World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.

VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.

From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for “medical reasons”. The clue to detecting the fake “dissident” is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal “dissident” was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.

One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.

MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.

Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.

Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled “Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?”, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.

Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's “reformed revolutionary”. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the “imam” on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.

He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following “hunger strikes”, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.

Putin's speech: Back to cold war?
By Rob Watson
BBC defence and security correspondent, Munich

The Munich security conference was born in the 1960s - the height of the Cold War. Forty years on, there been talk of a new chill.

Given the tone and content of Russian President Vladimir Putin's address to the gathered defence ministers, parliamentarians and pundits, it is not, perhaps, hard to see why.

Warming quickly to his task after only the briefest of greetings, President Putin accused the US of establishing, or trying to establish, a "uni-polar" world.

"What is a uni-polar world? No matter how we beautify this term, it means one single centre of power, one single centre of force and one single master," he said.

'Formula for disaster'

President Putin continued in a similar vein for some time.

In today's multi-polar world, there is no place for needless confrontation
US Senator John McCain

"The United States has overstepped its borders in all spheres - economic, political and humanitarian, and has imposed itself on other states," he said.

It was a formula that, he said, had led to disaster: "Local and regional wars did not get fewer, the number of people who died did not get less but increased. We see no kind of restraint - a hyper-inflated use of force."

The US has gone "from one conflict to another without achieving a fully-fledged solution to any of them", Mr Putin said.

With the new US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and several US congressmen sitting in the audience, he called for the reconsideration of the whole existing architecture of global security.

'Disappointing' speech

But he did not win over his audience.

Several delegates did not like his rather brusque brushing off of questions about Russia's own commitment to democracy and his defence of Moscow's decision to sell an air-defence system to Iran.

Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer described President Putin's speech as "disappointing and not helpful". And there was similar reaction from the president of Estonia and others.

But it was left to US Republican senator and presidential hopeful John McCain to lead the retort.

Today's world, he said sternly, was not uni-polar, adding that it was an autocratic Russia that needed to change its behaviour.

"Moscow must understand that it cannot enjoy a genuine partnership with the West so long as its actions at home and abroad conflict so fundamentally with the core values of Euro-Atlantic democracies," he said.

"In today's multi-polar world, there is no place for needless confrontation, and I would hope that Russian leaders understand this truth," Senator McCain said.

Spotlight on Moscow

Afterwards in the corridors there were dark mutterings by some about a new Cold War.

Others were less gloomy, dismissing President Putin's performance as one of Russia's periodic bouts of letting off steam at its diminished world status.

But it has made an impression.

For the last few years, as one observer suggested, it was the former US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, who was the man everybody loved to hate at this conference.

President Putin's performance has single-handedly switched the spotlight from the US to Russia.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6350847.stm

Published: 2007/02/10 21:42:32 GMT

© BBC MMVII

The Mecca Agreement and its Impact on the Palestinians and Israelis

This post was written by shimonzk on 10 February, 2007 (13:41) | Israel News

By Shimon Z. Klein

The fighting between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza had become intolerable. The situation became dangerous for the Palestinian people who were unable to live a normal life without being caught up in factional fighting cross-fire. Many cease-fires were arranged, even under the auspices of Egypt, but after a day or two these cease-fires were broken and the fighting continued unabated. The results were terrible and there was hardly an institution in Gaza unscathed by the unrest. Since the elections last year, there had been rivalry between the two parties, Hamas and Fatah, which had weakened President Mahmoud Abbas so much that he was unable to govern. The factional fighting also resulted in the tragic deaths of more than 130 Palestinians.

According to a report by Al Jazeera 8th February 2007, rival Palestinian leaders have signed a deal to form a government of national unity aimed at ending lethal infighting and a crippling international boycott.

The deal, mediated by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, was confirmed at a signing ceremony in Mecca on Thursday.

According to a report by , rival Palestinian leaders have signed a deal to form a government of national unity aimed at ending lethal infighting and a crippling international boycott. The deal, mediated by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, was confirmed at a signing ceremony in Mecca on Thursday.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and leader of Fatah, asked Ismail Haniyeh, the current Hamas-nominated prime minister, to form the new government.

Abbas and Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of the Hamas, signed the deal in a palace overlooking the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine.

The deal sets out the principles of the coalition government, including a promise that it will “respect” previous peace deals with Israel, delegates said. (However, in later news reports, the issue of recognition of Israel was never discussed. If this is the case it is doubtful whether they will respect previous deals with Israel.)

