Posted on 12/03/2006 9:53:17 PM PST by La Enchiladita
All Flags above link to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook page for the respective country. This is a great research tool.
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I wonder what that "support" would consist of... hmmmmmmm?
Way past cynical.
Yes, Sat was great, but you'll be back, heh heh.
Its very cold here after a week of unusually warm weather its suddenly winter.
But its bright and sunny and beautiful.
IMNSHO, we will be paying for Israels pull out from lebanon for generations. But hey, what do I know?
I voted Republican. /s
Somali car ban 'to stop bombers'
BBC ^ | 12/4/06 | n/a
Somalia's weak Baidoa-based transitional government is to ban cars travelling from Islamist-held Mogadishu after two recent car bombings.
Government officials say the ban will come into effect on Tuesday.
"I think taking such a decision is the only solution to boost our security," Baidoa official Ahmed Maddey Issak told the AFP news agency.
The 250km Mogadishu-Baidoa road is peppered with checkpoints amid fears of a war involving neighbouring Ethiopia.
The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says the move is unlikely to affect trade as other vehicles will still be able to travel between the two cities.
The government blame Islamists, who it accuses of links to al-Qaeda, for last week's bombing in which some nine people died and a September assassination attempt on President Abdullahi Yusuf.
The government says the cars were driven by suicide bombers but this has not been independently verified.
The Islamists deny any links to the bombings, or to al-Qaeda.
In Mogadishu, Islamist leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys warned the UN Security Council not to approve plans to send foreign peacekeepers to Somalia or risk starting a major conflict.
He was speaking to thousands of people, some of whom were carrying anti-Western placards.
A regional grouping of African states, Igad, has now backed the proposal in principle, with the African Union also offering support.
When he was elected two years ago, President Yusuf asked for foreign troops to bolster his position.
The UIC strongly opposes any foreign presence on Somali soil, as do several members of Igad, including Sudan.
Direct talks between Ethiopia and senior representatives of the Union of Islamic Courts, who control most of southern Somalia, were held in Djibouti on Sunday in an attempt to avert all-out war.
Islamists have pledged to force Ethiopian troops out of Somalia.
The Ethiopians admit only to having military trainers in the country in support of the interim government.
FR thread here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1748326/posts
"He's a Knessett member...Israel "
That was my (poorly made) point --
Sauce for the goose, and all that....
Never mind....
I scrolled through 52 screens of info on your post #93 ... it is overwhelming evidence, not only of jihad, but of the very nature of islam.
They are at it within Israel, having defaced and vandalized a synagogue. See post # 74.
I voted Republican too, so I join you in the "know nothing" department. Heh heh.
Keep your powder dry . . .
" Would you say the World's Leaders are "Resignation Happy"? "
Ummm...
Kind of a cosmic game of "I'm going to take my ball and go home?"....
Hasn't worked for Rummy and Bolton -- seems only to work if immediately followed by media outcry and mass demonstrations....
Interesting development.
Rest in peace, brave Marines.
Thanks for the ping for the article about the woman on the plane.
I have thought from the beginning..that the reason they did that was to set it up that in the future, airline employees and even civilians will be too afraid of being called racists by the MSM to do that again...
You know the "boy the cried wolf" type theory.
I hope this Paula lady get on some shows and tell her story over and over.
Very interesting. One of Maliki's positions is that only the representative of the government and under its control should be armed and organized...I guess unless it's tribal leaders willing to kill al-Qaeda.
Walter, I didn't read it that she said he would cave, but that he's tried to be a "consensus" president.
I agree with you that does not extend to the War on Terror. Mr. President has more pressure on him than ever; but, thus far, he has not wavered (per his speech and presser last week).
However, the reality that we must go to war with Iran cannot be denied much longer. The Axis of Evil has not changed and neither should we.
Saudis lead Israel peace bid
The Sunday Times ^ | December 03, 2006 | Uzi Mahnaimi
THE Saudi Arabian government is emerging as a key player in talks to broker a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement.
According to senior Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, Israels prime minister, will soon meet high-ranking Saudi officials to explore the formation of a group of moderate Arab countries to negotiate with Tel Aviv over the future of the Middle East.
A preliminary meeting between Olmert and a leading Saudi representative took place in Amman, the Jordanian capital, at the end of September. According to Israeli sources, the Saudi was Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former ambassador to Washington and one of the closest advisers to King Abdullah, the Saudi ruler.
Olmert is believed to be considering a Saudi initiative, endorsed by the Arab League four years ago, as the basis for a peace settlement.
This would include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and could lead to a formal peace deal between Israel and seven Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, the Emirates, Morocco and Tunisia.
Olmert promised the Palestinians their own state last week in a conciliatory speech that he was said to have written himself.
Condoleezza Rice, the American secretary of state, praised the speech and her officials welcomed it as a promising sign that a regional peace dialogue may be resumed.
However, an Israeli insider said: The truth is that it was not Olmerts own initiative but a dictate given to him last month when he met George W Bush and Condoleezza Rice in Washington.
An Arab source said: The Saudis wanted to see Olmert commit publicly to what he promised Prince Bandar at the secret meeting in Amman.
According to Israeli officials, Saudi Arabia is gradually taking over the role of principal peace broker previously played by Egypt.
Saudi influence is seen as invaluable, particularly as the country has funded many Arab causes. Hamas, the militant group that won Palestinian elections last January, was established with Saudi money; and the Palestinian Authority would have collapsed long ago without Saudi funding.
Olmert, his reputation damaged by this summers war in Lebanon, is looking for a dramatic initiative to restore his image at home.
FR link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1748339/posts
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