ALERT Iran reach 4,000 Centrifuges, IRNA
U.S.-Pakistan Top officials meet on Border Violence
Assad not serious about peace, Israel
Rafsanjani criticizes Ahmadinejad
Iraq's Kurdish-Arab Conflict Heightens
Saturday, August 30, 2008
LA TIMES: Hezbollah warlord was an enigma [Syrian role in Mughniyah's death?]
FEATURE ARTICLE
Imad Mughniyah was one of the most hunted men in the world. Western security forces spent 25 years pursuing the Hezbollah warlord...On the evening of Feb. 12, he left a safe house in the Kfar Soussa neighborhood of Damascus, a warren of nearly identical towers that house the employees and headquarters of Syria's vast intelligence apparatus. He had just held a sit-down with a Syrian spy chief and was preparing for a secret meeting that night with President Bashar Assad, Western anti-terrorism officials say. Seconds after Mughniyah got behind the wheel of his sport utility vehicle, an explosion incinerated him...
...The likeliest scenario is that Israel eliminated him. But the aftermath has reinforced signs of potential Syrian involvement and exposed tensions among Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, Western officials say...
...He was uniquely placed in that triumvirate because of close ties to Iran, particularly the Revolutionary Guard...Despite official claims, Syrian leaders knew he was in Damascus in February, Western officials say...The meeting in Kfar Soussa took place at a safe house used by Syrian intelligence near a well-guarded Iranian school, an area where Syrian spies work and live, officials say...
..."Mughniyah had had a busy day," a Western anti-terrorism official said. "And he was heading to meet Assad when he was killed." Syrian officials declined to comment. But the aftermath offered a rare look at apparent tensions among Syria, Iran and Hezbollah. Syria's deputy foreign minister popped up in Tehran. Iran's foreign minister announced a joint investigation. One of Mughniyah's widows denounced the Syrians as "traitors," suggesting that they had a hand in the killing, then retracted the remark...
...Why would Syria want to get rid of Mughniyah? One theory is that the U.S. and Israel exerted pressure on Damascus. They had leverage: an international court's pending investigation of Syrian leaders in the assassination of Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri in 2005. Assad's innermost circle may have decided to accept a hit on Mughniyah in exchange for protection from indictments and for improved relations with the West, officials and experts say...
...A simpler theory: Mughniyah somehow crossed his Syrian patrons and paid for it...
...Israel does not confirm or deny having a role in the slaying. Iran and Hezbollah face a strategic dilemma, experts say. A rash move against Israel could bring foreign condemnation, even military action. And Iran must consider the potential effect on high-stakes negotiations over its nuclear program..."Hezbollah can strike all over," an Israeli security official said. "But they need an Iranian Embassy for support. It has been more than 10 years since they did something like that. They will have to consider if they want to go back to that era. If they do it now, we will hit them hard."...(LAT).
Full Article: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mysteryman31-2008aug31,0,5344334,full.story
IRAN/US/RUSSIA: Iran: Tensions between US and Russia behind nuclear push, says expert
...Sami Al-Faraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies, expressed concern in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI), after an announcement by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Ali-Reza Sheikh Attar. "Iran is certainly taking advantage of the crisis in relations between Moscow and Washington in order to develop its nuclear technology," he told AKI...Faraj said the Russians and the Iranians may have reached a political accord during the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Tashkent in Uzbekistan on Thursday...(AKI).
Full Article: http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2446741794
IRAN: Iran warns any attack would start 'world war'
A senior military commander warned on Saturday that any attack on Iran would start a new world war, as Tehran pressed on with its controversial nuclear drive despite the risk of further UN sanctions."Any aggression against Iran will start a world war," deputy chief of staff for defense publicity, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, said in a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA. Iran is under international pressure to halt uranium enrichment, a process which lies at the core of fears about Iran's nuclear program as it can make nuclear fuel as well as the fissile core of an atom bomb...(Alarabiya).
