Posted by: ed ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh, dear Lord. They are starting to make the British mistakes. This is almost guaranteeing that the entire population of Afghanistan will turn against you.
LONDON - Prime Minister David Cameron and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed on Saturday to strengthen ties between London and Kabul in the first meeting between the new British PM and a foreign leader.
See Bambi, it's not so hard ...
Karzai, on his way home from Washington, stopped off in Britain to meet Cameron, whose new government has put Afghanistan top of its foreign policy agenda.
Karzai and Cameron met at Chequers, the prime minister's country residence.
The prime minister was delighted to invite President Karzai to Chequers, the first formal visit by an international leader since the election,' a spokesman for the PM's Downing Street office said. They discussed President Karzai's very successful visit to Washington, and the prospects for the peace jirga in Afghanistan at the end of May.
Both the president and prime minister agreed that the relationship between Afghanistan and Britain should be further strengthened. The president and the prime minister expressed their admiration for the courage and skill of the British military in Afghanistan, and the sacrifices that British forces have made.'
Britain has around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, largely battling Taliban insurgents in the southern Helmand Province. It has lost 285 personnel since operations began in late 2001.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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Somalia has demanded Russia to explain a move by its navy to set 10 Somali pirates adrift without giving them navigation equipment.
Last week, Russian forces attacked a hijacked oil tanker in a rescue operation that left one pirate dead. Russia said 10 others were arrested but were later set loose in the Gulf of Aden aboard one of the small vessels used in the raid.
A military source later said that the pirates, stripped of their weapons and navigation equipment, were now likely dead, Russian media reported.
"If they were actually set adrift with insufficient supply, at a range of 300 nautical miles from the shore, then Russia once again failed in its positive duty to prevent foreseeable loss of life," Abdirasak Aden, an official at Somalia's Information Ministry told Reuters.
The official acknowledged that the victims were "gangs" but insisted that "dumping them in international waters was not the only choice" because they had the right to a fair trial. "We want an explanation from Russia on the death of our citizens," Aden urged.
Russian officials said last week the pirates were released because there were no grounds to prosecute them in Russia.
The UN Security Council unanimously passed a Russian-drafted resolution last month that suggested creating special pirate courts. It also expressed concern that such cases were a failure that "undermines anti-piracy efforts of the international community."
Thirty-five international warships are patrolling the lawless waters off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden which remain the hotbed of mounting attacks on passing ships.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, more than half of piracy incident reported in 2009 were carried out by Somali pirates, who managed to successfully hijack 47 vessels.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#4
Then Somalia basically admits the pirates were their own citizens?
Why does Somalia care about terrorists? Are government officials getting a direct cut, or are they worried about the ransom money not flowing into their economy? Or both?
Besides, who knows where they were from? Besides the possibly dead pirates, of course.
"If they were actually set adrift with insufficient supply, at a range of 300 nautical miles from the shore, then Russia once again failed in its positive duty to prevent foreseeable loss of life," Abdirasak Aden, an official at Somalia's Information Ministry told Reuters.
No more than Somalia has consistently failed its positive duty to prevent the foreseeable loss of life due to pirate activity by its admittedly own citizens in waters it claims but does not patrol. Besides, it was only 200nm from shore, not 300. And there was plenty of water all around them to drink if they wanted. And they may still be paddling.
In fact, if the pirates knock it off, maybe the total loss of life will be much less than if they continue on their present course.
Somalia should thank the Russians for doing their job for them. The pirates have been an embarrassment to Somalia. Their mere existance might lead some to believe that the Somali government was about as effective as Haiti's. Or even on their payroll.
Oh, of course, Russia cares so much about what others think of them. Especially Somalia. In fact, if Somalia allows these pirate activities to continue, they may view it as further aggressive activity on the part of the Somali government against Russia. Things might escalate.
Somalia: Fix the problem, allow others to do it for you, or go pound sand.
This debate is what we get by capitulating to the UN and the pussies within. What the hell happened to summary execution for piracy? Terror on the high seas = death. Found 300 miles from shore on a ship with weapons and boarding gear: Guilty. TRIAL??? What the hell??? Boarding a pirate ship to prove it's a pirate ship is a brave exercise in restraint by civilized countries' armed forces.
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
05/16/2010 11:20 Comments ||
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#11
Well, they DID give them a boat...
Hey wait! We forgot the Drain Plug!
Oh well, they must not have heard us.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
05/16/2010 11:46 Comments ||
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#12
Somalia has a ministry of information?
Posted by: john frum ||
05/16/2010 12:19 Comments ||
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#13
The Japanese need to reflag their whaleing ships to Russian flags. All this greenpoop crap will go away as well. If I ever meet the russiam commander I will buy him a drink.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/16/2010 12:59 Comments ||
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#14
Russia wanted to send a message, and did so in an effective manner. So in future, it would behoove the other navies in the area to designate "patrol jurisdictions" as a courtesy to the Russians, so that any pirates captured within the Russian jurisdiction can be turned over to them for disposition.
In the process, Russia ships would earn considerable "courtesy" from other ships, both commercial ships and warships. This could consist mostly of gift liquor and food delicacies.
#17
Somaliahas demanded Russia to explain a move by its navy to set 10 Somali pirates adrift without giving them navigation equipment.
Russian response: "Seems about right to us. They should have learned navigation rather than pirate skills. And by the way, their pirate skills aren't so good either."
Prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi resigned on Sunday from the helm of Al-Watan daily in a move believed linked to official displeasure with articles critical of the state's harsh Islamic rules. Al-Watan announced that Khashoggi, 52, was stepping down as editor-in-chief "to focus on his personal projects," in a statement published on its website and in its Sunday edition.
The statement from Prince Bandar bin Khaled al-Faisal, chief executive of the company that owns Al-Watan, praised Khashoggi as "a loyal son ... who left a clear mark on its progress." Prince Bandar named deputy editor Sulayman al-Aquili as interim editor-in-chief.
The resignation, which came hours after Khashoggi celebrated his third marriage on Saturday, was unexpected, and Saudi journalists said they believed it was the result of pressure from high levels of the government. It followed a year of tensions with authorities and religious conservatives over numerous articles and columns viewed as critical of the ultra-conservative Wahhabi Islam which dominates Saudi life. The move came three days after Al-Watan published a controversial column criticising Salafism.
