Libya will include thousands of former rebels who helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in its armed forces from January, the defence minister said on Sunday, testing the government's ability to get rebel leaders to cede command of their fighters.
Although rebels met a deadline imposed by the National Transitional Council (NTC) to withdraw this week from the capital Tripoli, militias led by rival commanders still guard key installations and checkpoints across the city.
The lack of a fully functioning army and police force, has given militias free rein to fight turf wars after the uprising that ended Gaddafi's 42-year dictatorship in August.
"The programme aims at including the revolutionaries in many fields including defence," Osama al-Juwali, interim defence minister told a news conference also attended by interim interior minister Fawzi Abd al-All.
"The idea is to inject new blood in the army which was marginalised by the tyrant (Gaddafi)," said Mr Juwali who was commander of the Zintan militia that captured Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam in November.
Abd al-All said the rebels were also invited to take up positions in the interior ministry which, he said, was understaffed. He said they could also apply for civilian jobs in government offices through the ministry of labour.
TRIPOLI: For the first time in more than four decades, Libyans on Saturday celebrated the 60th anniversary of the country's independence from Italy and France. Under Muammar Qaddafi's 42-year rule, the celebration was scrapped and instead, only the 1969 date of his coup was marked.
"Today we begin the building of Libya as our forefathers have done," Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib said during the celebration. "We call on our sons to build Libya after its destruction."
His remarks were part of an official ceremony in the capital Tripoli. Thousands of people flocked to the capital from around the country in hopes of breaking bread on an 7-mile-long (11-kilometer-long) set of tables planned along Tripoli's coast as part of the ceremony. However, the dinner was canceled due to security reasons and infighting among former rebel groups who were invited, officials said.
At the National Transitional Council's headquarters in Tripoli, ministers shared a cake and mingled with journalists.
No family members of deposed King Idris, who were forced into exile in 1969, were in Libya for the ceremony. Idris died in Cairo in 1983.
Libya was occupied for decades by various nations, and it was not until 1947 that both Italy and France relinquished claims to parts of the country. The United Libyan Kingdom was announced with UN backing in late 1951 under King Idris.
"As the late King Idris said at the time, preserving independence is harder than achieving it," NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said at the ceremony.
Keep that happy thought in mind, folks.
Perhaps you should bring back the monarchy. A constitutional monarchy in which the king represents the state and a prime minister runs the government might provide the stability you need. Do it right and in a generation or two your country will resemble Sweden. That wouldn't be a bad thing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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New North Korean leader Pudgy Kim Jong-un is taking control of the renegade country's nuclear weapons, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told the National Assembly's Defense Committee last Tuesday. "It also seems that Kim Jong-un has the final say on nuclear weapons considering that the power is being handed over to him now," he added.
Kim Jong-un is vice chairman of the Workers Party's Central Military Commission, which now commands the military.
A South Korean intelligence officer said the North Korean military attaches the greatest importance to the nuclear arms, and Kim Jong-un is now in charge of them. The regime is believed to have about 50 kg of plutonium extracted and up to 10 nuclear bombs, and there was some anxiety abroad who would control them in the power vacuum after former leader Kim Jong-il died.
But some experts say the 29-year-old Sonny Boy Kim Jong-un has no military background and cannot really be in charge of the nuclear arms.
He doesn't have any experience in much of anything.
He is nominally only a vice chairman of the commission, appointed alongside Ri Yong-ho, the chief of General Staff. One South Korean government official speculated that Ri probably controls the regime's weapons of mass destruction, including any nuclear bombs.
Others believe the commission is collectively in control because it includes all the top military brass. They believe that the first thing the regime did after Kim Jong-il's death was to ensure control of the nuclear weapons.
On behalf of China, of course...
Different agencies in the North take charge of nuclear development and testing, nuclear weapons management and nuclear facilities security. Nuclear development is conducted by the party's Machine-Building Industry Department (formerly Munitions Industry Department). This is why the international community imposed sanctions on Ju Kyu-chang, its director, and Jon Byong-ho, a former director of the Machine-Building Industry Department who is currently director of the Politburo.
But the nuclear weapons are reportedly kept and managed by the General Staff led by Ri Yong-ho, which has actual operational control of troops. Security at nuclear facilities, including the Yongbyon uranium enrichment facility, is the job of the State Security Department and the Military Security Command. Kim Jong-il reportedly wanted to prevent nuclear information from being concentrated in any single agency.
A source familiar with the North's internal affairs said, "It seems highly likely that Kim Jong-il trained his son how to manage the nuclear weapons."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
He is not too young. Kim Jong-un is 27, there have been many major leaders at that age.
#2
Dear Kim Jong Un isn't a technician making sure the things are properly tied down.. He's upper management, whose only responsibility is to make sure the technicians know they and everyone they know will end up in a concentration camp should something go wrong. A five year old could handle that without any training at all.
The South Korean military will introduce new high-tech reconnaissance aircraft capable of intercepting communications and detecting missile launches in North Korea.
A government source on Sunday said the existing reconnaissance aircraft -- the Geumgang for visual information and the Baekdu for communications intercepts -- have only limited capabilities, so the military will buy two Falcon 2000s from French firm Dassault. The planes will chiefly intercept North Korean wireless communications or detect the frequencies of weapons and equipment. They are also capable of detecting missile launches with infrared heat sensors.
