German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was encouraged by Tunisia's progress in making the transition from dictatorship to islamofascism democracy.
"Tunisia can become a model for transformation in the region if it succeeds in perpetuating the fledgling theocratization democratization process," the German Foreign Minister said after talks with Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali of the long-banned islamofascist moderate Islamist party Ennahda, and the country's new president, Moncef Marzouki.
The Arab Spring uprisings began Tunisia in December 2010.
Westerwelle also addressed western concern over islamofascists moderate Islamists at the helm of the country. He said Europe must pay no attention to the theocratic fascism behind the curtain get used to the idea that "there are Islamic-democratic parties just like there are Christian-democratic parties in Europe."
Germany has pledged 32 million euros ($40.77 million) danegeld for Tunisia towards establishing democratic institutions in Tunisia over the next two years.
#1
It would be more accurate to say, "Traditionally more moderate Tunisians, whose former leader regularly pruned radicals, are more moderate than Muslims that try to coexist or tolerate radicals."
#2
"there are Islamic-democratic parties just like there are Christian-democratic parties in Europe."
'cept for their platforms extolling wife beatings, child abuse, beheadings and stuff.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/10/2012 9:11 Comments ||
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#3
It should be mandatory that Tunisia install a communist regime after they tire of their Islamic Republic. Then they will have sampled all three flavors of the subjigation Nepolitan before they taste freedom. If they still don't relish liberty, they can join the EU caliphate in about 2050.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/10/2012 15:30 Comments ||
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#4
Ultimately this lunacy stems from the toxic 'War on Terror' meme.
If the method 'Terrorism' is the enemy then islamofascists who do not utilize this method can be our allies.
If we're strengthening non-terroristic islamofascists by making political concessions, and by paying danegeld then the terrorists will lose because we've demonstrated that islamofascism can succeed without terrorism.
In Afghanistan this is called 'winning hearts and minds', in North Africa it is 'aid for establishing democratic institutions.'
If a demographic strongly pushes its religion as a base for a political system, is it facism? Or is it situational, variable, determined after due consideration?
Is a hands-off, or (to use a now semi-trite phrase) "lead from behind", preferable to attempting to influence an outcome? Or, again, is it situational, variable, determined after due consideration?
TUNIS: The head of Tunisias moderate Islamic party has condemned anti-Semitic slogans chanted by a handful of ultraconservatives at the arrival of a top Hamas official.
Rachid Ghannouchi in a statement issued in the early hours of the morning Monday reiterated his partys policy that Tunisias Jews are full citizens with equal rights and duties.
The Ennahda Party won a plurality of seats in Tunisias new assembly in Octobers elections and now heads the ruling coalition.
Videos circulated online showing members of the crowd greeting Hamas Ismail Haniyeh at the airport on Thursday chanting kill the Jews and crush the Jews. The chants came from Salafists that have been making their presence felt in Tunisia recently.
TUNIS: The head of Tunisia's moderate Islamic party has condemned anti-Semitic slogans chanted by a handful of ultraconservatives at the arrival of a top Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, official.
Rachid Ghannouchi in a statement issued in the early hours of the morning Monday reiterated his party's policy that Tunisia's Jews are "full citizens with equal rights and duties."
The Ennahda Party won a plurality of seats in Tunisia's new assembly in October's elections and now heads the ruling coalition.
Videos circulated online showing members of the crowd greeting Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... at the airport on Thursday chanting "kill the Jews" and "crush the Jews." The chants came from Salafist ...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't... s that have been making their presence felt in Tunisia recently.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has agreed to hold a Jewish-Muslim dialogue in Bahrain later this year.
And General Musharref, ret. said Pakistan has been privately talking with Israel for years. Iran certainly has its neighbors concerned, if they are openly talking to the Zionist entity of the juices.
Iran is a common threat to Bahrain, Israel and the US, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was quoted as saying by a Jewish official on Sunday.
Rabbi Marc Schneier, vice president of the World Jewish Congress, said the king told him he was alarmed by the Islamic Theocratic Republic during a 45- minute meeting held in the capital city of Manama late last month.
"I made a point how it's ironic how we share a common enemy and he acknowledged that Iran has been a threat," said Schneier, who gave the king a Hanukkah menorah at the end of their conversation.
The nation has a troubled history with its northern neighbor across the Persian Gulf, which once laid claim to its territory.
