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

Global Politician/Ocnus.Net ^ | Dec 17, 2006 | Professor Daniel M. Zucker

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

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.

http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/article_27144.shtml

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=10831

Terrorist Indictments Include Two US Men - US Attorney, Cleveland Announces



Posted on Thursday, February 22, 2007

LAWFUEL - US Legal News, Law Jobs - Gregory A. White, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a superseding indictment in the pending terrorism case against Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim I. Mazloum, charging two additional defendants, Zubair A. Ahmed and his cousin, Khaleel Ahmed, both of Chicago, Illinois, with conspiring to commit terrorist acts against Americans overseas. Amawi, El-Hindi and Mazloum are also jointly charged in the superseding indictment with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, and each is also charged individually with additional offenses, including making threats against the President (Amawi), distributing information regarding explosives (Amawi and El-Hindi), and making and using false documents (El-Hindi).

U.S. Attorney White also announced that two additional indictments were returned by the federal grand jury, related to the terrorism case, including a single count indictment charging Bilal Mazloum, the brother of defendant Wassim I. Mazloum, with making a false statement to federal agents during the investigation of the terrorism case. In addition, a separate, seven-count, indictment was returned charging El-Hindi and Ashraf Zaim, (aka Ashraf Alzaim), with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, theft of government funds, and wire fraud, all relative to a $40,000 federal grant they received in 2002.

Amawi, age 27, last resided in Toledo, Ohio before traveling to Jordan in August 2005; El-Hindi, age 42, also resided in Toledo, Ohio; and Mazloum, age 24, resided in Sylvania, Ohio. All three are being detained pending the trial in the case. Zubair A. Ahmed, age 27, resides at 3504 Green Bay Road, Apartment 309C, North Chicago, Illinois, and his cousin, Khaleel Ahmed, age 26, resides at 4501 N. Keystone Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Both are U.S. citizens. Bilal Mazloum, age 22, a naturalized U.S. citizen, last resided at 5526 Grey Drive, Sylvania, Ohio. Zaim, age 39, also a U.S. citizen, resides at 2515 Manchester Boulevard, Ottawa Hills, Ohio.

The superseding indictment charges Amawi, El-Hindi, Wassim I. Mazloum, Zubair A. Ahmed and Khaleel Ahmed, with conspiring, together and with others, to "kill, kidnap or maim persons outside of the United States, to include U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq," in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 956(a)(1). Amawi, El-Hindi and Wassim I. Mazloum are also charged with conspiring, together and with others, to provide material support to terrorists, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339A. Amawi is charged, individually, with two counts of making verbal threats against the President of the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 871. All of those offenses were charged in the original indictment, however, Zubair and Khaleel Ahmed have been added as defendants in the first conspiracy charge, Count One of the superseding indictment.

A new charge against Amawi in the superseding indictment is an additional count of distributing information regarding explosives, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 842 (p)(2)(A), relative to a manual on manufacturing explosive chemicals downloaded from the internet onto a computer disc and provided to another individual for use in training others, in February 2005; (Amawi faces a separate Section 842 (p)(2)(A) charge carried over from the original indictment involving the distribution of a suicide bomb vest video).

New charges against El-Hindi in the superseding indictment include two counts of distributing information regarding the manufacture and use of explosives, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 842 (p)(2)(A), and a single count of making and using a false writing or document, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001 (a)(3), regarding a false document he prepared and provided to the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority in February 2004. El-Hindi is charged, jointly with Zaim, in a separate, seven-count indictment, with fraud-related offenses relative to the use of federal grant funds the two received in 2002. The indictment charges El-Hindi and Zaim with conspiring to commit the offenses of theft of public funds, making false statements, and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. According to that indictment, El-Hindi and Zaim applied for and obtained a grant from the Internal Revenue Service, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the name of “Educational Social Foundation Services, Inc., (ESFS)” which they falsely represented to be a charitable, non-profit corporation. The grant, in the amount of $40,000, was awarded to ESFS from the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Program for the purpose of providing tax-related services, including the operation of tax clinics in Michigan and Ohio. The indictment alleges that El-Hindi and Zaim diverted nearly all of the grant funds to their personal uses, and that no tax clinics were ever operated by ESFS. The two are also charged with theft of public funds, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641, and five separate counts of wire fraud, violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, relative to the grant fraud activity.

Bilal Mazloum is charged in a separate indictment with making a false statement to federal agents in February 2006, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001 (a)(2). The indictment alleges that Mazloum was interviewed by federal agents at the time his brother, Wassim I. Mazloum, was arrested on the original indictment. During that interview, Mazloum claimed to be unaware of any of his brother’s training activities, including practicing shooting firearms. The indictment alleges that Bilal actually participated in one of the April 2005 firearms training sessions with his brother and Amawi.

