Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
Attack on Al-Arabia Satellite News Channel Condemned
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6428.shtml
Attack on Al-Arabia Satellite News Channel Condemned
Report, PCHR, 23 January 2007
PCHR strongly condemns the attack on the office of the Al-Arabia
satellite news channel on Monday evening as unknown persons detonated
an
explosive device at the door of the office, causing severe damage. PCHR
calls upon the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to investigate this
crime, which constitutes a serious assault on the freedom of
expression.
This crime is part of a series of systematic crimes and assaults on the
rule of law to create a state of lawlessness and undermine stability in
the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 21:20
on
Monday, 22 January 2007, unknown persons detonated an explosive device
in front of the office of the Al-Arabia satellite news channel on the
12th floor of the Al-Shorouq tower building in Al-Remal neighborhood in
the center of Gaza City. The explosion caused severe damage to the
office and the door of a neighboring office of Reuters news agency. No
casualties were reported.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is clear that
the attackers exploited the atmosphere that followed the Palestinian
government's declaration that it would sue the news channel for a
report
it had broadcasted, which the government considered as a kind of
defamation against the Prime Minister.
Seif Al-Din Shahin, Correspondent of the Al-Arabia, told PCHR that the
office of Al-Arabia and its employees repeatedly received threats last
week from unknown numbers on their mobile phones.
PCHR strongly condemns this crime, and:
1) Expresses utmost concern over repeated attacks on journalists and
media institutions, which have increased recently.
2) Stresses that such attacks constitute a serious assault on the
freedom of expression and the right to receive and impart information,
and are likely to undermine the "Fourth Authority."
3) Believes that this attack is an integral part of the state of
lawlessness prevailing in the OPT and constitute an assault on the rule
of law.
4) Calls upon the PNA, represented by the Attorney-General, to
investigate this crime and bring its perpetrators to justice.
5) Calls upon the PNA to take effective steps to confront assaults on
the rule of law, end the state of lawlessness and allow law enforcement
bodies to assume their duties to protect the security and property of
people.
UAE gas deal: Iran still in talks
http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2007/January/business_January587.xml§ion=business&col=
UAE gas deal: Iran still in talks
(Reuters)
24 January 2007
TEHERAN --- Iran is still in talks on the terms of a gas export
contract
with UAE-based Crescent Petroleum, a deal which has been held up by
differences over pricing, Iran's oil minister was quoted as saying
yesterday.
"We are still negotiating to amend the contract but we still have not
reached a definite conclusion," Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh was
quoted by ISNA news agency as saying.
The deal is for Iran to supply gas from the Salman field in the Gulf to
Crescent, a shareholder in Dana Gas which was set up to supply
utilities and other industrial users in the United Arab Emirates.
Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
** ARMY SEEKS TO CATALYZE OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE
** SOME NEW INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY DIRECTIVES
** SPECIAL FORCES USE OF PACK ANIMALS
ARMY SEEKS TO CATALYZE OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE
A new U.S. Army Field Manual is intended to advance the
development and use of open source intelligence (OSINT), which
is intelligence that is derived from publicly available data
legally obtained.
"The value of publicly available information as a source of
intelligence has... often been overlooked in Army intelligence
operations. This manual provides a catalyst for renewing the
Army's awareness of the value of open sources; establishing a
common understanding of OSINT; and developing systematic
approaches to collection, processing, and analysis of publicly
available information."
The growing military appreciation of open source intelligence
arises from the ever-increasing quality of public sources and
the evident limitations of traditional classified approaches.
"Open source research is the most effective means of retrieving
authoritative and detailed information on the terrain, weather,
and civil considerations as well as external variables that
affect or influence the operational environment."
Yet "our reliance on classified databases... has... often left
our soldiers uninformed and ill-prepared to capitalize on the
huge reservoir of unclassified information available from open
sources."
OSINT is naturally not the solution to all problems or without
limitations of its own, the manual says.
