Posted on 01/27/2006 8:41:27 PM PST by Gucho
US to Review Aid to Palestinians if Hamas Runs New Government
By David Gollust - State Department
27 January 2006
The Bush administration said Friday it will review all aspects of the U.S. aid program to the Palestinians if, as expected, the militant Islamic group Hamas controls the next Palestinian government. U.S. law bars provision of any funds to terrorist organizations.
Officials insist the aid review is not a threat, or punishment for the Palestinian people for voting for Hamas, but rather a requirement under laws barring U.S. aid to terrorist organizations.
State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the review will apply to all facets of U.S. aid to the Palestinians that last year totaled nearly $400 million.
The United States has traditionally been the single-largest aid donor to the Palestinians, most of it in past years channeled through non-governmental organizations and to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which assists Palestinian refugees.
Spokesman McCormack said the United States and other governments recognize Palestinian needs, but that the probable emergence of a Hamas-run government poses a unprecedented dilemma for donors:
"The international community understands that the Palestinian people have humanitarian needs," he said. "They are poor people. But let us be very clear: the law and policy of the United States is that we do not provide funding, money to terrorist organizations. Hamas is a terrorist organization. So if any future Palestinian government wishes to engage in peaceful development, that must take place at the international level in the context of the requirements of the international community."
The spokesman said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will discuss the aid issue and other implications of the Hamas election victory in a meeting of the Middle East "Quartet" - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - next Monday in London.
McCormack said U.S. officials hope to reach a "common understanding" with the European Union on how to proceed on the aid issue, though stressing that any decision to follow the United States' lead with a review is for the Europeans to make.
Rice held a telephone conference call with her Quartet partners Thursday, including U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
The four parties, sponsors of the international "road map" to Middle East peace, said in a joint statement later that there is a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic state.
They said the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires all participants in the democratic process to renounce violence and terror, accept Israel's right to exist, and disarm as outlined in the road map.
Spokesman McCormack gave no time-frame for the U.S. aid review and said the United States will continue dealing with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas and, at least for the time-being, with the caretaker Palestinian cabinet.
Administration officials from President Bush on down have made clear since the election outcome became apparent that there would be no change in the policy of refusing to deal with Hamas.
Last year's U.S. aid to the Palestinians included a one-time payment of $70 million to the Palestinian Authority to help it deal with a financial crisis and pay long-overdue electricity bills to Israel.
The current aid program totals more than $230 million, more than a third of that for the U.N. refugee agency. Spokesman McCormack said only part of this year's money, for the 2006 fiscal year, has actually been delivered and spent.
http://www.voanews.com/english/US-to-Review-Aid-to-Palestinians-if-Hamas-Runs-New-Government.cfm
7 Taleban Killed in Shootout With Police
Saturday, 28, January, 2006 - (28, Dhul Hijjah, 1426)
Agencies
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 28 January 2006 — Dozens of Taleban rebels attacked the office of a district police chief in southern Afghanistan before dawn yesterday, triggering a shootout that left seven assailants dead and five Afghan police officers wounded, police said. The battle happened in Registan district, about 150 kilometers south of the city of Kandahar, said Haji Sher Agha, the district police chief.
He said the surviving rebels, armed with assault rifles and other weapons, fled afterward with an unknown number of their wounded. Afghan security forces were looking for them. “We killed seven Taleban and we have their bodies,” he said. Hours later, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying Afghan police officers in neighboring Helmand province, killing two of them and injuring two others.
Meanwhile, Afghans are among the most optimistic people in the world when it comes to their economic future, a BBC survey has found, but such confidence is not always easy to find on the streets of the capital, Kabul. The survey found 70 percent of those questioned in Afghanistan thought their own circumstances were improving, and 57 percent believed their country overall was on the way up.
The survey by the Globescan polling firm also found optimism in Iraq, where 65 percent of people believed their personal lives were getting better, and 56 percent were upbeat about their country’s economy. The firm surveyed 37,572 people in 32 countries between October 2005 and January 2006, said the BBC, which released the results this week. On the cold streets of an overcast Kabul on Friday opinion seemed divided about how people were faring more than four years after US-led forces forced the hard-line Taleban from power.