If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The maximum statutory penalties upon conviction for the offenses charged in the three indictments are as follows:
18 U.S.C. § 956(a)(1): 35 years imprisonment (if conspiracy to maim) or
life imprisonment (if conspiracy to kill);
18 U.S.C. § 2339A: 15 years imprisonment;
18 U.S.C. § 842(p)(2)(A): 20 years imprisonment (each offense);
18 U.S.C. § 871: 5 years imprisonment (each offense);
18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(3): 5 years imprisonment;
18 U.S.C. § 371: 5 years imprisonment;
18 U.S.C. § 641: 5 years imprisonment;
18 U.S.C. § 1343: 10 years imprisonment (each offense); and
18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2): 8 years imprisonment (if related to international terrorism).

In addition, a $250,000 fine could be imposed for each offense of conviction, as well as a period of supervised release, of up to 3 years or up to 5 years, depending on the offense, following imprisonment.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas E. Getz, of the National Security Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office, and Gregg N. Sofer of the Department of Justice, Counterterrorism Section, following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Toledo, Ohio, and with the assistance of the United States Secret Service; The United States Treasury Department, including the Internal Revenue Service and The Inspector General for Tax Administration; and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. Mr. White also thanked the United States Attorney’s offices in Chicago and Detroit for their assistance in this case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

[nw_arizona_granny]

[It might be interesting to find out who the politician was that was paid off]

http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=10683

a snippet]

The evidence at trial established that James Lynch was a close associate of Michael McKay, former President of the AMO union, who ran the AMO after the death of his father, Raymond McKay, the long-term AMO President. According to the evidence, Lynch and McKay used funds from the union’s employee benefit plans for their personal benefit and enrichment, including to reimburse individuals who made political contributions to candidates favored by McKay. In addition, the conspirators used property for which the AMO employee benefit plans were making yearly lease payments to the AMO union without regard to the total lack of value such use was to the employee benefit plans. Furthermore, Lynch and McKay caused the employee benefit plans to pay for other costs that should have been borne by the union. The evidence also showed that Lynch submitted expense vouchers to the AMO Plans and received payments on such vouchers that were not justified.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=10718

US Department of Justice - Drugs Operation Nets Cash, 35 Pounds of Methamphetamine, Guns and 5000 Pounds of Marijuana - Eight Indicted

Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2007



12 other individuals have previously been charged as result of Operation Emerald Web



SAN FRANCISCO – LAWFUEL - US Legal News - United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan announced that Operation Emerald Web has resulted in eight arrests in the North Bay as part of a multi-year investigation into the trafficking of methamphetamine and other drugs. The charges against the defendants include conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine, distribution of methamphetamine, and maintaining a place for manufacturing, storing, and distributing marijuana. The indictment against the eight individuals, all residents of Santa Rosa, California, was filed on February 6, 2007, and unsealed yesterday after the individuals were arrested by federal and state law enforcement officers. Three of the individuals made their initial appearances this morning in court before Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James, the remaining five made their initial appearances yesterday morning.



The arrests mark the latest action in an ongoing, multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation, one of the largest ever directed against narcotics trafficking in the North Bay. The investigation, begun in late 2004, was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with substantial assistance from the Sonoma County Narcotics Task Force, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, the Santa Rosa Police Department, the Petaluma Police Department, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.



U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan stated, “This investigation represents the results of this office’s commitment to bringing federal resources to bear on the growing problem of methamphetamine trafficking in Santa Rosa and the northern Bay Area counties. It also demonstrates the ability of multiple federal and state agencies to collaborate against organized crime that stretches across at least three counties.”



“Drug traffickers often weave tangled webs full of violence, deciet and greed. Operation Emerald Web is another example of DEA's commitment to work with our partners in law enforcement in dismantling these organizations,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Javier F. Pena.



“The success of this operation is a testament to the hard work and professionalism of all the members of the task force," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Charlene B. Thornton, “The FBI is proud to be working together with our federal, state, and local partners to make a clear difference in the northern Bay Area.”



In the course of this investigation in the past two years, numerous searches have resulted in the seizure of:



• More than $600,000 in United States Currency;

• Approximately 35 pounds of Methamphetamine;

• Approximately 4 pounds of Pseudoephedrine;

• Approximately 3 pounds of cocaine;

• More than 5,000 Pounds of Marijuana;

• Nearly 20,000 Live Marijuana Plants; and,

• At least 50 firearms, including at least 5 assault rifles.



The DEA estimates the street value of the seized drugs to be over $5 million.



The following individuals were indicted by the federal grand jury on February 6, 2007:



• Domingo Tamayo, Jr., 27, of Santa Rosa, California;

• Javier Tamayo, Jr., 31, of Santa Rosa, California;

• Julio Palominos, 19, of Santa Rosa, California;

• Jose Campos, 54, of Santa Rosa, California;

• Richard Moreno, 28, of Santa Rosa, California;

• Cristobol Tamayo, 18, of Santa Rosa, California;

• Edward Souza, 49, of Santa Rosa, California; and,

• Carolina Palomares, 55, of Santa Rosa, California.



According to the indictment, all of the defendants, except Ms. Palomares, are alleged to have conspired to manufacture and distribute more than 50 grams of actual methamphetamine between at least March 2006 and continuing until September 2006. Four of them – Domingo Tamayo, Jr., Javier Tamayo, Julio Palominos, and Richard Moreno – are alleged to have conspired to distribute pseudoephedrine, a precursor used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Domingo Tamayo, Jr., Javier Tamayo, Jose Campos, Julio Palominos, and Cristobol Tamayo are also alleged to have engaged in the distribution of more than 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Carolina Palomares is charged with maintaining a place for the purpose of manufacturing, storing and processing marijuana.



