Stalin took advantage of Germany's experience in Poland.
Berlin, Mar 5, IRNA -- Head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said here Wednesday after meeting his German counterpart Berlin wishes to take advantage of Tehran experience and role in Afghanistan.
Ala'eddin Boroujerdi told IRNA Wednesday night after a meeting with the head of the German Parliament's Foreign Policy Commission Ruprech Polenz, "In this meeting we discussed regional crises, the situation in Afghanistan, and the Middle East problem."
The head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission arrived in German capital, Berlin on Wednesday morning along with a number of that commission's members for a three day visit. He added, "The Germans are today more sensitive about the developments in Afghanistan than they had ever been, wishing to be benefited form Iran's experience in that respect."
According to Boroujerdi, the Iranian side, too, during the meeting announced its readiness for playing a role, and presented its respective proposals.
According to this Islamic Majlis MP, the narcotic drugs trafficking problem was another issue discussed during the meeting and the Iranian delegation asked for the European Union's playing of a more serious role in that respect.
Regarding some members of the German Parliament, Bundestag, Foreign Policy stand taking on Islamic Republic, Boroujerdi said, "Some extremist elements, under the influence of the Zionist lobbies are present at European parliaments and they express their viewpoints, too, but at such official meetings the two sides attach no importance to them to allocate any portion of the meeting time to them."
The head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of focusing on the Germans' efforts aimed at intensifying some of the imposed sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, said, "If Germans would be left to act in accordance with their free will, they would be more than willing to expand ties with Iran, but there was an immense amount of pressure against the Europeans during Bush tenure."
He added, "It is expected that under the new circumstances we would witness the emergence of changes and the emergence of a more positive atmosphere."
Boroujerdi who is in Berlin upon an invitation extended to him by is German counterpart Ruprech Polenz, along with MPs Fatemeh Alia and Ahmad Awa'ie, is also scheduled to meet some other German officials, such a the German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble and the head of that country's Foundation for Sciences and Politics Ralph Mutzenich.
Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef is a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan. He spent almost four years in Guantanamo. He wears a black turban, has a thick beard -- and is never without his Apple iPhone.
The ultra-conservative Taliban banned modern technology like the Internet and TV during its 1996-2001 rule, but those items have boomed in Afghanistan since the regime's 2001 ouster, helping to bring the country into the 21st century.
Zaeef, who reconciled with the Afghan government after being released from US custody, says he uses his iPhone to surf the Internet and find difficult locations, employing the built-in GPS. He even checks his bank account balance online.
"It's easy and modern and I love it," Zaeef said as he pinched and pulled his fingers across the iPhone's touch screen last week. "This is necessary in the world today. People want to progress."
Check out the new iApp, 'Predator' ...
Beyond making life easier, some say the country's embrace of technology could help break the cycle of 30 years of relentless warfare. Young Afghans see the world differently from older Afghans because of their use of the Internet and mobile phones, and their participation in sports, said Shukria Barakzai, a female lawmaker and former newspaper editor.
Afghanistan's youth are not caught up in "the old circle of war," she said. "They are engaging with the rest of the world. That's why technology is so important for Afghanistan."
As an example she uses the popular television show Afghan Star, a version of the American Idol-style singing contest, which draws millions of viewers each week, both young and old. Viewers vote for a winner by text messaging, helping to promote democratic practices, she said.
Eight years ago Afghanistan had only a few hundred cell phone users, mostly members of the Taliban government. Today it has more than eight million, meaning roughly one in four Afghans uses a mobile phone, according to government figures.
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a speech earlier this year that Afghanistan was "in the Middle Ages" when the Taliban was toppled. Today, he said, half the country is at peace and access to education and health care are up 10-fold. "When I saw an Afghan fellow pull out his Apple iPhone in Kabul, while I was talking on my 5-year-old NATO mobile, I saw another symbol of progress," he said of a recent trip to Afghanistan.
The Afghan capital has one gleaming mall, with glass elevators and escalators and a rare European-style coffee shop. Electronic stores stocked with GPS units, Sony PlayStations, flat screen TVs and iPods fill the shopping centre.
Faridullah, the owner of an electronics store who like many Afghans goes by one name, said he sells about four iPhones a month to wealthy Afghans. The price in Kabul has dropped from $1,100 one month ago to about $800 today, he said.
"The country is really progressing now. Nine years ago the country didn't know about mobile phones. We can't compare today to nine years ago," he said. "It's like a custom now in Afghanistan that even if someone doesn't have enough money to eat he'll still carry an expensive cell phone."
Still, the average annual income in Afghanistan is just $800, so shop owners must target the ultra-wealthy and foreigners. Most Afghans never have heard of an iPhone. "It's still pretty expensive," Jawid, the owner of another electronics store, said of iPhones and other modern gadgets.
Zaeef, the former Taliban official, said he has always been interested in technology despite his militant links. He used a laptop and satellite phone to access the Internet in the late 1990s, and now he surfs the web an hour a day, he said. Zaeef said he tried to persuade top Taliban officials to let Afghans have more access to modern electronics in the late 1990s, and he noted that the Taliban itself now embraces technology.
This article starring:
Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
This is encouraging. If we can just keep things relatively calm, Afghanistan will move so far ahead of the Taliban there won't be a reason to allow them to come back. Kinda like, "How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm..."
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/05/2009 15:17 Comments ||
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#2
Mo didn't have no iPhone.
Prediction: Earthquakes...
(AKI) - Sudan's ambassador to Italy, Alier Deng Ruai Deng, said his country would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant for president Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur on Wednesday. Al-Bashir, the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the court, faces five counts of crimes against humanity, including responsibility for murder, rape and torture, and two counts of war crimes.
"The view of Sudan is very clear. We will not accept such a decision from the ICC. We think it is a politically based decision, not based on legality," said Deng in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
Deng said Sudan rejected the ICC's decision based on legal terms, as his country is not a party to the ICC's founding Rome statute. It is the first time that the court has issued an arrest order against a sitting head of state since it began work in 2002. The court in The Hague fell short of accusing al-Bashir (photo) of genocide, but the president immediately rejected the charges against him and dismissed any ICC ruling as worthless.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after the warrant was announced and there were fears of widespread unrest.
"We will absolutely not cooperate with the ICC, nor will we accept their decision. First of all because we are not party to the ICC and thus it has no jurisdiction over Sudan. This is the main and legal point of view and the main reason why we do not cooperate with them," said Deng.
However, the ambassador stressed that Sudan's rejection of the court's jurisdiction did not mean it condoned the atrocities committed in Darfur and told AKI that the 65 year-old al-Bashir was the victim of political persecution. "(We will not cooperate) Not because we want to condone the atrocities that have taken place in Darfur. It is a principle position that we are not a member, we are not a party. Maybe the ICC has been influenced by certain circuits."
Deng also claimed that evidence provided to the court was not reliable. "We see no strong evidence from the witness. Sources used were not reliable, and we have a problem in that sense. How do we know if this evidence is reliable?"
However, Deng told AKI that he did not expect any negative repercussions in the short term with western countries. "Up to now, we do not think there are going to be any immediate repercussions after the decision. It could happen later, but up to now we don't think there will be any."
