Struwwelpeter, has posted Marina Funtikova's book report for the Nord Ost theater hostages and murders.
Post #285 also has the link to read the book.
If you do not know the story, this is a good chance to know what it was like for a hostage to attempt to find out the truth about how her 13 year old daughter died, as effort that has taken years and no answer.
Karagandan Svetlana Gubareva, is a Freeper and some of us know parts of her story, but there are many twists and turns that you have not read, unless you have looked at the actual court papers.
Pragmatic Non-Royal to be Next Saudi Ambassador to the United States
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001834.php
December 20, 2006
SCOOP: Pragmatic Non-Royal to be Next Saudi Ambassador to the United States
For Saudi watchers, some fascinating news has just made its way to The
Washington Note.
A former staffer at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, ADEL AL-JUBEIR,
who
comes from a distinguished, yet non-royal family, has risen to such
levels of esteem in the estimation of Saudia Arabia's King Abdullah
that
he has been appointed the next Saudi Ambassador to the United States.
This is quite remarkable news. One of the rumored successors to Prince
Turki al-Faisal, who recently resigned as Ambassador in Washington with
plans to depart at the end of January 2007, was Prince Turki's cousin,
Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al-Saud, who is currently Saudi Arabia's
Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Prince Mohammed succeeded Prince
Turki
in London after having served as Ambassador to Italy after Turki was
assigned to Washington. Many expected Prince Mohammed to move to
Washington, but family concerns kept the Ambassador in the United Kingdom.
Wanting someone trusted and close -- closer than family to some degree
-- King Abdullah has now appointed his personal foreign policy advisor
to serve as his Ambassador in Washington. Abdullah met the relatively
young Adel al-Jubeir in Washington some years ago -- when he was
Director of Communications at the Embassy. Adel's brother, Nail
Al-Jubeir, now holds the very same position that Adel once heldo in
Saudi Arabia's Washington Embassy.
For those following the tension between two former Ambassadors --
Prince
Turki al-Faisal and Prince Bandar bin Sultan -- Adel al-Jubeir was once
housed in the very same office (no walls) with Rihab Massoud, the close
aide to Saudi National Security Advisor and former Ambassador to the US
Prince Bandar. Massoud has been depicted by many as the
"animater-in-chief" of the escalating tension between the current and
immediate past Ambassadors.
Massoud, according to sources, was constantly at odds with Adel
al-Jubeir and worked to have him demoted and assigned to issues that
were considered peripheral in the Embassy. Then Crown Prince Abudullah,
after briefly meeting al-Jubeir on a trip to the United States,
requested that he become the Crown Prince's foreign policy advisor.
The fundamental tension between Prince Turki and Prince Bandar revolves
around both the management of political relations with the White House
as well as a split in the Saudi government's views on potential US
military action against Iran.
The King has now appointed someone whose views on the matter are
unknown
-- but who may have a "complicated past" with one of Bandar's chief
retainers. This doesn't necessarily mean that Prince Turki's views are
preferable to the King -- but it does mean that the King both wants to
hold his cards close to the vest, and doesn't want to allow a royal
escalation of tensions to continue by appointing a "successor royal" to
the DC Embassy.
Adel al-Jubeir's appointment will be formally announced after the U.S.
Department of State notifies the Saudi government that al-Jubeir's
credentials will be accepted. "No problems are anticipated," according
to an insider source.
Russian company to sell natural gas directly to French consumers
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/19/business/gazprom.php
Russian company to sell natural gas directly to French consumers
BERLIN: Gazprom, Russia's state- owned energy monopoly, agreed to a
long-term supply contract with Gaz de France in exchange for the right
to sell Russian natural gas directly to consumers in France.
The agreement, signed Tuesday, signals a determination by Gazprom to
increase its foothold in the lucrative European natural gas retailing
market, after forging a similar deal in Italy last month.
But the contract also renewed concerns about whether Europe was headed
down a dangerous path by relying more on Russia, which already supplies
a quarter of the natural gas consumed by the 25 countries in the
European Union.
Critics charge that Russia is not investing sufficiently to develop its
energy resources and could have supply shortfalls in coming years. They
also fear that Russia may use its position as a major supplier of
natural gas as a political weapon.
None of those concerns were on display Tuesday, when Alexei Miller,
chief executive of Gazprom, and Jean-François Cirelli, chief of Gaz de
France, signed the agreement Moscow. The deal represents a victory for
Gazprom, which for several years had been trying to enter the French
retailing market.
"Without a doubt, the agreement will contribute to energy security in
Europe and France," Miller said. Cirelli said that "the extension of
our
commercial cooperation with Gazprom helps to ensure the long-term
reliability of our customers' supply in France and in Europe."
Gaz de France said that it had no choice but to comply with an EU
directive for member countries to open their energy markets to domestic
and foreign companies.
"Gazprom will be able to sell to industrial customers immediately," a
Gaz de France spokeswoman said. "Starting next July, it will have the
right to sell to domestic consumers. And, yes, if you buy gas direct
from Gazprom, you will be billed by Gazprom," she added.
Russia, in contrast, does not allow foreign companies access to its
vast
network of pipelines and has refused to ratify the EU's energy charter,
which, if implemented, would create some degree of reciprocity in the
energy market between Europe and Russia.