All eight defendants were arraigned in the past two days on the charges by the Honorable Maria-Elena James and entered not guilty pleas. The defendants’ next scheduled appearance is before the Honorable Charles R. Breyer on Wednesday, March 28, 2006.



The maximum statutory penalties for the charges are as follows:



• Title 21, U.S.C. § 846, Conspiracy – a minimum mandatory term of

imprisonment of ten years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; a

$ 4,000,000 fine; a minimum term of supervised release of five years and a special assessment of $100.



• Title 21, U.S.C. § 841, Distribution of Methamphetamine – a minimum

mandatory term of imprisonment of ten years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; a $ 4,000,000 fine; a minimum term of supervised release of five years and a special assessment of $100.



• Title 21, U.S.C. § 856(a)(2), Maintaining a Place for Manufacturing,

Storing and Distributing Marijuana – up to 20 years imprisonment, $500,000 fine; a minimum term of supervised release of five years and a special assessment of $100.



Sentences can be higher for individuals with prior felony drug convictions. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.



An indictment contains allegations against an individual and all defendants charged in the indictment must be presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted.



In addition to the individuals charged in yesterday’s enforcement action, at least twelve other individuals have previously been charged as result of Operation Emerald Web:



• Victor Maldonado-Torres, of Bowling Green, Florida, was indicted by the federal grand jury for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida for a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841, on February 17, 2006, for intent to distribute methamphetamine that was allegedly shipped from a residence in Petaluma, California;

• Elias Gonzalez, of Petaluma, California, was sentenced on April 27, 2006, in the Northern District of California, for a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a), illegal re-entry after deportation, after he was found at the Petaluma residence connected with Mr. Maldonado-Torres;

• Pedro Alcazar, of Petaluma, California, was sentenced on August 30, 2006, in the Northern District of California, for a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(b), illegal re-entry after deportation, after he was found at the Petaluma residence connected with Mr. Maldonado-Torres;

• Hugo Barragan, of Santa Rosa, California, was indicted on November 14, 2006, by the federal grand jury for the Northern District of California, for a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and dispense marijuana, in connection with a large-scale marijuana growing operation in Mendocino County;

• Jose Maldonado, of Santa Rosa, California, was indicted on November 14, 2006, by the federal grand jury for the Northern District of California, for a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and dispense marijuana, in connection with a large-scale marijuana growing operation in Mendocino County;

• Gabriel Barragan, of Santa Rosa, California, was arrested on December 11, 2006, on a criminal complaint charging him with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and dispense marijuana, in connection with a large-scale marijuana growing operation in Mendocino County;

• Mario Barragan, of Santa Rosa, California, was arrested on December 11, 2006, on a criminal complaint charging him with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and dispense marijuana, in connection with a large-scale marijuana growing operation in Mendocino County;

• Christian Barragan, of Santa Rosa, California, was arrested on December 11, 2006, on a criminal complaint charging him with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and dispense marijuana, in connection with a large-scale marijuana growing operation in Mendocino County;

• Julio Cesar Vega, of Santa Rosa, California, was arrested on February 1, 2007, on a criminal complaint charging him with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and dispense methamphetamine in Sonoma County;

• Irma Vega, of Santa Rosa, California, was arrested on February 1, 2007, on a criminal complaint charging him with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and dispense methamphetamine in Sonoma County;

• Celso Betancourt Medrando, of Santa Rosa, California, was arrested on February 1, 2007, on a criminal complaint charging him with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and dispense methamphetamine in Sonoma County; and,

• Octavio Patino Morales, of Santa Rosa, California, was arrested on February 1, 2007, on a criminal complaint charging him with a violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and dispense methamphetamine in Sonoma County.



Timothy J. Lucey is the Assistant United States Attorney who is prosecuting the case in the Northern District of California, with the assistance of legal technicians Ana Guerra and Cherell Hallett.



Further Information:



Case #: CR 06- 0647 CRB.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=10754

Mad Cow Disease Charges - Meat Company President Guilty To Defrauding Government's Mad Cow Disease Program


Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007


PHOENIX - LAWFUEL - Legal News, Law Jobs - Farm Fresh Meats, Inc. and Roland Emerson Farabee, 55, of Maricopa, Arizona, pleaded guilty to stealing $390,000 in government funds, mail fraud and wire fraud, in federal district court in Phoenix.

U.S. Attorney Daniel Knauss stated, “The integrity of the system that tests for mad cow disease relies upon the honest cooperation of enterprises like Farm Fresh Meats. Without that honest
cooperation, consumers both in the U.S. and internationally are at risk. We want to thank the USDA’s Office of Inspector General for their continuing efforts to safeguard the public health and enforce the
law.”