Last June, Khashoggi narrowly avoided being forced out after one of his columnists clashed with Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz over critical coverage of the religious police. The column on Salafism by Ibrahim al-Alma'ee published last Thursday was the "last straw," Sabbagh said.
US-educated Khashoggi was respected internationally as someone who built Al-Watan newspaper into a voice for Saudi progressives. He was a popular contact for foreign diplomats and intellectuals, and was one of a handful of senior Arab journalists invited to meet US President Barack Obama on Obama's first trip to the Middle East in June 2009.
It was the second time Khashoggi resigned from the helm of Al-Watan. He was forced out in 2003 over an editorial criticising 14th-century Muslim theologian Ibn Taymiyya, whose thinking influenced Wahhabism. Khashoggi returned to the paper in 2007 after serving as adviser to Prince Turki al-Faisal -- whose family controls Al-Watan -- when he was ambassador to the United States.
Under Khashoggi, Al-Watan's writers have aggressively poked at the contradictions and oppressive effects of Saudi Islam, especially with regard to women. Religious conservatives, under pressure from numerous sides to bow to social change, have focused on Al-Watan as a key enemy, said one of the newspaper's reporters.
The independent news website Massdar.com reported that Al-Watan had brought in a new opinion page manager to tone down the coverage and reduce the pressure from conservatives. The result, according to Sabbagh, was that many writers, including himself, had found their columns being blocked from publication in recent weeks.
RIYADH - An "inept" United States cannot fix Afghanistan's problems and should simply focus on "chasing the terrorists" there, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal said on Saturday.
For a pissant country that quails in fear of the Medes and Persians, they do a lot of scolding ...
This would be the intelligence chief that didn't realize homegrown terrorists were about to shoot up a compound full of foreign experts and their families a few years ago, without whom his country's economy would stop dead? The princeling might want to develop a bit of eptness of his own before engaging in conduct unbecoming to a high government official.
In a speech to a Riyadh audience which included numerous diplomats, Turki said the US-led NATO troop presence in Afghanistan has irrevocably alienated the Afghan people and has no hope of rebuilding the country.
"What Afghanistan needs now is a shift from nation-building to effectively countering terrorists," Turki said at the Arab News one-day media conference. US President Barack Obama "should not be misdirected into believing that he can fix Afghanistan's ills by military means."
"Hunt down the terrorists on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border, arrest them or kill them, and get out, and let the Afghan people deal with their problems. As long as GI boots remain on Afghan soil, they remain targets of resistance for the Afghan people and ideological mercenaries."
Wasn't it your government, O noble sir, that demanded the presence of those self-same American troops on your soil as janissaries to protect you against Saddam Hussein's Iraq? But that was Al Qaeda's primary complaint -- the presence of infidels on the holy soil of Arabia -- so perhaps you think you've learnt something from the experience.
I don't recall them ever saying 'thank you' for that, but perhaps that's because there's no such phrase in Arabic ...
Turki, who has long served a central role in Saudi-Afghan relations, scolded Washington's handling of relations with Kabul. "The inept way in which this administration has dealt with President (Hamid) Karzai beggars disbelief and amazement."
He's got a point there ...
"Both sides are now filled with resentment and a sour taste in their mouths," he said. "How can they both get out of that situation? I don't know."
The chairman of the King Faisal Center For Research and Islamic Studies, Turki has no official position but is believed to often reflect high level thinking in the Saudi government. He is the brother of Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, and analysts speculate he could become foreign minister when Saud retires.
Turki said Arab states have given Washington four months to show progress in US-guided Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. "The Arab world has given (US President Barack) Obama until September to get things done," said Turki.
Well done, President Obama. You've definitely changed our relationships with America's allies and enemies. How pleased you must be with yourself right now!
The suckers who voted for him never did understand the fine definition of 'change' ...
"It is not enough to talk the talk. He has to walk the walk," he said. "If he does not succeed... then I ask President Obama to do the morally decent gesture and recognise the Palestinian state that he so ardently wishes to exist.
Yes. Yes, he does. He learnt that wish from his dear friends in Chicago, Professor Khalidi and Reverend Wright.
"He can then pack up and leave us in peace and let the Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese negotiate directly with the Israelis. No more platitudes and good wishes and visions, please."
We can imagine those negotiations, and how the Saoodis would beg us to come back when the 'negotiations' ended with the Joooz occupying Damascus ...
Prince Turki also faulted the US and European approach in trying to halt Iran's alleged efforts to build a nuclear weapon,
A palpable point...
and he blasted Clinton for undermining efforts to create a Middle East nuclear-free zone.
"The discussions on Iran's nuclear ambitions started off on the wrong foot. The carrot and stick approach does not work," he said.
I agree. More stick, please ...
For one, he said, the US and Europe have had double-standards in dealing with Iran on the one hand, and other nuclear countries on the other.
"You cannot ask Iran to play on one level while you allow Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea to play on other levels."
We'd be happy to defang the Norks ...
Turki said a successful strategy toward Iran requires even-handedness, a "universal nuclear security umbrella" for the countries in the area,
He scolds us and then wants us to protect him ...
and "a good military option" against any regional country which does not cooperate in removing the threat of nuclear weapons in the region.
That's aimed at Israel ...
He said Clinton had undermined efforts to move toward a regional nuclear free zone, after the UN Security Council's five permanent members recently expressed support for the idea.
"Alas, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton then voided the issue of its value by stating that the conditions do not yet exist for establishing the zone," he said. "Why, then, did she join the other members of the P5 in issuing their statement?"
Turki said he hoped Obama "will find the way to correct his secretary of state's nullification of making our area free of weapons of mass destruction."
Except for the Muslim-owned ones ...
They never publicly said such things about Condoleeza Rice, when she was Secretary of State.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Didnt this guy get sacked as he was close to the taliban/Jihadis?
Posted by: Paul D ||
05/16/2010 4:16 Comments ||
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#2
Inept? Hey, dips&@*, I'll give you 24 hours to tells us what original product or inspiration (besides an Islamic Apartheid Republic) your country can up it.