Gazprom will begin its retail sales in July and intends to sell as much
as 1.5 billion cubic meters, or 53 billion cubic feet, a year starting
in 2008, according to a joint statement. It is still unclear what
impact
Gazprom's entrance will have on consumers, but another major competitor
could prompt competitors to ease their rates.
As the largest distributor of natural gas to Europe, Gaz de France
serves 13.8 million customers, including 11.1 million in France. In
2005, it posted a profit of ¤1.7 billion, or $2.25 billion, on sales
of
¤22.4 billion.
In return for access to Gaz de France's pipelines, Gazprom agreed to
extend its natural gas supply contracts, which were set to expire, to
2030, agreeing to sell 12 billion cubic meters a year to Gaz de France.
In addition, Gaz de France will receive 2.5 billion cubic meters
annually from the new Nord Stream pipeline, a joint Russian-German
project in which Russia will be able to send natural gas directly to
Europe by building a pipeline under the Baltic Sea.
The project, which will have an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic
meters, is scheduled to be completed in 2013, and will reduce Russia's
reliance on Ukraine and Belarus as transit countries.
Last month, Gazprom arranged a major retailing contract with Eni, the
Italian energy giant. In return for extending its natural gas supply
contract to Eni until 2035, Eni granted Gazprom access to its pipeline
network to sell natural gas directly to Italian consumers.
Russia is already a major supplier of gas to Italy, selling 21 billion
cubic meters each year, nearly a third of total consumption. In return
for granting Gazprom access to the retailing sector, Eni also hopes to
gain rights to explore and exploit Russian natural gas fields.
Besides France and Italy, Gazprom also sells directly to consumers in
Germany, Austria and Britain.
Compared with Italy and Germany, France is far less dependent on
Russian
natural gas imports. Russia supplies more than a third of German
natural
gas, but only 19 percent of that used by France, whose biggest vendor
is
Norway, followed by Russia, Algeria and the Netherlands.
Some Europeans, however, are becoming increasingly alarmed about the
EU's growing dependence on Gazprom, the only Russian natural gas
exporter, fearing that President Vladimir Putin will use energy supply
as a means of political and economic coercion.
Others worry that Russia is not investing enough in its energy
development. For example, Gazprom's decision to develop the giant
Shtokman fields alone, instead of with a foreign consortium, has left
foreign energy companies jittery about the security of their contracts
with Russia and its ability to continue to export large quantities of
natural gas.
"We can understand why Gazprom wants to enter the Europe market now
that
the markets here are opening up," said Jorgen Henningsen, senior
advisor
on energy and the environment to the European Policy Center, an
independent research center in Brussels. "But what we worry about is
that as consumers, we should be asking if Gazprom is investing in the
right kind of things back home in order to guarantee secure energy
supplies."
Hizbullah TV: Israeli Cargo Plane Landed in Beirut
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=117832
Hizbullah TV: Israeli Cargo Plane Landed in Beirut
21:45 Dec 20, '06 / 29 Kislev 5767
(IsraelNN.com) Al-Manar, the television station run by Lebanon's
Hizbullah terrorist organization, reported today that an Israeli air
force cargo plane landed at the Beirut international airport.
According to the report, a medium-sized IAF cargo plane arrived in
Lebanon at 11:31 a.m. from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Israel.
The plane originated, according to Al-Manar, in Portugal. The Hizbullah
station further claimed that there were 11 unidentified passengers on
board and that eight of them disembarked and remained in Lebanon. The
Hizbullah demanded an immediate government investigation of the
incident.
Israeli spokespersons said that they had no knowledge of any such
flight
nor what might have sparked the Hizbullah report.
Soldier accused of passing secrets
http://www.peterboroughnow.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=1940097&SectionID=5054
Soldier accused of passing secrets
LONDON (Reuters) - A British soldier has appeared in court accused of
divulging secret information, newspapers reported on Thursday, with the
Times saying the charges related to information on Afghanistan passed
to
Iran.
The Daily Telegraph said Daniel James had communicated with a "foreign
power" believed to be Iran.
The newspaper, which did not give a source for its information, said it
had learnt he acted as an interpreter for NATO's commander in
Afghanistan, British General David Richards.
The Daily Telegraph said James was of Iranian descent and spoke fluent
Pashtun, the main language in Afghanistan.
The Times said James, whom it described as a non-commissioned officer,
was charged with passing secret information linked to the military
campaign in Afghanistan to neighbouring Iran. The newspaper did not
give
a source.
The Crown Prosecution Service was not immediately available for
comment.
The Defence Ministry was unable to comment, a spokesman said.
The 44-year-old James appeared at a London magistrates court on
Wednesday charged under the Official Secrets Act, the newspapers said.
They said the full charge was that for a purpose prejudicial to the
safety of the state, he "communicated to another person information
calculated to be directly or indirectly
useful to the enemy".
Journalists were told to leave the court room for the majority of the
hearing without learning further details due to the sensitive nature of
the allegations, the newspapers said.
Continued.....says he was passing secrets to Iran.
Tube 'wide open' to terror attack
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6293375,00.html
Tube 'wide open' to terror attack
Press Association
Wednesday December 20, 2006 3:58 PM
London's Underground system remains wide open to terrorist attack
because the Government has been hugely complacent about safety, the
Tories have warned.
Homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer said that "virtually
nothing"
had been done to make the Tube less vulnerable after the July 7
attacks.