Farm Fresh Meats and Farabee were charged by Information with theft of government funds, mail fraud and wire fraud. According to the Information, on June 7, 2004, Farabee, on behalf of Farm
Fresh Meats, signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the “USDA Agreement”) to collect obex samples from cattle at high risk of mad cow disease (the “Targeted Cattle Population”).
The Targeted Cattle Population consisted of the following cattle: cattle over thirty months of age; nonambulatory cattle; cattle exhibiting signs of central nervous system disorders; cattle exhibiting signs of
mad cow disease; and dead cattle. Pursuant to the USDA Agreement, the USDA agreed to pay Farm Fresh Meats $150 per obex sample for collecting obex samples from cattle within the Targeted Cattle
Population, and submitting the obex samples to a USDA laboratory for mad cow disease testing. Farm Fresh Meats further agreed to maintain in cold storage the sampled cattle carcasses and heads until the
test results were received by Farm Fresh Meats.

Evidence uncovered during the government’s investigation established that Farm Fresh Meats and Farabee submitted samples from cattle outside the Targeted Cattle Population. Specifically, Farm
Fresh Meats and Farabee submitted, or caused to be submitted, obex samples from healthy, USDA inspected cattle, in order to steal government moneys.

Evidence collected also demonstrated that Farm
Fresh Meats and Farabee failed to maintain cattle carcasses and heads pending test results and falsified corporate books and records to conceal their malfeasance. Such actions, to the extent an obex sample
tested positive (fortunately, none did), could have jeopardized the USDA’s ability to identify the diseased animal and pinpoint its place of origin.

On Wednesday, February 14, 2007, Farm Fresh Meats and Farabee pleaded guilty to stealing government funds and using the mails and wires to effect the scheme. According to their guilty pleas:
(a) Farm Fresh Meats collected, and Farabee directed others to collect, obex samples from cattle outside the Targeted Cattle Population, which were not subject to payment by the USDA; (b) Farm Fresh Meats
and Farabee caused to be submitted payment requests to the USDA knowing that the requests were based on obex samples that were not subject to payment under the USDA Agreement; (c) Farm Fresh
Meats completed and submitted, and Farabee directed others to complete and submit, BSE Surveillance Data Collection Forms to the USDA’s testing laboratory that were false and misleading; (d) Farm Fresh
Meats completed and submitted, and Farabee directed others to complete and submit, BSE Surveillance Submission Forms filed with the USDA that were false and misleading; (e) Farm Fresh Meats falsified,
and Farabee directed others to falsify, internal Farm Fresh Meats documents to conceal the fact that Farm Fresh Meats was seeking and obtaining payment from the USDA for obex samples obtained from cattle outside the Targeted Cattle Population; and (f) Farm Fresh Meats failed to comply with, and Farabee directed others to fail to comply with, the USDA Agreement by discarding cattle carcasses and heads prior to receiving BSE test results.

A conviction for theft of government funds carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. Mail fraud and wire fraud convictions carry a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment. Convictions for the above referenced violations also carry a maximum fine of $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Earl H. Carroll will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Sentencing is set before Judge Earl H. Carroll on May 14, 2007.

The investigation in this case was conducted by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alejandro Quintero, United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General. The prosecution is being handled by Robert Long, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-07-00160-PHX-EHC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2007-051(Farabee)

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=10756

Internal Revenue Service & FBI Charge Individuals Over Cult-Like Investment Scheme - Fraud And Tax Charges



Posted on Sunday, February 18, 2007


LawFuel - Legal News - Law Jobs - United States Attorney Carol C. Lam announced that today John Harrell, Daniel Anderson, Kenneth Hodgell, John Reitz, and Gregg Stavros pled guilty to federal fraud and tax charges relating to their roles in
a cult-like investment scheme that operated out of San Diego beginning in the late 1980's. All the guilty pleas were entered in U.S. District Court in San Diego, California, before the Honorable Thomas J. Whelan.

The indictment charged the defendants with operating a fraudulent enterprise that purported to raise millions of dollars from investors for several stated purposes, including, but not limited to, qualifying for the release of funds to be used for various insurance-related ventures, financing and operating insurance-related companies, mining and refining gold, issuing a consumer rebate card, operating community social development centers, and financing medical research and development.

In truth, however, the defendants spent all of the investor money, over $20 million, on themselves. For example, the defendants used investor
money to pay their rent, to pay for privately chartered flights, and to rent cars for themselves. The rental car bill alone was over $400,000 per year. The defendants targeted many of their victims through churches.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason A. Forge, who prosecuted the case, Harrell, the leader of the criminal enterprise, admitted to a conspiracy that defrauded investors out of over $20 million, as well as
14 counts of wire fraud and 13 counts of money laundering. Harrell, who was not offered a plea agreement, faces a maximum sentence of 335 years imprisonment.

continues

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.axisglobe.com/news.asp?news=10576

21.02.200713:49 (GMT)
In Kazakhstan some members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir voluntary gave up the ideas of extremist organization, Kazakh Committee of National Security (KNB) press service informed Kazakhstan Today news agency.

"As it was informed earlier, 55 citizens left the party. By now 27 more Hizb-ut-Tahrir members living in Almaty, Pavlodar, Taraz, Shymkent and Turkestan have the same intention," the KNB message states.