South Korea currently relies on the U.S. Defense Support Program's early warning satellite system for detecting missiles.
The Falcon 2000 can carry a lot more reconnaissance equipment and carry out aerial surveillance activities for a longer period of time because it is bigger than the existing craft and has a longer range.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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BEIJING: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Sunday that he and his Chinese counterpart have agreed to work together in dealing with North Korea and promoting stability in the closed country after the death of longtime leader Kim Jong Il.
North Korea does not need 'stability'. It needs to be destabilized so that the evil regime currently running it can be thrown off and the people in that long-suffering land can begin to live.
Noda's first official visit to Beijing would normally have centered on bilateral issues, such as squabbles over islands claimed by both countries, but the death of Kim on Dec. 17 and the announcement of his son Kim Jong Un as the country's "supreme leader" has shifted the focus.
Noda, the first foreign leader to meet with China's leaders since Kim's death, emphasized the need to get stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program back on track.
"We are currently facing a new situation in East Asia," Noda told reporters after mentioning Kim's death.
"On this issue, it is very timely to exchange views with the host of the six-party talks and the country with the most influence on North Korea," he said, referring to China. "Safeguarding the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula is in the common interest of our two countries."
Noda was speaking before meeting with his counterpart, Wen Jiabao. He meets with President Hu Jintao on Monday before returning home. His visit to China was planned before Kim's death was announced Dec. 19.
When asked whether China could confirm that Un was in complete control of North Korea, Japanese Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Yutaka Yokoi would only say that Noda and Wen had discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
After meeting with Wen, Noda told reporters that the two leaders had agreed to cooperate to try to achieve stability on the Korean Peninsula.
"We shared the understanding that denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and its peace and stability not only benefits Japan and China but serves the common interest of all neighboring countries," he said.
Japan does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea, while China is the impoverished country's leash-holder most important supporter and supplies it with food aid and much of its energy resources.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
All hell could easily occur in NE Asia iff the CPC does indeed decide during its 2012 Plenum to treat = declare the DPRK as a Chinese province, as a number of China Perts anticipate.
It effec means that the DPRK Commie Movement has failed, espec as per its promise of Pan-Korean Nationalism + Unification wid the South. In addition, many in Japan consider the Koreas as part of Japan, at least since the turn of the 20th Century, + NOT a part of China or even a vassal-state of China.
It would be an obvious disaster for SOKOR as well for the same reasons of Nationalism + Unification, + may also induce a serious split in the US-Taiwan relationship since Taiwan = ROC tends to support many of the mainland's territorial interests vee Japan + other ASEAN Nations.
Lastly, whatever slim chance the ROK + US + UNC/UNSC had in crossing the DMZ into the DPRK in case of State collapse WILL BE GONE - PERIOD!
- UNLESS THE FORMER ARE WILLING TO WAGE MAJOR REGIONAL WAR = NUCLEAR WAR? WID CHINA.
BESIDES THAT WHOLE "END OF THE WORLD ON 12/19-21st, 2012" THINGY.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > A CHINESE TAKEOVER OF NORTH KOREA? UNLIKELY: ASIAN CORRESPONDENT |
KIM JONG-EUN DOESN'T LEAVE CHINA SYMPATHIZERS ALIVE, to include late Big Daddy-O Kimmie + Grandpa Kim "I'll-Kill-You-All-Soon" Il-Sung.
ARTIC = NORTH KOREA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA IS ONE OF [reluctant = absolute] NECESSITY, NOT FRIENDSHIP.
END-OF-ARTIC Short Summary = Being PRO-CHINA [+ PRO-SOVIET, other ANTI/NON-KOREAN?] IS [means]EITHER DEATH OR LIFE IN PRISON IN NORTH KOREA.
The 2012 CPC Plenum as per my above Post is gonna be one for the popcorn. CHINA WANTS DISTANT OVERSEAS PORTS FOR PLA POWER PROJECTION + IT TAINT GETTING IT.
FYI my home island of Guam would like US-approved visa waivers for mainland Chinese + Russian tourists to come + visit, but thus far Secretary Janet has only granted parole authority for Russian tourists - THE US WANTS MAINLAND CHINESE TOURISTS TO GO TO TAIWAN FIRST [or prolly Canada] BEFORE THEY COME TO GUAM OR ULTIMATELY CONUS.
Although Taiwan would certainly love the tourist dollars, their priority is DOMESTIC SECURITY [read, ANTI-PLA = COMMANDOS, FIFTH COLUMNISTS]hence would likely seriously limit the number of mainland Chinese tourists that can enter Taiwan or go on to Guam.
SEOUL: North Korean state TV footage on Sunday showed Jang Song-thaek, the power behind the communist stateÂ’s throne, wearing a military uniform with the insignia of a general, another sign of his rising influence after the death of Kim Jong-il.
Kremlinologist heaven in a photo at the link.
The footage, which state TV said was taken on Saturday, showed Jang at the front of rows of top military officers who accompanied Pudgy Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of Kim Jong-il and his anointed successor, paying their respects in front of KimÂ’s body.