Full Article: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/08/30/55732.html
BAHRAIN NEWS AGENCY: HIS MAJESTY SUGGESTS A RAILWAY LINKS THE GULF WITH TURKEY
ESTABLISHING A RAILWAY LINKING THE GCC STATES WITH TURKEY IS A STRATEGIC VISION AT THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL LEVELS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE BOTH AT THE REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPHERES. HALF OF THIS GREAT PROJECT WAS CARRIED OUT BY SAUDI KINGDOM LEAVING THE OTHER HALF FOR GCC COUNTRIES TO DRAW THE LEGAL LAWS AND MECHANISMS THAT LINK THEM TO TURKEY...(BNA).
Full Article: http://english.bna.bh/?ID=72306
ITALY/LIBYA: Italy's Berlusconi in Libya to sign pact
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi arrived in Libya on Saturday to sign a “friendship pact” that expects Italy to pay billions of dollars in compensation to Libyans. Berlusconi is meeting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to sign the pact that covers “some billion dollars” in compensation for abuses committed during Italy's rule in Libya...(Gulf News).
Full Article: http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Libya/10241278.html
ISRAEL/HAMAS: Hamas to Israel: We won't compromise, we want 1,000 prisoners for Shalit
A spokesman for Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said that the Islamic group would not settle for a list of 450 Palestinian prisoners Israel will offer to release in exchange for captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, but will rather demand the release of more than 1,000 prisoners, according to a report published Saturday in the London-based Arabic language daily newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. Shalit has been held captive in the Gaza Strip, ruled by Hamas, since his abduction by militants in June 2006...(Haaretz).
Full Article: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1016532.html
LEBANON: Hezbollah entitled to retaliate for Imad
Hezbollah's Deputy Leader says retaliation for the assassination of the movement's top commander Imad Mughniyah is its legitimate right. Sheikh Naim Qassem also told Al-Manar TV that retaliation for the murder in Damascus of Imad Mugniyah "will come as a surprise to the Israelis when it happens". Although Israel denies any involvement in the February 12 assassination, the British daily Times reported that according to Israeli security sources the regime's spy agency Mossad had killed Mughnyiah. "We won't get into details, but the Israelis will be surprised," Sheikh Qassem said adding that “Should the situation on the border heat up once again, and war erupts, Israel would suffer even worse casualties than before"...(Press TV).
Full Article: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=68003§ionid=351020203
IRAN/AZERBAIJAN: Iran transits Azerbaijan oil to Europe
Azerbaijan has delivered its first oil cargo for transit through Iran after exports were disrupted by the recent Georgian conflict. The Republic of Azerbaijan will export between 5 and 10 thousand barrels of crude oil via Iran daily, according to an Iranian oil ministry official. Azerbaijan delivered the first cargo to the National Iranian Oil Terminals Company (OTC) last week, said Moosa Suri, OTC managing director, Shana news agency reported on Saturday...(Press TV).
Full Article: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=67975§ionid=351020103
YEMEN/MALAYSIA: Malaysian tanker hijacked in Gulf of Aden
Pirates have hijacked a tanker and its 41 crew members off Yemen's coast in the Gulf of Aden, the owner said Saturday. It was the second tanker owned by MISC Berhard to be hijacked in the gulf in the last 10 days, and maritime officials said Somali pirates are believed to be behind both attacks. There have been eight hijackings in the gulf since July 20...(AP).
Full Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080830/ap_on_re_af/somalia_piracy
Friday, August 29, 2008
IRAN PRESS TV: Third US warship bound for Black Sea
The USS Mount Whitney, considered one of the most advanced warships in the world, is expected to arrive in the Black Sea early in September. The warship will become the US' third in the Black Sea as the guided missile destroyer USS McFaul and the USS Taylor frigate are already in the region. The USS Mount Whitney, flagship of the US 6th Fleet, "is going to swing by in Suda Bay (Crete) and pick up humanitarian supplies and will probably not arrive before some time next week," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman, without naming where the ship is to dock...(Press TV).