According to KNB, former members did not only refuse the ideas of the party, but also are voluntary handing over the agitation-and-propaganda materials calling for fomentation of the national and religious intolerance. In this connection, KNB press service explained that according to the norms of the Kazakhstan legislation "an individual who have refused further participation in the activity of religious-extremist party Hizb-ut-Tahrir are exempt by court from the criminal responsibility.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.axisglobe.com/news.asp?news=10593

23.02.200712:12 (GMT)
Detailed maps of the UK created by the KGB between 1950 and 1990 have gone on sale in digital format for the first time, The Register writes today.

The maps show 16,000 square kilometres and 103 UK town and cities in more detail than Ordnance Survey maps. The Russians used satellite images and spies on the ground to create the maps, which include army camps and warehouses that don't appear on other maps.

The maps include other information likely to be useful for an invading army, such as the height of bridges and depths and contours of river beds. Strategically important buildings like telephone exchanges, government buildings, and power stations were all colour-coded and identified with a numbered key.

[Velveeta]

>>>Also on the south end of my first mountain, it was the watch the world spot, the look out spot, and the indians had chipped pictographs into the whole point.........and I swear, one of the larger ones, looks like a simple airplane.

Loved that post, Granny.
Sounds like a beautiful place with great memories.

[Quix]

AGREED.

Alas . . . where does sick without choice and choosing to be demonized . . . where's the line ?

Sigh.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Psychological Warfare, Psychological Operations (PSYOP),
Black Propaganda, and Aerial Propaganda Leaflets

http://www.psywar.org/index.php#NEWS

Looks like an interesting history site to me, I have not really checked it out......... granny


http://www.psywar.org/aden

PSYOP OF THE ADEN EMERGENCY 1963-1967

SGM Herbert A. Friedman (Ret.)

[nw_arizona_granny]

See the above posts4755 to 4762, the people who do not want the same creatures in jail, are the same who would hate Christians enough to ruin a Church Service.

All one needs to do is follow the Communist Manifesto, it leads to many of the ills of mind that we see today.

Take away the free educations, tv and computer games and give them a shovel and room to grow their own food.

We have allowed them to be brainwashed, to think that anything they can think of is fine.........

My opinion, of course.

I know you know about brainwashing, try keeping a log, of the obvious brainwashing/subliminal hints that you see on tv for a day or a week and you will see what I saw, 50 years ago.

My daughter was 5 years old, tv was getting afordable and we had bought an old one for her room.

AT the time, I was learning Japanese gardening and flower arrangements.

As we drove down the road, I was excited, telling my husband all about a tiny, old, Japanese man, that I had found in a hidden greenhouse, at the large nursery.

He was working on Bonsai plants, with love and knowledge of what he was doing.

In the over 50 years since, I have never watched anything as wonderful.

All of a sudden, from the the backseat, there came a tirade about the dirty japs, in WW2, etc.

We asked where she learned that, and it came from the tv, an old WW2 war movie.

I have never allowed a tv in a child's room since that day.

Or when she was 3, a real temper tantrum, in the supermarket, because, I would not buy her a bottle of Gallo wine, something that I had never bought or tasted before.

Another tv, brainwashing ad.

I do quite well, without tv today.

Again, it is my opinion, one I wish others would consider.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yes, for almost 10 years, I got to live my dream, almost a mile to the closest neighbor, fantastic beauty, in the middle of history.

I bought a couple horses, the old one, would let me ride and take me places that I might not have gone on foot, but at her pace, slowly, as she did not have a fast speed.

You could not watch tv, and I was lucky when I found a mobile, that had both ends all windows, it was as close as you could get to nature and still be modern.

Wild donkeys by the hundred, range cows and rattlesnakes.

[struwwelpeter]

Nina Milovidova

http://nord-ost.org/kniga-pamyati/milovidova-nina-3.html

Nina was our first-borne, and the support and friend of her mother. They had the same interests, the same things, and sometimes the neighbors mistook them for one another. When her brother Maksim was born, she became like a second mother to him. He called their mother: “MA-MA”, while Ninochka was “MA”.

Ninochka studied mathematics in a good Moscow school, and attended the music school as well. She traveled with the school choir all over Europe - the choir of the Mamontov children’s art school participated in many international competitions. Sometimes I pitied Nina, that she had so little time to herself.

Ninochka was never a “hothouse flower”. In the summer she went on trips – descending into caves and kayaking down rapids, and she took tours. In the winter Nina skied and swam. ON THAT DAY, she went to the musical just after swimming.

Our children grew up independent and we trusted them. Five years ago their mother was hospitalized after being burned, and it was upon the nine year-old shoulders of this little homemaker Nina that the burden fell. She did not miss school, but was able to do the housework and help her little sister. Years later, we could trust the two girls to watch after their two year-old brother while their we went to see the musical. On October 23rd, however, we sent our daughters to see this fairy tale about Russia, the musical ‘Nord-Ost’. Nina read Kavernin’s book, “Two Captains”, the night before, and was ready to explain the historical moments reflected in the spectacle to her little sister.

It was too bad that Ninochka grew up so early and looked much older than her 14 years. After the capture of the theater, when the terrorists decided to release the children, she led her little sister out (and in so doing, saved her), but the terrorists made her remain in the hall.