Deng said Sudan ruled out the possibility of handing over al-Bashir to any tribunal, because he was still president and had immunity under international law. "He is enjoying his immunity as president of Sudan," concluded Deng.
Al-Bashir will face five counts of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes, however, he will not face charges of genocide. The charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, were announced at a media conference in The Hague by court spokeswoman Laurence Blairon. Blairon said Bashir was suspected of being criminally responsible for "intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the civilian population of Darfur, Sudan, murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians and pillaging their property"
Sudan's ruling party the National Congress, announced plans for a march in the capital Khartoum on Thursday to protest against the decision.
The United Nations estimates at least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million others displaced from their homes in fighting across Darfur over the past six years between rebels, government forces and allied militiamen known as the Janjaweed. The militiamen are accused of widespread human rights abuses in their attacks against civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The right to uphold humanity and the interference of a third nation has resulted in bloody mess (Iraq). Does this mean we should turn a blind eye on crimes on humanity happening in other nations? Make your stance on the situation of arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir at
www.allvoices.com/journalism .
Posted by: hannahh kelly ||
03/05/2009 10:24 Comments ||
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Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno-Ocampo defended the decision to issue a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity against concerns about the repercussion for peace in Darfur in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya TV.
" The ICC does not call for overthrowing or ousting any government, but calls for bringing Bashir to justice for his war crimes "
Luis Moreno Ocampo, ICC chief prosecutor
"We've got to work now to implement the decision of the judges" chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told Al Arabiya TV in an exclusive interview as the decision was being read by the ICC court. "I think this changes everything."
The interview laid out several implications of the ICC's decision, one of which is the potential overthrow of the Sudanese government as a consequence of the ICC warrant.
"The ICC does not call for overthrowing or ousting any government, but calls for bringing Bashir to justice for his war crimes," Ocampo argued.
"The U.S. does not have power to go into Sudan and bring Bashir to justice, this is something that the Sudanese government must have prerogative for" Ocampa said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
Why is the International Cricket Council piling on here? One would think they had enough on their plate rescheduling all those matches that were going to be held in Pak-land for the next 50 years.
CAIRO - The Arab League said on Wednesday it would send a delegation with the African Union to the United Nations to try to suspend the international arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir. The two bodies will send a high ranking joint Arab and African delegation to the UN Security Council to delay the proceedings of the International Criminal Court, a statement from the pan-Arab body said.
The Arab League said it was greatly disturbed by the ICC decision to seek the arrest of Beshir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the six-year conflict in Darfur.
If you can't commit genocide against minorities in your own country, after all, what can you do?
League chief Amr Mussa, reading a statement issued by the 22-member group after an emergency meeting, said it was dismayed that the UN Security Council did not delay the court proceedings.
This is a grave development, he said, adding that the Arab League supported Sudans sovereignty and immunity for heads of state.
Egypt has also called on the Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to delay the warrant.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
He is muslim he is innocent of all crimes even if its genocide says Amr Mussa!!!!!
(AKI) - Al-Qaeda was seeking to recruit illegal immigrants in Europe for potential suicide attacks in Italy, Spain and France, an Algerian daily has claimed. A report in the daily Ennahar on Tuesday said Al-Qaeda had begun trying to recruit illegal immigrants in Europe, because it had not been able to find new recruits in Arab countries following elections in the United States and Israel.
"Two men, a Pakistani and a Bosnian offered me a proposal. They asked me to collaborate with Al-Qaeda in exchange for money," said Ahmad al-Shalafi, an Algerian immigrant who spoke to the daily by telephone after being approached by alleged Al-Qaeda officials.
"I would have had to recruit people from the local Islamic and African communities to carry out a suicide attack," he said.
Shalafi is an illegal Algerian immigrant who lives in Spain and works as a security official at a nightclub using fake documents and presenting himself as a Moroccan immigrant. He said he migrated illegally to Spain in 2001 after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in a makeshift boat.
The daily said Algerians and Moroccans, who had illegally entered Italy, France and Spain by boat from North Africa, were then being asked to join the terror network, due to their precarious living conditions, lack of identification documents and poor integration in their host country.
The news report said that Al-Qaeda also exploits the immigrants' resentment towards their new country as well as their home country, as they cannot renew their passport to legally return home.
The newspaper, citing outside sources, claimed to know that Al-Qaeda is targeting illegal immigrants - but particularly Moroccan and Algerian immigrants - in order to infiltrate Europe.
The daily also said that Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan had delegated this recruitment task to its North African branch, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb organisation, also present in Algeria.
Ennahar also referred to European intelligence reports warning about possible attacks against the Israeli and US embassies in European countries.
One report to which the daily referred, does not exclude Al-Qaeda attacks on Eastern Europe due to security crackdowns which have prevented new militant recruitment in Spain, Italy and France.
There are at least 365,000 Moroccan and 22,000 Algerian immigrants in Italy, according to the latest figures by Italy's central statistics agency ISTAT.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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The son and apparent heir of Egypt's president was in the United States Wednesday amid speculations that he is being prepared to inherit the presidency.
As President Hosni Mubarak hosted an international conference in Sharm el-Sheikh that included American's top diplomat Hillary Clinton, his son Gamal held a series of under-the-radar meetings with members of congress and foreign policy experts.
Mubarak, who also heads the influential Policies Committees of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), spent two days in Washington, D.C. where he reportedly met with Senator John Kerry and Rep. Howard Berman, who head the senate and house Foreign Affairs Committees and held a closed session at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"I had a wide-ranging talk with Gamal Mubarak," Berman said in a statement. "I don't want to go into the substance of a private meeting, but I can say that Mr. Mubarak is highly intelligent and fully conversant in the issues affecting U.S.-Egyptian relations and Middle East peace. He is a strong and sensible advocate of Middle East peace and of close cooperation with the United States."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Whatever happened to USA commitment to democracy?
The process of 2004 botched attempt to transport 10-truck load of arms and ammunition to the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) started in late 2001, involving some big time political honchos of the last four-party government, according to confessional statements of two persons accused in the Chittagong arms haul case.
The two accused -- Md Hafizur Rahman and Din Mohammad -- also said on Monday afternoon that the huge cache of weapons was being smuggled under the direct supervision of Ulfa leader Paresh Barua, who was residing in Dhaka back then.
Ministries for home and industries under the 4-party government, some high officials of intelligence agencies concerned, and the coast guard were well aware of the smuggling which also involved a former Jatiya Party MP, and a film director, the accused two said in the confessional statements to the Metropolitan Magistrate Md Osman Gani.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has agreed to help Bangladesh in forensic investigation into the BDR carnage.
Acting Deputy State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid told a regular press briefing in Washington Tuesday that they have received a request from the Bangladesh government for the FBI help in forensic investigation.
"I believe the FBI has agreed to do that," Duguid told a correspondent. He, however, could not give further details about when, where and how the FBI will work.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought the FBI assistance during telephone conversation with US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher on March 1.
Boucher spoke on behalf of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and offered the US assistance.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday urged Iran to cease its nuclear threats and rejoin the world community. "And our shared message to Iran is simple - we are ready for you to rejoin the world community," Brown said in a landmark speech to the US Congress.
"But first, you must cease your threats and suspend your nuclear program. And we will work tirelessly with all those in the international community who are ready to reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation."