"More than any other intelligence discipline, the OSINT
discipline could unintentionally provide indicators of US
military operations [to hostile observers]."
Furthermore, "Deception and bias are of particular concern in
OSINT operations. Unlike other disciplines, OSINT operations do
not normally collect information by direct observation of
activities and conditions within the area of interest."
Characteristically, perhaps, the new Army manual on OSINT is
marked "for official use only" and it has not been approved for
public release. As such, it would not have qualified as an
"open source." Until now.
A copy of the manual was obtained by Secrecy News and posted on
the Federation of American Scientists web site.
See "Open Source Intelligence," U.S. Army Field Manual Interim
FMI 2-22.9, December 2006 (161 pages, 2 MB PDF):
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fmi2-22-9.pdf
The management of open source intelligence activities across the
U.S. intelligence community was addressed in a July 2006
Intelligence Community Directive (ICD 301) on the National Open
Source Enterprise:
http://www.fas.org/irp/dni/icd/icd-301.pdf
SOME NEW INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY DIRECTIVES
Several recent Intelligence Community Directives (ICDs) were
released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
on January 22 in response to a Freedom of Information Act
request from the Federation of American Scientists.
Though mostly dry and uninformative, they are nevertheless
important as expressions of bureaucratic definition and
control.
The newly released directives include:
ICD 105, "Acquisition," August 15, 2006
ICD 300, "Management, Integration, and Oversight of Intelligence
Collection and Covert Action," October 3, 2006
ICD 602, "Human Capital -- Intelligence Community Critical Pay
Positions," August 16, 2006
ICD 900, "Mission Management,"December 21, 2006
These and other publicly disclosed Intelligence Community
Directives are available here:
http://www.fas.org/irp/dni/icd/index.html
SPECIAL FORCES USE OF PACK ANIMALS
U.S. special operations forces typically make use of some of the
most sophisticated military and intelligence gear available.
But sometimes a "no tech" solution is the right one.
So, for example, Special Forces "may find themselves involved in
operations in rural or remote environments... using pack
animals," including horses, donkeys and mules.
"Pack animal operations are ideally suited for, but not limited
to, conducting various missions in high mountain terrain,
deserts, and dense jungle terrain."
An Army Special Forces manual provides instruction and doctrinal
guidance for using pack animals in training and combat
missions.
"This manual provides the techniques of animal pack transport
and for organizing and operating pack animal units. It captures
some of the expertise and techniques that have been lost in the
United States Army over the last 50 years."
The 225 page manual provides a basic introduction to the
characteristics of each of the various pack animals, some
rudiments of veterinary care, and miscellaneous lore.
"Mules are intelligent and possess a strong sense of
self-preservation. A packer cannot make a mule do something if
the mule thinks it will get hurt, no matter how much persuasion
is used.... many people confuse this trait with
stubbornness." (p. 2-1)
"Elephants are considered an endangered species and as such
should not be used by U.S. military personnel... Elephants are
not the easygoing, kind, loving creatures that people believe
them to be. They are, of course, not evil either." (p. 10-8)
The Special Forces manual has not been approved for public
release, but a copy was obtained by Secrecy News.
See "Special Forces Use of Pack Animals," Field Manual FM
3-05.213, June 2004 (in a very large 16.5 MB PDF file):
_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
Jordan, Yemen sign 23 agreements on joint projects
http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/homenews/homenews2.htm
Jordan, Yemen sign 23 agreements on joint projects
SANAA (Petra) --- Meetings of the Joint Jordanian Yemeni Higher
Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit and his Yemeni
counterpart Abdul Qader Bajammal, concluded on Tuesday with the signing
of 23 agreements, memoranda of understanding, executive programmes and
protocols in several fields.
The two sides also signed the minutes of the higher committee meetings.
