Most Afghan Taliban are willing to lay down their arms, a former militants commander said, but are afraid they will be killed for defecting because the government cannot ensure their safety.
The US on Friday launched a new strategy in Afghanistan in response to the Taliban-led militancy that is growing in strength and scope. More than 5,000 people, including 2,100 civilians, have been killed in last year.
"Ninety-five per cent of the Taliban want to reconcile with the government if they can be assured security," Mullah Abdul Salam, a former high-ranking Taliban commander and now governor of Musa Qala in Helmand, told Reuters.
"But the government cannot ensure their safety. If they defect to the government, the other Taliban will kill them. They are fighting for their lives," said Salam. The government must promise to keep safe those militants who make peace, Salam added, but most of the militants are hedging their bets until it is strong enough to do so.
The Taliban "are just observing the security situation. At the moment the government is not much stronger than them. When it gets stronger they will come to the government side," said Salam, once a friend of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Under the Taliban Salam served as provincial governor for Uruzgan, a Taliban stronghold and birthplace of Mullah Omar.Salam said he used to be very close with the one-eyed Omar but the two fell out about 10 years ago. He has had no contact with Omar since then, he said.
"I was really close to him. We would meet just like we are here. He was my good friend," Salam said. "Two years before the 2001 attacks ... I told Mullah Omar: "You are forcing the people to pray and this is not a good way to treat the people. Leave them to live their lives. But he didn't listen and so after that I didn't have any contact with him," Salam said.
Like many members of the Taliban, Salam is virtually illiterate having only been educated in a madrassa, or religious school, up to the age of 12. On a glass coffee table in front of him is a signature stamp, which many Taliban commanders often use because they are unable to sign their names.
But what Salam lacks in education he makes up for in character. Charismatic and larger than life, he is an excellent orator. He grins as he recounts his Taliban days and says he is not against them but does not agree with what they are doing.
He said in an interview he is in contact with the Taliban all over Afghanistan and in Pakistan. Salam says he needs more funding to allow intelligence officers to go and talk to the militants and wants to set up more police checkpoints to spread governance to a wider area.
"If they are not living in a secure area and they join the government, the other Taliban will kill them. I say to the Taliban: "Stop killing the people and do business and look after your families", Salam added.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Like many members of the Taliban, Salam is virtually illiterate having only been educated in a madrassa, or religious school, up to the age of 12. On a glass coffee table in front of him is a signature stamp, which many Taliban commanders often use because they are unable to sign their names.
Thanks Saudis for funding future illiterate people who do not know what they are reading and all they know is to hate/kill infidels!!!!
#2
"Ninety-five per cent of the Taliban want to reconcile with the government if they can be assured security," Mullah Abdul Salam, a former high-ranking Taliban commander and now governor of Musa Qala in Helmand, told Reuters.
So the 95% kill the 5%.
Problem solved...or, of course, it's bullshit.
(Xinhua)-- Afghanistan's Supreme Court on Sunday, in a ruling, extended the term of President Hamid Karzai until holding the presidential polls and handing over authority to the next president, the country's national television reported.
The supreme Court in its ruling said it supports the continuation of president and the vice presidents to stay in office until the election is held and this is for the interest of the country.
Karzai's term as president expires on May 21 and the election to choose his successor would be held on Aug. 20, 2009.
The apex court made the ruling while Karzai's political opponents described Karzai's stay in power as illegal and calling for formation of interim administration to hold the upcoming presidential elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived here Sunday to attend the Arab League summit scheduled for March 30-31 in the Qatari capital of Doha despite the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for him.
Bashir was received in the Doha International Airport by Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. The plane he has taken is printed with the English word of " Sudan," which means that Bashir took a plane of the airline of his own country.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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ADDIS ABABA - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi lambasted the International Criminal Court on Sunday as representing a 'new form of world terrorism' that wanted to recolonise developing countries.
'It is a known fact that all Third World countries are opposing the so-called ICC,' the recently elected chairman of the 53-nation African Union told a press conference at the AU headquarters here. 'This is the case right now. This court is against the countries colonised in the past and they want to recolonise now. It is a practice of a new world terrorism that is not below the standard of the other terrorism.'
It would help if the most ardent supporters of the ICC were someone other than the Belgians and Spanish ...
Kadhafi's condemnation followed a call by Arab foreign ministers on Saturday on the Hague-based ICC to annul its arrest warrant against Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir.
