Posted on 12/17/2006 4:03:30 PM PST by DAVEY CROCKETT
Belarus to accelerate plans for new nuclear reactor
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1264674.php/Belarus_to_accelerate_plans_for_new_nuclear_reactor
Belarus to accelerate plans for new nuclear reactor
Minsk - Belarus, the country worst hit by the Chernobyl nuclear power
accident, will accelerate plans to build a new reactor, the Belapan
news
agency reported on Friday.
A May 1986 reactor explosion at the Soviet Union's Chernobyl station
spewed a radioactive dust cloud into the atmosphere, reaching half of
Europe and hitting down-wind Belarus the hardest.
Belarus needs to increase its use of nuclear power because of a recent
doubling of oil and natural gas prices from Russia, Belarus' only
source
of fossil fuel energy, said Sergei Sidorskiy, Belarus Prime Minister.
The Belarus government last year called for the construction of a
nuclear power station in the country over nine years, with the first
reactor to be operational in 2015.
The station according to the updated plan will be delivering
electricity
to Belarusian consumers by 2011, Sidorskiy said. At present, there are
no nuclear power stations in Belarus.
Funding for construction at an as-yet unannounced site would come
partially from Belarusian government income, and partly from the
Moscow-based Evraziskiy Bank of Development, said Igor Finogenov, a
bank
spokesman.
Belarusian atomic scientists have proposed Belarus build its nuclear
power station in the Chernobyl 'Dead Zone', an uninhabited and swampy
area in south Belarus badly polluted by the Chernobyl accident.
The Evraziskiy Bank is owned jointly by the Russian and Kazakhstan
governments, and finances the development of atomic energy in both
countries, Finogenov said.
'If Belarus wants to participate in our (nuclear) programmes, they are
welcome,' he said.
Nuclear power in Belarus is controversial not only because of the large
number of radiation exposure victims living in the country, but because
of neighbouring Lithuania's extensive use of reactor-produced
electricity.
Belarusian officials have criticised Lithuania's Ignalina Lithuanian
plant, a Soviet-era station located on a lake shared with Belarus, as
threatening to Belarusian ecology. Ignalina produces around 80 per cent
of Lithuania's electricity, according to media reports.
Lithuanian interest in constructing a new nuclear station with modern
technology, after Ignalina shuts down, also has drawn fire from Belarus
as potentially dangerous for the region.
Saudi Arabia beheads 4 Sri Lankans convicted of armed robbery
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/19/africa/ME-GEN-Saudi-Beheading.php
Saudi Arabia beheads 4 Sri Lankans convicted of armed robbery
The Associated Press
Published: February 19, 2007
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia on Monday beheaded four Sri Lankans
convicted of committing armed robbery, the state-run news agency said.
The four men were convicted of "forming a criminal gang which robbed a
number of companies and threatened accountants and workers with
weapons,
shooting one of them and stealing his car," the kingdom's official
Saudi
Press Agency reported, citing an interior ministry statement.
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which
persons convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery
are executed in public with a sword.
Monday's beheading brought to 13 the number of people executed this
year
in the kingdom. Last year, 38 people were executed. In 2005, the
authorities beheaded 83 people.
str-na-aj
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070220/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/kitchen_sink_bombs
Homemade bombs most feared by FBI
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer Mon Feb 19, 7:26 PM ET
QUANTICO, Va. - Kirk Yeager makes bombs from the stuff found under
kitchen sinks. He does it to help the
FBI defend against what officials say is the next frontier for
terrorists in the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ten years ago, peroxide-based bombs were mostly the work of young
pranksters. But the easy-to-make yet deadly chemical cocktails were
embraced in the late 1990s by Palestinian militants and suicide bombers
bent on killing large groups of people.
Now, Yeager says, the "Mother of Satan" explosives are considered the
most likely weapon that terrorists will use against the U.S., more so
than a nuclear or radiological "dirty" bomb.
"Every serious terrorist group knows about them and knows how to make
them," Yeager said. The forensic scientist heads the explosives unit at
the FBI's laboratory in Quantico, Va., about 35 miles south of
Washington.
"Bad guys are bombers. You don't have to have the level of
sophistication to make a bomb that you need to get nuclear materials,"
Yeager said.
The bombs are made by mixing chemicals that are used in common
household
items, including hydrogen peroxide and paint thinner, and easily found
at drug stores or hardware stores. Experts know them as TATP, short for
triacetone triperoxide, and HMTD, or hexamethylene triperoxide diamine.
Recent cases of explosions or thwarted attacks with TATP or HMTD in the
U.S. include:
continued.........good article...
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=953990
Sudan''s leader to meet Darfur rebels in Libya
POL-SUDAN-LIBYA-BASHIR
Sudan's leader to meet Darfur rebels in Libya
KHARTOUM, Feb 19 (KUNA) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will leave
here for Libya on Tuesday morning to meet Darfur rebels, who failed to
sign Abuja peace deal.
Negotiations between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels are to
be
held under the sponsorship of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and to be
attended by Eritrean President Isaias Afworki and UN and African Union
envoys for Sudan's Darfur, the Sudan News Agency reported.
The agency quoted the Sudanese president's advisor Ali Masar as saying
that the meeting would be a springboard for a fresh stage of dialogue
between the Sudanese government and rebel movements in the troubled
region of Darfur, which would be held in the Eritrean capital of Asmara
later.
In May 2006, a peace deal was signed between the Sudanese government
and
main rebel movements under the patronage of the African Union. Other
smaller rebel movements joined the peace deal.
But, another two rebel factions declined to ink the agreement, which,
they claimed, failed to meet their expectations and demands for which
they took up arms in face of the Sudanese government.
The Sudanese president has recently voiced his government's total
willingness to negotiate with Darfur rebel movements which were
reluctant to sign the peace deal, in a bid to put an end to the
four-year armed conflict between the government and rebels, which has
now left over two million people dead or homeless. (end) hhi.
Israeli Media Report on Rice's 'Difficult' Meeting With Abbas, Peretz's Remarks
Originally published on 2/18/2007 by Israel -- OSC Summary in Hebrew
On the afternoon of 18 February, Israeli electronic media report on developments related to US Secretary of State Rice's visit and meetings with PA and Israeli leaders.
Peretz to Rice: Shalit's Release 'Foremost' Demand
Right-of-center English-language Jerusalem Post reports at 0945 GMT: "Defense Minister Amir Peretz told visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday morning that the release of captured IDF corporal Gilad Shalit was Israel's foremost demand from any potential Palestinian government.