Kim Jong-un was hailed by state media on Saturday as “supreme commander” of the North’s 1.1 million-strong armed forces, the title held by his father.
While the younger Kim has been described as the “Great Successor,” a senior source told Reuters this week Pyongyang will shift from a strongman dictatorship to a coterie of rulers including the military and Jang, Kim Jong-un’s uncle. Jong-un, in his late 20s, has also been called by his official title of vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the North’s ruling party.
Jang married the daughter of the countryÂ’s autocratic founder, Kim Il-sung, in 1972, to join the ruling family.
A Seoul official familiar with North Korea affairs said it was the first time Jang has been shown on state TV wearing a military uniform. His appearance was interpreted as meaning he has secured a key role in the NorthÂ’s powerful military, which has pledged its allegiance to Kim Jong-un.
Sources with close ties to North Korea and China have said Jang is the real power behind PyongyangÂ’s succession process.
North KoreaÂ’s state media have geared up their propaganda machine since Saturday in an apparent bid to smooth the untested Kim Jong-unÂ’s succession and show his grip on the military, which is trying to develop a nuclear arsenal.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#6
I think John Frum is right. Abbottabad is an Army garrison town, and I can't imagine the IB having a "Safehouse" or anything else.
Other statements I have read indicate the US considers the IB less dishonest than the ISI. There were also reports that the IB helped find Bin Laden and even took part in the raid.
In addition the army concluded in 2003 that the US is the enemy and has behaved that way ever since.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/26/2011 12:41 Comments ||
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#7
"Former Pakistan Army Chief Reveals Intelligence Bureau Harbored Bin Laden in Abbottabad"
Former Pakistan Army Chief also reveals water is wet.
Posted by: Barbara ||
12/26/2011 14:50 Comments ||
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#8
A more accurate analogy would be:
"Former Pakistan Army Chief also reveals water is like Kool-Aid".
[AFP] Over 100,000 people rallied in support of cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... Sunday in Pakistain's port city of Bloody Karachi, a local official said, boosting his image as a rising political force.
Or confirming the inability of Pakistanis to count -- it's got to be one or the other.
Khan, 59, leader of the opposition Movement for Justice Party, is scheduled to address the growing crowd late Sunday. Many of them enthusiastically waved his party's green and red flag and danced to the beating of drums.
"We estimate that more than 100,000 people have gathered," Javed Odho, a senior police official at the site, told AFP.
His October 30 rally in Lahore also drew more than 100,000 supporters.
Khan's national profile was cemented as the captain of the only Pak cricket team to clinch the World Cup.
The 1992 victory has helped propel Khan toward becoming the troubled nation's next Prime Minister as he leads an anti-graft revolution, with some politicians having already left their own parties to join Khan's camp.
Among the defectors is former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Wormtongue Qureshi, who left the ruling Pakistain Peoples Party, led by embattled President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... .
[Pak Daily Times] The Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI) on Sunday held a successful sit-in here at Ichhra against what they perceive as pro-American policies of the federal and provincial governments, and announced they were launching a campaign for the imposition of Islamic Shariah in the country.
Around 4000 activists and leaders of the party joined the sit-in chanting slogans against what they termed 'capitalist, feudalist, and American friendly authorities of the country'. A large number of students belonging to the Islami Jamaat Talba (IJT), the party's student wing, and a few female workers also attended the sit-in.
The JI also passed a resolution during the rally, demanding the government to fix minimum wages at Rs 12,000, and to end all taxes levied on the masses, like fuel adjustment. The resolution also demanded that President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... and Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Mian 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... should pay minimum wages of Rs 12,000 to labourers working in their factories.
The resolution further urged the government to pay attention to the education sector and abolish all schools of the elite class, and establish more institutions for women, to put an end to discriminatory acts against them. The resolution also demanded the termination of corrupt officers in the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and other government institutions. It also demanded a reduction in the price of diesel and petrol.
The main leadership of the party including JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan ... The funny-looking Amir of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. He joined the National Students Federation (NSF), a lefty student body, and was elected its President in 1959. He came into contact with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) Pakistan and studied the writings of Mawlana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, The Great Apostasizer. As a result, he joined IJT in 1960 and soon he was elected as President of its University of Karachi Unit and member of the Central Executive Council. He was Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistain in 1992-93, and became Secretary General in 1993. After years of holding Qazi's camel he was named Amir when the old man stepped down in 2009... , Liaqat Baloch, Farid Paracha, Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar, Amirul Azem and Hafiz Salman Butt addressed the sit-in.
Addressing the gathering, JI chief Munawar Hassan said that his party was going to start a campaign aimed at imposing Shariah in the country. He said that Pakistain's biggest problem was interference by the United States, which should end at any cost. He also emphasised the need to scrutinise the foreign and domestic properties and bank accounts of the ruling elite in order to ensure accountability.
He also criticised the emergence of Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... as a political force and warned the masses not to be deceived by 'fake slogans' of the new political figures. Hassan also criticised some media owners for ignoring JI's important sit-in in favour of Imran Khan's rally in Bloody Karachi on the same day.
He also appealed to the judiciary to give its verdict on the memogate scandal soon, since it was a conspiracy against the Pakistain Army and the country.