'It is not fair that a head of state should be arrested,' he said. 'If we allow such a thing... we should also try those who killed hundreds and millions of children in Iraq and in Gaza.'
Saddam's dead and so is Yasim ...
The AU's Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra said they were awaiting a decision on the issue by Arab leaders due to their start their annual summit Sunday to make a united move. 'We are about to set up a high-level delegation to go to New York to lobby the UN Security Council,' Lamamra said.
The ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, does not have a police force and calls on signatory states to implement warrants.
Rather emblematic of 'international law' ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
Can't say I disagree with this POS re the ICC itself, BUT, I think his reasons are 100% toxic, and contrary to our interests, including G(r)om's. More Bizarro world stuff.
New Delhi: Rejecting the plea of a Muslim student that he should be permitted to sport beard in his convent school, the Supreme Court observed secularism cannot be overstretched and that "Talibanisation" of the country cannot be permitted.
"We don't want to have Talibans in the country. Tomorrow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it?" Justice Markandeya Katju speaking for a bench headed by Justice Raveendran observed.
While asserting he was a secularist, Justice Katju said religious beliefs cannot be overstretched.
"I am secularist. We should strike a balance between rights and personal beliefs. We cannot overstretch secularism," the judge, known for his incisive remarks said.
Justice Katju passed the obsesrvation while dismissing the petition of the student. Mohammad Salim of Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School, a government-recognised minority institution in Madhya Pradesh, sought quashing of the school regulation requiring students to be clean-shaven.
Challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court verdict that had earlier dismissed his plea, Salim submitted that every citizen was entitled to follow his religious principles and that no one should restrain him from doing so in a secular country like India.
Salim's counsel Justice (retd) B A Khan argued before the bench that sporting beard was an indispensable part of Islam.
But Justice Katju was apparently not impressed with the argument and quipped "But you (Khan) don't sport a beard?" the judge asked the counsel.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/30/2009 17:05 ||
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Top|| File under: Global Jihad
Pakistan will be demanding some straight answers from the US special envoy on Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, when he arrives here on April 5. An inter-agency meeting is being held before his arrival to formulate a unified response to Fridayís speech on Pakistan and Afghanistan by President Barrack Hussain Obama.
Efforts are being made that Holbrooke meets the political and military leadership around one table and not separately and they all come up with a unified response. This is the only way that the US can stop playing one against the other like they have been doing in the past. What contact group are we talking about? What are the parameters of this group? What shape will the group finally take? How does Obama without even asking Pakistan includes it in such a group? Pakistan was certainly not taken into confidence over this, are the views of one official.
Obama had mentioned that together with the UN, a new contact group for Afghanistan and Pakistan would be set up, which will also include the Nato allies, the Central Asian States, the Gulf nations, Iran, Russia, India and China.
The focus of these countries in the contact group will be on Pakistan. In each meeting, our performance would be scrutinised and we would have to show a good report card. It is easy to see that except for maybe the Gulf nations, none of the others completely agree with the manner Pakistans military is fighting the militancy and also differ greatly on Pakistans policy for Afghanistan in the future. Initially, you had only one country breathing down your neck, now you will have 20 or more,î the official added.
Others are wondering for how long Pakistan will function as if it is not a sovereign state and has to blindly take dictation from Washington. There is nothing to stop Pakistan from telling Holbrooke: Thanks, but no thanks. We need time to mull over these new policies and will be ready for a more detailed response, when Pak-US talks are held in a few months, when Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will head a joint delegation together with COAS General Parvez Kayani and ISI chief General Pasha, said another official.
In fact, Washington has been making quite a song and dance over the accommodating manner that the Army and the ISI have been executing Pakistanís war against terror and its Afghan policy to the extent of taping Kayani and Pashas phone conversation in which they were praising their Taliban proxies.
Every state, including the US, has its own proxies to meet its strategic needs, so Pakistan should not be embarrassed of owning up to them in the meeting with Holbrooke. They are now an open secret. Pakistan should show spine and draw red lines and clearly say that this is as far as they can go and no more. In fact, the proxies of the proposed contact group make an interesting reading.
In a very shrewd manner, Obama has put full focus of militancy inside Pakistanís borders, ignoring the fact that the Nato has completely failed in curbing the militancy inside Afghanistan.
