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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dutch brothels take city to court
By Geraldine Coughlan
BBC News, the Hague

Brothel owners in Amsterdam's red light district have taken the city council to court over its decision to close a number of sex businesses.

The council is demanding the closure of 33 brothels, which account for around a third of the district's sex businesses, by the end of the year.

The prostitutes union says the move will force many women to work illegally.

Prostitution was legalised in the Netherlands five years ago.

Criminal activity

The brothel owners say they will go to the highest court to save a third of the windows in Amsterdam's famous red light district from disappearing.

Amsterdam's mayor, Job Cohen, claims that many sex businesses are fronts for criminal activity, such as women trafficking and money laundering.

But the prostitutes' union, the Red Thread, which represents 20,000 prostitutes, argues that closing legal brothels will force many women onto the streets.

The city council wants the banks to play a role by making it easier for sex businesses to get financing.

Many have loans from private companies which the city council says are too risky.

The city believes that with proper paperwork for registered brothels and prostitutes, banking could have a positive effect on the fight against crime at the heart of the sex industry.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6216801.stm

Published: 2006/12/29 13:11:14 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Argentine 'death squad' man held
A former police officer who is alleged to have been a leader of a far-right death squad in Argentina during the 1970s has been arrested in Spain.

Rodolfo Almiron was detained near Valencia on a warrant to face murder charges in Argentina.

He is a suspected member of Triple A, the anti-communist alliance that operated under the governments of Juan Peron and then his widow Isabel.

The group is blamed for the killings of 1,500 perceived government opponents.

The BBC's Daniel Schweimler says any mention of the Triple A still strikes terror into the hearts of many Argentinians today.

'Escaping his past'

The group is held responsible for killing at least 1,500 perceived left-wing opponents of the government of Juan Peron and when he died in 1974, that of his widow Isabel who was toppled by Jorge Videla in a 1976 coup.

Rodolfo Almiron, said to be one of the leaders of Triple A, is alleged to have carried out many of the killings personally.

He fled to Spain in 1975 in the midst of chaos in Argentina, with left-wing factions battling against the right, the police and the armed forces.

The military took power shortly afterwards, ostensibly to restore order but imposing their own form of terror, killing at least 30,000 people over the next seven years.

Rodolfo Almiron, 71, thought he had escaped his past, living the last 30 years in comfort in Spain, our correspondent says.

However, last week a judge in Argentina ruled that the crimes which he has been accused of do not fall under any statute of limitations and therefore he could be tried.

Mr Almiron is expected to be transferred to Madrid's National Court in the next few days to start extradition proceedings, police said.

The arrest came as Argentina asked Spain to extradite a key figure in the military government.

Gen Ricardo Miguel Cavallo has been held in Madrid on charges of crimes against humanity for the past three years, but the high court decided last week it had no jurisdiction over him.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6215857.stm

Published: 2006/12/29 01:01:35 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Cairns cat saves owners from fire
A pet cat came to the rescue when a family home in Australia caught fire - by scratching the face of its sleeping owner, officials say.

The cat's prompt actions meant the family of four escaped before the blaze took hold of the home, in Cairns, north Queensland.

"The cat was probably the best smoke alarm system," fire service spokesman Robert White-MacFarlane said.

He said the home suffered only minor damage as a result.

The fire started after a mattress caught fire, possible from a cigarette, he added.

But before the blaze engulfed the home, the cat sprang into action.

"The occupant was woken by the household cat which was scratching his face, alerting (him) to the ensuing dangers," Mr White-MacFarlane told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The owner was then able to wake the rest of the family, who fled the house and alerted the fire service.

"There were alarms throughout the house, but the smoke saturation hadn't reached a point where they'd activated the alarms in the adjacent room," Mr White-MacFarlane added.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6216663.stm

Published: 2006/12/29 11:40:15 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Snakes in China 'predict quakes'
Scientists in China say they have developed a new way of predicting earthquakes - by observing erratic behaviour in snakes.

Experts at the earthquake bureau in Nanning, in southern Guangxi province, monitor local snake farms via 24-hour internet video links.