Full Article: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=67909§ionid=3510203
TURKEY: AKP representative at Democratic Congress
Deputy chairman of the Justice and Development party, or AKP, and Istanbul deputy Egemen Bağış met with Richard Holbrooke of the U.S. Democratic Party's foreign affairs team as well as several members of the U.S. House of Representatives in Denver yesterday. Bağış was representing the AKP at the Democratic National Congress in Denver, where he also listened to speeches by former President Bill Clinton, 2004 presidential hopeful John Kerry, and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright...(Turkish Daily News).
Full Article: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=113972
U.S./IRAQ: U.S. to arm Faluja police despite government objections
The United States has pledged to supply the police force in the once violent Falluja city with weapons. The move comes as the Shiite-controlled government is reportedly reluctant to boost the fighting capability of police forces in the predominantly Sunni areas. The government is openly resisting U.S. pressure to supplement the poorly trained and equipped police in Faluja and other Sunni-dominated regions with new recruits and weapons...(Azzaman via Iraq Updates).
Full Article: http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/35814
IRAN: Smaller companies enter Iran market
Small and medium-sized companies are entering Iran’s market to replace big companies that have scaled down their operation to avoid sanctions, western diplomats say...There has also been a 24 per cent rise in the value of its total imports during the first four months of this Iranian year (March 20-July 21)...Three rounds of UN sanctions have largely hit individuals and companies said to be involved in nuclear- and arms-related activities without banning daily trade and non-nuclear investment...
...The biggest recent deal, worth €100m ($147m, £80m), was signed by Germany’s engineering company Steiner Prematechnik Gastec this month to build equipment for three gas conversion plants in Iran. This is at a time when France’s Total, Royal Dutch Shell and Norway’s Statoil have withdrawn from multi-billion-dollar contracts. “We are shifting from big companies to smaller companies, from big countries to smaller countries and from Europe to Asia,” said Mr Fakheri.
Diplomats argue that sanctions have made trade more expensive for Iran, pushing up the value of imports on top of global inflation...(FT.com).
Full Article: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d20d0210-7523-11dd-ab30-0000779fd18c.html
IRAN: Report: 4,000 centrifuges in Iran nuclear program
ALERT
Iran's official IRNA news agency says the government now has nearly 4,000 centrifuges operating in its uranium enrichment plant. IRNA also quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Reza Sheikh Attar as saying Iran is installing 3,000 more centrifuges at the plant in Natanz. Iran says it plans to move toward large-scale uranium enrichment that will ultimately involve 54,000 centrifuges. The U.S. and its allies have been demanding a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment — something Tehran has repeatedly refused to do. Washington accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear program is geared merely toward generating electricity...(AP).
Full Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080829/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear
ISRAEL/SYRIA: Israel: Assad not serious about peace
Syria's rush to take advantage of the conflict in Georgia and the Russia-US rift to cozy up to Moscow seems to indicate that it is not interested in serious negotiations with Israel even with US participation, diplomatic officials in Jerusalem said on Thursday. The officials' comments came amid speculation that Israel and Syria would not renew indirect talks in Turkey next week, as scheduled, until after French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Damascus next Wednesday and Thursday...David Ignatius of The Washington Post wrote Wednesday that advisers to Assad, as well as top French officials, said Syria would be ready for direct peace talks with Israel if the US and France would serve as co-sponsors. According to the report, Damascus would like to see a clear signal from the Bush administration that it supports the peace process. But Israeli diplomatic officials said that if indeed the Syrians were interested in intense US involvement, they had a strange way of showing it...(JPost).
Full Article: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219913192414&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
IRAN: Rafsanjani Criticizes Ahmadinejad's Failure To Advance Privatization In Iran
Hashemi Rafsanjani, the main political rival of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has accused him of failing to advance the privatization policy in Iran, and stated that Ahmadinejad has turned Iran's economy into a completely state-based one. Rafsanjani added, "After Ahmadinejad was elected president, [Iranian Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei asked us to be patient with the economic policy... but after his three years in office, our patience has run out, in light of his lack of privatization policy. An Iranian source told the London paper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that it is straw companies connected to the government that are actually running the Iranian economy, and added that since Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005, relations between Rafsanjani and Khamenei have cooled, and they do not meet regularly...(THE MEMRI BLOG).