Nina never knew that she would soon have another little sister – Nadezhda (Hope). We explained to our son that Ninochka, his “MA”, was now working as a star in heaven. He believed this – after all, she was often gone from home for many days: concerts, competitions, off on excursions with her class. It still seems to us that she is somewhere nearby, supporting us.

She was never able to create anything, to become complete, to fall in love – she was only getting ready. It is possible that her talents might not have found fertile ground, might not have blossomed. But we are certain of this: she would have been a TRUE PERSON and a GOOD MOTHER.

Is that not really a lot?

PS: While the representatives of the operational headquarters were talking about the absence of children among the dead, our daughter’s body had been hidden in a bus that never left the square. From their report: “on 26.10.2002 at 13:00 at the theatrical center on Dubrovka, the body was removed for examination from the #11 bus license #R980TO99RUS”.

Written by her parents, Olga Milovidova and Dmitry Milovidov.

[struwwelpeter]

German Tkach

(http://nord-ost.org/kniga-pamyati/tkach-german-3.html)

We met while on vacation in Turkey in 2000. If only I could have known back then that our acquaintanceship would for German by a fatal one.

People, however, are never given to guess their future.

After Turkey we became fast friends, and exchanged many text messages by cell phone. Later German came to Moscow, to be with me. Back then everything turned out okay, but by then parting was a hard thing…

Later I had to go to Murmansk. And again… I even changed my ticket to a day later, so that we could be together a little longer. I will not lie if I say that ever since we met (not counting Turkey) we had only seen each other 5 times. (German went to sea for 3 months at a time, and sometimes as long as half a year). When I awoke in the hospital, I remembered him (not right away, though, I had retrograde amnesia), and I had the feeling that I had known him for 5 years.

On that, the last day, he had come home from his latest cruise, and according to his mother, Raisa Vasilevna Tkach, right away he took off for Moscow. He was supposed to fly back home on October 23rd, but destiny decided otherwise, and we could not bear to part and so we changed his ticket. Once again, it was a strange confluence of circumstances: I had already seen the musical, so I decided to surprise him and offered to take him to ‘Nord-Ost’. And we bought tickets on October 23rd…

When I awoke in the hospital, for a long time I could not remember how I got there. Memory returned a little at a time, at first I said that I was there with my girlfriend, and later when I remembered it all the horror came to me. I recall how I lay in the hospital trying to call Murmansk on my cell phone, but could not get anywhere. Later they sent we to ‘Blue’, some kind of a rehabilitation center. I did not want to go, because I wanted to go home and get on the Internet and find out what had happened to German. They had to force me to go. My sister went with me, and she told me about German’s fate.

Now I am terrified to remember those days. Laying there in the hospital I could not even guess that Raisa Vasilevna, German’s mother, had been in Moscow, had talked with my sister and taken German’s body to bury… I only thought, what am I to say to her?

Now, after the passing of so many years I do not even want to think about ‘Nord-Ost’. But people died there, our loved ones, and their memory should always live, and so therefore when I hear ‘Nord-Ost’, I shudder, and my memory returns to there, where we sat waiting for rescue, hoping for the best, and that moment that I still remember - when all were still alive…

Zhanna Volodina

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://www.nj.com/news/bridgeton/local/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1172210150115100.xml&coll=10

Suspicious device exploded
Friday, February 23, 2007
By COLLEEN P. DUNN
Staff Writer

VINELAND -- A suspicious device found outside the Veterans Memorial Home Wednesday was detonated by the Atlantic City Bomb Squad.

continues...

[nw_arizona_granny]

Train crashes in Lake District
Passengers are reported to be injured and trapped after a train derailed and slid down an embankment in Cumbria.

Nine carriages were left on their side, with some "stuck up in the air", passengers said. Fire crews said it was thought there were "numerous injuries".

The Virgin train, the 1715 from London Euston to Glasgow Central, crashed at Grayrigg near Kendal at 2015 GMT. It had been due in Glasgow at 2154 GMT.

Passenger Caroline Thomson said the train seemed to hit something.

The BBC executive said there were "lots and lots" of walking wounded at the scene.

RAF helicopters, police and fire crews have been sent to the scene of collision, between Oxenholme and Tebay in the Lake District.

Cumbria Ambulance Service said six to eight people were feared trapped in one of the carriages of the train. The train had about 180 people on board, the fire service said.

There's some carriages stuck up in the air and some are just lying on their sides
Ruth Colton, passenger

Michael Mulford from RAF Kinloss rescue centre said his crews were searching the carriages "systematically and are finding people injured in all sorts of places".

"What the helicopters are being used for at the moment will be casualty evacuation," he said.

"Three big hospitals are already on major standby and at least one other is ready to receive as well."

Ms Thomson said the train "did a sort of bump - and I was thinking don't worry this fine - but then the swaying became very dramatic.

"It suddenly appeared to hit something and then lurched very, very badly from side to side in a very dramatic way. This a very scary experience."

The Pendolino tilting trains, which are built in Italy, have been introduced by Virgin over the last three years and have a top speed of 125 mph.