Brown also urged the US to resist protectionist impulses and work with "your friend Europe" and other partners to revive the ailing global economy. "We should seize the moment - because never before have I seen a world so willing to come together. Never before has that been more needed. And never before have the benefits of cooperation been so far-reaching," Brown said.
He urged US lawmakers to resist the temptation to erect trade barriers as they battle to kickstart the world's top economy facing its greatest crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
"So should we succumb to a race to the bottom and a protectionism that history tells us that, in the end, protects no one?" the British prime minister asked. "No. We should have the confidence that we can seize the opportunities ahead and make the future work for us."
Brown urged US lawmakers - who recently passed a "Buy American" clause in an 800-billion-dollar spending bill - to resist the protectionist forces that could deepen the crisis. "America knows from its history that its reach goes far beyond its geography," he said. "If these times have shown us anything, it is that the major challenges we all face are global."
"For a century you have carried upon your shoulders the greatest of responsibilities: To work with and for the rest of the world. And let me tell you that now more than ever the rest of the world wants to work with you," he said.
The prime minister, just the fifth British premier to address the combined Senate and House of Representatives, underlined that US President Barack Obama, who took office January 20, could now count on "the most pro-American European leadership in living memory." It is "a leadership that wants to cooperate more closely together, in order to be a stronger partner for you. There is no old Europe, no new Europe, there is only your friend Europe," he said, in a reference to bitter trans-Atlantic divisions over the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
But..but...but..Kyoto was suppose to cripple the United States economically. That's what you wanted when you exempted China and India. Well, you got the cripple part and now you're living with the consequences. Not fun is it? How about 'urging' the US to dump regulatory constraints to recovery, otherwise you're literally wasting time.
#4
Reminding someone that you are their "friend" is bad sales technique, Gordo. It tends to remind them of the time that one of their old buddies praised them to the skies....and then stuck a shiv in their back.
#5
What is it with the leaders of the left, that they think they can just decree reality and change it? I'm surprised Brown hasn't adopted the royal "We" yet.
"We are wanting another cookie for dessert. And a pony!"
#6
Obama can't help you. He doesn't even know what P-E ratio means. Doesn't care either. In other words, don't look to the US anymore. It is going through "change". "So the world will like us better."
Kyrgyzstan is willing to negotiate a new deal allowing American troops to operate there despite its recent decision to evict the U.S. from an air base essential to the war in Afghanistan, the president's spokesman said Thursday.
The Central Asian nation last month ordered the United States to vacate the Manas air base within six months. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the closure shortly after Russia pledged $2.15 billion in aid and loans for impoverished former Soviet nation.
So either Vlad's check failed to clear or the Kyrgis think they can play both sides ...
Presidential spokesman Almaz Turdumamatov said the decision on Manas would not be changed but indicated that a separate arrangement allowing U.S. troops in the country could be negotiated. "The decision on the base is final and by this year every last American soldier will have left the territory of Kyrgyzstan," he said. "Notwithstanding, the doors for negotiation with the United States are open and we are prepared to consider a new agreement."
The base is a transit point for 15,000 troops and 500 tons of cargo each month to and from Afghanistan. Bakiyev had complained that the United States ignored repeated demands for an increase on the $17.4 million paid in annual rent for the base. The move to revoke the basing agreement with the United States was later overwhelmingly backed by parliament and signed into law.
Losing Manas poses a serious challenge to President Barack Obama's plan to send up to 30,000 more American forces into Afghanistan this year to fight surging Taliban and al-Qaida violence.
Bakiyev told the British Broadcasting Corp. that; "We are ready for any new proposals from the US government aimed at stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan."
Posted by: ed ||
03/05/2009 08:34 ||
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They should talk to the Puerto Ricans and ask them how well that Vieques thing worked out. It got real quiet down there after Roosevelt Roads closed down and they found out that the gunnery range would become a wilderness preserve because no one was willing to pay to find and defuse all the UXB. When Uncle Sugar leaves, he leaves.
North Korea has said it cannot ensure the safety of South Korean civilian flights passing near its airspace over the Sea of Japan (East Sea). The comment comes ahead of a joint South Korean-US military exercise, which Pyongyang says is preparation for an invasion of the communist state.
Tensions are high in the region amid speculation that the North is planning to test-fire a long-range missile. In the latest of a series of bellicose statements, a North Korean committee warned that "security cannot be guaranteed for South Korean civil airplanes... in particular while the military exercises are under way".
It said no one knows what "military conflicts will be touched off by the reckless war exercises".
That's pretty damned provocative. Then again, they know Bambi won't respond ...
The annual US-South Korean drill, which involves tens of thousands of troops, starts on Monday and continues for 12 days. Washington and Seoul say the annual drill is for purely defence purposes.
North Korea opposes the exercise every year, but this event comes at a particularly tense time on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang has scrapped a series of peace agreements with Seoul over its decision to link bilateral aid to progress on denuclearisation.
The communist state also announced last month that it was preparing to launch a communications satellite. Some suspect this could be a cover for a test of the Taepodong 2 missile, which is capable of reaching as far as Alaska.
It is, analysts believe, keen to secure a position high on the agenda of the new US administration - and perhaps press for further concessions in return for abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
America's top envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, is currently visiting China, Japan and South Korea in a bid to breathe life into the stalled nuclear disarmament talks and reduce regional tensions.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/05/2009 14:10 Comments ||
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#2
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > SRI LANKA'S NEW CHINA PORT PROJECT/CHINA'S NEW "LISTENING POST" IN THE INDIAN OCEAN [Hambanota - Chin funding 85% of dev].
CHINA's MARITIME "STRING OF PEARLS" STRATEGY COMIN ALONG - namely, Chin dev
* Port + Special EEZ at GWADAR, PK
* PLAN NAVFACS in Bangladesh
* CONTAINER PORT FACIL with MYANMAR
As Washington steps up diplomacy to prevent a North Korean missile launch, the US military is also voicing growing confidence that it can shoot it down if Pyongyang goes ahead. Stephen Bosworth, the new US administration's envoy on North Korea, held talks in China on Wednesday as he continued to consult allies on what could turn into.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#9
You're too damn right, only reaction will be when some west coast city, gets nuked, and maybe not then.
Expect a tremendous lash out of confusion from superzero if that happens, for that same reason DC is safe, the assholes of the world know who will cower from power.
They won't hit the one person firmly under their Controll.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/05/2009 12:57 Comments ||
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#10
On the bright side, when LA gets nuked, it'll be the first chance for CA to balance its budget in years.
Posted by: ed ||
03/05/2009 13:04 Comments ||
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#11
...and the banks to clear all those 'funny' numbers on their books.
Far-right Belgian politician Filip Dewinter has written an anti-Islam book, describing the region as modern Europe's main problem.
Head of the Flemish Vlaams Belang party Dewinter - who is known for his support of Islamophobia and alleged sympathy for Israel in the opposition - argues in the book that the influence of Islam in Europe should be stemmed and describes Islamophobia as "an obligation."
He says this could materialize by barring immigrants from Muslim nations from entering Europe and imposing strict controls on the residing Muslims.
The book titled Insha'Allah? The Islamization of Europe is to go on sale Monday, EuropeNews reported.
