[An Nahar] Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. on Saturday ordered a halt to the flow of oil from South Sudan, less than two months after southern crude began moving again, official radio said.
"Bashir ordered the minister of oil to stop the flow of South Sudanese oil from tomorrow, Sunday," Radio Omdurman reported in an SMS message which gave no further details.
The official SUNA news agency issued a similar report, saying Bashir called for the oil pipeline to be "shut down" from Sunday.
The oil, which has not yet reached Sudan's Red Sea export terminal, would be worth billions of dollars in revenue to both impoverished nations if exports resumed.
Bashir had warned on May 27 that he would block the oil if the South's government provides assistance to rebels fighting in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, or in the Darfur region.
Bashir threatened to "completely close the pipeline".
Juba denies supporting the rebels.
South Sudan held a ceremony in early April to restart oil production following a closure of more than a year after accusing Khartoum of theft in a row over export fees.
China was the biggest buyer of the oil.
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06/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Sudan's opposition alliance announced on Saturday a 100-day plan for the peaceful overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. , who has been in power for more than two decades.
"I expect the regime will fall before the 100 days finish," said Farouk Abu Issa, who represents more than 20 opposition parties.
He said the first month of the plan includes public forums, including at universities.
They would also ask the state security service for permission to hold a mass rally.
"If we don't get it, then there is another step we can take but we will not announce it now," he told a presser.
Over the past year, the opposition alliance has pledged to mobilize its members for peaceful protests to topple the government. It has also called for strikes by workers, but there has been no mass response to its appeals despite months of inflation exceeding 40 percent.
Issa said the opposition will also prepare "an initiative for democratic change," including for a transitional administration.
"We are going to send this initiative to the president," he said.
Last June and July, year scattered anti-regime protests sparked by inflation spread around the country.
They later petered out following a security clampdown.
A separate spurt of anti-government rallies occurred in December, when hundreds marched in Khartoum's streets after the death of four students.
On Friday, police fired tear gas after about 200 protesters gathered near a mosque linked to the Umma party, a member of Issa's alliance.
The demonstrators called for the regime's downfall.
The periodic protests against Bashir's 24-year government, which calls itself Islamist, have failed to generate widespread following as did the Arab Spring revolts against authoritarian rulers in North Africa and the Middle East that began in December 2010.
Bashir took power in a 1989 coup that overthrew democratically elected prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the Umma party leader.
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[An Nahar] Talks between Malian authorities and armed ethnic Tuareg rebels aimed at resolving the conflict in the north of the country opened on Saturday after a day's delay.
"The aim is to find a durable solution to the grave crisis engulfing Mali," said President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and may be in the process of being chased out now... which is mediating the negotiations.
Tensions remain high in the north of Mali after heavy fighting near the rebel-held city of Kidal, stoking concerns about the staging of planned nationwide elections next month.
Kidal, a town prized by the Tuaregs, has been occupied by the rebel National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) since the end of January.
But Mali's army has declared its intention to recapture Kidal before the presidential election scheduled for July 28, and deadly fighting erupted on Wednesday as troops advanced on the town.
UN Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... 's special representative to Mali, Bert Koenders, said he did not believe that the fighting would undermine the talks in Burkina Faso.
Koenders told news hounds in Bamako on Friday that he placed "great hope in the Ouagadougou negotiations".
The talks had been due to get under way on Friday, but were postponed at the last minute at Bamako's request, a diplomatic source said.
Armed ethnic Tuaregs from MNLA rose up to fight for independence for the north in January last year and overwhelmed government troops, leading frustrated mid-level officers to launch a coup that toppled elected president Amadou Toumani Toure.
Together with Al-Qaeda-linked bad boys, the Tuareg rebels seized key northern cities, but were then chased out by their former Islamist allies.
La Belle France sent troops in January to block an advance by the snuffies on the capital Bamako, pushing them out of the main cities and into desert and mountain hideouts.
The French then let the MNLA back into Kidal, raising fears in Bamako, 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) to the southwest, that Gay Paree wants to let the Tuareg rebels keep Kidal as part of an eventual deal for self-rule.
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06/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A Yemeni court on Saturday ordered a new probe into the alleged involvement of former president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... in the killing of 45 protesters during the 2011 uprising against his rule.
The court ordered that 12 other Saleh-era officials be questioned on the same March 18 incident during which the ex-autocrat's loyalists and troops opened fire on an anti-regime rally in the capital.
They include former interior minister General Muther al-Masri and Saleh's nephews Yehya and Tariq, both generals.