Suicide bombers killed 52 people on the capital's transport network
last
year, and it has been highlighted as a target of at least one other
plot.
Mr Mercer told Parliamentary Monitor magazine: "The Tube is wide open
to
further attacks and very little has been done to make it any safer. The
Government is hugely complacent about Tube safety and security.
"Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, when he was detained by the Americans four
years ago, said that one of his principal targets was the London
Underground, and that has been clear for years.
"Since then, we have had a successful attack that killed 52 and injured
about 700; we have had an attempted attack that failed on July 21; and
we have almost certainly had foiled attacks as well.
"What has happened to make the tube safer? Virtually nothing.
"Apart from the Jubilee Line, there are no signs telling you what to do
in the event of an emergency.
"There are signs telling you not to put your feet on the seats and to
turn down your iPod, but nothing to tell you what to do in an
emergency."
© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2006, All Rights Reserved.
Saudi awards $3.4b contract
http://www.bahraintribune.com/ArticleDetail.asp?ArticleId=134033&CategoryId=5
Saudi awards $3.4b contract
PARIS (Dow Jones)
Suez Energy International, a unit of the French energy group Suez, said
yesterday a consortium that it leads has been awarded a $3.4 billion
contract to build the world's largest power and desalination project.
Suez's partners are Gulf Investment Corp. and Arabian Company for Power
& Water Projects. The consortium will own 60 per cent of the project.
The project will make Suez the leading power production developer in
the
Middle East, and will lift its total power capacity in the region to
8,200 megawatts.
The BOOT (build, own, operate and transfer) contract is for a power
station with a capacity of 2,750 MW, and a 800,000 cubic metres per day
desalination facility, to be located at Jubail, northeastern Saudi Arabia.
The contract was awarded by the Power and Water Utility Company for
Jubail and Yanbu (Marafiq), and will supply water and electricity to
industrial and non-industrial customers in the Jubail Industrial City
and eastern province.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=2741037
Danish Art Group Pokes Fun at Iranian President
COPENHAGEN Dec. 20, 2006--- A Danish art group that pokes fun at world
leaders targeted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday by
placing an advertisement in a Tehran newspaper with an insulting hidden
message.
Beneath a picture of the president, a series of apparently sympathetic
statements were arranged such as "Support his fight against Bush" and
"Iran has the right to produce nuclear energy". The advert was
attributed to "Danes for World Peace".
However, the first letters of each phrase, when read from top to
bottom,
spell out "S-W-I-N-E".
continued
Iran to replace dollar with euro for deals
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=164956&Sn=BUSI&IssueID=29274
Iran to replace dollar with euro for deals
TEHRAN: Iran yesterday announced it has ordered the central bank to use
euros for foreign transactions and transform the state's
dollar-denominated assets held abroad into the single European
currency."The government has ordered the central bank to replace the
dollar with the euro to limit the problems of the executive organs in
commercial transactions," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham
told
reporters.
"We will also employ this change for Iranian assets (in dollars) held
abroad." Elham implied that the move would apply to oil revenues from
the world's number four crude producer, although it remains to be seen
how this would be received by the market.
"Foreign income sources and oil revenues will be calculated in euros
and
we will receive them in euros in order to put an end to our dependence
on the dollar," Elham said.
The move comes amid mounting pressure from the United States for the UN
Security Council to agree sanctions against Iran over its controversial
nuclear programme.
Bankers in Iran have complained in recent weeks that it was becoming
increasingly difficult to receive Iranian-held money denominated in
dollars from European bank accounts.
They said that this was because of US pressure on European banking
giants not to allow dollar-denominated funds to be sent into, or out
of,
the Islamic republic.
Elham added that Iran's budget would in future be calculated in euros.
"Until now the budget has been calculated according to revenues in
dollars, but this calculation will now change," he said.
Iranian press reports have said Iran has, since at least 2003, been
shifting reserves out of dollars to other currencies or assets,
encouraged by pressure from the United States which has been seeking to
isolate Tehran over its nuclear programme.
Peretz Accepts Recommendation to Strike Back at Hizbullah
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=117798
Peretz Accepts Recommendation to Strike Back at Hizbullah
07:58 Dec 20, '06 / 29 Kislev 5767
(IsraelNN.com) Senior officials told the defense minister that
Hizbullah
is testing Israeli policy with "minor provocations," and at a later
point will try to escalate the situation.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz yesterday agreed with senior IDF officials
who believe that Israel should react strongly to any Hizbullah
provocations on the northern border. Peretz listened to the officials'
recommendations during a visit to Brigade 91 in the Galilee.
According to the officers, during the second Lebanon War Israel
restrained Hizbullah to a certain extent from making any additional
strikes inside Israeli territory. However, the General Staff and
Northern Command believe that as time goes by Hizbullah is testing
Israeli policy, including stone-throwing and holding demonstrations
along the border fence.
Iran-Pakistan- Afghanistan friendly ties to ensure regional security - president
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0612210047095020.htm
Iran-Pakistan- Afghanistan friendly ties to ensure regional security -
president
Wednesday in a meeting with Pak Foreign Minister that strengthening
friendly ties among Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan would ensure
regional
peace and security.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is on his 23rd provincial visit in
this northwestern provincial capital, added in his meeting with
Khurshid
Ahmad Khan Kasuri at Kermanshah Governorate
Headquarters, "The regional countries have shared destinies and
interests, which is a good reason for maintaining friendly attitude
with
one another."
