Baghdad, Oct 31, – Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari on Wednesday said that his government's efforts for the release of Turkish soldiers held by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have reached an advanced staged and envisioned a breakthrough in the situation.
"The Iraqi government is making every effort to release the eight Turkish soldiers. Indirect negotiations have reached an advanced stage," Zibari said "The government is continuing efforts to peacefully solve the PKK's crisis. We did not lose hope of reaching a settlement," the minister added.
Source: Voices of Iraq
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Regional conference to focus on Iraq, important and should not be hijacked
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi foreign minister said Wednesday that this weekend's regional conference in Istanbul must focus only on Iraq's security and stability, not the border crisis over Turkey's threatened incursion against Kurdish rebels. The high-level meeting on Saturday will be a follow-up to a May meeting in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. Iraq's neighbors, among other things, promised to stop foreign militants from joining Iraq's insurgency, a pledge that the United States says has not been met. But it comes as Turkey has threatened military action against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, who have been staging cross-border hit-and-run attacks into Turkey from their bases in northern Iraq as they seek to create an autonomous Kurdish state in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast. Turkey also is considering a series of economic sanctions that could affect the self-governing Kurdish administration in Iraq's north.
"This meeting is very important and should not be hijacked by the current tension and crisis over the PKK terrorist activities in Turkey," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said. We want this meeting to focus on Iraq's stability and security and not to be diverted to the current problem between the Turkish government and the PKK," said Zebari, himself a Kurd.He renewed the Iraqi government readiness "to cooperate actively with the Turkish government to find practical measures" to prevent the Kurdish rebels from working from Iraqi territories to hurt Turkey and its interests.The military also announced that U.S. and Iraqi commandos had detained a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader and three other militants in Khadra, north of Baghdad, in a raid that left one U.S. soldier lightly wounded. The main suspect was accused of leading four insurgent groups that were believed to be involved in attacks on Iraqi security forces and local civilians as well as an arson attack against Iraq's main pharmaceutical storage facility.
Iraq said on Wednesday it had set up more checkpoints to restrict the movement of Kurdish guerrillas and cut supply lines to their mountain hideouts following Turkey's demands for firm action against the rebels.
"This meeting is very important and should not be hijacked by the current tension and crisis over the PKK terrorist activities in Turkey," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said. We want this meeting to focus on Iraq's stability and security and not to be diverted to the current problem between the Turkish government and the PKK," said Zebari, himself a Kurd.He renewed the Iraqi government readiness "to cooperate actively with the Turkish government to find practical measures" to prevent the Kurdish rebels from working from Iraqi territories to hurt Turkey and its interests.The military also announced that U.S. and Iraqi commandos had detained a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader and three other militants in Khadra, north of Baghdad, in a raid that left one U.S. soldier lightly wounded. The main suspect was accused of leading four insurgent groups that were believed to be involved in attacks on Iraqi security forces and local civilians as well as an arson attack against Iraq's main pharmaceutical storage facility.
Iraq said on Wednesday it had set up more checkpoints to restrict the movement of Kurdish guerrillas and cut supply lines to their mountain hideouts following Turkey's demands for firm action against the rebels.
Weapons smuggling from Syria into Lebanon, in violation of 1701
Hezbollah has tripled its arsenal of C-802 land-to-sea missiles and has rehabilitated its military strength north of the Litani River, according to information handed over by Israel to the United Nations. The information was included in a report compiled by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought the Second Lebanon War to an end. The report states that, according to Israel, Hezbollah's long-range missile teams are deployed north of the river, and that "most of the new missiles include [the Iranian-made] Zelzal and Fajr missiles that have a range of over 250 kilometers and are capable of hitting areas south of Tel Aviv." The report added that Israel says Hezbollah has established an anti-aircraft unit armed with surface-to-air missiles.
Weapons smuggling from Syria into Lebanon, in violation of 1701, is continuing as well. According to the report, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called the continued arms smuggling "grave."
Weapons smuggling from Syria into Lebanon, in violation of 1701, is continuing as well. According to the report, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called the continued arms smuggling "grave."
Protect holy sites
The Archbishop of Canterbury and Israel's chief rabbis issued a joint declaration Tuesday calling on religious communities worldwide to take responsibility for protecting all holy sites. In their second meeting this year, the head of the Anglican church, Archbishop Rowan Williams, and Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yonah Metzger said the desecration of any holy site is a setback for all religious people.
"Every holy place - for example, synagogue, church or mosque - that belong to religious people, keep it as a holy place," Metzger said. "We hope that people will hear it and will keep our decision." The religious leaders have planned to meet annually while a separate delegation of religious leaders and academics will meet twice a year. The annual meetings and the Anglican-Jewish commission are designed to foster an understanding between the religions. "I'm not here primarily to discuss the political situation," Williams said. "Our prayers are - as they always are - for peace and justice in this region, and we are to share our perspectives with one another in private."
Williams also called on fighters not to use holy sites to launch attacks, something he described as akin to using "religious language to justify violence." At a meeting earlier this year, the religious leaders focused on a peaceful resolution between Israel and the Palestinians. They also said suicide and homicide in the name of religion is blasphemous.
"Every holy place - for example, synagogue, church or mosque - that belong to religious people, keep it as a holy place," Metzger said. "We hope that people will hear it and will keep our decision." The religious leaders have planned to meet annually while a separate delegation of religious leaders and academics will meet twice a year. The annual meetings and the Anglican-Jewish commission are designed to foster an understanding between the religions. "I'm not here primarily to discuss the political situation," Williams said. "Our prayers are - as they always are - for peace and justice in this region, and we are to share our perspectives with one another in private."
Williams also called on fighters not to use holy sites to launch attacks, something he described as akin to using "religious language to justify violence." At a meeting earlier this year, the religious leaders focused on a peaceful resolution between Israel and the Palestinians. They also said suicide and homicide in the name of religion is blasphemous.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Rescue operation
BAGHDAD - It had to be done quickly. Rogue Shiite militiamen were holding hostage a group of Sunni and Shiite tribal sheiks who had joined a revolt against al-Qaida. For the Iraqi government and its U.S. backers, the seven men represented a rare symbol of national unity. A daring rescue operation secured their freedom.
A meeting Tuesday between most of the former captives and military officials — including the Iraqi commander of the rescue operation — offered the first detailed picture of the tense and fast-moving events: the kidnapping, the slaying of one captive and the seven-hour rescue mission Monday converging on an area that was "not fit for rats." The sheiks, recounting their 30-hour ordeal to a small group of reporters including The Associated Press, said they were tortured and humiliated. At least three of the sheiks were visibly bruised. One man's left eye was red and swollen. The two others had bruises on their backs, arms and legs. But they insisted that they emerged from captivity more determined than ever to continue their fight. They were traveling back to their homes in Diyala when the attackers intercepted their minibus in the capital's Shiite Shaab neighborhood. One of the seven sheiks resisted the kidnappers. He was shot and killed.
The swift action to rescue the sheiks, launched by about 200 Iraqi soldiers and backed by the U.S. military, reflected the strategic importance of local reconciliation initiatives and the forging of alliances with Sunni tribes in areas where the terror network remains active. Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, the overall Iraqi commander of Baghdad, said the kidnappers belonged to "criminal gangs." The U.S. military, however, said the culprits were rogue members of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who in August ordered his fighters to lay down their arms for six months.
The military has claimed that such splinter Shiite groups are doing everything possible to stop Iraqis from joining U.S. forces — even in the fight against the Sunni al-Qaida in Iraq. Monday's seven-hour rescue mission began Monday afternoon and ended well into the night. Maj. Gen. Riyadh al-Qusaibi said he and his men had only "foggy" intelligence to work with when they set out to search for the sheiks. They combed orchards and raided homes in a wide area to the northeast of Baghdad before they finally located the house where the sheiks were held prisoner, he said. "The area where the house was is not fit for rats to live in," al-Qusaibi said. "The kidnappers' response to our arrival was slow, and the gunfight lasted only minutes." Al-Qusaibi said several of his men were superficially wounded, but none was killed. Five of the surviving six sheiks attended Tuesday's meeting with Iraqi and U.S. commanders at an Iraqi army camp on the outskirts of Baghdad. Al-Qusaibi basked in the limelight and accepted lavish praise from U.S. commanders for leading his men from the front. "I had to be at the front to save the lives of my men," al-Qusaibi, in green camouflage, said to a U.S. commander in a husky voice. "I lost my voice shouting orders during a gunbattle with the kidnappers," he proudly recounted.
Source reuters, HAMZA HENDAWI
A meeting Tuesday between most of the former captives and military officials — including the Iraqi commander of the rescue operation — offered the first detailed picture of the tense and fast-moving events: the kidnapping, the slaying of one captive and the seven-hour rescue mission Monday converging on an area that was "not fit for rats." The sheiks, recounting their 30-hour ordeal to a small group of reporters including The Associated Press, said they were tortured and humiliated. At least three of the sheiks were visibly bruised. One man's left eye was red and swollen. The two others had bruises on their backs, arms and legs. But they insisted that they emerged from captivity more determined than ever to continue their fight. They were traveling back to their homes in Diyala when the attackers intercepted their minibus in the capital's Shiite Shaab neighborhood. One of the seven sheiks resisted the kidnappers. He was shot and killed.
The swift action to rescue the sheiks, launched by about 200 Iraqi soldiers and backed by the U.S. military, reflected the strategic importance of local reconciliation initiatives and the forging of alliances with Sunni tribes in areas where the terror network remains active. Lt. Gen. Abboud Qanbar, the overall Iraqi commander of Baghdad, said the kidnappers belonged to "criminal gangs." The U.S. military, however, said the culprits were rogue members of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who in August ordered his fighters to lay down their arms for six months.
The military has claimed that such splinter Shiite groups are doing everything possible to stop Iraqis from joining U.S. forces — even in the fight against the Sunni al-Qaida in Iraq. Monday's seven-hour rescue mission began Monday afternoon and ended well into the night. Maj. Gen. Riyadh al-Qusaibi said he and his men had only "foggy" intelligence to work with when they set out to search for the sheiks. They combed orchards and raided homes in a wide area to the northeast of Baghdad before they finally located the house where the sheiks were held prisoner, he said. "The area where the house was is not fit for rats to live in," al-Qusaibi said. "The kidnappers' response to our arrival was slow, and the gunfight lasted only minutes." Al-Qusaibi said several of his men were superficially wounded, but none was killed. Five of the surviving six sheiks attended Tuesday's meeting with Iraqi and U.S. commanders at an Iraqi army camp on the outskirts of Baghdad. Al-Qusaibi basked in the limelight and accepted lavish praise from U.S. commanders for leading his men from the front. "I had to be at the front to save the lives of my men," al-Qusaibi, in green camouflage, said to a U.S. commander in a husky voice. "I lost my voice shouting orders during a gunbattle with the kidnappers," he proudly recounted.
Source reuters, HAMZA HENDAWI
Stalin's purges
BUTOVO, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin paid his respects on Tuesday to millions of people killed under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and called for the country to unite to prevent a repeat of its tragic past. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II walk while visiting Butovo, a site south of Moscow, where firing squads executed thousands of people 70 years ago during the height of Stalin's purges, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. The Butovo firing range was used for executions from 1930 until after Stalin's death in 1953. Some 20,000 people, including priests and artists, were killed there in 1937-38 alone. AP Photo/By Maxim Marmur
Security forces arrest senior Islamic-Suicide operative in Bethlehem
An Islamic-Suicide operative was arrested in Bethlehem by Border Police, IDF, and Shin Bet forces, authorities announced Tuesday evening. Attaf Kamal is a senior Islamic-Suicide member and has been wanted by the IDF since 2001.