Full Article: http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9482.htm
Related Articles:
- Iranian Source: Khamenei Preferred Jannati Over Rafsanjani (THE MEMRI BLOG)
YA LIBNAN: Lebanese cabinet to meet over Helicopter attack
05:39 The cabinet will meet today to discuss the Hezbollah attack against in the Lebanese army helicopter that led to the killing of Army pilot 1st Lt. Samer Hanna and the appointment of army general . It is almost certain that the army chief will be appointed today...
06:56 sadaa al Balad : Hezbollah denied any relationship with the shooting of the army helicopter and the killing of Army pilot 1st Lt. Samer Hanna...(YA LIBNAN).
Featured in YA LIBNAN: Friday News Briefs
Full Article: http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/08/friday_news_bri_12.php
Thursday, August 28, 2008
U.S./PAKISTAN: U.S.-Pakistani Brainstorming on Border Violence
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff secretly convened a highly unusual meeting of senior American and Pakistani commanders on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to discuss how to combat the escalating violence along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan...the star-studded list of participants and the extreme secrecy surrounding the talks underscored how gravely both nations regard the growing militant threat. The leading actors in the daylong conference were Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, chief of staff of the Pakistani Army...
...The meeting was prompted by a series of ominous developments: continuing political turmoil in Pakistan, increasingly deadly attacks against Afghan and Western targets in Afghanistan and American complaints that the Pakistani military has been ineffective in stemming the flow of militants who launch attacks in Afghanistan from Pakistani havens...
...Admiral Mullen met with General Kayani just a month ago in Islamabad, Pakistan. It was then that this week’s meeting was scheduled, the military official said. In Islamabad, he said, Admiral Mullen had bluntly warned General Kayani that Pakistan had to do more to combat militants in the restive tribal areas. The gathering aboard the Abraham Lincoln was less confrontational in tone, aides said. “It was one of those meetings to help clear up the situation, get an understanding of the issues, and look for a way forward,” said a senior Pakistani officer briefed on the discussions...(NY TIMES).
Full Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/washington/28policy.html
LEBANON: Souaid: Hizbullah Setting No Fly Zones and Demarcating Borders with Lebanon
March 14 coordinator Faris Souaid on Thursday criticized the attack on a Lebanese Army helicopter in south Lebanon and blamed it on Hizbullah. "Is it the process of demarcating borders between the state of Lebanon and the Hizbullah state?" Souaid asked in reference to the attack on the military helicopter that was launched from a Hizbullah stronghold. "Did Hizbullah try to set a red line for the Lebanese Army on Lebanese territories?" he added. "We ask all these questions today and we wait for the outcome of the investigation," Souaid added after receiving U.S. state department official in charge of Lebanon David Hale. He said the Lebanese Army should not be in a position to ask for permission to carry out any assignment on Lebanese territory...(Naharnet).
Full Article: http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&E1F2A229F092E892C22574B300579DB9
LEBANON: Army Contains Sectarian Clash in Akkar Village
ALERT
Army units moved in to contain clashes between rival gunmen in the northern village of Sheikh Lar on Thursday, security sources reported. The sources said one person was wounded in the clash, but failed to identify him. The clash in the remote village of the Akkar Province broke out between gunmen from feuding sectarian communities due to differences over a local shrine. The clash coincided with mounting tension in north Lebanon between supporters of Hizbullah and partisans of the Mustaqbal Movement...(Naharnet).
Full Article: http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&38E7477A14EF9050C22574B3006372CD
LEBANON: Lebanese army helicopter struck by gunfire, forced to land
ALERT
A Lebanese army helicopter was hit by gunfire in south Lebanon on Thursday, forcing it to land, the military said. The helicopter came under fire from "armed elements" while on a training mission over the district of Iqlim Al Touffah, the Lebanese army said in a statement. The pilot, identified as First Lieutenant Samer Hanna, was killed in the attack. The aircraft was hit and forced to crash land in the village of Sujoud in the southern border region, the statement said.
