An Afghan Taliban spokesman said on Sunday that their leadership committee had decided they would kill some of their 22 South Korean hostages - kidnapped from a bus 10 days ago in Ghazni, south of Kabul - unless the government agreed to release militant prisoners by noon (0730 GMT) on Monday. The rebels also ruled out more talks with the Afghan government over the hostages and said the release of militant prisoners was the only way out of the crisis. An Afghan team that was supposed to have held more talks with the Taliban on Saturday could not reach the group because of security concerns in Ghazni province, provincial sources said. The team hoped to persuade the insurgents to free without condition the Christian volunteers.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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I knew it!
Sudan's defense minister, Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, has accused "24 Jewish organizations" of "fueling the conflict in Darfur" last week in an interview with a Saudi newspaper. Hussein was interviewed during an official state visit to the Saudi kingdom last week. Welcome Sudanese Bag Man! A journalist from Saudi Arabia's Okaz newspaper asked Hussein: "Some people are talking about the penetration of Jewish organizations in Darfur and that there is no conflict there?" Yeah. "Some people"...and we've heard rumors that you're having some problems down there?
"The Darfur issue is being fuelled by 24 Jewish organizations, who are making the largest amount of noise over the issue, and using the Holocaust in their campaigning," the Sudanese defense minister replied. I thank you for that softball question. Did I hit it far enough out of the park?
Hussein added that the Darfur conflict was driven by "friction between farmers and herders and shepherds. Among the biggest problems is that of water, which is used to exploit the differences and fuel the conflict." Ban Ki-moon told me. It's that damn global warming. And, of course, Jews...
"Are these Jewish groups supporting (the rebels) financially?," the interviewer from Okaz asked Hussein. Because we all know...they got lots of money.
"Yes, they provide political and material support through their control over the media and across American and British circles," Hussein said, adding that Jewish groups were using "all means to fuel these conflicts." How could the we function without our Zionist puppetmasters...
He added that Western reports of 200,000 people dying in Sudan were false, and said: "We talk about 9,000 dead as a result of either government or rebel actions". Well at least he didn't say they died in the worldwide obesity epidemic...
Several days ago, Sudan's Interior Minister, Zubair Bashir Taha, lashed out at Sudanese refuees who had sought asylum in Israel, and accused "Israeli authorities of encouraging the Sudanese refugees to come to their country." He added that his ministry was "very confused" by Sudanese citizens who came to Israel." I mean why would anyone wanna leave this garden spot?
By DAVID S. CLOUD
WASHINGTON The Bush administration is preparing to ask Congress to approve an arms sale package for Saudi Arabia and its neighbors that is expected to eventually total $20 billion at a time when some United States officials contend that the Saudis are playing a counterproductive role in Iraq.
The proposed package of advanced weaponry for Saudi Arabia, which includes advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to its fighters and new naval vessels, has made Israel and some of its supporters in Congress nervous. Senior officials who described the package on Friday said they believed that the administration had resolved those concerns, in part by promising Israel $30.4 billion in military aid over the next decade, a significant increase over what Israel has received in the past 10 years.
But administration officials remained concerned that the size of the package and the advanced weaponry it contains, as well as broader concerns about Saudi Arabias role in Iraq, could prompt Saudi critics in Congress to oppose the package when Congress is formally notified about the deal this fall.
In talks about the package, the administration has not sought specific assurances from Saudi Arabia that it would be more supportive of the American effort in Iraq as a condition of receiving the arms package, the officials said.
The officials said the plan to bolster the militaries of Persian Gulf countries is part of an American strategy to contain the growing power of Iran in the region and to demonstrate that, no matter what happens in Iraq, Washington remains committed to its longtime Arab allies. Officials from the State Department and the Pentagon agreed to outline the terms of the deal after some details emerged from closed briefings this week on Capitol Hill.
The officials said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who are to make a joint visit to Saudi Arabia next week, still intended to use the trip to press the Saudis to do more to help Iraqs Shiite-dominated government.
The role of the Sunni Arab neighbors is to send a positive, affirmative message to moderates in Iraq in government that the neighbors are with you, a senior State Department official told reporters in a conference call on Friday. More specifically, the official said, the United States wants the gulf states to make clear to Sunnis engaged in violence in Iraq that such actions are killing your future.
In addition to promising an increase in American military aid to Israel, the Pentagon is seeking to ease Israels concerns over the proposed weapons sales to Saudi Arabia by asking the Saudis to accept restrictions on the range, size and location of the satellite-guided bombs, including a commitment not to store the weapons at air bases close to Israeli territory, the officials said.
The package and the possible steps to allay Israels concerns were described to Congress this week, in an effort by the administration to test the reaction on Capitol Hill before entering into final negotiations on the package with Saudi officials. The Saudis had requested that Congress be told about the planned sale, the officials said, in an effort to avoid the kind of bruising fight on Capitol Hill that occurred in the 1980s over proposed arms sales to the kingdom.
In his visit with King Abdullah and other Saudi officials next week, Mr. Gates plans to describe what the administration is willing to go forward with in the arms package and what we would recommend to the Hill and others, according to a senior Pentagon official, who conducted a background briefing on the upcoming trip with reporters on Friday.
The official added that Mr. Gates would also reassure the Saudis that regardless of what happens in the near term in Iraq that our commitment in the region remains firm, remains steadfast and that, in fact, we are looking to enhance and develop it.
The $20 billion price tag on the package is more than double what officials originally estimated when details became public this spring. Even the higher figure is a rough estimate that could fluctuate depending on the final package, which would be carried out over a number of years, officials said.
Worried about the impression that the United States was starting an arms race in the region, State and Defense Department officials stressed that the arms deal was being proposed largely in response to improvements in Irans military capabilities and to counter the threat posed by its nuclear program, which the Bush administration contends is aimed at building nuclear weapons.
Along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are likely to receive equipment and weaponry from the arms sales under consideration, officials said. In general, the United States is interested in upgrading the countries air and missile defense systems, improving their navies and making modest improvements in their air forces, administration officials said, though not all the packages would be the same.
Ms. Rice is expected to announce Monday that the administration will open formal discussions with each country about the proposed packages, in hopes of reaching agreements by the fall.
Along with the announcement of formal talks with Persian Gulf allies on the arms package, Ms. Rice is planning to outline the new agreement to provide military aid to Israel, as well as a similar accord with Egypt.
The $30.4 billion being promised to Israel is $9.1 billion more than Israel has received over the past decade, an increase of nearly 43 percent.
A senior administration official said the sizable increase was a result of Israels need to replace equipment expended in its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon last summer, as well as to maintain its advantage in advanced weaponry as other countries in the region modernize their forces.
In defending the proposed sale to Saudi Arabia and other gulf states, the officials noted that the Saudis and several of the other countries were in talks with suppliers other than the United States. If the packages offered to them by the United States are blocked or come with too many conditions, the officials said, the Persian Gulf countries could turn elsewhere for similar equipment, reducing American influence in the region.
The United States has made few, if any, sales of satellite-guided munitions to Arab countries in the past, though Israel has received them since the mid-1990s as part of a United States policy of ensuring that Israel has a military edge over its regional rivals.
Israeli officials have made specific requests aimed at eliminating concerns that satellite-guided bombs sold to the Saudis could be used against its territory, administration officials said.
Their major concern is not a full-scale Saudi attack, but the possibility that a rogue pilot armed with one of the bombs could attack on his own or that the Saudi government could one day be overthrown and the weapons could fall into the hands of a more radical regime, officials said.
#1
I know this is to counter the Russian deals to Iran, since Iran and Saudi hate each other. But, I just can't shake the feeling it is a deal with the devil.
#2
No advanced technology. There needs to be a freeze on any upgrades to Saudi military equipment until some real changes come down. What really needs to come down is the House of Saud.
#3
"Realist" foreign policy seems to be back under President Baker. Is there anyone the trunks have not alienated by now? Its enough to make you believe (or want to believe) the Carlyle Group conspiracists...I voted for Shrub second time around, there was no other choice! But this?
We are not omnipotent and cannot just wave our magic wand and have everyone turn into good little liberal democrats (note the lower case).