"The moderate Muslims are many but they are not relevant. The radical Muslims who have the mosques in their power are," the author was reported as saying earlier.
In 2005, when the American-Jewish newsweekly The Jewish Week consulted his opinion on the Jewish support for a xenophobic political front, Dewinte said "xenophobia is not the word I would use. If it absolutely must be a 'phobia,' let it be 'Islamophobia.'"
In 2007, Dewinter attended a 'CounterJihad' conference in the capital, Brussels aimed at formation of a European front against the far-reaching influence of Islam.
In January, Dewinter sympathized with the similarly radical Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders who sparked widespread outrage with his anti-Islam film 'Fitna' in which he had attached extremism to the faith.
Wilders insistence on spreading his views forced a travel ban on him which he violated and drew more criticism.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
who is known for his support of Islamophobia and alleged sympathy for Israel
I guess there are some things even MSM is hesitant of accusing people of.
(Hits Stopwatch)45 days...
A top U.N. official accused the United States of committing inhuman "atrocities" in Iraq and Afghanistan during a speech Wednesday to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. "The aggressions against Iraq and Afghanistan and their occupations constitute atrocities that must be condemned and repudiated by all who believe in the rule of law in international relations," said U.N. General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann. Why would this nice man say such a thing? Read on, gentle Rantburger...
D'Escoto claimed that U.S. actions have directly led to more than a million Iraqi civilian deaths since 2003, a vastly inflated figure that does not correspond with the U.N.'s own estimates. Just because it's not true doesn't mean he can't say it and be believed...
The U.N.'s health and medical agency, the World Health Organization, says 151,000 Iraqis have died since the 2003 invasion. IraqBodyCount.org puts the death toll between 90,000- 99,245. "It's just a rounding error!" And they never round down ...
D'Escoto's fiery speech came on the day the Obama administration decided to take up observer status on the Human Rights Council, which the Bush administration had boycotted because it was unable to crack down on despots and human rights abuses. D'Escoto urged the Council to put the human rights situation in Iraq on its agenda, accusing the U.S. of war crimes and a series of human rights violations. "These must be addressed to bring an end to the scandalous present impunity," he said. "Muammar Qadaffi was heard to shout, "Woohoo!!"
He also called on the U.S. to free five Cuban nationals being held in U.S. prisons. The group was convicted in a Miami court in 2001 on a range of charges including lying about their identities, trying to obtain U.S. military secrets and spying on Cuban exile groups. Wait for it...
D'Escoto, once the foreign minister for the Communist Sandinista government of Nicaragua, called the five "heroes" being held in "preposterous conditions." "Why should they get better food and medical attention in a US prison than they would back home in Havana? That's preposterous!"
D'Escoto said he was hopeful that the Obama administration would address his concerns and bring change to American policies concerning the imprisoned Cubans. "...Like good little Dhimmis..."
"The immediate ex-incarceration of the five Cuban heroes would help strengthen our confidence that the promised change is for real," he said. "...And help me get a nicer bungalow next time I'm visiting Fidel..."
I know it's been asked a million times and more, but why do we give even one more dime to the UN? They have no intention of ever doing anything but bashing and actively undermining the US, and then having the b@lls to scream about it when we suggest paying less for the privelege. The bottom line: the UN simply reflects the majority of its members...and the majority of nations on this planet can be most charitably described as authoritarian. Bambi wants to raise money? Then start by cutting off funds to this subversive, terrorist (you heard me) organization.
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/05/2009 06:07 ||
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#1
I have no problem funding 4.5% of the UN, and no more, as long as the body receives a daily haranguing from John Bolton.
Posted by: ed ||
03/05/2009 9:12 Comments ||
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#2
I guess Maureen Dowd is not the only disappointed one.
#3
Personally, I feel we should stop funding the UN until Hell freezes over, Democrats obey the constitution and all other members of the UN pledge their instant obedience to do exactly what we tell them or else. We should also charge the UN 200 billion a month in rent for having their HQ here. And that'll be in dollars, not pesos. Each month they don't pay, execute 20 UN delegates.
Oh and I hate the UN. In case that wasn't obvious. I don't want America to be liked by the world. We should be obeyed and feared.
#8
Obama should boot the world organization out of the US. We can ill afford to finance such a corrupt organization that simply services to give credibility to foul regimes.
The U.S. Army War College has suspended a widely known expert on Islamic studies partly because she had turned to the Middle East Studies Association, and threatened to contact a newspaper, with allegations that administrators there were violating her academic freedom and discriminating against her as a Muslim.
Sherifa D. Zuhur, a research professor of Islamic and regional studies in the college's Strategic Studies Institute, was suspended without pay for 10 days, effective Monday, from the Army college, in Pennsylvania, which trains both military leaders and civilians. The institute's director, Douglas C. Lovelace Jr., had notified her of her suspension in a letter last week affirming the recommendation of the institute's deputy director, Col. Louis H. Jordan Jr., that the college take disciplinary action against her.
Among the alleged misconduct Mr. Lovelace cited in his letter was a January 23 e-mail from Ms. Zuhur to Colonel Jordan, her supervisor, threatening to relay her complaints against the collegeas well as letters to the college by the scholars' association and a Muslim American advocacy groupto an Arab-American newspaper, the Arab Times.
"a clear threat to attempt to damage the U.S. Army War College's reputation with malicious claims and misinformation for which you can offer no support."
Mr. Lovelace's letter supported Colonel Jordan's conclusion that the e-mail message amounted to a challenge to her supervisor's authority and "a clear threat to attempt to damage the U.S. Army War College's reputation with malicious claims and misinformation for which you can offer no support." Mr. Lovelace's letter cited several other examples of "conduct unbecoming a federal employee" and warned "should you persist in such conduct, I will propose your removal from federal service."
"I have never before dealt with such blatant examples of disrespect and contempt for one's supervisors and support staff. Nor have I encountered the level of obstreperousness you display in my 40 years as a supervisor."
A spokeswoman for the Army War College, Carol Kerr, declined on Tuesday to discuss Ms. Zuhur or the actions taken against her. In an e-mailed statement, she said, "In support of our employees' privacy, it's our policy to not comment on personnel actions."
Earlier Complaint
Ms. Zuhur's suspension marks the latest chapter in a long-running dispute with the Army War College, in which she has leveled a long list of allegations that the institution denies. In 2007, she filed an employment discrimination complaint with the U.S. Defense Department alleging that a student there had sexually assaulted her, that she has been unfairly denied more than a one-year renewal of her contract, that an unspecified employee of the college had orchestrated an attack on her work in the news media, and that administrators there had discriminated against her by refusing to accommodate her Muslim religious practices.
Ms. Zuhur has also accused the college of violating her academic freedom by blocking her from publishing criticisms of the Bush administration's since-debunked "weapons of mass destruction" justification for going to war with Iraq, as well as various statements regarding Israel and the Islamic Palestinian group Hamas, such as characterizations of Israel's targeted elimination of various enemies as "assassinations." More recently, she has accused an administrator of the college of harassing her in retaliation for her discrimination complaint.
