.
In 2002, Pyongyang and Tokyo agreed to a moratorium on missile tests, but the secretive regime has continued research on ballistic missile technology.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Human shields. April 4 is awf'lly soon...the diplodance will still be putting its Kabuki makeup on by then.
Thanks for nothing, Mister Nobel Peace Prize and your silly followers.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea restored its military communications hot line with South Korea and said it would reopen a border crossing, officials said Saturday. The North Korean military cut the communications line on March 9 to protest Seoul's decision to hold 12 days of joint military exercises with U.S. troops across South Korea at a time of heightened tension on the peninsula.
"Officials of the two Koreas conducted a trial phone conversation," after reconnecting the hot line Saturday morning, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.
The hot line is the only means of quick communication left between the two Koreas and is vital for coordinating the passage of people and goods across their border.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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Outspoken British anti-war member of parliament (MP) George Galloway Friday denounced as "outrageous" a decision by the Canadian authorities to refuse him entry on the grounds of national security.
Galloway, a former Labor politician who has now set up his own political party, said in London that he would not accept the ban imposed ahead of a speech he had planned to give in Toronto.
The 54-year-old maverick politician, who left Britain's ruling Labor Party in protest at its support for military intervention overseas, was refused entry to Egypt in 2006. He is an MP for his Respect Party.
"All right-thinking Canadians, whether they agree with me over the wisdom of sending troops to Afghanistan or not, will oppose this outrageous decision," he said in London Friday.
He was due to speak at a public forum entitled "Resisting war from Gaza to Kandahar" in Toronto on March 30.
According to the Press Association Friday, a spokesman for Canada's immigration minister, Jason Kenney, has made clear that the decision will not be overturned.
Galloway had been deemed "inadmissible" to Canada under section 34(1) of the country's immigration act.
Kenney's spokesman, Alykhan Velshi said the act was designed to protect Canadians from people who fund, support or engage in terrorism."
"We're going to uphold the law, not give special treatment to this ... street-corner Cromwell who actually brags about giving 'financial support' to Hamas, a terrorist organization banned in Canada," Velshi was quoted as saying by the British Press Association.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
That's right, Canada! Blow the guys self esteem. Maybe our President can say something nicey nicey to patch up our strained relations with George and the other Looney Left set in GB. Maybe invite him to come and compete on Dance with the Stars.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
03/21/2009 13:44 Comments ||
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#3
Canada should arrest him at the airport, seal him into a 55-gallon oil drum, and send him home over Niagra Falls.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2009 13:54 Comments ||
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#4
Not a good idea, OP.
We have laws about pollution here in the US....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/21/2009 15:32 Comments ||
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#7
TW, I wasn't worried about the residual oil in the drum....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/21/2009 18:34 Comments ||
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#8
Canada should arrest him at the airport, seal him with a full fillet weld into a 55-gallon oil drum, let it sit for a couple weeks, and send him home over Niagra Falls
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2009 18:43 Comments ||
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#9
That works, Frank.
Doesn't it make you feel good, protecting the environment like that? :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/21/2009 18:44 Comments ||
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This link to Fox News' Red-Eye program was posted on "National Newswatch", a Canadian news aggregator. The Canadian Army has been sending dead soldiers home at quite a rate with four more killed today.
#3
I do not own a television set. I have not watched television for the last 15 years. I can not believe, that offensive drivel about an ally, is allowed to go out on air to the world. How many of the well fed, well paid presenters in that video clip have fought for their country?
Posted by: Dave UK ||
03/21/2009 7:25 Comments ||
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#4
Clueless, laughing hyenas the lot. I doubt any of them possess the credentials which might qualify them to critique anything related to military strategy or outcomes.
#5
i have watched this show several times and always find myself wondering how it stays on. This isn't the only time it has been offensive and really has little too do with news. Th show sucks along with the big mouth host
#6
Boycot the sponsors of the show, and let them know you're doing it. Get your friends to do the same. It works. Even Mr. Saudi's 5% won't be enough to keep the clown on-air.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2009 13:56 Comments ||
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#7
OP, indeed it does work. Also email them to tell them what you are doing and why.