It is not clear who fired at the helicopter, but an investigation is underway...(Gulf News).
Full Article: http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Lebanon/10240737.html
EGYPT/GAZA: Egypt Uncovers Tunnels With U.S. Equipment
Egypt says it has uncovered 140 tunnels connecting the Sinai Peninsula with the Gaza Strip using advanced American equipment, Israel Radio reported on Wednesday.This information was relayed to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak by the Egyptian Defense Minister Muhammad Hussein Tantawi and Intelligence chief ‘Umar Suleiman during Barak’s recent visit to Egypt. The U.S. has recently been testing tunnel detection systems along Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip and a team of U.S. military engineers was sent to train Egyptian forces to operate the equipment. Egyptian soldiers have also been trained in courses in the U.S. for this purpose. The Bush administration approved spending $23 million on such equipment to help detect the tunnels...(The Media Line).
Full Article: http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=22542
IRAQ: Iraq's Kurdish-Arab Conflict Heightens
Hundreds of Iraqi Arabs demonstrated Tuesday in Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, against turning the Kirkuk province into part of Iraqi Kurdistan. The demonstrators warned they would rather die than give up Kirkuk. The protestors sent a letter to Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki threatening to turn to violence in order to "protect Kirkuk's Arabness," the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-'Arabi reported...The oil-rich Kirkuk province located north of Baghdad lies at the center of what might turn into a bloody conflict between Kurds and Arabs in Iraq...Meanwhile, 30 Iraqis, most of whom were Arabs, were killed in a suicide attack in Jaloula, according to the London-based daily Al-Hayyat. The attack was executed near a police station in the city, located north east of Baghdad...(The Media Line).
Full Article: http://themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=22540
Related Articles:
- Shi'ite Arab Tribes Threaten To Defend Kirkuk's Arabness By Force (THE MEMRI BLOG)
ARAB LEAGUE: Arab League Sec'y Opposes Separate Dialogue Between Iran, Western Powers
Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa has said that he is opposed to Iran maintaining a dialogue with the six superpowers on regional security separately from the rest of the states in the region. He said that ideally Syria should stand with the Arab countries, and together with them must take a unified stand regarding Iran's policy and must conduct a dialogue with Iran on the Arab interests...(THE MEMRI BLOG).
Full Article: http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9433.htm
ISRAEL/GAZA: Israel to reopen Gaza crossings, let in Palestinians for medical care
Israel will open border crossings with the Gaza Strip Thursday morning and permit Palestinians requiring medical treatment to enter Israel via the Erez crossing...(Haaretz).
Full Article: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1016077.html
VENEZUELA/LEBANON: Fears Venezuela Could Become Hizbullah Base
Fears run high that Venezuela could become a base of operations for Hizbullah, the Los Angeles Times has reported. It said Western anti-terrorism officials say they are concerned Hizbullah may use Venezuela as a base of operations. It quoted a U.S. government terrorism expert as saying that Hizbullah may try to take advantage of Venezuela's ties with Iran to move "people and things" into the Americas. As part of his anti-American foreign policy, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has established warm diplomatic relations with Iran and has traveled there several times...(Naharnet).
Full Article: http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&CEB1B2654B863338C22574B300228ED0
YA LIBNAN: Kouchner very concerned about situation in Lebanon
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told reporters in Paris on Thursday that he was concerned about the situation in Lebanon. Kouchner said that he was particularly worried by Hezbollah’s speeches and the recent violence in Tripoli. However, Kouchner said that change cannot occur immediately, and that, in general, things were improving. Kouchner said that he was told by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad that diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria would be established by 2009. He said that until evidence to the contrary was shown, France would trust Syria’s promises on the matter...(YA LIBNAN).