“It’s not getting better for ordinary people, only for a few businessmen and investors. Ordinary people are getting poorer and poorer,” said laborer Syed Kamal. “Jobs are so few some people are willing to work just for bread,” he said. Prices have been rising fast in Kabul and many people say they are frustrated with what they see as a slow pace of improvement in their lives. “Government figures show that billions of dollars of aid have been disbursed, but given the little change in the lives of many people, there hasn’t been much improvement economically,” said Kabul University student Izatullah, 25.
By The Associated Press
Saturday, January 28, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi forces clashed with insurgents Friday near the notorious airport road and other districts of western Baghdad, arresting nearly 60 people as the sounds of a rousing song, "Where are the terrorists now?" blared from police car loudspeakers.
The fiercest clashes occurred in the Jihad district along the main road to Baghdad International Airport - scene of numerous bombings and ambushes.
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, January 27, 2006
LONDON — Al Qaida's leading contractor has taken over training Sunni insurgents recruited for the war against the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
Islamic sources said the Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call has been assigned responsibility for recruitment and training of thousands of Muslims prepared to join the insurgency war in Iraq. The sources said the Salafists have established camps in Algeria for training and indoctrination.
"Algeria has become a new training grounds for Al Zarqawi while training has decreased in Syria," an Islamic source said.
The sources said President Bashar Assad ordered a crackdown on Al Qaida-aligned training camps in Syria in mid-2005, Middle East Newsline reported. They said Assad sought to reduce the insurgency signature in Syria in wake of the United Nations Security Council investigation of the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005.
The London-based Al Hayat said the Salafists recruited Moroccans to fight the United States in Iraq. The newspaper said many of the suicide bombers in Iraq were comprised of Moroccan nationals. Some of the Moroccans came from North Africa and others were recruited in Western Europe.
Al Hayat said on Jan. 18 that the Moroccans were recruited by the Islamic Combatant Group, an Al Qaida-aligned network active in European Union states. The recruits were then sent for training to Salafist camps in Algeria.
Moroccan nationals were said to have been playing an increasing role in Al Qaida-aligned operations in Iraq. At one point, Al Hayat said, Al Qaida network chief Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi recommended that the Moroccan insurgents select a leadership. But the Moroccans could not agree on their leaders.
Al Hayat said the wives of Moroccan recruits have sought to join the Al Qaida effort. The newspaper, based on testimony of captured Moroccans, said the wives sought to carry attacks against European security centers or join other fighters in Iraq.
Friday, January 27, 2006
By USS Ronald Reagan - Public Affairs
BRISBANE, Australia - USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrived in Brisbane, Australia, Jan. 23 for a scheduled port visit. USS Pinckney (DDG 91) will be joining them in port.
While in port, the Carrier Strike Group's approximately 6,000 crew members will have a chance to participate in friendship-building and goodwill-generating activities. The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, commanded by Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller, is homeported in San Diego and is on a routine deployment.
"Brisbane is our first port visit since beginning the deployment," said Miller. "This visit gives us the opportunity to show off the U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier to one of our strongest allies in the global war against terrorism.
The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group's presence in the Western Pacific demonstrates the United States' commitment to fulfilling its treaty obligations and security arrangements."
Capt. Terry B. Kraft, Reagan's commanding officer, said he also looked forward to Reagan Sailors being able to sightsee and experience the culture of a foreign port during the ship's visit to Australia.
"Australia has always been a favorite port for American Sailors," said Kraft. "Being the first aircraft carrier to visit Brisbane is an honor, and highlights all the work that the good people of Brisbane have done to prepare for our visit. It is fitting that this stop marks the first foreign port of call for this warship."
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, January 27, 2006
TEL AVIV — The Israeli military's Intelligence Corps is researching means to protect advanced computers and other equipment from natural causes after being shut down for 30 hours by lightening.
On Jan. 14, lightening struck the headquarters of the military intelligence's Unit 8200 in Herzliya.
Unit 8200 has been regarded as the most prominent intelligence-gathering group in the Israeli intelligence community. The unit was said to have the most advanced surveillance and monitoring equipment in the Middle East. The lightening was said to have knocked out the computers for 30 hours, Middle East Newsline reported.
"It's hard to know whether the army's intelligence establishment suffered any damage," an intelligence officer told the Israeli news service Ynet.