"The two met at the Jerusalem's David Citadel Hotel a day before Rice, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas were scheduled to meet in efforts to revitalize stalled peace-talks.
"In addition, Peretz said a new Palestinian unity government including Hamas members must officially agree to all conditions set by the Mideast Quartet, commit to preventing the firing of Kassam rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, and to clamp down on the massive smuggling efforts from Egypt that is flooding Gaza with increasingly advanced weaponry."
MK Beilin: Abbas Should Not Come to Summit
Ynetnews in English, c entrist news site operated by Yedi'ot Media Group, reports at 0959 GMT: "Meretz Chairman, Member of Knesset Yossi Beilin, said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, should postpone the summit with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice until after the unity government has been formed.
"'I am calling on Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) not to be an ornament at the summit, which is not planned for beginning negotiations, but setting conditions that he currently could not adhere to,' Beilin said."
Palestinians Report 'Difficult' Rice-Abbas Meeting
State-funded, independent Voiced of Israel in Hebrew reports at 1400 GMT: "Senior Palestinian sources said that Secretary of State Rice's meeting with Abu-Mazin was difficult, and that Secretary Rice had reservations about the Mecca agreement which, she said, was not enough to warrant the Washington administration's recognition of the Palestinian unity government.
"The Palestinian sources told the Al-Arabiyah channel that Rice said the administration would formulate its final stance on the unity government only after one is formed. They added that Rice stressed to Abu-Mazin that the unity government should explicitly acknowledge the Quartet demands without toying with semantics in this matter."
Urayqat: Degree of US Cooperation Depends on PA's Adherence to Quartet Demands
Voice of Israel adds at 1500 GMT: "Yasir Abd-Rabbuh, member of the PLO Executive Committee, says that although the US secretary of state had reservations about some Mecca agreement clauses, the US Administration is yet to formulate its position on the Palestinian unity government.
"Sa'ib Urayqat, head of the PLO's negotiations department, told our correspondent Gal Berger that Secretary Rice told Abu-Mazin [Mahmud Abbas] that the degree of the US Administration's cooperation with the unity government depends on the latter's adherence to the Quartet demands.
"Urayqat added that the US stand did not take him by surprise, because the administration had repeatedly stated its position prior to the Ramallah meeting."
Saudi may make weapons with US
http://www.ameinfo.com/111240.html
Saudi may make weapons with US
Egypt: 3 hours, 15 minutes ago
The US is planning to set up a joint facility in Saudi Arabia to
produce
military hardware, Gulf News reported. The project would turn out tank
components, light armoured vehicles and other products, according to a
senior US military official. Egypt is the US' biggest co-producer in
the
region, with M1A1 tanks made there.
Libya: Fear of torture or other ill-treatment/fear for safety
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE190052007
Libya: Fear of torture or other ill-treatment/fear for safety
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 19/005/2007
16 February 2007
UA 41/07 Fear of torture or other ill-treatment/fear for
safety
LIBYA Idriss Boufayed (m), aged 49
Jum’a Boufayed (m)
al-Mahdi Saleh Hmeed (m)
Jamal al-Haji (m)
and several others
A number of men have been arrested for planning a peaceful
demonstration, and
are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. One of them has had his
father’s
house set on fire by young men allegedly working in collusion with the
authorities.
Idriss Boufayed, who heads an organisation which regularly criticizes
the
government, was reportedly arrested at around 1am on 16 February by
officers of
the Internal Security Agency. His brother Jum'a was arrested a few
hours
later.
Idriss Boufayed and several others had been planning a peaceful
demonstration
for 17 February to mark the anniversary of a police attack on a
demonstration
in the city of Benghazi, in which at least 12 people were shot dead and
scores
were injured.
Jum’a Boufayed described his brother's arrest in a telephone
interview
with the
London-based Libya al-Mostakbal news website. He said that a group of
armed men
had called at the family home and broken down the door when nobody
answered,
and taken his brother away. He said that he had recognized the officer
apparently in charge of the operation as the head of a local branch of
the
Internal Security Agency. Jum'a Boufayed said he did not know where
they had
taken his brother, and added that he feared he would be arrested too,
because
of the information he had revealed in the interview and other phone
calls. He
was reportedly arrested shortly afterwards.
Another man involved in the organization of the demonstration, al-Mahdi
Saleh
Hmeed, was reportedly arrested in the afternoon of 16 February. Earlier
the
same day, his father’s house had reportedly been set on fire by a
group of
young men, allegedly colluding with the authorities, who reportedly
also
assaulted members of his family.
Idriss Boufayed and al-Mahdi Saleh Hmeed, along with two other men,
Ahmed
al-Abidi and Bashir Qasem al-Hares, had issued a communiqué to news
websites
announcing that they were planning a peaceful demonstration, to take
place in
the capital, Tripoli on 17 February, to commemorate the first
anniversary of
the killing of at least 12 people and the injuring of scores more when
police
opened fire on a demonstration in the city of Benghazi. The Libyan
authorities
said in 2006 that they had charged 10 senior officials in connection
with the
incident, but Amnesty International is not aware that any have yet been
brought
to trial.
Several others are feared to have been arrested in connection with the
planned
demonstration. They include writer Jamal al-Haji, who has not been seen
by his
family since the evening of 15 February. He had given a telephone
interview
that day to the Libya al-Mostakbal website, in which he criticised the
Libyan
authorities.
Idriss Boufayed is the secretary general of the National Union of
Reform
– Nur,
which he co-founded in 2004. It has been critical of the political
situation in
Libya. He had been recognized as a refugee in Switzerland, but returned
to
Libya in September 2006, reportedly after receiving assurances from the
Libyan
embassy in Bern that he would not be at risk from the authorities;
earlier that
year the embassy had issued him with a passport. However, he was
arrested on 5
November and detained incommunicado until 29 December, when he was
released,
apparently without charge. Throughout this time, the authorities
reportedly did
not tell his family why he had been arrested or where he was held.
Amnesty
International wrote to the Libyan authorities in December to express
concern
that he might be a prisoner of conscience
On 15 January, Idriss Boufayed issued a public statement thanking all
the
national, regional and international organizations and individuals who
had
contributed to "his release from prison without restriction or
condition" and
pledging to continue the struggle for a "modern, democratic Libya".