We always have to play the cards we are dealt and we have to play the whole game not just one hand.
I hope that there is some significant quid pro quo here and personally would like it to be that the Sauds stop funding Wahabbism outside of SA.
I also believe that, AT THIS TIME, getting rid of the royal family would open the door for much worse.
There is nothing inherently wrong with tactical realism. The problem is when realism becomes strategic and you no longer believe in the principles of liberty for all.
#7
So we sell them early F-18s or F-16s; that way we clear out some surplus iron, gain some $$ and know exactly what the equipment capabilities are. also they are not state of the art, but close......
#10
Wheelz up is skary. Trust me. Thesen sucker's is fast, especially if you ain't got a paki instructor in de back. Best to wash them a get pictures taken mit.
Posted by: Abu Dick Bong ||
07/30/2007 19:16 Comments ||
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London: Turkey's newly elected government is prepared to turn its back on its long-standing alliance with the United States to counter the threat of Kurdish terrorism, one of the closest allies of the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has warned. Egemen Bagis, Mr. Erdogan's foreign policy advisor, said Turkish forces were prepared to mount operations against Kurdish PKK fighters who had taken refuge in Iraq, because the United States had failed to intervene.
"We are hoping we will not have to do it. We are hoping that our allies will start doing something, but if they don't we don't have many options," he said. "Our allies should help us with the threat, which is clear and present. If an ally is not helping you, you either question their integrity or their ability."
A decision to sanction military action might also help to avert a potential clash between the new government and Turkey's powerful army, which is unhappy with what it regards as creeping Islamisation.
Turkey's generals want to go after the Kurdish groups because of a sudden upsurge in attacks, many from across the Iraqi border, and there has been a steady Turkish military build-up on the frontier between the two countries.
Mr. Bagis said the United States must appreciate that Turkey was prepared to go into Iraq, even if such a move put it on collision course with Washington, which is desperate not to meddle in the Kurdish part of Iraq, regarded as the most stable region of the country. "We would not hesitate for a second and we would not ask anyone's permission," he said.
Washington has made clear to the Turkish government that any military incursion would be unacceptable, but the Turks are in no mood for compromise.
Are they in the mood for a good drubbing? Peshmerga milita with some US air power: not sure the Turks could take 'em.
A poll last week by the U.S.-based Pew organization found that 72% of Turks regarded terrorism as the key issue facing the country. The same poll showed that only 9% of Turks had a positive view of the United States, with more than three quarters concerned that the Americans could pose a military threat to their country. Many Turks believe that the United States has been supporting the Kurds.
More than 40,000 Turks have died in the 30-year-old war with the PKK and 76 soldiers have been killed this year alone, the latest in a clash in northeast Turkey on Friday. Mourners have shouted anti-U.S. slogans at recent funerals.
"We are telling our allies that their image is going down," Mr. Bagis said. "Support for U.S. foreign policy in Turkey is at an all- time low. "The U.S. and the U.K. must understand that you guys took extra measures in the aftermath of 9/11 and the London bombs and we have lost many more lives."
Nejat Eslen, a retired general, said the military was losing patience with its American allies. "The U.S. crossed the Atlantic in the name of fighting terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turkey is helping the U.S. in Afghanistan. And yet it doesn't allow Turkey, a NATO ally, to cross its own border for the same reasons. What sort of a friendship is this? This is how enemies behave."
No question we should thump the PKK on the Iraqi side, and the Iraqi Kurds need an education on this point. Turks need to understand that we have multiple fish frying, and they have to wait their turn.
#1
"Our allies should help us with the threat, which is clear and present. If an ally is not helping you, you either question their integrity or their ability."
Rather sounds like what we thought about Turkey when it was time to kick Saddam's ass, eh?
#2
good point. But alot of countries that should've helped us didn't. They knew it was a mistake to think you could get these people to negotiate reasonably. If the Kurds are committing terrorist-like acts then arrest whose responsible. Warn Turkey not to interfere in Iraq. All of this takes tremendous balls which our government does not have. Baby boomin' cowards.
#4
Aside from the fact this is from the Canadian press, it echoes similar RB posts over the past few days. Clearly the Turks are mumbling if not rumbling.
Anyway - this quote from the article provides an interesting point of departure:
More than 40,000 Turks have died in the 30-year-old war with the PKK and 76 soldiers have been killed this year alone, the latest in a clash in northeast Turkey on Friday. Mourners have shouted anti-U.S. slogans at recent funerals.
Maybe someone, say a reporter, could parse the stats further and see whether post-war Iraq is a greater or lesser threat to Turkey? IIRC, we also did a bit of a favor in tracking and bundling Ocalan as well.
I wonder if the Turks don't have other motives than those stated. That wouldn't be a diplomatic nicety of the MME, would it? Could it?
#6
Turkey has been trying to eliminate everything Kurdish from the Kurds in Turkey for the last 70 years. They have no sympathy. It also doesn't seem they'd make a very good member of the European Union, and I'm beginning to doubt their usefulness in NATO. The Turks are like just about every other muzzlem country - they expect the rest of the world to allow them to act any way they want to, with no consequences, both internally and internationally. It ain't gonna happen. Turkey may very soon find it has no US bases in Turkey (they've all moved to Iraq), and US "foreign aid" to Turkey consists of two woolen blankets and a bar of soap.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/30/2007 23:46 Comments ||
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Brit Hume, Chris Wallace, Mara Liasson, Juan Williams and Fred Barnes faced off on Fox News Sunday and a question from Wallace to Hume about warrantless wiretapping by the Bush Administration spun into an indictment of Sen. Feingold and Democrats for what Hume saw as their not taking the "War on Terror" seriously.
Williams comes to the Democrats' defense but is quickly hollered down by an emphatic Mr. Barnes, who implies that Democrats are supporting suspected terrorists while wasting time on other issues, such as "holding all-night Senate sessions" on the Iraq war.
Barnes speaks highly of "interrogation techniques," but not of habeas corpus.
Ms. Liasson, while seated at the table, gives up on trying to make a contribution.
The following video is from Fox's Fox News Sunday, broadcast on July 29.
Posted by: Delphi ||
07/30/2007 13:16 ||
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#1
The War on Terror is Political Scam but Global Warming is Real. Hah, hah, hah...Yeah sure. And 3000+ didn't die on 911. Gimme a break.
#2
THe sad part - I'm sure a lot of the Dims really believe it's a Bush power grab. Of course, if we had another 9/11 evey month, that'd be Bush's fault, too.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/30/2007 18:38 Comments ||
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#3
Ah, the evil Bushitler and his warrantless wiretapping of domestic calls. And by domestic calls, we mean calls with one endpoint overseas.
BANGALORE, India (AP) - An Indian doctor freed from jail in Australia after terror charges against him were dropped said Monday he wants Australia to restore his work permit. The jailing of Mohamed Haneef, 27, had aroused waves of sympathy in his native India, where he was greeted with a hero's welcome Sunday upon his return.
Haneef met Monday with the chief minister of the Karnataka state, who offered him a job in a state-run hospital. But Haneef, speaking at his first media conference since his release, indicated he preferred to return to his work at Australia's Gold Coast Hospital. The hospital has said his job is waiting for him if he regains his visa. "I am saddened by the fact that until my work visa is returned I will not be able to return to work there," Haneef said.
Yup, real shame. Better take that job in Karnataka.
Haneef had been arrested July 2 at an airport in Brisbane as he was about to fly to India to see his wife and newborn daughter - just days after his second cousins in Britain were arrested in a failed terror plot. Haneef had been charged with providing reckless support to a terrorist organization because he gave his cell phone SIM card to one of his second cousins, Sabeel Ahmed, when he left Britain last year.
Australia's top prosecutor on Friday dropped the charge against Haneef because of a lack of evidence, but the immigration minister said he will not reverse his earlier decision to revoke Haneef's working visa. Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo plans to appeal the visa decision.
Australia's prime minister said Monday his government would not apologize for Haneef's treatment. "I don't expect any apologies from the Australian authorities or government, but they should apologize to this peace-loving country here and its citizens," Haneef said.