#3
typo correction: Inept? Hey, dips&@*, I'll give you 24 hours to tells us what original product or inspiration (besides an Islamic Apartheid Republic) your country came up it.
#4
I don't know guys, the terrorist safari things sounds right to me. I don't have a lot of faith in our nation building efforts in Afghanistan, mostly because there hasn't really been a nation there before. I would like to see us destroy the poppy fields, salt the earth (or use some other chemical to hinder growth of anything) and play wack-a-mole for a bit, then leave. Afghanistan is a cess pool because they like it that way.
The Foreign Office is investigating claims that CIA operatives used fake British passports to carry out the extraordinary rendition of terror suspects in Europe.
Well golly. Are they going to expel the American ambassador, too?
Two North Korean naval boats briefly crossed the tense western sea border with South Korea in the first violation since a South Korean warship sank in the area following a mysterious explosion in March, the South's military said Sunday.
A North Korean patrol boat sailed about 1.6 miles (2.8 kilometers) into the South-controlled waters Saturday night but quickly retreated after a South Korean navy ship broadcast warnings in radio communication, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In less than an hour, another North Korean patrol boat intruded across the border but returned to its waters after another transmission and two warning shots from the South Korean vessel, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said on condition of anonymity citing department policy. No clash occurred, he added.
The first North Korean boat responded by radioing its own warning, accusing the South Korean vessel of violating the sea border before it sailed back to the North, according to the Defense Ministry. pretty obviously the Norks are provoking a response. The question is why? Deflect attention from the imminent failure of the state and Kimmie's pending death? Jostling for power in the military? Simple general dickheadedness?
Mostly jostling and dickheadedness. We keep hoping for Kimmie to die but, sad to say, he's got some months left in him. Nork-land has been failing for pretty much forever so that's no reason.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/16/2010 08:26 ||
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#1
The flip side is why is Skor refusing to fight back? This digs deep into Asian psychology: does not fighting back mean they are weak, or extra strong?
With the ship sinking, it also indicates that Skor ships have no (US provided) technological anti-torpedo "magic", which is of great interest to the Chinese, who have 67 submarines.
Add to this that the USN could work its own goodness on either the Norks *or* the Chinese, with "plausible deniability", also sending a very potent message.
#4
We shouldn't underestimate that -- the SKors just this generation became a mostly first-world country, and they apparently don't want to share with their crazy, shorter, under-nourished cousins to the north.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 15:33 Comments ||
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#5
Why Dr. Steve... how... racist of them. :) (just kidding)
My guess is that the Norks know that SKOR can't do much and Obumbles is a vapor tiger....
#6
if you're serious, put those "Warning Shots" INTO the ship, preferably the bridge.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/16/2010 17:44 Comments ||
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#7
SOKOR = SEOUL does not wish to by deemed responsible by the KORYE PEOPLES for the loss of more of the ancient "THREE KINGDOMS" to Beijing-China. Seoul at this time is content to resort to nothing more than MEDIA-DIPLOM-ECON RETALIATION + INTERNAT CRITICISM OF PYONGYANG.
IMO Kimmie is being pragmatic > he covertly recognizes that the DPRK-PRC agreement establishing Chin-suppor EEZ-SEZ Zones n NOKOR is likely to entrench Chin control oer NOKOR, HENCE HE COUNTERS WID THE DPRK CLAIM OF MASTERY OF NUC FUSION TECH.
* ION NOKOR NUKULAAR FUSILE WMF > NORTH KOREAN OFFICIAL: KIM-JONG-IL IS TRYING TO FORCE A MILITARY SHOWDOWN BETWEEN THE US + CHINA.
* SAME > SOUTH KOREA "CULTURE DAILY" MEDIA: NORT KOREA IS TRYING TO FORCE WORLD RECOGNITION OF THE DPRK AS A NUCLEAR POWER/WEAPONS STATE.
* SAME > RUSSIAN NUCLEAR EXPERT: RELIABLE BUT PRIMITIVE OR "DIRTY" NUCLEAR FUSION BOMB WILL SUBSTANTIALLY BOOST THE EXPLOSIVE YIELD OF NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR BOMBS.
----------------------
ION GUAM K57 + TOPIX > JAPAN has repor delayed its FUTENMA BASE DECISION BY SIX MONTHS [to
circa DEC 2010 - JAN 2011], prob due IN PART due to the NEW FRICTIONS wid CHINA-PLAN in the EAST CHINA SEA DISPUTES.
E.g WMF > CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY WARNS JAPAN: THERE IS NO "MIDDLE GROUND" IN CHINA'S CLAIMS OF SOVEREIGNTY IN THE EAST CHINA SEAS DISPUTES.
Lest we fergit, JAPAN has warned Beijing it "will take action/strong action" iff China proceeds wid unilater dev of disputed Oil-Gas fields widout Tokyo's consent; + CHINA has warned Japan not to expand its base on YONAGUNI = EXTEND JAPAN'S SOVEREIGNTY TOWARDS TAIWAN VIA SAME.
CHINA recognizes it will be deemd a TRUE SUPERPOWER unless it can "PROJECT-N-PROTECT" its NATIONAL, GEOPOL INTERESTS AROUND THE WORLD AGZ ALL COMERS.
PHIL-TAIWAN-OKINAWA-KOREAS-RUSS FAR EAST > MOST IMPOR STRATEGIC FRONT for the PLA becuz it is where the US + RUSS + JAPAN are. Beijing isn't too worried about INDIA becuz it has in past militarily defeated India already in var MAJOR + BORDER WARS SINCE THE 1950's.
A Swedish artist whose drawing of the Prophet Muhammad with a dogs body angered Muslims said Sunday he doesn't feel safe in his home at night, after a week of attacks against him. Lars Vilks told The Associated Press he has started sleeping elsewhere since an attempted arson attack Friday against his home in Nyhamnslage, southern Sweden.
Earlier in the week, Vilks was attacked by a man as he gave a lecture at a university in central Sweden, and the following day his Web site appeared to have been targeted by hackers.
Vilks said he has decided to sleep elsewhere as a precaution, but doesn't think there will be another attack against him right now because of increased police patrols. "During the day I don't think it is dangerous because I can keep watch over myself," Vilks said. "But I have to realize that I can't be there during the night.".