Featured in YA LIBNAN: Thursday News Briefs
Full Article: http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2008/08/thursday_news_b_11.php
HEADLINES 08.27.08
Syria, Iran warm to Russia as US tensions grow
Turkey to buy S-300 missile system from Belarus and Ukraine
Hezbollah's next victory over Israel indisputable, Nasrallah
Turks don't like Obama's choice for VP
Syrian FM: No headway in peace talks with IsraelKhamenei backs Ahmadinejad
LEBANON: Arrest Warrant for Kadhafi over Sadr Disappearance
Lebanon has issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammer Kadhafi over the disappearance 30 years ago of senior Shiite Muslim cleric Imam Moussa Sadr after a visit to Libya, officials said.Kadhafi was also indicted for allegedly "inciting the abduction" of Sadr, the spiritual guide of Lebanon's Shiite community, investigating magistrate Samih el-Hajj said in a charge sheet. An "arrest warrant" was issued for Kadhafi and six other Libyan suspects who were also indicted for taking part in the alleged abduction, according to a copy of the charge sheet obtained by AFP...(Naharnet).
Full Article: http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&10BBEA1BF1EFE818C22574B30018BD28
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
RUSSIA/MIDEAST: Syria, Iran warm to Russia as US tensions grow
Syria's President Bashar Al Assad has publicly stepped up his outreach to old ally Russia in recent days, seeking aid to build up Syrian military forces and offering Moscow help in return, in an apparent effort to exploit a new Russian-American rift...Syria's long-term aim, however, remains unclear, in part because Assad also continues to pursue peace efforts with Israel - a key US and European goal - even as he makes overtures to Russia that are sure to antagonise the West. Syria has a long history of apparently contradictory diplomatic moves as it manoeuvres to find options and balance its interests.
...Yet the latest Syrian moves feed directly into larger Western fears that the Russian-American standoff - prompted by Russia's invasion of Georgia - could lead Russia to provide more military and diplomatic aid to a host of countries and militant groups the United States sees as troublesome...
...Some military officials in Iran have, like Syria, openly supported Russian actions in Georgia, although Iran's Foreign Ministry called the clashes merely a result of miscalculations by "powers" and called for dialogue. Some Iranian media have gone further, asserting Russia is now less likely to back US-led efforts to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear programme...(AP via Gulf News).
Full Article: http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Syria/10240471.html
DEBKAfile REPORTS: Hizballah high-up falls to his death at rocket pad on Israeli border
The geography of the accident Tuesday, Aug. 26, belied the reiterated claims of Israeli ministers and UN officials that Hizballah’s rockets had been pushed back from the Lebanese-Israeli border, under the terms of the Resolution 1701 ceasefire which ended the 2006 Lebanon War. Jamal Amin Salah, 51, a Hizballah operations executive, stood on the rooftop of a building at the Lebanese Yaroun village, less than half a kilometer from the Israeli border. He was discussing with his men how far inside Israeli territory the rockets installed at the launch pads in the village could reach, when he fell to his death. DEBKAfile’s military sources confirm that, not only has Hizballah returned to its old positions on the Israeli border - contradicting statements by prime minister Ehud Olmert and defense minister Ehud Barak - but the Iran-backed Shiite terrorists are working feverishly on the construction of a new line of fortified military positions, including rocket-launching pads, right on top of the Israeli border fence...(DEBKAfile).
Full Article: http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5539
PAKISTAN: Stock market plunges amid amid political uncertainty
Shares on Pakistan's main Karachi Stock Exchange plunged to a 26-month low on Wednesday as continuing political upheaval shook investor confidence. The benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange index of 100 key shares closed down 3.03 percent at 9,144.93 points, after earlier falling below the psychological barrier of 8,999.36 points, a low point last seen in June 2006. Shares in the country's two largest banks, the Habib Bank, and the MCB Bank Ltd were among 73 leading stocks that were hard hit by market losses...(AKI).
Full Article: http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Business/?id=1.0.2440211141
SYRIA: Mua'alem rejects US concerns over potential arms buildup
Syria's foreign minister yesterday rejected US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's expressed concern over a potential arms buildup by the Middle Eastern country. Walid Mua'alem said Rice should "look after her own interests" and that "she has nothing to do with Syria." Rice said on Monday that the region should be concerned about the potential for major new military sales to Syria by Russia at a time when the Middle Eastern country is engaged in indirect peace talks with Israel...Mua'alem will today sign a memorandum of understanding with Cypriot counterpart Markos Kyprianou on "bilateral political consultations." He will also sign an agreement to abolish visa requirements for diplomats...(AP via Gulf News).