By saying that Osama bin Laden and Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri are inside Pakistan, the focus of American attention and their firepower will be the tribal belt and not Afghanistan. Also worrisome for Pakistan is the fact that Obama has cleverly made mention of Pakistan and India as two nuclear powers where attention has to be on the fact that they remain at peace with each other. There is no hint that there is an outstanding issue between them that has to be resolved.
To be fair to Washington, all is not lost as there were some positive overtures from Obama. First, the Kerry-Lugar and the ROZ bills will go a long way in easing Pakistans immediate economic constraints while it is a welcome move that unlike the past every dollar and cent will be accounted for.
But what is not very welcome is the fact that the Foreign Office failed to come up with a consolidated response after Obamas address. For the last six months, one could not see any serious work being done in the Foreign Office to prepare for Obamas address, which held absolutely no surprises except maybe the contact group.
The News was monitoring the Foreign Office and it appeared that the first to start the welcome process was Pakistanís mission in Washington, followed by a statement by Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshis response of welcome was in fact an interview to Reuters before Obamas address.
Next the welcome came from Hamid Karzai and minutes after TV screen flashed Zardaris happiness. The Foreign Office was left rubbing its hands and in a complete state of paralysis. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, one of Pakistans finest and outstanding diplomats, failed to take the bull by the horns.
Surrounded by senior officials and burning the midnight oil, pondering over each and every word of Obamas speech, the ministry was certainly not in the mood to welcome the address. Instead of reaching out to the political leadership and pointing out the high and lows of the speech as far as Pakistan was concerned, and asking for his professional draft to be cleared, the foreign secretary preferred to go with the welcoming flow and said nothing.
In fact, drafts had been written and rewritten with hopes high that maybe it would be released on Saturday, the Foreign Office developed cold feet and did not want to appear as the government was not on one page.
This was the unkindest cut of all. The foreign secretary needs no permission, say several foreign secretaries, to come out with a detailed response while at the same time not contradicting the leadership.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/30/2009 11:32 ||
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#1
Every state, including the US, has its own proxies to meet its strategic needs, so Pakistan should not be embarrassed of owning up to them in the meeting with Holbrooke. They are now an open secret. Pakistan should show spine and draw red lines and clearly say that this is as far as they can go and no more. In fact, the proxies of the proposed contact group make an interesting reading.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/30/2009 11:38 Comments ||
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#2
If the Paks get a straight answer from Holbrooke they'll be the first ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2009 14:40 Comments ||
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#3
Mr. Holbrooke: Why are your oily fingerprints smeared over every. single. foreign. policy. disaster. of the past 25 years?
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman criticised on Sunday the conditions attached by Washington to US aid for Pakistan. Talking to reporters at the Karachi airport, Fazl also slammed the new US strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan. "The US is giving us aid in an insulting way," he said, adding that President Asif Ali Zardari should not have welcomed such 'humiliating assistance' without a parliamentary debate.
Fazl also condemned US drone strikes in the Tribal Areas. He said that President Zardari should have announced the repeal of the controversial 17th Amendment during his address to a joint sitting of the parliament on Saturday, as "further delay can create problems". "We want the implementation of recommendations made by an all-parties' conference in London ... we were promised the restoration of the constitution to its pre-1999 state," he said.
Expressing reservations over contacts between the prime minister and Nawaz Sharif, Fazl said he did not see the process as a productive one, but "as a politician, I pray for its success".
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jaish-ul-Islami Pakistan
#1
How about not getting any money in an insulting way.
The devastating explosion at Bagyari near Jamrud in Khyber Agency on Friday was the fourth time in the NWFP that a mosque was targeted by terrorists.
In both the Bagyari blast and the one at a mosque in Sherpao village in Charsadda district on December 20, 2007, the officially certified death toll was over 50. The number of injured was also around 200 in both cases.
There was apparently no high-profile target at the Bagyari mosque as those offering the Friday prayers at the roadside place of worship were common tribesmen, travellers and low-ranking officials of the Frontier Corps and Khassadar force.
The target of the suicide bombing at the mosque in Sherpao village was the then federal interior minister Aftab Sherpao. It was Eid day, or Eidul Azha to be precise, and Sherpao, his sons Sikandar and Mustafa, and relatives and guards were praying at the village mosque. Sherpao survived and so did his sons, with Mustafa receiving some injuries, but more than 50 people were killed. On that fateful day, it became obvious that for some people calling themselves to be Islamic fighters, mosques were no longer sacrosanct.