Scientists said the serpents can sense a quake from 120km (75 miles) away, up to five days before it happens.

They respond erratically, even smashing into walls to escape, scientists said.

"Of all the creatures on the Earth, snakes are perhaps the most sensitive to earthquakes," Jiang Weisong, director of the earthquake bureau in Nanning, told The China Daily.

The reptiles respond by behaving extremely erratically, he said.

"When an earthquake is about to occur, snakes will move out of their nests, even in the cold of winter. If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash into walls while trying to escape," he told the newspaper.

Nanning - an area prone to earthquakes - is one of 12 Chinese cities monitored by hi-tech equipment. It also has 143 animal monitoring units.

"By installing cameras over the snake nests, we have improved our ability to forecast earthquakes. The system could be extended to other parts of the country to make our earthquake forecasts more precise," Mr Jiang said.

China is frequently struck by earthquakes. In 1976, some 250,000 people died when the city of Tangshan was devastated by an earthquake.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6215991.stm

Published: 2006/12/29 07:09:10 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Warnings against Saddam hanging

Newspapers in the Arab world warn that executing Saddam Hussein could lead to greater unrest in Iraq. Some commentators argue that he is more use alive.

Iraq under Saddam was stable when compared to the large-scale killings which have taken place since the US-led invasion, some say, and there is a call for current Iraqi leaders to be put on trial.

COMMENT IN PAN ARAB AL-QUDS AL-ARABI

He will go to the gallows with his head held high because he built a strong, united and non-sectarian Iraq. We urge honourable people such as [President Jalal] Talabani and [Prime Minister Nouri] Maliki and all those who practised all sorts of deceits against the people of Iraq to apologise and face the national courts of Iraq on charges of participating and legalising the killing of 665,000 and wounding five-fold this number. We also call for their prosecution for igniting the fire of civil war, sectarianism and ethnic cleansing.

HASSAN SHARBAL IN PAN ARAB AL-HAYAT

Executing Saddam is worse than the crimes he committed against his opponents... It is impossible to defend Saddam and to find reasons to be lenient with him. His crimes against his citizens were outrageous. He was a cruel and harsh dictator. He deserves to be punished.

His fate as a person is not important. We hoped that he would be prosecuted in an Iraq with democracy and the rule of law.

EDITORIAL IN PAN ARAB AL-QUDS AL-ARABI

US officials are making a new mistake more dangerous than any in the past. They think executing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will lead to calm in Iraq, but the exact opposite is likely to happen. The US Administration may gain more by keeping Saddam alive behind bars and using him as a bargaining card... to negotiate with the Baath party for the sake of calm.

EDITORIAL IN PAN ARAB AL-ARAB AL-ALAMIYAH

We urge parties, organisations, national and Islamic figures and official bodies in Arab countries to engage in a public, political and human rights action against the Maliki government's adventure - supported by the US and Iran - to execute Saddam. This is a political execution which will lead to violence. It is in the interests of the occupation and its agents, and Iran and its allies, for Saddam not to be executed, and for the crisis to be solved through serious dialogue.

TARIQ MASARWAH IN JORDAN'S AL-RA'Y

The US, UK and the ruling parties have so far not been able to provide Iraqis with a better Iraq than Saddam's! He remains a symbol for the failure of the occupation and its project.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6214093.stm

Published: 2006/12/28 12:36:20 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Taleban 'say no' to tribal plan
Fugitive Taleban leader Mullah Omar has dismissed a proposal to hold cross border tribal councils as a "trap", in a message attributed to him.

"No Muslim will participate in something... created by the aggressors and puppets," he said.

The Pakistan and Afghan governments have discussed holding a cross-border council to end Taleban violence.

Mullah Omar's message, released to a number of news agencies, urged the Taleban never to accept defeat.

Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of allowing the Taleban to operate from its soil.

Pakistan claims it is doing all it can to stop militant activity across the border.

The idea of holding a tribal councils - or jirgas - among Pashtuns living on either side of the Pakistan-Afghan border was discussed in Kabul in December during a visit by Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri.