Full Article: http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Syria/10240260.html
LEBANON: 'Reporters Without Borders' Condemns Hizbullah Restrictions On Foreign Correspondents
The Reporters Without Borders organization has condemned Hizbullah's restrictions on foreign journalists' movements, including requiring them to obtain permission from Hizbullah's information bureau. The condemnation followed Hizbullah's August 15 hours-long detention of three Brazilian journalists working on a story on a restaurant in the Dahiya area, and its August 12 three-hour detention of a French journalist, also in the Dahiya area, during which the journalist was interrogated...(THE MEMRI BLOG).
Full Article: http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9437.htm
LEBANON: Islamists Protest in Downtown Beirut
Relatives of alleged Islamic extremists staged a protest in downtown Beirut on Tuesday to demand the release of their family members. During the rally at Nejmeh Square, about 200 protesters shouted Islamic slogans and waved black flags and banners, steps away from parliament which was in session. One banner lamented that with parliamentary elections due next year, "sons of the Sunni faith are behind prison bars."...(Naharnet).
Full Article: http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&3B82174221C78CA2C22574B1003D11CC
PAKISTAN: Coalition collapse a "huge setback", say experts
...Farzana Shaikh, associate fellow from the London think-tank Chatham House, said the high expectations generated by February's general elections had been dashed in Pakistan.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who heads the Pakistan Muslim League-N on Monday announced he was withdrawing from the coalition with the Pakistan People's Party...The leader of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, has since appealed to Sharif to rejoin the coalition which has been seeking agreement on the reinstatement of the judiciary and consensus on a candidate to replace former President Pervez Musharraf...(AKI).
Full Article: http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.2437269921
ALERGIA: Algeria fears tightening grip of al-Qaeda
Following one of the most violent weeks in Algeria for years, speculation is likely to intensify about the strength of an Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda and the security forces' ability to counter militants that have been using increasingly sophisticated and deadly means of attack. Although no group has claimed responsibility for either the suicide car bomb attack on a police academy on Tuesday or the two car bombings the following day - that time remotely detonated - the killings bore the hallmarks of a group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)...
...Yazid Zehrouni, the interior minister, said the attacks suggested extremist groups were "riddled with internal problems and are mainly aiming to raise internal troop morale". But the authorities have previously claimed to have weakened AQIM - only for it to launch new attacks. This has led some Algerians to question the ability of the security services to combat the threat...
...Critics say the programme had prompted troops and police to ask why they should bother to risk their lives when insurgents could give up and rejoin society at any time."The time has come to change the country's course and renounce this ambivalent policy with Islamism . . . Algerians do not have the impression the state is throwing all its resources into this fight," wrote Omar Belhouchet, editor of the daily El Watan...(FT.com).
Full Article: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a39496f6-6fe1-11dd-986f-0000779fd18c.html
U.S. ELECTIONS/IRAN: Iranian Press TV At DNC Talks To Leading Figures Jimmy Carter, John Kerry, Others
Iranian Press TV is covering the Democratic National Convention. On the first day, correspondent Jihan Hafiz talked to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, and others...(THE MEMRI BLOG).
Full Article: http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9427.htm
VIDEO (MEMRI on YouTube):
PAKISTAN: Curfew imposed in NW Pakistan after militant attack
Pakistani authorities imposed a curfew in the main town of a violence-plagued region near Afghanistan on Wednesday after militants attacked a military post, as violence hit several other points across the country. Militant violence has increased in nuclear-armed Pakistan over recent weeks while ruling coalition parties have been distracted by infighting and the resignation last week of staunch U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf as president..."The curfew has been imposed for an indefinite period," said Shahab Ali Shah, the top government official in the region...(Reuters).