Kamal was being questioned by security forces.
Israeli aircraft hit a Hamas-run police station in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis late Tuesday, killing at least four people, Palestinian security and hospital officials said.
Kamal was being questioned by security forces.
Israeli aircraft hit a Hamas-run police station in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis late Tuesday, killing at least four people, Palestinian security and hospital officials said.
Refugee camps, bees and weapons
Let See..It was quite a while since Israel left Gaza. And what have the "democracy movement" done there to get it better for the people? Let See..They still living in refugee camps. Are there any need for start building houses and make some sanitarian improvements? Nehe! Are there any need for establish functioning communities in a democracy? Nehe! Are there any need for stop firing rockets at Israel in order to get borders functioning? Nehe! Are there any need for farmers and others to get the trading open? Nehe! Are there any need for improvement of conditions in order to get borders open and to let Gaza citizens go to other places for studies etc..Nehe! Are there any needs to improve the working market and get people into work? Nehe! Are there any need to stop attacking Israelis at crossings in order to get fuel and other supplies? Nehe! Are there any need for fuel at all? Nehe! Are there any need for the "democracy movement" to make improvement for the Palestinians in Gaza to get contact with the internationally community´s establishment? Nehe! Are there any need to stop firing rockets in order to get the doors open to internationally community? Nehe! Are there any need for contacts with the internationally community at all? Nehe! Are there any needs to start working for conditions so that Palestinians that suffers at the border to Iraq and in refugee camps in Lebanon can come home to a independent Palestinian state in peace with Israel? Nehe! Are there any needs at all? Nehe!
No....But you have really good looking, nice and shining mortar-fire stations, bunker system, tunnels, fortified rocket-launchers, weapons and ammunition's, and 112 tons of explosives! And some nice refugee camps..Haven´t you?Oh..yeah..and some cute looking characters taking away the childhood and children´s playgrounds away, you know..all those childish things ain´t any more..Now they are fire-bombs with their Ak-4! And 112 explosives will be enough..isn´t it? Or that´s what your needs are maybe..More explosives..More explosives and more children..
No....But you have really good looking, nice and shining mortar-fire stations, bunker system, tunnels, fortified rocket-launchers, weapons and ammunition's, and 112 tons of explosives! And some nice refugee camps..Haven´t you?Oh..yeah..and some cute looking characters taking away the childhood and children´s playgrounds away, you know..all those childish things ain´t any more..Now they are fire-bombs with their Ak-4! And 112 explosives will be enough..isn´t it? Or that´s what your needs are maybe..More explosives..More explosives and more children..
A two-meter shark has been caught in a river in southern Iraq
NASSIRIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - A two-meter shark has been caught in a river in southern Iraq more than 160 miles from the sea. said he was fishing with his sons last week when they spotted a large fish thrashing about in his net. "I recognized the fish as a shark because I have seen one on a television program," he told Reuters. The shark was pulled from the mouth of an irrigation canal that joins the Euphrates River. The Euphrates joins the Tigris River further east to form the Shatt al-Arab waterway which flows south past Basra into the Gulf. Dr. Mohamed Ajah, assistant dean of the college of science at Thi Qar University in Nassiriya, said barriers in river estuaries usually prevented sharks swimming upstream. "In this case, I think this animal was there for a long time but no one had managed to see it," he said. Locals blamed the U.S. military for the shark's presence. Tahseen Ali, a teacher, said there was a "75 percent chance" Americans had put the shark in the water. "This is very frightening for us. Our children always swim in the river and I believe that there are more sharks. I believe that America is behind this matter," said fisherman Hatim Karim.
Nearly 75 percent of Palestinians living in Gaza are dependent on welfare and the territory's unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 50 percent
Lawmaker: Palestinians face one of most difficult phases in their history. said Hanan Ashrawi, an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and an active voice in the Mideast peace process. The Palestinian people have plunged into a deep depression with unemployment and poverty at record levels, and peace with Israel is the only answer. Nearly 75 percent of Palestinians living in Gaza are dependent on welfare and the territory's unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 50 percent, she said. Conditions have worsened in Gaza since Hamas seized control in June. Ashrawi's lecture was part of a series of speeches on the Emory campus focusing on peace building in wartorn regions. The United States is planning to host a conference in late November or early December to relaunch long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. US officials have had a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent weeks aiming to push Israel and the Palestinians into consensus on the substance of the conference's joint declaration, which would outline a way for the two sides to return to the negotiating table.
BEIRUT: International donors have not sent any money for the Palestinian refugees and Lebanese affected by the conflict at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, more than six weeks after Premier Fouad Siniora asked a donor conference for $55 million, a number of relief officials said. The hundreds of refugee families returning to the battle-scarred camp are facing desperate conditions, although their departure from public schools near the camp has at least begun to release the tensions between the displaced and the Lebanese locals, said Ambassador Khalil Makkawi, head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee. The refugees, meanwhile, have returned to a camp without an infrastructure, and many families are residing in buildings without windows and doors, Makkawi said. "At the beginning it was difficult - we should not hide it," Makkawi said. "The camp was in bad shape. Many things were lacking. It's a question of time and money. Now, this is a difficult time."
Ongoing warfare 'Hamas building bunkers near border'.
Hamas is trying to establish a bunker system as well as fortified rocket-launching and surveillance positions along the security fence with the Gaza Strip, Brig.-Gen. Moshe Tamir, head of the Gaza Division, said Monday. Tamir said that Hamas was "building an army" in the Gaza Strip and had obtained unprecedented capabilities through smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. On Monday, head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Yuval Diskin said that since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the Palestinians have smuggled over 112 tons of explosives into the Strip. "They are trying to dig tunnels, build surveillance positions and mortar-fire stations along the fence," Tamir told reporters during a briefing concerning the death of IDF reservist Ehud Efrati during clashes with Hamas gunmen early Monday morning. "They are trying to build this up and we are trying to stop them."We are operating close to the fence since that is where they fire mortar shells, anti-tank missiles and dig tunnels."
Hamas is planning to overthrow the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank with the help of external forces, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday. "We have information that Hamas is planning to copy the Gaza coup in the West Bank," Abbas said. "It's no secret that international parties are supporting Hamas in its efforts." Although Abbas did not name the international parties, his aides told The Jerusalem Post he was referring to Iran, Syria and Qatar. "But we know that Hamas can't make decisions on its own because of political and economic pressure from outside forces."
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied that his movement was planning to stage a coup against Abbas's government. He said the charges were aimed at covering up for the "crimes" committed by Abbas's "militias" against Hamas supporters and figures in the West Bank. Fatah spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman said Sunday that Hamas's "coup" in the Gaza Strip had undermined the Palestinian cause in the international and Arab arenas. Abdel Rahman said there were growing signs the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were unhappy with the Hamas rule. He said Hamas's actions in the Gaza Strip had alienated many Palestinians, who were publicly criticizing the Hamas government. The Fatah official, who also serves as an adviser to Abbas, said a PA delegation was expected to visit Damascus soon in a bid to persuade the Syrians to ban a meeting organized by radical Palestinian groups to protest against the upcoming US-sponsored peace conference.
According to documents published by Fatah officials, several Hamas members who had formed a new party called the National Islamic Salvation Party received $50,000 a month from Arafat. The party, which is an offshoot of Hamas, was headed by Yahya Musa, who today serves as a Hamas legislator in the Palestinian Legislative Council. According to the documents, some of Hamas's current leaders and spokesmen had also received $5,000 each from Arafat. The money was given to them after they wrote letters to Arafat seeking financial aid.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met here Monday with Palestinian officials, including some from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a week before a meeting in Syria meant to counter a US-hosted Mideast conference in the fall. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, said he and Mottaki discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the US-sponsored conference which Washington hopes will relaunch negotiations on creating a Palestinian state. After the meeting between Mottaki and Hamas officials, members of other Palestinian factions, including the leader of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, met the Iranian foreign minister, according to a member of the Iranian delegation. He also said that Iran has shown readiness to host a Palestinian conference but prefers it be held in an Arab country.
PA trying to stop parley hosted by Syria
The Palestinian Authority has dispatched three senior PA officials to Damascus in an attempt to persuade the Syrians not to host a conference called by Hamas and other radical Palestinian factions. The two-day conference, which is scheduled to be held in Damascus on November 7, was called in response to the US-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis later this year. The three officials who were dispatched to Damascus are Nasser Yussef, Rouhi Fattouh and Saleh Ra'fat. They will try to persuade the Syrians to ban the conference under the pretext that it would undermine the PA's standing and deepen divisions among the Palestinians. The three are also expected to warn the Syrians that the planned conference would damage relations between Syria and the PA. Nimer Hammad, senior political advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said the conference served Israel's interests because it would show that the Palestinians are weak and divided. He also warned that the gathering would have a negative impact on efforts to resume peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.
The conference is expected to bring together several Palestinian "rejectionist" groups, as well as dozens of Palestinian figures representing various political factions. The purpose of the conference is to send a message to Abbas and the PA that they don't have a mandate to strike a deal with Israel at the Annapolis conference. PA officials have expressed deep concern over Syria's decision to host the parley. They view the conference in the context of Hamas's efforts to establish a new PLO. "The conference in Damascus will deepen divisions among the Palestinians," a senior PA official said. "This is the first time that several Palestinian factions are talking about the possibility of establishing an alternative to the PLO, which is still regarded by many Palestinians as their sole and legitimate representative." In addition to the extremist groups, a number of prominent Palestinian figures have been invited to the conference in Syria, including estranged and veteran PLO leader Farouk Kaddoumi. The Tunisian-based Kaddoumi, who also serves as secretary-general of Fatah, is an outspoken critic of the Oslo Accords and the current PA leadership under Abbas. Invitations issued by Hamas and its political allies described the Syria parley as the "Palestinian National Conference for Resisting Schemes Aimed at Liquidating the Palestinian Cause."
"Their declared goal is to foil the Annapolis conference," said another PA official. "What's worrying is that the conference will be held under the auspices of the Syrian regime, which is also unhappy with the US efforts to reach a deal between the Israelis and Palestinians."
The PLO's parliament-in-exile, the Palestine National Council, urged the Syrian authorities to prevent the gathering for fear that it would escalate tensions in the Palestinian arena. The council also warned against attempts to establish a new PLO, "which was built thanks to the sacrifices of our martyrs, first and foremost president Yasser Arafat." The council accused Hamas of seeking to exploit the conference to divert attention from its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip. "Hamas wants to legitimize its coup in the Gaza Strip through this conference," it said.
Also on Monday, senior Hamas official Nizar Riyan said Hamas will overthrow Fatah and takeover the West Bank in less than a year. "Next fall we shall pray in Ramallah," Israel Radio on Monday evening quoted Riyan as saying during a rally in the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabaliya. Senior PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo said in response that Riyan should be "admitted to a mental institution."
"Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied that his movement was planning to stage a coup against Abbas's government.---Senior Hamas official Nizar Riyan said Hamas will overthrow Fatah and takeover the West Bank in less than a year.
Nimer Hammad, senior political advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said the conference served Israel's interests because it would show that the Palestinians are weak and divided. He also warned that the gathering would have a negative impact on efforts to resume peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.
"end the Zionist occupation of Arab lands according to relevant international decisions." Syria sticks to a just and comprehensive peace, Mekdad said. Habib also warn Arab regimes against participation in the upcoming US-sponsored Annapolis peace conference".
Put it this way it´s really, really simple to see who´s doing what, who´s just talks one thing and act another! And..well Mr Yasser Abed Rabbo..We do have felt there is something serious wrong with people saying one thing and at the same time another. Just as being against participation in the conference and supporting international decisions in the same sentence. We should in fact need a international bigger mental institute to receive psychopaths and schizophrenics that working against stability, having their proxy wars and breathing and living on others death and destruction!
BEIRUT: International donors have not sent any money for the Palestinian refugees and Lebanese affected by the conflict at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, more than six weeks after Premier Fouad Siniora asked a donor conference for $55 million, a number of relief officials said. The hundreds of refugee families returning to the battle-scarred camp are facing desperate conditions, although their departure from public schools near the camp has at least begun to release the tensions between the displaced and the Lebanese locals, said Ambassador Khalil Makkawi, head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee. The refugees, meanwhile, have returned to a camp without an infrastructure, and many families are residing in buildings without windows and doors, Makkawi said. "At the beginning it was difficult - we should not hide it," Makkawi said. "The camp was in bad shape. Many things were lacking. It's a question of time and money. Now, this is a difficult time."
Ongoing warfare 'Hamas building bunkers near border'.
Hamas is trying to establish a bunker system as well as fortified rocket-launching and surveillance positions along the security fence with the Gaza Strip, Brig.-Gen. Moshe Tamir, head of the Gaza Division, said Monday. Tamir said that Hamas was "building an army" in the Gaza Strip and had obtained unprecedented capabilities through smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. On Monday, head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Yuval Diskin said that since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the Palestinians have smuggled over 112 tons of explosives into the Strip. "They are trying to dig tunnels, build surveillance positions and mortar-fire stations along the fence," Tamir told reporters during a briefing concerning the death of IDF reservist Ehud Efrati during clashes with Hamas gunmen early Monday morning. "They are trying to build this up and we are trying to stop them."We are operating close to the fence since that is where they fire mortar shells, anti-tank missiles and dig tunnels."
Hamas is planning to overthrow the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank with the help of external forces, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday. "We have information that Hamas is planning to copy the Gaza coup in the West Bank," Abbas said. "It's no secret that international parties are supporting Hamas in its efforts." Although Abbas did not name the international parties, his aides told The Jerusalem Post he was referring to Iran, Syria and Qatar. "But we know that Hamas can't make decisions on its own because of political and economic pressure from outside forces."
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied that his movement was planning to stage a coup against Abbas's government. He said the charges were aimed at covering up for the "crimes" committed by Abbas's "militias" against Hamas supporters and figures in the West Bank. Fatah spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman said Sunday that Hamas's "coup" in the Gaza Strip had undermined the Palestinian cause in the international and Arab arenas. Abdel Rahman said there were growing signs the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were unhappy with the Hamas rule. He said Hamas's actions in the Gaza Strip had alienated many Palestinians, who were publicly criticizing the Hamas government. The Fatah official, who also serves as an adviser to Abbas, said a PA delegation was expected to visit Damascus soon in a bid to persuade the Syrians to ban a meeting organized by radical Palestinian groups to protest against the upcoming US-sponsored peace conference.
According to documents published by Fatah officials, several Hamas members who had formed a new party called the National Islamic Salvation Party received $50,000 a month from Arafat. The party, which is an offshoot of Hamas, was headed by Yahya Musa, who today serves as a Hamas legislator in the Palestinian Legislative Council. According to the documents, some of Hamas's current leaders and spokesmen had also received $5,000 each from Arafat. The money was given to them after they wrote letters to Arafat seeking financial aid.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met here Monday with Palestinian officials, including some from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a week before a meeting in Syria meant to counter a US-hosted Mideast conference in the fall. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, said he and Mottaki discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the US-sponsored conference which Washington hopes will relaunch negotiations on creating a Palestinian state. After the meeting between Mottaki and Hamas officials, members of other Palestinian factions, including the leader of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, met the Iranian foreign minister, according to a member of the Iranian delegation. He also said that Iran has shown readiness to host a Palestinian conference but prefers it be held in an Arab country.
PA trying to stop parley hosted by Syria
The Palestinian Authority has dispatched three senior PA officials to Damascus in an attempt to persuade the Syrians not to host a conference called by Hamas and other radical Palestinian factions. The two-day conference, which is scheduled to be held in Damascus on November 7, was called in response to the US-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis later this year. The three officials who were dispatched to Damascus are Nasser Yussef, Rouhi Fattouh and Saleh Ra'fat. They will try to persuade the Syrians to ban the conference under the pretext that it would undermine the PA's standing and deepen divisions among the Palestinians. The three are also expected to warn the Syrians that the planned conference would damage relations between Syria and the PA. Nimer Hammad, senior political advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said the conference served Israel's interests because it would show that the Palestinians are weak and divided. He also warned that the gathering would have a negative impact on efforts to resume peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.
The conference is expected to bring together several Palestinian "rejectionist" groups, as well as dozens of Palestinian figures representing various political factions. The purpose of the conference is to send a message to Abbas and the PA that they don't have a mandate to strike a deal with Israel at the Annapolis conference. PA officials have expressed deep concern over Syria's decision to host the parley. They view the conference in the context of Hamas's efforts to establish a new PLO. "The conference in Damascus will deepen divisions among the Palestinians," a senior PA official said. "This is the first time that several Palestinian factions are talking about the possibility of establishing an alternative to the PLO, which is still regarded by many Palestinians as their sole and legitimate representative." In addition to the extremist groups, a number of prominent Palestinian figures have been invited to the conference in Syria, including estranged and veteran PLO leader Farouk Kaddoumi. The Tunisian-based Kaddoumi, who also serves as secretary-general of Fatah, is an outspoken critic of the Oslo Accords and the current PA leadership under Abbas. Invitations issued by Hamas and its political allies described the Syria parley as the "Palestinian National Conference for Resisting Schemes Aimed at Liquidating the Palestinian Cause."
"Their declared goal is to foil the Annapolis conference," said another PA official. "What's worrying is that the conference will be held under the auspices of the Syrian regime, which is also unhappy with the US efforts to reach a deal between the Israelis and Palestinians."
The PLO's parliament-in-exile, the Palestine National Council, urged the Syrian authorities to prevent the gathering for fear that it would escalate tensions in the Palestinian arena. The council also warned against attempts to establish a new PLO, "which was built thanks to the sacrifices of our martyrs, first and foremost president Yasser Arafat." The council accused Hamas of seeking to exploit the conference to divert attention from its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip. "Hamas wants to legitimize its coup in the Gaza Strip through this conference," it said.
Also on Monday, senior Hamas official Nizar Riyan said Hamas will overthrow Fatah and takeover the West Bank in less than a year. "Next fall we shall pray in Ramallah," Israel Radio on Monday evening quoted Riyan as saying during a rally in the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Jabaliya. Senior PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo said in response that Riyan should be "admitted to a mental institution."
"Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied that his movement was planning to stage a coup against Abbas's government.---Senior Hamas official Nizar Riyan said Hamas will overthrow Fatah and takeover the West Bank in less than a year.
Nimer Hammad, senior political advisor to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, said the conference served Israel's interests because it would show that the Palestinians are weak and divided. He also warned that the gathering would have a negative impact on efforts to resume peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.
"end the Zionist occupation of Arab lands according to relevant international decisions." Syria sticks to a just and comprehensive peace, Mekdad said. Habib also warn Arab regimes against participation in the upcoming US-sponsored Annapolis peace conference".
Put it this way it´s really, really simple to see who´s doing what, who´s just talks one thing and act another! And..well Mr Yasser Abed Rabbo..We do have felt there is something serious wrong with people saying one thing and at the same time another. Just as being against participation in the conference and supporting international decisions in the same sentence. We should in fact need a international bigger mental institute to receive psychopaths and schizophrenics that working against stability, having their proxy wars and breathing and living on others death and destruction!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Meeting between Mottaki and Hamas officials
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met here Monday with Palestinian officials, including some from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a week before a meeting in Syria meant to counter a US-hosted Mideast conference in the fall. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, said he and Mottaki discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the US-sponsored conference which Washington hopes will relaunch negotiations on creating a Palestinian state. After the meeting between Mottaki and Hamas officials, members of other Palestinian factions, including the leader of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, met the Iranian foreign minister, according to a member of the Iranian delegation. Abu Marzouk said he and Mottaki spoke about recent talks between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He also said that Iran has shown readiness to host a Palestinian conference but prefers it be held in an Arab country.
A group of Sunni and Shiite sheiks seized from their cars in Baghdad have been released
A group of Sunni and Shiite sheiks seized from their cars in Baghdad have been released, said Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari, a Defense Ministry spokesman. He declined to specify how many or give more details. Police and relatives have identified the tribal leaders abducted in Baghdad as seven Shiites and three Sunnis who were on their way home to Diyala province after a meeting with a government official in the capital. Police said late Sunday they had found the bullet-riddled body of one of the Sunni sheiks, Mishaan Hilan, about 50 yards away from where the ambush took place, an officer said, adding that the victim was identified after his mobile phone was found on him. The U.S. military on Monday said a rogue Shiite militia leader was responsible.
Well..We are not impressed..
ANKARA, Turkey - Soldiers battled separatist Kurdish rebels across southeast Turkey, trapping about 100 in caves near the Iraqi border after blocking escape routes across the frontier, Turkey's state-run news agency reported Monday.
Kurdish rebels said Saturday they are considering a lawmaker's request for the release of eight Turkish soldiers captured just under a week ago - an incident that increased already heightened tensions in the area bordering Iraq.
Kurdish rebels said Saturday they are considering a lawmaker's request for the release of eight Turkish soldiers captured just under a week ago - an incident that increased already heightened tensions in the area bordering Iraq.
Hamas - have played into the hands of the most intransigent elements in the Middle Eas
Comparing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Northern Ireland is "misleading and demonstrably false," Lord David Trimble, a 1998 Nobel Peace Laureate for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland, said last week. He called on the Middle East Quartet and international community to "stand firm" regarding Hamas ahead of the Annapolis conference next month. In the 24-page report, Trimble cites the near total collapse of the Northern Ireland peace process on "Bloody Friday" in 1972, when the IRA killed nine people and wounded 130 in a bombing, as evidence that weakening preconditions to dialogue made increased violence more likely. He questioned whether players in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were seeking victory or accommodation. Whereas the majority in Israel wanted "accommodation," Hamas might still be on the lookout for "victories," he said. Hamas doesn't want accommodation; rather, they have played into the hands of the most intransigent elements in the Middle East, Trimble said.
Olmert
Olmer will have a have surgery in the coming months to deal with a tiny growth in its early stages. He added that he was not expected to need radiation or chemotherapy. "From what my doctors have told me, this is a microscopic growth ... that can be removed with a brief surgical intervention," said, Olmert, a keen runner and fitness fanatic. The growth was detected last week as part of annual check-up. "The surgical procedure itself is planned to take place in the coming months. I will be fit and fully up to my duties before the procedure and within a few hours of its conclusion. "There is nothing in the growth that is life-threatening or that could compromise my ... fitness for my assigned role," said Olmert, who appeared fit and relaxed.
"Both parties agreed that the first stage of the road map must be implemented immediately."
PA counterpart, Ahmed Qureia, Olmert's chief of staff Yoram Turbowicz, political adviser Shalom Turgeman, Erekat and PA government secretary Sadi al-Krunz. Erekat said in the post-meeting press conference that both parties agreed that the first stage of the road map must be implemented immediately. The Israeli side has not kept up its side of the bargain: halting construction in the settlements and withdrawing to the September 28, 2000 borders.
U.S., Russia urge other states to join missile pact
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States urged all countries to destroy medium range nuclear-capable missiles, in a joint declaration by the former Cold War foes published by the Russian foreign ministry on Sunday.
Concerned that an increasing number of states, including Iran and North Korea, have the technology to make missiles that can travel 5,500 km (3,400 miles), they are calling for their 20-year-old bilateral treaty to become global in character. "We believe that renunciation of ground-launched intermediate- and shorter-range missiles and their complete elimination in the world would increase the role of the treaty as a model for strengthening international security," the U.S and Russian declaration said.
The statement on the treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles was released to coincide with the 62nd session of the General Assembly in New York on October 25. Russia has been pressing the U.S to rewrite what is commonly referred to as the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), by including countries other than ex-Soviet nations and the United States. The treaty, signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in December 1987, was a milestone in arms control which lead to the scrapping of 2,692 missiles in total. The joint statement called on "all interested countries to discuss the possibility of imparting a global character to this important regime through the renunciation of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km, leading to the destruction of any such missiles."
President Vladimir Putin told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this month that Russia would find it difficult to stay in the INF unless it was expanded to include other countries' armaments. His comments were backed up by a warning from Russia's rocket forces commander on Friday that the Kremlin could resume production of missiles if others do not observe the treaty. "If there is a political decision to make such a class of missile, then it is obvious that they will be made in Russia in the near future because we have everything we need, Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov said. Apart from North Korea and Iran, other countries like Israel, India and Pakistan have started building arsenals of intermediate-range missiles. Although some possess nuclear weapons, none of them is constrained by the INF treaty.
By Conor Sweeney
Concerned that an increasing number of states, including Iran and North Korea, have the technology to make missiles that can travel 5,500 km (3,400 miles), they are calling for their 20-year-old bilateral treaty to become global in character. "We believe that renunciation of ground-launched intermediate- and shorter-range missiles and their complete elimination in the world would increase the role of the treaty as a model for strengthening international security," the U.S and Russian declaration said.
The statement on the treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles was released to coincide with the 62nd session of the General Assembly in New York on October 25. Russia has been pressing the U.S to rewrite what is commonly referred to as the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), by including countries other than ex-Soviet nations and the United States. The treaty, signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in December 1987, was a milestone in arms control which lead to the scrapping of 2,692 missiles in total. The joint statement called on "all interested countries to discuss the possibility of imparting a global character to this important regime through the renunciation of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km, leading to the destruction of any such missiles."
President Vladimir Putin told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this month that Russia would find it difficult to stay in the INF unless it was expanded to include other countries' armaments. His comments were backed up by a warning from Russia's rocket forces commander on Friday that the Kremlin could resume production of missiles if others do not observe the treaty. "If there is a political decision to make such a class of missile, then it is obvious that they will be made in Russia in the near future because we have everything we need, Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov said. Apart from North Korea and Iran, other countries like Israel, India and Pakistan have started building arsenals of intermediate-range missiles. Although some possess nuclear weapons, none of them is constrained by the INF treaty.
By Conor Sweeney
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Attacks are more focused on local civilians and Iraqi security forces
Attacks are more focused on local civilians and Iraqi security forces. "They are targeting the concerned local citizens, the police stations and some of the gathering places of sheiks ... specifically to try and deter the Iraqi people from moving forward."
Gunmen in Baghdad snatched 10 Sunni and Shiite tribal sheiks from their cars Sunday as they were heading home to Diyala province after talks with the government, and at least one was later found shot to death.
At least 35 people were killed or found dead across the nation, including the decomposing bodies of 12 Shiites found near the Diyala provincial capital of Baqouba, an army officer said. An explosives-laden car also exploded near a market in Baghdad's northern Shiite district of Kazimiyah, killing at least two civilians and wounding 10, according to local police
The suicide bombing in Kirkuk, 80 miles north of Baghdad, struck a mainly Kurdish area in the city, which has seen a rise in ethnic tensions as Iraq's Kurds try to strengthen their presence there as a prelude to annexing it to their nearby self-rule region.
Gunmen in Baghdad snatched 10 Sunni and Shiite tribal sheiks from their cars Sunday as they were heading home to Diyala province after talks with the government, and at least one was later found shot to death.
At least 35 people were killed or found dead across the nation, including the decomposing bodies of 12 Shiites found near the Diyala provincial capital of Baqouba, an army officer said. An explosives-laden car also exploded near a market in Baghdad's northern Shiite district of Kazimiyah, killing at least two civilians and wounding 10, according to local police
The suicide bombing in Kirkuk, 80 miles north of Baghdad, struck a mainly Kurdish area in the city, which has seen a rise in ethnic tensions as Iraq's Kurds try to strengthen their presence there as a prelude to annexing it to their nearby self-rule region.
"A strong commitment to achieving a joint statement"
Dichter further stated that the US-sponsored Middle East conference in Annapolis, Maryland, "must enable both sides - Israel and the Palestinians, with the assistance of the US, the Quartet and the moderate Arab nations - to finally start implementing the first stage of the road map."
A senior Israeli official said both sides expressed "a strong commitment to achieving a joint statement" and discussed what would need to be in that document. They also expressed an understanding that anything agreed upon at Annapolis or in the negotiations that summit is expected to launch will be dependent on the implementation of the first stage of the road map peace plan. The first stage of the road map calls for the Palestinians to uproot the terrorist infrastructure, and for Israel to freeze all settlement activity and to dismantle illegal settlement outposts.According to the officials, agreement that any future agreement would only be implemented after the first stage of the road map was implemented was an important procedural issue that had preoccupied the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams up until this point. Only now that this issue was dealt with, the officials said, could the negotiators begin to deal with how exactly to address in the joint statement the core issues of Jerusalem, borders and refugees.
A senior Israeli official said both sides expressed "a strong commitment to achieving a joint statement" and discussed what would need to be in that document. They also expressed an understanding that anything agreed upon at Annapolis or in the negotiations that summit is expected to launch will be dependent on the implementation of the first stage of the road map peace plan. The first stage of the road map calls for the Palestinians to uproot the terrorist infrastructure, and for Israel to freeze all settlement activity and to dismantle illegal settlement outposts.According to the officials, agreement that any future agreement would only be implemented after the first stage of the road map was implemented was an important procedural issue that had preoccupied the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams up until this point. Only now that this issue was dealt with, the officials said, could the negotiators begin to deal with how exactly to address in the joint statement the core issues of Jerusalem, borders and refugees.
Source: J-post
heavy exchange of fire southwest of the Sufa Crossing.wonder if they are able to do anything else!
In Gaza, two soldiers were wounded and a Palestinian gunman was killed overnight Sunday in a heavy exchange of fire southwest of the Sufa Crossing. The were also heavy clashes near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun on Monday morning, after Golani Brigade troops, accompanied by tanks, entered the Strip as part of an operation to destroy weapons smuggling tunnels.
The IDF encountered fierce resistance, including a rocket propelled grenade that was fired at the soldiers. Hamas is planning to overthrow the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank with the help of external forces, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday. We have information that Hamas is planning to copy the Gaza coup in the West Bank," Abbas said. "It's no secret that international parties are supporting Hamas in its efforts." Although Abbas did not name the international parties, his aides told The Jerusalem Post he was referring to Iran, Syria and Qatar. "But we know that Hamas can't make decisions on its own because of political and economic pressure from outside forces."
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied that his movement was planning to stage a coup against Abbas's government. He said the charges were aimed at covering up for the "crimes" committed by Abbas's "militias" against Hamas supporters and figures in the West Bank. Fatah spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman said Sunday that Hamas's "coup" in the Gaza Strip had undermined the Palestinian cause in the international and Arab arenasAbdel Rahman said there were growing signs the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were unhappy with the Hamas rule. He said Hamas's actions in the Gaza Strip had alienated many Palestinians, who were publicly criticizing the Hamas government. The Fatah official, who also serves as an adviser to Abbas, said a PA delegation was expected to visit Damascus soon in a bid to persuade the Syrians to ban a meeting organized by radical Palestinian groups to protest against the upcoming US-sponsored peace conference.
The IDF encountered fierce resistance, including a rocket propelled grenade that was fired at the soldiers. Hamas is planning to overthrow the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank with the help of external forces, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday. We have information that Hamas is planning to copy the Gaza coup in the West Bank," Abbas said. "It's no secret that international parties are supporting Hamas in its efforts." Although Abbas did not name the international parties, his aides told The Jerusalem Post he was referring to Iran, Syria and Qatar. "But we know that Hamas can't make decisions on its own because of political and economic pressure from outside forces."
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied that his movement was planning to stage a coup against Abbas's government. He said the charges were aimed at covering up for the "crimes" committed by Abbas's "militias" against Hamas supporters and figures in the West Bank. Fatah spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman said Sunday that Hamas's "coup" in the Gaza Strip had undermined the Palestinian cause in the international and Arab arenasAbdel Rahman said there were growing signs the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were unhappy with the Hamas rule. He said Hamas's actions in the Gaza Strip had alienated many Palestinians, who were publicly criticizing the Hamas government. The Fatah official, who also serves as an adviser to Abbas, said a PA delegation was expected to visit Damascus soon in a bid to persuade the Syrians to ban a meeting organized by radical Palestinian groups to protest against the upcoming US-sponsored peace conference.
A suicide car bomber killed at least seven people in Kirkuk
KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed at least seven people on Sunday in a huge explosion that ripped through shops and set cars ablaze in the northern Iraqi oil centre of Kirkuk, police said.
"From our point of view, efforts by Israel and the US are behind some terrorist activities. Most probably, some secret agreements have caused a lack of confrontation against terrorism," Mottaki said, referring to Iraq-based Kurdish rebels.
A Berlin court convicted Darabi and Rhayel of murder in the Sept. 17, 1992, killing of Iranian Kurdish dissident leader Sadiq Sarafkindi and three of his associates. The so-called Mykonos trial - named for the Berlin restaurant where the killings took place - raised an uproar when a German court ruled that Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and then-President Hashemi Rafsanjani had ordered the murders.
"From our point of view, efforts by Israel and the US are behind some terrorist activities. Most probably, some secret agreements have caused a lack of confrontation against terrorism," Mottaki said, referring to Iraq-based Kurdish rebels.
A Berlin court convicted Darabi and Rhayel of murder in the Sept. 17, 1992, killing of Iranian Kurdish dissident leader Sadiq Sarafkindi and three of his associates. The so-called Mykonos trial - named for the Berlin restaurant where the killings took place - raised an uproar when a German court ruled that Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and then-President Hashemi Rafsanjani had ordered the murders.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
A bomb struck a mainly Shiite town southeast of Baghdad
The much-delayed process to turn over security to Iraqi authorities in Karbala has been punctuated by fierce fighting between rival militia factions. A bomb struck a mainly Shiite town southeast of Baghdad on Saturday for the second time in less than a week. In northern Iraq, clashes broke out between al-Qaida in Iraq fighters and a rival Sunni group near the volatile city of Samarra, and police said some 16 militants were killed. The fighting broke out after calls from imams at local mosques to expel al-Qaida from the area, labeling them as "false mujahedeens" or false holy warriors, according to a provincial police officer.
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister pledged Saturday to protect and support the Christian minority that has been fleeing the chaos and sectarian violence in the country. Nouri al-Maliki affirmed his government's readiness and determination to defend the small community and to stop the outflow of Iraqi Christians, according to a statement released by al-Maliki's office. Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Iraqi Christians, who are mostly Chaldeans, have been targeted by Islamic extremists who label them "crusaders" loyal to U.S. troops. Churches, priests and business owned by Christians have been attacked by Islamic militants.
"At that time Sabacon the Ethiopian invaded Egypt, and made great multitudes of Egyptians fly from him into Chaldæa. The Chaldæans in Babylonia are colonies of the Egyptians."
Thank you..they have been there long before any Islamic militants or any one shouting about forbidding Christianity..Which makes us think about the times when people used the rivers all the way from the silk road and gathered in the heart of Iraq. There was spirituality and history telling. A lot! Markets, boats, fireplaces under the dark blue sky..very blue..with history telling and philosophy. Brothers and sisters..in a very philosophic atmosphere..
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister pledged Saturday to protect and support the Christian minority that has been fleeing the chaos and sectarian violence in the country. Nouri al-Maliki affirmed his government's readiness and determination to defend the small community and to stop the outflow of Iraqi Christians, according to a statement released by al-Maliki's office. Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Iraqi Christians, who are mostly Chaldeans, have been targeted by Islamic extremists who label them "crusaders" loyal to U.S. troops. Churches, priests and business owned by Christians have been attacked by Islamic militants.
"At that time Sabacon the Ethiopian invaded Egypt, and made great multitudes of Egyptians fly from him into Chaldæa. The Chaldæans in Babylonia are colonies of the Egyptians."
Thank you..they have been there long before any Islamic militants or any one shouting about forbidding Christianity..Which makes us think about the times when people used the rivers all the way from the silk road and gathered in the heart of Iraq. There was spirituality and history telling. A lot! Markets, boats, fireplaces under the dark blue sky..very blue..with history telling and philosophy. Brothers and sisters..in a very philosophic atmosphere..
A powerful explosion went off in a house in southern Gaza
A powerful explosion went off in a house in southern Gaza on Saturday, killing two women and a four-year-old girl, Palestinian medics and witnesses said.
If there was explosives being handled by militants that went off. How come there are only information of two women and girl killed and no militant? Do they put the explosive on the tables and go out for walk, or what? Really developing there..If you not send your women out as Iran´s "nuclear weapons" they being blown up while baking bread..
If there was explosives being handled by militants that went off. How come there are only information of two women and girl killed and no militant? Do they put the explosive on the tables and go out for walk, or what? Really developing there..If you not send your women out as Iran´s "nuclear weapons" they being blown up while baking bread..
We will not go up in the mountains in North! We will secure what we came here for! And not leave south Iraq in a mess again! Or other places..
The military said U.S. paratroopers conducting combat operations Friday in the southern Shiite city of Hillah found a cache of weapons including 27 Iranian-made 107 mm rockets and two launch systems, each capable of firing 20 rockets at once. The military has announced a series of such finds in recent days as it seeks to bolster its claim of Iranian support for rogue Shiite fighters. Tehran denies the allegations.
Al-Nasseri also complained that an agreement to end violence between followers of al-Sadr and rival Shiite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim had failed to yield tangible results. A spokesman for Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on the Iraqi government to stop the rampant violence, largely blamed on the clashing factions, that is plaguing the mainly Shiite south. Warning that inaction could further alienate Iraqis from the political process, Sheik Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai said in a separate sermon in Karbala that 200 people had been killed in the past three months in the city of Basra alone and accused the government of failing to hold the attackers accountable. He also decried unabated kidnapping and oil smuggling in the south. He urged Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other political leaders "to activate a security operation and to hold lawbreakers accountable." "It is the right of the citizen to enjoy stability and security. If these aspirations are not met, who will guarantee that the citizens will continue supporting the political process," al-Karbalai said.
Meanwhile..A security guard is treated for his wounds at a hospital in Kirkuk, on Friday, Oct. 26, 2007 after his convoy struck a roadside bomb in the Diyala province.The U.S. military reported that an American soldier was killed and four were wounded in southern Baghdad Thursday when their unit was hit with an explosively formed penetrator, or EFP. The United States claims Iran supplies Shiite militants with the weapon, which fires an armor-piercing, fist-sized copper slug.
And as Turkey have some time to use their diplomacy with the Kurdish government and others to get their soldiers freed. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other political leaders have some time to activate security in Basra and put in some police forces, forces, politicians, representatives and Iraqi´s to start building up a community in Basra with Shiite and Sunni representatives and delegate responsibility for establishing security ..In Basra there is need for Iraqis, maybe with some assistance from U.S. ..Not the other way..U.S. with assistance..And there is need for Shiite´s and Sunni´s to show people in Basra that you are perfectly able to work together! There is urgent need for reconciliation and dialogues there!
A Berlin court convicted Darabi and Rhayel of murder in the Sept. 17, 1992, killing of Iranian Kurdish dissident leader Sadiq Sarafkindi and three of his associates. The so-called Mykonos trial - named for the Berlin restaurant where the killings took place - raised an uproar when a German court ruled that Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and then-President Hashemi Rafsanjani had ordered the murders.
Al-Nasseri also complained that an agreement to end violence between followers of al-Sadr and rival Shiite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim had failed to yield tangible results. A spokesman for Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on the Iraqi government to stop the rampant violence, largely blamed on the clashing factions, that is plaguing the mainly Shiite south. Warning that inaction could further alienate Iraqis from the political process, Sheik Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalai said in a separate sermon in Karbala that 200 people had been killed in the past three months in the city of Basra alone and accused the government of failing to hold the attackers accountable. He also decried unabated kidnapping and oil smuggling in the south. He urged Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other political leaders "to activate a security operation and to hold lawbreakers accountable." "It is the right of the citizen to enjoy stability and security. If these aspirations are not met, who will guarantee that the citizens will continue supporting the political process," al-Karbalai said.
Meanwhile..A security guard is treated for his wounds at a hospital in Kirkuk, on Friday, Oct. 26, 2007 after his convoy struck a roadside bomb in the Diyala province.The U.S. military reported that an American soldier was killed and four were wounded in southern Baghdad Thursday when their unit was hit with an explosively formed penetrator, or EFP. The United States claims Iran supplies Shiite militants with the weapon, which fires an armor-piercing, fist-sized copper slug.
And as Turkey have some time to use their diplomacy with the Kurdish government and others to get their soldiers freed. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other political leaders have some time to activate security in Basra and put in some police forces, forces, politicians, representatives and Iraqi´s to start building up a community in Basra with Shiite and Sunni representatives and delegate responsibility for establishing security ..In Basra there is need for Iraqis, maybe with some assistance from U.S. ..Not the other way..U.S. with assistance..And there is need for Shiite´s and Sunni´s to show people in Basra that you are perfectly able to work together! There is urgent need for reconciliation and dialogues there!
A Berlin court convicted Darabi and Rhayel of murder in the Sept. 17, 1992, killing of Iranian Kurdish dissident leader Sadiq Sarafkindi and three of his associates. The so-called Mykonos trial - named for the Berlin restaurant where the killings took place - raised an uproar when a German court ruled that Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and then-President Hashemi Rafsanjani had ordered the murders.
http://voicefromnorth.blogspot.com/2007/03/yesone-could-assume-that.html
Yeah... just wrote..And here comes the signature..To the documents!
BAGHDAD - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could end a ban on his militia's activities because of rising anger over U.S. and Iraqi raids against his followers, an aide said Friday amid concerns about rising violence and clashes between rival factions in the mainly Shiite south.
That there is urgent need for the Iraqi government to get some Iraqis there and start dialogues!
"Well..Here is one of the communities where reconciliation is really needed. And the Iraqi government must send in Iraqi´s to work and cooperate with representatives for people in Basra. And work for reconciliation which should have been done a long time ago!
But of course..Iran´s, Syria´s Baath party members in Damascus, the psycho manipulator Assad, Jordan´s "honor" and the psychopath in Qatar, with proxy groups spread in Iraq and all over the Middle East. Parrots in their parrot clan would of course rather sacrifice people that already are exposed to genocide and have been that for decades with more killings and bombings, under the pretext there is bombings! That Iran and Muqtada al-Sadr are very much involved in creating in the first place! "Fighting against the enemies-the occupiers" as a Syrian mantra that echos all over the Middle East and thier friend in Qatar and the big shiite "allie"! So they gets more water on their propaganda machinery to use and brainwash Shiite´s in the south! Just as they have put in system in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories and as they have practise for decades!
We guess Muqtada al-Sadr gets money in his pockets right from Iran and living a pleasant life while the Sunni psychopath in Qatar, members in Damascus and Iran´s "support" keep killing Iraqi´s, Shiite´s and Sunnis! Having his personal vendettas, hoping for a "career" or paying of his "debt" to Iran as the rest of the Shiite´s in the south! While Assad and the maniac Iranian president presses the Iraqi Prime minister and threats towards the Kurdish by closing of borders and economic consequences by that. While you having meetings in Istanbul waiting for Iraqi and U.S. forces to go up in the mountains, using Turkey´s border for weapon transportation's, giving Turkey your legitimization's, while Kurdish politicians being targeted and killed, while you continuing use Shiite´s in the south for your own purposes! Your "nuclear weapons"!
Well..It´s not that Muqtada al-Sadr is not allowed to react..It´s more behind threats of violence and destabilization than that as is very clear.
You are just to obvious and stupid! All of you ½ men that can´t take a good advise from the righteous, instead of your sick "adviser", murdering like the rest of you, using other to die while you eating nuts, watching TV! Making sure they have no Internet cafe´s in Gaza and having the Palestinians occupied in your TV programs!
Go to hell!
You are criminals guilty of participation in genocide! War crimes, breaking U.N. resolutions, International laws, human rights laws, using everyone you can for killings, murder and destabilization!
And you have just wrote under it!
You have just signed it!
From the 7 all the way to to other dimensions!
http://voicefromnorth.blogspot.com/2007/10/basrayou-will-not-correct-failure-to.html
25, 2007
9:02 PM
27, 2007
12:20 AM
That there is urgent need for the Iraqi government to get some Iraqis there and start dialogues!
"Well..Here is one of the communities where reconciliation is really needed. And the Iraqi government must send in Iraqi´s to work and cooperate with representatives for people in Basra. And work for reconciliation which should have been done a long time ago!
But of course..Iran´s, Syria´s Baath party members in Damascus, the psycho manipulator Assad, Jordan´s "honor" and the psychopath in Qatar, with proxy groups spread in Iraq and all over the Middle East. Parrots in their parrot clan would of course rather sacrifice people that already are exposed to genocide and have been that for decades with more killings and bombings, under the pretext there is bombings! That Iran and Muqtada al-Sadr are very much involved in creating in the first place! "Fighting against the enemies-the occupiers" as a Syrian mantra that echos all over the Middle East and thier friend in Qatar and the big shiite "allie"! So they gets more water on their propaganda machinery to use and brainwash Shiite´s in the south! Just as they have put in system in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories and as they have practise for decades!
We guess Muqtada al-Sadr gets money in his pockets right from Iran and living a pleasant life while the Sunni psychopath in Qatar, members in Damascus and Iran´s "support" keep killing Iraqi´s, Shiite´s and Sunnis! Having his personal vendettas, hoping for a "career" or paying of his "debt" to Iran as the rest of the Shiite´s in the south! While Assad and the maniac Iranian president presses the Iraqi Prime minister and threats towards the Kurdish by closing of borders and economic consequences by that. While you having meetings in Istanbul waiting for Iraqi and U.S. forces to go up in the mountains, using Turkey´s border for weapon transportation's, giving Turkey your legitimization's, while Kurdish politicians being targeted and killed, while you continuing use Shiite´s in the south for your own purposes! Your "nuclear weapons"!
Well..It´s not that Muqtada al-Sadr is not allowed to react..It´s more behind threats of violence and destabilization than that as is very clear.
You are just to obvious and stupid! All of you ½ men that can´t take a good advise from the righteous, instead of your sick "adviser", murdering like the rest of you, using other to die while you eating nuts, watching TV! Making sure they have no Internet cafe´s in Gaza and having the Palestinians occupied in your TV programs!
Go to hell!
You are criminals guilty of participation in genocide! War crimes, breaking U.N. resolutions, International laws, human rights laws, using everyone you can for killings, murder and destabilization!
And you have just wrote under it!
You have just signed it!
From the 7 all the way to to other dimensions!
http://voicefromnorth.blogspot.com/2007/10/basrayou-will-not-correct-failure-to.html
25, 2007
9:02 PM
27, 2007
12:20 AM
Friday, October 26, 2007
Israel would not cause a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised the Palestinian president Friday that Israel would not cause a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip despite his government's intention to cut power to the territory in hopes of curbing rocket attacks.
He made the pledge during a working lunch with Mahmoud Abbas at the Israeli leader's Jerusalem residence, responding to Abbas' concern that electricity stoppages could hit hospitals and other essential services, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The meeting was the latest in a series aimed at working out differences between the two ahead of a U.S.-sponsored peace conference. Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the "road map" peace plan, which envisages an independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. The plan was endorsed by the United States in 2003 but never moved past the declaratory stage, with each side blaming the other for failing to meet its commitments.
He made the pledge during a working lunch with Mahmoud Abbas at the Israeli leader's Jerusalem residence, responding to Abbas' concern that electricity stoppages could hit hospitals and other essential services, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. The meeting was the latest in a series aimed at working out differences between the two ahead of a U.S.-sponsored peace conference. Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the "road map" peace plan, which envisages an independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. The plan was endorsed by the United States in 2003 but never moved past the declaratory stage, with each side blaming the other for failing to meet its commitments.
Turksih prime minister visits Washington in November
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey will wait until the prime minister visits Washington in November before deciding on a cross-border offensive into northern Iraq, the country's top military commander said Friday.
Talking...yes it´s a lot of talking..Isn´t it?
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat appealed for international intervention and called the Israeli decision to cut off electricity to Gaza after each Kassam rocket "particularly provocative given that Palestinians and Israelis are meeting to negotiate an agreement on the core issues for ending the conflict between them."
"A stand-off with the international community can be resolved through dialogue."
DAMASCUS, Syria - Authorities hanged five men Thursday in northern Syria for murders they committed during attempted robberies, the official SANA news agency said.
SAN'A, Yemen - Yemen has set free one of the al-Qaida masterminds of the USS Cole bombing in 2000 that killed 17 American sailors, a senior security official said Thursday.
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi parliament speaker on Thursday joined opponents of executing a Saddam Hussein-era defense minister convicted of genocide against Kurds, saying that sending him to the gallows would set a dangerous precedent for the armed forces.
Well..It´s not that "particularly provocative" to fire rockets while Israel sits in peace meetings trying to find solutions..Is it? yes..Of course it´s such a big difference with Palestinians killing Palestinians and to respond to their" aggression"!
"Attempted robberies"..One wonder..want sentence the Syrian regime would give themselves..
And it´s not that surprising coming from Yemen ..is it?
And the Iraqi government should do everything to stand behind their forces. If not execution now, you should not release him.
And as we said: We do not approve just military actions from Turkey as they have done for decades, without diplomacy with the Kurdish government, while Iran and Hezbollah use Istanbul as their forum to spread their propaganda. Using Turkey´s border for weapon transports breaking U.N. resolutions. And wait to get Iraqi and U.S. troops up in the mountains!
"A stand-off with the international community can be resolved through dialogue."
DAMASCUS, Syria - Authorities hanged five men Thursday in northern Syria for murders they committed during attempted robberies, the official SANA news agency said.
SAN'A, Yemen - Yemen has set free one of the al-Qaida masterminds of the USS Cole bombing in 2000 that killed 17 American sailors, a senior security official said Thursday.
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi parliament speaker on Thursday joined opponents of executing a Saddam Hussein-era defense minister convicted of genocide against Kurds, saying that sending him to the gallows would set a dangerous precedent for the armed forces.
Well..It´s not that "particularly provocative" to fire rockets while Israel sits in peace meetings trying to find solutions..Is it? yes..Of course it´s such a big difference with Palestinians killing Palestinians and to respond to their" aggression"!
"Attempted robberies"..One wonder..want sentence the Syrian regime would give themselves..
And it´s not that surprising coming from Yemen ..is it?
And the Iraqi government should do everything to stand behind their forces. If not execution now, you should not release him.
And as we said: We do not approve just military actions from Turkey as they have done for decades, without diplomacy with the Kurdish government, while Iran and Hezbollah use Istanbul as their forum to spread their propaganda. Using Turkey´s border for weapon transports breaking U.N. resolutions. And wait to get Iraqi and U.S. troops up in the mountains!
And we do not approve that the U.S. do exactly the same or very similar to what Saddam´s regime did in the south of Iraq which only serve in the Iranian regime´s interests and give them additional arguments in their use of their propaganda that really does nothing more than works against reconciliation and for destabilization. Which is already done, with inciting sectarian strife, killings and destabilization, throwing in explosives in schools, killing Sunni teacher, with people being bombed, running on flags and being "trained" in Iran "against the occupiers"! The big "Shiite allies", with meetings in Syria and Istanbul and Sunni psychopath in Qatar that "had nothing to do with any bombings in Argentina /Algeria"!
As we said: Again: The Iraqi government need to work with representatives in Basra NOW! There is urgent need for reconciliation and dialogues there! There are people there that probably should need to get un-programmed just as the rest of "Iranian trained" militias, Hamas militants and jihadists! The Shiite´s in south of Iraq does not own anything to Iran! They do not stand in some gratitude where they have to give up what lives they have left to serve in Iran´s interests! While Iran´s regime having meetings with the Sunni psychopath in Qatar and with their allies in Syria! This are disgusting methods that have been practiced for decades and that are used all over the Middle East! In Iraq, Lebanon and in Palestinian territories!
"Resolved through dialogue"..
Well..We seen how this dialogues working..And we do wonder..If some people really thinking they will live in a rebuilt cave under the Temple Mount/The Noble Sanctuary, begging for Pizza! Or being hanged in public for resistance as they do in Tehran!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The ongoing campaign by the Ba'athist government of Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military has succeeded in delivering a crippling blow to al Qaeda in Iraq, but this has only served to highlight "the other big problem" -- the power of Shi'ite militias, Washington's envoy to Iraq said on Thursday.
Well..We know some of the history in the south of Iraq..And these are people that have suffered tremendous and being oppressed for a long time. "The Shiite Mahdi Army parade during the death anniversary of Mohammad Mohammad Baqr al Sadar.. the father of cleric Moqtada al Sadr".. These are people that are descendants from people that lived in the Marshlands since 5.000 years ago. They where persecuted and got their land destroyed! It´s one of earths biggest natural disaster made in the Marshlands!
The authorities destroyed and desecrated holy sites and shrines, and demolished libraries, mosques, and centers of religious instruction, hussainiyas. The closure of Shi'a centers of learning obliged students to transfer their studies to universities and institutions elsewhere in Iraq where Sunni rather than Shi'a theology was taught. Shi'a religious rites and practices were restricted, printed material was strictly censored, and religious broadcasts were banned. These measures were accompanied by the promulgation of discriminatory legislation against Shi'a Muslims, the introduction of retroactive death penalty legislation for membership in a Shi'a Muslim opposition group Islamic Call (al-Da'wa al-Islamiyya), and the execution in prison and targeted assassination of prominent religious leaders and scholars.
You talking about reconciliation ...Well..Here is one of the communities where reconciliation is really needed. And the Iraqi government must send in Iraqi´s to work and cooperate with representatives for people in Basra. And work for reconciliation which should have been done a long time ago, since the Iranian regime using their past history of oppression to fight "against the enemies" with intimidation, such as they are occupied and will not have their independence, propaganda etc.. And your forces both U.S. and Iraqi´s do not make conditions for reconciliation any easier with bombing them! You are just giving the Iranian´s regime additional arguments in their use of their propaganda that really does nothing more than works against reconciliation and for destabilization.
And the execution in prison and targeted assassination of prominent religious leaders and scholars.
Details of the ongoing campaign by the Ba'athist government of Iraq against the Ma'dan or so-called Marsh Arabs-the mostly Shi'a Muslim population that inhabits the marshlands (al-ahwar) in southern Iraq around the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Numbering some 250,000 people as recently as 1991, the Marsh Arabs today are believed to number fewer than 40,000 in their ancestral homeland. Many have been arrested, "disappeared," or executed; most have become refugees abroad or are internally displaced in Iraq as a result of Iraqi oppression. The population and culture of the Marsh Arabs, who have resided continuously in the marshlands for more than 5,000 years, are being eradicated.
Well..We know some of the history in the south of Iraq..And these are people that have suffered tremendous and being oppressed for a long time. "The Shiite Mahdi Army parade during the death anniversary of Mohammad Mohammad Baqr al Sadar.. the father of cleric Moqtada al Sadr".. These are people that are descendants from people that lived in the Marshlands since 5.000 years ago. They where persecuted and got their land destroyed! It´s one of earths biggest natural disaster made in the Marshlands!
The authorities destroyed and desecrated holy sites and shrines, and demolished libraries, mosques, and centers of religious instruction, hussainiyas. The closure of Shi'a centers of learning obliged students to transfer their studies to universities and institutions elsewhere in Iraq where Sunni rather than Shi'a theology was taught. Shi'a religious rites and practices were restricted, printed material was strictly censored, and religious broadcasts were banned. These measures were accompanied by the promulgation of discriminatory legislation against Shi'a Muslims, the introduction of retroactive death penalty legislation for membership in a Shi'a Muslim opposition group Islamic Call (al-Da'wa al-Islamiyya), and the execution in prison and targeted assassination of prominent religious leaders and scholars.
You talking about reconciliation ...Well..Here is one of the communities where reconciliation is really needed. And the Iraqi government must send in Iraqi´s to work and cooperate with representatives for people in Basra. And work for reconciliation which should have been done a long time ago, since the Iranian regime using their past history of oppression to fight "against the enemies" with intimidation, such as they are occupied and will not have their independence, propaganda etc.. And your forces both U.S. and Iraqi´s do not make conditions for reconciliation any easier with bombing them! You are just giving the Iranian´s regime additional arguments in their use of their propaganda that really does nothing more than works against reconciliation and for destabilization.
And the execution in prison and targeted assassination of prominent religious leaders and scholars.
Details of the ongoing campaign by the Ba'athist government of Iraq against the Ma'dan or so-called Marsh Arabs-the mostly Shi'a Muslim population that inhabits the marshlands (al-ahwar) in southern Iraq around the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Numbering some 250,000 people as recently as 1991, the Marsh Arabs today are believed to number fewer than 40,000 in their ancestral homeland. Many have been arrested, "disappeared," or executed; most have become refugees abroad or are internally displaced in Iraq as a result of Iraqi oppression. The population and culture of the Marsh Arabs, who have resided continuously in the marshlands for more than 5,000 years, are being eradicated.
Starting shortly after the end of the Gulf war in 1991, Marsh Arabs have been singled out for even more direct assault: mass arrests, enforced "disappearances," torture, and execution of political opponents have been accompanied by ecologically catastrophic drainage of the marshlands and the large-scale and systematic forcible transfer of part of the local population. "In their attempt to retake cities, and after consolidating control, loyalist forces killed thousands of unarmed civilians by firing indiscriminately into residential areas; executing young people on the streets, in homes and in hospitals; rounding up suspects especially young men, during house-to-house searches, and arresting them without charge or shooting them en masse; and using helicopters to attack unarmed civilians as they fled the cities.". The fate and whereabouts of many of those who "disappeared" in custody remains unresolved to date. The government also launched an unprecedented attack on the Shi'a Muslim faith and culture. The forced resettlement program in the marshes was accompanied by a counterinsurgency campaign that included indiscriminate attacks by artillery, helicopter gunships and fixed-wing aircraft on villages. The attacks were reportedly accompanied by the arrest and execution of civilians, including tribal leaders, the destruction of property and livestock, and the razing of entire villages. Those targeted included whole families that had refused to vacate their homes. In November 1993, UNSCOM experts visited Iran and Iraq to investigate allegations that Iraqi forces had used chemical weapons in attacks launched in the vicinity of the village of `Alawi, located on the eastern edge of the al-Hammar marshes. According to local inhabitants from the area who fled to Iran, Iraqi troops equipped with gas masks bombarded the village on September with shells emitting "a thick, white, ball-shaped gas cloud that hung a few yards above the ground for about an hour, causing breathing difficulties."
Similar attacks were reportedly carried out in the ensuing days, according to SCIRI, who also said that Iraqi military documents seized by its forces during a battle in the al-Hammar marshes at the end of September contained instructions to troops to take precautionary measures against phosgene gas. The UNSCOM team interviewed refugees who had fled to Iran, and then inspected the site of the alleged chemical attacks in the al-Hammar marshes, taking soil, water, flora and fauna samples for analysis. The UNSCOM team found no evidence to support the allegations.
http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/mena/marsharabs1.htm
Nuclear?
Well...Make a list with points what´s accepted as healthy and normal behavior and actions in the internationally community, what´s humanity, what´s legal in the internationally community, in one side and on the other what´s not!
And now Turkey wants U.S. and Iraqi troops up in the mountains in the North? While you having Istanbul for Hezbollah, being armed through your border
Turkey's government has warned it will launch an offensive into northern Iraq if Iraqi authorities don't move against bases used by the Kurdish Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a more than two-decade fight for autonomy in predominantly Kurdish southeastern Turkey.
Officials in Iraq's Kurdish region say there are no PKK bases, at least in populated areas under government control. Derishkit residents joined Salman and gestured toward a Turkish military post on a hilltop in the neighboring town of Khani-Mase. An armored vehicle stood on the heights, its gun pointing down the slope. The post is one of five bases established inside this part of Iraq in the mid-1990s with Iraqi Kurd agreement as part of Turkey's war against PKK separatists. Salman said villagers were not intimidated by the base's soldiers, who they said sometimes fired machine guns at people gathering firewood on the slopes below.
Popular anger at Turkey seems to be growing in northern Iraq, along with quiet preparations for conflict. There have been large demonstrations in the region's major cities, and television reports on a Kurdish protest in Turkey's capital riveted viewers here. Meanwhile, the Kurdish regional government has moved in units of its Peshmerga Defense Forces from the region's south. More than 100 of the fighters arrived aboard white buses Tuesday morning in Dohuk, capital of the region. Smaller units of Peshmerga mustered in mosques and schools near the border, which they usually avoid because of the risk of clashes with Turkish troops.
Muhammed Mohsin, an official with northern Iraq's dominant Kurdish Democratic Party in the Amadiya border area, said more than 50 villages in his area had been bombarded by Turkish artillery in recent days but no casualties had been reported. Muhammed Mohsin, an official with northern Iraq's dominant Kurdish Democratic Party in the Amadiya border area, said more than 50 villages in his area had been bombarded by Turkish artillery in recent days but no casualties had been reported.Mohsin insisted there are no PKK camps in the Amadiya area. But he also said dozens or hundreds of villages near the border had been evacuated and burned during Saddam Hussein campaign against Kurds and most remained empty. The Kurdish regional government has no control over this "no man's land," he said. The area consists of range after range of arid mountains topped by sawtooth rocks, towering over narrow, twisting river valleys. "A million men could hide in those mountains," Mohsin said.
Many Iraqi Kurd officials suspect Turkey's real aim is to try to destabilize northern Iraq, the most peaceful part of the country, to discourage separatist sentiment among the millions of Kurds living in southeastern Turkey. The PKK has been fighting against the Turkish government since 1984 in a war that has caused 30,000 deaths.
While it previously demanded a separate Kurdish state in Turkey's southeast, it more recently has called for an autonomous region — similar to the region that the Kurds have in northern Iraq.
While the United States and Iraq's central government in Baghdad have labeled the PKK a terrorist organization, most Iraqi Kurds appear to regard its guerrillas as freedom fighters. They accuse the Turkish government of a long history of suppressing the Kurdish language and culture. Many people here look to the United States to prevent Turkey from launching a major offensive into Iraq, some suggesting that Washington should respond with military force to any incursion.
"The U.S. is an occupying power," said Fahmi Salman, another regional Kurdistan Democratic Party official in Adamiya. "It is the duty of the United States to defend Kurdistan." Salman said that even if the Americans don't help, the Kurds are prepared to defend their homes. "The Kurds don't like war fighting," he said. "But if this happens, it will be a popular war. It will be against the people, and the people will fight."
Forget it! You will not have U.S. and Iraqi troops up in the mountains, while there are clashes violence and unrest because of Iran´s interests through Shiite militias and others paying with their lives because of it, in the south! Just as the Palestinians suffer because of their "support" of militants! Just as the Lebanese suffered with Iran´s "support", while Nasrallah claimed victory over death and destruction!
You will not have any U.S. or Iraqi troops up in the mountains while you having Iran and their proxy group Hezbollah in forums spreading lies, hostility and brainwashing propaganda in Istanbul and their "support" of Shiite militias in the south! Claiming to care for the "Palestinian cause" while using Turkey´s border to break U.N. resolutions and denying the Kurds their rights! And Turkey gets "legitimization" from Syria while arming Hezbollah denying the Israelis to defend themselves from their "support", by using it in their propaganda machinery they want to use Istanbul for!
Officials in Iraq's Kurdish region say there are no PKK bases, at least in populated areas under government control. Derishkit residents joined Salman and gestured toward a Turkish military post on a hilltop in the neighboring town of Khani-Mase. An armored vehicle stood on the heights, its gun pointing down the slope. The post is one of five bases established inside this part of Iraq in the mid-1990s with Iraqi Kurd agreement as part of Turkey's war against PKK separatists. Salman said villagers were not intimidated by the base's soldiers, who they said sometimes fired machine guns at people gathering firewood on the slopes below.
Popular anger at Turkey seems to be growing in northern Iraq, along with quiet preparations for conflict. There have been large demonstrations in the region's major cities, and television reports on a Kurdish protest in Turkey's capital riveted viewers here. Meanwhile, the Kurdish regional government has moved in units of its Peshmerga Defense Forces from the region's south. More than 100 of the fighters arrived aboard white buses Tuesday morning in Dohuk, capital of the region. Smaller units of Peshmerga mustered in mosques and schools near the border, which they usually avoid because of the risk of clashes with Turkish troops.
Muhammed Mohsin, an official with northern Iraq's dominant Kurdish Democratic Party in the Amadiya border area, said more than 50 villages in his area had been bombarded by Turkish artillery in recent days but no casualties had been reported. Muhammed Mohsin, an official with northern Iraq's dominant Kurdish Democratic Party in the Amadiya border area, said more than 50 villages in his area had been bombarded by Turkish artillery in recent days but no casualties had been reported.Mohsin insisted there are no PKK camps in the Amadiya area. But he also said dozens or hundreds of villages near the border had been evacuated and burned during Saddam Hussein campaign against Kurds and most remained empty. The Kurdish regional government has no control over this "no man's land," he said. The area consists of range after range of arid mountains topped by sawtooth rocks, towering over narrow, twisting river valleys. "A million men could hide in those mountains," Mohsin said.
Many Iraqi Kurd officials suspect Turkey's real aim is to try to destabilize northern Iraq, the most peaceful part of the country, to discourage separatist sentiment among the millions of Kurds living in southeastern Turkey. The PKK has been fighting against the Turkish government since 1984 in a war that has caused 30,000 deaths.
While it previously demanded a separate Kurdish state in Turkey's southeast, it more recently has called for an autonomous region — similar to the region that the Kurds have in northern Iraq.
While the United States and Iraq's central government in Baghdad have labeled the PKK a terrorist organization, most Iraqi Kurds appear to regard its guerrillas as freedom fighters. They accuse the Turkish government of a long history of suppressing the Kurdish language and culture. Many people here look to the United States to prevent Turkey from launching a major offensive into Iraq, some suggesting that Washington should respond with military force to any incursion.
"The U.S. is an occupying power," said Fahmi Salman, another regional Kurdistan Democratic Party official in Adamiya. "It is the duty of the United States to defend Kurdistan." Salman said that even if the Americans don't help, the Kurds are prepared to defend their homes. "The Kurds don't like war fighting," he said. "But if this happens, it will be a popular war. It will be against the people, and the people will fight."
Forget it! You will not have U.S. and Iraqi troops up in the mountains, while there are clashes violence and unrest because of Iran´s interests through Shiite militias and others paying with their lives because of it, in the south! Just as the Palestinians suffer because of their "support" of militants! Just as the Lebanese suffered with Iran´s "support", while Nasrallah claimed victory over death and destruction!
You will not have any U.S. or Iraqi troops up in the mountains while you having Iran and their proxy group Hezbollah in forums spreading lies, hostility and brainwashing propaganda in Istanbul and their "support" of Shiite militias in the south! Claiming to care for the "Palestinian cause" while using Turkey´s border to break U.N. resolutions and denying the Kurds their rights! And Turkey gets "legitimization" from Syria while arming Hezbollah denying the Israelis to defend themselves from their "support", by using it in their propaganda machinery they want to use Istanbul for!
Turkey's government has warned it will launch an offensive into northern Iraq if Iraqi. The Turkish government is under great domestic pressure to strike separatist PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) guerrillas in northern Iraq who killed 12 Turkish soldiers on Sunday as part of an intensified campaign against government troops. Turkey said it wanted to hold back from a major incursion to give diplomacy a chance. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said "We have said many times that the PKK leadership does not exist in Kurdish cities but are living with thousands of their fighters in the Qandil mountains, so it is not possible for us to arrest and hand them over to Turkey," he said in a statement. The Turkish official said a planned visit to Ankara by an Iraqi delegation on Thursday was a "final chance" for diplomacy. At Turkey's request, the team will be headed by Iraqi Defense Minister General Abdel Qader Jassim. It will also include Iraqi National Security Minister Shirwan al Waeli.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
" Peace isn't just made on fancy pieces of paper"
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed the hope Wednesday that the U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference later this year will mark the beginning of the end of his country's conflict with the Palestinians. "I don't know if the time of peace is yet ripe," Olmert told parliament, "but I know that it is my duty as the prime minister Israel to do everything in order to promote that time and at least try and bring it closer." President Bush called for the conference, tentatively set for November or December in Annapolis, Md. Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been negotiating over a joint document to take to the meeting, though no agreements have been announced. Olmert said that at the conference, "we will try again to get on the path, I hope, to the beginning of the end of the conflict between us and the Palestinians."
He added: "We already know that peace isn't made at international meetings, peace isn't just made on fancy pieces of paper. Peace is made through good will and real willingness to accept the other, while understanding his needs and fears." Olmert said Israelis have experienced hardships over the years, and that should help them understand the plight of the Palestinians. "We are strong enough and sure enough of our correctness to recognize the suffering of the Palestinians and to tell them that we are not apathetic to the feeling of despair and agony that many of you have experienced," he said. The Israeli leader said 14 years of peace efforts, since the first interim accord was signed in Washington in 1993, have generated "hopes, disappointments and frustrations," but he felt the majority on both sides want to live in peace.
He added: "We already know that peace isn't made at international meetings, peace isn't just made on fancy pieces of paper. Peace is made through good will and real willingness to accept the other, while understanding his needs and fears." Olmert said Israelis have experienced hardships over the years, and that should help them understand the plight of the Palestinians. "We are strong enough and sure enough of our correctness to recognize the suffering of the Palestinians and to tell them that we are not apathetic to the feeling of despair and agony that many of you have experienced," he said. The Israeli leader said 14 years of peace efforts, since the first interim accord was signed in Washington in 1993, have generated "hopes, disappointments and frustrations," but he felt the majority on both sides want to live in peace.
So...
Palestinians will have a annual Police commemoration Day..To observe and to remember and pay tribute to fallen policemen as well... And maybe one for those civilians that died..
A peaceful march through Gaza City to demand an end to the clashes came under fire that killed three civilians.
Or are they just keep going like outlaws and bandits? Thinking they will get in the old city of Jerusalem killing each around The Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary? And destruct centuries old buildings and make the city look as they have made it look in Gaza, while screaming of their legitimized rights..
Njea...One must be really stupid or Binyamin Netanyahu, "Waqf-advisers", or Hamas to think that the Israelis would leave parts of Jerusalem to such fightings..isn´t it so..?
In response to the escalation in Kassam rocket fire against Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to approve a list of civilian sanctions against the Gaza Strip in a security assessment he will hold with senior military officials on Thursday. On Tuesday, seven Kassams struck the western Negev, including one that scored a direct hit on a home in Sderot. There were no casualties. On Monday, six rockets were fired into Israel. In a meeting with defense officials, Southern Command officers and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Vilna'i, officials said, decided to recommend that Israel begin cutting back the supply of gasoline to Gaza in the coming days. "It's clear that we have to cut off ... the supply of electricity and the supply of fuel," Vilnai told Army Radio Wednesday. "We will dramatically reduce the flow of electricity from Israel over several weeks." Barak will also be presented with a recommendation to shut down one of the five power lines connecting Israel and Gaza for two hours at night. "We need to show the residents of Gaza that life does not carry on freely when Kassam rockets fall in Israel," a senior defense official said. "If rockets are fired, then the Palestinians will pay a price." Defense officials said the cuts in gasoline supply would be enough to "slightly disrupt" Palestinians' daily lives and cause them to think twice before driving their car. During the Tuesday meeting, Vilna'i decided to allow the continued supply of diesel fuel, which is used by ambulances and sanitation vehicles. "We do not want to cause a humanitarian crisis," a defense official said. "But we do want to send a clear message to the Palestinians that the rocket fire will not be tolerated." Meanwhile, a prominent Palestinian terrorist, responsible for hundreds of Kassam rocket attacks against Israel, was killed in an IDF air strike on his car in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
source: J-Posst
A peaceful march through Gaza City to demand an end to the clashes came under fire that killed three civilians.
Or are they just keep going like outlaws and bandits? Thinking they will get in the old city of Jerusalem killing each around The Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary? And destruct centuries old buildings and make the city look as they have made it look in Gaza, while screaming of their legitimized rights..
Njea...One must be really stupid or Binyamin Netanyahu, "Waqf-advisers", or Hamas to think that the Israelis would leave parts of Jerusalem to such fightings..isn´t it so..?
In response to the escalation in Kassam rocket fire against Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to approve a list of civilian sanctions against the Gaza Strip in a security assessment he will hold with senior military officials on Thursday. On Tuesday, seven Kassams struck the western Negev, including one that scored a direct hit on a home in Sderot. There were no casualties. On Monday, six rockets were fired into Israel. In a meeting with defense officials, Southern Command officers and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Vilna'i, officials said, decided to recommend that Israel begin cutting back the supply of gasoline to Gaza in the coming days. "It's clear that we have to cut off ... the supply of electricity and the supply of fuel," Vilnai told Army Radio Wednesday. "We will dramatically reduce the flow of electricity from Israel over several weeks." Barak will also be presented with a recommendation to shut down one of the five power lines connecting Israel and Gaza for two hours at night. "We need to show the residents of Gaza that life does not carry on freely when Kassam rockets fall in Israel," a senior defense official said. "If rockets are fired, then the Palestinians will pay a price." Defense officials said the cuts in gasoline supply would be enough to "slightly disrupt" Palestinians' daily lives and cause them to think twice before driving their car. During the Tuesday meeting, Vilna'i decided to allow the continued supply of diesel fuel, which is used by ambulances and sanitation vehicles. "We do not want to cause a humanitarian crisis," a defense official said. "But we do want to send a clear message to the Palestinians that the rocket fire will not be tolerated." Meanwhile, a prominent Palestinian terrorist, responsible for hundreds of Kassam rocket attacks against Israel, was killed in an IDF air strike on his car in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
source: J-Posst
Amnesty International on Wednesday harshly criticized rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah for harming civilians
JERUSALEM - Amnesty International on Wednesday harshly criticized rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah for harming civilians in their deadly infighting. The international human rights group released a 58-page report titled "Torn apart by factional strife," and said about 350 Palestinians were killed during the first months of 2007 in infighting in the Gaza Strip. Many of the dead were noncombatants, Amnesty said.
During the clashes, militants mounted attacks from civilian apartment buildings and hospitals and targeted rival patients in their hospital beds, the London-based organization said. Fighter used crowded residential neighborhoods as war zones, firing mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and bullets from civilian buildings. The Abbas government condemned the report, and a Hamas spokesman said his government wants to "open a new page" through dialogue with Fatah.
In examples cited by the report, a child running to a shop buy candy was killed by shrapnel, a young woman heading to a school exam died from a sniper bullet, and a peaceful march through Gaza City to demand an end to the clashes came under fire that killed three civilians.
Amnesty charged that militants were killed by rivals while in captivity, and others were maimed, often by shooting captives in the shin bones and knees. Civilians also suspected of loyalty to rival groups were drawn into the conflict, the report said. Pro-Fatah security forces snatched Husam Abu Qinas, a 35-year-old tiler, and threw him off a roof, in apparent retribution for Hamas militants throwing a security force official off a high-rise hours before. Amnesty International said after rival factions formed separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, both cracked down on suspected rival loyalists.
In the Gaza Strip, members of the Hamas military wing act as police and have detained and tortured Fatah activists and critics. Hamas police routinely beat protesters to break up demonstrations, and have roughed up journalists covering the events, Amnesty said. In the West Bank, pro-Fatah security forces detained about 1,000 Hamas sympathizers and members, forcing many to sign statements condemning the Islamic group and disavowing their loyalties to it.
Although most were held briefly, many reported being ill-treated or tortured, Amnesty said. Fatah loyalists have also acted against Hamas sympathizers with impunity, smashing up Hamas-linked institutions, kidnapping and harassing loyalists, the rights group said. Ashraf Ajrami, a minister in the West Bank government, said the report was baseless. "I don't think they tried very hard to find out the truth," he said. "We have acted according to law." Taher Nunu, a Hamas government spokesman, said his movement had acted out of necessity to put an end to chaos in Gaza. "We regret the victims that fell during the internal clashes. ... Our concern was to defend civilians and our people," he said. "The solution to the disagreement is not by laying blame but is by returning to dialogue and opening a new page."
During the clashes, militants mounted attacks from civilian apartment buildings and hospitals and targeted rival patients in their hospital beds, the London-based organization said. Fighter used crowded residential neighborhoods as war zones, firing mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and bullets from civilian buildings. The Abbas government condemned the report, and a Hamas spokesman said his government wants to "open a new page" through dialogue with Fatah.
In examples cited by the report, a child running to a shop buy candy was killed by shrapnel, a young woman heading to a school exam died from a sniper bullet, and a peaceful march through Gaza City to demand an end to the clashes came under fire that killed three civilians.
Amnesty charged that militants were killed by rivals while in captivity, and others were maimed, often by shooting captives in the shin bones and knees. Civilians also suspected of loyalty to rival groups were drawn into the conflict, the report said. Pro-Fatah security forces snatched Husam Abu Qinas, a 35-year-old tiler, and threw him off a roof, in apparent retribution for Hamas militants throwing a security force official off a high-rise hours before. Amnesty International said after rival factions formed separate governments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, both cracked down on suspected rival loyalists.
In the Gaza Strip, members of the Hamas military wing act as police and have detained and tortured Fatah activists and critics. Hamas police routinely beat protesters to break up demonstrations, and have roughed up journalists covering the events, Amnesty said. In the West Bank, pro-Fatah security forces detained about 1,000 Hamas sympathizers and members, forcing many to sign statements condemning the Islamic group and disavowing their loyalties to it.
Although most were held briefly, many reported being ill-treated or tortured, Amnesty said. Fatah loyalists have also acted against Hamas sympathizers with impunity, smashing up Hamas-linked institutions, kidnapping and harassing loyalists, the rights group said. Ashraf Ajrami, a minister in the West Bank government, said the report was baseless. "I don't think they tried very hard to find out the truth," he said. "We have acted according to law." Taher Nunu, a Hamas government spokesman, said his movement had acted out of necessity to put an end to chaos in Gaza. "We regret the victims that fell during the internal clashes. ... Our concern was to defend civilians and our people," he said. "The solution to the disagreement is not by laying blame but is by returning to dialogue and opening a new page."
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Well..Back at Golan again..Are we?
Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered Syrian authorities on Tuesday to distribute Syrian ID cards to the Druse residents of the Golan. The Syrian Sama news agency said that the move was made in order to ease the suffering of Druse people.
We hope that can make things a bit easier for the Druse people. As we said: We would like to see the families united there, but it takes both Israel and Syria cooperating for security at Golan and borders..Which is also requried for any returning back Golan..
We hope that can make things a bit easier for the Druse people. As we said: We would like to see the families united there, but it takes both Israel and Syria cooperating for security at Golan and borders..Which is also requried for any returning back Golan..
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