AI Index: MDE 19/005/2007 16 February 2007
Delta jet makes emergency landing in Syracuse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. A Delta Airlines regional jet going from Atlanta to
Rochester
made an emergency landing Sunday in Syracuse after experiencing
mechanical
problems.
Anthony Mancuso, Syracuses aviation commissioner, says no one was
injured in
the 3:30 p-m landing at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Delta
put
its 36 passengers on a bus and sent them to Rochester.
Mancuso says the pilot had a flap problem and was concerned enough to
ask to
land in Syracuse. Emergency crews were dispatched to Syracuses airport
just
in case.
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=6106942&nav=4QcS
American Airlines flight makes emergency turnaround
An American Airlines flight bound for Chicago made an emergency landing
soon
after taking off from Kansas City earlier today, officials said.
No injuries were reported.
The flight initially left KCI about 11:30 a.m. but returned a short
time
later after the flight crew members alerted officials that they smelled
smoke in the cockpit. There were 120 persons on board, said Tim Wagner,
an
airline spokesman.
Passengers changed planes and the second flight departed a short time
later.
It was not known what caused the smell but the airline returned to KCI
as a
precaution, Wagner said.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/16735233.htm
http://www.thelocal.se/6465/20070220/
Iranian spy 'still on the loose'
Published: 20th February 2007 10:12 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/6465/
An Iranian spy continues to roam free despite the fact that the Swedish
Security Service has known of his activities for over a year. The man
is
said to have reported back to the Iranian embassy after infiltrating a
number of groups opposed to the Tehran regime.
With the Iranian spy still in the country, justice minister Beatrice
Ask
will face questions in parliament on Tuesday on how the government
plans
to tackle the problem. An average of around ten individuals fitting the
description of spies or suspected terrorists are deported from Sweden
every year, Metro reports.
One Iranian refugee who was taken in by his countryman has spoken about
his encounter with the spy, who passed himself off as a representative
for UN refugee agency UNHCR.
"I grassed on my friends and myself without realising it," Alireza told
Metro.
Having fallen out of favour with the authorities in his home town after
an organised protest at a factory, Alireza says he came to Sweden
illegally three years ago. Two of his friends were arrested and another
disappeared.
Upon arrival in Sweden he applied for a residence permit. Twice his
applications were turned down.
It was then he came into contact with the spy, who claimed to be a
UNHCR
doctor.
Alireza was asked to tell the story of why he fled Iran. If he handed
over his asylum documents and 50,000 kronor the doctor would see to it
that he received a residence permit.
"I have revealed opposition activity, which may have led to one of my
friends disappearing. And the two others who were already arrested are
completely exposed now," said Alireza.
Having spoken to other asylum seekers, Alireza discovered that the
UNHCR
man was a fraud. He did not hand over the 50,000 kronor. Instead he
reported the man to the police. But the preliminary investigation did
not lead to criminal charges.
"When I'm on my way home in Stockholm I am always looking over my
shoulder. I take detours and alway feel I'm being watched. The spy is
still on the loose after all. Does something have to happen to one of
the people who met him before Sweden takes action to protect us," said
Alireza.
Paul O'Mahony (+46 8 656 6513)
http://www.bbj.hu/main/news_22941_chinas%2Binvestment%2Brules%2Bpiracy%2Bcost%2Beu%2Bbusiness%2B%252428%2Bbln.html
China's investment rules, piracy cost EU business $28 bln
20 Feb 2007
bbj.hu
Chinese limits on foreign investment and local technical standards that
complicated banking and manufacturing cost European companies €21.4
bln
($28 bln) in 2004, the European Union said.
China awards selective government contracts, sanctions the use of
unlicensed foreign intellectual property rights, imposes restrictive
investment rules, forces manufacturers to use Chinese-made parts and
subsidizes local companies, the Brussels- based European Commission
said
in a 21-page report yesterday. „A complex mix of
„behind-the-borderâ€
barriers faced by European exporters and investors in China still
remains†after China joined the WTO in 2001, the commission says in
the
report. „Rampant patent infringement†has discouraged foreign
investors
from making components and financing research and development in China,
the EU said. In 2006, the EU recorded its first full-year trade deficit
since 2000, the bloc's statistics office said last week. The 27-nation
bloc's trade gap with China jumped 20% to €81.7 billion in the 11
months
through November. The estimated losses to European companies, in
industries such as auto production and computer technologies, are
mostly
the result of counterfeiting or investment restrictions, the report
says. The EU, along with the US and Canada, have challenged China at
the
WTO, complaining that carmakers such as Volkswagen AG and Renault SA
operating in China are forced to buy a certain quantity of their
components from local suppliers or face higher import duties. That
violates pledges China made when it joined the WTO in 2001, the
complainants say.
http://www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=4058
19/02/2007
UN - Darfur
The U.N. High-Level human rights mission barred from visiting Darfur
The FIDH and its member organisation SOAT wish to express their
disappointment at the inability of the U.N. High-Level human rights
mission on Darfur to carry out its investigation in the region.
The mission was scheduled to travel to Sudan last Tuesday 13 Feb 07.
The
Government of Sudan decided to bar the mission from visiting Darfur and
announced publicly its refusal to grant visas to the members of the
mission, contradicting past agreements between the U.N. Human Rights
Council and the Sudanese government.
« For a proper assessment of the ongoing human rights violations, it
is
essential that the Sudanese Government allow the mission to enter the
country » said Mr. Sidiki Kaba, President of FIDH, « Sudanese
officials’
refusal to cooperate with the high level mission is extremely
regretful.
It is a blow to the Human Rights Council and to the UN’s
intervention.
Members of the Human Rights Council should react accordingly».
U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, further stated that President
Bashir of Sudan had guaranteed visas for the fact-finding mission
during
the African Union Summit held last month in Addis Ababa. Mr. Ban had
urged Sudanese officials to cooperate with the Human Rights Council,
and
after events unfolded last week he declared, « I am very much
disappointed by the decision of the Sudanese government ».
Over three years, it is estimated that 200,000 people were killed, 2.5
million were driven out from their homes in Darfur, hundreds of women
and girls were systematically raped. A situation that prompted the
establishment of a High-Level Mission by the Human Rights Council
(S-4/101) on the 12-13th of December 2006, during its 4th Special
Session. The Sudanese government had previously agreed to cooperate
with
the investigation, and allow the six-member U.N. delegation to conduct
their work without interference.
The FIDH and SOAT consider that any debate or decision put forward at
the next session of the Human Rights Council in March 2007 would have
shallow meaning if the mission is denied access to Sudan. FIDH and SOAT
urge the Sudanese government to allow the mission unconditional access
into Darfur without further delay.