Nobody said India wasn't peace-loving, and noone maligned its citizens. They were interested in you, pal, and why you gave your SIM card to your splodydope cousin. You're a bright guy, a doctor after all; think on that one for a while and it will come to you.
Many in India believe that Haneef's arrest was racially motivated.
Turns out that 'many in India' are dumbasses if they believe that.
LONDON - Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto insisted on Sunday she would not strike a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf so long as he remained the army chief.
Nope, nope, can't do it, nope ...
Speaking to Britains Sky News television from Leeds in northern England, Bhutto said it was likey she would return from exile to stand in Pakistans next general election, due by early next year. I think the chances right now are pretty good. Its about 90 percent out of 100 for me to stand in those elections, she said.
The 54-year-old, who was prime minister from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996, has had talks with General Musharraf about a possible return to Pakistan but maintained she had grave reservations about a uniformed president. Its very important to deal with whos there. He is the person there and if we can find a way to get the uniformed presidency out of the picture, we can find a way to get democracy back... we will be looking forward.
She accused Musharraf of adopting an appeasement policy toward extremists that had only strengthened them.
Put to her straight that she would not enter any kind of power sharing deal with Musharraf as long as he remained head of the army, Bhutto replied: Thats right. The post of the army chief must be separated from that of the president.
She said an amendment passed by Musharraf banning a twice-elected prime minister from seeking office a third time was an issue which is part of the discussion between us. If he doesnt bring the change, if the people of Pakistan, through their elected representatives wish to lift that ban, they certainly can, she said.
(Exiled) former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and I have come to an understanding that we would lift this ban.
Ah, plots, deep-laid plots ...
The Pakistani government has denied reports that Musharraf held a secret meeting with Bhutto in Abu Dhabi in a bid to arrange a power-sharing pact to steady his position.
Asked why she wanted to return to front-line Pakistani politics, Bhutto said she felt her country was being threatened by extremists. If the people from Pakistan vote for me, certainly I would to take on that job, Bhutto said. But this is more than a struggle for me: this is a struggle for the heart and the soul of Pakistan.
We stand at the crossroads. Very critical choices have to be made between the forces of the past and the forces of the future. There is militancy, terrorism and violence.
My government and I have had experience of dealing with it. If we could get another opportunity, I would certainly take the challenge.
Pakistan did so well last time she was in power. Garden of Eden it was ...
She added: I dont want the people of Pakistan to face terror at the hands of the Taliban and their allies in Al-Qaeda and become refugees in foreign lands. I want to try and save my country, if I can, she said.
If that means you'll stomp on the Talibunnies and Wazoo whackos, you might be worth a second look.
In a German magazine interview to be published Monday, Bhutto warned of a looming Islamist revolution mounted from the countrys religious schools, or madrassas. Bhutto said she was planning her return to Pakistan this year to help stabilise the country in the face of the extremist threat. The Red Mosque was just a warm-up for what will happen if the religious schools are not disarmed, Bhutto told the news weekly Focus.
She certainly understands that, doesn't she.
She added that Islamist extremist leaders were plotting to overthrow Musharrafs government and had converted madrassas in Pakistani cities into military headquarters with well-stocked arsenals.
Usually you don't convert a madrassa to an armory; they're usually built from the ground up that way.
She accused Musharraf of adopting an appeasement policy toward extremists that had only strengthened them. We must pursue these people and take them to court, she said.
That's the second-best option.
She admitted that she had made mistakes during her time in office in trying to work with the Taliban to pacify the country.
So she and Perv have made the same mistakes.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Although there isn't enough evidence to prosecute Haneef in a court of law, there is evidence to suggest that he's unsuited to life in a liberal Western democracy - he's a Muslim. So India can FOAD.
#2
These diplomatic noises are really for domestic Indian (muslim) consumption - the elusive muslim vote.
Posted by: John Frum ||
07/30/2007 7:12 Comments ||
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#3
India isn't going to jeopardize relations with Australia over this. It has other things on the diplomatic burner
NEW DELHI, July 29: Government has asked public sector steel companies SAIL and RINL to intensify efforts to acquire coal mines in Australia and Canada, before the shortage of coking coal could jeopardise their capacity expansion plans.
July 21:
Tata Steel acquires stake in Australian coal mines
Tata Steel today signed agreements to buy a 5 per cent interest in the Carborough Downs Coal Project located in Queensland, Australia. Brian MacDonald, managing director, AMCI Australia Pty Ltd, Dr T Mukherjee, deputy managing director (steel), Tata Steel and A D Baijal, vice president (raw materials), Tata Steel signed the agreements, today, in Jamshedpur.
FOREIGN Minister Alexander Downer will ask cabinet to approve the export of Australian uranium to India in a submission to be considered by the Government within weeks.
Posted by: John Frum ||
07/30/2007 7:40 Comments ||
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Al Qaeda is divided over the wisdom of the networks revenge tactics against the Lal Masjid operation, as one side favours more retaliation, while the other is concerned that further strikes will force the Pakistan Army to attack their safe havens in the tribal areas, reported the Sunday Telegraph.
According to the British weekly, radical Pakistani Islamists allied to Al Qaeda have revealed that Osama Bin Ladens deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, continues to advocate retaliatory attacks on Pakistani targets. However, it adds, some senior figures within Al Qaeda are alarmed that Al-Zawahiris mission to topple and kill General Pervez Musharraf could provoke a military backlash that could jeopardise their safe havens in the tribal areas along the Afghan border. A rival Libyan faction, led by Abu Yahya Al-Libi an escapee from the US Bagram base near Kabul apparently suspects that Al-Zawahiri is trying to position himself as Bin Ladens heir with this crusade. The report adds that US intelligence operatives involved in the hunt for Bin Laden have confirmed that they have received reports of Al Qaeda rifts from senior sources within the Pakistani jihadist community.y.
It states that the US officials believe Al-Zawahiri is running the anti-Musharraf operations to foment a revolt that will result in an Islamic regime taking control of Pakistans nuclear weapons. They believe that the feud has developed because of the power vacuum left by the hiding Bin Laden, who, the report adds, may be seriously ill. There seems to be a debate within Al Qaeda about whether to accelerate the conflict in an effort to destabilise Pakistan or continue the attritional battle, said John Arquilla, an intelligence analyst at the US Naval Postgraduate School. Pakistan is the great strategic prize if they could install a friendly regime in possession of nuclear weapons. Pakistan is central to the war on terror in a way Iraq is not, he added.
The role of Pakistan in the war on terror was particularly emphasised by the new US National Intelligence Estimate this month, which stated that Al Qaeda has regrouped in Pakistans tribal belt. It prompted fresh debate in Washington about whether the US should launch military strikes in Pakistan. According to the Sunday Telegraph, a significant faction inside the CIA wants the US to attack Al Qaeda within Pakistan now, with or without authorisation from General Musharraf. However, President George W Bush continues to support Musharraf, fearing such attacks would undermine the Pakistani leader and could bring him down.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The doctor is going to outwit himself one day--hopefully soon.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament closed for its summer recess on Monday, lawmakers said, deciding to take a break until early September despite having failed to enact a series of laws demanded by Washington.
"Parliament has decided to break until early September," Hussein Falluji of the mainly Sunni Accordance Front bloc in parliament told Reuters. "We have already cut the holiday by one month. It is our constitutional right to take it," he added.
The recess means parliament will resume just before U.S. military commander General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are due to report back to Congress on the success of this year's surge in U.S. troops to Iraq.
A preliminary White House assessment earlier this month faulted Iraqi leaders for failing to enact laws aimed at curbing violence, including measures to distribute oil revenue, hold provincial elections and loosen restrictions on members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party returning to public life.
This isn't good -- ordinarily people do better when the legislature adjourns, but this is the exception. Americans want to see Iraqis step up to the plate, and recent stories about ordinary Iraqis in the provinces won't penetrate. What many will see is that the Iraqi pols failed to make the tough decisions about oil revenue sharing, voting and regional political structures, and that's going to make it more difficult this September.
#1
Agreed, Mr. Salmon, but it's also their way of telling us they are a soverign nation. The Iraqi Parliment is not Bush's poodle! An action not without risks, to be sure!