Full Article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL257579.htm
ISRAEL/U.S.: Rice calls for Israeli restraint as settlement activity rises
Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, yesterday urged Israel not to undermine peace efforts with the Palestinians after a report found it had almost doubled its settlement building in the West Bank this year. Ms Rice, who is visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories in a bid to spur progress in the faltering peace talks, said: "I think it's no secret, and I have said it to my Israeli counterparts, that I don't think that settlement activity is helpful."...(FT.com).
Full Article: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5149b1fa-73cf-11dd-8a66-0000779fd18c.html
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
IRAN: Iran: Submarine Factory Reported
In the latest of a string of announcements on Iran’s military capacity, Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar said Monday that Iran had begun a submarine production line to equip its army for protecting the important oil shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz on the Persian Gulf, the Fars news agency reported. Mr. Najar said the submarine being built was capable of firing missiles and torpedoes. Weapons experts have said that some Iranian claims are exaggerated...(NY TIMES).
Full Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/world/middleeast/26briefs-SUBMARINEFAC_BRF.html
PAKISTAN: Pakistan presidential candidate Asif Ali Zardari 'suffering from severe mental problems'
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto and himself a leading contender for the country's presidency, was suffering from severe mental illness as recently as last year, it has been reported. Mr Zardari, co-chair of the Pakistan People's Party, was diagnosed with a range of psychiatric illnesses, including dementia, major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The illnesses were said to be linked to the fact that he has spent 11 of the past 20 years in Pakistani prisons fighting charges of corruption. He claims to have been tortured during his incarceration...(Telegraph.co.uk).
IRAQ: Maliki confirms deadline for US pull-out
Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq prime minister, said yesterday that the Bush administration had agreed to withdraw all US troops from the country by the end of 2011. Speaking before a gathering of tribal leaders in the heavily fortified green zone in Baghdad, Mr Maliki for the first time confirmed the deadline for a troop withdrawal, which is included in a draft US-Iraqi security agreement. US and Iraqi officials said last week that negotiators had reached an agreement for the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraqi cities by next year, and then for the rest to pull out by 2011 if the security situation was stable enough...(FT.com).
Full Article: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d5d40620-7305-11dd-983b-0000779fd18c.html
GULF NEWS: Will Biden be good for Arabs?
Many Arabs were flabbergasted, and many others felt indifferent when they heard the news of Senator Barack Obama's picking Joe Biden as his running mate for next November presidential elections. The majority of ordinary Arabs, analysts in the region said, were pinning their hopes on Obama to change Washington's foreign policy in the Middle East, which many view as anti-Arab and pro-Israel...However, picking Biden, whose views on certain regional issues such as dividing Iraq along sectarian lines and his staunch support for Israel, have disappointed Arabs who believe this means there will be no change if Obama becomes president. However, they trust that Obama is not a "war" president....The news of Biden as Obama's pick covered the front pages of many regional newspapers, along with detailed reports of his positions on regional issues. In Baghdad, some Iraqi politicians expressed "frustration" with the pick of Biden...(Gulf News).
Full Article: http://archive.gulfnews.com/region/Middle_East/10240116.html
U.K.: Revealed: Britain's secret propaganda war against al-Qaida
A Whitehall counter-terrorism unit is targeting the BBC and other media organisations as part of a new global propaganda push designed to "taint the al-Qaida brand", according to a secret Home Office paper seen by the Guardian. The document also shows that Whitehall counter-terrorism experts intend to exploit new media websites and outlets with a proposal to "channel messages through volunteers in internet forums" as part of their campaign...The government campaign is based upon the premise that al-Qaida is waning worldwide and can appear vulnerable on issues such as declining popularity; its rejection by credible figures, especially religious ones, and details of atrocities...(Guardian.co.uk).
Full Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/26/alqaida.uksecurity?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
Headlines 08.25.08
Turkey to buy S-300 missile system from Belarus and Ukraine
Hezbollah's next victory over Israel indisputable, Nasrallah
Turks don't like Obama's choice for VP
Iran, Russia discuss Nuke plant launch
Iran's Army finishes stealth maneuvers
Monday, August 25, 2008
Iran News Round Up (Aug. 25): