Signs

Propaganda campaign against Iran will backfire, Iran Supreme Leader

2011-10-15T10:17:00.001-07:00

Tehran : Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that the enemies’ propaganda campaign against Iran will rebound on them, Tehran Times Reprted.

The Iranian Leader made the remarks in an address to thousands of well-wishers in the western city of Gilan Gharb, Kermanshah Province, on Saturday.

In reference to the allegation that Iran had hatched a plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, the Leader said, “They tried to find a pretext to mount a propaganda campaign to present the Islamic Republic of Iran as the supporter of terrorism through leveling a nonsensical and meaningless accusation against several Iranians.”

“But their plot fell flat and like their other actions will be futile and ineffective, and contrary to their expectations will lead to their further isolation,” the Leader stated.

“The enemies are struggling to isolate the Iranian nation and promote Iranophobia, but the same as in the past, they will achieve nothing but the nations’ everlasting hatred toward the U.S. regime and the rise in the popularity of glorious Iranian nation’s slogans,” Ayatollah Khamenei insisted.

The Leader added, “The U.S. regime is the most hated and isolated government in the eyes of the world’s nations.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader pointed to the protests on Wall Street and said, “You are isolated from your own nation and are afraid of the majority of people, but do you want to promote Iranophobia through talking nonsense?”

He added that the Iranian nation will support oppressed nations, oppose oppressors, stand up to bullying, and will not abandon their ideals.

E.U. puts new sanctions against Syria after Turkey seizes arms shipment

2011-09-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

E.U puts in news set of sanctions against Syria after Turkey saed it has intercepted an arms shipment at sea destined for the protest-wracked country after another day of deadly demonstrations.

The new measures are the seventh set of E.U. sanctions imposed to punish the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for its relentless crackdown on dissent that erupted in mid March. Earlier this month, the E.U. adopted a ban on Syrian crude oil imports.

That is expected to hit hard, as the E.U. buys 95 percent of Syrian oil exports, providing a third of the regime’s hard currency earnings.

“Turkey has arrested a ship flying the Syrian flag and carrying weapons,” it quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as telling reporters in New York, where he attended the U.N. General Assembly.

The Turkish leader lashed out at Assad last week, telling him the era of oppressive dictators was past.

Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying “We have already made a decision to stop and prevent any vehicle carrying any type of weapon to Syria. We told them our decision as well as shared it with neighboring countries,”

After long maintaining close relations with its neighbor, Turkey has adopted a tougher stance towards Assad, urging him to end a military crackdown on a popular uprising and to launch democratic reforms.

Gaddafi compound hit third time by nato

2011-09-21T03:48:00.000-07:00

TRIPOLI : According to Washington Post NATO missiles have once again hit Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s compound early Thursday, hours after the longtime leader appeared on state television to dispel rumors that he had died.

Missiles could be heard screeching through the sky shortly after 3 a.m., followed by massive
explosions that shook windows across the capital. Several sites inside Gaddafi’s expansive residential and governmental complex appeared to have been struck--including what seemed like an underground bunker next to the ruins of the building hit by airstrikes in 1986 and preserved by Gaddafi as a monument.

Moussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, said that three people had died in the attack on the Bab al-Aziziya compound and 27 were injured. The strikes appeared to be part of a stepped-up NATO campaign in recent days that reflects better coordination with Libyan rebels and has helped the rebels make significant advances in the key city of Misurata.

Ibrahim denied that missiles had hit an underground bunker, saying that it was a sewage treatment tank, although reporters inspecting the remains could see an underground chamber stretching at least 30 feet deep that was built of reinforced concrete.

Civilians have streamed into Gaddafi’s compound every evening since the NATO campaign started in mid-March, serving as human shields. Some civilians could be seen in the complex--which NATO also bombed on 20 March and 30^th April. while it was being shown to foreign reporters Thursday.

“It’s an official administrative facility that doesn’t have any military applications,” Ibrahim said of the complex. “These people are civilians.”

On Wednesday night, foreign journalists were apparently roped into the civilian shield role as well, without being aware of it. Gaddafi reportedly visited the hotel where accredited foreign journalists are being housed, in order to meet with tribal leaders.