During a two-day official visit to Sanaa, Bakhit also met with Yemeni
President Ali Abdullah Saleh and conveyed His Majesty King Abdullah's
greetings to the Yemeni president and people.
During the meeting, Bakhit and Bajammal briefed the Yemeni president on
the outcome of the meetings of the Joint Jordanian Yemeni Higher
Committee and joint projects agreed on in a bid to increase bilateral
cooperation.
Talks also focused on the challenges facing the Arab nation and the
need
for consultations and coordination to reach a unified position.
During the meetings of the two-way higher committee, the two sides
agreed to launch several joint projects including a Jordanian Yemeni
university to be owned by the private sector with its main headquarters
in Aden. The two countries also agreed to start a maritime transport
company to connect the port city of Aqaba with Aden through the Red
Sea.
Other projects agreed on include the establishment of a Jordanian
Yemeni
hospital, in addition to protocols and agreements signed in the fields
of agriculture, health, education, training, insurance, tourism,
culture, energy and legal affairs.
It was also agreed to allow Jordanian pharmaceutical companies to
launch
similar manufacturing companies in Yemen. At present, Jordanian
medicines manufactured in Yemen cover 10 per cent of its needs.
At a joint press conference following the meetings, Bakhit said the
government would follow up on all the agreements and recommendations to
ensure their implementation.
Last year, the trade balance between the two countries was below $40
million.
The premier said there was consensus on all the regional and
international issues discussed, mainly with regard to the situation in
Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and Somalia.
He underlined the need to solve the Palestinian question and called on
the Palestinian factions to end internal conflict, stressing that this
is what really matters, not whether reconciliation is achieved through
a
meeting in Amman, Sanaa or Damascus.
Jordan recently offered to host a meeting between Palestinian
President
Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya to help
resolve differences between the two Palestinian factions, Fateh and
Hamas.
According to news reports, Abbas turned down the suggestion.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Afghani Interior Minister lauds UAE assistance
http://www.upi.com/Arabia2000/view.php?StoryID=20070123-345800-5501-r
Afghani Interior Minister lauds UAE assistance
Kabul, January 23rd, 2007 (WAM)- Afghani Interior Minister Dirar Ahmed
Moqbil has lauded the UAE assistance to his country..
The Minister said the UAE aid to Afghanistan reflected the strong bonds
of fraternity linking the two nations..
The Minister made these remarks when he received today Ali Saeed Al
Ghaithi, the UAE Charge d'Affaires, who delivered to him a batch of
vehicles donated by the UAE to support the Afghani police..
The Minister asked the UAE diplomat to convey his appreciation to Lt.
General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior. ..
WAM/AS 20 35 CCCCQQ
http://namguardianangel.blogspot.com/2007/01/american-pow-and-march-98.html
This page appears to be declassified papers, on POW's, of several wars, I see clinton named, am not concentrating, so missed half of it.
http://redspy-atruestory.blogspot.com/index.html
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Hello.
Nice of you to drop in.
My name is Anhua Gao and I'm the author of the best-seller:
TO THE EDGE OF THE SKY.
This blog contains my second manuscript entitled:
RED SPY.
(Copyright: Anhua Gao)
It is a true story of a real-life Chinese-born special agent
working for the Soviets during World War Two.
Have you made a note of this site address?
It's: RedSpy-aTrueStory
[Things are a little goofy this morning]
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070122/NEWS/70122003
Probably not the best way to transport the goods
BRADENTON, Fla. — A police officer who dragged a homeless woman’s shopping cart alongside his cruiser for 12 miles so she wouldn’t lose her belongings was ordered to undergo retraining and counseling.
Officer Nicholas Evans was praised by homeless advocates but jeered by peers after arresting Marie Brooks on an outstanding warrant and then pulling her cart to the county jail. The trip took an hour.
The 26-year-old Evans, who has been with the department for three years, will not be suspended for 20 days as a lieutenant had recommended, Police Chief Michael Radzilowski said Friday.