Meshaal said the accord “will unify our ranks. There is a commitment and unity. We will preserve this partnership”.

The following is a text of Abbas’ message to Haniyeh: This is the basis of the agreement signed between Hamas and Fatah.

“In my capacity as the head of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the president of the Palestinian Authority…

a) I designate you to form the upcoming Palestinian government within the time specified under the basic law (five weeks.)

b) After forming the government and presenting it to us, it should be presented to the Palestinian Legislative Council for a vote of confidence.

c) I call upon you as the head of the upcoming Palestinian government to commit to the higher interests of the Palestinian people, to preserve its rights and to preserve its achievements and to develop them, and to work in order to achieve its national goals as was approved by the Palestine National Council, the clauses of the Basic Law and the National Reconciliation Document … Based on this, I call upon you to respect international resolutions and the agreements signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (referring to peace accords with Israel).

Under the agreement, Hamas will hold nine ministries in the Cabinet, including the prime minister’s post. Fatah will hold six, and other factions will hold four. Fatah will name independents as foreign minister and two state ministers without portfolio. Hamas will name independents as interior minister, planning minister and a state minister without portfolio”.

What does all this mean in practice? According to the agreement, this will result in the formation of a new Palestinian Cabinet with members of Fatah, Hamas and independent politicians.

The talks in the Saudi city of Mecca, mediated by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, has led to agreement on the allocation of several posts in the cabinet.

Ziyad Abu Amr, an independent, is the new foreign minister.
Salam Fayyad, from the Third Way Party, becomes finance minister.
The remaining ministerial posts include nine ministers from Hamas and six from Fatah.
Four other ministerial posts will be distributed among other Palestinian factions.
Five posts will be assigned to independent politicians not belonging to any political faction.
Three of the independents will be nominated by Hamas and two by Fatah.
A source told Al Jazeera that Khaled Meshaal, chief of Hamas’ political bureau, would not become the deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

If one were to examine the composition if the new cabinet of national unity, Hamas has been weakened and this could be significant in policy making vis a vis Israel. Despite the fact that P.M. Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal, the Hamas leader, are still not prepared to recognize Israel’s right to exist, it remains to be seen whether their determination not to recognize Israel will form the basis of the new Unity Government’s attitude toward Israel. This does give some leeway, from the Palestinian point of view, to gain recognition by the US, European Union and the UN to end the sanctions against Hamas. In reality, it does not go far enough. Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahar, the extremist Hamas Foreign Minister, has been ousted, leaving the way open for a more pragmatic approach towards Israel. However, their attitude towards Israel remains ambivalent.

Another important point is the Saudi attempt to weaken Iran’s influence on the Palestinian Authority by becoming the Palestinians’ guardian. This will involve Saudi Arabia investing large sums of money in Gaza. It could influence the future of peace in the region by a bringing up the Saudi Peace Plan of 2002 for recognition of Israel. This Saudi Peace Plan is reasonable and has many positive aspects. Hamas did however state that they would abide by agreements previously signed between Israel and the Palestinians if in their view it serves their interests. At this stage, it is very likely that Hamas will try for a hudna or long term settlement with Israel. No doubt, Israel will view that with extreme caution. It is uncertain at this stage whether weapon smuggling from Egypt will cease under a long term settlement. Hamas’s record of sticking to any agreement with Israel remains poor to say the least.

It is doubtful whether Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other extremists will disarm and cease violence towards Israel. They could re-ignite the power struggle between themselves and Fatah. This possibility exists, if they do not change their attitudes towards violence and coming to terms with Israel’s existence. Perhaps at this early stage, the Hamas faction may need time to regain their strength and once again regroup for another round of violence. In order to achieve this, they need a temporary cessation of violence. They may decide on a change of strategy by signing an agreement with Israel for an indefinite cease-fire of their own choosing. It is almost certain that Israel will not accept that.

There is not much room for optimism, however guarded, with the Mecca Agreement. It may prevent fighting between the various factions in the Palestinian Authority as the main players have been neutralized by the agreement. However, if there is no parallel movement towards recognizing Israel, Hamas may once again turn on Mahmoud Abbas and undermine him in a power struggle that leads nowhere apart from further suffering for the Palestinians.

http://tinyurl.com/34nt49

http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=10522

2 Italian Women Stoned To Death On Resort Island, 3rd Woman Injured

2007-02-10 15:27:28
Posted By: Intellpuke

Three Italian women were brutally attacked while vacationing on a Cape Verde resort island, dragged into the woods, and left for dead at the bottom of a hole, according to the single survivor who recounted the tragedy on Saturday.