Network Rail said the line speed for the area where the crash took place was about 95 mph.

In a statement on its website, Virgin Trains confirmed a "serious incident" had taken place.

"Virgin Trains staff are currently working with the emergency services to ensure that those involved in this incident are given every assistance," it said.

Services between Preston and Carlisle have been suspended until further notice and alternative arrangements for customers, using road vehicles, are being made.

Another passenger, Ruth Colton, said: "I was just reading a book and it started to get really bumpy like we were being battered by heavy winds or something and then suddenly the carriage flipped over.

"Pretty much all of the carriages are off the track.

"The train seems to have fallen down an embankment and rolled...

"There's some carriages stuck up in the air and some are just lying on their sides. We all had to climb out the top of one of ours".

People worried about friends or relatives on the train are asked to ring a British Transport Police family liaison centre on 0800 40 50 40.

Passengers, meanwhile, are being advised to ring National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 before starting journeys.

An emergency services number for friends and relatives is also to be issued shortly by Virgin Trains.

Are you in the area? Have you been involved? Send us your accounts using the form below.

You can send your pictures and moving footage to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 07725 100 100


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/6391633.stm

Published: 2007/02/23 22:54:14 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[nw_arizona_granny]

Litvinenko inquiry 'nearing end'
The British envoy in Russia says that he expects the probe into the poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko to end within weeks.

Anthony Brenton told the BBC the UK government would push for any Russians charged over the case to be extradited.

Meanwhile, one of the chief suspects, Andrei Lugovoi, told a Moscow radio station he was a witness not a suspect.

Former KGB agent Mr Litvinenko died in November in London after being poisoned by radioactive substance polonium-210.

Mr Lugovoi, who is also formerly of the KGB, and two other Russians met Mr Litvinenko on 1 November, the day he fell ill.

Traces of polonium-210 have been found in a several places Mr Lugovoi visited in London.

Possible extradition

"Our position is that we want to catch the person who committed this crime and see them punished," Mr Brenton told the BBC.

"We will do everything that we need to do to achieve that result. And if that involves extraditing someone from Russia then we will try to achieve that."

But, says the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow, it could be a long battle. Russian prosecutors have already said they will reject any extradition request.

Mr Lugovoi, meanwhile, told the radio station that he planned to ask British officials for more information about the progress of the case.

He also expressed concern that media coverage of the case in the UK meant that he would not be fairly treated.

"If you conducted a survey, 99% would say that we carried out this killing," he said. "So it's necessary to determine: Is it worth meeting with people who from the start are inclined to treat us unfairly?"

Mr Litvinenko, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian security services, was granted asylum in the UK in 2000.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6391725.stm

Published: 2007/02/23 22:35:16 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[nw_arizona_granny]

Mexican anger over US 'trespass'
Mexico's parliament has condemned what it says is a border violation by US workers building a controversial barrier between the two countries.

Legislators say workers and equipment building a section of the barrier have gone 10 metres (yards) into Mexico.

The alleged border violation comes ahead of a high-level meeting in the Canadian capital Ottawa.

US, Mexican and Canadian foreign ministers are to discuss border security and trade issues.

Mexican legislators said they had photographs and video, taken on Monday, of the workers and heavy-duty construction equipment that showed them about 10 metres inside Mexico near the border city of Agua Prieta and the town of Douglas, Arizona.

The Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said she had complained to the US authorities and that the men and equipment had been withdrawn.

Continental trade concerns

In a statement, the US Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza said: "The US is sensitive to Mexican concerns... [and] has the deepest respect for the integrity of the sovereignty of Mexican soil".

He said US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff had not been in the area of the alleged incursion and recent photographs of him welding a section of the fence had been taken in a different part of Arizona on the US side of the border.

The US says it is building 700 miles (1,125km) of fencing along its border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration.

Many Mexicans see the fence as offensive and say it will be ineffective and potentially cause more deaths in border crossings.

An estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested in 2005 trying to cross into the US via the border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

About 11 million Mexicans are thought to live in the US, more than six million of them illegally.

Later on Friday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is meeting her Canadian and Mexican counterparts - Peter Mackay and Patricia Espinosa - in Ottawa.

They are to discuss concerns that security measures put in place after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US may hamper trade between the three countries.

The officials will also look at co-ordinating responses to emergencies such as a pandemic outbreak of avian flu.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6390291.stm

Published: 2007/02/23 16:02:24 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[nw_arizona_granny]

Iran leader vows nuclear defiance
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran will defend its nuclear programme to the end, and must not show weakness "in front of the enemy".

His comments came a day after the UN nuclear body confirmed Iran had ignored a deadline to stop uranium enrichment.

Permanent UN Security Council members and Germany will meet on Monday to discuss further sanctions against Iran.

The head of the UN nuclear agency, the IAEA, has said there is still "a window of opportunity" for negotiations.

The UN Security Council had given Iran until 21 February to halt uranium enrichment.

But the IAEA concluded in a report on Thursday that Iran was expanding rather than halting its enrichment programme, defying a UN resolution of December 2006.

'Open door'

Speaking after meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Vienna, IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei said he believed a diplomatic solution could still be reached.