The attack, overnight Friday to Saturday when Lars Vilks was not at home, blackened part of the exterior, but the fire went out by itself although police found glass bottles containing petrol inside.
Both suspects, aged 21 and 19, are Swedish nationals of Kosovar origin who reside in the southern city of Landskrona and who were arrested after personal items were found near the scene, police said.
"They were both unknown to the police," Scania district police spokesman Calle Paersson told AFP.
The 21-year-old was arrested on Saturday at his home, while his 19-year-old accomplice was arrested yesterday.
The suspects, whose names have not been made public, were due to see a judge on Monday who will decide whether or not to charge them.
Hesham Shashaa looked twice at the display on his cellphone, staring at the number. "It's either a person who needs help or someone who wants to kill me," he said.
Mr. Shashaa, an imam at the Darul Quran mosque in Munich, follows the strictest form of Islam, Salafi. But the people who want to kill him are Muslims. "They use the religion for their personal aims and declare war on Jews and Christians, but I want people to follow what Islam really says," said Mr. Shashaa, who with his beard and traditional clothes has sometimes been likened to Osama bin Laden. But his philosophy is quite different.
A growing number of imams in Europe and the Middle East have denounced suicide missions and terrorist acts. Many of these imams, however, still view Al Qaeda, the Taliban or Hamas as legitimate resistance movements, while Mr. Shashaa openly declares that they are violating the tenets of Islam.
He travels to mosques and madrasas throughout Europe, as well as the Middle East and Pakistan, telling young Muslims that fighting against American troops and other forces is a violation of their religion. He condemns militant recruiters in his sermons, urges worshipers at Friday Prayer to call the police if they hear about plans for an attack and readily talks with law enforcement officials about the reasons for radicalization and the best way to combat it. "We cannot just sit down and let other people hijack our religion," he said in an interview.
Threats come with the territory, so now Mr. Shashaa travels with former students who act as his bodyguards. "This man is a traitor," wrote one critic in a posting on a jihadist Web site. "He needs a lesson," said another, who published pictures of Mr. Shashaa meeting with police officers.
He has a complex relationship with German law enforcement officials, who see his message as crucial and unique here and continually press him to do more. "We know that he speaks and works against terrorism groups like Al Qaeda or the Taliban, and that is important," said a senior German security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make official statements about Mr. Shashaa. "He is the only example who is doing it in this way here in Germany, and in this sense he is effective."
Actually, if he's the only one, he's not nearly as effective as you, and he, would like. Nonetheless, in the end if Muslims cannot fix the jihadi problem, it will have to be fixed for them -- a solution which would be exceedingly painful all around.
At the same time, Mr. Shashaa said, he must keep the trust of his congregants, who feel singled out by law enforcement agencies. Recently his own mosque was searched by law enforcement officials who were looking for a specific book about women in Islam that is not allowed in Germany, a Munich security official said. Mr. Shashaa confirmed that he had the book in his library. "Of course I had it," he said. "I need to know what is in these books. How else will I know how to argue with recruiters?"
Mr. Shashaa, the child of a Palestinian father and an Egyptian mother, was born and educated in Egypt, where he worked for a time as a journalist. He is in his 50s, though he is evasive about his age because he does not want young people to think that he is too old to understand them. He has three wives, marrying the later two in ceremonies recognized by his mosque if not the state. The wives and 10 children all live in his Munich home.
Mr. Shashaa said he had not intended to end up in Germany. But he lost his briefcase there on a 2000 stopover while on his way to Britain from Romania, where he had been living. "Everything was gone, the papers, the money," he said. "So I thought it was God's will that I should stay here."
He has won over some people who say they had intended to wage jihad against the West, including one of his bodyguards, who would appear to be a dream recruit for any militant group. The bodyguard, Abu Khalid, 36, served in the Jordanian Army, excels in tae kwon do and has extensive knowledge of weapons.
After moving to Germany from Jordan and France in the 1990s, Mr. Khalid said, "I got into some circles where people talked about jihad and thought I had to defend my brothers and sisters in Iraq." Looking for an imam who would back his mission, he met Mr. Shashaa, who introduced him to the teachings of Islamic scholars who opposed violence. "Then I realized that I was on the wrong path," Mr. Khalid said.
Mr. Shashaa talks with regret about the young men he could not dissuade, including a 19-year-old of Tunisian descent, who lived in northern Germany. Visiting the young man's mosque, he sat talking with him and two children. "They were just talking about war and killing of unbelievers," he said, shaking his head. "They were totally brainwashed." Later, Mr. Shashaa said, a friend told him that the young man was killed in Iraq in 2005.
One less to cause problems elsewhere. Thank you, President Bush.
Eight months ago, Mr. Shashaa traveled to Pakistan, where he visited madrasas and mosques, talking about jihad. He videotaped some of his sessions, which he showed The New York Times. One session featured an angry student asking him, "Isn't it our duty to support our brothers from Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the jihad against the American occupation in Afghanistan?"
Mr. Shashaa listened and then said that jihad was part of the Koran and allowed for self-defense. "But it must be the head of state or caliphate who announces jihad," he said. "It can't be someone like bin Laden or Mullah Omar who declares jihad," a reference to the leaders of Al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban. "What they do is not jihad." In response, one man stood up and shouted, "I swear to God, you should be killed."
Mr. Shashaa let the man finish before replying. "If you can show me in the Koran or Sunnah that I am wrong," he said, referring to the sacred book of Islam and its prophetic traditions, "I will be the first one who would take a gun and join them, but you won't be able to find something like that."
Mr. Shashaa knows about the fascination that militant groups can hold. As a young man in Egypt, he said, he sought answers in a variety of movements: Communism, Sufism, the Muslim Brotherhood and even jihadist groups. Eventually, he said, he concluded that most of the young people attracted to the groups "did not ask any questions, as if they had closed eyes."
That is why Mr. Shashaa is convinced that people like him, who know how the members of groups like Al Qaeda work and think, have the best chance of reaching young people who are drawn to these networks.
Agreed. Which is why some of the more prominent have written books that are shaking up the jihadi world. But so many more take the coward's road, preaching what the jihadis want to hear.