When she eventually came to, the teenager said, she crawled out of the hole and went for help. The two women with her, aged 28 and 33, had been stoned to death.

The story of the attack, which occurred Friday, has shocked Italians, many of whom consider the islands of the west coast of Africa to be a holiday paradise for beachgoers and windsurfers.

Italian Premier Romano Prodi said he was "stunned, aghast," according to the Italian news agency Apcom, reporting from India where Prodi was on a government trip.
(story continues below)

The Italian Foreign Ministry said the two women had been "barbarously murdered," and dispatched a diplomat from its embassy in Dakar, Senegal, "to ensure that those responsible for this tragic aggression are brought swiftly to justice."

The survivor - whom Italian news reports described as a 17-year-old named Agnese - suffered fractures and needed 18 stitches in her head, according to Italy's honorary consul in Cape Verde, Luigi Zirpoli.

The ministry said she was hospitalized on the Island of Sal, where the attack took place.

The bodies of the two other women were found half-buried near a Fontona area beach Friday afternoon, island police officer Vladmir Silva told the Associated Press.

Cape Verde police chief Oscar Tavares said three local men had been arrested in connection with the murders and would soon appear in court, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported. Tavares could not immediately reached for details.

Agnese spoke Saturday with Sky TG24 TV from the Cape Verde hospital, recounting how the she and the two other women had been invited to dinner by one of their attackers - a man who apparently had had a relationship with one of the victims.

She said the attackers sprayed them with some kind of "bothersome" spray, immobilized them and took them to the woods where a hole had been dug.

Then "he did what he did," sid Agnese, speaking in a stunned voice and apparently referring to a sexual attack. She said they were then pelted with stones, and then she blacked out. When she awoke, she climbed out of the hole and walked down a road until she found help.

"I don't know how I managed to recover after he threw a stone at my head," she told Sky.

The three young women were part of a surfing group that arrived Februay 4 on the island and were due to leave Sunday, said Zirpoli.
Intellpuke: Sincere condolences to the families, loved ones and friends of the women killed in this brutal attack. Requiescat en pace. And best wishes for a full and speedy recover for Agnese.

You can read this Associated Press article, filed from Rome, Italy, in context here: edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/10/italy.deaths.ap/index.html

http://www.globalincidentmap.com/eventdetail.php?ID=1763

Editors Note: A number of hospitals in the USA and Canada are experiencing Norovirus-like outbreaks.
This is not likely to have anything to do with terrorism but is a concern because hospitals are now asking people to stay away, and we are told in some cases emergency cases must be rerouted elsewhere.

Collection of recent articles:

[WFSB] CONNECTICUT -Hospital Flooded With Stomach Virus

"Doctors at the hospital said the virus, which has yet to be identified, seems to be spreading through the community"

http://www.wfsb.com/health/10965623/detail.html?taf=hart

[NBC 30] CONNECTICUT - Mysterious Virus Hits Middlesex Hospital

"One unit isn't taking any more patients because so many employees are out sick. The hospital has yet to identify the specific type of virus, but it seems to be similar to what other facilities around the state have been seeing"

http://www.nbc30.com/news/10962979/detail.html

[AP] NORTH CAROLINA - 2 N.C. hospitals warn of virus outbreak

"Two hospitals are asking visitors, especially children, to stay away until they control an outbreak of a highly contagious stomach virus that has sickened patients and staff members"

http://www.jems.com/news/278071/

[AP] NORTH CAROLINA - Hospitals asking visitors to stay away to control outbreak

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193128117&path=!localnews&s=1037645509099

See also 3rd hospital affected http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070210/NEWSREC0101/702100306

[Now Media] CANADA - Gastrointestinal Outbreak Restricts Visitors

http://www.cambridgenow.ca/npps/story.cfm?id=623

See also different Canadian hospital - http://woodstocksentinelreview.com/Editorial/286502.html

[The Recorder] CANADA - Stomach virus forces hospital to close 33-bed surgical unit

http://newsfeed.recorder.ca/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=21182

[CP] CANADA - Virus wreaks havoc

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/02/10/3577926-sun.html

[Why is Russia against setting the countries free?]

http://mosnews.com/news/2007/02/09/kosovoun.shtml

Russian Defense Minister Opposes Kosovo Independence

Created: 09.02.2007 12:57 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 16:33 MSK

MosNews

Russia on Friday gave its strongest indication yet that it will oppose a proposal by a U.N. envoy to set the breakaway Serb province of Kosovo on a path to independence, the Reuters news agency reported.

U.N. mediator Martti Ahtisaari unveiled a plan last week to move the predominantly ethnic Albanian province toward a split from Serbia and independence.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov warned that granting full independence to Kosovo would open a Pandora’s box of similar demands for autonomy across the post-Soviet region.

Moscow has repeatedly said that giving independence to Kosovo, which is still legally part of Serbia, would set a precedent which could be applied to other breakaway regions in the former Soviet Union which are backed by the Russian government.

Russian, a historic ally of Serbia, could use its veto in the U.N. Security Council to block the plan.

The ultranationalist Serb Radical Party, which is ardently opposed to any form of independence for Kosovo, won 28 percent of the vote in the election, edging out more moderate parties the West had hoped would do better.

The statement said this view was expressed at a February 8 meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov and Frank G. Wisner, the U.S. State Department’s Special Representative to the Kosovo status talks.

Russia has previously said any solution for Kosovo must take into account the views of both Belgrade and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority.

Friday’s statement was the first time Moscow had made an explicit link with Serbia’s parliamentary elections on Jan 21.

Kosovo has been under U.N. administration since 1999, when NATO launched bombing raids to stop Serb forces from driving out the province’s ethnic Albanians.

Iranian & Saudi Textbooks Also Preach Intolerance Which Promotes Violence (updated Feb. 11)
By Andrew Cochran

On February 8, I wrote here about new textbooks used in Palestinian schools which promote hatred of other religions and support terrorism. But this problem certainly isn't isolated to that area; it appears to be more of a systemic effort by numerous Muslim educators worldwide to brainwash their children. Textbooks used in Iran refer to the United States as the "Great Satan" and to Israel as "the regime that occupies Jerusalem," according to a study released this week by the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace. In a separate policy statement, the co-authors write, "The books reveal an uncompromisingly hostile attitude towards the West, especially the United States and Israel. In fact, the curriculum’s declared goal is to prepare the students for a global struggle against the West which bears alarming Messianic-like features to the point of self-destruction." You can download the entire report from the CMIP site.

An outcry arose this week in the UK over textbooks funded by the Saudi Ministry of Education and used in the King Fahd Academy in West London. BBC Two's "Newsnight" programme translated textbooks used there and found that they preached intolerance of Judaism and Christianity. Phrases found in some of the books include the following: "(E)very religion other than islam is worthless... They are the Jewish observers of Saturdays whose youth God turned into monkeys and their elders into pigs as their punishment... The monkeys... are the Jews. And the pigs: they are the Christian infidels at Jesus' table." The Academy's principal waffled when pressed on BBC to remove the textbooks. At one point she promised to remove the offensive chapters, but at another point in the interview, she said that the books "have good chapters that can be used by the teachers." You can see the initial expose and interview of the Academy's principal here, and a followup story by "Newsnight" here.

This isn't the first time the Saudis have been discovered brainwashing Muslim youth. Last year, Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom released a report analyzing Saudi Ministry of Education textbooks in use for elementary and secondary students. The authors found that the books "(c)ommand Muslims to 'hate' Christians, Jews, 'polytheists' and other 'unbelievers,' including non-Wahhabi Muslims, though, incongruously, not to treat them 'unjustly'... teach that 'Jews and the Christians are enemies of the [Muslim] believers' and that 'the clash' between the two realms is perpetual" and "instruct that 'fighting between Muslims and Jews' will continue until Judgment Day, and that the Muslims are promised victory over the Jews in the end."

The Saudis' role in teaching intolerance has been the subject of inquiry by the U.S. Congress. In November 2005, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled, "Saudi Arabia: Friend or Foe in the War on Terror?" on the role of Saudis in disseminating hateful anti-American and anti-Israeli propaganda thoughout Islamic schools and mosques in the U.S. Contributing Expert Steven Emerson testified at that hearing. You can download his statement and those of other witnesses from the committee's website, and I posted about that hearing and a previous study of Saudi-sponsored propaganda in U.S. mosques and schools.

