#3
The Germans put their antipersonnel mines in a wooden box. Really old idea but it works. The most effective way to deal with them is still to catch them as they are being planted. And kill the bomb makers and money men (sound familiar?).
Not enough Tums to treat all the heartburn in Islamabad ...
NEW DELHI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Indian leaders told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates they were willing to increase aid to Afghanistan, during talks on Tuesday that also raised shared concerns about Islamist militants, U.S. officials said.
Gates' Jan 19-21 trip to New Delhi comes as the United States deploys an additional 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Washington has been trying to get allies do more for the Afghan effort.
India is already one of the biggest donors in Afghanistan. But its influence -- with more than $1 billion in aid from highway construction to new consulates -- is viewed with suspicion in Pakistan.
That's because Indian highways are more enticing to the natives than Pakistani Taliban, even if the Taliban bring those cute little suicide bombers. Really, they have faces like pearls!
"India indicated a willingness to contribute more," said a senior U.S. defence official, briefing reporters after the talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said India's offer would not expand aid to new areas and "was caveated with: if ISAF and the United States think it would be helpful."
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since India suspended a peace process with Pakistan after the 2008 assault on Mumbai by Pakistan-based militants.
Only since then? The Reuters journalist defines not strained differently than the rest of the universe.
Last month, Gates told a U.S. Senate hearing he believed al Qaeda was providing those militants targeting information to plot attacks in India, with the goal of triggering an India-Pakistan conflict that would destabilize Pakistan.
Asked what India wanted from the United States to help combat al Qaeda-linked militants in the region, the U.S. official said: "to stay the course."
The United States, Gates said in the talks, was not going to leave the region -- despite a 2011 U.S. target date to begin drawing down U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
"As the military component of the counter-insurgency effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan achieves success our economic and our political components of our engagement will rise in comparison," the official said.
GROWING DEFENCE SALES
Gates, the U.S. official said, also raised the importance of further building defence trade with India. Currently the world's 10th largest defence spender, India is looking to spend more than $50 billion over the next five years to modernize its armed forces.
"He stressed repeatedly that we desire to have an ever increasing relationship in this area with India and to have ever increasing levels of transactions," the official said.
U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co said this month the Indian Air Force was interested in acquiring 10 C-17 aircraft, in a deal Indian defence ministry officials say is potentially worth more than $2 billion. Last August, India started field trials to buy 126 multi-role fighter jets.
Gates, in an editorial in the Times of India newspaper published on Tuesday, noted the need to finalize bilateral agreements, including on technology transfer, to deepen trade relations. "Not getting these agreements signed is an obstacle to Indian access to the very highest level of technology which they're interested in," Gates said. "And so we will be pursuing those agreements."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
[Quqnoos] US Defense Secretary said it was unlikely Taliban leaders would reconcile with Kabul government.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the lower ranking insurgents might be open to making peace with the Afghan government.
Gates welcomed plans announced on Sunday by President Hamid Karzai's government to launch a new bid at making peace with Islamist militants.
The Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Omar and other high ranking commanders would be reluctant to lay down their arms until circumstances changed on the battlefield.
"Just speaking personally, I'd be very surprised to see a reconciliation with Mullah Omar," Gates told reporters aboard his plane en route to India.
"I think it's our view that until the Taliban leadership sees a change in the momentum and begins to see that they are not going to win, that the likelihood of reconciliation at senior levels is not terribly great," he said.
But he added that "we may see a real growth of reintegration at the local district and provincial level" as insurgents "come under pressure and know they're not going to win."
Gates and top commanders have said previously that reconciliation efforts stood little chance of success without halting the momentum of the insurgents.
Karzai's new reconciliation plan will be announced ahead of a major international conference on Afghanistan due in London on January 28, his spokesman Waheed Omar said on Sunday.
The US government has shown full support to President Karzai reintegration initiative.
Karzai has long called for peace talks with the Taliban -- even offering government posts to its leaders -- but the insurgents have refused dialogue until the withdrawal of Nato-led troops on which Kabul relies for security.
Omar said the new plan would reach out to militants in all ranks, from the political leadership to fighters on the ground.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
"'Just speaking personally, I'd be very surprised to see a reconciliation with Mullah Omar,' Gates told reporters..."
Just speaking personally? Just speaking personally?! Does he mean that other members of the administration think reconciliation with Mullah Omar is possible??
Posted by: American Delight ||
01/20/2010 0:12 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Secretary Gates probably should have said, "In my opinion," instead, American Delight, in order to avoid just that reaction. On the other hand, President Obama may still think exactly that, if only he could talk to Mullah Omar, man to man.
"These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate."
George W. Bush, Statement To Joint Session Of Congress September 20th 2001
"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. "
George W. Bush, September 11th 2001
The quotes above provided the original rationale for the intervention in Afghanistan, which I supported:
Surgical retaliation for 9/11; hunting down and killing the Taliban to restore western deterrence (as opposed to indiscriminate retaliation against Afghanistan as a nation).
If that was still the political objective Gates would warn the Afghan government that reconciliation with the Taliban would put them into NATO's crosshairs.
Apparently the new goal is appeasing the Taliban by making them rulers of Afghanistan again, only this time they would be subsidized by western taxpayers.
The question is: Why would any potential state sponsor of anti-western terrorism need to fear the consequences of their behavior, given that the Taliban's sponsorship of 9/11 is going to yield a net benefit for the Taliban?
#4
President Obama may still think exactly that, if only he could talk to Mullah Omar, man to man.
If Ostupid is really that dumb. let him, then we won't be tormented as he cannot serve the rest of his term of office dead or captured.
Not disparaging the Secret Service, but no matter how many agents they have and can send, there are millions of Muslim terrorists, they'd simply be overwhelmed.
Then Ostupid would have a wake-up call whether or not we tried to rescue him later.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 13:12 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I think the idea was to peel off those going a-jihadi for the money or from lack of opportunity from the true believers, Greart Sproing7365. After all, it worked in Iraq, where the Sunni Awakening was coupled with Coalition boots on the ground.
[Dawn] Taliban fighters, who launched an assault in Kabul on Monday, have been ordered to attack in as many places as possible to try to make it look as though they are everywhere, the head of the British army said.
General David Richards said the Afghan security forces had responded well to the attacks, disproving critics who doubted their ability to withstand such an assault.
Suicide bombers blew themselves up at several locations in the Afghan capital as militants battled security forces from inside a shopping centre engulfed in flames.
"They (the Taliban) have given orders to their people to attack in as many different places as they possibly can - it doesn't matter if they are successful or not - in order to reinforce this impression of being everywhere," Richards said.
"It doesn't mean we should draw the deduction that they are ... hugely popular Robin Hoods," he said after giving a speech at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
He said he had contacted friends in Kabul and "their assessment is that actually the Afghans have handled it very well ... Both on a higher level and at the tactical level I think they've handled that well."
"We won't really know till tomorrow how well, but they did not fall apart. They responded in a very professional manner. They encircled those involved," he said.
"They could, if some people who are critical of the Afghan national security forces were right, they could have collapsed, because right in the heart of Kabul this is something that would have been a psychological shock to everybody," he said.
He said the Taliban were deliberately "creating the impression in all our minds that they are everywhere, that they can get in everywhere."
"Actually they might have had six attacks in Kabul in the last six months and that is six more than we would like but it is only six. And if they are quite so omnipotent as some people would tell us they are they could do a lot worse than that."
He said the Taliban were not popular with Afghans and he believed international forces in Afghanistan were "putting in place now the means and the people to ensure that over time we can succeed."
Britain has 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, based mainly in the south, as part of a Nato-led force fighting the Taliban.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
[Asharq al-Aswat] The Justice and Equality Movement [JEM] in Darfur led by Dr. Khalil Ibrahim has presented to the Sudanese Government its vision for resolving the province's problem. However, the insurgent group denied that it was "cooking" a deal with Khartoum behind the backs of the people of Darfur, while underlining its willingness to achieve a comprehensive and just peace in the province.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Bin-Abdullah Al Mahmoud, the Qatari minister of state for foreign affairs, expressed his optimism about achieving peace in Darfur while sources disclosed to Asharq Al-Awsat that there were hidden disagreements between Tripoli and Washington over the means of uniting the Darfur movements and factions under one banner in preparation for launching the peace negotiations.
Ahmad Hussein Adam, JEM's official spokesman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that a meeting was held between his movement's leader Dr. Khalil Ibrahim and Dr. Ghazi Salahaldin, the Sudanese president's adviser in charge of the Darfur dossier, in the Chadian capital N'djamena. This was the first meeting between the two officials since Ghazi Salahaldin was put in charge of the Darfur dossier and it was coordinated with Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki and Jibril Basoli, the joint envoy for peace in Darfur. Adam said the movement leader gave a general explanation of how to solve the roots of the problem and added: "We are looking for peace and want to know how the government thinks in the peace process." He added: "Nothing new resulted from this meeting. We handed Ghazi our vision for solving the crisis and he promised to consult with his leadership in Khartoum and reply to us through mediators. But no date was set for this." He pointed out that the movement had already presented and explained its vision to many parties and forums and stressed that there were no discussions between the two sides.
The JEM spokesman denied that the meeting was an attempt by his movement to "cook" a joint deal with Khartoum for a bilateral solution and said: "We do not stand for the government's deals or operate under the table. Our cause is clear and the government knows this. We have nothing to hide and we are now talking about what went on at the meeting." He said that the paper presented by his movement includes a solution for the roots of the problem, which are the humanitarian situation, the return of the refugees and displaced and compensating them, the vision of their future, and the powers, revolution, and security arrangements dossier. He added that it was too early to know whether the government welcomes the meeting or not.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
#1
See also TOPIX/WORLD NEWS > SUDAN PRESIDENT WILLING TO ACCEPT AN "INDEPENDENT" SOUTH.
[Al Arabiya Latest] The Mauritanian government on Monday began a "spiritual dialogue" with Salafist prisoners, a first in a country that has been the victim of several attacks attributed to al-Qaeda.
The opening ceremony took place at Nouakchott central prison, where 67 prisoners from the radical Islamist movement are being held and tried for "terrorist actions," including the killings of four French tourists in December 2007.
"We are here today to discuss ways and means to get out of a crisis that threatens civil peace in a nation known for its spirit of tolerance, magnanimity and openness," said Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Ould Nini.
He called on the prisoners to benefit from the dialogue, which will be led by a score of Muslim ulemas, or scholars, and imams.
The Salafist prisoners are divided, although a majority is favorable to the dialogue and ready to repent, since 47 of them recently issued an appeal for talks with the authorities.
Opponents of the dialogue are led by al-Khadim Ould Semman, in prison since 2008, notably in connection with the murder of the French tourists.
"I speak in the name of those who bear arms to fight the miscreants and their acolytes among the leaders in the Muslim countries," Ould Semman said, brandishing a banner in the name of al-Qaeda.
"He is the spokesman of a minority group among those who have (hands stained with) blood and who therefore don't expect to be freed," a member of the official delegation told AFP.
The dialogue is due to last for three days, but could be prolonged if necessary, according to the authorities.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has in the past two years claimed responsibility for several attacks in Mauritania, including the murder of the French tourists at Aleg in the south in 2007 and that of an American in the capital last June.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
[Asharq al-Aswat] Yemen has launched a new campaign to eradicate Al-Qaeda but the government will need the cooperation of the country's powerful tribes if it has any hope of winning the war, analysts say.
Unlike Pakistan, with a "tribal zone" that is virtually off-limits to the central government, Yemen is an impoverished country where tribes and their influence are omnipresent. Except for the coastal plains and in major cities, where immigration and greater contact with the outside world have diluted their influence, the rest of Yemen is largely the fief of various tribes.
And the central government has never really tried to extend its power to any significant degree to the mountains, plateaus and deserts in the interior.
A Western diplomat in Sanaa said the tribal structure is so much a historic part of Yemen's fabric that the central government, a modern invention, "has chosen to graft itself on to that structure by means of permanent negotiation."
"Effectively, you have two powers superimposed," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.
But tribal power, which is more influential and more powerful in certain areas, "has the ability to act that is immeasurably stronger than the state," he said.
The mountains and the plateaus are ruled by tribes with a warring history, heavily armed and capable of mobilising thousands of fighters that the security forces would not want to take on. But this does not mean the two sides are permanently at odds.
"Since its foundation, the Yemeni state has played the tribal card," explained French anthropologist Franck Mermier, with tribal sheikhs recognised as part of the system. "They are paid salaries, given gifts. Many of them are deputies (in parliament). Their sons or nephews are officers in the army or the police." The idea of "setting the state against the tribes makes no sense in Yemen."
Hamid Alawadhi, head of the humanities faculty at the University of Sanaa, expanded on that. "In the tribal zones, it is possible for the state to intervene, but it always prefers to go through the tribal chief. In places, the presence of the state is purely symbolic. The sheikhs run the place."