The Iranian people are vigilant and will defend all their rights to the end
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Iranian President

"The door is still open, there is a window of opportunity for both Iran and the international community to go back to the negotiating table," he said.

"I believe this is the way for a long-term solution."

Mr Ban called on Tehran to comply with the UN Security Council resolution and make greater efforts to show it sought nuclear technology for purely peaceful purposes.

"I would again urge Iranian authorities to engage in dialogue with the international community through peaceful means," he said.

'Vigilant people'

Iran says the UN call for it to stop uranium enrichment is unacceptable as it has no legal basis.


POSSIBLE NEXT STEPS
New UN resolution on tougher economic sanctions, tabled by US or European allies
US pressure on Europeans to step up bilateral sanctions
New initiative to get Iran back to talks

"The Iranian people are vigilant and will defend all their rights to the end," Iranian news agency Isna quoted Mr Ahmadinejad as saying, at a rally in northern Iran.

"If we show weakness in front of the enemy the expectations will increase but if we stand against them, because of this resistance they will retreat."

In a Friday prayers sermon broadcast on state radio, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani also said threats of further sanctions would not work.

"They will not get a result this way, it will just make problems for themselves, the world and especially our region," he said.

He said Iran was willing to give Western powers "the necessary guarantees" if they returned to the negotiating table.

Arms question

Representatives of the five permanent Security Council members - the US, UK, France, Russia and China - plus Germany will meet in London for talks on drafting a second resolution sanctioning Iran on Monday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a press conference with French President Jacques Chirac on Friday, said the door "remains open" for negotiations with Tehran.

But, she said, the report made clear Iran was not fulfilling its obligations and therefore it was right to return to the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing has telephoned his Iranian counterpart to express Beijing's desire "to peacefully resolve" the nuclear issue, China's state news agency Xinhua says.

US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, who will take part in the talks, said Iran was "effectively thumbing its nose at the international community".

Tehran denies Western claims it is secretly trying to build nuclear arms, saying its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful, energy-producing purposes.

While enriched uranium is used as fuel for nuclear reactors, highly enriched uranium can also be used to make nuclear bombs.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6390067.stm

Published: 2007/02/23 18:57:28 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[nw_arizona_granny]

Cheney warns on Chinese build-up
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has expressed concern over China's military policies, saying they were at odds with the country's stated peaceful aims.

On a visit to Australia, he praised China's role in a nuclear deal with North Korea but criticised its military build-up and anti-satellite tests.

Mr Cheney also thanked Australia for its support for US operations in Iraq.

Australian PM John Howard is facing opposition on the issue, and there have been protests over Mr Cheney's visit.

The US vice-president commended Chinese leaders for their role in six-party talks with North Korea, which resulted in a landmark agreement on 13 February committing Pyongyang to shut down key nuclear facilities.

"The Chinese understand that a nuclear North Korea would be a threat to their own security," he said.

Prime Minister Howard and the nation he serves has never wavered on the war on terror
Dick Cheney

However, he added that "other actions by the Chinese government send a different message".

He said China's destruction of an inactive weather satellite last month, as well as its "continued fast-paced military build-up are less constructive, and are not consistent with China's stated goal of a peaceful rise".

The BBC's Nick Bryant, in Sydney, says the comments were significant because Mr Cheney often delivers the authentic voice of the White House.

Beijing has said the anti-satellite tests was for scientific purposes only, but many observers saw it as a demonstration of China's growing military power.

Reassurance

Mr Cheney also questioned whether North Korea would abide by its commitments in the nuclear deal, saying the US was going "into this deal with our eyes open".

He arrived in Australia on Thursday after visiting Japan - another key US ally.

Correspondents say he has sought to assure both countries that Washington remains committed to the Asia-Pacific region, despite problems in Iraq.

During his speech in Sydney, Mr Cheney praised Mr Howard, who he said had "never wavered in the war on terror".

The vice-president said Australia had won global recognition for its efforts to fight terrorism.

"The United States appreciates it, and the whole world respects you for it," he added.

Mr Cheney warned of the dangers of an early withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq.

"If our coalition withdrew before Iraqis could defend themselves, radical factions would battle for dominance of that country," he said.

He also expressed concern that failure in Iraq would lead to more violence in the Middle East: "Having tasted victory in Iraq, jihadists would look for new missions".

Under pressure

Australia currently has about 1,450 military personnel based in Iraq or involved in Iraq-related operations.

Mr Howard faces an election battle this year and is under strong domestic pressure to announce a withdrawal of Australian forces.

An opinion poll earlier this week suggested that more than two-thirds of Australians want Mr Howard to announce a date for withdrawing troops or to order an immediate pull out.

But Mr Howard has instead offered to send an additional 70 military advisers to help train the Iraqi army.

Protesters gathered in Sydney to rally against Mr Cheney's visit.

Three people were arrested during scuffles on Friday, and at least seven were arrested after similar scenes on Thursday.

Mr Cheney is scheduled to hold talks with Mr Howard on Saturday.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6388557.stm

Published: 2007/02/23 08:05:28 GMT

© BBC MMVII