Yehya is former deputy commander of the central security services, and Tariq is an ex-commander of Saleh's personal guard.
The court in Sanaa, headed by Judge Yehya al-Ansi, rejected an appeal by the prosecution which said the request to question Saleh was void, based on an amnesty a U.N.-backed power transfer deal had offered Saleh and his close aides.
International rights watchdog Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... urged Yemen in February to launch an independent probe into the "massacre" of 45 protesters during the uprising.
The New York-based group had said an earlier investigation ordered by Saleh into the killings was flawed, and called for a new probe that is "independent, impartial and meets international standards".
Faisal al-Majedim, a lawyer for some of the dead protesters' families, hailed the court decision as "a victory for the illusory sovereignty of law".
Another lawyer, Hazem al-Marisi, accused the public prosecution of siding with Saleh, telling Agence La Belle France Presse: "We hope the president issues a decree forming an independent investigative committee in charge of this case."
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Ana Alban, Ecuador's ambassador to Britain, is being recalled to Quito over her failure to bring an end to the Julian Assange asylum saga, in which the WikiLeaks founder has been holed up in her west London embassy for nearly a year.
Ms Alban, whose relations with the Government are said to have soured since Mr Assange was given asylum, is to be replaced by an ambassador charged with ending the long-running drama.
It sounds like defenestration is in Mr. Assange's future, an amusing thought.
Ecuador is understood to be desperate to negotiate a way for Mr Assange to quit its embassy amicably and is growing frustrated with the lack of progress. Quito sources said they believe Britain is happy to leave Mr Assange marooned.
[Dawn] A lawyer who has been pleading the cases of Lal Masjid on behalf of its holy man Maulana Abdullah proposed to the Supreme Court on Friday to order registration of murder cases against the men behind Lal Masjid operation.
Former president General (retired) Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... , former prime minister Shaukat Aziz and former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao were allegedly involved in the 2007 bloody military operation in which 103 people were killed.
Advocate Tariq Asad, who was assigned by the apex court on April 18 to go through the contents of the one-man commission of inquiry set up to ascertain the causes of the Lal Masjid military operation, submitted his comments to the apex court on Friday.
Justice Shahzada Sheikh of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC), heading the Lal Masjid commission, in his findings on April 20 gave a clean chit to the military leadership, but held Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz and his political allies responsible for the operation.
The Lal Masjid conflict started when the Jamia Hafsa girls occupied the adjacent Children's Library on January 22, 2007 in retaliation to the razing of seven 'unauthorised' mosques by the city administration.
The confrontation built up in the succeeding month to erupt into armed festivities when a Ranger was killed on July 3, 2007 by gunfire from the mosque. Army was called in the same night and special forces stormed the mosque after suspension of water and electricity supply to the mosque failed to subdue the alleged snuffies holed up inside.
In his comments, Tariq Asad asked the apex court to also order registration of cases against persons, including the then chairman Capital Development Authoruity (CDA), for allegedly defiling the Holy Koran and books of Shariah.
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06/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Participants in a roundtable meeting organised by civil society groups on Friday understood that there was no need of institutions such as the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), which 'does nothing but hinders other institutions -- and state at large -- in their working on progressive path'.
"We have to throw a spanner in the works of the CII, which has largely been used as a boon by the rulers to entice the religion-based political parties," said Anis Haroon, who represented Women Action Forum, which co-hosted the meeting with the Aurat Foundation at the Arts Council of Pakistain, Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... In the meeting, experts from legal and medical fields had been invited to cast light on the CII recent statement declaring the DNA evidence as supporting evidence and not the primary proof in a rape case. A former CII member, Dr Mohsin Muzaffar Naqvi, was also there to speak on the matters he tackled as an active scholar until recently.
The meeting was attended by various civil rights groups, activists, local politicians and educationists.
When a brief resolution was tabled at the meeting asking the participants if they wanted the CII remained a constitutional body, most of the participants opposed it demanding that it should be abolished in the 'larger interest of a progressive and tolerant society'.
Barrister Zain Sheikh, who was invited as a legal expert and Dr Naqvi, however, said the CII should remain a constitutional body with improved scholarly shape or, they said, religious matters without its existence could stir more controversies and predicaments.
"The participants have unanimously demanded abolishment of the CII," said Uzma Noorani, who moderated the meeting. She made it clear that the experts' difference of opinion fell in the ambit of guests who had been invited to talk about the complications relating to the issue.