When the government is hunting a suspected criminal, or an Al-Qaeda militant, it contacts the dominant tribe in the area where the person is thought to be hiding. If the tribe is not prepared to cooperate, there is little that can be done.
But Mohammed Saleh al-Zihadi, a member of a tribe in Dhamar, south of Sanaa, said: "We work very well with the state. Many of our members are in the police, which makes things much easier, and in the army ... sons, brothers, cousins."
In a sign of possible change, the head of Yemen's security services, who is a nephew of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, on Sunday issued a clear warning to tribes harbouring Al-Qaeda suspects.
"We broadly tell citizens in the concerned regions that they should not accept the presence of Al-Qaeda elements amongst them," said General Yahya Saleh. "If the tribes accept the presence of Al-Qaeda despite the warnings that we put out on television, newspapers and radio, then they are doing it with the full knowledge of the facts. They have been warned," he told AFP.
If an Al-Qaeda militant is granted the hospitality of a tribe, it is rarely for ideological reasons but rather because one of them, with comrades, has sought refuge among his own people.
Tribal leader Sheikh Arfaj Hamad bin Hadhban said the war on Al-Qaeda was the central government's business, not that of the tribes. At the same time, he said, the tribe is not going to hand over someone simply because he happens to be a suspected militant, whether he is a member of the tribe or not.
First, his guilt has to be established.
"This Al-Qaeda business, because of its international dimension, is outside the framework of tribal customs," he said, referring to the custom of providing hospitality to anyone, even to one's enemies, if they are in your home.
Central security chief Saleh has a more cynical view. "If some tribes aid or protect Al-Qaeda, it is usually because some members of the tribe are part of the network, or because a terrorist has married a woman from the tribe or because they have been paid by Al-Qaeda," he said. "Yemen is not Afghanistan, nor Pakistan, where the jihad (holy war) ideology is strong. Here, the tribes are always on the side of the one who pays, according to their interests.
"They could sell an Al-Qaeda man from one day to the next."
Saleh is not in favour of forming a tribal anti-Qaeda militia, along the lines of the American-backed "Sunni Awakening" movement in Iraq, created to fight the terror network. Such measures would be "very dangerous" in Yemen. "If you do so, the tribes would hand us presumed Al-Qaeda militants in their hundreds, just for money. It would be very easy, but hardly efficient."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia
#1
WMF > YEMENI AIR FORCE ATTACKS SUSPECTED AL QAEDA "AIR BASE", DESTROYS THREE FIGHTERS + BUILDINGS BELIEVED USED AS "AIR HANGARS".
Whoa, dare OSAMA = AQAP-YEMEN have a [budding] AIR FORCE?
There were MSM-Net Reports last month or so about AL QAEDA allegedly seeking to procure its own UAV techs as counter to US drone strikes + pro-Jihadi recce.
[Bangla Daily Star] Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday declared that they would launch a movement against the deals signed with India, the attempt to cancel Fifth Amendment of the constitution and proposed education policy.
The Islamist political party accused that the government moved to scrap the Fifth Amendment of the constitution to restore secularism in the state principle instead of keeping faith in almighty Allah. It also criticised the government for imposing an education policy that goes against religion.
Jamaat Ameer Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami alleged that a "secret security deal" was signed during the prime minister's visit to India. He demanded clarification on the matter from the government.
He claimed that all the three agreements with India were signed preserving India's interest.
He said, "We are left with no choice but to move against the government. We urge all political parties, Olama-Mashaek (Islamic leaders), professionals, intellectuals, students and workers to join us in waging a tough movement."
On secret deal, Nizami said he came to know about it from a newspaper. "A secret deal has been sealed between the two governments and, therefore, it is not possible for others to know about it," said Nizami.
On joint movement with the other components of BNP-led four-party alliance Nizami said, "Let us take the initiative. Then we will see with whom and how the alliance forms. But we will keep communication with the other components of the four-party alliance."
On returning to the parliament, the Jamaat chief echoed BNP's stance saying that there is no such atmosphere in the parliament yet. The government has to create an environment first.
Earlier, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at a press conference on Sunday brought the same allegation and urged people and political parties to wage a movement against the government.
In his written statement, former industries minister Nizami said, "Allowing India to use our seaports will create security threat for the country. Indian army will intrude into Bangladesh in the name of securing transport of goods. This will put our independence and security at risk."
"It is certain that India will use Chittagong and Mongla ports for military purposes if a conflict starts between India and China," he said.
The Jamaat chief claimed that whatever had happened during the prime minister's tour went in India's favour and against Bangladesh.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
A SECRET war is underway to stop terrorists smuggling deadly "dirty bombs" into Britain, it was revealed yesterday. Hi-tech machines have been installed at major ports to detect materials which could be used to build the devices.
The covert operation was disclosed by an official not authorized to disclose the operation Government security supremo Lord Alan West in an exclusive interview with The New York TimesThe Sun. He also revealed there will be a big rise in the use of dogs to sniff out explosives.
Lord West stressed they could have snared the underpants bomber who tried to blow up a jet in Detroit. The peer, former head of the Royal Navy, said: "There is no doubt that terrorists still want to go for the big spectaculars - things like aircraft and dirty bombs. We have put in a whole range of measures to stop them but cannot be complacent. We have to be vigilant."
Lord West revealed security "portals" were set up under an operation called Project Cyclamen to monitor substances coming into the UK.
"They are already in a number of ports and other places and will be going into more. This has been highly complex because the technology is very difficult but I believe we have a world-beater."
Dirty bombs - known as "the poor man's nuclear weapon" - are crude devices that combine simple explosive with any radioactive material. They are designed not to cause instant carnage and destruction like traditional bombs but to contaminate whole areas, kill thousands with disease and spark panic.
He also outlined plans to use more sniffer dogs to detect explosives.
He said one of the full body scanners being introduced by the Government would have had only a 60 per cent chance of picking up Umar Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up a jet on Christmas Day with explosives in his pants. But a sniffer dog would have detected him.
North Korea will close down all general open-air markets in major cities and permit only farmers markets by a strict definition of the term, which will open every 10 days, an activist group reported last week.
"The North Korean Cabinet has told agencies under each ministry and provincial and municipal chapters of the Workers Party that it will replace urban marketplaces with farmers markets that will open every 10 days starting Jan. 14," the Group Good Friends said in a newsletter. "The cabinet also released market operating rules and a list of items that can be sold, adding that market traders will be permitted to sell only agricultural produce and indigenous local products but not Chinese goods or domestically produced industrial products."