Hundreds of war protesters from across the country gathered in Washington on Saturday to mark the sixth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. How many hundreds, pray tell? Or were there too few people for the crowd estimators to do their thing?
Organizers from the ANSWER Coalition said more than 1,000 groups sponsored the protest Interesting ratio: 1,000+ sponsoring organizations cannot muster more than a few hundred protesters. One would think they'd at least send out one apiece. Clearly one would be wrong. And on such a nice day, too -- mild temperatures, sun shining -- a perfect day for a little outdoor exercise.
to call for an end to the Iraq war. Holding signs that read "We need jobs and schools, not war" and "Stop the war!" they rallied around noon across the street from the Lincoln Memorial and by 1:30 p.m., were beginning to march across the Memorial Bridge to the Pentagon.
Anti-war activists said even though former President George W. Bush is out of power, they are disappointed with what they see as stalled action from Obama. Several of them said they supported Obama during his campaign, but that his administration has let them down by not ending the war sooner. Among other concerns protesters raised, they criticized continued troop presence in Afghanistan and called for an end to U.S. support of Israel's military.
This year, the protest was held on a weekend -- a few days after the March 19 anniversary of the war, which began in 2003. Last year's weekday protest was marked by lower turnout than in previous years. Protests also were held in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Not even vague numbers given, so I assume participation there was also embarrassingly low.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2009 16:57 Comments ||
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#3
"Hundreds" is journalese for about 200 (rounding up if necessary). And any individual will belong to literally dozens of groups> Anti-war protesters I've seen are following the Bush doctrine of preemption and whining about stopping the next war...
Posted by: regular joe ||
03/21/2009 17:05 Comments ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2009 17:37 Comments ||
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#6
The groups sponsoring the "rally" would've each sent a rep but they kept saying they had to "wash their hair" or "visit their mother." All perfectly natural reasons not to go.
#7
believe not beleive. [SIGH] i before e except after c. yu'd think by now I could remember. where's my spellchecker? oh, that's right, she's washing her hair.
#10
The posters have been glued (!) to DC streetcorners/bus stops/newspaper boxes for months now. To the general populace's credit, many of them have been defaced or at least partially torn off.
If I had to hazard a guess, there were probably more pro-Paleo people at this march than anti-war.
Amritsar, Mar.20 (ANI): Radio Pakistan appears determined to continue to propagate a policy of `divide and rule in India.
In its recent Punjabi Darbar program, it urged both Muslims and Sikhs to unite against Hindus, by calling the latter as the `enemy. Hindu and Sikh clerics, however, condemned this sort of propaganda wholeheartedly.
Pakistan has issued a statement that Sikhs in India and Pakistan are one and we have right to visit gurudwarasin Pakistan; but the people who go there, tell us about the dire condition of gurudwaras in Pakistan. Sikhs and the Hindus share a very good relationship. We Sikhs have the same respect for people of all religions, and we live with a feeling of brotherhood. Its been 20 years since I am working as the village head and I share good relationship with other village heads and MLAs in the nearby villages. There is no difference between the people of any castes and nor anybody can create it, said Vishnu Upadhyay of Kalarkheda village in Amritsar District.
There is no discrimination on the basis of religion. People visit each others holy place with devotion. Pakistan is spreading illogical rumours, saying that we fight with each other but this is not true, we live together. The Golden Temple of Amritsar is the biggest example where people of all the religions make visits. The rumours spreaded by Pakistan that we want to make India a Hindu dominating country, is immoral, said Sukhdev Singh Barad, the head granthi of the Gurdwara Sahib in Usmankheda village in the same district.
The population of Sikhs in Punjab is estimated to be 59.9 per cent as of 2004, while that of Hindus is an estimated 37 percent. The Muslim population in the state is said to be less than two percent. It stands to reason that the Sikhs and the Hindus are the dominant communties in the state, and therefore, the question of Sikhs joining hands with Muslims to neutralise the Hindu community is farfetched and borders on the ridiculous. (ANI)
Posted by: john frum ||
03/21/2009 08:21 ||
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#1
The ISI (Instigate Sikhs in India) Broadcasting Company is behind this.
#2
It should be noted that Sikhs are also middle class or better, are strongly represented in India's armed forces leadership, make superb soldiers, and have few illusions about Muslims. They may not love Hindus, but if a Muslim messes with them, they will kill him.