According to a police report, Evans bragged to colleagues that he had gotten the cart up to 40 mph.
Department investigators concluded that Evans showed poor conduct for an officer because he brought negative attention to himself and to the department.
Also, Evans was written up for failing to follow state law — towing a cart could be considered careless driving, the report said — and failing to operate a vehicle safely.
3 dead, 100 hurt in Lebanon clashes
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467793409&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Jan. 23, 2007 8:17 | Updated Jan. 23, 2007 21:28
3 dead, 100 hurt in Lebanon clashes
Hizbullah-led opposition supporters paralyzed Lebanon Tuesday with a
general strike and tire-burning protests that led to street clashes in
which three people were killed and scores injured.
What had been planned as a peaceful work-stoppage turned into the worst
violence since the pro-Syrian Hizbullah movement and its allies
launched
their campaign in November to bring down the US-backed government of
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.
In a televised speech to the nation at the end of the day, Saniora
called for a special session of parliament to defuse the crisis, and
gave every indication that he intended to stay in office.
"We will stand together against intimidation and confront sedition for
the sake of Lebanon," he said. He added he remained ready for talks
with
the opposition.
Black clouds billowed over parts of Beirut as opposition supporters set
up burning roadblocks on main routes and at entrances to the capital,
as
well as in other major cities to enforce the strike. Commuters were
stranded and business came to halt in many districts of the capital.
In some areas across the country, government supporters confronted the
opposition protesters in bouts of stone throwing, fist-fights and even
scattered gunfire.
Police said three people were killed and 43 others sustained gunshot
wounds in clashes in the towns of central and northern Lebanon,
including two bodyguards of a prominent pro-government politician.
Giving a breakdown, security officials said one pro-government activist
was killed, 23 pro-government supporters were shot and wounded, and 15
opposition activists were hurt. The officials spoke on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Police said that in the northern port of Tripoli, the second-largest
city, a gunbattle with automatic rifles and grenades between the two
sides left two people dead and five others wounded. The police did not
give the casualties' political allegiance.
In addition, some 80 other people were lightly injured across the
country in cases of stone-throwing and other fights.
Police and troops deployed in the thousands across the country in an
attempt to open roads and break up clashes. In some cases, troops
negotiated the lifting of roadblocks. Elsewhere, they charged crowds to
separate battling protesters and push open roads.
The violence escalates the confrontation between Hizbullah and the
government, which many have feared could tear apart the country's
fragile political and religious factions. The Hizbullah-led opposition
is demanding a new coalition government giving them more power, which
Saniora has staunchly refused.
The unrest comes two days before a crucial conference of donor nations
in Paris aimed at gathering some $5 billion in aid and loans for
Lebanon
to rebuild after the summer war between Israel and Hizbullah. The money
would be a boost for the embattled Saniora - but the political chaos
raises questions of whether his government can distribute funds and
lead
reconstruction without a deal with Hizbullah.
The United States renewed its backing for the Saniora government.
Nicholas Burns, the US undersecretary of state for political affairs,
said in a speech in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday that
Washington
will make a "substantial contribution" to rebuild Lebanon at the
conference, and "to give support to the elected government of the
country against those who would destabilize it."
He warned there are attempts to overthrow the government and called for
international support for Saniora.
"We have indications they will try to go into the streets this week to
overturn a democratically elected government, through the rule of
people
in the streets, through mobs," he said. It's going to be very important
for Arabs, the United States and Europe to stand up in support of the
Saniora government "in this really critical hour for Lebanon," he
added.
Hizbullah and its allies have been holding a constant street sit-in in
downtown Beirut for the past two months, trying to pressure Saniora to
step down. On Tuesday, some opposition activists were expressing
frustration that the protests so far had not succeeded.
"Peacefully, it didn't work out," said Tony Younes - a follower of
opposition leader Michel Aoun, Hizbullah's top Christian ally. "We've
been for 52 days protesting and our calls have went unanswered."