UPDATE, Feb. 11: Thanks to Philip Henika for sending me this December 2002 article by Steven Stalinsky for MEMRI on this subject, and also this August 2004 "American Prospect" article about the Wahhabi influence in Southeast Asia. Apparently nothing has changed in the past four years.

http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/02/saudi_and_iranian_textbooks_al.php

I suggest the links in the article be read also.

http://mosnews.com/news/2007/02/09/jewishmurder.shtml

Russian Teens Kill Jewish Man With Cemetery Cross

Created: 09.02.2007 14:39 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 16:33 MSK

MosNews

A court in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg sentenced five teenagers to prison terms for beating a Jewish man, dragging him to a cemetery and fatally stabbing him with metal cemetery cross, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The Yekaterinburg Regional Court convicted the five of murder motivated by ethnic hatred, sentencing four of them to terms ranging from 5-7 years and one other to 10 years of prison, court secretary Yekaterina Maslennikova said.

Prosecutors said the five men, ranging in age from 12 to 17, were drunk on October 1, 2005, when they encountered a 21-year-old Jewish man and attacked him. After the man fell to the ground, the teenagers stabbed him with a metal cross from a grave headstone.

Russia has seen a marked rise in xenophobia and racism in recent years, with a series of attacks on dark-skinned residents, foreigners and Jews.

According to the Sova human rights center last year, 53 people were killed and another 460 injured in apparent hate crimes.

Rights groups say authorities do little to combat the crimes.

SEE ALSO

12.01.2007 14:49 MSK, MOSNEWS.COM
Depp to Play Poisoned Russian Agent Litvinenko in Planned Movie — Report

12.01.2007 11:18 MSK, MOSNEWS.COM
Russia-UK Ice Chess Game Ends in Draw

06.01.2007 17:22 MSK, MOSNEWS.COM
Black Sea Dolphins Try to Drown Drunken Swimmer

04.01.2007 14:18 MSK, MOSNEWS.COM
Ancient Vishnu Idol Can Change View on Russian History

Do Arab states really care about the Palestinians

An Alternative Approach to Israeli Political Commentary

Do Arab states really care about the Palestinians?

For all their talk of standing by the Palestinians, Arab regimes sure have a funny way of showing it.
I did a bit of research and discovered an interesting, yet largely unknown,little fact:

Arab states provide less than 3 percent of the annual budget of UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East.

By contrast, Western countries cover some 95 percent of the organization's
finances each year.
Now, if they really truly cared about the fate of their Palestinian brethren,
would oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain be so miserly and
cheap when it comes to improving their living conditions?
Read below and see for yourself.
UN pressing Arab states for more aid to Palestinian refugees
By Michael Freund

Despite their rhetorical pledges of support for the Palestinians, the Arab
states are providing an increasingly smaller amount of aid to the United Nations
Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), prompting the UN agency
to step up efforts to solicit more funds from Arab regimes throughout the
region.
At a press conference held Wednesday in Manama, the Bahraini capital, UNRWA
representative Peter Ford issued a plea to Arab countries to increase their
donations on behalf of Palestinian refugees, asserting that UNRWA is facing "a
financial crisis."
Over the past two decades, Ford noted, Arab states have provided a steadily
decreasing percentage of UNRWA's funding. In the 1980s, he said, their donations
amounted to 8% of the group's annual budget, whereas now, "Arab donors currently
contribute less than three percent of UNRWA's overall spending."
"The objective," he said, "is to return to that level of support at a time
when the innocent refugees, as always the victims of political problems, are
suffering more than ever."
Ford added that while funds from major donor countries have been "regular and
steady," the agency is now looking to tap into other sources, in particular the
Arab states, in light of growing demand for UNRWA's services among Palestinian
refugees.
"The situation for the refugees is ominously deteriorating because of Israeli
attitudes and Palestinian in-fighting," he said. "There is an increasing need
for funds from several sources, mainly Arab states."
Ford was in Bahrain to meet with government officials in an effort to drum up
additional pledges of support. He plans to visit several Gulf Arab states in the
near future as well.
According to UNRWA's Web site, the largest pledge received from an Arab
country in 2006 was $1.5 million from Kuwait, with Saudi Arabia promising just
$1.2 million. By contrast, Sweden pledged more than $41 million, the UK $27
million, and Denmark over $12 million.
Other Arab states were even less generous, with oil-rich Bahrain offering
$30,000 and Lebanon a mere $10,000.
The US was the largest supporter of UNRWA's activities, with more than $137
million of the group's budgeted expenditures of $462 million coming from
Washington.
As of October 31, the latest date for which figures are available, UNRWA was
expecting a funding shortfall in 2006 of $117 million, with total pledges
amounting to $345 million.
Nearly all of UNRWA's operations are financed by voluntary contributions from
governments and the European Union. In total, Western countries provide more
than 95% of the agency's finances.
--- from the February 9 Jerusalem Post

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AntiTerrorismCoalition/message/38110

[I think this is the script the dem. senators are using today, almost word for word, every newscast on the radio. granny]

http://mosnews.com/news/2007/02/09/lavroviraq.shtml

Russian FM Calls for Timetable to Withdraw Foreign Military Forces From Iraq

Created: 09.02.2007 16:33 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 16:46 MSK

MosNews

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, calls for a timetable for the gradual withdrawal of foreign military forces from Iraq, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq quickly sank into sectarian violence from which it has yet to emerge.