Calling the veto rights of the five official nuclear powers on the UN Security Council "non-democratic" and against the principle of sovereign equality of member states, Pakistan on Wednesday called for abolishing this special privilege.
"Experience tells us that veto impacts negatively on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Council," Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon told a closed-door session of the General Assembly on reforming and expanding the most powerful UN body aimed at making it more representative and more effective.
In denouncing the veto right, the Pakistani envoy joined other developing nations and several European powers, diplomats said. They said most speakers attacked the blocking powers of the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia. As the main allies against Germany and Japan in the World War II, the five received permanent seats on the council with veto rights.
The five later acquired special status as official nuclear weapons states under the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty. India, Germany, Japan and Brazil are aspiring to become new permanent members of the Security Council.
In his speech, Ambassador Haroon also spoke of the difficulties in abolishing the veto rights of the big powers. "The membership is faced with the unfortunate reality that any proposal to abolish or severely restrict the veto is itself likely to be vetoed", he pointed out.
At the same time, he said that does not mean that nothing should be done with regard to veto, referring to several proposals aimed at limiting the use of veto and to exclude certain situations from the scope of application of the veto.
"Limiting the use of veto to Chapter VII (enforcement provision of the UN Charter) looks appealing but it reinforces the wrong argument that non Chapter VII resolutions are in any way less important or not equally binding," he said. "There is growing sense today that veto should not be exercised in certain situations such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity," he told the 192-member assembly.
"There is a strong case to also restrict the use of veto in situations involving external aggression, foreign occupation and self-determination. "As part of negotiations, we are prepared to consider measures, involving voluntary restraints and possible Charter amendments to address these aspects."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
for a hell hole of a country they have an awful big head on their shoulders.
Admitting that the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers was a "complete security lapse," a report on the incident by Pakistani authorities has blamed "some foreign countries" for the audacious strikes; giving a clean chit to outlawed terror groups LeT and JuD.
The attack was planned and financed by "some foreign countries" and militants based in the restive South Waziristan tribal region might have been used by the perpetrators.
The attack was planned and financed by "some foreign countries" and militants based in the restive South Waziristan tribal region might have been used by the perpetrators, Dawn newspaper quoted the report as saying. The 40-point report, which was presented by Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday, has pulled up senior police officer for not being able to arrest any of the 12 terrorists involved in the attack.
The police force did not reach the scene of the assault for at least half an hour and a "complete security lapse" gave a free hand to terrorists to carry out the attack, the report notes.
The report has not yet been made public by the government and there was no official word on the development. Sources said the report would be reviewed by all intelligence and security agencies before it is shared with the Sri Lankan government.
Militants freed
Pakistani authorities on Friday freed 20 jailed militants as a "goodwill gesture" to carry forward the peace process in the Taliban-dominated Swat valley.
Among the militants set free was Noorul Huda, the brother of Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, officials in Swat were quoted as saying by state-run APP news agency.
The militants were released as per the provisions of a peace agreement signed last month by the NWFP government and Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM), a group of religious hardliners led by Sufi Muhammad, the father-in-law of Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah.
The 20 militants were handed over to a peace committee, a day after the Taliban demanded that the authorities release 210 prisoners. More than 30 Taliban prisoners have been freed since the pact was inked. The release of the militants followed long deliberations The TNSM and the peace committee assured the government that the freed militants would not resort to any violence.
This article starring:
Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi
Maulana Fazlullah
Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi
Muslim Khan
TTP
Noorul Huda
TTP
Sufi Muhammad
Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Like most Muslim nations, Pakistan blames anything that the rest of the world denounces on "foreign agents", never the millions of terrorists trained, financed, supported and encouraged by Pakistan. The rest of the world needs to finally intervene and put an end to Pakistan and its endless dreams of grandeur at the expense of others.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2009 14:02 Comments ||
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QUETTA, PAKISTAN - Taliban leader Mullah Omar is not hiding in Pakistans Baluchistan province whose people will resist any U.S. attempt to extend its war against militancy there, the provinces chief minister said on Friday.
"He's not here. He's .. um .. um .. somewhere else."