"If I would not have a long beard and not have this knowledge, do you think anyone would follow or believe me?" he said.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/16/2010 15:38 ||
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#1
gotta do something in lieu of being competent
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/16/2010 19:30 Comments ||
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#2
how do you tell a radicallized paki from a regular paki?
Posted by: chris ||
05/16/2010 19:38 Comments ||
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#3
Q:" how do you tell a radicallized paki from a regular paki?"
A: A radialized paki has a big round motor...oh that's not what you were asking, was it...? never mind, I'll go back to the hangar now.
The failed May 1 Times Square car bombing is rattling the Waziristan tribal badlands of Pakistan. Tribal chieftains and militant leaders are furious with Pakistani Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud and his deputy, master bomb maker Qari Hussain Mehsud, for making Internet videos boasting of responsibility for the attempt and promising more attacks soon. America's Predator drones have been working overtime ever since, killing and wounding dozens of suspected militants. But beyond that, Waziris fear action from Pakistan's military, which was already under extreme U.S. pressure to launch an offensive against militants in the region.
Hoping to lower that risk, tribal and militant heads formed a jirga--a tribal delegation--of roughly a dozen representatives to speak to Hakimullah. According to a Pakistani tribal commander, the jirga met twice with Qari Hussain near the North Waziristan town of Mir Ali. Representatives from some of the region's most important insurgent groups, including the Afghan Taliban, were there: Afghan leader Sirajuddin Haqqani sent a delegate, the tribal commander says, and a South Waziristan subcommander, asking not to be named for safety's sake, confirms that his leader, Mullah Nazir, was represented as well. According to tribal journalist Sailab Mehsud, the jirga was led by Mir Ali-based insurgent heads Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Sadiq Noor. All three Waziristan chiefs have ceasefire deals with Islamabad, even though they're at war against U.S. troops across the border in Afghanistan.
The talks were preceded by a lavish tribal banquet, but they ended badly, says the anonymous commander, who asks not to be named for security reasons. "We are already at war," the tribal commander quotes him as telling the jirga, "and our leader has been killed"--a reference to Hakimullah's predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, who died in a drone attack last August. "Why should we be on the defensive against these infidels? They are firing at us, so we should be firing back at them everywhere." The jirga urged him to be more cautious, but it was no use. "If you put your hand in a snake's hole, you'll get bitten," a tribal elder said. "If they [the Americans] are snakes, then we are snakes too," Qari Hussain snarled back.
Yes, but the Americans are snakes with Predators. That poison works a good deal faster than suicide and VBIED bombers.
The talks broke up with no agreement. The tribal commander worries that the jirga only made Hakimullah and Qari Hussain angrier. And if Hakimullah gets his wish for an all-out war in Waziristan, the Afghan insurgency will suffer along with the Waziris. Qari's suicide bombers and demolitions experts will be tied down in the tribal area fighting the Pakistanis, and the flow of insurgents into Afghanistan is sure to be disrupted. That would mean real trouble for the Taliban as they face a flood of U.S. reinforcements.
#1
WAFF> CIA ANALYST: NEXT TERROR ATTACK [mass casulaty]ON US WILL BE POSTMARKED "PAKISTAN" | FAILED TIMES SQAURE CAR BOMBING ATTEMPT SIGNALS DESIRE BY PAK TALIBAN TO LAUNCH ATTACKS AGZ THE US.
FROM PAK [Rome]. WID LOVE > OOOOOOOOOO, youse can just hear DORIS DAY? singing 1960's "QUE SERA/CERA", can't ye!?
[Dawn] Five Americans held in Pakistan on terrorism charges informed a judge in written statements Saturday that they were innocent and keen to return to the United States, a defence lawyer said.
The men aged between 19 and 25 are being tried behind closed doors at an anti-terrorism court in a district jail in the eastern city of Sargodha, where they were arrested in December.
They were indicted in March and have denied charges of funnelling money to outlaws and of plotting a terror attack. They face life in prison if convicted.
The men have again professed their innocence in separate written statements submitted to the judge, Mian Anwar Nazeer, defence lawyer Hassan Katchela said.
"They denied the charges, insisting that they opposed violence and bloodshed and had been engaged in peace and social work," Katchela told AFP by telephone after the court adjourned until May 21.
Seven charges have been filed against the five suspects, Umar Farooq, Waqar Hussain, Rami Zamzam, Ahmad Abdullah Mini and Amman Hassan Yammer.
"My only wish is to be back home and join my mom," Mini said in his statement to the judge.
"She always taught me to be kind to the people and be peaceful. I never wanted to disobey my parents. I miss them and I wish to return home as soon as possible," Mini wrote.
Claiming to be a "liberal" person, Mini also told the judge he once won an inter-school "breakdancing" contest in his home state of Virginia, his lawyer said.
Mini, who said he ran an organisation in the US called Protest for Peace, said he had been "inspired after seeing a movie 'Kite Runner' in 2008 and decided to go and do charity work in Afghanistan."
The movie, about two boys' war-wracked childhood in Afghanistan, also inspired Waqar Hussain, who was quoted by Katchela as telling the judge that it had inspired him to help Afghanistan's people.
"I always worked for peace and and would like to be in my country soon. I want to complete my studies in radiology and live with my beautiful fiancee," his lawyer quoted him as telling the judge.
Defence lawyers last month cross-examined nine prosecution witnesses including district police chief Usman Anwar, who said the suspects were plotting to conduct a campaign terror in Pakistan.
Investigators believe the men planned to travel from Sargodha to South Waziristan, a training ground for Islamist militants in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt and a region targeted by a major military operation last year.
Prosecution lawyer Nadeem Cheema confirmed that the accused had denied the charges. The case may be concluded sometime next month, Cheema said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
keep em - we don't want them back. No, really. Keep em
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/16/2010 0:30 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawwar Hasan says the only way to answer US threats and counter its pressure for military operation in North Waziristan is to stop all ongoing army operations and initiate a dialogue with all Taliban groups.
"If composite dialogue can be held with India again and again, why not to engage Taliban of our own country," he said here on Friday.
He said Swat Taliban leader Sufi Muhammad was accused of violating the Constitution and the peace agreement with him was scrapped but nationalist parties were openly talking against the Constitution and the law did not move against them.
He said Pervez Musharraf abrogated the Constitution twice but instead of punishment, he was given a red carpet farewell.
He said Sufi Muhammad's only fault was that he demanded enforcement of Sharia, perturbing 'Satanic' forces within the country and abroad. He said the agreement with Sufi Muhammad was scrapped under US pressure.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Fatah spokesman Ahmad Assaf on Saturday welcomed the participation of Hamas leaders in protests against Israel's wall in the West Bank a day earlier.
Assaf said in a statement that the debut attendance of Hamas leaders in popular resistance activities, which are traditionally held by Fatah, amounted to a concession that the Islamists' rivals were right all along.
"We've gotten used to Hamas being late in coming around to [our] decisions and positions," the Fatah spokesman opined. "Hamas raised its weapons -- to strengthen its party positions -- after 25 years of Fatah."
Assaf even dragged up the issue of the 2006 elections, which Hamas won, but only after years of refusing to participate in the process.
"When will the Hamas leadership realize the extent of damage that resulted form the coup in Gaza to the Palestinian cause, and to the Palestinian people who lose from the division?" he asked.
Assaf called on Hamas to sign the Egyptian-backed reconciliation agreement and move toward national unity for the benefit of Palestinians.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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Libya - a country with well documented ties to terrorist organizations and an abysmal human rights record has been elected by a majority of its fellow U.N. members to serve on the United Nations' Human Rights Council. In a secret ballot Libya received 155 votes and will serve a three year term. To get elected each country needed to get 97 votes to assure itself a place on the U.N. body. There are a total of 192 countries that make up the United Nations.
Anyone surprised?
Before the vote was announced, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice acknowledged that the Human Rights Council had not lived up to its potential and "remains flawed." She would not reveal how the U.S. voted but said " it's fair to say that this year, there is a small number of countries whose human rights records is problematic that are likely to be elected and we regret that. I'm not going to sit here and name names. I don't think it's particularly constructive at this point. But it's obvious which countries that are on the ballot have more problematic human rights records than others." Rice told reporters that since the U.S. joined the council there had been some progress - notably Iran's attempt to get on the council which was withdrawn in April and the U.S. led effort to pass a unanimous resolution on the freedom of expression.
Anne Bayefsky, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and Touro College feels that the U.S. could have done a lot more to stop Libya and other human rights abusers from getting on the council. She says "at the very least they could have spoken out against it as bringing the Council into serious disrepute. Bayefsky says "the President is invested on propping up the U.N. as a serious place to protect rights and deal with Iran. The fiction suits his foreign policy so he decided the U.S. should join the Council last year and make U.S. taxpayers pay for it - regardless of the fact that its main priority is to demonize Israel and keep the spotlight off abominations around the world."
Meanwhile Libya's ambassador to the U.N. raced by the media stakeout position without taking questions on what his country would do as a new council member. Calls to the Libyan Ambassador were not returned.
According to Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that "supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights" only five of the fourteen countries that were up for the vote today are considered "qualified" the other countries are categorized as either "not qualified" or "questionable" for their human rights and freedom records.
Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan created the Human Rights Council in 2006 to replace the discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission which he said had a "credibility deficit." But according to a press release from UN Watch , a Geneva based non-government organization, "The Geneva-based council gives dominance to Africa and Asia, whose 26 seats grant them an automatic majority. Western Europe and North America together are represented by seven countries.
The UN Watch press release says "to date, the council has adopted 40 censure resolutions, of which 33 have targeted Israel. The only other governments to be criticized were Burma, Guinea, Honduras, North Korea and Sudan. Out of nine emergency sessions that criticized countries, six were against Israel."
The other countries elected to serve on the Human Rights Council are Angola, Mauritania, Qatar, Malaysia, Uganda, Thailand, Ecuador, Moldova, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Maldives and Guatemala.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
If we had the slightest amount of common sense, we'd tell the UN to take a hike.
#3
Gee, the Nazis should have just waited just a few years for the creation of the UN and they too could have been part of this grand charade. I suppose the criteria is merely to have a country, and if it's a dictatorship, all the better.
#4
If we had the slightest amount of common sense, we'd tell the UN to take a hike.
Problem here is we CREATED the UN.
It's kinda like the police chief discovers that his No 1 son is a thief, How to arrest him an still not lose so much Face you lose both your job, income and home as well?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/16/2010 17:56 Comments ||
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#5
Noone should be surprised at this.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
05/16/2010 20:27 Comments ||
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#6
These days, if it weren't for BS, there would be nothing left.
Posted by: Jefferson ||
05/16/2010 22:41 Comments ||
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NAJAF - The political bloc of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday it had dropped its veto of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki keeping his job, eliminating a major hurdle to him staying in office. A spokesman for Sadr, who is in self-imposed exile in Iran, said Maliki had not yet agreed to conditions that 2,000 of his followers be released but that the movement was not fundamentally against him continuing as premier.
The Sadr movement does not object to Nuri al-Maliki taking the position of prime minister again but we have conditions,' Saleh al-Obeidi told AFP from the holy Shiite city of Najaf in southern Iraq. Maliki has not yet succeeded in giving us assurances about these conditions, which include (stopping) continuous arrests against Sadrists.'
Maliki, a Shiite, finished narrowly behind former premier Iyad Allawi, also a Shiite but whose secular Iraqiya coalition had strong support in Sunni-dominated areas, in a March 7 general election.
Following the election Sadr said in a television interview he had tried not to have a veto against anyone, but the masses had a veto against Maliki.'
Several of Sadr's public statements, delivered by spokesmen or senior aides, have also been highly critical of Maliki.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: President Massoud Barazani of the Iraqi Kurdistan invited the blocs that won the Iraq's parliamentary election to visit the region on Saturday so that they can discuss a suitable solution that satisfies them all.
Cheez, he sounds like Gilani in Pak-land ...
Except that I think President Barazani is more than a mere conniving figurehead.
"It is important to start serious negotiations between all Iraqi political components to form the country's new government," Kurdistan Presidency said in a release received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
It stressed that dialogue and discussion are the best approach to solve all current problems.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Israel is threatening to launch a global campaign against Saudi Arabia, in keeping with a decision that was made by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and which has been kept secret until now, Israel's daily Maariv reported.
The campaign, if launched, would target audiences in the United States, Europe and other places around the world. It would draw attention to Saudi Arabia's human rights issues, the status of women and alleged terrorism financing, in the U.S. Congress, the European Parliament and other venues. The campaign would go so far as to lodge complaints with international courts.
Lieberman's decision was made after foreign minister officials concluded that Saudi Arabia was the principal force behind a global campaign to delegitimize Israel. Senior political officials said this week in closed conversations that Saudis had mostly financed the international court lawsuits, public debates and conferences that have been hounding Israel's reputation. Israel will also demand that Americans press Saudi Arabia to relinquish its campaign against Israel.
"They're playing a double game," said one political official. "The Saudis act as if they are part of the moderate camp and are trying to exploit the West for their own needs, when at the same time they have been financing an orchestrated campaign against Israel's legitimacy, against Israel's economy and more. That needs to be ended."
Many Israeli political officials, both in the Foreign Ministry and in other departments, however disagree with Lieberman's decision saying it will not yield positive results. The Saudis may have their faults, say the opponents, but they are clearly situated in the moderate camp, they support political negotiations, they stand behind the Arab peace initiative and they are equally threatened by Iran and radical Islam just like Israel is.
Israeli political officials opposed to Lieberman's initiative argue that Israel should be looking to find a common ground with Saudi Arabia. That criticism, however, seems unlikely to change Lieberman's decision, according to the newspaper.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
He has a point.Saudi have being funding anti Israeli parties for decades!
Posted by: Paul D ||
05/16/2010 4:28 Comments ||
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#2
Saudi have being funding anti Israeli parties for decades!
#3
The Saudis have been involved with mischief making, not just against Israel, but against the US. The problem is that the Saud family, and thus the government, does not speak with one voice, nor do they have a single direction to their foreign policy. They try to play all sides of the game at once.
In this regard, the Saudis are much like the Iranians, with one of them smiling and shaking your hand, while another is trying to stab you in the back, another is fixing your car, and another is trying to steal it.
In real terms, Saudi leaders are funding terrorism, fighting terrorism, apologizing for terrorism, executing terrorists, reeducating terrorists, and recruiting for terrorism, all at the same time.
#4
TW
They have been funding Hamas,PLO,MB for years.All the extremist in Egypt,Jordan,Pakistan,Sudan(Turabi)etc have found they are safe/amongst friends in Saudi. Saudi have funded an A-Z of Islamist parties from AlQ to the Taliban!
Wahabbism=Intolerant Islam/Terrorism and who are the founders of the Wahabs?
Posted by: Paul D ||
05/16/2010 9:35 Comments ||
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#5
Thank you, Paul D and Anonymoose. Yours are the kind of comments that I really come to Rantburg for. :-)
[Iran Press TV Latest] The Rachel Corrie, AKA "Pancake One"...
a solidarity ship, sets sail from Ireland to deliver humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip which is struggling with a three-year Israeli-imposed blockade.
The 1,200-ton cargo ship -- part of an eight-vessel flotilla dubbed the "Freedom Flotilla" -- is also taking peace activists from nearly 40 countries, and will be joined by ships from Turkey and Greece.
The ship, which departed from Ireland on Saturday, will bring aid materials such as cement, paper, medical equipment, school supplies and several other materials to the Gazans.
An Israeli blockade, in place since June 2007, prevents even the most essential supplies from entering the Gaza Strip.
Israel says it will not allow solidarity ships to reach the Gaza coast. Media reports indicate that the Israeli Navy was ordered to prevent the humanitarian ships from reaching Gaza, even if this means using military force against the civilian ships and activists.
"The siege on Gaza is a disgrace for the entire international community. It is a camp that is worse than the camps of the Nazis in the past. The world must uphold its responsibility," said UN General Assembly President, Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on Friday.
The Freedom Flotilla is organized by an international coalition that includes the Free Gaza Movement, the Turkish Humanitarian Aid Foundation, the European Committee Against the Siege and several Malaysian, Greek and Irish institutions.
The ship is named after Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza in 2003.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I suppose it's to much to hope the Pirates get them?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/16/2010 3:54 Comments ||
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#2
or a Nork torpedo?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/16/2010 8:49 Comments ||
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#3
Now that he is out of office, is Georgie Galloway going?
#4
"The siege on Gaza is a disgrace for the entire international community. It is a camp that is worse than the camps of the Nazis in the past. The world must uphold its responsibility," said UN General Assembly President, Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on Friday.
You mean the Jews were firing rockets against innocent German citizens from the ghettos and blowing up German Discos and cafe's with the intent of murdering innocents?
[Iran Press TV Latest] Two committees at Arab Parliament have called on the Arab League members to sever "all direct and indirect contacts with Israel" over Tel Aviv's "ethnic cleansing" policy.
During a two-day convention in Damascus, the Foreign Affairs and Policy Committee and the National Security Committee, called on member states to sever all ties with the Israeli regime in protest at the expulsion policy it has been practicing in the West Bank.
The committees pointed to Tel Aviv's latest decision to expel tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians, describing it as a "new chapter of ethnic cleansing."
Israel has a policy, which allows the military to deport or expel "infiltrators," who according to Tel Aviv are Palestinians without proper registration papers.
Two military orders enforced in April expanded the definition of "infiltrator," thereby rendering potentially thousands of Gaza residents in the West Bank susceptible to deportation.
"Intensified settlement activity in the occupied Arab territories reaffirms that Israel does not wish to reach a just peace in the Middle East, rejecting any mediation aimed at stopping settlement growth and withdrawing from all occupied land to the 1967 borders," the committees said on Saturday.
In March, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said that the body would discuss withdrawing the Arab Peace Initiative amidst ongoing settlement activity.
The initiative offers normalization of ties with Israel in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.
Since the indirect talks between Israel and Palestine began last week, Tel Aviv has revealed several plans for illegal settlement growth throughout East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the West Bank.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"ethnic cleansing" policy
Hypocrites!Arabs are well known for their ethnic cleansing see Sudan and how the Christians/Jews are teated in Arab contries!
Posted by: Paul D ||
05/16/2010 4:25 Comments ||
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#2
Arab citizens of Israel comprise a little more than 20% of the population. Twelve of the 120 members of the Israeli Parliament are Arab citizens, most representing Arab political parties, and one of Israel's Supreme Court judges is a Palestinian Arab.
Let's see, I wonder if there is a 20% Jewish population in any of these Arab states? Representation in Arab governments? Not too big on democracy in these Arab states? Synagogues or churches in these Arab states? Any near Mecca? I'm not wondering much. They are hypocrites.
Get energy independent of these Arab states and cut our ties. They have been nothing but trouble.
#3
I get so sick and tired of this crap and the whole arab position is based on flaming lies. If Israel was what the arabs claimed, there would be no arabs.
#4
Much of this is on the head of the Israelis, for trying to be "nice guys" and play fair. Were they to seriously crack down on the Arabs, there would actually be *less* criticism.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan unexpectedly left for Tehran today to join talks on Iran's nuclear program that may be a last opportunity to avoid tougher international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva earlier today met with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Neither leader mentioned nuclear talks in their statements to the press. The foreign ministers of Turkey, Brazil and Iran met for 2 1/2 hours today to discuss the nuclear issue, Turkey's state-owned Anatolia news agency reported.
UN Security Council sanctions were a possibility because of Iran's nuclear program,' Erdogan said in Izmir, according to Anatolia. The talks have delayed that a little. God willing we'll be able to overcome these difficulties with the steps that will be taken.'
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on May 14 that Lula's trip may be the last chance' for a negotiated solution before the United Nations Security Council considers new sanctions. U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said on May 13 that if Lula fails, efforts to negotiate with Iran should end and pressure for sanctions should intensify.
The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under cover of its atomic energy program. Iran rejects the claim and says its activities are solely civilian.
Turkey, which borders Iran to the west, opposes additional sanctions against the country and says diplomacy must be pursued. Turkish officials have several times stated their readiness for their country to serve as a venue for a swap of low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel that can be used in a Tehran reactor for medical purposes.
ISTANBUL - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will travel to Tehran Sunday for talks with his Iranian counterpart on the country's disputed nuclear programme, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
"Mr Davutoglu received a call from Mr Mottaki who invited him to come to Tehran as soon as possible, preferably to coincide with the visit of Brazilian President" Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said the Turkish diplomat upon condition of anonymity.
=Lula will be in Tehran on Sunday for a non-aligned summit that the United States and Russia have said might offer Iran's last chance to avoid tough new UN sanctions.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he was unlikely to go to Tehran over Iran's failure to confirm a commitment to a UN-brokered deal backed by world powers.
Turkey and Brazil are both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council and have so far resisted US-led efforts to push through a fourth package of sanctions over Iran's failure to heed repeated ultimatums to suspend its sensitive uranium enrichment activities. Both countries have tried in recent weeks to get Iran to resume contacts with the West and agree to the UN-brokered deal.
Or to get Iran to share nuclear technology with them ...
Russia wants to sell Turkey up to four nuclear power plants, if I recall correctly.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff have focused on UN-drafted proposals in October for Iran to ship out most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium in return for a supply of nuclear fuel by the major powers. The plan aims to allay Western concerns that Iran might otherwise covertly enrich some of its stocks to the much higher level required for a nuclear bomb.
Iran has repeatedly baulked at the idea of shipping out its stockpile before its receives the fuel for a Tehran medical research reactor and has demanded that the exchange happen simultaneously and on its own soil.
Last week, however, its ambassador to Brazil, Mohsen Shaterzadeh, said that an exchange in a third country might be acceptable.
Turkey, which although a close Western ally also has close relations with its eastern neighbour, has repeatedly offered to act as that third country. It has also offered to arrange and host talks between Iran and the EU's foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.
But Ankara had expected Iran to confirm a commitment to the UN fuel deal with Turkey as a possible venue for the swap, Erdogan said on Friday, announcing he would not travel to Tehran.
"It seems that a trip to Iran on Monday is no longer possible for me as Iran has not taken that step on the issue," he said. "If necessary my foreign minister may go, or I may go later."
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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TEHRAN - A French teacher arrested on spying charges after Iran's election in June last year will be allowed to leave the country after her jail sentence was commuted to a $285,000, her lawyer said on Saturday.
The case of Clotilde Reiss is finished ... I have paid a fine of $285,000 this morning. I will get her passport tomorrow and she will be allowed to leave immediately after,' Mohammad Ali Mahdavi-Sabet told Reuters.
Reiss, who has been out of jail on bail and staying at the French embassy, was accused of taking part in a Western plot to destabilise the Iranian government after the June 12 vote in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected.
Judiciary officials were not available for comment. The lawyer said earlier that Reiss had been sentenced to two five-year parallel (jail) sentences for various charges'.
We have taken note of the legal decision regarding Clotilde Reiss and we await her return without delay,' French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said on Saturday.
Reiss was arrested in Tehran in July when preparing to leave the Islamic state after working at the University of Isfahan for five months. She was among thousands of people detained over widespread post-vote unrest. Most have since been freed, though dozens, including former senior officials, have been sentenced to up to 16 years and two people were hanged in January. At least nine others are appealing death sentences.
In the Reiss case, Ahmadinejad had called on France last September to consider a prisoner swap if Paris wanted to secure her release, without naming Iranian prisoners he wanted to see freed. France dismissed the suggestion as blackmail'.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/16/2010 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Two North Korean naval boats briefly crossed the tense western sea border with South Korea in the first violation since a South Korean warship sank in the area following a mysterious explosion in March, the South's military said Sunday.
Hesham Shashaa looked twice at the display on his cellphone, staring at the number. "It's either a person who needs help or someone who wants to kill me," he said. 
Libya - a country with well documented ties to terrorist organizations and an abysmal human rights record has been elected by a majority of its fellow U.N. members to serve on the United Nations' Human Rights Council. In a secret ballot Libya received 155 votes and will serve a three year term. To get elected each country needed to get 97 votes to assure itself a place on the U.N. body. There are a total of 192 countries that make up the United Nations.