In wake of the blackout, scores of soldiers in 8200 were sent home until the computers were restored. The sources said this was the first time the activities of the unit were suspended because of natural causes.
The sources said military intelligence was studying ways to make its computer network resistant to lightening and floods. They said a huge amount of information has been stored in the data network of 8200 and other units.
An Israeli military spokesman confirmed that lightening struck the base and damaged a power system. The spokesman said no damage was caused to the intelligence-gathering operation.
The sources said methods to protect the computers of Unit 8200 would be shared with other agencies in the Israeli intelligence community. Unit 8200 cooperates with the Mossad and the Israel Security Agency.
Last Updated: Saturday, 28 January 2006 - 07:27 GMT
Rival groups have clashed in the Gaza Strip, two days after the Islamic militant group Hamas swept to victory in Palestinian polls.
The worst trouble flared up in Khan Younis. Several were wounded when Hamas activists exchanged fire with members of Fatah - which lost the election.
Fatah activists also rallied against their own leaders, blaming them for the defeat and setting cars on fire.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said Hamas should form a new cabinet.
Hamas won 76 of the 132 seats in Wednesday's parliamentary elections and has the backing of a further four independent MPs.
However, it is facing increasing international pressure to renounce violence against Israel and possibility that foreign donors may withhold millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.
'Abbas out'
At least eight people were injured in several gun battles in and around Khan Younis - in what were the first armed clashes between Hamas and Fatah groups since the elections.
At least four police officers were also wounded during the shootings.
Israelis react to Hamas' victory in Palestinian elections.
Also on Friday, thousands of Fatah members outside the legislature in Gaza and in the refugee camp of Nusayrat called for the entire Fatah leadership to go, accusing them of corruption.
They set fire to government cars and firing shots into the air.
One protester toured the area in a van, telling fellow demonstrators through a loudspeaker: "Fatah lost because of the central committee so we call for them to resign."
The rallies against Mr Abbas included those from militant Fatah offshoots like the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.
One militant told AFP news agency: "We want him (Mr Abbas) and his entire team out."
Donors
The violence came as senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said Mr Abbas had agreed to meet shortly to start consultations on "a political partnership" and the make-up of the next administration.
Mr Haniya on Friday made his first big speech since the election victory near Gaza City's waterfront.
He told a packed mosque: "When we are calling for unity and partnership it is not because we are afraid or weak or incapable of facing the challenges ahead, but because we believe in unity."
The BBC's Alan Johnston at the mosque in Gaza says an alliance may be necessary for, if Hamas were to try to govern alone, interaction with the outside world might be extremely difficult.
As it is, he says, some Palestinians are concerned that crucial international financial support may be cut back.
US President George W Bush said late on Friday that Washington would cut its aid to the Palestinians unless Hamas renounces violence and stops calling for the destruction of Israel.
"We won't be providing help to a government that wants to destroy our ally and friend," Mr Bush said in an interview with CBS.
Earlier, the European Commission, which offered 280 million euros ($342m) to the Palestinian people last year, admitted it was in a dilemma about funding.
On Friday President George Bush said US aid to the Palestinians would halt unless Hamas dissolved its armed wing and stopped threatening Israel.
Israel has ruled out any talks with Hamas, which it calls "an armed terror organisation that calls for Israel's destruction".
The US, UN, EU and Russia on Thursday urged Hamas to renounce violence and accept Israel's right to exist.
The four powers working for peace in the Middle East will hold talks in London on Monday.
U.S. Navy, Coast Guard on Lookout for Piracy
By Steven Donald Smith - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2006 – Pirates are not a thing of the past. They are alive and well, and roaming the seas in search of booty. And U.S. Navy and Coast Guard officials are determined to stop them from threatening Americans and American interests.
When average Americans think of pirates, they probably conjure up an image of a snarling, rum-drinking, eye-patch wearing, 18th century drunkard with a parrot perched on his shoulder. This perception is in need of an update.
Following a century of decline, piracy is increasingly on the rise.
"Although piracy has existed almost as long as shipping and trade, it appeared to have been eliminated by the end of the 19th century. But piracy had not disappeared. During the 1970s and 1980s, attacks on merchant ships began to increase, and piracy became a problem that could no longer be ignored," an official from the International Maritime Organization, an agency of the United Nations, said.