And if our Congress can take the month of August off, why not them?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/30/2007 10:49 Comments ||
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#2
IIRC, it's traditional in that part of the world to close institutions down in August because the heat is so intense.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/30/2007 11:04 Comments ||
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#3
We need to go in full-force or get out now. If we're not willing to unflinchingly swarm the Middle East with United States military, civilian, and business culture (similar to Europe in WWII) then why sacrifice even ONE MORE AMERICAN for Iraq. If you want the job done right,...
#4
And don't tell me about the heat. The Constitutional Convention didn't have air conditioning either. People are being murdered 50 at a time almost every week. And this "parliament" is gonna take a vacation?!! Shame on them. It's no different than Bush smiling every time he talks about "progress in Iraq". There's nothing to smile about here and it's definitely not time to take a vacation.
An Iraqi power plant rebuilt with tens of millions of U.S. dollars fell into disrepair once transferred to the Baghdad government, according to the U.S. office that tracks reconstruction spending. The Iraqis' failure to maintain the 320-megawatt Dora plant, considered an important source of power for electricity-starved Baghdad, is just one of the issues hindering attempts to rebuild the country, the latest audit report to Congress concludes.
Also crippling the efforts are anemic capital spending by Iraq's central government ministries and its provinces; continued challenges faced by contractors in fulfilling the terms of their contracts; and endemic corruption. But not the 'insurgency'? The surge is over? The war won?
Such theft, fraud, skimming and other corruption amount to a "second insurgency," the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart Bowen Jr., wrote in his quarterly report, being released Monday. Ahhhh, so the 'first insurgency' could be finished, but now we have reports of a second insurgency!
"It's another enemy that Iraq has to fight. Security is the paramount challenge that the Iraqi government has to solve, but right behind that is corruption, particularly involving oil smuggling," Bowen told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday. I wonder how current corruption and smuggling compare to the pre-war Iraqi paradise?
"This report presents a mixed picture," he said. "But it's too early to say whether we are going to render effective, enduring results. There are signs of progress this year."
Among those signs, Bowen said, is Iraq's production of 2.1 million barrels of oil a day in the latest quarter, compared with 1.9 million the previous quarter and 1.8 million barrels before that. But just in case you think that's good news, in the interest of being fair and balanced, He noted that Iraq was producing more than 2.4 million barrels a day before jihadis and al Qaeda started blowing up the infrastructure following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Despite the setbacks with the power plant, Bowen said Iraq's electricity supply still rose to 4,230 megawatts, compared with 3,900 megawatts during the previous quarter and 3,800 before that. But that is still below the prewar level of 4,500 megawatts, he said. Just two years ago, Iraq's electricity supply was more than 5,000 megawatts. So at one point, the post-Saddam supply exceeded the pre-Saddam supply? I guess I missed that in The Washington Post. "Projects are getting done," Bowen said. "But the impediment to growth in outputs of those has been insurgent attacks on the grid."
The watchdog office provides oversight of the $44 billion allocated by Congress to rebuild Iraq. Bowen said he will testify before Congress on Tuesday about the latest report.
In an audit issued last week, the inspector general found the Iraqi government has refused to take control of more than 2,000 U.S.-funded reconstruction projects since June 2006. That has left U.S. officials to turn over the projects to local officials or to commit more money to keep them running.
Even when the Iraqi government has accepted rebuilt projects, it has let them languish. The two units at the Dora power plant, for example, are not working despite a $90 million effort to repair them. The plant's Iraqi operators cannibalized equipment from one of the units as it neared functioning status to repair the second, after it had failed because of improper maintenance and operation. That second unit eventually failed again, according to the report. They need to bring in some Gazans to run things.
"If this plant had been online since 2004, Baghdad would have had substantially more power," Bowen said in the interview. "In addition, it's likely that the actual power generated would be above prewar levels." If frog had wings, they'd be pigeons.
The problems do not rest solely with the Iraqis, according to the report. An audit of a $1.33 billion contract won by Bechtel National Inc. found that about half the water, sanitation, power and other projects awarded to the San Francisco engineering company failed to meet their stated goals. Some were canceled, others only partially completed and others transferred to other organizations for completion, the report said. What about Halliburton? Cheney covered that part up!
The government, too, hampered Bechtel's efforts by failing to provide sufficient staff to oversee the contract. Extensive use of subcontractors has made oversight difficult, leading to poor outcomes in some projects. Just like in the U.S., when the agency requires certain participation by minority subcontractors.
Even though the Iraqi government has assumed responsibility for managing the country's recovery, its spending on public works and other capital projects is falling far short of what has been budgeted, the report said. For instance, last year, the government spent just 22 percent of its budget for capital improvements, while spending 99 percent of the allocation for salaries. Overall spending of the government capital budget should rise to 50 percent by year's end, the audit said. The bureaucrats must be practicing for promotions to UN posts. Associated Press writers Andrew Bridges and John Heilprin contributed to this report. The full 238-page report dated July 30, 2007
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/30/2007 06:04 ||
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#1
The last paragraph shows the real problem. The Iraqi government is confronted by a country full of unemployed and hungry people now. They can either spend their money on feeding them or they can spend it on rebuilding infrastructure *on the timetable the US wants*.
And this is the key. The US is focused on the long term stuff that we know they want and must have, but their government is focused on taking care of basic wants: to get money in the pockets of the people first.
Importantly, in almost unreported news, this year's crop harvest is going to be huge, which will take a LOT of pressure off the government by slashing food prices.
About 8 million Iraqis nearly a third of the population need immediate emergency aid because of the humanitarian crisis caused by the war, relief agencies who need more funding said Monday. The report said 15 percent of Iraqis cannot regularly afford to eat, and 70 percent are without adequate water supplies, up from 50 percent in 2003. It also said 28 percent of children are malnourished, compared with 19 percent before the 2003 invasion.
"Basic services, ruined by years of war and sanctions, cannot meet the needs of the Iraqi people," said Jeremy Hobbs, the director of Oxfam International. "Millions of Iraqis have been forced to flee the violence, either to another part of Iraq or abroad. Many of those are living in dire poverty."
The report said more than 2 million people mostly women and children have been displaced within Iraq, and 2 million Iraqis have fled the country as refugees, mostly to neighboring Syria and Jordan.
Hobbs urged Iraq's government, the United Nations and the international community to do more to help Iraqis, despite the risk of the war's widespread violence involving coalition forces and insurgents. "The Iraqi government must commit to helping Iraq's poorest citizens, including the internally displaced, by extending food parcel distribution and cash payments to the vulnerable. Western donors must work through Iraqi and international aid organizations and develop more flexible systems to ensure these organizations operate effectively and efficiently," Hobbs said.
Do the terrorists have any similar obligations, Mr. Hobbs?
Oxfam has not operated in Iraq since 2003 for security reasons, but a survey it published in April found that more than 80 percent of aid agencies working in the country could do more if they had more money. I haven't worked there at all, yet I'm sure the various agencies could do some more good, if they only had a lot more money.
Some humanitarian organizations refuse money from governments with troops in Iraq, on the grounds of security and independence. Let 'em starve. We have principles, ya know!
"The fighting and weak Iraqi institutions mean there are severe limits on what humanitarian work can be carried out. Nevertheless, more can and should be done to help the Iraqi people," Hobbs said. But not Oxfam. Too dangerous, doncha know.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/30/2007 05:56 ||
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#1
According to the "agencies" that keep these statistics, there are "22 children starving in my street" even though only 5 children live on my street...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/30/2007 9:01 Comments ||
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#2
One thing I've noticed from photographs is that there are live Iraqis and dead Iraqis, but there are no thin Iraqis.
#3
In fact, if you look at the photo at the link, you'll see plump Iraqis in line for humanitarian aid. These aid agencies are a merely a conduit for funneling donor funds to well-fed people in the countries of the aid agencies' choice. This is why well-fed Iraqis and not starving Sudanese or Congolese are being fed.
#8
Probably a link with the folks that brought us the "600,000 Iraqi civilians killed" story.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/30/2007 10:47 Comments ||
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#9
One thing I've noticed from photographs is that there are live Iraqis and dead Iraqis, but there are no thin Iraqis.
When the Nick Berg decapitation snuff movie was first made public and revealed to the world the islamic fondness for beheading prisoners (not that this was a novelty, decapitations of civilians or prisoners were common during the algerian "independence" war, or during the same 90's civil war), I remember there were "troothers" who "debunked" the video and claimed the perps were actually US soldiers in disguise, doing Black Ops for blaming poor jihadis... and one of the main clues that left them persuaded those masked men were not iraqis but americans, was that they looked well-fed and even on the plump/overweight side...
That's because, it's a well-known fact that the average Us solider is out of shape and a lard ass, while the average jihadis is a rail-thin poor malnurished brown people, just like zarqawi, heh.
#10
Those starving Iraqis should be grateful that they're not being fed into shredders, tortured in jail cells or having their daughters raped for kicks by Qusai and Uday. When the Iraqi people begin offing the terrorists amongst them and put an end to the endless internecine struggle that is destabilizing their country, maybe then I'll have some sympathy. So long as they perpetuate the usual craptacular inter-tribal festivities, they can starve. These handwringing relief agencies can go screw themselves. I'd love to see what percentage of their donations actually makes it to the needy.
#11
By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer
LONDON
Any guesses who Mr. Wagner's stringers are associated with? The ones he knows are trustworthy because he's been working with them since '02, dontchaknow.
#12
and when the democrats take the presidency the united states will absorb all of these refugees. soon after they will be the source of further terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.
#13
Is the author, Thomas Wagner, one of those who so often cited the Iraqi police Captain, Jamil Hussein? Ya know, the source for over 60 articles the AP never could produce?
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/30/2007 13:46 Comments ||
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#14
This seems beyond dubious. Economic activity in Iraq is quite good, it's an associative culture with integration of families that makes malnutrition less likely, and food is plentiful and cheap. My time over there and my years in the food aid biz leave me extremely skeptical on this. Our collective experience of the unreliability of "aid" groups, especially in the last few years, especially on anything connected to Iraq, leave us with almost no basis to take this seriously.
Aside from this, 100% of the problem is attributable to the activities of foreign terrorists, Sunni chauvinists, Shi'a gangs, criminals, and their foreign backers. Imagine Oxfam or any other such outfit calling on these thugs to desist. Yeah, I didn't think you could.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs beleaguered coalition government has been paralysed by sectarian disputes for months, but its divided leaders were on the same page on Sunday in the glow of their countrys Asian Cup victory.
Iraqs Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called the win -- shared by a national football squad of Shiite Arab, Sunni Arab, and Kurdish players -- a lesson in how to triumph over the impossible to realise victory. May you and Iraq live in freedom and victory, with no place for destroyers or killers. Your greatness will remain in the hearts of the Iraqi people, and your joy is stronger than the hate of the terrorists, he said.
Iraqs Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani, also praised the team, promising an award of 10,000 US dollars to every player, and 20,000 dollars to Younis Mohammed who scored the winning goal in the 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Talabani expressed his joy at this great victory which has brought happiness to the hearts of all Iraqis, and united all sects around this achievement, according to a statement from his office. The team answered the call of the nation and the aspirations of a steadfast people, granting them the moments of joy they have been waiting for, he added.
Tariq al-Hashemi, the countrys Sunni Arab vice president, called on the players to bring their rare show of national unity to the seat of government, where Kurdish, Shiite, and Sunni lawmakers have been bickering for weeks. There is still hope for a unified, secure and independent Iraq where all live well. There is still an opportunity, thank God, Hashemi said. I call on the team and everyone who works with it to come to Baghdad to mount a peaceful demonstration in front of the Green Zone to call on Iraqi politicians to put their differences aside.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Yeah...unites them for about 5 minutes. There'll be a story later about how one of the players was killed while shooting at US soldiers, or AQI bombs the welcome-home party, or something else.
#3
And then the Brown Eyed team captain takes the opportunity to express the DemocratLiberalProgressive position that the US should get out of Iraq!
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1183592007
But after the game, Mahmoud, who was named player of the tournament, said one of the tragedies of the war was that the team would not even be able to return to Iraq with the trophy. "I don't want the Iraqi people to be angry with me," he said. "[But] if I go back with the team, anybody could kill me or try to hurt me."
Probably wants to go to LA and hang with Becks and Posh...
The top United Nations envoy in Iraq called for the abolition of the death penalty on Sunday after a militant convicted of killing 22 people in an attack on the UN missions headquarters was hanged.
Ashraf Qazi, special representative of UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, was reacting to the execution of the man blamed for the August 2003 attack that killed his predecessor Sergio Viera de Mello and 20 colleagues. The United Nations has consistently encouraged states to abolish the death penalty, which it also rejects in cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the envoys spokesman said in a statement. Qazi also reiterated his hope that the government of Iraq would abolish the death penalty and prevent further executions.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Rich! The representative of one of those Arabs thugocracies calling for abolition of death penalty.
Even richer if this gut turns beiong Saudi.
#3
The United Nations has consistently encouraged states to abolish the death penalty, which it also rejects in cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,
Which sums up just how totally demagnetized the UN's moral compass is.
If society is unwilling to execute those who do not blink at mass murder and the wholesale extermination of innocent people, then it surrenders itself to their predations. This is an intrinsic rejection of the social contract. We must do unto others as they would do unto us. Sometimes we must do so before they even get the chance to do anything unto us.
Our survival of Islam's evil agenda relies upon pre-emption. They have declared their intentions. It is upon us to act accordingly. We've yet to do so and instead have overfed the above mindset. It is anti-survival and those who embrace such a monstrous distortion of self-preservation need to be given over to their objects of sympathy for some intellectual and physical realignment.
US forces have made significant progress in weakening Al Qaeda in Iraq, but it is not yet clear whether that will have a lasting impact on the broader sectarian conflict there, US analysts say. In what may be the most far reaching development, Sunni tribal leaders and some insurgent groups have sided with US forces as they pressed a series of offensives against the Iraq arm of Al Qaeda, known as AQI.
The Al Qaeda piece is certainly the main bit of good news on the military front, and I think its extraordinarily good news, said Michael OHanlon, an analyst at the Brookings Institution. And its become much more effective because of the collaboration of the Iraqis, he told AFP.
A longtime observer and critic of the way the war has been run, OHanlon returned this week from Iraq impressed by the broad shift in Sunni sentiment against AQI in areas where it once was a dominant force. The US military has cultivated magnificent contacts, he said. Although the best catalyst of all may have been Al Qaeda itself, which has been so exceedingly brutal even with its fellow Sunnis that it finally turned them against Al Qaeda, he added.
The turnaround has been most striking in Sunni communities in western Iraq that have fought the US occupation almost from the start more than four years ago. Better relations with Sunnis has helped the US military generate better intelligence, recruit local security forces to hold communities after US forces move on, and gain allies who often know the enemy better than the Americans do.
Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno recently pointed out that a Sunni insurgent group, the 1920 Revolution Brigades, tipped US forces attacking AQIs stronghold in Diyala province to the presence of 148 deeply buried land mines. That is significant, and that is worth reaching out to these groups, absolutely worth reaching out to these groups, he told reporters.
The US military has focused troops recently deployed to Iraq in a new force buildup on AQI because it is believed to be the main source of the massive suicide and car bombings that kept the country in a permanent state of chaos.
US commanders say the AQI leadership has been disrupted by the offensives, and the group is struggling. But devastating car bombings still routinely rip through Baghdad, killing large numbers of civilians, a nearly daily reminder of the groups tenacity and resilience.
Its core membership numbers only in the hundreds but it can draw on a pool of several thousand part-time fighters, a US Defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Military officials say it is led mainly by a small group of foreign fighters but its rank and file is 95 percent Iraqi.
Still, for all its destructiveness, the Al Qaeda in Iraq group represents only a fraction of the insurgency in Iraq, reportedly accounting for just 15 percent of attacks in the first half of 2007. There are still huge sectarian problems, and I dont think we have as good an answer to those, said OHanlon. Although we have some short term progress, I dont think we have a good transition strategy for how the Iraqis can handle it on their own, he said.