Hassan said that the politicians who were frequently changing parties could not bring about a revolution in the country. He said that the politicians who had abandoned the PML-N to join the Pakistain Mohammedan League-Quaid (PML-Q) and were now joining hands with Imran Khan were opportunists and wanted to deceive the masses once again. He added that the solution to the country's problems lay in an end to US interference and bidding farewell to the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
The JI chief said that the memo scandal was a serious matter because the tone of the memo and the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's speech in the Assembly was the same regarding the armed forces.
He also urged the armed forces to revert to their motto of Iman, Taqwah and Jihad, and said that the military leadership should learn a lesson from the unarmed Afghans, who had defeated a super power.
Munawar Hassan also alleged that the "hidden hand" of the United States, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israeli intelligence (MOSAD) was behind terrorist attacks on both military and civil targets in the country. He alleged that the attacks on the army General Headquarters (GHQ), Mehran Airbase and Salala border-posts were carried out by the CIA.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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Tareq al-Hashemi, the vice president of Iraq, who is charged with running a death squad, has said he will not go to Baghdad to stand trial as he raised the prospect of fleeing the country. Mr Hashemi, holed up at an official guesthouse of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in the country's autonomous Kurdish region, acknowledged his guards may have carried out attacks, but he has steadfastly denied any involvement.
The warrant against Hashemi, issued nearly a week ago, has been the focus of a political row between Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, which is a part of his national unity government and of which Hashemi is a member.
Asked if he would return to Baghdad to face trial, Mr Hashemi told AFP: "Of course not."
He attributed his refusal to travel to the capital to poor security and politicisation of the justice system.
He said most of his guards had been arrested and had their weapons confiscated, adding that "there is no security for the vice president. How can I come back to Baghdad if I cannot secure myself?"
"The Iraqi judicial council is under the control and the influence of the central government, and this is a big problem," Hashemi added in a one-hour interview during which he was surrounded by unarmed guards. "That is why I asked to move the case to Kurdistan. ... Justice here will not be politicised."
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ...who neither looks nor acts like John Foster Dulles...
said Sunday that Iraq has agreed to relocate more than 3,000 people living in a refugee camp for an Iranian dissident movement, dpa reported.
Camp Ashraf is a compound operated by the People's Mujahidin of Iran (PMOI) in Iraq's Diyala province. After a deadly clash with Ashraf residents this year, the Iraqi government had planned to close the camp by the end of December.
An agreement signed Sunday between Baghdad and the United Nations delays the closing to allow time to implement a solution, she said. The deal includes the temporary relocation of Camp Ashraf's residents to Camp Liberty, a former US military base near Baghdad International Airport. US forces this month completed their withdrawal from Iraq, including Camp Liberty.
"At this new location, the UN High Commission for Refugees will be able to conduct refugee status determinations for the residents of Ashraf - a necessary first step toward resettlement to third countries," Clinton said.
Voicing "full support" for the UN effort, she welcomed "this important step toward a humane resolution to the ongoing situation at Ashraf."
The PMOI, also known as the Mujahedeen-e Khalq, was founded in 1965 to oppose the Iranian shah, and when he was toppled, the group launched an armed campaign against the new Islamic government. Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime allowed the group to use a military base near the Iranian border, where they have remained.
Last week, Martin Kobler, the UN special representative ambassador for Iraq, had appealed to the UN Security Council in New York to urge the Iraqi government to let Camp Ashraf remain open on humanitarian grounds.
"We are encouraged by the Iraqi government's willingness to commit to this plan and expect it to fulfill all its responsibilities, especially the elements ... that provide for the safety and security of Ashraf's residents," Clinton said.
The UN is to have round-the-clock monitors during the relocation and at Camp Liberty while the Ashraf residents remain there.
"To be successful, this resettlement must also have the full support of the camp's residents, and we urge them to work with the UN to implement this relocation," Clinton said. "All those who want to see the people at Camp Ashraf safe and secure should work together to see that the agreed upon plan is carried out."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I anticipate 'issues' at their new home. One night they all might just 'disappear' or something.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/26/2011 12:02 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Independent MP Alia Nsaif criticized Turkish interventions in vice-president Tariq al- Hashimi's case by readiness to receive him. In a statement issued by her media office, copy received by Aswat al-Iraq, she added "Turkey began negatively intervening in Iraqi internal affairs, which might to affecting bilateral relation between the two countries".
She added that the Turkish invitation to receive Hashimi stirred public uproar.
"Turkey knows clearly the volume of economic, trade and investment relations with Iraq, so it is wrong to venture their future", she added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Head of Iraqiya bloc Iyad Alawi criticized today the abstention of Iraqi government to put to court those who shot rockets against Kuwaiti Mobarak terminal, end of August last.
In an interview with Kuwaiti Al-Rai daily, he criticized the selective method used by the government regarding the events taking place. He pointed out the persons who shot the rockets were captured by the government, but "we did not hear anything since then".
Iraqi Forces Commander's office denied that the Iraqi territories were used to launch the rockets, as stated by spokesman Qassim Atta.
Alawi added that Nouri Al-Maliki's government "dug the old papers in an attempt to put Hashimi to court" .