Afghan and foreign officials in Kabul have long said they believe several top Taliban leaders, including Omar, are hiding in Baluchistan. Pakistan, a U.S. ally in the campaign against militancy, denies that.
Mullah Omar is not in Baluchistan, hes in Afghanistan, Baluchistan chief minister Mohammad Aslam Raisanitold reporters in the provincial capital, Quetta. If the CIA has any evidence of that they should tell us and well get him and send him there, he said, referring to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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Thousands of followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for an end to US occupation of Iraq on Friday, but the government ignored the sixth anniversary of the invasion. Death tolls have tumbled since Iraq's deadliest days in late 2007, and in just three months time American forces are to withdraw from major cities and towns in a prelude to a total pullout in 2011.
Neither the Iraqi authorities nor the US military marked the March 20, 2003, invasion that toppled President Saddam Hussein and his totalitarian Baath Party from power.
But Sadr's devotees used Friday prayers to call for an end to the American presence. "We reject occupation ... occupiers out," the faithful chanted, fists raised, in Sadr City, an impoverished district of northeast Baghdad, as a US flag was set ablaze.
Sheikh Haidar al-Jaberi, a member of Sadr's politburo, called for a major demonstration on April 9, anniversary of the fall of Saddam's Sunni regime. "March 20 should be a festival, but after what the Americans have done, it's a sad day," Jaberi said, referring to the start of spring.
"They never kept their promises," added Qassem Zamel, who came to pray. "The Americans came to liberate us from a dictator but they have destroyed the country," said Zamel, who is in his 60s. He said his three sons were arrested in March 2003 and were still in jail, although he did not know why.
Shiites - the majority in Iraq - suffered repeated purges under Saddam's brutal 35-year reign and had at first welcomed the "Iraqi Freedom" invasion.
The campaign that ousted Saddam was supposed to bring democracy and a better life, but most Iraqis were caught in the maelstrom of violence that swept the country. Sunni insurgents and Al-Qaeda fought US troops and unleashed sectarian warfare with Shiite militia such as Sadr's Mahdi army.
Meanwhile in Tokyo, about 500 Japanese demonstrated to call for an early withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, as well as from Afghanistan. They carried banners that read: "Weapons can't solve the Iraqi and Afghan wars."
"If we remain silent, I don't think the troops will withdraw" from Iraq and Afghanistan, said organizer Ken Takada.
A report released on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the invasion underscored the plight of Iraqis. "Millions of civilians are still facing hardship every day," said International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) president Jakob Kellenberger.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"Weapons can't solve the Iraqi and Afghan wars."
#2
Millions of Americans are facing hardship every day but the Islamofascists started the war and we will finish it or die fighting. Besides, can't be that bad as the first western tour bus has arrived in Baghdad. Me thinks this is sour grapes because we are winning the battle for their hearts and minds. Let the Turban Tossing Games begin!
#4
Millions of civilians faced hardships every day under Saddam ... The difference is now Iraq owns their future. Pity their bias clouds the Red Cross' judgement.
#5
"They never kept their promises," added Qassem Zamel, who came to pray. "The Americans came to liberate us from a dictator but they have destroyed the country," said Zamel, who is in his 60s. He said his three sons were arrested in March 2003 and were still in jail, although he did not know why
C'mon Qassem. Not even a guess?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2009 13:52 Comments ||
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#6
Convicted of stone cold democratery I'll wager. Also.... WHERE'S MAI BROOOOOD MONEY!
Egyptian sources told the London-based Arab newspaper Al Hayat that a prisoner swap deal is likely to be achieved before outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert leaves office.
Talks between Israel and Hamas on the release of captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit have been suspended after the parties failed to agree on the number of prisoners due to be released in exchange for Shalit.
The sources said that Israel walked out on the negotiations in order to pressure Hamas, and that a decision to terminate the talks has not yet been taken.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan has said that the organization's delegation has not left Cairo and is prepared to resume the talks.
On Thursday, senior Gaza Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil told Haaretz that Israel is responsible for stopping the talks.
According to Bardawil, an escalation of measures against Palestinian prisoners, as Israel has threatened in response to the stalemate, will not improve the situation.
"Taking away televisions and radios will not help the talks," he said. "We believe [Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert is trying to hand the problem over to [Prime Minister-designate Benjamin] Netanyahu unresolved."