Large markets began sprouting in the North in 2004, increasing to an estimated 300 by 2007. North Korean authorities decided to crack down on black-market traders who move around all the time to dodge the authorities, and back-alley deals for fear that the practices would run rampant if unchecked, it said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may not survive the year 2012
No one does, according to the Mayans ...
and massive unrest is likely to follow his death, the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification speculates. A military coup, riots, massacres and a massive exodus could follow Kim's death, KINU said in its report.
Plagues, locusts, Koreans and Japanese living together ...
It is rare for a state-run South Korean think tank to go into such detail in forecasting changes in North Korea in a publicly issued report since such speculation is a red rag to Pyongyang.
On Friday, North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission vowed a "sacred battle" against South Korea over a contingency plan for the fall of the communist government. "It is possible that Kim Jong-il's days are numbered, considering his age (68), the fact that he suffered a debilitating stroke in August 2008 and that he has been afflicted by other chronic conditions, including heart disease and obesity," said a source familiar with North Korean affairs.
Just die already, Kimmie ...
Cho Min, a KINU researcher involved in the report, said the predictions are "hypothetical." "The year 2012 is when North Korea has vowed to become a military and economic power, so it's a crucial year for the country if there is a leadership change," he said. "Kim's health is the biggest variable in forecasting the future of the North Korean regime."
But KINU has drawn criticism in South Korea for issuing the report at a time when North Korea is especially sensitive to any reference to the regime. The report "touched a raw nerve among North Koreans by addressing the regime," said Yang Mu-jin, a professor at Kyungnam University of North Korean Studies. He warned the North could "respond angrily" again.
Experts say the South needs a contingency for the fall of the North Korean regime but it should be prepared quietly.
No, trumpet this to the skies and let the North Korean people know that Kimmie is on a death watch ...
The KINU report said if Kim dies suddenly before completing a smooth transfer of power, his immediate family could end up sidelined while a group of officials from the National Defense Commission take control.
They say that like it's a bad thing ...
KINU mentioned other scenarios, such as regime collapse following a large-scale massacre, the military gaining control after law and order break down and the outbreak of a limited war on the Korean Peninsula.
One security expert at a private South Korean think tank said, "Rather than being a rational projection, the report appears to have been written based on wishful thinking." "Nobody can be sure exactly how much longer Kim Jong-il will live or whether the North Korean leadership will collapse," he added.
The KINU report concludes, "Although there is no need to rush reunification, it is time to prepare for such an event. Whether reunification occurs gradually or suddenly, it must be pursued based on a consensus among the people of North and South Korea."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Ghoul Pool pick of the week ?
Posted by: Butthole Africa Billy (the artist formerly known as Bangkok Billy) ||
01/20/2010 1:13 Comments ||
Top||
[Iran Press TV Latest] North Korea hosts direct negotiations with the South on scaling up their bilateral business cooperation despite clinging onto an unbending position until recently.
The Tuesday's talks centered on the revival of the Kaesong Industrial Park -- a joint project in the North, the AFP news agency reported.
The business area is directly accessible by workmen and employees commuting from Seoul. It employs 42,000 North Koreans in 117 South Korean firms with wages paid to state bodies and not directly to the workers, according to the report.
The dialogue came after the North agreed to the meeting to discuss the results of a joint inspection of the overseas industrial towns, said the South's Yonhap news agency.
Pyongyang had earlier warned that it would block any dialogue on peace and security with the South, complaining that Seoul had come up with emergency plans to govern the North should the communist state succumb to a regime collapse, a coup or a popular uprising.
Tensions have been on the rise in the Korean peninsula since last April, when Pyongyang quit the disarmament talks following the widespread condemnation of its missile tests. It also ventured a second nuclear test a month later, prompting tougher sanctions from the US and South Korean allies.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Commies
#1
Talks.
NORK gimme gimme gimme
SKOR why
Nork Gimme or I'll lay a heavy guilt trip on you.
SKOR sigh, whaddya need.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 22:14 Comments ||
Top||
The Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders was greeted with applause from the public gallery as he faced court for the first day of his landmark trial on charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims.
Mr Wilders, 46, sat impassively as his lawyer argued that the leader of the Freedom Party, which made big gains at last summer's European elections, had made his critical remarks about Islam in his role as an elected Member of Parliament.
Bram Moszkowicz said that Mr Wilders had a mandate to speak out against what he saw as the Islamisation of the Netherlands and argued that he had not discriminated against a specific national group, saving his attacks for the ideology of political Islam.
Around 200 supporters of Mr Wilders had travelled from as far as Cologne in Germany to hold up placards declaring that free speech was under assault by Islam and by the politically correct. The case is being watched as a test of the limits of political tolerance in the Netherlands after years of relaxed immigration policies which have seen the Musim population rise to around 1 million out of 16 million.
"This case is about more than Mr Wilders," Mr Moszkowicz told Amsterdam District Court this morning. "It touches us all. It is such an important and principled question that could have far-reaching consequences."
Mr Wilders faces a 70-page charge sheet covering five counts of breaking Dutch law on incitement and discriminiation against Muslims in more than 100 public statements, for example by likenening the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and calling for an end to the "Islamic invasion."
The alleged offences include Mr Wilders' film Fitna, which shows images of 9/11 and beheadings interspersed with verses from the Koran. It ends with a the controverisal Danish cartoon of the prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban.
At one point there was laughter in the public gallery when Mr Moszkowicz tried to insist on his client's right to have the entire charge sheet read out in court. The chief prosecutor refused saying that his voice would not hold out that long and the panel of four judges settled for a summary which still lasted almost 20 minutes.
"Mr Wilders has always made his statements in his capacity as a public representative," Mr Moszkowicz said, arguing that the Amsterdam court was the wrong arena and that the Supreme Court in The Hague was the place to hear allegations of misconduct by an MP.
But Birgit van Roessel, for the prosecution, countered that "expressing his opinion in the media or through other channels is not part of an MP's duties." She said that MPs only had immunity for what they said inside parliament. He faces a fine or the possbility of jail if convicted.
The public prosecution service initially decided not to bring charges but were ordered to press ahead by the appeals court. Otto van der Bijl, a spokesman for the prosecution service, today said: "It is possible that we may ask for an acquittal at the end of the trial."
#1
So, Short story he's acused of telling the truth by Muslim Stooge Prosecutors.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 13:35 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The public prosecution service initially decided not to bring charges but were ordered to press ahead by the appeals court. Otto van der Bijl, a spokesman for the prosecution service, today said: "It is possible that we may ask for an acquittal at the end of the trial."
Very short story is that some judge is running amok and the system can't short circuit it, no matter how wrong-headed.