He added, "Some corrupt and opportunist groups try to foment tension,
promote insecurity, cultivate narcotics, smuggle them, and generally
speaking, create crises in the region in a bid to secure the interests
of the global arrogance and neo-colonialist powers." The president
reiterated, "The regional countries are faced with many shared threats
and hazards, that can be warded off through stronger consultations
among
their leaders and top officials." Focusing on Peace Pipeline,
Ahmadinejad said, "Construction of the natural gas pipeline from Iran,
through Pakistan, to India would not only lead to strengthening the
friendly ties among our three countries, but also to decrease tensions
in the entire region." He added, "The construction of the Peace
Pipeline
would for instance lead to lowering the lingering tensions between
India
and Pakistan, which is one of the reasons why Iran promotes reaching a
trilateral comprehensive agreement on the issue."
The IRI President considered the role of two great and influential
Islamic countries, Iran and Pakistan in regional, international, and
particularly Islamic World developments as "very significant".
He added, "In order to play such an important role most effectively we
need to have stronger interactions and maintain constant bilateral
talks."
Ahmadinejad said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is interested in
advancement and security of the Pak nation and is sure that our
Pakistani friends, too, would never permit the enemies to harm our two
countries excellent relations."
Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, too, said at the meeting in the
presence of his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki that Islamabad
attaches great importance to good and strong relations with the Islamic
Republic of Iran."
Khurshid Ahmad Khan Kasuri emphasized that Pakistan is determined to
finalize the Peace Pipeline contract with Iran and India, adding,
"Pakistan would under no circumstances permit the other countries and
particularly the outsider powers to influence Tehran-Islamabad
relations."
He added, "Pakistan feels quite responsible for playing its positive
role in maintaining regional peace and stability." Pointing out his
affiliated government's opposition towards US invasion of Iraq and
sending no forces to that country despite repeated US requests, Kasuri
elaborated on Islamabad's stands towards latest regional developments,
particularly those related to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
He said, "The existence of a strong and united Afghanistan is to the
benefit of Pakistan and Islamabad supports securing Afghanistan's
territorial integrity and reconstruction movement."
The Pak FM further stressed, "Islamabad also favors strengthening
regional peace and security, particularly in all its neighboring
countries.
He added, "Pakistan is displeased with the presence of some extremist
terrorist groups that favor aggressive moves, foment instability,
promote poppy cultivation and narcotic drugs trafficking, particularly
in Afghanistan."
Kasuri said, "We consider such groups a threat against our national
security and Islamabad is ready for cooperation with Afghanistan for
countering them."
2329/1771
Pak rejects machinations that link terrorism to Islam: Aziz
http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?163738
Pak rejects machinations that link terrorism to Islam: Aziz
Thursday December 21, 2006 (0415 PST)
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday said Pakistan and
Bahrain are allies in confronting the specter of terrorism because it
is
a threat to all faiths and societies and we reject terrorism in all its
forms and manifestations.
"We also reject those machinations that link terrorism to Islam, a
faith
of peace and compassion. The need of the time is to bridge this
perilous
divide between Islam and the West through inter-faith harmony and
inter-civilizational understanding," he observed this while addressing
the Banquet he hosted in honor of Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad
Al-Khalifa and Commander-in-Chief of Bahrain Defence Forces.
The premier said it is also incumbent upon the international community
to address the root causes of terrorism, and facilitate just and
lasting
resolution of longstanding conflicts in the Muslim world, such as
Palestine and Kashmir. On the other hand, reformation of Muslim
societies through education and social reforms is also of paramount
importance.
In pursuit of these objectives, President Musharraf has advocated the
concept of "enlightened moderation" and we have called for grater unity
within the Muslim Ummah in order to meet the challenges that we face
today.
He went on to say that Pakistan attaches great importance to a secure
and stable Middle East. We believe that this cannot be achieved without
a just solution of the Palestinian issue. We urge the international
community to facilitate an early resolution of this festering conflict,
and to help improve the economic conditions in the Palestinian
territories.
The deteriorating security situation in Iraq is source of great concern
to us in Pakistan. It is our hope that the incumbent government of Iraq
would be able to unite all factions of the Iraqi society, and would
bring stability and security for the people of Iraq. The international
community has a common stake in the unity, national reconciliation and
territorial integrity of Iraq.
The prime minister said Pakistan strongly favours peace, security and
prosperity in the gulf region. We welcome the decisions of the GCC
summit held recently and will continue to work with our brothers in the
gulf countries for our mutual interests.
In our region, he said Pakistan remains committed to the process of
confidence building with our neighbor, India. Kashmir remains the core
dispute between the two countries and requires a solution based on the
wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. We firmly believe that
progress on all contentious issues, including Kashmir, must move in
tandem with the other efforts directed towards normalization of
relations between Pakistan and India.
On our Western borders, a strong and stable Afghanistan is of strategic
importance to us. We will continue to support initiatives aimed at
strengthening peace, harmony and development in Afghanistan. The
international community must also live up to its commitments to ensure
reconstruction, rehabilitation and development in Afghanistan. It must
also help in efforts to eradiate the drug menace in Afghanistan.