"Polish-Russian Relations in the Context of the EU’s New Eastern
Policy"
by Cornelius Ochmann, Moscow
The Polish people’s experience with Russian and Soviet hegemony has
pushed the country to advocate a more robust stance against Russian
foreign policy. This legacy spurred Poland to take an active role in
Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution and has also given rise to
Warsaw’s
demand that the EU should adopt a new approach towards the countries of
Eastern Europe. Poland’s policy toward Eastern Europe involves more
than simply building on the EU’s foreign policy to Russia. Special
emphasis is given to the integration of Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus,
as well as the Caucasus and Central Asia. These assertive features
combine with the Polish government’s interest in diversifying energy
supplies and reducing the country’s dependency on Russian gas and oil
deliveries. Poland’s views are not necessarily in synch with the rest
of Europe. In order for the EU to implement the eastern dimension of
its Neighborhood Policy effectively, the entire EU must ratify the EU
Constitutional Treaty or at least sign its institutional aspects into
law – a fundamental prerequisite for concerted action on the part of
the EU 27. As a result, the Polish government will have to rethink its
current stance and adopt a more pragmatic position if Poland is to
continue to play an important role beyond the EU’s eastern frontiers.
Full text: http://www.res.ethz.ch/analysis/rad
"The Crisis in Russian-Belarusian Relations"
by Oleg Aleksandrov, Moscow
The dispute over oil and gas prices between Belarus and Russia at the
turn of the year has caused a serious deterioration in relations
between the two countries. The result has been further delays in the
already moribund efforts to create a Union state. Instead, Russia chose
to end its subsidies to Belarus and demanded higher prices for its
energy supplies and a 50 percent share in the Belarus gas pipeline
monopoly Beltransgaz. Belarus has sought to move away from its close
relationship with Russia, but has few options because of its poor
relations with the West and lack of bilateral ties to other CIS
countries.
Full text: http://www.res.ethz.ch/analysis/rad
"Kaliningrad in the Context of EU-Russia Relations"
by Alexey Ignatiev and Petr Shopin, Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad’s economy has been growing in recent years, but it still
has a long way to go to catch up to neighboring Poland and Lithuania in
productivity terms. As a Russian exclave inside the European Union,
Kaliningrad plays a key role in Russia-EU relations. Much of
Kaliningrad’s economy now depends on the Special Economic Zone, whose
benefits will be reduced when Russian joins the World Trade
Organization. Accordingly, Kaliningrad needs to find a sustainable
economic development model because simply maintaining the status quo
only allows for moderate improvements.
Full text: http://www.res.ethz.ch/analysis/rad
This was a source for a F.R thread, I can't find the thread, but do think you should take a look at the links:
http://www.targetofopportunity.com/misc_dom_terror.htm
http://www.targetofopportunity.com/pcrm.htm
http://www.targetofopportunity.com/enemy_targets.htm
February 20, 2007 Anti-Terrorism News
(Iraq) Deadly toxic bomb hits Iraqi town - bomb on a tanker carrying
chlorine gas exploded Tuesday morning outside a restaurant in the Iraqi
town of Taji, killing at least 6, injuring 105
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/20/iraq.main/index.html
(Iraq) Car bombs kill 11 across Baghdad
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070220/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_070220094835;_ylt=AsqQ_MR1.o_zeeQULv9VitFX6GMA
(Iraq) 20 unidentified bodies found in Baghdad (my title)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070220/ts_nm/iraq1_dc_10;_ylt=AnpcU9_.Nk1C2bRAsI7Y16ZX6GMA
Young Moroccans leave to fight in Iraq - Terrorist networks use war as
recruiting tool
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17232088/
(Somalia) Mortar blasts rock Mogadishu, 10 killed
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070220/wl_nm/somalia_conflict_dc_10;_ylt=AtXlr5Hpbp6PXN7WuwwI6sCQLIUD
(India) Sketches released in India train attack
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070220/ap_on_re_as/india_train_attack_6;_ylt=Ai92F0WaKA0Q1OZ.kSApLOhA7AkB
(India) Kashmir rebels' hand in train blasts being looked into
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1933304,000900010002.htm
(Iran) Ahmadinejad rejects UN nuclear deadline
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpolitics_070220114736;_ylt=AkXbque8YE17UvrElNBuE1lSw60A
(Iran) Ahmadinejad: Iran Will Stop Nuke Enrichment If You Will, Too
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,252907,00.html
(Iran) Officials: Iranian patrol boats probe Iraqi waters
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/19/iran.iraq/index.html
(Iran) Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/February/middleeast_February322.xml§ion=middleeast
Syria's terror networks
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20070219-102043-1711r.htm
(Afghanistan) Suicide bomber targets Afghan hospital - bomber disguised
as a health worker - wounding at least two NATO soldiers and a hospital
staffer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070220/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan_13;_ylt=Ak0N.VilCKLU9k6KnptZHNnOVooA
Afghan forces retake district briefly held by Taliban
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220/wl_asia_afp/afghanistanunrestdistrict_070220070003;_ylt=AkXmn_Fjc.nPFqRTqVPHs73OVooA
Afghanistan to punish war criminals; rejects amnesty
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/February/subcontinent_February747.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
Pakistani militants behead, mutilate 'US spy'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanafghanistanattacksqaeda_070220065154;_ylt=AvmMSweg0sWxazYdhSDJqljOVooA
(Pakistan) Islamic militant kills woman minister in Pakistan - because
she was not wearing "Muslim clothing"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220/wl_afp/pakistanattackswomen_070220103240;_ylt=Au6v0_rRFMT_DlGJ5bqWkPnzPukA
Pakistan dismisses "absurd" Qaeda report - that Al-Qaeda has
established compounds in a remote tribal area to train small groups of operatives
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanusattacksafghanistanqaeda_070220092502;_ylt=AsqNqaEOtJdMwuRg7dh1HDcwuecA
Three Pakistanis on UNSC Sanction Committee al-Qaeda list
http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/303b19022816233b/id/229336/cs/1/
Pakistan to hold multinational naval exercise against 'maritime
terrorism'
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/20/asia/AS-GEN-Pakistan-Maritime-Terrorism.php
(Taliban) Al-Qaeda releases alleged "martyr" video
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/02/20/2003349646
(Philippines) Two dead in Philippine gunbattle with militants -
Filipino soldier and a member of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf killed
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220/wl_asia_afp/philippinesusattacks_070220060431;_ylt=AqScaqWYteZqVWI2ff1jwQwwuecA
Philippines anti-terror bill passed but criticized
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220/wl_asia_afp/philippinespoliticssecurityattacks_070220084448;_ylt=AllRmk.sRQcvurQXbUk7fBcwuecA
(Philippines) Al-Qaida-linked groups to be outlawed in Philippines
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20070220172656&irec=0
Al-Qaeda's new front in Africa
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=299396&area=/insight/insight__international/
Kosovo: Explosion Rocks Pristina on Eve of Status Talks
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.387977460&par=0
(Lebanon) 'Arms being smuggled to Hizbullah on weekly basis'
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894475251&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
(Israel) IDF arrests 15 suspected terrorists overnight
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894472112&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(Thailand) Bomb attack in southern Thailand averted - inside 7-Eleven
shop
http://english.people.com.cn/200702/20/eng20070220_351417.html
Update: (Belgium) Anti-terrorism raids in Belgium - 9 suspects
detained, computers seized, documents seized "of a distinctly Islamic nature"
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=24&story_id=36698
'Politics causes divide between Islam and West'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/20/wbeeb20.xml
(Tennessee) Muslim Cabbie from Somalia Charged With Running Over
Students After Religious Dispute
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,252783,00.html
(UK) Police search the letter-bomb suspect school
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1409345.ece
(Spain) Zapatero warns ETA no talks without end to terror
http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=82&story_id=36663
Update: Russian Police Confirm Bomb Caused St. Petersburg McDonald's
Blast
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-02-20-voa1.cfm
Reports: Court denies early release to Russian colonel convicted of
killing Chechen woman
The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
MOSCOW: A Russian court has denied early release to a Russian
colonel sentenced to 10 years in prison for murdering a Chechen
woman, news reports said Tuesday.