#3
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > BRITAIN: NAMP MUSLIM POLICE ORG SAY ISLAM IS NOT THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND TERROR ATTACKS [nationwide anti-Terrorism Muslim "Profiling" strategies are]. Also argue that patriotic or loyal Muslim police officers in UK are suffering unnecessar personal, professional detriment due to these profiling strategems.
#3
Though he's not doing this, as he probably doesn't need to, if there was a legitimate legal argument in this kangaroo court, it would be that "while leftists can create laws, they cannot prohibit the right from legally undoing, or even reversing those laws."
The left is, in effect, saying that the laws they create are written in stone, and that the people and their representatives cannot undo what the left has done.
Supervisors of the Army psychiatrist accused in the massacre at Fort Hood sanitized his performance appraisals in the years prior to the shootings, according to government documents obtained by The Associated Press that reveal concerns about Nidal Hasan at almost every stage of his Army education.
Officers in charge of Hasan piled praise into the alleged gunman's record despite knowing he was chronically late for work, saw few patients, disappeared when he was on call and confronted those around him with his Islamic views.
The materials also disclose concerns that the psychiatrist-in-training might have been developing a psychosis, according to the documents, yet no mental health evaluation was done.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
A daisy chain of the politically correct...
That worked out well, didn't it?
The mind, too jelled at this point to boggle, quivers.
Even as he warned against allowing extremist groups to provoke a regional clash in South Asia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Wednesday that he would not expect the Indian government to show restraint should it be attacked again by terrorist groups based in Pakistan.
Gates has praised the "statesmanship" of India in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which have been attributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based extremist group aligned with Al Qaeda. At a news conference Wednesday in New Delhi, Gates repeated those comments but said India's ability to continue that policy would be "in question" should militants strike again.
"I think it is not unreasonable to assume Indian patience would be limited were there to be further attacks," Gates said.
The defense secretary painted a detailed picture of extremist groups operating in Pakistan, arguing that some were focused on Afghanistan, some on India and some on Pakistan. But he argued that all operated under the direction of Al Qaeda and shared a goal of fomenting regional instability.
"The success of any one of these groups leads to new capabilities and new reputations for all these groups," Gates said. "A victory for one is a victory for all."
As other officials have done, notably Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Gates described the various extremist groups as a "syndicate" that uses common tactics and a common base in Pakistan's North Waziristan area to conduct operations.
Gates said the militant groups were trying to provoke conflict between India and Pakistan by mounting terrorist acts.
"It is very complicated situation; it is dangerous for the region as a whole," Gates said. "They are a syndicate of terrorist operators, intending to destabilize the whole region."
Gates was asked if the Indians had pressed him to push Pakistan to take more action against Lashkar-e-Taiba or other extremist groups. He signaled that he intended to try to help reduce Pakistani anxiety over India, to help Islamabad continue its focus on the militant threat.
"Clearly one of the subjects of discussion for my next visit is how to ally their concerns, so they can focus on what has become a real existential threat to Pakistan, these different terrorist groups operating in its territory," Gates said.
#2
I think the head terrorist in charge thought the same thing when executing 9/11, that America wouldn't massively respond. How'd that work out for their grand strategy? /rhet question
#4
The defense secretary painted a detailed picture of extremist groups operating in Pakistan, arguing that some were focused on Afghanistan, some on India and some on Pakistan. But he argued that all operated under the direction of Al Qaeda and shared a goal of fomenting regional instability.
I suspect Barry would have completely trashed it as part of his reach-out-to-Islam effort had it not been for Gates. Gates is going to make a bundle off his next memoirs.
#6
On the contrary, 9/11 was done to force the USA to respond (bad) or do nothing and appear weak (even worse). When USA makes war, Muslims get angry and join Al-Qaeda and the USA spends itself dry airfreighting 100lb artillery shells to Kabul.
Try this: how strong was AQ before 9/11, and how influential are they now?
#7
Before 9/11 Al Qaeda had Afghanistan, openly. Now Al Qaeda has Pakistan, but covertly, and their people are at the receiving end of Predator missiles. Before 9/11 Al Qaeda jihadis were arrested if their attacks did not succeed (eg the first attack on the World Trade Center); now Al Qaeda jihadis are picked up as they plan their attacks (eg Mr. Zazi and his little Afghan friends who planned to blow things up on 9/11/09). On 9/11 Al Qaeda had something like 90% approval ratings in much of the Ummah, now that's dropped, among those still living. Better now or better then for the jihadis, gromky?
#8
I do agree that the 9/11 attacks were intended to force America to respond, but they expected President Bush to respond ineffectively. Sadly for them, Bush responded relatively effectively, instead, and so they lost both the core of the Caliphate in Afghanistan and what they pronounced the main battlefield for the future Al Qaeda world government that was Iraq.
#9
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS/DAWN.PK > MEHSUD TRIBE [ruling Jirga] READY TO HAND OVER HAKIMULLAH + 378 OTHERS, in exchange for stoppage by Islamabad of PAK Army offensive + peace in South Waziristan; + PAKISTAN REJECTS INDIAN ALLEGATIONS, WARNS OF RETALIATION [military]IFF INDIA DOES NOT STOP FIRING ACROSS ITS BORDER.
* SAME > DRASTIC DECLINE IN CHENAB WATER FLOWS, due to Indian dams, declines in normal rainfall, + various Govt-Local water diversion projects mainly for agriculture, land development.
#10
NEWS KERALA > GATES: SOUTH ASIAN SITUATION IS VERY DANGEROUS | ANOTHER 26/11 COULD PROVOKE INDO-PAK WAR.
* SAME > [US Senate Report]US OFFICIALS: AL-QAIDA EXPANDING BEYOND ITS ITS NERVE CENTRE IN PAKISTAN, AGHANISTAN [Yemen + Somalia /Horn of Africa].
* SAME > NORTH AFRICA PROVING TO BE GREATEST TERROR THREAT: ITALIAN FM FRATTINI. AL-QAEDA IN MAHGREB[AQIM-GSPC now detected = established in ITALY since 2006-2007, + have been active in illegal immigrant activities-smuggling in Italy + around Mediterranean.
[Dawn] The Federal Government filed a petition at the Lahore High Court on Tuesday, seeking a ban on the free movement of nuclear scientist, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan.
The petition stated that the liberty granted to Dr. Qadeer is a threat to national security. It has been alleged that the nuclear scientist has shared sensitive information with the international media.
Earlier the High Court had granted permission to Dr. Qadeer to live as a free citizen. The federal government has appealed that the scientist be kept under constant surveillance by authorities and a security escort be assigned to him.