Ms Haroon said the composition of the CII had been changing in different regimes at the convenience of the rulers and political environment and its chair and memberships had been used for political gains.
"Right now the CII's office is virtually working as an office of the Jamaat-e-Ulema Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... ," she said.
She said the organizations such as the CII, instead of creating harmony in the society, antagonised women and religious minorities and instigated sectarianism.
She added that religion-based parties had got delayed the sexual harassment bill in the senate, which denied it to become a law.
"Fortunately, after the 18th Constitutional Amendment that matter came to the province and this law has been passed at least in Sindh," she said.
Referring to the Mukhtaran Mai rape case, she said the Supreme Court, while disposing of the case, said there was no DNA tests confirming the rape.
She said in a rape case of a 13-year-old girl in Rawalpindi against the Punjab government, the Supreme Court laid down procedures, which directed for DNA testing, early registration of FIR etc.
"The CII recommendation is against the very order of the Supreme Court," she said.
Dr Rubina Hasan said the first 12 hours after a rape were very important for investigation of the case. She said a victim should come to a hospital for DNA instead of a cop shoppe so that her DNA samples could be taken in time to bring the perpetrators to the book.
"The time is very important. The rape victim should not wash her body or clothes before coming to us. She should be brought to hospital within 12 hours or not beyond 48 hours. It gets difficult for us if a victim is brought to us after 48 hours," she said.
She said DNA testing was the best justice one could impart to a victim -- and even a suspect.
"DNA is very important and a 100 per cent reliable method to bring about quick justice. It supports both victims and the accused as well. It is the best way to provide justice," she said.
Dr Naqvi said the CII had been established in 1971 as an advisory body. He explained that the council's composition had been changing from time to time and one set of individuals composing the body could reverse a decision taken by its predecessors.
He said the council's recommendations were sent to the parliament, which could accept or reject them. He said the council preferred the directions implicitly given in Holy Koran or Hadith over manmade laws or technology.
'CII acts as filter'
Barrister Sheikh said the CII was to comprise a minimum of eight or not more than 20 members. He said the council should not be abolished, as it was a filter to tackle the religious matters, which, otherwise could generate more controversy.
"Steps should be taken to improve its scholarly strength instead of calling for its abolition," he said.
Some participants criticised the holy mans who 'exploit the religion for their own benefit' and added that in certain parts of the country 'religious zealots punish women without complying the Islamic injunctions'.
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[BETA.DAWN] Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
on Saturday categorically said that the drone attacks must stop as they were violating the country's illusory illusory sovereignty and international laws.
"Drone attacks must stop. We have protested many a time. This is simply unacceptable," he commented in a meeting with German Foreign Minister Dr Guldo Westerwelle who called on the prime minister along with a six-member delegation at the Prime Minister's House.
During the meeting, the German Foreign Minister discussed with Sharif bilateral relations as well as the prevailing regional situation.
He conveyed his best wishes and on behalf of German Chancellor Angela Merkel ...current chancellor of Germany. She was educated in East Germany when is was still run by commies, but in 1989 got involved with the growing democracy movement when the Berlin Wall fell. Merkel is sometimes referred to by Germans as Mom... to the prime minister.
Nawaz Sharif said Pakistain regarded Germany as a close friend and as the prime minister it would be his endeavor to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
He hoped that Pakistain would benefit from the technological advancement and economic development of Germany.
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[Dawn] A week before the end of its tenure, caretaker government had directed its law officers to maintain a firm stance in superior courts on cases about missing persons, terrorism and drone attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), Dawn has learnt.
In its May 29 directive, the government through the Ministry of Law and Justice asked all deputy attorneys general and standing counsel to stick to their "line of argument" before the courts.
The law officers were also asked to keep in mind legal ramifications of Article 245 of the constitution while contesting such cases. The said article deals with functions of armed forces.
The directive contained 16 points on which the law officers were required to base their arguments, including the powers of the federal government to call armed forces for acting in civil authorities in case of external aggression or threat of war.
It stated that the validity of any direction under Article 245 (1) could not be questioned in any court and the jurisdiction of high court under Article 199 was barred when Article 245 was in force.
It said all pending proceedings stood suspended till the time armed forces were acting in civil power. The government said there existed a grave unprecedented threat to the territorial integrity of Pakistain which fulfilled the parameters of Article 245 (1) of the constitution. It further said that the fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution were only available to persons loyal to state and obedient to the constitution and law.