Col. Yuri Budanov was convicted in July 2003 for murdering 18-year-
old Heda Kungayeva. Andrei Koshkin, the head of the Volga River
region Penitentiary Department said at a news conference Tuesday
that a court in the town of Dmitrovgrad had rejected Budanov's
appeal for an early release, the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news
agencies reported.
Last year, Budanov was transferred from a prison in Dmitrovgrad to a
penal settlement in the Volga River city of Ulyanovsk to serve the
rest of his term, Koshkin said.
Budanov's case has been closely watched in Russia as a test of how
the military handles rights abuses in Chechnya. Russian prison
officials said earlier that Budanov could be released before his
term ends for good behavior, but the Moscow-backed administration in
Chechnya strongly objected, warning that such a verdict would cause
a massive outpouring of anger in the war-ravaged region.
Budanov admitted strangling Kungayeva in 2000, but said he did it in
a fit of rage while interrogating her. He said he believed she was a
rebel sniper.
A military court initially ruled that Budanov was temporarily insane
at the time of the killing and not criminally responsible, but the
Supreme Court overturned that ruling and ordered a new trial that
ended with his conviction.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/
February 19, 2007
Steven Emerson's Investigative Project Catches Radical Islamic Cleric On Tape Supporting Terrorism
By Andrew Cochran
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/02/steven_emersons_investigative.php
Last night, Sean Hannity of Fox News revealed video tape taken by Steven Emerson's Investigative Project on Terrorism of Imam Abdul Alim Musa of Washington, DC, openly supporting terrorism. Musa has a long history of supporting terrorists and expressing hatred of America. On September 9, 2001, at the University of California at Irvine, he said, "You think Zionism and Palestine is the only dictatorial power in the world. We’re telling you about apartheid right here in America. Not an apartheid of the 1960s, but an apartheid right now today. When you fight Old Sam, you are fighting someone that is superior in criminality and Nazism." Musa was there to speak at a benefit for Imam Jamil Al-Amin after his conviction of murdering an Atlanta police officer. At a July 1999 rally, Musa openly displayed a cashier's check made out to Hamas to protest the declaration of Hamas as a terrorist organization in 1996.
Last night, Hannity showed a 2002 clip taken by the IPT of Musa supporting Palestinian suicide terrorists, saying at a rally, "They are not suicide bombers they are heroes," and Hannity challenged Musa in an interview to explain his views. Musa denied that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the 9-11 attacks and asserted that OBL "is on an American payroll." He denied that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and said of Hamas, "They are nice people. Very nice people."
You can see the entire tape of the Hannity program here (22 MB), and the transcript of the Hannity interview is below. I have three questions:
1. When will Abdul Alim Musa be arrested and charged with "material support" of terrorism?
2. Why did the Democratic Party invite Husham al-Husainy, another radical Imam, to give the invocation at the DNC winter meeting?
3. Will Democratic Party leaders now publicly condemn al-Husseiny and pledge to not have any more dealings with him?
I suspect we'll see much more of Musa's public statements in support of terrorism from the IPT and others in the near future.
TRANSCRIPT OF SEAN HANNITY INTERVIEW WITH ABDUL ALIM MUSA, FEBRUARY 18, 2007
SEAN HANNITY: Last week we confronted the controversial imam who gave the invocation at the DNC winter meeting. When pressed about his support for terror groups and calling America an oppressor nation, the imam would not give me a straight answer.
In tonight's "Hannity Hot Seat" we have an Imam Abdul Alim Musa of Washington, DC. You aren't going to believe what he says about America and our enemies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: We are dealing with the issue of Israel. And we're dealing with the issue -- I want to play something that you said once again. This is June 8th, 2002 your words, let's roll the tape.
IMAM ABDUL ALIM MUSA, MUSLIM ACTIVIST: Those people who have become fed up with Sharon, fed up with occupation, fed up with being trampled on, when they go out and strike at the heart of Zionism they are not suicide bombers they are heroes. They are heroes.
Is that right? It's a part of our dean (ph), that's a part of our religion. Let's not become weak-boned and apologetic.
HANNITY: "They are not suicide bombers they are heroes. That's a part of our religion. Let's not become weak boned and apologetic." Imam, you won't answer the question but you support killing innocent men, women and children you support this idea of martyrdom to use your words, the most glorious death is the death of a martyr.
MUSA: I would hate for you to be on a judge, man, or even on a jury. You convict a guy without listening to what they got to say.
HANNITY: That's what you said.
MUSA: That's what I said. You didn't put the environmental circumstances. Without the environmental circumstances, in 2002 what's going on? They have just hit Afghanistan.