The court has issued notification to Dr. Abdul Qadeer for January 25.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
ION PAK TRIBUNE > PAK SENATE WANTS EQUAL SCREENING LAWS FOR AMERICANS. ALso calling on Muslim nations to adopt simil measures for thier domestic Airports in order to pressure the USA to ease up on its intensified post-MUTALLAB/DETROIT screening, profiling of Muslim airline passengers andor passengers from Muslim nations.
Revenge of AbdulMutallab = future movie "AIRPORT 2010"???
#2
ALso calling on Muslim nations to adopt simil measures for thier domestic Airports in order to pressure the USA to ease up on its intensified post-MUTALLAB/DETROIT screening
Because large numbers of Americans fly to Yemen and Nigeria? These people are not strongly connected to reality.
Arms negotiators failed to start talks on Tuesday on cutting nuclear weapons when Pakistan blocked the adoption of the 2010 agenda for the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament.
The conference, the world's sole multinational negotiating forum for disarmament, spent much of 2009 stuck on procedural wrangles raised by Pakistan after breaking a 12-year deadlock to agree a programme of work.
The impasse on Tuesday suggested 2010 would be another year of halting progress.
Pakistan, which tested a nuclear weapon in 1998, is wary of the proposed focus in the programme on limiting the production of fissile material, which would put it at a disadvantage against longer-standing nuclear powers such as India.
It therefore has an interest in delaying the start of substantive talks, diplomats say.
"Even in the darkest days the agenda was adopted, because everything can be discussed under the agenda," said one veteran official, unable to recall a similar delay in the past.
Adoption of the agenda at the start of the annual session is normally a formality, but Pakistan Ambassador Zamir Akram took the floor to call for the agenda to be broadened to cover two other issues.
Akram said the 65-member forum should consider conventional arms control at the regional and sub-regional level, in line with a United Nations General Assembly resolution sponsored by Pakistan and passed last year.
The conference should also negotiate a global regime on all aspects of missiles, he said.
"It is not our intention to create an obstacle but it's also not our intention to create a situation which is oblivious to what is happening around us," Akram said.
The move forced the conference president, Bangladesh ambassador Abdul Hannan, to adjourn the meeting for consultations to find a consensus. He said he hoped to resume on Jan. 21 with a renewed discussion of the agenda.
Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the former Russian diplomat who heads the UN in Geneva and is secretary of the conference, said failure to adopt the agenda would be a move backwards, arguing that it was flexible enough to include all topics of concern.
But Akram said Pakistan did not want to work with a programme that was "frozen in time".
Reaching a consensus is likely to prove difficult, as India rejected a discussion of regional conventional arms control, arguing that the conference should focus on global issues.
Diplomats said Pakistan's attempt to include regional arms control appeared directed at its bigger and better-armed neighbour.
The UN General Assembly also called on the conference last December to agree a 2010 work programme including immediate negotiations to ban the production of fissile material, in a resolution sponsored by Canada.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Al Arabiya Latest] The Iraqi government has hired nearly 50,000 "Sons of Iraq", former insurgents who switched sides and helped U.S. forces battle al-Qaeda, and expects to absorb the rest by mid-year, an Iraqi official said on Tuesday.
The integration of some 90,000 members of the Sunni Muslim movement, also known as Sahwa, or Awakening, into neighborhood patrols was considered a turning point in the sectarian war that killed tens of thousands after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Many Sahwa were insurgent fighters aligned with al Qaeda before being lured across the battle lines, in part by payments of about $300 a month provided by the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
[Ma'an] Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and EU Representative Christian Berger ratified a new financial agreement to support the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday.
The Financing Agreement, including a 0.5 million Euro contribution from Austria, was pledged to support to the Palestinain Authority's (PA) recurrent expenditures for 2010. The funds will be channeled to the PA's payments of salaries and pensions and its social protection program via the EU's PEGASE program.
In addition to assisting the PA in sustaining public services and paying civil servants, the agreement will provide support for vulnerable Palestinians through regular contributions to social allowances via the Ministry of Social Affair's social protection program.
"This agreement comes at a time where the Palestinian people are in need of all kind of continuous support in order to be able to build the state institutions and develop its sectors. Such agreements also help the Palestinian people to face the obstacles they live with and provide the possibilities to continue in the development process," Fayyad said.
This most recent financial agreement falls in line with 66 million Euros of support donated to UNRWA's General Fund to ensure the delivery of public services to Palestinian refugees.
Berger said that the EU's support for the PA is aimed at strengthening its institutions and sustain services provided to Palestinians. "Our investments are designed to contribute to the goal - shared by the EU and the PA - of creating a Palestinian state which will exist side by side in peace with Israel. But the sustainable impact of these investments will be only guaranteed if there is progress toward that goal."
The EU and the PA will begin discussions next week on a second financing package of 71 million Euros to reinforce Palestinian institutions in accordance with Fayyad's Palestine: Moving Forward Plan announced last week and the two year state building plan announced in August 2009, the statement read.
The EU is the largest single donor to the Palestinian people. Since 2007 it has provided total assistance to the Palestinian people, including civil society organizations and refugees, averaging more than €500 million annually. "European funds support major reform and development programs in key ministries, to help prepare the Palestinian Authority for statehood in line with the plan proposed in August 2009 by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad," the statement concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
Used to be Europeans would kill Jews whenever they felt like a bit of harmless fun. Nowadays they reduced to paying others---with uncertain results, to do it. Must upset them to the depths of their souls---such as these are.
[Ma'an] Hamas and Islamic Jihad held a meeting late Monday evening in Gaza City to discuss recent developments in Palestinian politics and the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation document.
In attendance were Nafez Azzam, Muhammad Al-Hindi and Khaled Al-Hindi from Islamic Jihad and Khalil Al-Hayya, Jamal Abu Hashim and Aiman Taha representing Hamas.
"This is a regular meeting between Palestinian factions to study the recent dilemmas posed in Palestinian politics," Azzam told Ma'an during an interview.
Other topics on the agenda included Israeli violations and international involvement aimed at ending inter-Palestinian rivalries, notably between Hamas and Fatah.
Azzam added that "we've seen Hamas' great desire to accomplish reconciliation and end division."
"We've agreed on holding other meetings soon also with other factions to discuss all of this."
Efforts to end Fatah-Hamas rivalry have been stonewalled, as Hamas demands that its amendments be taken into consideration. Meanwhile, Fatah officials say that the reconciliation document is finalized and have accused Hamas of attempting to stay general elections by delaying the ratification of the agreement.