Incidents of piracy have become even more prevalent over the last two years, especially off the coast of Somalia and in the South China Sea.
In 2004, 330 incidents of piracy were recorded worldwide, of which almost 180 took place in the South China Sea, but "the actual extent of the incidents is very difficult to gauge and there may have been other unreported cases," IMO officials stated.
"The number of reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in waters off the coast of Somalia has increased alarmingly ... and is becoming increasingly common," an official said. "Most of the incidents have reportedly occurred at distances ranging up to 180 nautical miles off the Somali coast, and the reported information suggests a pattern of well-organized and coordinated activities."
The U.S. Navy is attacking the issue head-on. In an attempt to make the seas safer for commerce and to thwart terrorist activities, the Navy conducts maritime security operations in various parts of the world, officials said.
"The primary focus of (such operations) is preventing terrorists from using the seas as a venue from which to launch an attack or to move people, weapons or other material that support their efforts," Naval Forces Central Command spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Breslau said. But "our maritime task forces are always prepared to respond to mariners in distress, whether they are under attack by pirates, experience engineering causalities, or have medical emergencies."
Most recently, the Navy captured a suspected pirate vessel in the Indian Ocean about 54 miles off the coast of Somalia and detained 10 alleged pirates Jan. 21.
Several other incidents of piracy aimed at international shipping off the Somali coast have been reported over the past year, including an attack on a Western cruise ship in November and a Jan. 22 incident in which pirates reportedly fired on a commercial cargo ship before hijacking the vessel. The pirates are currently demanding ransom for the release of the 20 crewmembers and the vessel, International Maritime Bureau officials said.
Pirates have even hijacked humanitarian aid vessels, such as a ship loaded with foodstuff headed to Somalia under the auspices of the U.N. World Food Program, IMO officials said.
"In today's world, ship safety and security are inseparable. Events have made us all aware of the vulnerability of transport networks and the potential they hold to be either the targets or the instruments of terror." IMO officials said.
Even though acts of piracy are not common in American waters, the U.S. Coast Guard is vigilant in preventing them from becoming so. Aside from combating drug trafficking and protecting U.S. ports and marine transportation system from terrorism, Coast Guard officials emphasize the importance of stopping the spread of piracy into American waters to protect U.S. citizens and the flow of commerce.
"By its very definition, piracy is about stealing. Our job is law enforcement," Dan Tremper, a Coast Guard spokesman, said. "We're always on patrol -- 24/7. We've got sharp eyes on the water with the goal of protecting the American people and our economic interests."
Related Article:
What is Hamas?
Jan 27, 2006
Formed in 1987, Hamas is the largest Palestinian militant Islamist organisation.
Branded a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU it is seen by its supporters as a legitimate fighting force defending Palestinians from a brutal military occupation.
The group's short-term aim has been to drive Israeli forces from the occupied territories - through attacks on Israeli troops and settlers in the Palestinian territories and against civilians in Israel.
It also has a long-term aim of establishing an Islamic state on all of Palestine - most of which has been contained within Israel's borders since its creation in 1948.
The organisation has an unknown number of active members and tens of thousands of supporters and sympathisers.
On Hamas' 15th anniversary in December 2002, the group's spiritual leader, the late Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, predicted Israel's destruction by the year 2025.
The sheikh was assassinated by Israel in 2004, as was his successor Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi later that year.
Hamas is divided into two main spheres of operation - social programmes like building schools, hospitals and religious institutions and militant operations carried out by Hamas' underground Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
Hamas came to prominence after the first intifada as the main Palestinian opponent of the Oslo Accords - the peace process that oversaw the gradual and partial removal of Israel's occupation in return for Palestinian guarantees to protect Israeli security.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425825/654182
The Associated Press
January 28, 2006
U.S. Marines and Iraqi Army soldiers detained 20 suspected insurgents and destroyed 45 weapons caches during an almost two-week operation through the Western Euphrates River Valley, the military said Saturday.
Operation Wadi Aljundi started Jan. 15 north of the town of Hit, 85 miles west of Baghdad, and ended Friday. No U.S. or Iraqi casualties were sustained, the Marines said in a statement.