HANNITY: Israel didn't hit it.
MUSA: Afghanistan had been bombed - but Israel had already hit almost literally every in the Middle East. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 and killed, some say 40,000 people and left a million homeless.
HANNITY: I'm going to try it one more time.
MUSA: Now wait just a minute.
HANNITY: So you are justifying it. Why don't you just admit it then?
MUSA: Why didn't you ask is Sharon a terrorist? Is Sharon a terrorist? He killed 1500 people at Sabra and Shatila.
HANNITY: Why don't you answer my question?
MUSA: Are you -- why are you asking me about two people that got grown up instead of a million.
HANNITY: Your words. Do you support strapping a bomb on people and killing Jews?
MUSA: Do you support America flying into ...
HANNITY: Yes.
MUSA: Places Afghanistan and blowing the people to smithereens.
HANNITY: To get bin Laden, yes.
MUSA: Not bin Laden. Bin Laden is not - bin Laden is your home boy what are you talking about?
HANNITY: Not my homeboy.
MUSA: Bin Laden is on an American payroll. He has been with America ever since. From there, why would ...
HANNITY: You can sit here ...
MUSA: Why would you -- After he turned on -- Saddam was your home boy. All of those people who worked against Islam was your home boy. Now bin Laden, everytime -- You know -- I have been to conferences where research will show all over the world. I have never seen al Qaeda at any of them. And this has been for 25, 30 ...
HANNITY: Is bin Laden misconstrued in the American public? Is he misunderstood? Do you like bin Laden? Do you like him?
MUSA: If he is a Muslim he is definitely misconstrued. Definitely misconstrued.
HANNITY: So bin Laden is not responsible for 9/11?
MUSA: Of course not.
HANNITY: Who is responsible for 9/11?
MUSA: Who do you think?
HANNITY: I already know what you say. You believe George Bush. You think George Bush knew about 9/11 ahead of time.
MUSA: Well, I said he was like Hitler and Hitler burned the Reichstag in Germany in 1933 to give him the fuhership, to also take the rights of the German people, right? To go do away with due process of law.
HANNITY: That's not what you said. Let me give you your own words.
You said, "George Bush needed 9/11, not anybody else, so the people are beginning to realize the government has historically always done things o push its own goals ahead. Whether it's breaking a treaty - " blablabla.
MUSA: Eighty percent of the people in the world - do you have any evidence about bin Laden?
HANNITY: Yeah, we do.
MUSA: What evidence do you have about ...
HANNITY: We've got plenty of evidence.
MUSA: Where's it at?
HANNITY: You ever read a newspaper?
MUSA: A newspaper? Who wrote it?
HANNITY: You like bin Laden.
MUSA: Who wrote the newspaper?
HANNITY: You have to talk to the different ...
MUSA: Who wrote - I'm trying to tell you. If you write the newspaper, you are going to say in there what you want to say but you can't impose your view ...
HANNITY: Osama bin Lin laden is on video himself admitting he is responsible.
MUSA: If you go on the Internet you will see so many dissecting ...
HANNITY: Do you like bin Laden?
MUSA: If bin Laden is a Muslim and if he is alive ...
HANNITY: You like him.
MUSA: I have to like him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: More of the Hannity "Hot Seat" coming up in just a minute.
And later, all of the Hollywood drama from the mystery surrounding Anna Nicole's death to Britney Spears, is she on the verge of a nervous breakdown? What's this shaving that head? Straight ahead.
HANNITY: And welcome back to HANNITY'S AMERICA. We continue now with Imam Abdul Alim Musa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: What do you think of Ahmadinejad. He denies the Holocaust. Did the Holocaust occur?
MUSA: That was not a denial. You keep misrepresenting what he said.
HANNITY: Did the Holocaust occur?
MUSA: The conference - they do like this. They discuss the numbers. The numbers.
HANNITY: Did the Holocaust occur?
MUSA: The numbers ...
(VIDEO GAP)
MUSA: ... killing 35 million Indians. What about the U.S.?
HANNITY: Do you like Jews? You don't like Jews.
MUSA: Jews are nice people. What do you have - what's wrong with Jews?
HANNITY: But you don't mind sending people with
(VIDEO GAP)
MUSA: Don't have nothing to do with being against Jews. It has do - against - being against Zionist.
HANNITY: You said that - but you said in this tape here. You said, "The Zionists, when people hit them in jihad, when they are hit they are dead, but when people, for example, as part of martyrdom, they go to paradise."
So you believe the Jews die and they go to Hell, you said.
MUSA: Just a minute, I ...
HANNITY: That's what you said.
MUSA: OK. Here ...
HANNITY: I have the quote.
MUSA: Well, I can only answer part of that at one time. First of all you asked me if I liked Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a great movement and a great organization.
HANNITY: They are a terrorist movement.
MUSA: It's not - you call it a terrorist movement. You cast your words - that's your State Department. That's not - the Muslims all over the world - what do the people around the world ...
HANNITY: I have one, two, three, four, I have six pages of terrorist attacks of Hezbollah.
MUSA: The people are - attacking who, Israelis? Where are they attacking them at ...
HANNITY: On school buses and pizza parlors ...
MUSA: Wait a minute. You're talking different. Hezbollah attacks Zionists in Lebanon. Hezbollah does not send people across the border in other places. If you are talking about Palestinians that's difference. There's a difference between Palestinians and Hezbollah.
HANNITY: I have a list here 6 pages going back to 1982 with Hezbollah's attack on innocent men, women and children. The killing of innocent children. Do you like Hamas? Is Hamas a ...
MUSA: Hamas just means enthusiasm.
HANNITY: Hamas is a terror organization and they take credit for terror. Would you like to take a look at their history? Read it. Maybe learn something.
MUSA: Ninety-five percent -- I know Hamas. They are nice people. Very nice people.
HANNITY: Hamas. The terror organization.
MUSA: Hamas is not a terror organization. It's what you say. You think you can impose -- You are going to kill everybody and if anybody crawl out and get away and stand-up for himself you call him a terrorist.
HANNITY: Hezbollah's manifesto. Let me read -- Hang on a second. Let me read from their manifesto.
MUSA: Hezbollah are a good group of people practicing Islam.
HANNITY: Hezbollah in their manifesto says the group struggle will continue until Israel is destroyed. That's the great group of people you are praising.
MUSA: You are talking about Israelis that come from where? Where do they come from? Where do the people in Israel come from? Do they come from Palestine? Or do they come from Poland? They come from Russia. Why are they there? I ask you why are they there? Why are they there?
HANNITY: Do you support Israel's destruction, yes or no?
MUSA: Here's what would be good. Here's what would be good. It would be good if the people allowed the people to come back to their own ancestral land.
HANNITY: So kick the Jews out of Israel.
MUSA: The UN in 1947 made the worst mistake they ever did.
HANNITY: The UN partition plan, '48, 1948.
MUSA: Forty-seven or '48, that gave them, the Jews that had some problems in Europe, their problems was in Europe. Ahmadinejad did not say there was no Holocaust. They had a conference to discus the Holocaust.
HANNITY: Do you support Ahmadinejad and do you think he is a god man?
MUSA: I think - here's what Ahmadinejad does - Ahmadinejad says we had a revolution we fought for eight years against Saddam Hussein, we survived a war with everybody on one side, the Russians gave Iraq help. The U.S. gave it help. The Jordanians, the Saudis, the Kuwaitis, everybody in the world was on one side. Listen to this. One side, the side of Saddam Hussein, and Iran survived. This is the greatest epic in modern history. Nobody has ever been able to survive.
HANNITY: Imam ...
MUSA: When you understand you will understand martyrdom.
HANNITY: I want to go back.
MUSA: So I support their survival.
HANNITY: Hang on a second. Let me get this last question in.
MUSA: And he's standing up. That's what he is doing. He is standing up.
HANNITY: Imam. If you are not on the terror watch list, you will be.
MUSA: I am. I am on the terror watch list.
HANNITY: You belong on the terror list.
MUSA: Hey man. You be long on the same list of people who support George Bush. If you support a dummy then you are a dummy, too.
HANNITY: OK.
MUSA: That's right I am trying to tell you. You are a nice guy. You told me I ought to be on a terrorist watch list you can't come in here and high side (ph) on me.
HANNITY: You are the one that compares America to Nazis. You called America KKK Nazis ...
MUSA: You said George Bush was a good man.
HANNITY: You said the United States is next in terms of destruction. You say we are going to burn America down and you call me crazy. You support ...
MUSA: You said George Bush was a good man. Did you say that?
HANNITY: You said you want to burn America down.
I said George Bush is a good man. I believe that.
MUSA: The world considers him insane.
HANNITY: And I consider you insane.
MUSA: That's all right. That's all right.
HANNITY: You want to burn America down not me. You said we are going to burn America down.
MUSA: I said that was said in the sixties.
HANNITY: You said America is next. You said America is a Nazi nation. You said that.
MUSA: Let me tell you what I said. And I said in Kutva (ph), it's all on record. I said - I tell everybody almost every Friday, it would be insane for Muslims or any one else to do anything to America. Leave it alone. We say let George Bush go, he has drug America down quicker.
HANNITY: if you hate America and you want America destroyed you want America struck down.
MUSA: Because you drug me over here in chains.
HANNITY: I didn't drag you over here.
MUSA: Burned and lynched my parents and grandparents and got me over here speaking nothing but English.
HANNITY: Why are you staying? You don't have to stay.
MUSA: Who could hate a beautiful place like America?
HANNITY: Then why are you talking about burning it down?
MUSA: I do not like -- If you repeat that again I am going to call the police on you. If you say I am going to burn America down four times ...
HANNITY: If you say we're going to burn America down - I said it again - If you say we're going to burn America down ...
MUSA: I'm going to turn a snitch and call the police.
HANNITY: Listen, you are on the terror watch list not me.
MUSA: I know I am probably because you helped get me on there.
« Close It
February 19, 2007 07:50 PM
Salvador politicians found dead
Police have found the bodies of three Salvadorean politicians and their
driver in a bullet-riddled and burnt-out car outside Guatemala City.
The three men were members of the governing Arena party of El Salvador,
and were deputies to the Central American Parliament.
One of them was the son of the party's late founder, Roberto
D'Aubuisson.
D'Aubuisson was accused of being behind the assassination of Archbishop
Oscar Arnulfo Romero in 1980.
The four killings followed a controversial request by the Salvadorean
Congress to honour Roberto D'Aubuisson, who died of cancer in 1990.
Search
The Salvadorean victims have been named as Eduardo D'Aubuisson, William
Pichinte and Jose Ramon Gonzalez.
Their driver has not been named.
Police had launched a search for the four men late on Monday afternoon
after they received a report that they had not yet arrived at their
hotel.
The Central American Parliament has 132 members representing five of
the
seven central American nations.
It was set up in 1986 to aid political integration in central America,
but it does not replace local legislatures.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/6378645.stm
Published: 2007/02/20 11:48:56 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Highlights: Iran Sanctions, Corruption Issues 8-15 February 2007
Originally published on 2/8/2007 by Iran -- OSC Report in Persian
The following are highlights of Iranian sanctions and corruption-related issues as reported on various Iranian opposition, reformist, and conservative websites monitored by OSC on 8-15 February.
Sanctions
Norway Imposes Sanctions on Iran -- Iran Focus and Peykeiran reported on 9 February that Norway has imposed economic sanctions on Iran effective 9 February, in line with a UN resolution that reprimands Tehran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. According to the reports, Norwegian officials said their government "has approved today a regulation on sanctions against Iran, which, among other things, forbids the importation and exportation of sensitive equipment and technology that may be used in Iran's nuclear program." It has also ordered the "freezing of capital assets belonging to persons or entities linked to Iran's nuclear program." [ Iran Focus at www.iranfocus.com is an English language opposition website posting news, information, and editorials. The site was created in May 2004. The site is registered to Mo Jazayeri in London, England. Peykeiran at www.peykeiran.com is an opposition website posting news, articles, and declarations critical of government policies.]
Iran Khodro Director Says Company 'Feeling the Heat' of Sanctions -- On 12 February, Roshangari and Kargozaran reported that Manuchehr Manteqi, director of Iran Khodro, said: "Even, without the full force of sanctions taking effect, we are already feeling the heat from foreign sources to guarantee our financial sources. Because Iran Khodro deals in dollars, the prices of all products have increased 15 percent." [ Roshangari at www.roshangari.com is an opposition website posting news, articles, interviews, and declarations from student organizations and other special interest groups critical of government policies. Tehran Kargozaran in Persian -- moderate daily, affiliated with the Executives of Construction Party, favoring economic reforms, a relatively liberal cultural policy, and an improvement in relations with Western countries to break Iran's economic isolation. The daily, managed by and licensed to Dr Seyyed Morteza Sajjadian, began publishing in April 2006 after initial financial difficulties. Other prominent members of the Executives of Construction Party include former Tehran Mayor Gholamhoseyn Karbaschi and former President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.]