He also said that Pakistan is keen to further expand its fraternal
relations with Bahrain and raise them to a higher plane for the mutual
benefit of our two countries.
"We are cognizant of the enormous potential for greater bilateral
cooperation in areas such as trade, investments, joint business
ventures
defence, culture and education , among others," he observed.
He said: "I take this opportunity to express our admiration for the
far-reaching achievements of Bahrain in the fields of economy,
education
and tourism. This indeed is based on the vision for progress and
prosperity that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has lad out
for Bahrain. His Majesty's sagacious leadership has made Bahrain an
open, enlightened and pluralistic country. We in Pakistan compliment
the
dedicated efforts being made in the Kingdom to empower women, promote
the welfare of youth and to create equal opportunities for all sections
of the society."
In Pakistan as well, our government has implemented board-based
multi-sectoral reforms that have repositioned and revitalized Pakistan
on the world stage.
Pakistan, he said is a strong and stable country endowed with rich
human
and material resources, with a population of 160 million people and a
growing middle class. Our strategic location at the confluence of three
vital regions of Asia enables us to play a pre-eminent role and
maintain
strong links with our Arab and Muslim brothers from West Asia to
Central
Asia. Our economic reforms over the past seven years have ensured an
average annual growth of 7% , which makes Pakistan one of the fastest
growing economies in Asia. As a result our per capita income has growth
while poverty levels have fallen. At the same time our exports have
risen along with an unprecedented increase in Foreign Direct
Investment.
Consequently, Pakistan's upward growth trajectory offers vast
opportunities for trade, investment and joint ventures between Pakistan
and Bahrain.
Blair sees Iran 'strategic threat'
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/world/Viewdet.asp?ID=8811&cat=a
Blair sees Iran 'strategic threat'
UNITED NATIONS, (Agencies): Iran, whose president said last week that
Israel's days were numbered, called on the UN Security Council on
Tuesday to compel the Jewish state to give up its nuclear weapons.
Iranian UN Ambassador Javad Zarif wrote to the 15-nation UN body after
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in a German TV interview, implied
for the first time that his country had nuclear weapons.
Israel had never before acknowledged having atomic bombs and, unlike
Iran, is not a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, known as
the NPT.
Israel is assumed to have about 200 nuclear weapons, Hans Blix, former
head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based UN
nuclear watchdog, said last June.
Olmert's statement triggered widespread criticism from Arab states that
the West was working under a double standard in pressing Iran to
suspend
its nuclear activities while ignoring Israeli arms.
The Iranian letter marked the first formal call for action against
Israel by the UN Security Council, which is currently negotiating a
resolution that would impose sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear
ambitions.
Tehran says its nuclear program seeks only to produce electricity but
Western powers fear it is using a domestic nuclear program as a cover
for making bombs.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged world leaders on
Wednesday to be bolder in supporting leading moderates against "forces
of extremism" in Iran and elsewhere and in advancing
Israeli-Palestinian
peacemaking.
Blair, on the final day of what may be his last Middle East tour, said
Iran was openly supporting terrorism in Iraq, undermining the Lebanese
government and blocking Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Iran has never recognised Israel and last year President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be "wiped off the map".
Tehran, under Western pressure over its nuclear programme, also backs
the Lebanese guerrilla group and opposition party Hezbollah, which is
leading a drive for early elections after failing to obtain veto power
in government.
Blair, who will leave office next year and whose popularity has been
eroded by the Iraq war, rejected suggestions American or British action
in the Middle East was fuelling terrorism.
"We should stop buying into this wretched culture of blaming
ourselves,"
he told business leaders in Dubai. "If our policy has a fault, it is
that we are too shy of acting boldly to bring about change, to give
succour to those trying to live for the better."
Blair called on moderate leaders across the Middle East to join a
"monumental struggle" between democracy and extremism.
"We must recognise the strategic challenge the government of Iran
poses;
not its people, possibly not all of its ruling elements, but those
presently in charge of its policy," he said.
Iran wants "to pin us back in Lebanon, in Iraq and in Palestine", he
added.
Some Iraqi politicians, mainly Sunni Muslims, accuse Tehran of fuelling
sectarian violence by supporting Shi'ite militias.
"Our response should be to expose what they are doing, build the
alliances to prevent it and pin them back across the whole of the
region," Blair said.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for key parties to seek a
negotiated settlement with Iran over its nuclear program and warned
that
military intervention would be "unwise and disastrous."
Annan issued the warning Tuesday as the Security Council debated a
resolution that would impose sanctions on Tehran for refusing to
suspend
uranium enrichment and as the United States considered sending a second
aircraft carrier to the Gulf as a show of force against Iran.
After two rounds of closed-doors talks Tuesday, the six key nations
trying to negotiate with Iran - Britain, France, Germany, the US,
Russia
and China - remain divided on the scope of sanctions. They scheduled
another meeting on Wednesday.
"Our goal is to get this resolution done this week," said acting US
ambassador Alejandro Wolff. But Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin
said he was more concerned about the content than the timing.
The French government Wednesday warned against any attempt to "alter
the
scope" of proposed UN sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme, after
Moscow sans altering the scope of the resolution," foreign ministry
spokesman Denis Simmoneau told reporters.
"That is why discussions are continuing, notably on what shape to give
to restrictive measures against entities and persons responsible for
sensitive activities targeted," he said.