"Today, we escalated. Tomorrow we will escalate more. And we will
continue until the fall of the government," Younes said, sitting in the
middle of a road along with other Aoun followers in the northern Beirut
suburb of Zalka.
Hizbullah's deputy leader, Sheik Naim Kassem, told al-Jazeera
television
that the opposition would decide later in the day whether to call off
the action or continue the escalating campaign. "It was very successful
and a clear message" to the government and its international backers,
said Kassem, summing up the opposition's moves.
Government officials described the disturbances as an attempted coup.
"It is one of the chapters of the putsch," said Telecommunications
Minister Marwan Hamadeh said. "This will fail as in the past, and the
legitimate government of Lebanon will remain steadfast," he told
Al-Arabiya television. In another television interview, he called the
protesters "thugs."
On the coastal highway north of Beirut, near the Christian port city of
Jounieh, troops brandishing automatic rifles and batons separated
hundreds of pro- and anti-government protesters and kept them away from
motorists. Shots were fired in the air, apparently by security forces
to
disperse the crowds.
Clashes mainly broke out in areas of Beirut and other cities where
residents are divided between government supporters and opposition
forces. Areas where residents mainly belong to one side or the other
were spared violence.
The conflict has strained fragile sectarian lines in a country that
fought a 1975-1990 civil war between Muslims and Christians. In the
current power struggle, Lebanon's Sunni Muslims largely support
Saniora,
while the Shiites back Hezbollah and the opposition. Many Christians
back Saniora, but pro-Hizbullah Aoun also has a large following.
Hizbullah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and other opposition leaders
called the strike that was backed by labor unions. Saniora and his
supporters urged Lebanese to ignore the call, a move endorsed by
banking
associations and business leaders.
Witness accounts and television footage suggest that the opposition had
shut down many neighborhoods and suburbs of Beirut, as well as areas
around the country.
Many workers stayed home, either in support of the strike or simply
fearing violence. Some schools, which had earlier said they were open,
sent mobile text messages to parents announcing closures because of the
unrest.
Blazing roadblocks cut off the road to the country's only international
airport, in southern Beirut, and the highway linking the capital with
the mountains and the road to Damascus, the Syrian capital.
Aviation officials said the airport was operating, albeit with fewer
staff. Five flights arrived at the airport, six others left, but
another
seven flights were canceled.
Cabinet minister Ahmed Fatfat expressed worries over more violence.
"The opposition is attempting a coup by force ... This is not a strike.
This is military action, a true aggression and I'm afraid this could
develop into clashes between citizens," Fatfat, the youth and sports
minister, told Al-Arabiya.
A Saniora aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the prime
minister was still in Beirut, contrary to earlier media reports that he
had left for France. Saniora has been operating from his downtown
office, surrounded by barbed wire and combat troops, while opposition
activists have been camped out nearby.
Russia denies new deliveries of Strelets air defense system to Syria
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070123/59565930.html
Russia denies new deliveries of Strelets air defense system to Syria
16:28 | 23/ 01/ 2007
BANGALORE (India), January 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has not yet signed
a contract on deliveries of a short-range ground-to-air missile system
to Syria, the head of the Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport said
Tuesday.
"A contract on deliveries of the Strelets air defense system has not
been signed, and it is hard to say when it will be signed," Sergei
Chemezov said, adding that the negotiations have been complicated.
"They [the Syrians] want the Igla portable air defense system, but we
have refused to supply it," he said.
Syria first has to decide whether it wants to purchase the Strelets
system or not, the Russian official said.
Syria, a long-time client of Russia's defense industry, has accounted
for up to four percent of Russia's annual arms sales, which totaled a
record $6.1 billion last year.
However, it is unclear whether the head of Rosoboronexport was
referring
to a new contract or to part of the previous agreement, which was
signed
in April 2005.