Iran To Increase Telecom Exports to Iraq -- On 12 February, Mehr News reported that, after Afghanistan, Iranian exporters of telecommunications equipment have targeted Iraq. Mohammad Mottale, director of the Iran Telecommunications Manufacturing Company, said: " We are producing high quality equipment that can compare with foreign-made equipment." He pointed out they recently held negotiations with the relevant Iraqi telecom officials over the export of Iranian-made equipment to the neighboring country. Asked if possible sanctions could affect the industry, he noted that sanctions might prompt officials to make use of the domestic manpower potential, and thus they may result in higher output. [Tehran Mehr News Agency WWW-Text in English -- Launched on 22 June 2003, its managing director Parviz Esma'ili stated that the news agency primarily aims at promoting the Islamic culture.]
Official: US Cannot Affect Oil Industry -- On 13 February, according to ISNA, the vice president of Iran's national oil company said the US cannot achieve anything by threatening Iran's oil industry. Mohammad Javad Asemipur said: "Iran's oil industry, with its vast capacities, which are unique, has the ability to stand against the US threats. Even though the US might be able to affect the equipment markets for this industry, due to our local supplies and production, we will not be affected." [Tehran Iranian Students News Agency WWW-Text in Persian -- university student press agency; produces politically moderate reporting with emphasis on student activities; promotes political awareness of seminary and university students; headed by Ali Yusefpur, managing director of conservative daily Siyasat-e Ruz; partially government-funded with a student editorial staff; licensed to the government-created University Jihad institution]
Switzerland Imposes Sanctions on Iran -- Iran Focus reported on 15 February that Switzerland has imposed sanctions on Iran for its failure to heed demands by the UN Security Council that it suspend its uranium enrichment activities. The Swiss authorities have also frozen a number of Iranian assets. The move came two days after Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey held informal discussions with Iran's national security chief Ali Larijani on the nuclear standoff. [ Iran Focus at www.iranfocus.com is an English-language opposition website posting news, information, and editorials. Iran Focus is said to belong to MKO, Mujaheddin Khalq Organization.]
Corruption
Anti-Smuggling Body Mulls New Measures -- On 14 February, Iran-Daily reported that Hamid Reza Mohammad-Taqizadeh, secretary of the Headquarters for Combating the Smuggling of Goods and Foreign Exchange, said the headquarters will establish special working groups to tackle major smuggling cases. He said the headquarters is planning to prevent smuggling of goods from the free trade zones into the mainland. Last month, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, who heads the Central Headquarters for Combating Smuggling of Goods and Foreign Exchange, said the campaign against financial crimes would contribute effectively to developing the national economy, stressing that some of those involved in major corruption cases are working hard to influence judicial procedures. [ Iran-Daily at www.iran-daily.com is a news website, affiliated with IRNA. The site's registrant is in New York.]
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=954133
Iran''s nuclear capability "nears industrial scale" -- IAEA Chief
POL-UK-IRAN-NUCLEAR
Iran's nuclear capability "nears industrial scale" -- IAEA Chief
LONDON, Feb 20 (KUNA) -- Iran has mastered "crucial" nuclear technology
since last August and could be six months away from being able to
enrich
uranium on an industrial scale, the UN chief nuclear watchdog has
warned.
In an interview with the Financial Times (FT) newspaper Tuesday, Dr
Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), said that Tehran was overwhelmingly likely to miss a UN
deadline tomorrow to suspend enrichment, which can produce fuel and
weapons-grade material.
The IAEA chief will meet Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator,
today, and issue governments with a report on Iran's compliance with
the
UN's demands tomorrow.
Dr ElBaradei said Iran had now acquired important technical know-how
from running its pilot nuclear programme, and that there was no going
back.
"You cannot bomb knowledge," he warned.
Since last August, Iran has been using centrifuges at a pilot plant in
the town of Natanz to enrich uranium.
Although Tehran insists its purposes are purely peaceful, it has
refused
to halt the process.
The US and Israel have warned that Iran might reach a "point of no
return" in its nuclear programme by mastering uranium enrichment.
Dr ElBaradei added, however, that US and British intelligence estimates
said that Iran was still five to ten years away from developing a
nuclear bomb.
He told the main business daily in Europe that British Prime Minister
Tony Blair's plans to modernise Britain's nuclear arsenal set a bad
example.
"When you see here in the UK the programme for modernising Trident,
which basically gets the UK far into the 21st century with a nuclear
deterrent, it is difficult then for us to turn around and tell
everybody
else that nuclear deterrents are really no good for you," the IAEA
chief
added.
Dr ElBaradei argued that even if the concern that Tehran might acquire
technical knowledge about uranium enrichment was "relevant six months
ago, it is not relevant today because Iran has been running these
centrifuges for at least six months." He said "There's a big difference
between acquiring the knowledge for enrichment and developing a bomb."
The UN inspector said that Iran could install an industrial scale
capacity of 3,000 centrifuges, enough to begin producing fissile
material for a bomb, within months.
"It could be six months, it could be a year," he said, emphasizing his
desire for negotiations to convince Iran to hold back.
"The ideal situation is to make sure that there is no industrial
capacity, that there is full inspection of Iran's nuclear facilities,"
he told the FT.
Dr ElBaradei said that Iran had already installed a "cascade" of 164
centrifuges in the subterranean facility designed to produce enriched
uranium on an industrial scale and that Iran's experiments with two
further 164 centrifuge cascades in the pilot programme were
functioning.
He said that as long as Iran remained within the nuclear
non-proliferation regime, its facilities would remain subject to
safeguards and it would not be able to enrich uranium to weapons-grade
levels.
Dr ElBaradei has been championing the idea of a "time-out" in which
both
Iran's nuclear programme and the sanctions targeted against it would be
put on ice.
He acknowledges that the idea would allow the two sides to act
simultaneously, rather than demanding that Tehran must halt enrichment
as a precondition for any further steps.
"It's just a question of how to get both sides to the negotiating table
while saving face." In conclusion, Dr ElBaradei said "The Iranian issue
will only be resolved when the US takes a decision to engage Iran
directly. The nuclear issue is the tip of the iceberg."(end) he.
wsa
KUNA 201248 Feb 07NNNN
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