The government said that the rights in Articles 3, 4 and 5 and the offence of high treason were segregated from the fundamental rights because Articles 8, 199 and 184 referred to rights in chapter 1 of Part II of the constitution and not the rights in Articles 3, 4 and 5.
It said immunity under Article 248 would not be available even to a prime minister if he or she was found acting contrary to the law. A prime minister under clause (2) of the Article 5 is bound to obey the constitution and the law.
It maintained that even in civil cases, an alien can sue under section 83 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and such aliens (if they were enemy aliens) needed permission from the federal government to sue in any court in Pakistain.
The directive further maintained that section 3 of the Security of Pakistain Act, 1952 empowered the federal government to detain any person who was attempting to act in a manner prejudicial to the integrity, security or defence of the country or attempted to commit any act leading to anti-national activity.
All persons who are subjects of a country at war with Pakistain will be alien enemy, including the Pak nationals who attack the state.
The directive stated that this line of argument would facilitate the courts in understanding the sensitivity of the issues and adjudication in correct perspective.
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[Ynet] Information is highly secret, on a need-to-know basis. In Gaza, landowners may manage their own land, may even know a tunnel exists underneath, but they do not know tunnel's course or entrypoints
Life in the Gaza Strip is conducted above and below ground. The phenomenon of smuggling tunnels in Rafah is well-known, and it is also known that there are tunnels in Gaza for military use, leading to different locations, but this information was and is on a need-to-know basis, hidden just outside of the public view.
The tunnels serve several purposes: As hiding places for terrorists, as storage locations for weapons and basic supplies, and as a place for long stays in times of emergency. They are camouflaged for deception during combat and ready for service in the scenario of an Israeli ground invasion. In recent years, some of the tunnels were converted for use as hidden rocket launchers. When necessary, a window opens and the launcher emerges, returning immediately inside its camouflaged window after shooting.
The conversion of tunnels for rocket launching began soon after the lessons of Operation Cast Lead were realized by senior military elements in Gaza. They understood that rocket launchers had become very easy targets for the IDF, due to Israel's technological superiority.
Initially, they tried firing from populated areas, inside schools and even cemeteries, but relatively precise counterterrorism efforts demanded they find another solution. The conversion of tunnels provided places for hiding and harboring terrorists, and made the firing of rockets more efficient, especially during Operation Pillar of Defense.
As launch locations spread throughout the Gaza Strip, an intricate underground network was created. In between the tunnels are large gaps, intended to preserve the ability of terrorists to fire rockets after an IDF attack, even if one tunnel is hit. According to sources in Gaza, this method of managing shooting locations proved itself during Pillar of Defense, when there were no fatalities of men in the launch pits.
The person responsible for the launch, in fact, is the same person who digs the tunnel, and he acts according to the decisions of his commanders.
The Gaza tunnel project is organized, well thought out and does not allow for independent operators to get into the act. All tunnels are coordinated among the various military wings and include their registration. The paths of the tunnels and methods of entry are recorded and tracked.
The tunnels are divided into four districts: North, Gaza City, Central and South. In event of a ground invasion, the head of each sub-district, along with his counterparts, is responsible for defining boundaries of activity. Leading each tunnel is a single person. In order to ensure confidentiality, the tunnel leader's name is kept secret, as is the tunnel route. Only the tunnel's diggers and those responsible for the sub-district know this information.
All military factions in Gaza may dig a tunnel, but only after coordination with the responsible district. The average excavation lasts about four months, and most are dug by hand at night. Each tunnel is accurately calculated.
The military factions have agreed that that all of Gaza is legitimate ground for digging of tunnels for military purposes. When a tunnel is dug near the border fence, those responsible for its planning inform the landowner, according to security considerations, emphasizing to him the inherent separations: Everything above ground belongs to the landowner; everything below ground is the responsibility of the military faction.
The excavation also includes financial compensation if necessary. Compartmentalization of information continues under all phases of the tunnel's creation, thus, while some landowners know that there is a tunnel under their land, they do not know its course.
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06/09/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
The author has a good knowledge of the PRISM architecture but admits to not know the actual system/software level protocols that do the real time data exchange. Those protocols are most likely DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) or NetDDE or COM). (Link)
#2
If Prism only collects metadata on U.S. citizens, why doesn't the NSA simply use Spokeo? There is a wealth of metadata collected. For a fee, you can obtain email address, phone #'s, websites used frequently or visited, social network info such as Facebook and others, communities and blogging sites used, occupation, age, possible related family members, address, previous owners, neighborhood profile, house characteristics and value, aerial photos of your house, photos and videos posted on the net, etc.