The details of the deal have never been made public, but Valery Kashin,
head of the Kolomna-based Engineering Design Bureau, which designed the
Strelets system, said earlier that Russia met all of its commitments in
2006 under the contract to supply Syria with the Strelets system,
confirming the delivery of equipment under the 2005 contract.
Russia agreed in 2005 to sell Syria short-range anti-aircraft missile
systems to bolster its capability to protect strategically important
facilities from "potential air strikes."
Israel and the United States spoke out against the 2005 deal, claiming
that Syria would pass on the system, which fires Igla ground-to-air
missiles, to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
Russia has consistently defended the deal, saying that "international
agreements place no restrictions" on the sale of such missiles.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Strelets is a
vehicle-mounted launcher rather than a portable system, such as the
Igla-S air defense system, which can be fired from the shoulder at an
aircraft or helicopter, a cruise missile or any other aerial target.
Although both use the same method of operation, there is a big
difference between the two systems.
Like the U.S. Stinger, the Igla-S is an autonomous portable system,
weighing about 15 kilograms (30 pounds) that can be fired by a trained
operator at any time of day or night, regardless of the weather, at
approaching or receding targets, and regardless of electronic or
thermal
interference.
In the hands of terrorists, it could represent a formidable threat to
any aerial target flying at an altitude of 10 meters (30 feet) to 3.5
kilometers (2 miles), and at a distance of up to 6 kilometers (3.7
miles)
The Strelets, on the contrary, is a heavy-weapon system comprising
control and launch elements (modules) that can fire two to eight Igla-S
missiles separately or in a salvo. The tactical and technical
characteristics of the Strelets and the Igla are the same, but the
Strelets must be mounted on a rail-pad placed on a vehicle (like a
Jeep), the turret of an armored car, a patrol boat, or on the
undercarriage of a helicopter gunship.
A missile can be fired from the Strelets only if it is mounted on a
platform - it is impossible to shoulder-fire a missile from a system
that weighs anywhere between 80 kilograms (180 pounds) and 120
kilograms
(400 pounds) depending on the number of Igla missiles in it.
Another fundamental difference between the Strelets and the Igla-S is
that the targeting and control system of the Igla is located on the
launcher tube, while the control instruments of the Strelets are
removed
from the launching sector.
They are connected with the launcher by shielded electric cables or can
be located in the cabin of the vehicle, the turret of the armored car,
on a helicopter control panel or on the bridge of a patrol boat.
According to the designers, the Strelets launcher with a missile but
without controls would be useless, including for terrorists, as
targeting becomes impossible.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11664983
Jan 24 2007 2:01PM
Terrorists may enter Russia from Belarus - border service
MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax-AVN) - Members of terrorist organizations may profit from the porous border between Russia and Belarus, Russian Border Service head Vladimir Pronichev said.
"Russia's border with Belarus is virtually unguarded. This is a hole used by citizens of third countries to illegally enter Russian territory," the official said during a 'parliamentary hour' at the Federation Council on Wednesday.
Belarus has maintained visa-free regimes with CIS countries, with which Russia maintains a visa regime, he said.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11665073
Jan 24 2007 3:24PM
Afghanistan top opium producer - Russian border guard chief
MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Afghanistan remains the world leader in terms of the amount of land under opium poppy cultivation, which has more than doubled in the past four years, Federal Security Service (FSB) Border Service chief Vladimir Pronichev said at the Federation Council on Wednesday.
According to UN estimates, opium poppy in Afghanistan was planted on 165,000 hectares in 2006, compared to 74,000 hectares in 2002, he said.
"The basic route for harvested Afghan opium runs through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Up to 65% of opium and up to 80% of heroin are shipped from Afghanistan via this route," he said.
Drug trafficking proceeds are a primary source of financing for terrorist organizations, Pronichev said.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11664882
Jan 24 2007 12:25PM
Russia to provide military-technological support to Afghanistan
NEW DELHI. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Russia is determined to provide military-technological support to Afghanistan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov has said.