Incidentally, Sherpao had survived an earlier suicide bombing as well in his native Charsadda but that attack had taken place during a public meeting in an open place and not in a mosque. More than 30 people were killed in that blast.
Two other mosques were also attacked by terrorists. One was actually the Imambargah Qasim Beg, in Jhangi Mohalla in Peshawar where a suicide bomber blew himself up on January 18, 2008. The explosion in the congested Imambargah killed 12 worshippers and caused injuries to 20 others.
The other mosque that suffered a bomb explosion was located in the remote Miskeeni Darra area in Dir Lower district. The incident took place during the month of Ramazan last year when seven faithful offering prayers were killed and several others were injured.
Two other attempts by suicide bombers to attack worshippers during congregations were foiled. In one case, the bomber wearing a suicide jacket was overpowered by policemen before he could enter an Imambargah in Dera Ismail Khan. If the young suicide bomber had succeeded in his misguided mission, the human losses at the crowded Imambargah would have been enormous.
In the second incident, the suicide bomber due to nervousness or inadequate training blew himself up before he could reach and target an Eidgah where Eidul Fitr prayers were being offered in Daggar in Buner district.
It was unimaginable until a few years ago that mosques, referred to as the House of Allah, would be attacked and that too in the NWFP where Islam plays a dominant role in life. In fact, attacking any place of worship was something unthinkable. But terrorists have no qualms exploding bombs in mosques and sending suicide bombers to kill and maim innocent Muslims who come to offer prayers.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
#2
On that fateful day, it became obvious that for some people calling themselves to be Islamic fighters, mosques were no longer sacrosanct.
Both the Civilized and the Savages agree that mosques became no longer sacrosanct to Jihadis when the Imams started to allow them to be used as defacto terror centers. However, in an effort to avoid worldwide seething only Jihadis get to take advantage of the target rich environments.
Former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf left for China here on Friday. Talking to journalists before his departure at the airport, Musharraf said he was visiting China on the invitation of the Chinese government. He said during his 10-day visit he will deliver lectures in different universities of China. After completion of his visit to China, he will fly to Dubai.
In response to questions raised by journalists, Musharraf rejected the news about the killing of hundreds of people in the Lal Masjid operation and termed such news baseless. He said only 93 people were killed in the operation. Musharraf said the Lal Masjid operation was carried out by the state. If any case was registered against him, then he would decide what to do, he added. He also rejected the allegations on the ISI and termed it fabricated and baseless.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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US Defence Secretary Robert Gates urged Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to cut contacts with extremists in Afghanistan who were "an existential threat" to Pakistan. The ISI has had links with extremists "for a long time, as a hedge against what might happen in Afghanistan if we were to walk away," Gates said on "Fox News Sunday". "What we need to do is try and help the Pakistanis understand these groups are now an existential threat to them and we will be there as a steadfast ally for Pakistan," Gates said. "They can count on us and they don't need that hedge."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Or, "we'll double the money that we lay on you"?
#2
Exactly. Note that the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks occurred when Pakistan was under sanction fast heading toward financial implosion. Afterward, w/ US aid resumed, growth kicked into high gear (AFAICR Paki stock market at one time was up 15X).
Posted by: ed ||
03/30/2009 7:25 Comments ||
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No sprocket for YOU!
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi stormed out of an Arab summit on Monday after denouncing the Saudi king and declaring himself "the dean of Arab rulers."
Gadhafi disrupted the opening Arab League summit in Qatar by taking a microphone and criticizing Saudi's King Abdullah, calling him a "British product and American ally."
When the Qatari emir tried to quiet him, the Libyan leader and current Africa Union chairman insisted he be allowed to speak. "I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa and the imam (leader) of Muslims, and my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level," Gadhafi said. He then got up and walked out of the summit hall. Come, fembots! We're outta here!
The Libyan leader is known for his unpredictable behavior, and it's not clear whether he will rejoin the two-day summit aimed at ending Arab feuds. Yeah? How's that working out?
A Libyan delegate said Gadhafi went to the Islamic museum in Doha for a tour.
Gadhafi has angered other Arab leaders with his sharp remarks at past summits and has harbored a grudge against Abdullah since exchanging harsh words during a summit in early 2003 shortly before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq."Now after six years, it has proved that you were the liar," Gadhafi told Abdullah, adding that he now considered their "problem" over and was ready to reconcile.