Probably, the difference between SPOKEO and PRISM is that PRISM might have the ability to collect data in real-time.
#3
Probably the difference betwen myspace and facebook, and be able to get into the data space to see what has been cut and deletddd...deleeeted..backspaced, spell corrections, grammer level estimate, and alternate languages including pigeon klingon.
Jolo, Sulu Mayor Hussin Amin wants Philippine security officials to focus on the Abu Sayyaf members responsible for the recent killings of marines in Patikul instead of investigating possible lapses in security operation. His statement referred to a military investigation into the deaths of seven soldiers in Barangay Tugas, Patikul, to determine if there were mistakes made in the operation.
Mayor Amin said that it is not fair to probe whether there were lapses or not. He said, "Brave soldiers who died in the battle had sacrificed their lives for the interest of the many. The best thing now to do is for the military to launch an all-out offensive against the Abu Sayyaf."
Mayor Amin added, "even citizens, who are fed up with the atrocities of the Abu Sayyaf, have joined the hunt for the Abu Sayyaf."
Amin said he supports the police and military in trying to end Abu Sayyaf atrocities. He said, "I have put up rewards for the capture of Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Jolo."
There had been an earlier report that the military rescue operation was launched without the knowledge of the municipal crisis management committee which is handling the kidnapping case. It also said military officials sent young soldiers to a dangerous "test mission" to rescue the wife of a marine sergeant kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels in Sulu province.
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06/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Iran on Saturday condemned a deadly attack the day before in neighboring Iraq, in which at least 14 Iranian Shiite pilgrims were killed, the official IRNA news agency said.
"Iran condemns this indiscriminate terrorist act, which is contrary to Islamic and human values," it cited foreign ministry front man Abbas Araqchi as saying.
Iranian television reports said 14 pilgrims from Iran were killed and 45 maimed on Friday when a parked vehicle rigged with explosives detonated in the restive town of Muqdadiyah north of Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... The blast occurred as the pilgrims' bus passed through the town en route from the Iranian border to the Shiite holy city of Najaf.
Iraqi reports on Friday put the number of Iranian pilgrims killed at 10.
"The Iraqi government was responsible for the lives of the Iranian pilgrims," Araqchi said.
Najaf, which lies south of Storied Baghdad, is home to a shrine to a revered figure in Shiite Islam.
Shiite Musselmens visiting holy shrines and religious sites form the backbone of Iraq's tourism industry, with the vast majority of pilgrims coming from Iran.
When touring key Shiite religious sites in Iraq, pilgrims typically visit Najaf, nearby Karbala, Storied Baghdad, and Samarra.
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[An Nahar] Syria's main opposition coalition reiterated on Saturday its refusal to participate in proposed international peace talks, saying recent developments in the civil war had "closed the doors" to any political initiative.
"What is happening in Syria today completely shuts the doors on any discussions about international conferences and political initiatives," George Sabra, head of the opposition National Coalition,said at a presser in Istanbul.
His comments referred to an initiative headed by Washington and Moscow to bring the Syrian regime and opposition groups to peace talks in Geneva.
"The war declared by the regime and its allies in the region has reached a level we cannot ignore," Sabra said.
He has already said on May 30 that the opposition would not attend a peace conference while "Iran" and Hizbullah were supporting Syrian regime forces on the ground.
"The lives of Syrians are much more important than any political solution of international conference," he said at the time.
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[An Nahar] The leader of Syria's main opposition group on Friday warned that the involvement of Hizbullah is transforming the war in Syria into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, and says peace negotiations aren't possible as long as Hizbullah and Iran are fighting alongside Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... 's regime.
George Sabra, acting head of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that Syria was under occupation from foreign troops and urged the international community to act now or risk the Syrian conflict spreading to other parts of the Middle East.
"The intervention of Hizbullah starts to transfer the problem into a sectarian conflict, a sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites," he said. "The problem will (spread) all over the Middle East, to Leb, to Turkey, to Iraq, to Jordan and maybe to the Gulf."
He said that Hizbullah fighters, who back Assad's regime, are now "all over the country," including in Aleppo and Damascus. His claims could not be independently verified.
"If our country (is) under occupation of foreign troops of Hizbullah and Iran, nobody can talk about peaceful initiative," he said. "The problem is not between the Syrian people and the regime; it is between the Syrian people and invasion of Hizbullah and Iran."