All ongoing international efforts to restore peace and stability there have so far proved futile, and Russia has repeatedly called on the international community to withdraw foreign troops from the country.

“I don’t believe anyone would support the immediate withdrawal of international forces under current conditions,” Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel. “A sudden withdrawal or a stampede could entail catastrophic consequences, but it is also unacceptable to maintain a military presence there forever.”

The minister said the timetable for the withdrawal of forces should be measured and gradual, while responsibility for security in the country should be simultaneously handed over to the Iraqis.

Addressing the troubled situation in Iraq at an informal session of Russia-NATO Council in Spain Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that leading Middle East countries should also participate in the resolution of the issue.

“We can not exclude a number of leading countries in the Middle East from the process of Iraqi settlement that can really influence the process and are ready to take part in the conflict settlement,” Ivanov, who is also a deputy prime minister, said.

The minister said he had in mind such countries as Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt.

Gates to Putin: 'One Cold War Is Enough'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/11/AR2007021100078.html
Gates to Putin: 'One Cold War Is Enough'
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 11, 2007; 12:39 PM

MUNICH, Germany -- Pentagon chief Robert Gates responded Sunday to
Vladimir Putin's assault on U.S. foreign policy by saying "one Cold
War is enough" and that he would go to Moscow to try to reduce
tensions. Gates also sought more allied help in Afghanistan.

He delivered his first speech as Pentagon chief at a security
conference in Germany and then flew to Pakistan to discuss fears of a
renewed spring offensive by Taliban fighters in neighboring
Afghanistan.

Pakistan, a close U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, has faced
charges that the Taliban militia stage attacks from Pakistan against
Afghan government troops and NATO- and U.S.-led coalition troops.

Gates' rebuke of the Russian president relied on humor and some
pointed jabs.

"As an old Cold Warrior, one of yesterday's speeches almost filled me
with nostalgia for a less complex time. Almost," Gates said. Then, as
the audience chuckled, the defense secretary said he has accepted
Putin's invitation to visit Russia.

"We all face many common problems and challenges that must be
addressed in partnership with other countries, including Russia," said
Gates. "One Cold War was quite enough."

In his speech Saturday, Putin blamed U.S. foreign policy for inciting
other countries to seek nuclear weapons to defend themselves from an
"almost uncontained use of military force."

The Russian leader said "unilateral, illegitimate actions have not
solved a single problem, they have become a hotbed of further
conflicts" and that "one state, the United States, has overstepped its
national borders in every way."

Gates also made an urgent call for NATO allies to live up to their
promises to supply military and economic aid for Afghanistan.

"It is vitally important that the success Afghanistan has achieved not
be allowed to slip away through neglect or lack of political will or
resolve," Gates said. Failure to muster a strong military effort
combined with economic development and a counternarcotics plan "would
be a mark of shame," he said.

Gates also said that prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq and Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, and other mistakes have damaged America's reputation. It
will take work, he said, to prove that the U.S. still is a force for
good in the world.

While he did not mention the war in Iraq, Gates told officials at the
security conference that Washington must do a better job of explaining
its policies and actions.

For the past century, he said, most people believed that "while we
might from time to time do something stupid, that we were a force for
good in the world."

Many continue to believe that, Gates said. But, he added, "I think we
also have made some mistakes and have not presented our case as well
as we might in many instances. I think we have to work on that."

The bulk of his speech was devoted to the future of the NATO alliance
and the need to work together to defend against threats.

Gates also sketched out the challenges ahead, from Iran's nuclear
ambitions and the situation in the Middle East to China's recent
anti-satellite tests and Russia's arms sales.

Just eight weeks on the job, Gates used the conference and a NATO
gathering this past week to debut on the international stage and meet
privately with some of his counterparts.

In other comments, he said the Bush administration would like to close
the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, but there are some terrorists
there who should never be let free. Gates also said detainee trials
there will be conducted in the open and with adequate defense for the
prisoners.

continues

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