Loren Thompson, a military expert with the Lexington Institute here, said the Sunnis and Shiites may never be reconciled. But recognising that sectarian split, there is a special quality to suicide bombers that relatively few people on either side bring to the fight, a sort of crazy brutality that makes it impossible to come up with any stabilization plan that will be a success, he said. This is my oblique way of saying if we can suppress the suicide fanatics, everything else becomes easier. For the first time in years, we are making tangible progress in reducing the violence, and providing a reasonable environment to allow the political leaders to compromise.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I am amazed. The NYT is reporting pretty much the same thing! LINK HERE
JERUSALEM - In a break from Israeli opposition to U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday his country understands Washington's plan to supply state-of-the-art weapons to Riyadh as a counterweight to Iranian influence.
The United States, knowing that Israel is sensitive about such arms sales, is also offering a sharp increase in defense aid to Israel and has assured the Jewish state it will retain a fighting edge over other countries in the region, he added.
"We understand the need of the United States to support the Arab moderate states and there is a need for a united front between the U.S. and us regarding Iran," Olmert told a weekly Cabinet meeting.
The rare agreement reflects shared U.S. and Israeli concern over the potential threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.
The proposed arms deal would include advanced weaponry and air systems that would greatly enhance the striking ability of Saudi warplanes, alarming the Israeli right. One leading hard-liner warned that Saudi Arabia, although not belligerent now, could be taken over by extremists.
The proposed package comes with a serious sweetener for Israel: a 25 percent rise in U.S. military aid, from an annual $2.4-billion at present to $3-billion a year, guaranteed for 10 years, Olmert and U.S. officials said.
The United States has long-standing commitments to Israel and to Egypt. At the same time, it is seeking to strengthen other moderate Mideast allies, largely as a counterweight to Iran's growing influence.
The United States and Israel accuse Iran of developing nuclear bombs, a claim Tehran denies. Iran, whose leader has repeatedly called for Israel to be to wiped off the map, is viewed by Israel as its main enemy. Shiite Muslim Iran also worries the Saudis and other Sunni-led Arab allies of the United States
#1
A BIG gamble on the part of the Bush administration. I trust all electronics will have an imbedded destruct code just in case the Soddys decide that the Iranians have the appropriate approach to the "Jewish Question."
JERUSALEM An embarrassed Israeli military confirmed Sunday that a soldier from an elite brigade was left behind by his comrades in the Gaza Strip last week, and that he was extricated only after they had returned to base.
Even worse, said the Israeli news service Ynet, which broke the story, his comrades had answered for him during a verbal head count before they returned to Israel. The soldier had fallen asleep during a rest break about 700 yards inside Gaza as the Israelis were returning from an incursion near Khan Yunis.
When the soldier awoke, he became frightened, fired tracer bullets into the air and waved a fluorescent lightstick to identify himself. Other soldiers then went to get him.
But the events, which are likely to result in severe disciplinary measures, were particularly upsetting to Israelis, who have been trying to secure the release of an Israeli soldier captured a year ago June in an operation led by the militant group Hamas.
That soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, was taken on a Palestinian raid inside Israel. The Israelis have been unable to locate where he is being held, presumably inside Gaza, and have been negotiating with Hamas about a major prisoner swap to get him back.
Another captive Israeli soldier, as a result of what seems to have been an act of negligence, would have shocked the country. As it is, this episode is causing waves, since 10 soldiers from the same battalion of the elite Golani Brigade abandoned a post on the Gaza border last week to protest what they saw as inadequate conditions. Those soldiers were jailed.
The current Israeli chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, is from the Golani Brigade, and his appointment was meant to show the important place of the infantry after the resignation of Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, an air force man, after last summer's war against Hezbollah.
#1
Blame the Sargent for not policing up his men.
Blame the friend for covering for bonehead.
Even though it is common for men to sleep during a rest break, where was said bonehead? You sleep right amongst the rest of the guys and don't go out of sight so when it is time to go, shit like this doesn't happen! If I was asleep in the middle of the platoon and woke up all by my self, I would have gone back the 700 yards and butt-stroked by battlebuddie in the head.
WASHINGTON - Some three dozen leading US evangelical Christian leaders have praised President George W. Bushs efforts to achieve Mideast peace, embracing a two-state solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
In a July 27 letter to Bush, 34 prominent evangelical figures -- including heads of Christian universities, magazines and organizations -- wrote the president that we affirm your clear call for a two-state solution, and called on him to proceed confidently and forthrightly in negotiations with both sides in the region.
So a whole bunch of earnest people who have absolutely no say in the matter think that the Paleos and the Israelis should have a two-state solution. Thanks for your time, Pastor. Next.
We urge that your administration not grow weary in the time it has left in office to utilize the vast influence of America to demonstrate creative, consistent and determined US leadership to create a new future for Israelis and Palestinians, they wrote expressing support for international diplomatic efforts by the quartet group -- the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia -- to bring about reconciliation in the region.
The only way to bring the tragic cycle of violence to an end is for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a just, lasting agreement that guarantees both sides viable, independent, secure states, the Christian officials wrote. We renew our prayers and support for your leadership to help bring peace to Jerusalem, and justice and peace for all the people in the Holy Land.
In their letter to the president they wrote that they also hoped to correct a serious misperception ... that all American evangelicals are opposed to a two-state solution and creation of a new Palestinian state that includes the vast majority of the West Bank. Nothing could be further from the truth. They continued: We, who sign this letter, represent large numbers of evangelicals throughout the US who support justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Historical honesty compels us to recognize that both Israelis and Palestinians have legitimate rights stretching back for millennia to the lands of Israel/Palestine, the religious leaders wrote.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
embracing a two-state solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
But a pre-Churchillian multi-state solution for this bloody Iraqi mess continues to elude us? The Kurds already have a neat flag, lets get with the program! WTFO?
#2
In a July 27 letter to Bush, 34 prominent evangelical figures -- including heads of Christian universities, magazines and organizations -- wrote the president that we affirm your clear call for a two-state solution, and called on him to proceed confidently and forthrightly in negotiations with both sides in the region.
Which all goes to show that delusional behavior is not confined to Islam or the Oval Office. These are the leaders of churches that are daily being assailed by largely unopposed Muslim radicals. How much more idiotic is this supposed to get?
The only way to bring the tragic cycle of violence to an end is for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a just, lasting agreement that guarantees both sides viable, independent, secure states, the Christian officials wrote.
Which one side does not want at any cost because it means abandoning an age old commitment to total genocide. How can Christian and Jewish clerics be so blind to such an undying hatred?
Yes, it is foreign. Yes, it is even alien. Yes, it is a complete and total threat to everthing a non-Muslim holds dear. How is this so difficult to understand?
#3
If those morons - and I give no credence to anyone of these dhimmis - would take a second to ponder on what Fatah would do with a sovereign West Bank, they might take a look at Gaza. Moreso, over 2 million Christians have been ethnically cleansed from the West Bank.
The Arab- Jew problem is not a matter of human rights violator v victim; it is genocidal Islam v the world. Israel is the frontline state in defense of free people everywhere. The Arabs and their supporters can go to hell.
Have you noticed how Condi gets dry mouth whenever she has to talk about 2-state madness? Dry mouth is a sign of verbal deceit. She doesn't like playing the beggar.
#4
I bet the Israelis are looking forward to the day when they can afford to tell us to shove our foreign aid up our ass. It comes with too many strings, we've caused them a lot of heartache over the years with our persistent demand that they treat the paleos like humans. If we don't quit injecting ourselves into their politics we are going to get them all killed.
#6
wow, some evangelicals who support the POV of the current Israeli govt, instead of attacking it for betrayal, and adopting the positions of NRP and National Union. I, for one, see this as good. Folks who actually support the Bush approach. Whereas previously it was either ultrahard line evengelicals, or liberal churches, who barely acknowledged Israels right to exist in security, and flirt with boycotts of Israel. Its good to see a rational, centrist Christian voice emerge.
#7
"But a pre-Churchillian multi-state solution for this bloody Iraqi mess continues to elude us? "
The Iraqi state has existed for over 80 years, whereas there has never been a united independent state with de jure control ove "Palestine/Eretz Israel" the land between the Jordan and the sea.
#11
I think a two state solution is possible but only if the Palestinians move out of Israel, side-by-side on the other side of the Jordan:)The Israelis should consider trading the Golan for the West Bank so they can have security in their midst when all the infighting continues and let them kill one another. Less possibility of collateral damage that way.
#12
let the Palestinians have it and we'll give the Jews the state of New Mexico. Why not? It's the same kind of climate and they don't have to worry about being killed everyday. Think of it kind of like an evacuation.
#13
Someone mentioned Churchill. In a letter, he wrote: "I created Jordan at the stroke of a pen on a Sunday afternoon." Western authorities reduced territories administered by the Hashemite Kingdom, on notice of Wahabi support for the campaign against the Ottoman Turks.
The blueprint for the Middle East was designed in the West; we should be remaking it.
#14
Lawrence mnetions a region of Arabia as being home of "the fanatical and dangerous Wahabis" bu thet is all. They don't seem to have helped against the Turks. Some Arabs say in fact they kept their nforcves and then fell over the bloodied Hashemites.
It wasn't their help againt the Turks but they being championned by the Indian section of the Secret service heade by the father of Kim Philby, the arch-traitor.
#16
A two-state solution is no solution. Sounds like a Jimmy Carter solution rearing its ugly head again. Legitimatizing Palestine only provides more encouragement (if they needed any encouragement) to these thugs for trying to wipe out israel. How about a two-state solution that involves moving the Palestinians to Jordan, SA, or Iran? How about encouraging Fatah and Hamas to destroy each other.
A senior official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass Fatah movement accused Hamas on Sunday of a sweeping campaign to detain members of the group in the Gaza Strip. They have been searching for Fatah men, said the official, Ibrahim Abu An Naja, alleging Hamas has been carrying out nightly raids on homes since defeating Fatah forces in the territory in a brief civil war last month.
Good idea -- saves the Israelis time and resources. Make sure the Fatah mooks get the death sentence on twelve systems.
He told a news conference that because the raids were still going on, he could not give an exact figure for the number of men he said were detained by Hamas. It is an attempt to eliminate (Fatah) but how can a 50-year-old movement like Fatah be eliminated, Abu An Najah said.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Abu An Najas comments were full of false accusations and lies. He said Fatah complaints of an arrest campaign were aimed at covering up its own detention of Hamas members in the West Bank, where Abbass movement holds sway. Abu Zuhri said hundreds of Hamas men were in the jails of the Palestinian security services in the West Bank, including one of its leading figures in the territory, Ahmed Doula. Doula, he said, was rearrested on Thursday, shortly after he was released from a detention centre run by Abbass presidential guards.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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Government troops stepped up security patrols yesterday in the southern island of Basilan in preparation for a campaign to arrest rebels behind the July 10 killing of 14 Marines, ten of them beheaded.
More than 2,000 soldiers are now on the island as part of task force that will carry out the arrest after a court released the warrants against 130 suspects. The military has given investigators until tomorrow to look into the beheading of the soldiers in Al-Barka town. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is negotiating peace with Manila, admitted attacking the soldiers, but denied beheading them. It also rejected a military demand to turn over those behind the attack.
Marine Col. Ramiro Alivio, commander of military forces in Basilan, said intelligence operations and security patrols were continuing but that there have been no large-scale movement of forces by either side and no armed contact have been recorded as of yesterday.
The news of impending punitive actions against the MILF has triggered an exodus of civilians with more than 5,000 people fleeing their homes in Al-Barka town and nearby areas. The offensive against the MILF was delayed until Tuesday following a warning by Japan and Canada that they would halt their aid programs in the south if the fighting escalated.
TV Crew
The Department of Justice (DOJ), meanwhile, said it will ask the GMA-7 television crew that took footage of the July 10 clash to testify against those behind the ambush. Regional State Prosecutor Ricardo Cabaron said the DOJ would appreciate the help of GMA7 reporter Jun Veneracion and cameramen Donato Roxas and Julius Catibog, who were with the Marine soldiers when ambushed by MILF forces. Cabaron said their personal accounts and possibly the video footage taken during the ambush would give them a clear idea of how the clash happened. If we cannot get them through the voluntary process, then we will ask the court to issue the orders for the compulsory process, Cabaron said.
A source who had access to the closed-door meeting of the joint government and MILF coordinating committee on the cessation of hostilities (CCCH) told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Veneracion and his team would be asked to testify to shed light in the incident. The JCCCH is investigating the beheading of the soldiers.Veneracion earlier told the Inquirer that he would be willing to supply information to authorities if the case against the suspects prospers.
Trademark
Top military officials have admitted that beheading of captives has become the trademark of bandits in Basilan. There were reports that the beheadings were done by Abu Sayyaf members who have camps near the ambush site.
Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, the Western Mindanao Command chief, said the beheading and mutilation were called pintakasi. Once you fall or land in the hands of the attackers or enemies, pagtututulungan ka nila (they will gang up on you) doing all unimaginable acts even if you are already dead, Cedo said.
AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr., in a press conference on Friday afternoon, told reporters that beheading was not a new thing in Basilan. We know about the beheadings even way back in 1970s, he said. Esperon said that when he was assigned in Basilan as a young lieutenant, there was no Abu Sayyaf group then, but beheading was one of the practices of people in the area.
Dr. Nilo Barandino, a physician based in Basilan who conducts post-mortem examination, told the Inquirer that there were about 70 soldiers and innocent civilians beheaded in the 1980s. Majority of those beheaded were soldiers, Barandino said.
Col. Daniel Lucero, a member of Esperons staff, recalled that when he was still with the 5th Infantry Battalion, seven soldiers were beheaded and mutilated in barangay Duga-a in Tuburan town on Feb. 14, 1984. In July 2001, two soldiers were beheaded in barangay Sinulatan in Tuburan, Lucero added.
Lt. Col. Rudy de Bellen of the Philippine Marines recalled that 21 members of the 1st Marine Battalion suffered mutilation, four of them beheaded, in barangay Candis, Tuburan town on Feb. 9, 2003. The Marine soldiers came from a feast, and they were poisoned before they were attacked, De Bellen said.
He said the suspects in the attack were led by Dorie Kalahal, a commander of the Moro National Liberation Front. Kalahal is now mayor of Tuburan proper. He availed himself of the governments amnesty offer. Barandino, who was able to see some of those beheaded and mutilated soldiers in the July 10 ambush, said the mutilation happened between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., not midnight as earlier reported by Basilan Gov. Jum Jainuddin Akbar.
Akbar earlier told the Inquirer that when they started retrieving the bodies around 10 p.m. of July 10, the bodies were still intact. Akbar said she was informed by her staff that some of the dead were beheaded during the second retrieval at around midnight.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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Iran is not at all worried about the strengthening of the defense capabilities of Muslim and friendly countries, Defense Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said here on Monday.
The remarks came as the United States prepares to announce an arms package for Persian Gulf states, which Washington alleges to be a measure adopted in reaction to Tehran's growing military might.
"Every country has the right to produce or purchase its needed weapons to reinvigorate its defense capabilities," Najjar told reporters.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is not at all worried about the strengthening of the defense capabilities of the Muslim, friendly and brotherly states and believes that their increased defense capabilities would boost the defense capabilities of the Muslim world," he added.
"Those regimes, which still dream of a land stretched from the Nile to the Euphrates and invade the territories of the Islamic countries, should feel concerned about this issue," the General reminded.
"When selling arms to regional countries, the US always acts in a way that the Zionist regime (of Israel) can maintain its military superiority," he said, adding, "They strive to spark an arms race in a bid to keep their giant weapon production companies away from the danger of bankruptcy."
Meantime, the Iranian defense minister reiterated that durable peace and security in the Persian Gulf can merely be established by regional states , FNA reported.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has and will always underlines the need for the expansion of mutual cooperation, refrain from tension, respect for good neighborly relations, conclusion of consolidated political, economic, defense and security treaties to help establish peace and tranquility in the region, and it has always pioneered in doing so," the General concluded.