Bardawil added that Hamas must demand the release of the prisoners Israel announced it would not release.
This echoed comments by senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar. Bardawil said there was pressure from those prisoners' families and Hamas cannot give up the demand for their freedom.
"Israel has released prisoners with blood on their hands in the past and this delay is Olmert's political decision. The problem is not with us. We now demand 450 prisoners out of 11,000. That's all," he said.
A senior Hamas source said that 10 to 20 deportations were possible from among the released Hamas prisoners, and this was discussed during the Cairo talks. However, Israel demanded to deport 100 prisoners.
Palestinian analysts said Thursday that the publication of the list of prisoners Israel is unwilling to free was a critical error. They said Hamas will make the people on the list into symbols and insist on their release in any possible deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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In June 2006, Hamas kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit because Israel refused to open the border crossing to the Gaza Strip, and now that Israel is refusing to release Palestinians in Israeli jails as part of a prisoner swap deal, the organization may have to resort to more kidnappings in order to get what it wants, Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal told an Australian paper in a report published on Friday. "The Israelis just don't learn. When they refuse to release Palestinians, it forces the Palestinians to resort to other means to gain their release - and inevitably this includes the capture of more Israeli soldiers," Mashaal said during an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
When asked if he relates to the sentiment expressed by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was quoted as saying that had he known the extent to which Israel would retaliate in 2006, he would never have ordered the kidnapping of IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, Mashaal said that his group had no choice but to act, despite the destruction caused two years later by Operation Cast Lead.
"The 2006 captures were an option, a choice for Hizbullah, so they are entitled to assess the validity of what they did in terms of the consequences for Lebanon," he told the paper. "But for the Palestinians, Gaza wasn't a question of choice.
"Israel was supposed to end the siege and open the border crossings in return for a halt to the rockets; the rockets stopped, but the siege remained and the crossings stayed closed," Mashaal said. "It's unfair to ask Palestinians if they want to die slowly under siege or quickly under fire."
Palestinian rocket fire has plagued the South for over eight years, with thousands of projectiles fired into Israeli communities and cities throughout the western Negev causing billions of shekels in damage, and wounded and killing scores of civilians. Following the kidnapping in 2006, Israel severely restricted the flow of goods into the Gaza Strip, opening the borders intermittently to allow for the transport of essential supplies. A deal struck in July 2007 with Hamas which aimed to open the border permanently in return for a halt to rocket fire and progress in negotiations for a prisoner swap collapsed under continued Palestinian attacks on the western Negev.
Following Operation Cast Lead, and with the end of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's term only days away, efforts to secure the release of Gilad Schalit have intensified. However, on Tuesday the talks reached an impasse, with both sides accusing the other of having sabotaged negotiations through refusal to compromise
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
RW, I think it was on a Thursday, between 1:00 AM and 1:05 AM.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/21/2009 13:13 Comments ||
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#4
in that Sunday 2AM (3AM) hour when we advanced the clocks for Daylight Savings Time?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2009 13:54 Comments ||
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#5
Israel (especially under Netanyahu, who would carry through) should state that it will totally destroy on square kilometer of Gaza territory each time Hamass TRIED to capture an Israeli soldier, beginning in the middle of the Strip. Line up the 155s, pound anything in that square kilometer to rubble, bounce the rubble a few times, then bulldoze it flat. Next attempt, another square kilometer. Gaza isn't that big. Five or six square kilometers pounded flat would ruin quite a few peoples' day - permanently.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2009 14:11 Comments ||
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Israeli soldiers believed they were fighting a "religious war" against gentiles in January's Gaza offensive, a commander has revealed.
The Israeli army commander said military and non-military rabbis had circulated pamphlets among the battlefield troops, describing the operation as a "religious war" and that they were carrying out a "religious mission".
"Their message was very clear," he said. "We are the Jewish people, we came to this land by a miracle, God brought us back to this land and now we need to fight to expel the gentiles who are interfering with our conquest of this holy land."
The account by Ram, a pseudonym to shield the soldier's identity, was published in the second day of shocking revelations that have rocked the Israeli military, Reuters reported. "Many soldiers' feelings were that this was a war of religion," he added.