Russia said on Wednesday attempts by its Western partners to ditch
agreed principles in handling Iran's nuclear ambitions were blocking
adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against
Tehran.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference Russia was also
alarmed by what it saw as Western attempts to hamper its economic
cooperation with the Islamic republic and bring it under international
control.
Lavrov said the five permanent Security Council members and Germany had
agreed any action against Iran should rule out the use of force, help
find a negotiated solution to the problem and back efforts by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"Unfortunately we now have to overcome formulas in the initial draft,
which depart from these basic principles," he said referring to the
document proposed by Britain and France and supported by Germany.
Meanwhile, the US Defense Department declined to confirm Tuesday a
report it will increase its naval force in the Gulf region next year.
CBS television reported Monday, citing anonymous sources, that the
Pentagon is planning a major deployment of naval forces to the Gulf in
2007 in response to what the US considers acts of provocation by Iran.
The Pentagon would not confirm the report, however.
"We have very robust military and it includes a very capable navy that
is deployed throughout the world," Defense Department spokesman Bryan
Whitman said Tuesday.
Criticism of use of spray-planes for combating drugs in Afghanistan
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-6WP625?OpenDocument
Criticism of use of spray-planes for combating drugs in Afghanistan
Göttingen, December 19, 2006 - The decision of the Afghan government
to
use spray-planes or so-called crop-dusters to destroy opium poppy
fields
has been described by the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) as
"short-sighted action for action's sake". "The widespread use of
pesticides will not only affect the health of many farmers and the
supply of foodstuffs", warned the GfbV Asia expert Ulrich Delius. "With
each spray-flight the Afghan government will lose more credibility
among
the Afghan people." Since Kabul has ordered the destruction campaign on
foreign pressure the violence against foreigners -- against Bundeswehr
soldiers too - will also increase.
The experience from Colombia, where since the 70s spray-flights have
been in operation, shows the ineffectiveness of such measures, said the
GfbV. Since the year 2000 more than 2.3 thousand million dollars have
been spent on spraying in the South-American country. This has not
however reduced the production. If heavy spraying takes place in one
region, the producers simply move to another one.
In Bolivia too experience with the forcible destruction of drug acreage
has proved negative. The coca acreage was certainly in the short term
reduced by massive military operations between 1997 and 2000. But in
2004 it was already bigger than before the compulsory measures. "It is
only cooperation with the farmers and a comprehensive promotion of
agriculture that drug cultivation can be really reduced", said Delius.
It is not just since the increase on opium production in 2006 that
Afghanistan has become a drug country. "The local governors and drug
barons carry out their business in the north of the country under the
eyes of the Bundeswehr and they are left in peace", reported Delius. 40
percent of the heroin sold in Great Britain comes from the province of
Helmand, which is controlled by the British. However the NATO takes no
action to curb the wire-pullers and profit-makers in the drug trade, as
the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio
Maria Costa, has demanded. "In the light of this inaction it is
particularly absurd to contaminate wide stretches of land and to punish
only the poorest victims of the drug business."
Uzbek court convicts 2 men for allegedly teaching radical Islam to children
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/20/asia/AS_GEN_Uzbekistan_Extremism.php
Uzbek court convicts 2 men for allegedly teaching radical Islam to
children
An Uzbek court has convicted two men for running a school where they
allegedly taught radical Islam to children, official media said
Wednesday.
The city court in the capital, Tashkent, sentenced Shoakmal Nosirov and
Farkhod Muminov to nine and 6 1/2 years in prison, respectively, on
charges of religious extremism and anti-constitutional activity as
followers of the austere Wahhabi sect of Islam, a government-run Web
site said.
The court "fully" proved their guilt through evidence such as books,
CDs
and tapes with "extremist" content that had been seized from them, the
report said.
Rights advocate Surat Ikramov said, however, the extremism charges
against Nosirov and Muminov had not been proven during the trial and
that the pair was being prosecuted only for organizing a summer camp
for
about 50 children under 14, where they studied the basics of Islam and
had Quran reading contests.
He also said the defendants were being punished for their alleged links
with imam Rukhitdin Fakhrutdinov, who was sentenced to 17 years earlier
this year for alleged terrorism.
Since the mid-1990s, President Islam Karimov has been conducting a
harsh
crackdown on Islamic fundamentalism. Rights groups say thousands of
innocent Muslims who practice their faith outside state-controlled
institutions have been jailed for alleged extremism as part of the
campaign.
Karimov, a former Communist boss, has ruled the predominantly Muslim
nation of 27 million since before the 1991 Soviet collapse.
France says its elite forces are no longer a good fit in new climate of Afghanistan
http://www.startribune.com/722/story/889422.html
France says its elite forces are no longer a good fit in new climate of
Afghanistan
Last update: December 20, 2006 -- 8:10 PM
The latest: France is removing 200 of its best soldiers from
Afghanistan
as violence mounts. Military officials insist France remains fully
committed, with 1,100 troops still based in Kabul.
Why are the troops being removed? France's decision comes amid concerns
in Paris that NATO's mission in Afghanistan has grown confused and that
the alliance may be overreaching in its efforts to stabilize and
rebuild
the nation.