Responding to an appeal by Ms. Zuhur for help, the president of the Middle East Studies Association, Mervat F. Hatem, sent the college's commander, Maj. Gen. Robert M. Williams, a letter last June urging him to investigate her complaints. The letter said Ms. Zuhur had complained of being treated in ways that may violate the college's stated policy regarding academic freedom and the standards of the college's accreditor, the Middle States Association of Colleges. (Ms. Hatem has said she never received a response.)
In a separate letter sent to the college in January, the Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations relayed allegations by Ms. Zuhur that she had been a victim of religious discrimination at the college since 2005, when, she said, she had difficulty obtaining a room in which to observe her daily prayers. Among the requests it made of the Army War College in its letter, the group asked that the college adopt the council's diversity- and sensitivity-training program on Islam and Muslims for its employees, and either compensate Ms. Zuhur for not being offered the three- to five-year contract offered her peers or "provide her with an equal opportunity to attain such a contract."
Findings of 'Unprofessional Conduct'
Mr. Lovelace, the Strategic Studies Institute's director, said in his letter last month to Ms. Zuhur that he had concluded that her latest set of complaints related to academic freedom and harassment were without basis, and that he was suspending her over the college's several findings of unprofessional conduct on her behalf.
"I have never before dealt with such blatant examples of disrespect and contempt for one's supervisors and support staff," he wrote. "Nor have I encountered the level of obstreperousness you display in my 40 years as a supervisor."
Mr. Lovelace's letter accused Ms. Zuhur of making several unsubstantiated allegations against Steven Metz, chairman of the college's regional strategy and planning department. Those complaints include accusing him of bursting into her office and physically threatening her by thrusting a letter in her face so abruptly that she fainted. Mr. Lovelace's letter said the complaint led to an investigation that wasted the college's resources, because an eyewitness said she had not fainted and otherwise denied her account of the incident. "As a federal employee, researcher, and writer, you have a responsibility to report and articulate matters in an accurate and unembellished manner," Mr. Lovelace's letter said.
In a letter last month standing by her accusations against Mr. Metz. Ms. Zuhur said the institute apparently "wants to torture me for saying exactly what happened."
Mr. Lovelace's letter also accuses Ms. Zuhur of verbally abusing the college's support staff and acting unprofessionally by setting an automatic out-of-office message on her computer that included the statement: "Dr. Metz, do not continue to harass me, especially by e-mail. I am trying to work or enjoy the days off."
Ms. Zuhur was caught up in a similar struggle with a previous employer, the American University in Cairo, in 2000. In that case, she had the support of several faculty members and ended up going on a hunger strike
She is a muzz affirmative action baby with fifth columnist cred.
"She" was merely - suspended -. What I want to know is: WHO hired the multi-culti fifth columnist muzzie affirmative action baby to teach at the War College?
An independent inspector general will look into the foreign financial ties of Chas W. Freeman Jr. The director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, last Thursday named Mr. Freeman, a veteran former diplomat, to the chairmanship of the National Intelligence Council.
Mr. Freeman has not submitted the financial disclosure forms required of all candidates for senior public positions, in his case its not what Stocks Mr. Freeman owns, its what countries own stock in Mr. Freeman
according to the general counsel's office of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Nor did Mr. Blair seek the White House's approval before he announced the appointment of Mr. Freeman, said Mr. Blair's spokeswoman, Wendy Morigi. get ready for a ride under the bus
"The director did not seek the White House's approval," Ms. Morigi said. "In addition to his formal background security investigation, we expect that the White House will undertake the typical vetting associated with senior administration assignments."
#4
Doesn't surprise me even a tiny bit, no uncontrolled watchdogs, they must be firmly under leash so they don't unearth anything seriously against Democrats,
"Republicans" ? sic em boy.
Problem is if there's a change to a Republican (Honest) Govt, then the tables are turned, this shows the Dems intend to remain in power forever.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/05/2009 12:49 Comments ||
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#5
Sen Schumer and a few other Dems have called the White House on this.
Chas is likely to be gone in a week.
The IG stuff is probably just a CYA so the White House can tell the Saudis and Chinese that it wasn't their fault that Chas didn't make it.
A federal judge on Wednesday threw out one conviction against a former Navy sailor accused of passing along information about ship movements, dealing a post-mortem blow to a Bush administration that had praised the case as a success.
U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz overturned last year's conviction of Hassan Abu-Jihaad, of Phoenix, on a charge of providing material support to terrorists, citing the language of the law. He upheld his conviction for disclosing classified national defense information. Abu-Jihaad was a signalman aboard the USS Benfold. He was accused of passing along information including the makeup of his Navy battle group and a drawing of the formation the group would use to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf in April 2001.
Kravitz said that Abu-Jihaad received a fair trial and denied a motion for a new trial. But he said he was overturning one of the convictions "for reasons largely related to the language" of the law.
To convict Abu-Jihaad of providing material support to terrorists, the jury had to find that he provided personnel or physical assets. But Kravitz said there was no evidence that would allow the jury to conclude Abu-Jihaad provided personnel or willfully caused the battle group document to be placed on a computer floppy disc, which could be considered a physical asset. But in upholding the other charge, the judge said Abu-Jihaad had motive, citing his praise of the attack on the USS Cole as a "martrydom operation," that he had access to the secret information and that he was in frequent communication with the suspected terrorism supporters. "This was not an open and shut case," Kravitz wrote. "In many ways, it was a difficult case for the government to prove."
Dan LaBelle, Abu-Jihaad's attorney, said the ruling pleased him. "It's very thorough and thoughtful," he said.
Abu-Jihaad's conviction was hailed last year by top national security officials and federal investigators as a model of cooperation among government agencies. Prosecutors say they are reviewing the latest ruling.
Abu-Jihaad, who was honorably discharged in 2002, faced up to 10 years in prison on each count. He sought a new trial in October, saying prosecutors lacked evidence and inflamed the jury by playing videos he bought that promoted violent jihad, or holy war. Prosecutors say investigators discovered files on a computer disk recovered from a suspected terrorist supporter's home in London that included the ship movements, as well as the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities.
Abu-Jihaad was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites to raise money, appeal for fighters and provide equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles to terrorists.
Ahmad, who lived with his parents, where the computer file was allegedly found, and was arrested in London, is to be extradited to the U.S.
(AKI/DAWN) - The peace agreement between the militant group Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat Mohammadi and the government in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province received another setback when militants ambushed an army team, killing two security personnel and a civilian in Ronyal village of the restive Swat valley. Inconceivable!
The military described the attack on security personnel a violation of the peace agreement, but the head of TNSM, Maulana Sufi Mohammad blamed the army for moving around without prior information. Inconceivable!
The military said a captain was wounded in an ambush while two soldiers were killed when they were carrying water from a water channel.
"There absolutely was no violation of the agreement on our part. Our team was engaged by militants and we did not retaliate", army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told Pakistani daily Dawn.
Abbas also told Pakistani daily Dawn that his forces are still being attacked, despite the army's restraint.
"Our security forces are threatened, their ration supplies are disrupted and forces are attacked without any provocations. We have been exercising restraint in the larger interest of the people in Swat", he said.
A government spokesman condemned the incident and said that such negative activities could create hurdles for the restoration of peace and enforcement of sharia or Islamic law in the valley.