Lt. Col. Drew Smith, a Marines commander, said Iraqi soldiers and coalition forces worked well together.
U.S. and Iraqi forces destroyed thousands of artillery shells, mortars rounds and other rockets discovered in the valley area. Hundreds of pounds of explosives were also found and destroyed.
In one village, a small building that was being used to make improvised explosive devices was also discovered and destroyed.
U.S. forces have been battling insurgents in Hit and other centers throughout the volatile Anbar Province since 2003.
Developing strong Iraqi military and police forces is a priority for the U.S. military as it tries to contain the raging insurgency and wind down its troop levels in Iraq.
I always hear Israelis' pride for their hi-tech military and security equipment, but it seems they didn't consider to have the utilities to absorb the striking of thunder (earth), and equipment to shut down the line before the lightning could reach the computer. Or is natural disaster unbeatable enemy of human kind?
By JENNIFER WEIL - THE JOURNAL NEWS
January 28, 2006
SUFFERN — It was 20 years ago today that millions of people around the world watched in horror as space shuttle Challenger fell from the sky.
Just 73 seconds after takeoff, Challenger exploded — the result of a leak in one of the two solid rocket boosters that ignited the main fuel tank — killing six astronauts and New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe.
"I just took one look at the TV and I said, 'They're all dead.' It was gut-wrenching," recalled Tzipporah Brezner, flight director at the Lower Hudson Valley Challenger Learning Center. "I was thinking this is the worst disaster that has ever happened to the U.S. in space."
In addition to McAuliffe, commander Francis Scobee; pilot Michael Smith; mission specialists Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair and Ellison Onizuka; and payload specialist Gregory Jarvis perished on that cold January day.
Although shuttles had been sent into space for about five years before the Challenger disaster, its mission had received a large amount of attention because McAuliffe was aboard. She was the country's first private citizen to fly on a shuttle in NASA's Space Flight Participant Program.
McAuliffe had planned to conduct classes in science, engineering, math and technology once in space, Brezner said.
Yesterday, students from the C.V. Starr Intermediate School in Putnam County were visiting the Challenger Center, an interactive science education center that allows students to perform the same tasks that are done by astronauts, engineers, researchers and scientists.
In addition to taking part in a simulated mission to Mars, the students watched a movie titled "Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars."
Challenger Center director John Huibregtse said he was showing the movie to visitors to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Challenger accident.
After viewing the movie, fifth-grader Evan Goldstein said he thought the disaster served as an important lesson to people — "that if you are willing to go to space, you have to be willing to give your life up."
The 11-year-old also said he doesn't want to be an astronaut.
"It's too dangerous," Evan said, "And I like it here."
Evan prefers to be either a scientist or a doctor.
Samantha Skaller, 11, who had known about the Challenger before coming to the center — her mother told her about how she watched the explosion on television — thought NASA should have made sure every part on the shuttle was OK before it took off. Then maybe the accident wouldn't have happened, she said.
Garrett Longhurst, 10, also had heard about the disaster, but didn't know the extent of it and was glad to learn about it.
"People should know about events that happened in the past so they can avoid these tragic events," the 10-year-old said.
US space shuttle Challenger lifts off on 28 January, 1986 from a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, 72 seconds before its explosion killing it crew of seven. Twenty years ago, the loss of the US shuttle Challenger dealt an enduring blow to confidence in manned space flight yet also helped open up a golden era of exploration by machine.(AFP/NASA)
Memorial to the Challenger space shuttle astronauts, pictured in 2005, in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. The US space agency will mark the 20th anniversary of the Challenger shuttle disaster in a solemn ceremony with the fallen astronauts' families at the scene of the tragedy.(AFP/File/Karen Bleier)
January 28, 2006
TEHRAN, Iran Iran is warning the U-S and Britain it will retaliate with missiles if attacked.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief is also accusing the Western allies of provoking unrest in the oil-rich southwestern Iran and providing bomb-making materials to Iranian dissidents.
Two bombings last week killed at least nine people in a southwestern city near the border with southern Iraq where thousands of British soldiers are based.
State-run television quotes the general as saying Iran has no intention of invading any country. But he says it will take "effective defense measures if attacked." He also notes Iran has a 13-hundred-mile-range missile, long enough to strike Israel.
Associated Press
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