However, Arab nations have intervened to encourage dialogue between the two Palestinian factions. On Sunday, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad As-Sabah said that a reconciliation meeting will be held within the next ten days between Abbas and Mash'al, Kuwaiti media reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[13 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
IIRC WORLD TRIBUNE > ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE: HAMAS HAS AMASSED 5000 ROCKETS SINCE 2006.
WHoa, its NOT the Hizzies Hezzies Huzzies Hussies Hazzies [Hezbollah] this time???
Israel has opened the floodgates of one of its dams in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip, flooding Palestinian houses and causing severe damage.
The Israeli authorities opened the dam's floodgates without any prior warning or coordination with local authorities in Gaza, stunning the residents of the area, the Press TV correspondent in Gaza reported late on Monday.
There has been heavy rain in the region over the past 24 hours. It seems the Israeli authorities could not handle the huge amount of rainwater and decided to open the floodgates without prior warning.
Because Gaza is located in a low-lying area and the elevation decreases on the way to the Mediterranean Sea, water gushed into the area, flooding two Palestinian villages and displacing a hundred Gazan families.
The locals say Israel intentionally caused the floods, the Press TV correspondent said.
The waters from the dam, called the Valley of Gaza, flooded houses in Johr al-Deek village, which is southeast of Gaza City, and Nusirat in the eastern part of the territory, where the Al-Nusirat refugee camp is also located.
The Valley of Gaza is about 8 kilometers long. It starts on the eastern Gaza border with Israel and ends in the Mediterranean.
The houses of many Palestinians have been flooded and a number of people are trapped inside or on their roofs, while many have also gone missing, the Press TV correspondent said.
Rescue teams are using small boats to evacuate the trapped people.
Hamas has condemned the act as a war crime and has called on all concerned parties to intervene and offer assistance to the locals.
The flooding has made life more difficult for the Gazans, especially for those still living in tents because their homes were destroyed in the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
In the war, more than 1,400 people were killed, mostly women and children, and over 10,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, forcing at least 500 families to live in tents.
Very little progress is seen in reconstruction of the devastated areas in the Gaza Strip, mostly due to the Israeli blockade, which has prevented the delivery of building materials to the coastal enclave.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[12 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
The brave honorable people of Gaza MUST rid themselves of the parasite known as hamas if they want to live peaceful and free.
Plenty of notice was given. Even leaflet drops.
The Palis chose to ignore the warnings
Never bite on the propaganda tampon
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
01/20/2010 0:09 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Should have thrown in a few tons of super-heavy-duty detergent...
Special Note - This is Press TV - Iran. Better add a couple tons of salt too...
#3
So they are charging a "war crime" for opening the flood gates during a flood. If they had allowed the dam to breech, what would the charge be then?
Even giving warning would not have prevented the villages from being flooded.
I have a hard time believing, though, that there was no warning given. I have no problem believing the warning didn't reach the people. It would serve in the interests of Hamas to prevent the warning from being distributed in order to cause this very problem.
#4
Rhetorical inconsistencies run rampant in this idiotic report of flash flooding by the Iranian Press:
The flooding has made life more difficult for the Gazans, especially for those still living in tents because their homes were destroyed in the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
I bet there's still 50,000 Gazans living in tents because of the skirmish, when the Israeli military wanted to stop the hundreds of rocket attacks on their citizens prior to 2009. But why were the thousands of tents erected in a flood zone?
In the war, more than 1,400 people were killed, mostly women and children, and over 10,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, forcing at least 500 families to live in tents.
Very little progress is seen in reconstruction of the devastated areas in the Gaza Strip, mostly due to the Israeli blockade, which has prevented the delivery of building materials to the coastal enclave.
Well, actually, around 750 Hamas fighters were killed out of the total kill of about 1300 (58%), while many civilians were shot, "for effect," by Hamas fighters.
OK, so it's just 500 families living in tents - but why were they in a flood zone? Who is responsible for civic planning in the Hamas organization? Who is responsible for peer review on Iranian Press articles?
#5
the english language Palestinian news agency Maan has a story on the flood that doesn't mention a flood gate at all
in all likelihood, Press TV made up the floodgate aspect
Posted by: lord garth ||
01/20/2010 5:57 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Yeah. If they don't have any atrocities, they'll just make some up. This is where the USA has dropped the ball on the WoT by not having native language broadcasts to counteract al-jazeera and others.
"Civic planning" and "Hamas" don't belong in the same sentence, RsJ.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/20/2010 18:30 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I grew up on the Mississippi River and as a very young lad learned the truth that smart people do NOT build their houses below the flood line. You can farm it if you want, but you live on the high ground.
#9
The Bedouins on the Egyptian side are upset that their plight is being completely ignored by the authorities -- it seems there have been terrible rainstorms in the area resulting in washouts everywhere. The Jerusalem Post reports walls collapsed in Haifa due to the storm, and they're finally getting drinking water again to the southern communities, and also collected 10 million cubic meters of water of run-off from the floods.
I wonder if the level of the Dead Sea rose a bit -- there have been concerns that it was on the way to drying out completely, just when they discovered things actually living in it.
[Ma'an] Responding to a call to return to negotiations from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Tuesday said that Netanyahu must recant his terms and implement the Road Map Agreement before talks can resume.
The chief negotiator made his pronouncement during a meeting with EU convoy to the Middle East Mark Otti, Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Robert Seri, and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Piero Fassino, where they discussed the latest political developments pertaining to the occupied Palestinian territories.
During the meeting Erekat spoke of the international quartet's inability to compel Israel to abide by its obligations, particularly with regard to a settlement standstill in East Jerusalem and reopening Palestinian institutes in the city, as well as lifting Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip and releasing Palestinian detainees.
"It is the responsibility of the quartet committee to announce that Israel is the one stalling the negotiations and it is the one responsible for any effort done to resume negotiation," he said.
Erekat emphasized that all parties were working to resume negotiations, which should return to the point at which they were halted in December 2009.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
"Netanyahu must .."?
are you talking about the same Netanyahu we've seen for years on TV?
have you taken some really strong drugs or have you skipped your prescribed med?
[Ma'an] Fatah's revolutionary council will form a committee to plan the party's return to legitimacy in the Gaza Strip, according to Jamal Nazzal, Fatah spokesman and member of the revolutionary council in a speech on Tuesday.
According to Nazzal, the committee will comprise members of Fatah central and revolutionary committees and will present a report based on their studies and research of the situation in Gaza.
This new committee will work on supporting Gazans and implementing a policy to "end the coup government" and return legitimacy to the Gaza Strip.
In a separate statement Nazzal said "We want our Fatah members and our nation to be relaxed because there are those who care about people's needs and work for their sake. Fatah has plans for a bright future and will oppose Israeli challenges."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Fatah
#1
I don't see one damn thing wrong with it, we ARE fighting a "Religious War" whether or not the pentagon sees it that way.
They use their "Religion" against us, we'd be fools not to do the same, THIS IS A WAR TO THE DEATH, like it or not, refusing to admit it is pure stupidity.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 17:01 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Even if it is "bible" stuff, as an atheist, as long as my countrymen have the best equipment to kill our enemies with I could care less if they have Satanic bible verses in them.
Iran's parliament speaker says the US and its European allies provided Israel with behind-the-scenes support during its 22-day war on Gaza.
"Israel carried out a very barbaric attack against the Gazans. It took none of the international norms and regulations into account," said Ali Larijani, while addressing the international "Gaza, Symbol of Resistance" seminar in Tehran on Tuesday
"The regime used prohibited chemical weapons, and destroyed hospitals, mosques, and civilian infrastructure. It is sad that despite all Israel's human rights violations, the US and other Western powers stood by Tel Aviv throughout the whole ordeal."
Larijani attacked the Western alliance for giving Israel all the military support it needed to launch its deadly operation on the impoverished coastal Palestinian strip.
The Iranian parliament speaker said that the US blocked efforts to pass a binding resolution at the United Nations Security Council against Israel so as to stop the offensive.
"There was no talk of human rights during those 22 days. Even though the political system had changed in the US and a new president had been elected with the motto of change."
"But it seems that they did not think it necessary to spend any time on this issue. Up to 5,000 Palestinians were killed and injured as the event unfolded, but he (Barack Obama) chose to think about picking a dog for his daughter."
Larijani said all those who kept quiet when Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza should be ashamed.
He also noted that despite suffering heavy damages, Palestinians came out as the true winner of Israel's war on Gaza.
The Iranian official also said that the conduct of the Israeli regime and the West's lack of regard for the basic rights of Palestinians has left them with no choice but to resist.
"During the past year, many conferences have been held for the reconstruction of Gaza, but have [not] actually taken any steps to that effect. Gaza is still under siege. This shows that at these conferences they do not want to help the people of Palestine."
"It is clear from their actions that the US and Israel are trying to mock the Palestinians. This means that we have no option but to resist."
He then urged all regional states not to hesitate when it comes to taking a stance against Israel, pointing out that the people of the Middle East were convinced that the so-called US efforts to bring peace to the region were nothing but a "sham."
Larijani said the leaders of regional states view the Road Map as a "joke," because they know that it is doomed to failure.
Many independent analysts believe that the key to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies in Tel Aviv's out-right refusal to accept the Palestinian's "Right of Return," an internationally recognized right which applies to all refugees worldwide.
Since its creation in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to leave their homes to live in other areas of their homeland, such as the West bank or the Gaza Strip, in other regional countries or elsewhere in the world.
Palestinian refugees, some of whom are even denied the basic rights of a citizen where they live, currently number close to five million.
Tel Aviv says allowing these people, who are mostly Arab Muslims, to return to their ethnic homeland will ruin 'Israel's Jewish Character.'
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
File under "Propaganda, Islamic"
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 13:26 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Iran's parliament speaker says
All the proof needed right in the first paragraph.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 22:10 Comments ||
Top||
Iran's defense minister warned on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic could strike back at Western warships in the Gulf if it were attacked over its nuclear program, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, while Tehran's forein minister cimed western powers were showing "traces of realism" after they failed to decide on new sanctions.
Ahmad Vahidi said there were now more than 90 war vessels in the Gulf, a waterway crucial for global oil supplies, and that they had created a "military environment" there.
They included submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers, he said during a conference in Tehran on the Gulf.
"What is the reason underlying the deployment of this many warships and what aim are they pursuing ... are they arrayed against Iran?" Fars quoted Vahidi as saying.
"The Westerners know well that the existence of these warships in the Persian Gulf serve as the best operational targets for Iran if they should want to undertake any military action against Iran," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Hm. Why would he say that, is he developing nukes? Strange he should speak up just like that.
#2
It's been a while since some of our warship commanders have had the opportunity to go completely apeshiat with righteous rage at an attacker.
But if their ship or fleet is attacked, they have a lot of ordnance, usually short of nuclear release unless really pushed. The Iranians would think they were in a large tumble dryer with irate wolverines.
#3
It's unsettling when one is walking down the street minding one's own business, and unshaven, grizzled, filthy, drunken, addled people lurch back into a fighting stance, screaming, "Don't you mess with me!"
#4
I think theres been a mistranslation.
What they really said was.
If you hit us with nukes we'll fall apart apologising then die whining.
(See WW2, Enola gay, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Immediate surrender of the Japanese Empire Following )
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 13:44 Comments ||
Top||
#5
A bit off subject, but interesting.
some yeas ago working at a machine shop In Mobile Alabama, At lunch I was sitting next to a raving moonbat (Actually a nice guy, but highly Ignorant and believe the Moonbat Propaganda was truth)
He was spouting off one day that "Nukleer was so evil that the entire crew of the Enola Gay committed suicide on the runway at landing"
I Couldn't let this blatant lie stand so I told him the truth, When I lived in Montgomery, Alabama, General Tibbs (Promoted after the mission) was a friend of my father's, lived about ten blocks from us,(And quite literally across the street from my Now and Current Wife)and I met and talked with him as a child of 14 (Or so) I said Very Loudly HE DID NOT COMMIT SUICIDE AND NONE OF HIS CREW DID EITHER, I knew the man ( He died in 2007) Turns out I knew his son.
The friendly asshole was stopped in his tracks as I told him The above, and actually was stunned when I asked him "Who told you that lie"
After that we were friends and when I had to go to the hospital he actually visited me (We weren't friends before the incident)
Not a bad guy, just brainwashed.
PS Tibbetts died at 93 in Ohio (Family home town)
On November 1st, 2007
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2010 14:19 Comments ||
Top||
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday blamed the capitalist systems and US policies as the main causes of air pollution in the world.
Speaking at a seminar marking the Clean Air Day in Tehran, President Ahmadinejad said the US causes one-fourth of the world's industrial emissions and must revise its policies to protect the environment.
He also criticized capitalism for damaging the environment in order to increase production levels.
Ahmadinejad said damaging the environment will ruin man's future and that his government had taken positive steps toward creating a pollution-free environment.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2010 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
I think the dirty chinese and russian air coming over his borders has addled his mind.
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.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may not survive the year 2012 
Geert Wilders' inflammatory anti-Muslim statements are well known. Are they illegal?