"We do hope that Maulana Sufi Mohammad will take notice of such activities and reprimand those involved," said the provincial minister for information in NWFP, Mian Iftikhar Hussain.
He insisted that the security forces were not involved in any provocation and assured the people that the government would soon setup courts in Swat and Malakand division and enforce sharia law.
One official said the escalation was a bad omen for peace in Swat.
"The space is getting narrower and narrower. The military may soon reach its threshold. So far they have been exercising restraint but the next couple of days could be very crucial," the official said, requesting anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
, but the head of TNSM, Maulana Sufi Mohammad blamed the army for moving around without prior information.
"where are the Lashkar drums??"
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/05/2009 18:36 Comments ||
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The NWFP government struck a 17-point deal with the banned Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi in the Swat valley on Wednesday.
"A 17-point understanding was reached with a TNSM delegation ... music has been banned in Swat and it has been agreed to expel prostitutes and pimps from the district," the senior official told Daily Times after the meeting. The Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-led the provincial government at the talks, while Maulana Safiullah and spokesman Amir Izzat Khan represented the TNSM -- with Malakand Commissioner Syed Muhammad Javed also in attendance.
The meeting came a day after suspected Taliban killed two army troops and continued taking government officials hostage, despite having agreed to a ceasefire in the wake of the provincial government's February 16 accord on the implementation of sharia in Swat.
Sharia: "Music and vulgar CDs will be banned; shops will remain closed during prayer times and the complete implementation of sharia laws in the region will come into effect from the 16th of this month," according to the key points of the understanding. "Vulgarity would be rooted out and profiteers dealt with under the law. An anti-crime campaign will be launched and Quran classes will be started for jail inmates in the region."
The Malakand commissioner's office released to the media the 17-point understanding -- which does not say if the Taliban would stop abducting government officials and attacking government forces.
The commissioner told the TNSM delegation that he would forward the 17 points to the chief secretary in Peshawar for the government's approval, said the officials. However, the TNSM delegates insisted that the commissioner bring into effect some of the points through his own administrative powers.
Meanwhile, the army began vacating former headquarters of Swat Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah in Imamdheri, military sources here told Daily Times on Wednesday as witnesses said the Taliban had abandoned the Qambar checkpost near Mingora on the main highway linking the district with Peshawar.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Pakistan must clamp down on "terrorists" in its midst, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday, a day after gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, killing seven people. The British prime minister said the "vast majority" of Al Qaeda fighters were in Pakistan, adding the government must make arrests to show it is "fulfilling its role in the world community".
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
CHINESE MIL FORUM > TALIBAN FORCE A CHINA SWITCH? CHINA fears recent abduction of two Chin engineers for ransom [one released] by Talibs SIGNALS TALIBAN ARE TURNING ANTI-CHINESE?
WEAKNESS/FAILURES OF PAKI GOVT AGZ TALIBAN, MILITANTS > As per UIGHUR SEPARATISM, China also fears the rise or dev of a LARGE NEW ISLAMIST-MILIT "SAFE HAVEN" IN PAKISTAN WHICH WILL END UPFUELING AND SUPPOR UIGHUR MOVEMENT.
NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour claimed on Wednesday that following the peace deal between the provincial government and Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), peace was restored in 70 per cent areas of Swat valley. "The NWFP government's peace deal with Sufi Mohammad is going successful as peace has been restored in about 70 per cent areas of the volatile Swat district," Bilour, who is also Awami National Party (ANP)'s parliamentary leader in NWFP Assembly, told media persons at a launch hosted by ANP-backed newly elected District Nazim Umer Khan in the honour of district council members. Bilour, however, strongly criticised reports of private news channels regarding scraping of the Swat peace deal after suspected Taliban ambushed a security forces vehicle on Tuesday resulting in killing of two security forces personnel in Matta tehsil of Swat and termed such reports as baseless. He claimed that the situation in Swat had improved significantly after the peace deal. He said all schools were reopened and business activities restarted in the district. Coming hard on the media, the ANP senior minister said that media should play a positive role in maintaining peace in the valley rather than to mislead public through its "baseless" reports. The ANP leader went on to say that the provincial government will not back out of its peace deal with TNSM, which is inches from full success. He vowed that the provincial government will ensure complete peace in Swat district at all costs.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Peace restored in 70% areas of Swat for 90% of the time.
(AKI/Asian Age) - Indian intelligence agencies termed Tuesday's terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team as "complete incompetency of the Pakistani government" and said it is the military-intelligence complex (or the Inter-Services Intelligence headquarters) which is calling the shots in Islamabad.
Senior officials of the Indian Central intelligence agencies believe that neither the Inter-Services Intelligence nor the terror outfits are under the control of the civilian government of Pakistan. "It's quite clear that the ISI is in touch with terror outfits. The civilian government is incompetent and helpless," said a high-ranking Indian official of the Intelligence Bureau in an interview with Indian daily The Asian Age.
The official also blasted Pakistan's inadequate security arrangements, after the attack, which killed six policemen and a driver during the ambush. "There was no adequate security arrangements. It was an international match not a district-level cricket match. Security arrangements which were made outside and inside the stadium were not up to the mark.
The official also claims that it is highly unlikely that the ISI did not have any information previous to the attack. "It's difficult to believe that terrorists were planning such a massive attack and the Inter-Services Intelligence did not have any information in a country like Pakistan. Was there an intelligence failure or was there suppression of intelligence?," he said.
He also made a comparison between the cricket team attack and the Mumbai bombings last November.
"Islamabad cannot even think about questioning ISI officials. Even after repeated denial by the civilian government, the ISI is providing all support to the militant outfits operating from Pakistan. Terror attack on the cricket team was similar to the 26/11 attack. Initial reports indicate that militants wanted to take players hostage," said the official.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION INDIA, CHINESE MIL FORUM > BLOOMBERG - INDIA FAILURE TO CONTROL OPEN DEFECATION [approxi 100,000 tonnes per annum] BLUNTS ECONOMIC GROWTH.
WAFF > POSTER - INDIAN CANNIBALISM, besides defecation???
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has vowed that those who attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team will be caught, and punished "with iron hands".
Zardari told visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in Islamabad that progress was being made in investigating the attack in Lahore.
The Sri Lankan team has arrived back in Colombo amid emotional scenes. Gunmen opened fire on the team's convoy on Tuesday, killing six policemen and a driver and injuring eight tour members. Zardari said: "Progress has been made in the investigation and the perpetrators will be exposed and brought to justice."
He admitted that the attack was "a serious setback that had also undermined the sport of cricket in Pakistan".
Zardari welcomed Sri Lanka's assertion that the attack would not harm ties and called for the two nations to work together to "learn from each other's experiences in fighting terrorism".
Up to 14 gunmen were involved in the attack at the Liberty Square roundabout in the heart of Lahore on Tuesday. Sources said in Islamabad hundreds of people have been questioned in poorer areas of Lahore to find clues to the attackers.
Meanwhile weapons have been seized by police following an ambush of the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. Police say the cache of weapons suggests a long operation was planned
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Ummm, Isn't "Iron Hands" a Chinese phrase?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/05/2009 13:03 Comments ||
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#2
LOL (for real) at the graphic
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/05/2009 18:37 Comments ||
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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, blasted its plans for razing houses in Occupied East Jerusalem and vowed to work toward a Palestinian state as she met with President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday. "The United States aims to foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realized," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Yea, we should start going after people (the term used solely for purposes of reference) who give them $$$.