"They screened ghosts, but did not tell how the investigated with them and when", he questioned.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Higher Judicial Council decided to re-investigate the case of vice-president Tariq al-Hashimi, which was done by one judge.
In a breaking news by semi-official Iraqiya TV, the five-judge committee decided to reinvestigate the case.
Iraqi Interior Ministry disclosed issuing an arrest warrant against Hashimi and broadcasted the confessions of his bodyguards for operating assassination attempts and bombings in 2009.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Leader of the Shiite Trend, Muqtada al-Sadr, has called Sunday for the trial of Iraq's Vice-President, Tareq al-Hashimy, under the auspices of the Parliament, warning at the same time from the single-party power on the political process in the country.
Answering a question by one of his followers in Baghdad, about the fate of Tareq al-Hashimy, Sadr said: "The issue of Hashimy's trial should take place under the auspices of the Parliament and the people," adding that "even the sacking of politicians from their posts must take place in a legal manner."
Since Tater doesn't want any precedents established that could be used against, for example, him...
"The issue of confessions against Vice-President, Tareq al-Hashimy and the raising of this issue at the current period may harm the country, its unity and security, including the downfall of the current political process and the security situation, along with harming the political process as well," Sadr said.
Sadr also stressed that the said case "had boosted the isolation of Iraq nowadays, including the transformation of the government into a single-party government and the imposition of its power on the necks of everybody."
Vice-President Hashimy had demanded in a news conference in Arbil, the capital of northern Iraq's Kurdistan Region, to transfer the case of his investigation to the Kurdistan Region, where he moved to after the issuance of an arrest warrant against him by the Iraqi Interior Ministry, according to Article-4 (Terrorism), whilst the Ministry had screened confessions by 3 of his bodyguards, who claimed that he had ordered them to implement assassinations and explosions in 2009.
The said developments took place at a time when the US troops withdrawal from Iraq was completed, according to the Security Agreement, signed between the two countries at the end of 2008.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I have to hand it to ole Muqtada, he's been talking sense with his peace plan and speaking for national unity and tolerance of all religions INCLUDING JEWS AND CHRISTIANS I might add, which is a real shock. Obviously his time in Iran did not soak in.
If he is not a fanatic in peace keeper clothing, we might have a chance here since Tater is very influential amoung the Shiia's
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
12/26/2011 0:28 Comments ||
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#2
Taqqiya
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/26/2011 9:21 Comments ||
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[Emirates 24/7] US Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... on Sunday urged Iraq's feuding leaders to convene a "dialogue" to head off a worsening political crisis that has raised sectarian tensions.
Biden, President Barack I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody Obama's pointman on Iraq, has made a flurry of calls to Iraqi leaders this week, urging them to mend fences after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, accused Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi of running a death squad staffed by bodyguards.
In calls to Maliki on Sunday and to Kurdish leader Massud Barzani on Saturday, Biden "exchanged views... on the current political climate in Iraq and reiterated our support for ongoing efforts to convene a dialogue among Iraqi politicians," the White House said in a statement.
Biden also offered condolences after a spate of attacks in Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... on Thursday that killed over 60 people.
The strikes and the growing political row have heightened sectarian tensions just a week after the last US soldiers of a force that once numbered 170,000 left Iraq, drawing the nine-year war to a close.
Hashemi -- holed up at an official guesthouse of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in the country's autonomous Kurdish region after an arrest warrant was issued against him -- has acknowledged that his guards may have carried out attacks but denied any personal involvement.
Asked if he would return to Storied Baghdad to face trial, the 69-year-old Hashemi told AFP: "Of course not," attributing his refusal to poor security and the alleged politicization of the justice system.
Hashemi's Iraqiya bloc, part of Maliki's national unity government, has boycotted parliament and the cabinet in protest at the prime minister's alleged centralization of power.
The New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , citing senior US administration officials, reported that the United States is weighing a far more subdued role in Iraq and has no intention to send US troops back to the country.
But it quoted one administration official as saying the future security and diplomatic relationship with Iraq would be "colored" by how well Maliki holds together a governing coalition that includes Sunnis and Kurds.
The newspaper also noted that US commandos may be able to operate in Iraq on covert CIA missions like the one that killed Al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who had a brief but splitting headache... in Pakistain in May.
"As the US military has drawn down to zero in terms of combat troops, the US intelligence community has not done the same," it quoted a senior administration official as saying.
"There are serious counterterrorism issues that confront Iraq... And we don't want to let go of the very solid relationships we have built over the years to share information of importance to both countries."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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Talk?
The Sunnis and the Shia have been exchanging fatwas, rocks, bullets, arrows, swords, flaming kettles of oil, and dirty looks since Ali was killed in Najaf in 648.
Iraq is the one place where conceivably the Sunni/Shia nonsense over the succession to Mohammed could be settled and after almost 1400 years, you would think it would.
So much for the religion of peace, leave them alone and they'll kill each other by the thousands over a murder that took place in 648.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
12/26/2011 11:57 Comments ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who is charged with running a death squad, told AFP in an interview on Sunday he would not go to Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... to stand trial and raised the prospect of fleeing Iraq.