French officials and experts say that as the fighting has dragged on
and
the insurgency has grown in strength, the Special Forces were no longer
ideal for the mission. Such elite units tend to be more lightly armed,
and specialize in gathering intelligence or rapid attacks.
"The conditions no longer correspond to what the Special Forces do,"
said Capt. Christophe Prazuck, a spokesman for the French Joint Chiefs
of Staff.
Arm of U.S. mission: The French elite troops -- deployed in
southeastern
Afghanistan since July 2003 -- were France's contribution to a U.S.
anti-terror mission code-named Operation Enduring Freedom that is
separate from the NATO mission.
Seven of the 10 French troops killed in Afghanistan since 2003 were
Special Forces. The troops combed the border with Pakistan for Al-Qaida
and Taliban fighters and looked for Osama bin Laden. Long based in Spin
Buldak, a southern border town in Kandahar, the French moved their base
this year to Jalalabad in the east and are now expected home in
January.
NATO sparked changes: The anti-terror operation has been trimmed as
NATO's International Security Assistance Force has evolved. By October,
the NATO force's 32,800 troops became the prime fighting force, moving
into special forces' terrain in southern and eastern regions.
U.S. response: U.S. commanders say the work of special forces soldiers
is still critical in Afghanistan, whether it's small-group
reconnaissance missions, mentoring Afghan soldiers or supporting
conventional NATO and Afghan troops in combat.
But State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the move was
understandable. France is heavily committed in Lebanon and Africa.
Associated Press
Netanyahu Warns Diplomats: Iran Wants To Rule World with Islam
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=117749
Netanyahu Warns Diplomats: Iran Wants To Rule World with Islam
18:15 Dec 19, '06 / 28 Kislev 5767
(IsraelNN.com) Likud chairman and Opposition leader Binyamin (Bibi)
Netanyahu told foreign diplomats Tuesday that Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad is aiming "to control the world and establish an 'Islamic
Reich'" similar to Hitler's ambitions.
The former Prime Minister said that Monday's comments at a Knesset
committee meeting by the head of intelligence should serve as a
"wake-up
call" to the international community to stop Iran from procuring
nuclear
weapons. The intelligence officer said that Israel has three years
before it will be too late to stop Iran's nuclear program.
Iran Interior Minister: Friday's elections valid
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=48239&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs
Iran Interior Minister: Friday's elections valid
Thursday, December 21, 2006 - ©2005 IranMania.com
Related Pictures
Archived Picture - Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi
said
the three elections held on Friday were valid, IRNA reported.
LONDON, December 21 (IranMania) - Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa
Pour-Mohammadi said the three elections held on Friday were valid, IRNA
reported.
Pour-Mohammadi's remarks were made at a press conference attended by
domestic and foreign reporters which began Wednesday morning.
"The constitution has express and good provisions for conducting
elections. We acted based on the law," he said.
Final results of the Assembly of Experts and Majlis by-elections held
throughout the country were announced Tuesday.
The interior minister said the presence of election inspectors,
supervisors of the Guardian Council and Majlis as well as
representatives of candidates in polling stations guaranteed the
elections' soundness.
He added that the ballots were being carefully canvassed and votes
counted with the Guardian Council's supervisory board making great
efforts to safeguard the Assembly of Experts and Majlis by-elections
while Majlis supervisors safeguarded the local council elections.
The minister praised the people's massive participation in the
elections, saying the message conveyed was that "the people were
confident their votes were being safeguarded."
"If they did not have such confidence, they would not have participated
in the elections in great numbers."
He noted that over 26 mln people participated in the three elections.
"Precise implementation of law, a positive atmosphere in the country,
fair representation of all political groups and factions in the
elections and the strong urgence of the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Seyed
Ali Khamenei) in particular were among the very factors that encouraged
the nation to make a massive turn-out in Friday's elections," he said.
He said that the final result of the Tehran City Council elections
would
be announced today (Wednesday).
Pour-Mohammadi dismissed complaints of irregularities committed in the
elections, particularly a delay in counting the votes, saying "it is
natural among political activists who are sensitive to these kinds of
events."
Intel to help digitize Islam's holy book Quran
http://news.techwhack.com/4879/intel-to-help-digitize/
Intel to help digitize Islam's holy book Quran
Microprocessor company Intel is collaborating with two Saudi Arabian
software companies to develop an electronic version of Quran.
They would also work on a training computer for teachers packed with
the
government-approved curriculum for schoolchildren.
The company said that these two projects are part of their push to
bring
low-cost computing and Internet access to emerging markets.
Intel said that the E-Quran is a small computer with wireless Internet
access that contains the text of the Islamic holy book, audio
recitations in 40 different languages and interactive interpretations
of
the material.
They have no current plans to commercialize or brand these devices
which
would be powered by low-power Intel processors.
Iran's envoy confers with Saudi Haj minister
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0612218573010825.htm
Iran's envoy confers with Saudi Haj minister
Riyadh, Dec 20, IRNA
Iran-Saudi Arabia-Ambassador
Iran's Ambassador to Riyadh Seyed Mohammad Hosseini conferred with
Saudi Arabia Minister of Haj Fouad bin-Salam al-Farsi and discussed with him
bilateral ties.
In the meeting, which occurred in Jeddah on Wednesday, the two sides
emphasized promotion of bilateral cooperation.
Referring to the importance of Haj period, Hosseini said it is an
appropriate ground for unity and integration among Muslims.
He said Iran and Saudi Arabia, as two big Muslim countries, can play a
very important role in the Islamic world in the current sensitive
situation.
On conspiracies hatched by the enemies of Islam in the the Middle East
region, Iran's ambassador emphasized necessity of maintaining bilateral
cooperation.
The Saudi minister, for his part, hailed Iranian pilgrims' discipline
and orderly arrangements and expressed hope that the number of Iranian
pilgrims for next year could be increased.
1391/1771
Blair sees Iran 'strategic threat'
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/world/Viewdet.asp?ID=8811&cat=a
Blair sees Iran 'strategic threat'
UNITED NATIONS, (Agencies): Iran, whose president said last week that
Israel's days were numbered, called on the UN Security Council on
Tuesday to compel the Jewish state to give up its nuclear weapons.
Iranian UN Ambassador Javad Zarif wrote to the 15-nation UN body after
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in a German TV interview, implied
for the first time that his country had nuclear weapons.
Israel had never before acknowledged having atomic bombs and, unlike
Iran, is not a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, known as
the NPT.
Israel is assumed to have about 200 nuclear weapons, Hans Blix, former
head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based UN
nuclear watchdog, said last June.
Olmert's statement triggered widespread criticism from Arab states that
the West was working under a double standard in pressing Iran to
suspend
its nuclear activities while ignoring Israeli arms.
The Iranian letter marked the first formal call for action against
Israel by the UN Security Council, which is currently negotiating a
resolution that would impose sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear
ambitions.
Tehran says its nuclear program seeks only to produce electricity but
Western powers fear it is using a domestic nuclear program as a cover
for making bombs.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair urged world leaders on
Wednesday to be bolder in supporting leading moderates against "forces
of extremism" in Iran and elsewhere and in advancing
Israeli-Palestinian
peacemaking.
Blair, on the final day of what may be his last Middle East tour, said
Iran was openly supporting terrorism in Iraq, undermining the Lebanese
government and blocking Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Iran has never recognised Israel and last year President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be "wiped off the map".
Tehran, under Western pressure over its nuclear programme, also backs
the Lebanese guerrilla group and opposition party Hezbollah, which is
leading a drive for early elections after failing to obtain veto power
in government.
Blair, who will leave office next year and whose popularity has been
eroded by the Iraq war, rejected suggestions American or British action
in the Middle East was fuelling terrorism.
"We should stop buying into this wretched culture of blaming
ourselves,"
he told business leaders in Dubai. "If our policy has a fault, it is
that we are too shy of acting boldly to bring about change, to give
succour to those trying to live for the better."
Blair called on moderate leaders across the Middle East to join a
"monumental struggle" between democracy and extremism.
"We must recognise the strategic challenge the government of Iran
poses;
not its people, possibly not all of its ruling elements, but those
presently in charge of its policy," he said.
Iran wants "to pin us back in Lebanon, in Iraq and in Palestine", he
added.
Some Iraqi politicians, mainly Sunni Muslims, accuse Tehran of fuelling
sectarian violence by supporting Shi'ite militias.
"Our response should be to expose what they are doing, build the
alliances to prevent it and pin them back across the whole of the
region," Blair said.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for key parties to seek a
negotiated settlement with Iran over its nuclear program and warned
that
military intervention would be "unwise and disastrous."
Annan issued the warning Tuesday as the Security Council debated a
resolution that would impose sanctions on Tehran for refusing to
suspend
uranium enrichment and as the United States considered sending a second
aircraft carrier to the Gulf as a show of force against Iran.
After two rounds of closed-doors talks Tuesday, the six key nations
trying to negotiate with Iran - Britain, France, Germany, the US,
Russia
and China - remain divided on the scope of sanctions. They scheduled
another meeting on Wednesday.
"Our goal is to get this resolution done this week," said acting US
ambassador Alejandro Wolff. But Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin
said he was more concerned about the content than the timing.
The French government Wednesday warned against any attempt to "alter
the
scope" of proposed UN sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme, after
Moscow sans altering the scope of the resolution," foreign ministry
spokesman Denis Simmoneau told reporters.
"That is why discussions are continuing, notably on what shape to give
to restrictive measures against entities and persons responsible for
sensitive activities targeted," he said.
Russia said on Wednesday attempts by its Western partners to ditch
agreed principles in handling Iran's nuclear ambitions were blocking
adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against
Tehran.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference Russia was also
alarmed by what it saw as Western attempts to hamper its economic
cooperation with the Islamic republic and bring it under international
control.
Lavrov said the five permanent Security Council members and Germany had
agreed any action against Iran should rule out the use of force, help
find a negotiated solution to the problem and back efforts by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"Unfortunately we now have to overcome formulas in the initial draft,
which depart from these basic principles," he said referring to the
document proposed by Britain and France and supported by Germany.
Meanwhile, the US Defense Department declined to confirm Tuesday a
report it will increase its naval force in the Gulf region next year.
CBS television reported Monday, citing anonymous sources, that the
Pentagon is planning a major deployment of naval forces to the Gulf in
2007 in response to what the US considers acts of provocation by Iran.
The Pentagon would not confirm the report, however.
"We have very robust military and it includes a very capable navy that
is deployed throughout the world," Defense Department spokesman Bryan
Whitman said Tuesday.