#2
This is an absolutely disgraceful article. No mention of what Hamas has been up to over the period since it took on Fatah and threw them off the tops of buildings.
The odd missile lobbed into Israel is particularly helpful to peace. And what with the "aid". Schools and Hospitals? Sure. Built right over new bunkers and quarters built more security so that they provide more protection for these murderous animals.
How long before the pro-Israeli lobby pulls the pin on this pro Hamas administration?
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused Iran of interference in Palestinian affairs by urging Muslims to support the Palestinians.
She claimed the remarks made by the Leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei were "clear interference in the internal affairs of the Palestinian people," and "continuing efforts on the part of the Iranians to undermine the Palestinian Authority."
On Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei told an international conference held in Tehran to support the Palestinian nation that the policy of making a compromise with the Israeli regime does not work.
"By now those who advocated a pragmatic approach under the illusion of the invincibility of the Zionist regime and who succumbed to surrender and compromise with the usurpers should have realized their mistake," the Leader said on Wednesday.
Ayatollah Khamenei termed the recent attack on Gaza as a proof of the fact that Israel is pursuing "its aggressive policies," despite efforts by some Arab states to engage in talks with Tel Aviv.
The Leader also called for holding a referendum by Jews, Christian and Muslims in Palestine to determine the future of the country.
Clinton arrived in Brussels on Wednesday for meetings with NATO and European allies in a first exchange of views on Washington's new strategy in Afghanistan.
However, prior to her trip to Brussels, Clinton traveled to Israel on Tuesday and held talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and right-wing Israeli politicians who are set to take over affairs in Tel Aviv.
"It is important that the United States always underscore our unshakeable, durable and fundamental support for the state of Israel" and "our unrelenting commitment to Israel's security," she told the Israeli echelons.
The right-wing success in winning the majority of Knesset seats in the recent Israeli elections has raised questions as to whether White House's new polices in the region is to give in to the right-wing idea of a pure Jewish state or whether it will truly support a two-state solution.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Clinton pointed to the US stance in the region by saying, "In the absence of Hamas agreeing to the principles that have been adopted by such a broad range of international actors, I don't see that we or they or anyone -- could deal with Hamas."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
PALESTINE DOES NOT EXIST.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/05/2009 15:42 Comments ||
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Egyptian Expert on Israeli Studies/Head of Hebrew Studies Depart at Ein Shams University Ahmad Hammad: What Hitler Did to the Juices Was 'Incidents,' Not Massacres
Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian expert on Israeli studies Ahmad Hammad, who heads the Hebrew Studies department at 'Ein Shams University.
The interview aired on Al-Rafidein TV on January 24, 2009.
"What Hitler Did [To the Juices] Was 'Incidents' of the Kind That Happen to Any Minority in the World"
Ahmad Hammad: "What underlies the Israelites' mechanism of hating the other? When they were in Egypt, the Israelites were slaves and felt persecuted. Therefore, when they gained independence or some sovereignty, it was inevitable that the hatred of the other would grow in their inner selves, because this 'other' represented a sickly past, in their view. Therefore, they had to separate themselves from this 'other.' All the condescending concepts that appeared in the Talmud, in the Mishnah, and in the Torah are based on the concepts of 'we were slaves and foreigners in the land of Egypt.'"
Interviewer: "In Iraq too, they were abject slaves."
Ahmad Hammad: "Right.
[...]
"What Hitler did and I don't call it a massacre or anything of the sort... What Hitler did was 'incidents' of the kind that happen to any minority in the world. It happened to the Gypsy minority, to the Turkish minority, and to the Juicy minority. What Hitler did happened to all these minorities." [...]
"Was What Hitler Did to the Juices... a Reaction to Something They Did?"
"Was what Hitler did to the Juices random, or was it a reaction to something they did?"
Interviewer: "You are referring to the economic crises the Juices caused Germany during the war, and the Conspiracies they hatched with other countries. When they realized that Germany would not fulfill the Plan they had in mind, they placed themselves at the service of another force."
Ahmad Hammad: "They are always at the service of all the forces." "Use the forces, Moshe".
(AKI) - The Philippines government and the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front are reported to be close to resuming talks, after Manila announced that it has dropped a precondition for arresting key commanders, Umbra Kato and Bravo.
Media reports cited foreign affairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis on Wednesday saying that the government peace panel is now waiting for the resumption of talks to be scheduled with the MILF by Malaysian facilitators.
The two commanders, at least formally repudiated by the MILF central command, are accused to have led a series of raids against Christian villages in the south in August last year.
The raids were sparked by the Philippines supreme court ruling that stopped the two parties from signing a memorandum which would have allowed the territory to be included in an autonomous Moro homeland, the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. The court later ruled the agreement unconstitutional.
Seguis said on Wednesday that the peace talks can resume even if the army is still to arrest the two rogue rebels.
On the fringes of the ASEAN meeting held last week in Thailand, Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi confirmed Kuala Lumpur's commitment to the talks.
The combined effect of the Supreme Court ruling and the two commanders' raids has led to worsening conflict in Mindanao.
Clashes between the army and rebel fighters have taken place almost daily and scores of people have been killed. The National Disaster Coordinating Council also said that more than half a million people were displaced at the height of the fighting in August last year.
It is estimated that some 112,000 people are still living in evacuation camps while another 200,000 are staying with friends or relatives.
The government has long stated that it will end its military operations when the MILF turns over the rogue commanders.
The MILF, however, is unwilling to hand over the commanders and wants international monitors to determine whether the men were responsible for ceasefire violations.
The Malaysian-led international team left Mindanao last November citing frustration with the slow progress of the talks.
According to the International Crisis Group think-tank, "the MILF has no interest in alienating Kato and cannot control Bravo."
In its latest report, released in February, the Brussels-based ICG also expressed scepticism regarding a solution to the conflict.
"As it stands, the two sides are too far apart, the potential spoilers too numerous, and the political will in Manila too weak to hope for a negotiated peace any time soon," the ICG said.
More than 80 percent of the five million Muslims in the Philippines live in Mindanao, where the MILF has been fighting for an independent separatist state since the 1970s.
According to the 2007 census, 81 percent of the 88.5 million Filipinos are Catholics.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Sri Lankan security forces are on the verge of establishing complete control over territory held by Tamil rebels after killing "scores" of guerrillas, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
Government forces were consolidating their position in the last urban area held by the Tamil Tigers, the small town of Puthukkudiriruppu in the northeast, following heavy fighting on Tuesday, the ministry said. "Scores of terrorists were killed in the fighting and as many injured," the ministry said in a statement.
Government forces fought their way into Puthukkudiriruppu last week despite heavy resistance from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Separately, suspected Tamil Tiger rebels gunned down a policeman on Wednesday in country's south, the military said.
Underscoring the potential for the LTTE to carry out low-level insurgent attacks, a band of suspected Tigers fired on a police post in Butalla and set off a gunbattle, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. "Suspected LTTE fired at a police picket and one police constable was killed," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
How long has it been that we have seen headlines that Sri Lankan troops are about to finish off the Tigers?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
03/05/2009 10:10 Comments ||
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#2
2-3 Years now.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/05/2009 13:04 Comments ||
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Iranian missiles can reach Israeli nuclear sites and Tehran will respond firmly to any attack, a top commander said on Wednesday as Western powers urged Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.