Hashemi, holed up at an official guesthouse of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in the country's autonomous Kurdish region, acknowledged his guards may have carried out attacks, but he has steadfastly denied any involvement.
The warrant against Hashemi, issued nearly a week ago, has been the focus of a political row between Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, which is a part of his national unity government and of which Hashemi is a member.
Asked if he would return to Storied Baghdad to face trial, Hashemi told AFP, "Of course not." The 69-year-old attributed his refusal to travel to the capital to poor security and politicisation of the justice system.
He said most of his guards had been set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock and had their weapons confiscated, adding, "There is no security for the vice president. How can I come back to Storied Baghdad if I cannot secure myself?"
"The Iraqi judicial council is under the control and the influence of the central government, and this is a big problem," Hashemi said in a one-hour interview in Qalachwalan, on the outskirts of Kurdistan's second city Sulaimaniyah, during which he was surrounded by unarmed guards. "That is why I asked to move the case to Kurdistan. ... justice here will not be politicised."
Since US troops completed their withdrawal a week ago, Iraq has been mired in political crisis, with Hashemi wanted and Maliki calling for the sacking of his Sunni deputy after the latter called him a dictator "worse than Saddam Hussein".
Iraqiya, the bloc of Hashemi and deputy premier Saleh al-Mutlak, has boycotted parliament and the cabinet in protest at Maliki's alleged centralisation of power.
Coupled with a spate of attacks on Thursday in Storied Baghdad which killed 60 people, the row has heightened sectarian tensions in the country.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, meanwhile, has said Ankara would not turn Hashemi away if he requested asylum, but said he should stay in Iraq.
"I have no intention to leave Iraq at this time, unless my personal security is endangered," Hashemi said in Sunday's interview. "Then, we will talk about this." He added that he was still fulfilling his duties as vice president, and "if I decide to travel outside Iraq, it will be related to my responsibilities as a vice president and not to have political asylum."
The arrest warrant against Hashemi was issued on Monday, after authorities aired footage of what they claimed were the vice president's guards confessing to carrying out attacks, for which they said they received financial and moral support from Hashemi himself.
"I don't know why he did this," Hashemi said, referring to Maliki. "Even if there were accusations and crimes committed by my bodyguards, we could have postponed it (the warrant)."
"I don't know why this happened the day after the last American soldier left," the vice president added.
Hashemi, who left the Iraqi army in 1975, has been vice president since 2006. As part of a power-sharing deal after March 2010 elections, Hashemi retained the post, and is one of two vice presidents, along with Khudayr al-Khuzaie, a Shia.
He said that the prospects of resolving the political row depended on Maliki and his National Alliance bloc.
"This crisis has blown up, this is a big crisis," he said.
"The situation is now more complex than before - if we fail, I think Iraq will slip towards tyranny again, and Iraq and Iraqis, all of them, will lose."
Tareq al-Hashemi called the case a plot to destroy opponents of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that could reignite the sectarian slaughter of 2006-07.
Maliki also asked parliament to fire his Sunni deputy prime minister, sidelining Iraq's two most powerful Sunni Arab leaders and potentially undoing a shaky power-sharing deal
Violence in Iraq has subsided since the sectarian civil war of 2006-07, when Sunni beturbanned goons and Shia militia killed thousands of civilians each month, but without US troops to act as a buffer, many Iraqis now fear a return to those days.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would refuse to hold peace talks with the Palestinian Authority if it includes Hamas representatives, according to Israeli public radio.
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal last week met in Cairo with ineffectual Palestinian president and Fatah chief Mahmud Abbas to discuss the reorganisation of Palestinian decision-making bodies to include Hamas.
"Netanyahu said that if Hamas joins the Palestinian government, he would refuse to conduct peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority," Israeli radio said.
Mr Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev, after being asked to confirm the comments, said Mr Netanyahu had been speaking to Israeli ambassadors behind closed doors.
Palestinians may cancel agreements signed between the PLO and Israel; Abbas paving way for Hamas and Islamic Jihad to take control over entire W. Bank, says Fatah official after Islamist groups agree to join PLO.
Mohammed Shtayyeh, member of the Fatah Central Committee and one of the Paleostinian Authority negotiators with Israel, was quoted Sunday as saying that the Paleostinians may cancel the agreements signed between the PLO and Israel.
Meanwhile, ...back at the sea battle, the Terror of the Baltic's career had come to an abrupt and watery end... some PLO and Fatah leaders have privately criticized Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... for agreeing to incorporate Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, into the PLO.
At least three bigwigs in Ramallah have voiced strong reservations over the decision, a Fatah official told The Jerusalem Post. He said that those who were opposed to the move were worried that Hamas would replace Fatah as the dominant party in the PLO.
One official was quoted as saying that Abbas was paving the way for Hamas and Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the liquidation of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... to take control not only over the PLO, but the entire West Bank as well.
Shtayyeh's comments were published by the London-based Asharq Al Awsat newspaper.
This was not the first time that a senior PA official had talked about the possibility of abrogating the Oslo Accords.
The comments came less than 48 hours after Hamas and Islamic Jihad agreed to join a temporary leadership of the PLO that would prepare for new elections for the organization's two key bodies - the Paleostine National Council and Executive Committee.
In response to a question about Israeli settlements, Shtayyeh said: "If Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insists that there is no difference between the settlement of Abu Ghneim [Har Homa] and Tel Aviv, we won't distinguish between Ramallah and Jaffa."
With regards to the PLO's decision to recognize Israel in 1993, Shtayyeh explained: "The recognition of Israel was not a balanced recognition. The PLO recognized Israel in the geographic sense, but Israel did not recognize Paleostine geographically, but as an institution. Israel only recognized the PLO. Now we are demanding a mutual recognition. We want Israel to recognize the Paleostinian territories of 1967."
Shtayyeh said the Paleostinians' efforts would from now on focus on internal affairs. "President [Mahmoud] Abbas is now interested in reuniting the Paleostinians," he said. "In the year 2012, their will be a political vacuum because the US will be preoccupied with presidential elections, the Europeans with the Euro crisis and the Arabs with their "Spring."
In other words, nobody will have the time to force the Israelis to give away another couple of pieces for the possibility of talking about discussing the next stage of the Israeli surrender. That will be a nice change.
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Dozens of students affiliated with the Islamic Jihad ...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the liquidation of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah... movement demonstrated in Gazoo on Saturday against the way organizers of the Pan Arab games in Qatar depicted a map of Paleostine. In the opening ceremony of the event some weeks ago, the West Bank and Gazoo Strip were highlighted in yellow on a large-scale projection of the map of Paleostine.
Protesters slammed the Qatari decision to illustrate the borders of Paleostine in such a way, carrying signs which depicted maps of historic, or mandate, Paleostine.
"Sorry Qatar, these are the borders of our Paleostine, and historic Paleostine is a red line," some of the signs read.
"Qatar chose to go in line with the Israeli plans when the map was highlighted," Islamic Union member Arafat Abu Zayid said. Paleostine stretches from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea and belongs to the Paleostinian people, he added, noting that it is not possible to give up one inch of land. He urged the Paleostinian Authority to sever relations with Qatar.
As the song says, "They've got to be carefully taught."
The Pan Arab games finished on Dec. 23 and involved 21 countries after Syria withdrew its team.
Egypt finished top of the medals board while Paleostine finished 15th.
It's nice there's a competition just for them, so they can at least place...
[An Nahar] Jordan said on Sunday it was probing festivities between opposition Islamist demonstrators and government loyalists in a northern city, where dozens, including police, were maimed.
"The government is investigating the festivities that erupted Friday in Mafraq, where citizens and coppers have been attacked," government front man Rakan Majali said in published remarks.
"Offices of the Islamic Action Front ...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund... (IAF) have been torched. What happened is unacceptable and intolerable. Those responsible behind the violence will be brought to justice," he told the government-owned Al-Rai Arabic daily.
Police fired tear gas after around 300 Islamists clashed with thousands of members of the Bani Hassan, one of Jordan's largest tribes.
Witnesses said several shops were destroyed during the festivities, which forced demonstrators to seek refuge in a mosque.
Jordan's Moslem Brüderbund and its political arm the IAF urged the government on Saturday to arrest the attackers.
Islamists, youth groups and other parties have been protesting since January, demanding political and economic change and an end to corruption.
Jordan said on Sunday it was probing festivities between opposition Islamist demonstrators and government loyalists in a northern city, where dozens, including police, were maimed.
"The government is investigating the festivities that erupted Friday in Mafraq, where citizens and coppers have been attacked," government front man Rakan Majali said in published remarks.
"Offices of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) have been torched. What happened is unacceptable and intolerable. Those responsible behind the violence will be brought to justice," he told the government-owned Al-Rai Arabic daily.
Police fired tear gas after around 300 Islamists clashed with thousands of members of the Bani Hassan, one of Jordan's largest tribes.
Witnesses said several shops were destroyed during the festivities, which forced demonstrators to seek refuge in a mosque.
Jordan's Moslem Brüderbund and its political arm the IAF urged the government on Saturday to arrest the attackers.
Islamists, youth groups and other parties have been protesting since January, demanding political and economic change and an end to corruption.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Israel's defense ministry said on Sunday that the United States has agreed to provide it with an additional 235 million dollars to finance its rocket defense system.
"The aid from the American Congress is a supplementary step in the reinforcement of Israeli-American relations in the area of defense," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement.
The additional funds come on top of the three billion dollars of annual military aid given by the U.S. to Israel.
This aid is entirely spent buying U.S. weapons, in accordance with the terms of a 10-year bilateral deal signed in 2007.
Last spring, Israel put in place its "Iron Dome" anti-rocket defense system, financed by the U.S., to protect areas in southern Israel that are fired on from the Gazoo Strip.
While the anti-missile batteries deployed near the Paleostinian territory have offered some protection, they do not intercept all the rockets fired.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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"The aid from the American Congress is a supplementary step in the reinforcement of Israeli-American relations in the area of defense," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement.
Right. Out of the goodness of Obean's heart. I got $1 that sez we get a copy of it when they're done getting the bugs worked out. Why not? Another MIT-Lincoln Labs.
[An Nahar] Iran denied on Sunday it is harboring an alleged al-Qaeda fundraiser who has a $10-million U.S. bounty on his head, with the foreign ministry calling the claim "utterly baseless."
The U.S. charge that Iran was protecting Syrian-born Ezedin Abdul Aziz Khalil was part of an "inept" attempt to implicate Iran in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, ministry front man Ramin Mehmanparast said, according to the website of the state broadcaster IRIB.
The U.S. State Department on Thursday said it was offering a $10-million reward for information leading to the arrest of Khalil, whom it described as a "terrorist financier."
Khalil, also known as Yacine al-Suri, was put on a U.S. Treasury Department blacklist in July, when he was described as a high-level al-Qaeda "controller" who operated from inside Iran since 2005 "under an agreement between al-Qaeda and the Iranian government."
Tehran has previously denied harboring al-Qaeda members, and has announced the arrest of at least nine people linked to the terrorist group since December 2010.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
If you can't trust an Iranian spokesman, who can you trust?
Posted by: American Delight ||
12/26/2011 9:24 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Iran stands ready to expand its military and security ties with Iraq, its armed forces chief of staff said Sunday, a week after the exit of U.S. forces from the neighboring Arab country.
General Hassan Firouzabadi hailed the "forced departure" of the U.S. and allied forces that he said "was due to the resistance and determination of the Iraqi people and government," the state Islamic Theocratic Republic News Agency reported.
The statements were made in messages Firouzabadi sent to his Iraqi counterpart, Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari, and to Iraq's acting defense minister, Saadoun al-Dulaimi, IRNA said.
The departure of the U.S. troops "was due to the resistance and determination of the Iraqi people and government," he said.
"I hope the humiliating failure of the United States after nine years of occupying Iraq will serve as a lesson for them to never think of attacking another country," he said.
Firouzabadi added that Iran was now "ready to expand its military and security ties with Iraq."
Zebari led a delegation of Iraqi military chiefs to Iran last month to explore greater cooperation between the two defense forces.
U.S. analysts have expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... that Iran could exploit the vacuum left by the U.S. withdrawal to bolster links with Iraq's Shiite-led government.
The United States frequently accused Iran of arming Iraqi militias that attacked U.S. forces when they were deployed there.
U.S. President Barack I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go Obama said on December 14 that, while the situation left behind in Iraq was not perfect, "we are leaving behind a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq."
His administration has warned Iran against trying to interfere in Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Iranian navy was constructing its second modern warship destroyer called Jamaran-2, IRNA reported.
According to Wiki, the ship is a Mowj-class frigate, not a destroyer, with French diesel engines and a Bell 212 helicopter.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA on Sunday, he said the destroyer will join the Iranian fleet soon. According to the commander, the destroyer enjoys capabilities in three levels of anti-air, anti-surface and anti-undersurface operations. The Jamaran-2 is also capable of carrying and offering fueling chances to helicopters.
The Navy commander further noted that Jamaran-1 warship destroyer is present in the "Velayat-90" war games which are underway in Iran's southern waters for a ten-day period. Iran launced domestically produced Jamaran-1 in early 2010 in Bandar-e-Abbas, Iran.
The Jamaran class combines anti-submarine assets with other systems of weapons capable of dealing with surface and air threats as well.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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I wish the USN would surgically start to cull any Iranian ships that could be a nuisance, in a subtle manner. More than anything else to lower the Iranian naval "confidence".
The sky's the limit as to how such sabotage could be conducted, but the end result would be to convince the typical Iranian swab that his ship was a cross between a rust bucket and a Jonah.
#2
That would be part of Operation Lemony Snickett, in which a whole series of unfortunate events befall the Mad Mullahs™. It just has to look like either an accident or In'shallah maintenance.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2011 13:50 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Sources from the Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... Movement warned against undermining the Syrian accusations against Leb that al-Qaeda members arriving in Syria from Leb were behind the twin Damascus ...Home to a staggering array of terrorist organizations... kabooms on Friday, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah on Sunday.
They warned that these allegations may be a precursor for Lebanese and Syrian powers to create unrest in the Bekaa town of Arsal and other Lebanese towns that are harboring Syrian refugees.
The accusations may also be attempts to spread the unrest in Syria to Leb after it previous attempts had failed, they said.
The sources accused the Syrian regime of trying to create sectarian strife in Leb "in order to divert attention from its crimes against its people and ease the international pressures it is facing."
Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn had warned on Tuesday that al-Qaeda members have entered the country through Arsal "under the guise of being members of the Syrian opposition".
He stated that reining in such incidents was "first and foremost the responsibility of the army and security forces," but added that "at the same time it is a national responsibility that must be shouldered by all Lebanese parties."
Suicide bombers hit two security service bases in Damascus on Friday, killing at least 40 people, in attacks the regime blamed on al-Qaeda but which the opposition said were the work of the regime itself.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2011 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Syed Munawar Hassan
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Independent MP Alia Nsaif criticized Turkish interventions in vice-president Tariq al- Hashimi's case by readiness to receive him. In a statement issued by her media office, copy received by Aswat al-Iraq, she added "Turkey began negatively intervening in Iraqi internal affairs, which might to affecting bilateral relation between the two countries".
Joe 