On Thursday, Israeli soldiers confessed to the wanton killing of civilians as well as intentionally destroying civilian property during the Gaza war. The testimonies include the killing of a Palestinian mother and her two children by an Israeli sniper and the case of an elderly Palestinian woman who was killed as she was walking 100 meters (yards) from her home.
The shocking accounts are seen as evidence to war crimes and the massive violations of human rights by the Israeli army during the three-week war on the Gaza Strip. International organizations and UN human rights investigations claim that the Israeli army deliberately used forbidden arms, such as depleted uranium and deadly white phosphorus shells, in densely populated civilian areas.
Other charges against Tel Aviv include the "reckless and indiscriminate" shelling of residential areas, the use of Palestinian families as human shields by Israeli soldiers and the unrelenting attacks on several medical facilities and UN compounds in the area.
UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, has said that most Israeli actions against the population of Gaza "appear to have all the elements of war crimes".
Despite countless allegations, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has yet to take action against Israel over its military conduct in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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A one-hour video worth a look. All the finest Islamist talking points in one convenient YouTube package. I did not watch it all the way through, but somebody should.
#1
Thanks Sea -- that whole site was an eye openinger. I can only take so much of Paula Deen and "southern" babbler -- now, I had no idea she and her sons were Muslin.
I kinda fast forwarded through it, read their mission statement.
#2
C'mon, don't all y'all be crackin' on Paula. I bet she's never presented a recipe for anything remotely halal on her show ever...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/21/2009 18:02 Comments ||
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#3
Paula and the boys are firm believers in bacon, shrimp, etc.
Mudslimes? I think not.
(And I can't take but so much of her at one time, even though I'm Southern too. Does "cloying" ring any bells?)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/21/2009 18:43 Comments ||
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#4
A-men, Barbara!
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
03/21/2009 19:53 Comments ||
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#5
To clarify, Paula Deen and her sons are NOT muslim and I did not mean to imply that they are. I just thought it would be a funny picture to lighten the extremely heavy subject matter. Apologies.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has refused to pardon Ali Imron, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 2002 Bali bombing. "His request has been denied. We have received the [presidential] decision letter," Denpasar District Prosecutor's Office head Ida Bagus Siwananda said.
Ali Imron was sentenced to life imprisonment last month for his role in the nightclub blasts that killed 202 people (mostly foreign holidaymakers) on Oct. 12, 2002. The sentence was lighter than that handed down to two of his brothers, Amrozi and Ali Gufron, who were executed along with Imam Samudra on Nov. 9 last year. Ali Imron has been cooperative during police investigations into the bombing and terrorist networks in Indonesia. He is now detained at Kerobokan Penitentiary in Denpasar.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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IRAN'S supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today the Islamic republic is willing to change if US President Barack Obama leads the way by changing American attitude towards his country.
Speaking a day after Obama offered Tehran a "new beginning" to turn back the tide on decades of mutual animosity, Khamenei said Iran is yet to see any change in Washington's attitude towards Tehran.
"We have no experience with the new American government and the new American president. We will observe them and we will judge. If you change your attitude, we will change our attitude," Khamenei said in an address to thousands of Iranians in the holy city of Mashhad which was broadcast on state television.
Tehran, he said, had yet to see any change in US policy towards Iran.
"We cannot see any change. What is the change in your policy? Did you remove the sanctions? Did you stop supporting the Zionist regime? Tell us what you have changed. Change only in words is not enough," Khamenei said.
#1
Okay, let's start by changing Iran into a real democracy. Then the Iranian people can make the next change, that of putting Mullah heads on poles and parading them around.
Syria has asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to prevent his special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen from interfering in Damascus' relations with Lebanon and stick to his mandate, Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday. The newspaper said that Syria's ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari delivered an official letter to Ban accusing his special envoy for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559 of "misinterpreting the logical framework of his mandate." About Syrian-Lebanese relations, the letter said: "The establishment of diplomatic ties and demarcation of the border between Syria and Lebanon are issues linked to the sovereignty of countries and are solved through agreement between the Syrian and Lebanese governments."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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US President Barack Obama spoke "directly" to Iran''s people and leaders in a videotaped message released Friday to coincide with the Nowruz new year holiday, the White House said. Here is the full text of the message: "Today I want to extend my very best wishes to all who are celebrating Nowruz around the world..." Remainder at the link.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Barack Obama spoke "directly" to Iran''s people and leaders in a videotaped message
He simply ain't got a clue.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/21/2009 11:43 Comments ||
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#2
about half way through his 2nd paragraph i felt my lunch lurch and i had to quit reading..
the clue bus don't stop at his house that's for sure.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/21/2009 16:03 Comments ||
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#3
For phuechs sake! When will someone please have a look at this man's credentials?