Israel, like the United States, has not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to end the row over the Islamic Republic's nuclear plans.
"Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran has missiles with the range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), and based on that all Israeli land including that regime's nuclear facilities are in the range of our missile capabilities," the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Ali Jafari, said.
"The doctrine of our system is defensive, but in the case of any action by enemies, including the Zionist regime, we will respond firmly using missiles and deter attacks," he said in comments carried by the ISNA news agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#5
ISRAELI MIL FORUM > [New Report]IRAN CAN GET ENOUGH NUCLEAR MATERIALS FOR UP TO 50 NUKES; + IRAN CALLS ON ALL MUSLIMS TO ATTACK ISRAEL [ Ayatollah Khameini - Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are FRUITLESS]???
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said "resistance" was the only way to save Palestine as he kicked off a two-day summit organized by Tehran in aid of Gaza and Palestinians. He said that said U.S. President Barack Obama was pursuing the same "wrong path" as George W. Bush in supporting Israel and described the Jewish state as a "cancerous tumor."
The comments by Khamenei, who has the final say on all policy in Iran, are likely to disappoint the new U.S. administration which has been seeking to engage Iran but has called on Tehran to "unclench its fist."
"Even the new president of America, who has come to power with slogans about changing Bush's policies, is defending state terrorism by talking about unconditional commitment to Israel's security," Khamenei told the conference.
Khamenei's latest salvo comes as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Palestinian leaders in West Bank during her first visit to the region since taking office.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Since "Palestine" doesn't exist, watch his hands and see the money vanish into them.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/05/2009 13:06 Comments ||
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Iran's IAEA ambassador, Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh, inveighed against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for passing a politically-motivated judgment on the country's uranium enrichment so far.
"Unfortunately, the UN nuclear watchdog's statutory obligations have clearly gone astray," said Soltaniyeh in Wednesday a meeting of the UN nuclear monitor's 35-nation board of governors. "The agency was founded with a declared goal of promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy, but we see now that safeguard efforts and world politics have unfortunately outstripped its true objectives," he added.
Soltaniyeh went on to criticize recent IAEA reports for providing what he called "a rather obscure and intransigent" glimpse into Tehran's nuclear activities. He called for a new atmosphere within the agency, one that includes negotiations on "equal footing" and "justice" as the main solution to the international standoff over Tehran's uranium enrichment.
According to Soltaniyeh, the UN nuclear monitor's constantly-shifting position on Iran shows that it is torn between an ongoing challenge between "justice and injustice."
His claims come only a day after the sextet of Britain, France, Russia, China, the US and Germany invited Tehran for direct engagements over its nuclear program.
"(We) urge Iran to take this opportunity for engagement with us and thereby maximize opportunities for a negotiated way forward," said the French IAEA governor, Olivier Caron, while voicing "serious concerns."
The UN nuclear monitor said in its latest report on Iran's nuclear program that the country has so far enriched 1,010 kg (2,226 lb) of uranium hexafluoride to a low level. A number of Western analysts -- such as David Albright at the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security -- have construed the IAEA report as a sign that Iran has reached the 'break-out capability' to use the material for a single weapon.
However, Mark Fitzpatrick of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, dismissed such a notion, saying that Iran's uranium stockpile would still have to be further enriched to bomb grade. "And the basic truth bears repeating, that having a stockpile of enriched uranium is not the same as having a bomb," he said.
But it's a lot easier to build a bomb if you have the enriched uranium in hand ...
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
In the late seventies there was an engineer student who designed an A-bomb as a project at university. According to experts it was a perfectly working design provided he had had access to enough enriched uranium. Just remind that he was a student and he did it alone: if you have enough plutonium or enriched uranium building a bomb is easy.
#2
How about the Boy Scout who built a working nuclear reactor in his backyard to get a "Nuclear" merit badge, it worked, he did,
The Nuclear watchdogs panicked and removed it.
As I recall, he used Radium from old watch dials.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/05/2009 13:10 Comments ||
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Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah has traveled to Teheran, via Damascus, to participate in a Palestinian solidarity conference, Channel 10 quoted Iranian sources as saying Wednesday.
According to the report, Nasrallah was accompanied by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and convicted child killer Samir Kuntar, who was released by Israel last July in a prisoner swap deal for IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
If the report is true, it would mark the first time Nasrallah has left Lebanon since the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.
Nasrallah rarely leaves his bunker, although he did make a public appearance to greet Kuntar and the other freed prisoners upon their arrival in Beirut after the July deal.
Meanwhile, at the Teheran conference on supporting the Palestinians, Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday criticized what he called President Barack Obama's "unconditional" support for Israel, saying he was following the same mistaken policies as the Bush administration.
Ayatollah Khomeini said Obama spoke of change during his campaign, but supported the IDF operation in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#3
expect a Hezb distraction on Israel's north border. In "solidarity with the beleagured Gazans" of course. His masters have given their orders. Puppet and tool. Perhaps his plane could have "difficulties" in flight?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/05/2009 18:51 Comments ||
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DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal in Damascus on Wednesday in another sign of a thaw in ties between the two Arab countries that had clashed over regional issues. The official Syrian news agency reported the meeting but gave no further details.
Tensions between Damascus and Riyadh rose further earlier this year after Syria backed Hamas during Israels three-week assault in Gaza while Saudi Arabia stuck by President Mahmoud Abbas, who accused the Islamist group of provoking the invasion. Arab efforts to mend ties have been underway since. Prince Saud met his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem this week at an Arab foreign ministers meeting in Egypt that discussed Palestinian reconciliation and the regional influence of Iran.
An alliance between Syria and Iran that has strengthened in recent years has irritated Saudi Arabia.
Prince Saud told the Arab foreign ministers meeting that a common view was needed to deal with what he described as the Iranian challenge and Iranian interference in Arab affairs. He also called for a unified Arab stance in dealing with the new U.S. administration and sticking by an Arab peace initiative that offered Israel normal ties in return for the return of all Arab land occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
He said abandoning the initiative would leave Arab countries with no reasonable alternative strategy to end the conflict.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/05/2009 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Berlin, Mar 5, IRNA -- Head of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said here Wednesday after meeting his German counterpart Berlin wishes to take advantage of Tehran experience and role in Afghanistan. 
The son and apparent heir of Egypt's president was in the United States Wednesday amid speculations that he is being prepared to inherit the presidency.
A federal judge on Wednesday threw out one conviction against a former Navy sailor accused of passing along information about ship movements, dealing a post-mortem blow to a Bush administration that had praised the case as a success.
(AKI/DAWN) - The peace agreement between the militant group Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat Mohammadi and the government in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province received another setback when militants ambushed an army team, killing two security personnel and a civilian in Ronyal village of the restive Swat valley.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has vowed that those who attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team will be caught, and punished "with iron hands".
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah has traveled to Teheran, via Damascus, to participate in a Palestinian solidarity conference, Channel 10 quoted Iranian sources as saying Wednesday. 