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah will suspend its military operations in Syria after securing the Damascus suburb of Zabadani "from which rockets are being fired on Shiite villages in Baalbek and Hermel," the Central News Agency reported on Saturday.
"After the operations officially ended in Qusayr, Hizbullah is about to finish the Zabadani battle, from which rockets are still being fired on Baalbek and Sarein," the agency quoted prominent high-ranking sources close to Hizbullah as saying.
Zabadani is a city in the Damascus governorate, close to the border with Leb's Bekaa Valley.
"The party's leadership has informed the allies and friends that the mission of protecting the Lebanese in Syria and towns inside Leb from any attack is almost accomplished," the sources said.
"It is not in the party's interest to engage in a war in Syria's heart (against rebels) as the Syrian army is capable of winning it," the sources added.
Around 10 rockets and mortar rounds from Syria slammed into the northeastern city of Baalbek on Wednesday night, injuring a Lebanese man and causing material damage.
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[An Nahar] The March 14 alliance's leaders are expected to approve a memo informing the Arab world and the international community that the majority of the Lebanese disapprove Hizbullah's involvement in the war in Syria, An Nahar daily reported on Saturday.
The newspaper said that the coalition's officials are set to hold a meeting next week to study the repercussions of the role that Hizbullah fighters are playing in Syria.
They are also set to approve a memo that the alliance intends to send to President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... and U.N. chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... , An Nahar said.
The document addresses the Arab countries and the international community, saying "the majority of Lebanese call for swiping the shame that Leb has been tainted with over Hizbullah's involvement in Syria," it said.
The memo also criticizes caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, saying he neither represents Leb nor the foreign ministry. It accuses him of being a Hizbullah complicit.
Hizbullah's intervention in Syria and its major role in taking over the Syrian town of al-Qusayr by government troops threatens to bring that country's conflict even further into Leb, where rebels have vowed to retaliate with attacks on the Shiite group's home turf.
It has also enraged Sunnis in Leb and led to street fighting between rival neighborhoods in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Mansour has on several occasions defended Hizbullah. On Tuesday, he rejected attempts to label it a terrorist organization a few days after Gulf states warned that they could take measures against Hizbullah in the near future.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[YNETNEWS] Lebanese group's pivotal role in crushing anti-Assad rebels in Qusair face-off draws ire across the board, overriding its anti-Zionist credentials
Posted by: Fred ||
06/09/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet]The Hezbollah affiliated Al Manar TV channel reported that weapons bearing Hebrew inscriptions have been found in the Syrian town of al-Qusair, recently retaken by Bashar Assad's forces and Hezbollah fighters.
The channel's reporter showed the various weapons, including a 120mm flare.
In the broadcast, the reporter explained that "Israeli side-arms and heavy weapons" were found in the town, including "Uzis, found more than once, Israeli communications devices and heavy rockets."
The reporter is shown picking up a bomb shell, on which the inscriptions "120mm," "flare" and "mark 3" in Hebrew are seen.
"Many bombs of this type and make have been found," he adds.
The IDF confirmed that the images show an IDF 120mm shell, used as a flare only, meaning it is not volatile and cannot hurt people or property. In addition, the images do not exhibit any elements which could testify as to when and where they were taken.
An IDF official claimed this is "a desperate ploy to divert interest from Hezbollah's involvement in Syria.
"The ammunition probably dates back to the Lebanon pullout (2000), this is an unsuccessful and fictitious ploy."
The Al-Manar reporter also showed a gas mask, allegedly of an Israeli make, which he said could have been used by rebels against gas attacks.
"It was found in one of the cars," he said, "meaning this is a lot bigger than what can be described and talked about. This is an RPG. This weapons can be easily found. Any armed group can get it, anywhere. But even these rockets are inscribed in Hebrew."
#1
"Discussing programs like this publicly will have an impact on the behavior of our adversaries and make it more difficult for us to understand their intentions."
- Jim Clapper
Could you please bring up that slide that defines...."our adversaries" ?
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
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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.
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Ms Alban, whose relations with the Government are said to have soured since Mr Assange was given asylum, is to be replaced by an ambassador charged with ending the long-running drama. 
Pervez 
The Lal Masjid conflict started when the Jamia Hafsa girls occupied the adjacent Children's Library on January 22, 2007 in retaliation to the razing of seven 'unauthorised' mosques by the city administration.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Nawaz Sharif
[Ynet] Information is highly secret, on a need-to-know basis. In Gaza, landowners may manage their own land, may even know a tunnel exists underneath, but they do not know tunnel's course or entrypoints
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