Jordan's King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held talks in Amman on Friday, part of a flurry of diplomatic moves to close Arab ranks ahead of a summit later this month in Qatar, officials said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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Three hundred Lebanese police officers have undergone training to protect four judges appointed to a UN tribunal to try the accused killers of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, a security official said on Friday. We had this yesterday, but the question keeps running through my head: "Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?" I'm not sure that's an accurate quote, but it's an accurate question.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Is it just me, or does this simply beg the question of who was protecting Hariri in the first place?
Russian Federal Council Chairman of Foreign Relations Committee, said: "we don't talk we act. The 10 MIG 29 fighters are an effective (form) of aid to Lebanon's government. This is a message to Israel or any other country that there is a balance of power in the region." I thought all the MiG-29s were grounded because they're pieces of junk?
He added that Russia supports Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity. Margelov said that Russia helps the role of the Lebanese state "we do so to a democratically advanced state, a sovereign state that plays an important role in the region." I can't recall the last time a Russian aircraft shot down a U.S. manufactured aircraft, except for the occasional airliner.
Margelov was speaking Friday to 'Russia Today' satellite channel from Beirut. He added that Russia has placed no conditions on Lebanon regarding the use of the MIG 29 fighters. " There are no conditions made by the Russian government on the Lebanese government regarding the use of these fighters. The Lebanese government has the legal right (to use them) as it pleases . Margelov left Beirut on Friday to Doha.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
And Israel has the right to treat active threats as an act of war and respond accordingly. Israeli pilots have recently had lots and lots of practice hitting their targets. I hope Russia was paid upfront.
#3
Reminder to MiG pilots: Your most important piece of equipment is your ejection seat.
Posted by: ed ||
03/21/2009 0:53 Comments ||
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#4
The MiG 29 is not the best aircraft in the world, especially if it goes up against the latest model of F16 or F15. And most definitely not if it is piloted by an Arab - some of the worst pilots in the world. Of course, ins'allah maintenance on the planes does not help any.
#5
USAF people I know say it's a very good plane that was designed to go up against F15s and F16s. A lot depends on whether they gave the Lebanese upgraded avionics and Russian pilots and maintenance crews.
#9
A lot depends on whether they gave the Lebanese upgraded avionics and Russian pilots and maintenance crews.
If the Russians also gave pilots and crews, I'd worry, because they ought to be well-trained. If the Lebanese are doing either, not nearly so many worries. Either way: targets.
#10
tw, I don't think the Russians expect payment. The chance to cause Israel problems was enough for them.
I would expect them to withdraw maintenance (which would really make these migs targets) should the Lebanese get too uppity about wanting the Syrian proxies out of the country.
#11
And I expect the main use these planes will see is in bombing potentially pro-western areas in the next battles of the civil war. I would expect in that case that not only would Israel not do anything about it, but that you'd see people posting here that it was really a good thing or that it's just one group of animals killing another or something like that while the Syrians were consolidating their power.
#13
I remember hearing stories from the '73 Arab-Israeli war about how Syrian pilots, flying Russian MiGs would bail out the second they got painted by Israeli pilots' radar.
The Israeli pilots are the best in the world, and have been for a long time.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/21/2009 21:52 Comments ||
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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.
A Dutch MP who was refused entry to Britain has launched an appeal against the Home Office's decision to ban him. Freedom Party MP Geert Wilders has asked the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal to overturn the ruling. 
Outspoken British anti-war member of parliament (MP) George Galloway Friday denounced as "outrageous" a decision by the Canadian authorities to refuse him entry on the grounds of national security. 
Hundreds of war protesters from across the country gathered in Washington on Saturday to mark the sixth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