Schneier said Hamad agreed to his request to host a Jewish-Moslem dialogue in the oil-rich country later this year. The rabbi, who is also president of the Foundation for Interfaith Dialogue, said there was no set date or list of participants yet but that the conference would aim to improve ties between the Abrahamic faiths.
The news comes at a time when the Sunni elite that rules Bahrain has been accused of oppressing the country's Shi'ite majority.
Last year Sunni security forces and Shi'ite protesters clashed for weeks, leaving 51 people dead, according to local human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... groups.
Schneier said he did not believe Hamad was reaching out to Jews to rebuff charges of religious intolerance against him, saying the ruler had "implemented reforms and reached out to his opponents and tried to help."
He said it was imperative to hold talks between Jews and Moslems now because the perfect conditions to conduct such a conversation would never arise.
"Whether we chose to have it [in Bahrain] or not you can't wait," he said. "It's a genuine sincere effort to expand Moslem-Jewish dialogue."
During his stay Schneier met with the small but influential Jewish community in Bahrain including Jewish- Bahraini member of parliament Nancy Khadouri and Houda Nonoo, the country's ambassador to the US.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/10/2012 17:36 Comments ||
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#2
WORLD NEWS > REASONS WHY BAHRAIN SHOULD BE RETURNED TO IRAN.
* TOPIX > [Afghanistan National Front = ANF]TALIBAN OFFICE IN QATAR TERMED A NEW GAME.
The setting up of a Taliban diplomatic offcie is more about Taliban exploiting + becom involved in Bahrain's domestic situation [read, DESTABILIZE BAHRAIN] not as per training or getting the Taliban to be involved in normal electoral/democratic processes.
versus
* SAME > REASON WHY BAHRAINIS WERE [mistakenly?]DENIED ARAB SPRING: IRAN.
Majority of Bahraini Shiites want a more public voice + role in local affairs, + prefer to be independent or sovereign from Iran.
Despite their geographical distance, the two countries have forged increasingly close ties, a lot of which is down to their shared anti-Americanism, although concrete projects have often lagged behind the rhetoric.
"One of the targets that Yankee imperialism has in its sights is Iran, which is why we are showing our solidarity," Chavez said during a joint press conference. "That hill will open up and a big atomic bomb will come out," he said of a hill next to his Miraflores Palace.
"When we meet, the devils go crazy," he said, mocking US warnings that Latin American nations should not help the Islamic Republic.
Ahmadinejad concurred: "Despite those arrogant people who do not wish us to be together, we will unite forever," he said.
The two men hugged, beamed, held hands and showered each other with praise. "President Chavez is the champion in the war on imperialism," Ahmadinejad said.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
01/10/2012 14:21 Comments ||
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#2
Chavez spouts stupidity like dogs urinate - a little here a little there. He just doesn't run out of incoherent nonesense to spew. He must be related to the third judge on Dancing With the Stars, the judge that nobody understands. Either that or he is cribbing material off of Kucinich's Best Of Album.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/10/2012 15:20 Comments ||
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#3
Oh to have a laser designater and a B2 on orbit nearby that meeting...
His stupidity comes out of the same oriface, too, SH. :-(
Posted by: Barbara ||
01/10/2012 15:53 Comments ||
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#6
Barbara, one of my brother's had a theory that BJ Honeycutt had no funny lines during the entire last two seasnons of MASH. With the way my kids use Netflix, it would probably be possible but extremely ill-advised to test his hypothesis. I submit that Chavez has not made a rational, coherent statement since the turn of the century. Maybe he thought Prince had insider knowledge and spend 1999 huffing, snorting and injecting enough sunshine to make him moronic for greater than a decade. Either that or he is brilliant in Spanish.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/10/2012 16:03 Comments ||
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Summary: US soldier skips out of active duty comes home one month before after??? his enlistment ends??. He'd converted to Islam by reading things on the Internet, then set out to fight/live under Shariah.
#1
No background on this twit. More info from lotp than the article. Military specialty, stationed where, why did he go AWOL so near to the end of his enlistment? Who, what, when, where, why?
An ex-Army intelligence specialist was caught heading to Somalia to fight and die there with Al Qaeda's regional affiliate, investigators charge.
Craig Baxam, 24, converted to Islam just before leaving the military in July and then quickly radicalized to a jihadist mindset, he told the FBI.
The Laurel, Maryland native was caught late last month on a bus in Kenya "looking for dying with a gun in my hand," according to his arrest affidavit. Baxam ... told investigators he wanted to live in an area governed by the strict edicts of Islamic Sharia law, such as those imposed by Al Shabaab, and defend them to the death if necessary.
Trained in intelligence and cryptography, Baxam said he converted to Islam shortly before leaving the Army in July when he read about the religion online. He returned home to Maryland and his appetite for religious doctrine intensified, he said.
Kenyan police picked up Baxam December 23, he said, after a man he spoke to likely alerted police. FBI agents posted to Nairobi questioned him.
Told by the agents that Al Shabaab beats people caught on the streets during daily prayers, Baxam told them "that is awesome."
Baxam joined the US Army in 2007, and received eight months of advanced training in cryptology and intelligence. He went on to serve in Baghdad and South Korea before leaving the Army in July 2011.
The indictment says Baxam was influenced by Islamic websites while serving in South Korea, and secretly converted to Islam before leaving the army.
#4
I don't care how much he was jonesing for khat. You would think that he would have been smart enough to wait the month to keep himself out of military court.
Be interesting to see where he deployed. Must have missed the smell of rotting/burning feces flesh and garbage.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/10/2012 15:39 Comments ||
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#5
...or a deep agent with authorities rationalizing the 'conversion' process.
[Dawn] Former President General (rtrd) Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... on Monday contacted Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... and discussed his potential return to Pakistain, DawnNews reported.
Musharraf informed the army chief about security obligations for a former president and army chief, reliable sources told DawnNews.
Sources also said that Musharraf will meet former US secretary of state Colin Powel, British Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... , King Abdullah of Jordan and authorities in UAE before arriving in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:06 ||
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[Dawn] Sindh Interior Minister Manzoor Wassan on Monday said that Former President Pervez Perv Musharraf would be tossed in the clink upon his arrival in Pakistain, DawnNews reported. But only if Kayani sez it's okay...
Address the media in a presser arranged at his residence, Wassan said that nobody was above the law, and that Musharraf would be tossed in the clink and sent to jail as soon as he lands at Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Airport. The interior minister claimed that arrangements had been made to send Musharraf to Bloody Karachi's Landhi jail after his arrest.
Musharraf would later be handed over to the Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... government after his arrest, added Wassan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:06 ||
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#1
You would think he would exhaust all other possible places in the world as possible residences before returning to bozo-land. I think that is what Olberman is doing with TV channels. I think he will be black baleed from Lifetime next.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/10/2012 15:44 Comments ||
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[Dawn] A nearly two-month lull in American drone strikes in Pakistain has helped embolden Al Qaeda and several Pak orc factions to regroup, increase attacks on Pak security forces and threaten intensified strikes against allied forces in Afghanistan, the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported on Sunday citing US and Pak officials.
The Death Eaters are increasingly taking advantage of tensions raised by an American air strike in November that killed 24 Pak soldiers in two border outposts, plunging relations between the two countries to new depths.
The Central Intelligence Agency, hoping to avoid making matters worse while Pakistain completes a wide-ranging review of its security relationship with the United States, has not conducted a drone strike since mid-November, the newspaper said.
Over all, drone strikes in Pakistain dropped to 64 last year, compared with 117 in 2010, according to The Long War Journal, a website that monitors the attacks.
Analysts attribute the decrease to a dwindling number of senior Al Qaeda leaders and a pause in strikes last year after the arrest in January of Raymond Davis, a CIA security contractor who killed two Paks in Lahore; the Navy Seal raid in May that killed Al Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden; ... who went shovel-ready... and the American Arclight airstrike on Nov 26.
Diplomats and intelligence analysts say the pause in CIA missile strikes -- the longest in Pakistain in more than three years -- is offering for now greater freedom of movement to an insurgency that had been splintered by in-fighting and battered by American drone attacks in recent months.
Several feuding factions said last week that they were patching up their differences, at least temporarily, to improve their image after a series of kidnappings and, by some accounts, to focus on fighting Americans in Afghanistan.
Other orc groups continue attacking Pak forces. Just last week, Taliban Death Eaters killed 15 security soldiers who had been kidnapped in retaliation for the death of a orc commander, the newspaper said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:06 ||
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[Dawn] Veteran politician and former chief of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... Qazi Hussain Ahmad ... third president (19872009) of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. Qazi was also head of the Muttahidah Majlis-e-Amal until his ego became bigger than the organization. Qazi is what is known as a fiery preacher, which means he has lots of volume, a good delivery, and not a lot of reverence for coherence. He was the patron of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Rasool Sayyaf and Osama bin Laden during the war against the Soviets. He used to recommend drinking camel's urine to maintain good health before his kidneys started to go... has asked Pak Taliban and the government to stop fighting and come to the negotiation table.
"Peace talks between the government and Taliban are in the larger interest of the country," he told a public meeting in Mian Mandai area of Mohmand ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... Agency on Sunday. A large number of rustics attended the meeting.
At his first public meeting in the region after extension of Political Parties Act to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Mr Ahmad said if Afghan Taliban and Americans could negotiate then Taliban in Fata should also hold peace talks with the government.
Under the Political Parties Act, political parties are allowed to carry out activities in Fata.
The JI former chief said that government should implement the decisions of All Parties Conference and joint resolution of the parliament.
He said that government should end military operations against Taliban in Fata to level ground for meaningful dialogue.
Mr Ahmad said that talks between Americans and Afghan Taliban would remain useless without involvement of Pakistain.
He said that America and its allies were desperate for safe passage from Afghanistan.
He said that rustics had been rendering great sacrifices since creation of Pakistain, but successive governments had ignored their contribution.
He said that the army was being pressurised by the America to conduct operations against rustics.
Addressing the meeting, former MNA from Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central Sahibzada Haroon Rashid claimed that JI was the most popular political force in Fata.
He said that JI would field candidates on all seats of the National Assembly from Fata in the next general elections.
A resolution adopted by the meeting called upon the government to abolish all discriminatory laws against tribal people including Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and give funda-mental rights to the people of the area besides setting up an elected council for Fata.
The meeting also demanded establishment of a cadet college in Mohmand Agency and construction of Munda Dam.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:06 ||
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Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
#1
The Taliban got nothing else but endless violence and oppression. While ruling Afghanistan, they never actually ruled, they just went around being violent and oppressive in increasingly random ways, approaching truly whimsical anarchy.
They are barbarian to the point of being like animals.
[Dawn] Jamaat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... said here on Sunday that the president could be persuaded to resign if the political situation so required. "It'd probably take a little while to work out a price, but he's willing to go."
Talking to news hounds after a meeting of his party, he said: "I think there is no need for mounting pressure on President Zardari as he can be persuaded to resign."
He said the judiciary was empowered to get its verdicts implemented.
He said anyone could seek an order from courts to get their verdicts implemented and a court could also take notice on its own.
The JUI-F chief said all institutions should remain within their constitutional limits and avoid confrontation.
Replying to a question, he said the JUI-F was in favour of early elections.
"The government also appears to be in favour of holding early general elections and the opposition also demands it. So we have started contacting opposition parties to evolve consensus on the issue. We have sent a message to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... for and understanding on setting up an independent Election Commission and an interim government and preparing transparent voter lists. We are waiting for Mr Sharif's reply," he said.
He said the president, in his recent TV interview, had conceded that the condition of institutions like PIA and the railways had deteriorated.
He said the religious organizations would eventually gather on one political platform.
Addressing JUI-F's Lahore general council meeting, he urged workers to start preparing for elections. He said the rulers had done nothing to meet the promises they had made and corruption was rampant.
"We are hearing new slogans of a coming tsunami but we don't believe in politics of sloganeering. A tsunami always brings destruction."
He said the country's defence, economic and political system was being controlled by international institutions and not by the government.
"We need to disseminate our manifesto to make Pakistain a sovereign Islamic welfare state," he said.
PPI adds: Maulana Fazl advised politicians to resolve their issues among themselves instead of looking towards the judiciary or army.
He claimed that the situation in the country was worsening by the day.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:06 ||
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[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... accused on Monday officials in Leb of resorting to claiming that the al-Qaeda terrorist group had infiltrated in order to serve their interests.
He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: "The stupidity of those individuals did not take into account the sensitivity of the situation in the region when they said that al-Qaeda had entered the town of Arsal."
"They did not take into consideration the negative repercussions that their statements would have on the town," he added.
Furthermore, he said that some politicians and security officials did not hesitate to announce that al-Qaeda had infiltrated Arsal, "completely disregarding the town's rich Arab history."
"The issue of al-Qaeda, should it exist in Leb, should not be addressed through the media and various television debates, but through the specialized official circles," stressed Jumblat.
Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn had stated a few weeks ago that al-Qaeda members had entered Arsal.
The statements came shortly before twin bombings in Damascus ...Home to a staggering array of terrorist organizations... that killed over 40 people.
The Syrian regime accused al-Qaeda of being behind the attack.
The March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... -led opposition slammed Ghosn's statements, saying that they were an attempt to link Leb to the instability in Syria.
Addressing the situation in Syria, Jumblat praised the Arab ministerial committee's efforts in ending the crisis, saying that they have realized the importance of a political solution to the matter.
"We look forward to a time when the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... would represent the free Arab people and we hope that it would meet their aspirations for equality, freedom, and democracy," added the PSP leader.
Turning to the various Syrian activists and their "peaceful political struggle", he remarked: "I apologize for taking too long to join the rest of the people demanding Syria's freedom."
"I hope the crisis will end as soon as possible and that a new, free, and democratic Syria would emerge," Jumblat concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:05 ||
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[An Nahar] Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday of a "civil war" in neighboring Syria, where Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... 's regime is persisting with a deadly crackdown on opponents.
"The situation that has emerged there is right now heading towards a religious, sectarian and racial civil war. This must be stopped," Erdogan said at a televised presser.
"Turkey must play a leading role here. A civil war which could emerge would put us in difficulty ... and pose a threat to us," he said.
Turkey, which shares a 910-kilometer border with Syria, has stepped up criticism of Assad's crackdown on opposition protests, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives since mid-March, according to U.N. estimates.
Erdogan has previously openly called on his one-time ally Assad to step down.
"Syria right now has an administration which mercilessly murders its own citizens. Nobody can expect us to applaud ... authoritarian regimes," said Erdogan.
Erdogan added that Turkey had begun implementing sanctions against the Syrian leadership, adding that they would increase according to the situation on the ground.
Earlier on Monday, Turkey called on the Syrian opposition to continue its uprising against the Assad regime through "peaceful means," a foreign ministry front man.
"The Syrian opposition demands democracy and we told them during a meeting yesterday (Sunday) that this should be done through peaceful means," the front man told Agence La Belle France Presse, referring to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's talks in Istanbul with the opposition Syrian National Council.
Davutoglu's meeting with a 10-member delegation led by SNC chief Burhan Ghalioun, is the third after his contacts with the group on October 13 and November 17, said the front man.
The Syrian National Council has an office in Istanbul, he noted.
A team of Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... monitors has been in Syria since December 26, trying to assess whether Assad's regime is complying with a peace accord aimed at ending its deadly crackdown on dissent.
Critics say it has been completely outmaneuvered by the government and has failed to make any progress towards stemming the crackdown. They have called for the mission to pull out.
Ankara says that around 7,500 Syrians have decamped across the border with its southern neighbor in the face of the crackdown.
Colonel Riad al-Asaad, who heads a group of defectors called the Free Syrian Army, is based in a Turkish border camp.
But Turkish officials have said repeatedly that Ankara will not let its territory be used to launch attacks against the Syrian regime after Syria-based news reports cited gangs' infiltrations from the Turkish side.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:05 ||
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#1
A civil war, as opposed to the civil war they are already having?
[An Nahar] Syria's Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... will deliver a speech on Tuesday about the country's "internal matters," in a rare public address by the embattled leader, the official SANA news agency said.
"President Bashir al-Assad will give a speech before midday (1000 GMT) on Tuesday on the internal matters in Syria and developments regarding the situation in the region," SANA reported late Monday.
The announcement comes after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- who has already called on Assad, his one-time ally and friend, to step down -- warned of a looming civil war in Ankara's southern neighbor.
Also on Monday, Syria's opposition denounced the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... for taking a "step backwards" in the country and called on the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... to take charge in efforts to end the regime's bloody crackdown on dissent.
In a statement, the Syrian National Council hit out the vaporous Arab League over the report which said the "killing has been reduced" and had recommended that a team of Arab monitors continue their mission.
"The council considers the report on the work of the observers a step backwards in the efforts by the League, and does not reflect the reality seen by the observers on the ground," said an SNC statement received by Agence La Belle France Presse.
The SNC expressed disappointment at the "slowness and reluctance of the Arab League in implementing the Arab plan, which clearly states the need for the military to return to their barracks, release all detainees, authorize peaceful demonstrations and give access to observers and journalists."
The umbrella group made up of Arab and Kurdish nationalists, Marxists and independents urged the League to "immediately" begin talks with U.N. chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... on proposing the Arab peace plan to the Security Council to "prevent procrastination".
It called for "the protection of civilians by all legitimate means in the context of international humanitarian law, including the establishment of safety and no-fly zones."
A team of Arab League monitors has been in Syria since December 26, trying to assess whether Assad's regime is complying with a peace accord aimed at ending the crackdown which the U.N. says has killed more than 5,000 people.
The Moslem Brüderbund, which is part of the SNC, had earlier denounced the Arab League after the bloc decided Sunday to extend its mission despite criticism it has been completely outmaneuvered and is only serving to cover up the regime's acts.
"It is clear that the observer mission in Syria seeks to cover up the crimes of the Syrian regime by giving it the time and opportunity to kill our people and break their will," Brotherhood front man Zuhair Salem said.
The SNC was urged to carry on with its uprising by Turkey, following talks on Sunday in Istanbul, and Prime Minister Erdogan warned action must be taken to prevent an all-out war.
"The situation that has emerged there is right now heading towards a religious, sectarian and racial civil war. This must be stopped," Erdogan told a televised news conference on Monday.
At a meeting in Cairo on Sunday, an Arab ministerial committee gave its widely criticized observer mission to Syria the green light to carry on and pledged to boost the number of monitors but said the committee may request "technical assistance" from the United Nations.
The committee urged Damascus ...Home to a staggering array of terrorist organizations... "to fully and immediately implement its commitments" under the Arab plan, calling on all parties "to immediately stop all forms of violence."
The Syrian Revolution General Commission, grouping activists on the ground, said the meeting fell "short of expectations." The League should use the "necessary means" to halt the violence or admit failure, it said.
The head of the mission, General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, is to give a report to the League on January 19 on Syria's compliance with the peace plan, the ministers said.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, who chaired the Cairo meeting, called on Syria to "take a historic decision" to stop the bloodshed.
A report by the observers discussed at the meeting showed that "killing has been reduced. But even one killing (is too much)," said Sheikh Hamad, whose country has taken a lead role in efforts to resolve the crisis.
Sheikh Hamad said the League hoped to raise the number of observers to 300 "within the next few days" from around 163 now deployed.
Stepping up its attacks on Doha, the official media in Damascus on Monday accused the Qatari premier of "inciting violence" and working to sabotage the Arab mission.
His role at the meeting in Cairo "went beyond interference in the internal affairs of Syria, constituting a declaration of war," said the daily Tishrin.
Western efforts to raise the crisis at the U.N. Security Council have been stymied by Damascus ally Moscow.
Russia has a recently expanded naval base at Tartus on Syria's Mediterranean coast, where it docked a large flotilla headed by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov on Saturday.
Defense Minister General Daood Rajha paid tribute to Russia's "consistent and honorable position in support of Syria," when he toured the carrier on Sunday, the official SANA news agency reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:05 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[An Nahar] Iran will not falter in the face of Western-imposed sanctions, the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in comments broadcast on state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
on Monday.
"The firm decision of the Islamic Theocratic Republic is to resist the pressures" of Western powers, Khamenei said.
"While the Iranian people have traveled the road to success and see the signs of new victories to come, the (Western) oppressor is trying to frighten the Iranian people and officials by brandishing the threat of sanctions."
While analysts and some in Iran's government have said the latest round of sanctions have hit Iran's economy, the top leader dismissed claims that the strategy will block his country from pursuing its goals.
"Western officials have declared on a number of occasions that, with sanctions and pressure, they want to discourage the people and lead officials to renounce their plans, but they are mistaken and they will not achieve their objectives," said Khamenei.
The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... is joining the United States in ratcheting up sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, which the West believes masks a drive to develop an atomic weapons capability.
Iran, which insists its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes, has said it is "not concerned" by the imminent EU embargo. It says it will easily be able to sell its oil to other markets.
Iranian political and military officials have threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf if their country is threatened by military action or if sanctions halt oil exports.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/10/2012 00:05 ||
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Link ||
[8 views]
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#1
Sounds as if he is OK with an embargo of imports as long as we let him sell oil. The UN already has an apparatus to enact an oil for food program. Everything should work out fine.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/10/2012 15:51 Comments ||
Top||
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.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was encouraged by Tunisia's progress in making the transition from dictatorship to 
TUNIS: The head of Tunisia's moderate Islamic party has condemned anti-Semitic slogans chanted by a handful of ultraconservatives at the arrival of a top 
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has agreed to hold a Jewish-Muslim dialogue in Bahrain later this year.
Pervez 
Sindh Interior Minister Manzoor Wassan on Monday said that Former President 
Mohmand
Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Nawaz Sharif
Walid 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