But there have been no signs of progress towards convening such councils since then.

'Humiliation and disgrace'

In his message released ahead of the Eid al-Adha religious festival, Mullah Omar said: "The enemy will have to quit the region with humiliation and disgrace.

"Afghans have a history of expelling their enemies as no enemy and invader has quit Afghanistan willingly."

On Thursday evening - before the message was released - Nato and Afghan forces in eastern Khost province killed up to 10 militants after an attack on a police post, Afghan police said.

Khost province's police commander Mohammad Ayub told the Associated Press news agency that Nato forces had called in a helicopter to provide assistance.

Mullah Omar has been in hiding since the Taleban were overthrown in November 2001.

He has a bounty of $10 million on his head.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/6216595.stm

Published: 2006/12/29 12:06:21 GMT

© BBC MMVI

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/29/011.html

Friday, December 29, 2006. Page 3.
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British Mum About Mercury Allegations
By Carl Schreck
Staff Writer

AP

Leonid Nevzlin

British detectives said Thursday that they were unaware of evidence supporting Russian prosecutors' claims that there were dangerous mercury traces in London and Moscow, and that former Yukos co-owner Leonid Nevzlin was possibly tied to former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko's death.

The Prosecutor General on Wednesday issued a statement saying high levels of mercury had been discovered in cars, apartments, country homes and offices in the two countries' capitals.

Russian prosecutors further said they were investigating possible links between Nevzlin and the Nov. 23 polonium-210 poisoning death of Litvinenko. Prosecutors also said they were looking into ties between Nevzlin and Litvinenko associate Dmitry Kovtun's poisoning.

Nevzlin, who fled Russia in 2003 for Israel, has been charged in absentia with ordering numerous murders.

Nevzlin's spokesman, Amir Dan, said in an interview Thursday that the prosecutors' statement was "ridiculous" and motivated by Nevzlin's "fierce" criticism of President Vladimir Putin.

"It was issued by the Russian prosecutors, who act as the hand of Putin," Dan said. "Putin tells them what to do, and they do it. That is why we don't take these accusations seriously."

Prosecutors did not identify in their statement any precise link between Nevzlin and Litvinenko's death. Repeated calls to the Prosecutor General's Office went unanswered Thursday.

But it appears prosecutors, in their statement, may have been alluding to allegations of mercury poisoning that a former Yukos shareholder accused Nevzlin of ordering.

Alexei Golubovich, the former shareholder, said in televised remarks in August that the Yukos security service under Nevzlin's leadership had tried to poison his wife, Olga Mirimskaya, by planting mercury in her car.

Nevzlin told The Times of London last month that he had met with Litvinenko before his death and that the former Federal Security Service agent had passed on compromising information about Russian officials.

"Alexander had information on crimes committed with the Russian government's direct participation," Nevzlin told The Times. "He only recently gave me and my attorneys documents that shed light on the most significant aspects of the Yukos affair."

The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday that shortly before his death, Litvinenko flew to Israel to discuss murders linked to Yukos. Litvinenko is thought to have been carrying a dossier about the former Yukos security chief Alexei Pichugin, the newspaper said.

Pichugin was sentenced to 24 years in a prison camp in August for organizing two murders and two attempted murders. Prosecutors insisted that Pichugin had been carrying out orders for Yukos executives, including Nevzlin.

British officials visited the United States last month to interview former KGB officer Yury Shvets, who claims to have passed information to Litvinenko about links between the Kremlin and Yukos.

Nevzlin was reportedly detained upon entering the United States and released after immigration officers confirmed his identity, but he denied having been held, Interfax reported Tuesday.

Nevzlin's lawyer, Dmitry Kharitonov, told Kommersant that the statement from the Prosecutor General's Office was merely an attempt by Russian officials to "convince the Americans that he is guilty of everything he has been accused of and that they should arrest and extradite him."

Litvinenko's Italian contact, Mario Scaramella, was questioned for six hours Wednesday in a Rome jail by prosecutors investigating his possibly slanderous claims about a plot against his life, Reuters reported. Scaramella, who met Litvinenko on the day he fell ill, has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime.

In related news, jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Thursday accused the Kremlin of trying to extend his time in prison with new fraud charges.

In a statement released on the web site Khodorkovsky.ru on Thursday, Khodorkovsky, who is serving an eight-year sentence on fraud and tax-evasion charges, said he had "no doubts that the new case against me and [business associate] Platon Lebedev is of an exclusively political nature."

© Copyright 2006 The Moscow Times. All rights reserved.

http://news.google.com/news?q=bomb%20spain%20airport&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn

EiTB Car bomb explodes at Madrid airport - police
Reuters.uk, UK - 46 minutes ago
MADRID (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded in a parking lot at Madrid's Barajas airport on Saturday after an anonymous telephone warning, Spanish police said. ...

Car bomb explodes at Madrid airport The Age
all 15 news articles »
'Car bomb' blasts Madrid airport

CNN - 15 minutes ago
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A powerful explosion apparently caused by a car bomb caused extensive damage to Spain's busiest airport Saturday, an airport official ...
One Injured in Madrid Airport Explosion

Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria - 15 minutes ago
... which caused extensive damage to Spain's busiest airport Saturday, EuroNews reported. The explosion was apparently caused by a car bomb, according to CNN. ...

Explosion at Madrid airport
KNDO/KNDU, WA - 9 minutes ago
... the airport's new Terminal Four, according to a spokesman for the city's emergency rescue department. He was unable to say if the blast was a car bomb. Spain's ...

1 hurt in blast outside Madrid airport
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC - 9 minutes ago
MADRID, Spain - An explosion rocked a parking lot at Madrid's ... blast came about 9:30 am at the airport's new Terminal ... could not say if the blast was a car bomb. ...

Explosion outside Madrid airport injures 1
International Herald Tribune, France - 26 minutes ago
AP. MADRID, Spain: An explosion rocked a parking lot at Madrid's ... about 9:30 am (0830GMT) at the airport's new Terminal ... not say if the blast was from a car bomb. ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1760221/posts

Explosion in Madrid Airport - Three wounded - It was ETA
Libertad Digital ^ | 30 December 2006 | Libertad Digital (transl. J Aguilar)

Posted on 12/30/2006 1:37:36 AM PST by J Aguilar

Three people have been injured by the explosion of a car bomb in the parking of the T-4 [Terminal #4] of Barajas Airport in Madrid around 9:00 AM this Saturday. They are agents of the National Police corps. The Madrid regional government has activated alert level 2 in the region and the SAMUR has set up a portable hospital next to the way out of the terminal. The news agency Vasco press attribute to ETA a call around 8:00 AM to the road assistance asociation DYA in Guipuzcoa [Basque Country] warning of the planting of a bomb in a Renault Traffic van parked next to the T-4. Aena [Spanish airport authority] has cancelled the air traffic in Barajas as the Security Forces search [for more devices]. On August 28th 2001, ETA planted a car loaded with 45 kilograms of dynamite in the T-2 of Barajas, producing a 30 meter wide hole.

Order for 12,000 bio-suits to combat dirty bomb terror attacks

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/77700.html

Order for 12,000 bio-suits to combat dirty bomb terror attacks

Thousands more police officers will be equipped to deal with chemical,
biological or nuclear terror attacks under government plans to buy
protective suits.
The Home Office has put out to tender a contract to provide 12,000
personal protection suits in the event of a dirty bomb attack, in which
explosives are used to spread radioactive material.
The suits will be used over the next few years to replace the 7000
currently in use.
A Home Office spokesman said: "We constantly look at what our needs are
to ensure we have the resources to maintain public safety."
He emphasised the tender was routine procedure, and not linked to a
specific threat.
The spokesman said police officers who used the suits in the event of a
dirty-bomb attack were normal police officers with extra training and
12,000 suits did not equate to 12,000 dedicated chemical, biological or
nuclear terror-attack officers.
"Technology is constantly advancing . . . it's just a desire to provide
police with the right equipment," he said.
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) is
expecting suits to be distributed north of the border as the UK
prepares
for potential chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN)
attacks. Forces in Scotland are working closely with their counterparts
in England to maintain a national response programme, Acpos said.
As part of the Home Office-led CBRN Resilience programme, an office has
been established in Edinburgh.
"This is not a secret operation, as details of the programme are on the
Home Office and Cabinet Office websites," an ACPOS spokesman said. "We
made no secret of fact the Scottish Police Service is continuing to
review and build police forces' overall capability."
The contract for the suits is being advertised on the Official Journal
of the European Union website.
Security services are on the second-highest level of alert for a
terrorist attack. As the US's staunchest ally in its war on terror, the
UK has long been seen by authorities as a potential target.
Security has been stepped up and hundreds of suspects arrested since
the
July 7, 2005, bombings on London's transport network, when four suicide
bombers killed 52 people.
Earlier this month, Home Secretary John Reid said the police were aware
of as many as 30 terrorist plots.
The Home Office played down reports the government was "significantly
increasing" police training to cope with dirty-bomb attacks.
Officials at the Foreign Office said last month there was "no doubt at
all" al Qaeda was trying to gather nuclear material for an attack
against Western targets.

Pakistan set to fence, mine Afghan border

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Pakistan+%26+Sub%2DContinent&month=December2006&file=World_News2006123073929.xml

Pakistan set to fence, mine Afghan border
Web posted at: 12/30/2006 7:39:29
Source ::: Internews

islamabad . Pakistan will start mining and fencing of its border with
Afghanistan next month after addressing all reservations of the United
Nations, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao has said.

The minister told Dawn newspaper yesterday the Geneva Convention
prohibited the laying of landmines, but it was not prohibited if an
area
was 'marked properly'.

"We will not violate UN resolutions and mark the area where landmines
will be planted. We will educate tribal people on both sides of the
border about the presence of landmines," he said.

The UN has criticised Pakistan's plans to erect fence and lay landmines
along some portions of its border to stop militants from crossing into
Afghanistan. The world body has expressed fears that such a step would
add to civilian casualties.

As many as 3,500 people have been killed in Afghanistan this year ---
the
bloodiest year since US-led troops ousted the Taleban five years ago.
Afghanistan has already rejected Pakistan's plan and instead called for
"serious efforts to tackle terrorists".

However, Sherpao said: "We are doing our best to stop the cross-border
movement of terrorists as we have deployed 80,000 troops, established
over 800 check-posts and now fencing and land mining are being put in
place.

"This is the best we can do, but the Afghan government is still
indulging in a blame game instead of appreciating Pakistan's efforts to
stop infiltration of terrorists into Afghanistan."

The interior ministry and the foreign office have announced that land
mining and fencing would help prevent militants from Pakistan crossing
into Afghanistan to fight troops of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation.

Officials of the two departments said as the fence and mines would be
on
the Pakistani side of the 2,430-km border, an agreement with the Afghan
government was not required.

Pakistan, Iran discuss cooperation in oil, gas

http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/30/ebr11.htm

Pakistan, Iran discuss cooperation in oil, gas

ISLAMABAD, Dec 29: Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources
Amanullah Khan Jadoon has said that Iran- Pakistan-India (IPI) gas
pipeline project is in the final stage of process and its expeditious
implementation will not only prosper the entire region, but also help
overcome growing energy needs of the countries in the region.

The minister was talking to the Ambassador of Iran, Mr Mashallah
Shaheri, who paid a courtesy call on him and discussed with him matters
pertaining to promotion of Pakistan-Iran cooperation in oil, gas and
mineral sectors.

Mr Jadoon said both the countries were endowed with vast copper, coal,
iron-ore and other mineral deposits and could benefit from each other's
experience for the mutual advantage.

He said the government would welcome the Iranian company's
participation
in oil refinery, LPG, LNG, coal gasification projects, besides oil, gas
and mineral exploration activities in a level-playing field to the
investors in the country.

Pakistan Denies Presence of Taleban on Its Territory

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=90511&d=30&m=12&y=2006

Pakistan Denies Presence of Taleban on Its Territory
Azhar Masood, Arab News

ISLAMABAD, 30 December 2006 --- Spokeswoman of the Foreign Office
Tasnim
Aslam denied a statement of US official Richard Boucher that Taleban
have set up a "command and control" system in Pakistan.

She told Arab News, "It is totally incorrect. We deny this statement
and
demand that if US administration has any intelligence report regarding
the presence of any 'command and control' system in Pakistan it has to
share the knowledge with us." Tasnim Aslam said, "So far neither
Richard
Boucher nor the US administration has informed the government of
Pakistan about any clandestine Taleban organization operating from
Pakistan.

"There are about 3 million Afghans living in Pakistan at various
refugees camps. We have registered about one million Afghans. If the US
intelligence community got any fresh intelligence report it should
share
with Pakistan," she added.

Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan's tribal region is no more a sanctuary for
Afghans. "Whenever we get any report the security agencies are
mobilized
to track down militant Taleban. She also brushed aside the charge that
Pakistan's prime intelligence outfit Inter-Services Intelligence was
providing any kind of shelter or protection to militant Taleban. She
said at official level Pakistan keeps close coordination with the
United States.

President General Pervez Musharraf had earlier stated, "We cannot deny
linkage between some retired officers of the ISI with the Taleban
because in the past such officers while being in regular service were
dealing with Taleban. But no serving officer has any link with
Taleban."
Kabul has been accusing Pakistan's ISI of extending support to the
Taleban.

"Our Foreign Secretary Riaz Ahmad Khan had earlier suggested that if
the
government of Afghanistan agrees Pakistan will locate Afghan refugees
inside Afghanistan," Tasnim Aslam said.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao too denied such development
saying, "we are doing our best to weed out militant Taleban from
Pakistan and instead of rendering cooperation and sharing knowledge,
the
Afghan leadership feels it easy to pass the buck." He said Afghan
authorities are as a matter fact doing very little to curb activities
of
Taleban inside Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, President Musharraf met with the US Army's chief of staff,
Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, yesterday to discuss boosting military
cooperation in the volatile region, a senior Pakistani Army official
said.

The US general discussed the "latest situation in the region, strategic
issues and professional matters," the official said on condition of
anonymity.

Officals Urge Vigilance On Saddam Death News

http://cbs2.com/topstories/topstories_story_363220508.html

Officals Urge Vigilance On Saddam Death News
U.S. Officials Urge Vigilance At Home; U.S. Forces In Iraq Poised For
Surge In Violence

(AP) BAGHDAD Government officials said Friday that people should be
vigilant about the possibility of a terror attack associated with
Saddam
Hussein's impending execution in Iraq.

But an advisory that the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent
to local law enforcement agencies and intelligence community figures
was
routine and did not cite any specific threat.

Intelligence and security officials in Europe, where several terror
plots were thwarted earlier this year, have cited a high risk of a
terror attack by Islamic militants during the holiday travel season.

"We currently have no credible, specific intelligence indicating any
imminent threat against the Homeland or corroborating that individuals
in the Ba'ath party or others loyal to Saddam are prepared to carry out
any activities in the United States," said FBI spokesman Richard Kolke.

"As we have in the past, DHS and the FBI will continue to share our
intelligence assessments with our federal, state, local, and private
sector partners to keep them informed of relevant information that we
receive."

The bulletin also went to state homeland security advisers, federal
departments and agencies, state emergency managers and state and local
law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said that U.S. fighting forces in Iraq are
ready
for any escalation of violence there --- even as condemned former
President Saddam Hussein waged an 11th-hour appeal in American courts
to
spare his life.

continues..............

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16384987/site/newsweek/

CAIR Play?
Sen. Barbara Boxer recalled an award she recently gave to an Islamic
activist because of his ties to a major American Muslim
organization---that critics say has ties to terrorist activities.

ec. 29, 2006 - In a highly unusual move, Sen. Barbara Boxer of
California has rescinded an award to an Islamic activist in her home
state because of the man's connections to a major American Muslim
organization that recently has been courted by leading political
figures
and even the FBI.

Boxer's office confirmed to NEWSWEEK that she has withdrawn a
"certificate of accomplishment" to Sacramento activist Basim Elkarra
after learning that he serves as an official with the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). After directing her staff to look
into CAIR, Boxer "expressed concern" about some past statements and
actions by the group, as well as assertions by some law enforcement
officials that it "gives aid to international terrorist groups,"
according to Natalie Ravitz, the senator's press spokeswoman.

CAIR, which has 32 offices around the country and bills itself as the
leading Muslim-American civil- rights group, has never been charged
with
any crimes, nor have any of its top leaders. But a handful of
individuals who have had ties to CAIR in the past have been convicted
or
deported for financial dealings with Hamas---another reason cited by
Boxer
for her action. The senator directed her staff to withdraw the
certificate---which she routinely gives to community leaders in
California---and asked that a statement she had previously made
endorsing
CAIR be stricken from the group's Web site, Ravitz said in an e-mail.

Ironically, just last month, Boxer had sent CAIR a letter in connection
with its 10th anniversary fundraising dinner endorsing the group as a
"constant support system for the American Muslim community" and
praising
it for its work on civil liberties. "As an advocate for justice and
greater understanding, CAIR embodies what we should all strive to
achieve," Boxer wrote in the Nov. 18 letter.

Boxer tells NEWSWEEK she never saw the letter to CAIR signed in her
name
or was even aware of the award to Elkarra before it was sent out. "I
feel terrible about this," she says. "We just made a mistake. I was not
in the loop. That was an automatic signature [on the letter]." But
Boxer
stands by her decision to withdraw the award and to distance herself
from CAIR, saying she was influenced by previous critical statements
about CAIR made by her Democratic colleagues Sens. Richard Durbin of
Illinois and Charles Schumer of New York. "To praise an organization
because they haven't been indicted is like somebody saying, 'I'm not a
crook,'" Boxer says. "I'm going to take a lot of hits for this. But I'm
just doing what I think is right."

The move outraged CAIR officials who charged that the liberal
Democratic
senator was responding to the writings of Joe Kaufman, a blogger who
has
expressed sympathy for slain Jewish extremist Meir Kahane in the past ,
and whose columns regularly appear on the Web site of conservative
activist David Horowitz. CAIR has formally asked for a meeting with
Boxer and demanded that she withdraw the action---which one top CAIR
official said smacks of "Islamophobia."

"This is an attempt to marginalize the largest and most mainstream
Muslim organization in the country," says Hussam Ayloush, executive
director of CAIR's office in southern California. "This is absolutely
unacceptable."

Nihad Awad, CAIR's top Washington official, vigorously denied the
charges that CAIR has any links to terror groups and said the
allegations are based on a "deliberate smear campaign" by individuals
who cannot brook any criticism of the Israeli government. "We feel that
the same crowd who is pushing these smears against CAIR is the same
crowd as the neocons that pushed us into the Iraq war," he says. "They
are trying to smear the Muslim community and they are trying to silence
its voice. This takes us back to the McCarthy era."

The incident illustrates the political tensions that have repeatedly
arisen in recent years when members of Congress and other political
leaders deal with a number of leading Muslim-American groups---some of
which have been accused of sometimes murky links to terrorist groups.
The CAIR case is especially striking, however, because of its timing.

Just last month, CAIR threw fundraising dinners in the Washington and
southern California areas that attracted several leading political and
law enforcement figures---along with generating a slew of testimonial
statements like that submitted by Boxer's office. At a banquet in
Arlington, Va., the featured speakers included Joseph Persichini, the
assistant director of the FBI in charge of the Washington, D.C., field
office, as well as members of Congress and Keith Ellison, the
just-elected Democratic representative from Minnesota who next week
will
become the first Muslim in Congress. The speakers at the dinner in
southern California included J. Stephen Tidwell, the assistant director
in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office.

Ayloush and other CAIR officials have asked how Boxer's concerns about

continued................

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