The hotel, presumably the safest place in Tripoli to avoid NATO bombs because of the number of Western journalists known to be housed there, was clearly visible in footage of his appearance. But the visit was unannounced, and government minders kept journalists at the hotel unaware of it.

The visit was broadcast on state television, and constituted the first evidence Gaddafi was alive and in the country since the April 30 bombing of his complex, in which his youngest son was killed. In footage of Wednesday night’s meeting, the Libyan leader appeared frail, wearing dark glasses and speaking slowly.

Hours after the latest missile strike, the government took journalists from the hotel to tour Gaddafi’s compound. They saw one damaged building that, according to government minders, had been also struck by bombings three weeks earlier. The minders described it as an administrative building.

It's time to Right the Wrongs of History

2011-09-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

New York : Its time to right the wrongs of History as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attempt to secure a just future for the Palestinian people by applying for UN membership for the state of Palestine.

After enduring decades of expulsion, discrimination and occupation, Palestinians yearn to establish a modern, democratic state. We are at the mountaintop, but whether we cross sooner or later into the promised land of freedom and statehood depends largely on an American President who wasn't even born when Abbas' family and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced into exile in 1948.

President Obama can delay Palestinians in reaching statehood - and contribute to further years of hardship and apartheid-like conditions - but he cannot deny ultimate success. I hope he and the American public at large come to understand this.

The American President missed much of the civil rights movement, but it has not passed unnoted in occupied Palestine that he is telling Palestinians eager to secure long-deferred rights to wait for freedom.

African-Americans and Palestinians have a shared history when it comes to "good men" doing nothing to uphold their rights. As the Arab Spring makes clear, our world is rapidly changing, yet the United States is planting itself on the side of a passing order by opposing the UN bid. And the U.S. Congress risks exacerbating the situation by threatening to strip Palestinians of vitally needed aid merely for insisting on being treated as free and equal men and women.

If the U.S. casts a Security Council veto, then the Palestinian leadership is not without recourse. The Palestinian case can be taken to the General Assembly, where it has overwhelming support. Success will bring enhanced observer status at the UN as a non-member state.

Israeli settlements could then be challenged at the International Criminal Court, as it is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention for an occupying power to "transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." Israel's domination of the West Bank and East Jerusalem leaves Palestinians confined to disconnected Bantustans.

Checkpoints and roadblocks intimidate Palestinian children and harm economic growth by making vast tracts of the West Bank inaccessible. And Palestinian agricultural land and aquifers are being swallowed up by settlements and the separation barrier, which also make a viable Palestinian state impossible.

We reject a system that has one set of laws for Jews and an inferior second set for Palestinians. As Arabs around the Middle East rise up and challenge sclerotic regimes, it is obvious that Palestinians cannot forever suffer the status quo.

For 18 long years, the Oslo peace process has run its course. Repeatedly, American "honest brokers" - often far more supportive of Israel than of Palestinian rights - have advised that negotiations are the only way forward. But negotiations are not the goal; freedom is. Nor is freedom for Palestinians the only issue; security for the region is also in the balance.

Without a Palestinian state, Palestinians will soon be the majority in one Israeli-dominated area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. So the choice is clear: two states now or eventually a large, nonviolent Palestinian-led movement calling for equal rights and one person, one vote.

After an American veto, the ground is apt to shift very quickly. It will be wrong to blame Palestinians for the tension to follow. Palestinians are merely claiming rights, as people everywhere can be expected to do. The problem rests with a right-wing Israeli government and its backers in the Obama administration and Congress who are all too willing to postpone indefinitely Palestinian freedom.

In a show of Support Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Ramallah and Nablus in the occupied West Bank in a show of support for a Palestinian bid to secure full membership at the United Nations.

The rallies came hours ahead of a much-awaited speech by the US President Barack Obama on the issue that has set the Palestinians on a collision course with Israel and its allies.Obama has vowed to veto the Palestinian bid, backing Israel's view that direct talks offer the only route to peace.

Thousands marched into Arafat Square in Ramallah and schools and some businesses were shut as people came out in support of the bid for Palestinian statehood, he said. In Nablus, some rallyists said it was a big day for Obama. "Lets hope he does not let us down," they said. Obama is to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in an effort to defuse the situation after his speech.

President Zardari arrives in Iran for important visit

2011-07-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

TEHRAN: According to state television, Pakistani President Asif Zardari is arrived in Tehran for talks with officials in less than a month after the two countries agreed to cooperate with Afghanistan to fight against militants.
Zardari’s visit, on which he is to be accompanied by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, also comes after Washington announced it was deferring $800 million in military aid to Islamabad while it sought better defence cooperation

Afghan Army soldier fires on NATO Soldiers killing at least One

2011-07-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

KANDAHAR: At least one Nato soldier was killed by an Afghan army soldier this Saturday, near the southern Afghan city of Lashkar Gah, due this week to be one of the first places where Nato will hand security control to Afghan forces, a senior police source said.

“The shooting happened during a joint security patrol,” said the senior police detective, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force said it was investigating an incident in southern Afghanistan.

“An individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in southern Afghanistan today, killing one service member,” ISAF said in a statement.

Firing on NATO soldiers by Afghan Army personnel is not a new event, previously two US members were killed by a Afghan army doctor in this July and in other event two German soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier.

California Governor orders to include Gay and Lesbian History in Text books,

2011-07-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO: Californian Governor Jerry Brown has signed the mandate into law that the public school textbooks should include the accomplishments of gay, lesbian and transgender Americans.

“History should be honest,” Brown said in a written statement released by his office.

The measure won final passage from the state legislature earlier this month when it passed on a 49-25 party-line vote, with Democrats in favour and Republicans opposed.

“This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books,” Brown said. “It represents an important step forward for our state.”

The law also requires that public schools teach the contributions of Pacific Islanders and the disabled.

California already mandates that schools include historical accomplishments by Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans and European Americans.

Republicans who opposed the legislation argued that it would write an agenda into school textbooks.

Randy Thomasson, president of the conservative SaveCalifornia.com, said Brown had “trampled the parental rights of the broad majority of California mothers and fathers who don’t want their children to be sexually brainwashed.”

“The only way parents can opt-out their kids from this immoral indoctrination is to opt them out of the entire public school system, which is no longer for morally-sensitive parents and their children,” Thomasson said.

Violence continues in Iraq as US troops resumed attacks on Militias

2011-07-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD: The six pilgrims were killed on the outskirts of the holy shrine city of Karbala, 100 kilometres south of the capital, who were making their way as part of commemorations for the birth of a revered Muslim figure.

“A car bomb killed three people and wounded 20 people inside a bus station north of the city of Karbala,” said General Othman al-Ghanimi, a security official in charge of security in the region.

Nazeer al-Rubayee of Karbala’s Al-Hussein Hospital confirmed the toll, saying that the wounded included women. The blast occurred at around 4:00 pm (1300 GMT).

At around 9:30 pm (1830 GMT) east of the city, another car bomb killed three worshippers and wounded more than 25, Karbala health department spokesman Jamal Mehdi said.

Thousands of pilgrims are headed to Karbala to mark Shahbaniyah, the birthday of a revered Muslim figure, which falls on either Saturday or Sunday, with the dates differing depending on interpretations of the lunar calendar.

In the Dora district of southern Baghdad, one person was killed and three wounded by an improvised bomb, an interior ministry official said.

Meanwhile, in another part of the same district, an explosion in the early hours of Friday killed one person in a house where police later found several improvised bombs and guns fitted with silencers.

An American soldier was also killed; the fourth such death this month, days after US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said US troops had resumed attacks against Iran-backed militias.

US Pull out from Afghanistan begins as first troops leave

2011-07-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

KABUL: The pullout from Afghanistan begins as first US troops have left the country as part of US President Barack Obama’s announced withdrawal plan in June this year which was the fastest timetable than the military had recommended.

The first 10,000 troops will come home by the end of the year, but Obama left the details up to his commanders.

US Lt. Col. Wayne Perry, a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said about 650 troops who had completed their rotation in Afghanistan left on Wednesday as scheduled, and would not be replaced.

“As part of the drawdown the first US troops have left Afghanistan,” he said.

The units that left were the Army National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 134th Cavalry Regiment, based in Kabul, and the Army National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, which had been in neighbouring Parwan province.

Afghan security forces are to take over security responsibility from foreign forces in seven areas of the country this summer. Afghan forces will then take the lead in securing the entire country by the end of 2014.

Critics have said Obama’s decision to bring troops home from Afghanistan faster than the military recommended could jeopardize the next major push of the war, to unseat insurgents in the east.

The drawdown comes amid intense fighting in Afghanistan, where more than 1,500 US forces have been killed since the war began.

The commander of Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami Ilyas Kashmiri is stil Alive

2011-07-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD: The commander of Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri who was reportedly killed in a US drone attack in South Waziristan last month, is still alive, according to Pakistani Meida reports.

It claimed on the account that security officials of the United States and Pakistan failed to confirm the death of the HuJI commander and he is still active in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, sources added.

US cut Pakistan’s military aid over trainers: FO

2011-07-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

Minister for Foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar briefing the committee

KARACHI: The Foreign Office said on Friday that the United States cut of $500 million in aid to Pakistan was in response to the cutback in the number of US trainers in Pakistan.

The Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations has ordered an investigation into the matter.

The committee meeting was chaired by Senator Salim Saifullah in which the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar briefed the committee.

“The $500 million cut in US aid to Pakistan is due to the drop in US trainers in Pakistan,” said Ms Khar.

She further said that the US also withheld $300 million from the Coalition Support Fund.

According to the Foreign Office, the Standing Committee has proposed immediate suspension of all operations from the Shamsi air base.

Suicide bomber attacked the funeral of Karzai's brother

2011-07-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Kandahar :A suicide bomber hits funeral of Karzai's brother killing three people along with the cleric Hikmatullah, head of the Kandahar provincial religious council, and wounded 15 others, the governor of Kandahar Toryali Wesa told the media.

The bomber appears to have hid his explosives in his turban when he arrived at the funeral in the city's Red Mosque.

Relatives of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and cabinet members were at the funeral but escaped injury.

The murder of Ahmad Wali Karzai has created a dangerous power vacuum in the southern part of the country where half of all Afghanistan's targeted killings over the last two months have been located

South Sudan becomes 193rd UN member

2011-07-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Juba : people dance to celebrate independence

UNITED NATIONS : United Nations General Assembly admitted South Sudan 193rd member of the United Nations, sealing the new African country's independence after decades of conflict.

The assembly vote, by acclamation, followed South Sudan's independence ceremony in the capital Juba on Saturday, after its people voted in a January referendum to break away from Sudan -- a decision accepted by Khartoum.

Applause broke out in the General Assembly as South Sudan became the first country to join the world body since Montenegro in 2006.

"Welcome, South Sudan. Welcome to the community of nations," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. Assembly President Joseph Deiss said it was a "historic and joyous moment."

South Sudan's vote for independence was held under the terms of a 2005 peace deal that ended a 20-year war between north and south Sudan.

Sudan became independent in 1956 but was long plagued by conflict between its mainly Muslim Arabic-speaking north and its Christian south.

The Security Council, which has to rule on all U.N. membership applications, had recommended on Wednesday that the General Assembly admit South Sudan.

Pakistan will continue busting underground CIA Networks, ISI chief to tell US

2011-07-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Islamabad : Chief of the Pakistan Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha is going to give the following message to his American counterpart in Washington: Yes to formalised anti-terror cooperation, No to private CIA network, as he is to meet acting CIA Director Michael Morell on Wednesday.

According to senior intelligence officials here, Pasha would tell the American spy chief that the ISI has no objection to anti-terror cooperation between the two agencies but would never tolerate a private ‘network’ the CIA is secretly maintaining in Pakistan.

“We are willing to cooperate with CIA in war on terror … but there is no room for a private network. That is our position and we are going to stick to that,” said an official, giving a hint of what would be discussed during Pasha’s interaction with the Americans.

The Pakistani military has been in the process of busting what is described as an underground human network the US established over the past decade.

These local individuals associated with the CIA are believed to have played a critical role in a secret manhunt that led up to the unilateral raid in which bin Laden was killed.

The US administration has been pushing Pakistani spy agencies to release at least several hundred people who were part of the CIA network and the issue is likely to feature during Pasha’s meetings as well.

But officials here said they believed the decision to dismantle these private clusters was final and there won’t be any second thoughts.

Israel bombs Gaza after rocket fire

2011-07-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

JERUSALEM: Israeli fighter jets bombed two sites in Gaza early on Wednesday, wounding one woman, Palestinian sources said.

The Israeli military said its aircraft “targeted two weapons manufacturing sites in the northern Gaza Strip.” Direct hits were confirmed and secondary explosions were identified,” the military said in a statement.

Palestinian medical sources said one woman was slightly hurt in an Israeli air strike east of Gaza City and was taken to the nearby Shifa hospital.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday night that three rockets were fired into southern Israel from Gaza. None of them caused any casualties but one caused minor damage to a home.

U.S General James Mattis Meets Pakistani leaders

2011-07-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD : U.S Central Command Commander Gen. James Mattis visited Pakistan as part of his routine of visiting and consulting with senior Pakistani military and security officials.

According to US embassy here, Gen. Mattis met General Kayani, the Chief of the Pakistani Army, and General Wynne, Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee to share perspectives on the current relationship between the two militaries and to review the way ahead.

This is Gen Mattis’ fifth visit to Pakistan in his 11 months as CENTCOM commander.

India Tightens Security as Kashmiri People mark 'Martyr's Day'

2011-07-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Indian security forces attacking Kashmiri protestors

Srinagar : Indian security forces have imposed tight security restrictions in Srinagar ahead of Wednesday's 80th anniversary of a violent crackdown on Kashmiri Muslims in the city.

Kashmiri separatist leaders have called for a strike and public processions to commemorate the 1931 killings of 21 Kashmiri Muslims who were revolting against the rule of Kashmir's Hindu king.

Indian authorities have placed key separatist leaders under preventative house arrest ahead of the anniversary. Police are also occupying the cemetery where the separatists are buried. Police say they are trying to keep the demonstrations from turning violent.

Kashmiri Muslim separatists have been fighting for Kashmir's independence from Hindu-majority India or a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan. Thousands have been killed in the by Indian armed forced as they demand independence from India.

Kashmir has been a disputed area and claimed by both Pakistan and India as majority of Kashmiri people demanded to merge with Pakistan since its Independence from British rule but India has forcely occupied kashmir since and have killed almost 90,000 Kashmiri People asking for their independence.

The Kashmir has also caused two wars between India and Pakistan.

Cypris Navy Chief among 12 killed in Iranian confiscated ammunition Blast

2011-07-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Nicosia : The head of Cyprus' navy, Andreas Ioannides, was among 12 people killed when seized containers of gunpowder exploded at its main base.

The commander of the Evangelos Florakis base, Lambros Lambrou, also died, reported BBC.

The defence minister and military chief have resigned over the incident, which officials said occurred after a bush fire ignited the explosives.

According to Reuters News agency, Cyprus had attempted several times to offload a dangerous cargo of confiscated Iranian munitions but was rebuffed by the United Nations, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Attempting to fend off mounting criticism over Cyprus's worst peace-time disaster, authorities said they had tried in vain to get rid of the 98 containers of munitions they confiscated in 2009 from a ship sailing from Iran to Syria.

The entire cargo exploded on Monday, destroying the island's largest power facility and prompting the resignation of the defence minister and army chief.

CIA Ran a fake vaccine programme to get Bin Laden family

2011-07-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

Osama bin laden compound

London : According to the Guardian newspaper US intelligence (CIA) launched a fake vaccine drive in Pakistani city of Abbottabad to trace Bin Laden family DNA.

The British News Paper further claimed that CIA officials recruited a senior local doctor to organize the campaign after it tracked down a bin Laden courier to what turned out to be the al-Qaida fugitive's compound in the town of Abbottabad. Before launching the high-risk operation against bin Laden, US officials wanted to test DNA samples from people living at the compound with a sample that they had from his sister.

Doctor Shakil Afridi, who has since been arrested by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, launched the programme in Abbottabad's poorest area to make it appear more credible.

The project then moved swiftly to the Bilal Town suburb, where bin Laden was residing.

"The whole thing was totally irregular," a Pakistani official told the newspaper. "Bilal Town is a well-to-do area. Why would you choose that place to give free vaccines?"

A nurse managed to gain access to the compound but Pakistani sources claim she failed to obtain any DNA samples, the Guardian reported.

Bin Laden was killed on May 2 in a raid that soured US-Pakistan relations.

US drone Kills 10 people in North Waziristan

2011-07-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Miramshah : A US operated drone have attacked a compound by killing atleast 10 people in North Waziristan area according to Local security officials.

The unmanned aircraft fired four missiles, hitting the compound and a vehicle parked nearby in North Waziristan tribal district, a senior official based in Peshawar told AFP

A Russian Volga River cruise Ship Sinks, At least 50 died

2011-07-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

File Photo of Russian Volga River Cruise Ship

MOSCOW : An overloaded Volga River cruise ship of Russia has sank in a storm Sunday afternoon and dozens of people are missing and presumed dead in Russia's worst marine accident in 25 years.The current death toll rose to 50 but officials said it was likely to climb further as divers continued the grim task of removing the dead.

President Dmitry Medvedev declared Tuesday a national day of mourning and ordered officials to check the safety of Russia's aging fleet of cruise ships. "It's already clear that this disaster couldn't have happened if safety regulations were followed and inspections were conducted," a somber-looking Mr. Medvedev told a hastily called meeting of top officials. "The quantity of old tubs plying our waters is excessive."

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appeared to have tears in his eyes as he spoke of the disaster at a separate meeting with economists shown on state television.

Police escort rescued men and women

Officials said 208 people—among them many families with young children—were on the two-deck Bulgaria. The vessel was built for no more than about 120, investigators said, and didn't have the proper permits to sail. Twenty-five of the passengers weren't on the official manifest, officials said. "We still need to figure out how they got there," Sergei Shoigu, minister of emergency situations, told Mr. Medvedev.

About 80 people were reported rescued, most by a passing ferry. Investigators said the half-century-old Bulgaria went to the bottom in just a few minutes after being swamped by a large wave as the crew tried to maneuver in a sudden thunderstorm storm on the huge Kuibyshev Reservoir on the Volga. Terrified passengers and crew managed to get only a few inflatable rafts off before the ship sank

Iran's IRGC calls for foreign warships pullout from Persian Gulf

2011-07-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

TEHRAN : The Aerospace Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Amir Ali Hajizadeh called for the withdrawal of foreign warships from the Persian Gulf, local Mehr news agency reported on Sunday.

The countdown for the withdrawal of foreign warships from the Persian Gulf has started, Hajizadeh was quoted as saying.

The Iranian commander said that regional nations do not need foreign forces' presence in the region and "they themselves can maintain the regional security and stability," said the report.

Hajizadeh said Saturday that Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles in the Iranian Bahman month, from Jan. 21 to Feb. 20.

"We launched two missiles with the range of 1,900 km into the Indian Ocean from the desert area of (Iran's central province of) Semnan," said Hajizadeh.

He told reporters that Iran's missiles have a range of up to 2, 000 km, adding that despite possessing the technology, Tehran does not intend to build longer-range missiles since targets of its enemies are already within the reach of the current missiles, according to local Press TV.

Recently, the Islamic republic carried out a 10-day missile drill.

Iran's ambassador to Iraq Hassan Danaeefar said Saturday that Iran is ready to establish security cooperation with Iraq after a pullout of the U.S. troops from Iraq.

"Iran is ready to have security cooperation with Iraq, and supply weapons to the country and train the Iraqi security forces.. . after the departure of U.S. troops," Danaeefar was quoted as saying by Mehr.

The U.S. is scheduled to pull out its remaining forces from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Israel welcomes South Sudan independence

2011-07-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

Tel Aviv : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the Jewish state recognizes South Sudan and wished the world's newest nation "much success."

"Yesterday, a new state was born, South Sudan. I hereby announce that Israel recognizes the Republic of South Sudan," he said. "We wish it much success."

He called the new nation a "peace-seeking country" and said Israel "would be pleased to cooperate with it in order to ensure its development and its prosperity."

Netanyahu's statement suggested the Jewish state would seek to establish diplomatic ties with the government in Juba. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Sudan, and has accused Khartoum of serving as a base for militants from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

In April, Khartoum accused Israel of carrying out an air strike on its Red Sea coast that killed two people and destroyed the car they were traveling in.

Israel refused to comment on the incident, but its officials have expressed concern about arms smuggling through Sudan, and the attack mirrored a similar strike by foreign aircraft on a truck convoy reportedly laden with weapons in eastern Sudan in January 2009.

Israel's ties with the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the rebel movement that won South Sudan's independence, have reportedly been much friendlier.

The Jewish state was widely reported to have provided arms to the SPLA in the 22-year civil war it fought with Khartoum, although neither side publicly acknowledged weapons transfers.

South Sudan's independence came exactly six months after southerners voted almost unanimously to split with their former civil war enemies in the north.

Pro-Palestinian activists plan week of protests in West Bank

2011-07-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Jerusalem : Pro-Palestinian activists gathered from different countries of world have planned a week of protests in West Bank to show solidarity with Palestinian people and mount pressure on Israel to end the Gaza and West Bank siege.

The Protests will Start in Bethlehem and end in J'em, foreign activists will take a stand in support of Palestinian statehood in second phase of the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign which began with the "flightilla."

Pro-Palestinian activists plan to hold protest events across the West Bank this week, starting in the Aida refugee camp north of Bethlehem on Sunday and ending in Jerusalem on Friday.

It’s the second phase of the “Welcome to Palestine” campaign, in which foreign activists flew to Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday from across Europe, in an event dubbed the “flightilla.”

They wanted to protest the government’s practice of barring such activists from entering the country and to take a stand in support of Palestinian statehood.

In advance of Friday’s event, the Interior Ministry sent lists of hundreds of activists to airlines across Europe.

As a result, around 200 of them were denied boarding at European airports, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said.

Activists, however, say the number of people prevented from flying to Israel is higher, and could be anywhere from 300 to 500.

The 124 activists who landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday were detained after they informed the officials at passport control that they were heading to the Palestinian territories.

As of Saturday night, the activists, who are housed at Givon prison in Ramle and the Ela prison in Beersheba, were awaiting deportation.

The group, made up of 76 women and 48 men, include people from the US, Spain, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

It is unclear how many will agree to depart the country willingly and how many will refuse.

Activists said that 50 to 100 of their comrades made it through passport control and into the country.

An attorney from the Al-Damir Association for Human Rights, and NGO protecting prisoner’s rights, spoke with some of the activists in Ramle on Saturday, as part of legal appeal on their behalf against the deportations.

Police and the Interior Ministry expressed satisfaction after stopping hundreds of activists suspected of planning disturbances from entering the country.

Police had mobilized hundreds of undercover and uniformed officers at Ben-Gurion Airport to meet any activists who might have circumvented the no-entry bans.

Israel Police Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino said his officers “succeeded in meeting the mission set by the government.”

Very few Israeli activists came to the airport to greet the international arrivals. They entered the airport by pretending to be meeting legitimate passengers.

Once in the Terminal 3 arrivals hall, they held up signs that said, “Welcome to Palestine” and shouted slogans.

Police and hecklers immediately surrounded them. Police took away six of the Israeli activists in a van, arresting three of them. Jerusalem Post reporter Larry Derfner was shoved into the van by mistake, but was immediately released when he showed his press card.

But most of the attention of security personnel both in Israel and in the European airports was on the incoming flights, a number of which were delayed as a result of the extra measures.

The security operation reached its peak on Friday afternoon, when two passenger aircrafts, an EasyJet plane that flew in from Geneva, and an Alitalia plane from Rome, were diverted to Terminal 1 and met by police.

Officers checked each passenger to identify activists, sending ordinary passengers to customs at Terminal 3, and taking activists into custody for questioning.

At Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, 50 pro-Palestinian activists arrived at the Lufthansa terminal hoping to board a flight to Israel, and then refused to leave after they were banned from boarding the aircraft, Israel Radio reported.

Olivia Zemour, leader of the EuroPalestine organization that was one of the organizers of the “air flotilla,” said the no-entry list had 347 names on it.

“Charles de Gaulle Airport is under Israeli occupation. We are peaceful people and have no interest in causing disorder at Ben-Gurion Airport,” Zemour was quoted by Israel Radio as saying.

In Geneva, EasyJet refused to let 30 activists board a flight to Israel.

“The presence of undercover and overt forces at the airport has prevented many who sought to disturb public order from heading [to Israel],” Aharonovitch said on Friday.

“Police also mobilized extra forces at the Temple Mount and along the Green Line to prevent any disturbances.”

Whose coalition will break first, Kadafi's or NATO?"

2011-07-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

NATO Bombing civilian targets in Libya

Burssels : Despite some rebel gains against Kadafi regime, Western allies fear their coalition may split before he is ousted. And pressure for a negotiated settlement may leave Kadafi with some leverage. NATO victory looks still elusive after 15 weeks of bombing and Western allies arrayed against Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi are racing to crack his regime before their own coalition fractures.
Even as Libyan rebel fighters begin to show improvement and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization increases airstrikes in the western part of the country, signs of friction have appeared within NATO. Members have expressed concern about declining munitions inventories and warned that the costs and stresses of the campaign cannot be sustained.

The eight nations shouldering the military burden have been pushing in vain for the other 20 NATO members to take on a larger role. Behind the scenes, meanwhile, major players disagree among themselves on the best strategy. The urgent desire for a breakthrough has caused some members to take riskier steps in the hopes of defeating Kadafi quickly, including airdrops of weapons to rebels, which the French military recently announced it had carried out.

Several signs of discontent have become public. In the Netherlands, Defense Minister Hans Hillen complained last week of "mission creep" and suggested that the campaign's advocates were deluded in believing they could crush Kadafi.

"People who thought that merely by throwing some bombs it would not only help the people, but also convince Kadafi that he could step down or alter his policy were a little bit naive," Hillen told reporters in Brussels.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini scolded the coalition over the accidental killing of civilians and called for a cease-fire — a step that U.S., British and French officials say would allow Kadafi to regroup.

In Washington, the Obama administration faces pressure from Republicans as well as antiwar Democrats. A GOP-sponsored measure to curb U.S. participation failed in a vote on the House floor, partly because some Republicans felt it wasn't restrictive enough.

Norway, whose small air force has carried out a disproportionate 10% of the strikes with six fighter planes, last month became the first country to set an end date to its role. The government has been facing calls for withdrawal from its leftist coalition partners. Norway's Defense Ministry said it planned to reduce its contribution to four fighters and to withdraw entirely by 1st August.

Senior European and American officials insist there has always been such dissent over NATO campaigns and that the players who count remain firmly committed. The alliance formally agreed last month to extend the mission, originally planned for 90 days, for another three months.

Officials and outside observers also acknowledge that pressure is growing for the coalition to deliver a knockout blow. If not, the Western powers, under acute economic stress and struggling with other military obligations, might have to negotiate an exit on terms that could leave Kadafi some leverage.

"All the countries are watching an economic and political time clock," said Jorge Benitez, a veteran NATO watcher at the Atlantic Council of the United States. "The question is: Whose coalition will break first, Kadafi's or NATO?"

NATO also faces pressure from outside the alliance. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov said Monday that his nation and NATO "so far don't see eye to eye" on how the alliance is implementing the U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the campaign in Libya, the Russia 24 TV channel reported.

The UN has given mandate to NATO to only implement No fly zone over Libya and protect civilians from air assaults but NATO and West has consistently violated the UN mandate and attacked civilian buildings and killed civilians along with rebels it self in the name of friendly fire.