"Taking into account the continued escalation of tensions in Afghanistan, we intend to continue to provide assistance to that country, including in the military-technological area. [This will be done] primarily to help the new Afghan army to improve its combat preparedness and equipment and ensure its ability to protect the state's interests on its own," Losyukov told Interfax on Wednesday.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11664861
Jan 24 2007 12:07PM
N. Korean, Iranian missiles cannot threaten U.S., allies - Russian defense minister
DELHI. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Neither North Korea nor Iran possess intercontinental ballistic missiles that could threaten the U.S. or its allies, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said.
"Neither North Korean nor Iranian missiles can reach the targeted area [Europe]. They have medium-range missiles, but they do not have intercontinental ballistic missiles and will not have them in the near future," Ivanov said at a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11664249
Jan 23 2007 2:15PM
Moscow denies Politkovskaya probe theory cited by U.S. reporters
MOSCOW. Jan 23 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has denied reports it told the U.S. Committee to Protect Journalists that the Prosecutor General's office is probing Chechen police officers in connection with the murder of investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.
"The claim of members of the Committee to Protect Journalists is absolutely untrue," the ministry information and press department told Interfax on Tuesday.
"In actual fact Committee members were given the following reply: The Russian Prosecutor General's Office is checking several theories of the murder, including one related to her work as a journalist. The Prosecutor General is monitoring the investigation," a ministry spokesman said.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11664144
Jan 23 2007 1:22PM
Investigation of Berezovsky case continues - Prosecutor General's office
MOSCOW. Jan 23 (Interfax) - The Russian Prosecutor General's office has refuted the claim made by a lawyer for businessman Boris Berezovsky that the investigation of the attempted seizure of power in Russia involving Berezovsky was suspended.
"The investigative department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) continues the investigation of the criminal case in which Berezovsky is charged with actions aimed at the seizure of power and violation of the Russian constitution as well as public calls for extremist actions through the mass media," a spokesman for the office told Interfax on Tuesday.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11664043
Jan 23 2007 11:56AM
Injuries reported in gas explosion in Sverdlovsk region
YEKATERINBURG. Jan 23 (Interfax) - A household gas explosion occurred in a three-storey apartment block in Kushva, Sverdlovsk region, at 12:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
Top spokesman for the regional Interior Department Valery Gorelykh told Interfax that several persons were rushed to the city hospital.
"People remain under the debris. Children can be heard calling for help," he said.
Rescuers and the Federal Security Service officers are working at the scene.
http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11664134
Jan 23 2007 1:12PM
Gas explosion in Sverdlovsk region result of safety violation - official
YEKATERINBURG. Jan 23 (Interfax) - Sverdlovsk region Interior Department reports that Tuesday's explosion in an apartment block in Kushva was caused by the violation of safety rules while connecting an apartment to the gas network.
"The explosion was not related to terrorism. One of the apartments in the second floor was being connected to the gas network but a valve was not closed. This violation of safety rules resulted in the explosion," top spokesman for the department Valery Gorelykh told Interfax.
http://www.interfax.pl/article/21751/US-anti-missile-radar-base-no-security-risk-for-Russian-or-Czech-citizens-Czech-military-chief
U.S. anti-missile radar base no security risk for Russian or Czech citizens - Czech military chief
PRAGUE. JANUARY 24. INTERFAX CENTRAL EUROPE - A U.S. anti-missile defense radar system to detect potential attack from North Korea or Iran would not represent increased security risks for citizens of the Czech Republic, Russia or China, Czech Chief of Staff Gen. Pavel Stefka told journalists Wednesday.
"This radar monitors missiles that have already been launched and it cannot monitor what is going on on the ground […] because of the terrain," Stefka said in reaction to opposing statements from Russia. "It is absolute nonsense."