Last year, Gadhafi poured contempt on fellow Arab leaders at the summit in Syria and warned that they might be overthrown like former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
He boycotted the 2007 summit in Saudi Arabia but gave a televised speech saying "Liza" -- referring to former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- had dictated the gathering's agenda.
Also in 2005, Gadhafi told the summit in Algeria that Palestinians and Israelis are "stupid." A year earlier, he sat smoking cigars on the conference floor of the Tunisia summit to show his contempt for the other leaders.
#1
The guy just loves being centre of attention.Just like Chavez an overinflated ego for someone so small on the world stage!- Small Man Syndrome comes to mind!!!!
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/30/2009 12:54 Comments ||
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#4
my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level," Gadhafi said.
"Peasants!" he added as he stalked out on his elegantly long legs. He's been ever so amusing since he sent his nuclear weapons program to his only equal, Bush, a few years ago.
#7
The flamboyant leader arrived in France on Monday flanked by 30 blue-uniformed females, all supposedly virgins, dangling their guns from their shoulders as they protect him round-the-clock.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/30/2009 14:22 Comments ||
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#8
flanked by 30 blue-uniformed females, all supposedly virgins
I'm willing to relax some of the hiring requirements.
The news over the last several days has covered the arrest of a prominent Baghdad leader of the Sons of Iraq, and complaints about the lack of pay. The media are reducing a complex issue to sound bites and that does a disservice to both the Iraqi government and the Coalition.
I interviewed Col. Roy Gray, director, Finance and Contracting Directorate, Ministry of Interior Transitional Team, today for a Bloggers' Roundtable. I asked about the media reports.
The Iraqi government is into its third month without a budget. Parliament failed to pass a budget before the fiscal year began on January 1, then chose to defer any action until the results of the provincial elections were known. Iraq is operating under a "continuing resolution" at this time.
The Sons of Iraq have all been transferred to Iraqi control, through the Ministry of Defense. Their payroll, however, was coming from the National Reconciliation budget. About a month ago, the decision was made to run that payroll through the Ministry of Interior instead. Because Iraqi law regulates Ministry payroll, and the Ministry had no budget for payroll, there was a delay in paying the SoI.
Most of the SoI are paid via a contract with their leadership. Those contracts had to be run through the Interior Ministry process, and Parliament had to pass enabling legislation.
A military court convicted a second soldier of murder in the execution-style slayings of four bound and blindfolded Iraqi detainees in 2007 after the soldier pleaded guilty at his court-martial Monday.
Wearing his dress uniform and speaking crispy and confidently, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mayo, of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to charges of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder at the proceeding at the U.S. Army's Rose Barracks in southern Germany.
He pleaded not guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice in the incident, which occurred while he was deployed to Iraq. Military prosecutors dropped that charge. The 27-year-old will be sentenced later Monday and faces the possibility of life in prison, along with a reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of all pay and a dishonorable discharge.
In February a military court convicted Sgt. Michael Leahy, 28, of Lockport, Illinois, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after he admitted to the execution-style killing of one of the detainees and shooting another. He was acquitted of murder over a separate incident in Baghdad in January 2007.
According to testimony at previous courts-martial, at least four Iraqis were taken into custody in spring 2007 after a shootout with a patrol.
The Iraqis were taken to the U.S. unit's operating base in Baghdad for questioning and processing, although there was not enough evidence to hold them for attacking the unit. Later that night patrol members took the Iraqis to a remote area and shot them in retribution for the attacks on the unit, according to testimony.
Mayo, Leahy and Master Sgt. John Hatley, 40, are accused of pulling the trigger. "Hatley stated that if we took (the) individuals to detention they'd be released in a matter of days," Mayo told the court. "He said we should take care of them. I agreed."
Posted by: ed ||
03/30/2009 07:35 ||
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#1
Who needs an international court when we're fully capable of cleaning house ourselves [well at least our military]. Now if the other branches of government were as consistent in cleaning house...
#3
I look at this through the lenses of "maintaining good order and discipline".
Stuff like this usually happens only when there are morale problems in a unit, so as soon as these soldiers were arrested, a very senior chaplain and a very senior NCO should have arrived to diagnose the situation.
Between the two of them, it would be the unit equivalent of an MRI and an X-Ray. There would be no morale secrets left in that unit. Bad NCOs and officers would vanish, any other crimes would be discovered, soldiers with problems would be rehabilitated.
#4
That, and the detainees ideally wouldnt be left with captors directly involved in the shoot out at any point in time, for obvious reasons. Just asking for trouble. I also love how the lowest ranking of the group, the SGT had already gotten charged first. It might be another charming example of how shit rolls downhill in the military, if I am reading this even remotely right. But the Court Martial will get them to pay for all their tresspasses. Theyre effective to say the least.
Turkish Kurd rebels in northern Iraq slammed President Jalal Talabani on Sunday for giving an ultimatum during a visit by his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul for them to lay down their arms. "Talabani wants to please the Turkish generals, and we have lost all hope of seeing him play a positive role in a solution to the Kurdish problem," senior Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) official Murad Qiralian said.
"No one can eject us from our mountain stronghold here, and recent battles are proof of this," he said. "We recommend rapprochement between Kurds instead of submitting to pressure exerted by neighboring countries." On Wednesday, the prime minister of Iraq's Kurdish regional government backed Talabani's call for the PKK rebels to lay down their guns.
Nechirvan Barzani told reporters in the regional capital of Arbil that it was "not reasonable for a group to carry out attacks against a state and then return to our region." On March 23, Talabani, himself a Kurd, said during a trip to Baghdad by Gul that the PKK "must become involved in political and parliamentary life instead of resorting to weapons, since using guns does wrong to Kurds and Iraqis ..."
"The PKK has two choices: lay down its guns or leave Iraq," Talabani said at a joint news conference with Gul.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said he would not speed up troop withdrawals from Iraq, arguing the country was moving in the right direction but still needed US help. No, I think the plan that we put forward in Iraq is the right one, which is lets have a very gradual withdrawal schedule through the national elections in Iraq, he said in an interview aired Sunday on CBS program Face the Nation.
That made the surprise meter twitch a little ...
Theres still work to be done on the political side, to resolve differences between the various sectarian groups around issues like oil, around issues like provincial elections, Obama said. Im confident that were moving in the right direction. But Iraq is not yet completed. We still have a lot of work to do, he said.
Wonder if this is what Gates got in return for a soft line on North Korea ...
We still have a lot of training of Iraqi forces to improve their capacity.Im confident, though, that were moving in the right direction.
Obama has ordered an end to US combat operations in Iraq by August 31 next year, but says 50,000 troops will remain under a new mission until the end of 2011.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
We're moving in the right direction Vs Stay the Course Isnt that what they call a Difference without distinction?
#2
I can't say that this feels any different than that Boston area school district's denial of a "vampire problem". The fact that you feel the need to comment on it publicly says more than your rote denials.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
03/30/2009 15:59 Comments ||
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#3
We're moving in the right direction Vs Stay the Course Isnt that what they call a Difference without distinction?
The latter is usually used by the proponents of an action or program when there is significant opposition.
The former is used when "stay the course" has proven successful but failure is still possible, and the opposition concedes that, or the opposition has inherited responsibility for the 'improved' action or program.
State-owned Israel Railways said Monday it had fired around 40 Israeli Arabs after deciding only military veterans could do its jobs.
The railways said its security department changed the criteria, adding, however, that it is interested in providing veterans work in the tight economy. The workers had acted as lookouts at crossings to prevent trains and vehicles from colliding.
The railway denied that it was discriminating against its workers. It says the new job criteria would also apply to Israeli Jews who were disqualified from the military or chose not to serve for religious reasons. Most Israeli Arabs are not required to serve in the military. Modest beginnings
Egypt has stepped up efforts to halt arms smuggling into Gaza since the end of the 22-day war on the strip's Islamist Hamas rulers, the head of Israeli domestic intelligence said on Sunday. "There has been a gradual improvement in Egypt's activity to halt smuggling into Gaza," a senior government official quoted Yuval Diskin as telling the cabinet meeting.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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There is a strong chance talks resuming this week can help heal a rift between the Islamist Hamas group and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas''s Fatah movement, top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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Arab leaders in Qatar for the Arab League summit sent Israel an ultimatum Sunday: Accept the Saudi Peace Initiative or it will be rescinded.
The draft proposal of the statement states: "The peace initiative being proposed today will not be on offer for a long time. Arab commitment to this initiative is dependent on Israeli acceptance."
The draft proposal was formulated by the Arab foreign ministers, and will be presented to the Arab League's leaders Monday for approval.
The wording is a compromise between the hardline Arab countries, mainly Syria and Qatar, and the moderates, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Egypt is to be represented at the summit by a very low-level official after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit declined to participate, reportedly due to anger at Qatar for making overtures to Hamas. Egypt has demanded Qatar not invite Iranian President Mohammed Ahmadinejad to the summit, and stop its criticism of Egypt on the Al-Jazeera network, which began after Operation Cast Lead.
Most reports over the past week indicated that Ahmadinejad would not come to the summit, although he could still show up by surprise.
Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, arrived in Qatar on Sunday despite a warrant for his arrest issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, on charges of involvement in the massacre of his countrymen in Darfur.
Palestinian Authority sources said they hoped the summit would not widen the breach among Palestinians, and called on Arab leaders to support the PLO and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) will be attending meetings associated with the summit. Speaking by phone from Doha, he told Haaretz that he had met with officials from Yemen and other Gulf countries. "My opinion, which is what I represent here, is that the international community must force Israel to accept the two-state solution and work to establish a Palestinian state, and if not, a diplomatic price should be paid," Tibi said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[7 views]
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#1
Netanyahu to Saudis. Accept conversion to Judaism or go f.. yourselves
#4
You know, Israel should agree to swap all their prisoners for Shalit. Tell wackjobs that they'll give up every prisoner they've got for Shalit. There's only -1- condition. Whatever condition Shalit is in, that's the condition they get back their prisoners. So if Shalit is dead...well, I'm sure Israel has enough ammo to put all their Hamas types in the same condition.
Of course, there's another way too, build a giant trebuchet, and fire the prisoners into Gaza or the West Bank, tied to large rocks.
#5
Of course, there's another way too, build a giant trebuchet, and fire the prisoners into Gaza or the West Bank, tied to large rocks.
After spending time in Israeli prison, the Palestinians weigh enough that there's no need for extra rocks to give them enough heft to produce a decent trajectory, Silentbrick.
Separately, the Saudi initiative, in reality the Thomas L. Friedman initiative -- Mr. Friedman having taken a bit of idle dinner conversation and puffed it up in his New York Times column -- called for Israel to retreat to the pre-1967 war boundaries. This was never a possibility except as a starting point for negotiations along the lines of, "No, but here's our counteroffer." Incoming Prime Minister Netanyahu is no Olmert; there was never any possibility he'd fall for such nonsense.
I do love that last paragraph:
MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) will be attending meetings associated with the summit. Speaking by phone from Doha, he told Haaretz that he had met with officials from Yemen and other Gulf countries. "My opinion, which is what I represent here, is that the international community must force Israel to accept the two-state solution and work to establish a Palestinian state, and if not, a diplomatic price should be paid," Tibi said.
"Must force"? One can only hope MK Lieberman will demand his colleague take that loyalty oath upon his return.
#6
Today, a conference of jackals and lions issued a communique demanding that herd of gazelles accept the new hyena initiative. The draft proposal of the statement states: "the dinner initiative being proposed today will not be on offer for at least another week. Predator commitment to this initative is dependant on prey acceptance. Please send out your weak and elderly & we will spare your young."
The wording is a compromise between scavengers & carrion-eaters and the greater predators.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
03/30/2009 15:46 Comments ||
Top||
#8
"Please send out your weak and elderly & we will spare your young - today. (No guarantees about tomorrow....)"
Fixed that for ya', Mitch.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/30/2009 16:25 Comments ||
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#9
Isreal already offered everything the Palestinians wanted to gain peace and Arafat and the Palestinians said screw that!! If the Palestinians want peace I think Isreal should give them a lot of peace, or should I say pieces!!
Semper Fi!!
JERUSALEM - Israels outgoing cabinet voted Sunday to accept recommendations to worsen conditions for Hamas members in Israeli jails, in an effort to pressure the Islamist organization over the release of an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip since June 2006.
The sanctions, to go into effect in the near future, include limiting family visits and revoking the opportunity for prisoners to take high school matriculation exams or study at the open university. Access to radio and television will also be limited.
Next is the 'comfy chair' ...
Justice Minister Daniel Friedman, who chaired a committee which formulated the proposals, said Israel would abide by both international and local law. Friedman told Israel Radio that while Israel would not prevent the prisoners from receiving visits from the Red Thingy Cross, their so-called periphery rights would be affected, since these were optional, rather than obligatory. Just because were the only democracy in the Middle East, doesnt mean we have to be the only suckers. We must not radiate weakness, he was quoted as telling the ministers.
Which is why Olmert has been your PM, right ...
The cabinet discussion comes amid conflicting reports on whether negotiations to secure the release of Gilad Shalit are about to bear fruit. Although Ofer Dekel, the special emissary of outgoing Premier Ehud Olmert left Israel for Cairo Saturday night, Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel said the likelihood of a deal being reached on Shalit soon was low.
Hamas said before the Israeli cabinet decision that the sanctions against its prisoners would not cause it to change its demands for a prisoner exchange. These procedures will make us stick more to our conditions and demands for the swap, Abu Obaida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing, said.
Yeah sure tough guy, now go have some gun sex ...
Another member of the military wing, Raed al-Atta, said Saturday that his organization would kidnap more Israeli soldiers if Israel did not accept the Hamas demands.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/30/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm sure Pvt Shalit is dead, and has been dead for a year or more. Hamass just isn't into keeping live prisoners, and Israel has already set a precedent of taking dead bodies in exchange.
The next attempt to kidnap a soldier should be met with overwhelming firepower, plus the loss of territory. That is the only thing that just MIGHT bring about a change in the way the Muddled East operates. Personally, I think the Gaza should become a desert, devoid of all life for a time before being annexed to Israel. An attack by Hezbollah should result in the total destruction of Lebanon. The only way things will change in that part of the world is through the use of force, and the most proficient force is Israel's.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/30/2009 15:46 Comments ||
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One of our readers has been monitoring the Lloyd's Register of shipping vessels and noticed something unusual: bunches of Iranian ships were changing their names. For example, on November 16, 2008, the the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines' Brilliance became the Mulberry.
No matter how odd a name Brilliance was, it probably wasn't some desire to give the ship a more nautically correct name that led to the change. Besides changing it to Mulberry probably didn't reduce the nautical oddness quotient, and I would guess that Iranian sailors on shore leave looking for some good times got more than a little ribbing from sailors from other countries when they said they crewed the Mulberry. ("Hey, is Andy Griffith on your ship too?" "No, smarty, and besides you're thinking of Mayberry." "Hey, when does the Gooseberry leave port?" "For the eleventieth time, I told you it's Mulberry!!!")
No, the likely reason was that the Brilliance was, on September 10, 2008, added by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") to its lists of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, as were all the other vessels of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. Shortly thereafter, the Chairman of IRISL, in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, pooh-poohed the notion that the sanctions were having any effect on his business.
We have not had any problem with admission of our ships. We have no shipping contracts and have no lines to America, and we have no relation with America's (shipping) routes. We work with Europe and Asia and when they sell something to Iran, they admit our ships
It makes you wonder then why, just weeks after the new sanctions, IRISL renamed forty-six vessels in its fleet. IRISL probably figured it could rename its ships faster than OFAC could revise its list. Of course, IRISL can't change the unique I.M.O. number assigned to its ships and contained in each ship's SDN listing. Still, the Iranians are obviously banking on the likelihood that some shippers may only pay attention to vessel's name and won't focus on its I.M.O. number.
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.
Most Afghan Taliban are willing to lay down their arms, a former militants commander said, but are afraid they will be killed for defecting because the government cannot ensure their safety.
(Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived here Sunday to attend the Arab League summit scheduled for March 30-31 in the Qatari capital of Doha despite the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for him. 
ADDIS ABABA - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi lambasted the International Criminal Court on Sunday as representing a 'new form of world terrorism' that wanted to recolonise developing countries.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman criticised on Sunday the conditions attached by Washington to US aid for Pakistan. Talking to reporters at the Karachi airport, Fazl also slammed the new US strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan. "The US is giving us aid in an insulting way," he said, adding that President Asif Ali Zardari should not have welcomed such 'humiliating assistance' without a parliamentary debate. 
Former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf left for China here on Friday. Talking to journalists before his departure at the airport, Musharraf said he was visiting China on the invitation of the Chinese government. He said during his 10-day visit he will deliver lectures in different universities of China. After completion of his visit to China, he will fly to Dubai. 
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said he would not speed up troop withdrawals from Iraq, arguing the country was moving in the right direction but still needed US help. No, I think the plan that we put forward in Iraq is the right one, which is lets have a very gradual withdrawal schedule through the national elections in Iraq, he said in an interview aired Sunday on CBS program Face the Nation.