Israel is looking into reports that Russia plans to sell 250 advanced long-range Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran in an unprecedented billion-dollar deal.
According to reports, in addition to the fighter jets, Teheran also plans to purchase a number of aerial fuel tankers that are compatible with the Sukhoi and capable of extending its range by thousands of kilometers. Defense officials said the Sukhoi sale would grant Iran long-range offensive capabilities.
Government officials voiced concern over the reports. They said Russia could be trying to compete with the United States, which announced over the weekend a billion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Despite Israeli and US opposition, Russia recently supplied Iran with advanced antiaircraft systems used to protect Teheran's nuclear installations. At the time, Moscow said it reserved the right to sell Iran weapons, such as the antiaircraft system, that were of a defensive nature.
The Sukhoi-30 is a two-seat multi-role fighter jet and bomber capable of operating at significant distances from home base and in poor weather conditions. The aircraft enjoys a wide range of combat capabilities and is used for air patrol, air defense, ground attacks, enemy air defense suppression and air-to-air combat.
After years of negotiations, the Indian Air Force in 1996 purchased 40 Sukhoi-30s and in 2000 acquired the license from the company to manufacture an additional 140 aircraft.
#2
Lucky for them. The Russians make one of the finest ejection seats in the world, even works when the plane is inverted. Saw a video of one that had to eject at an airshow, went down, turned a corner, climbed to altitude, then popped the chute. Very impressive.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/30/2007 17:58 Comments ||
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#3
turned a corner, climbed to altitude, then popped the chute.
Unknown to you the pilot has yet to take solid food, surviving on IV Feeding and waking up screaming to the annoyance of his Nurses. But then again, waking up in a Russ hospital tends to make one scream. So maybe it's a success.
Posted by: Abu Dick Bong ||
07/30/2007 19:29 Comments ||
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One month after Iran the world's fourth biggest oil producer triggered violent protests by introducing petrol rationing overnight, the shock measures are beginning to bite. But will they also bite the man who introduced them, Iran's radical President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the self-proclaimed champion of the poor?
In Tehran, petrol queues have become a frequent sight. Last Friday night, as Tehranis returned to the city after their weekly day off, cars were backed up at midnight outside one petrol station in northern Tehran, home to the city's wealthy, Hermes-wearing elite, which has never been a fan of the populist President. Here, restaurant diners don't even look up from their lamb kebabs when a creature in a red scarf drives her matching red sports car along Valiasr Avenue, the tree-lined road that cuts through the city from north to south.
It's a different story in the working-class southern districts, where voters turned out in their hordes to elect the Tehran mayor as President in June 2005. Impoverished Iranians who supplement their income as unofficial taxi drivers have been particularly affected by the petrol rationing, which was introduced with only three hours' notice on 27 June, prompting motorists to burn down a dozen petrol stations around Tehran.
Although pockets of rioting were also reported elsewhere in the country, the effects of the rationing are considered to be worst in the capital, a city of 14 million. Private motorists are allowed only 100 litres a month, or three litres a day, while official taxis get 800 litres a month. In the popular Iranian resort of Kish, an island on the Gulf, travellers say it is impossible to get a taxi because of the rationing.
The measures have produced three main effects in Tehran: traffic is estimated to have diminished by a third, giving the city's notoriously reckless drivers even more scope. A black market thrives as motorists who don't use their full quota or give it to their family members sell their surplus at the semi-market rate of 5,000 rials ($5). But at least the usual smog has lifted, revealing the Alborz mountains to the northof the city.
The question now is the extent to which the President's declining popularity will be further damaged by the rationing, which comes at a time when inflation officially 13 per cent but estimated to be at least double that is rising.
Turning Iran into Zimbabwe. Difficult but it can be done.
President Ahmadinejad defended his measures on television on Thursday night and refused to back a proposal to allow people to pay the market rate for petrol once their ration runs out. As one Western analyst put it: "The rich can't buy their way out of it."
Some praise the President for introducing the measure which was under discussion for years. Hossein Shariatmadari, president of the conservative Kayhan group of newspapers, which supports Mr Ahmadinejad, said: "Rationing was a necessary measure which should have been taken a long time ago but, unfortunately, we did not have a government courageous enough." He argued that Iranians would come to see that the measure was justified. He said: "Each litre costs almost 70 cents and we give it to people at 10 cents. The difference is paid by all the people of Iran even those who don't have a car."
Though Iran is a major oil exporter, it lacks refining capacity and has to import 60 per cent of its petrol from abroad, while continuing to subsidise petrol for domestic consumption.
Be a shame if something happened to the domestic refineries.
Mr Shariatmadari said he thought the government would not be harmed politically by the measure, as long as public transport is expanded as promised. But there are fears of more trouble later in the year, when people who use their rations too fast run out. A Western analyst said: "It's too early to see the real effects of it yet. It will take three or four months to have a real impact."
After a setback in local elections last December, the next test for Mr Ahmadinejad's conservative faction will come in parliamentary elections next March. Mr Ahmadinejad faces a presidential election in June 2009. "He has no brain," said one Tehrani as he risked his life by attempting to cross the road. So why did people vote for him? "I didn't vote," came the reply.
Because you didn't have any real choices?
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07/30/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Be a shame if something happened to the domestic refineries."
If they are deferring maintenance in order to keep production up, it will be a matter of when, not if.
FYI, they are building joint refinery projects in Venezuela to refine Venezuelan crude and ship the gasoline to Iran. Wonder what they might have to trade back to Venezuela for that favor. What could Iran possibly have that Hugo might want?
#3
And just think how flammable gasoline is and imagine the maintenance records of the tankers used.......is it any real wonder why the Navy no longer has any gasoline or avgas powered gear on its ships ( all diesel or JP-5)?
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London: Turkey's newly elected government is prepared to turn its back on its long-standing alliance with the United States to counter the threat of Kurdish terrorism, one of the closest allies of the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has warned. Egemen Bagis, Mr. Erdogan's foreign policy advisor, said Turkish forces were prepared to mount operations against Kurdish PKK fighters who had taken refuge in Iraq, because the United States had failed to intervene.
BANGALORE, India (AP) - An Indian doctor freed from jail in Australia after terror charges against him were dropped said Monday he wants Australia to restore his work permit. The jailing of Mohamed Haneef, 27, had aroused waves of sympathy in his native India, where he was greeted with a hero's welcome Sunday upon his return.
LONDON - Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto insisted on Sunday she would not strike a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf so long as he remained the army chief.
Al Qaeda is divided over the wisdom of the networks revenge tactics against the Lal Masjid operation, as one side favours more retaliation, while the other is concerned that further strikes will force the Pakistan Army to attack their safe havens in the tribal areas, reported the Sunday Telegraph.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament closed for its summer recess on Monday, lawmakers said, deciding to take a break until early September despite having failed to enact a series of laws demanded by Washington.
"Projects are getting done," Bowen said. "But the impediment to growth in outputs of those has been insurgent attacks on the grid."
Even when the Iraqi government has accepted rebuilt projects, it has let them languish. The two units at the Dora power plant, for example, are not working despite a $90 million effort to repair them. The plant's Iraqi operators cannibalized equipment from one of the units as it neared functioning status to repair the second, after it had failed because of improper maintenance and operation. That second unit eventually failed again, according to the report.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs beleaguered coalition government has been paralysed by sectarian disputes for months, but its divided leaders were on the same page on Sunday in the glow of their countrys Asian Cup victory.
The top United Nations envoy in Iraq called for the abolition of the death penalty on Sunday after a militant convicted of killing 22 people in an attack on the UN missions headquarters was hanged. 
By STEVEN ERLANGER The New York Times 
WASHINGTON - Some three dozen leading US evangelical Christian leaders have praised President George W. Bushs efforts to achieve Mideast peace, embracing a two-state solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
A senior official in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass Fatah movement accused Hamas on Sunday of a sweeping campaign to detain members of the group in the Gaza Strip. They have been searching for Fatah men, said the official, Ibrahim Abu An Naja, alleging Hamas has been carrying out nightly raids on homes since defeating Fatah forces in the territory in a brief civil war last month.