Stefka rejected the fears raised by Russian defense official, Commander of the Russian Space Forces Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin, who said that the proposed deployment of part of a U.S. anti-missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland was "a clear threat" to Russian security.
Stefka participated in Wednesday's irregular meeting of the Czech National Security Council that was also attended by President Vaclav Klaus and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS) and which approved the current negotiations stance that the Czech government has begun, as well as the start of the relevant legislative processes within the country.
"It [missile defense radar] cannot be considered a threat to Russia," Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek told reporters, noting the network is meant for defensive purposes, and it could be extended to other countries such as Russia.
"The decision to place a radar base on Czech territory will be the sovereign decision of our country," Topolanek said, adding that negotiations could last a full year.
The Czech president is going to meet his counterpart in Poland Thursday night. Poland has also been approached by Washington to host an anti-missile base as part of the same U.S. defense system - to discuss issues of mutual interest.
In April Klaus is going to official visit to Russia where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, which might help to clear out the situation, Klaus said.
Also, the Czech Defense Ministry confirmed to Interfax on Monday that the anti-missile defense cannot constitute a threat for Russia or any other country.
"It is a system of anti-missile defense, which does not have, and can not have, other than defensive purposes," Czech Defense Ministry spokesperson Andrej Cirtek said. "It fires [interceptor] missiles with no explosive warheads that destroy ballistic missiles only due to the power of the impact, which is why it cannot be a threat for anyone."
Stefka and Topolanek also added the radar would be also a part of NATO defense system.
The Czech military is currently considering two main locations for the U.S. radar - Jince in the Central Bohemia or the Libava military area in north Moravia.
BP/PS
For further information please contact the reporter at email: barbora.petrova@interfax.cz or by telephone on: (+420) 222 874 440.
[excellent report, with sources, I do not know how to copy
PDF...granny]
Abu Musab Al Suri: Architect of the New Al Qaeda
all the sleeping cells awaken now because the war is in its peak and
the
enemy ... Abu Musab al Suri, “The Call for Global Islamic Resistance,”
published on ...
http://www.lawandsecurity.org/documents/AbuMusabalSuriArchitectoftheNewAlQaeda.pdf
Pakistan, Jordan agree to broaden security cooperation
http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/24/top9.htm
Pakistan, Jordan agree to broaden security cooperation
AMMAN/DAMASCUS, Jan 23: President Gen Pervez Musharraf and King
Abdullah
of Jordan on Tuesday agreed to broaden security cooperation between the
two countries to combat the spread of Muslim militancy, and called for
fresh talks to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. President Musharraf also
held talks with President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus the same day and
the two leaders stressed the need for the early resolution of the
Palestine issue to end conflicts and tension in the region.
After the talks, President Pervez Musharraf and King Abdullah, both
allies of the US in its `war on terror', told reporters that the two
Muslim countries had agreed to give a broader `strategic dimension' to
their bilateral cooperation.
"There is a serious challenge in the shape of our common fight against
terrorism and extremism. There is an ever increasing need for harmony
within the Muslim world," President Musharraf said.
Both leaders have tried to promote moderate Islam as a religion of
peace
that shuns violence, but both face tribal and conservative forces
holding strong anti-Western views.
"I found complete convergence of views ... the developments impact on
all of us and together we need to play a role to avert the dangers
facing us," President Musharraf said.
Both countries called on the United States and Europe to help resolve
the Palestinians-Israeli conflict, which is the root cause of
international turmoil.
King Abdullah said Musharraf backed efforts to revive Arab-Israeli
peace
talks aimed at establishing a viable and independent Palestinian state
alongside Israel as part of a comprehensive settlement.
"The unresolved Palestine issue remains central to peace and security
in
the region and far beyond this immediate region," President Musharraf
said.
In his talks in Damascus, President Musharraf and Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad called for early resolution of the Palestine issue to
end conflicts and tension that had plagued the region.---Agencies
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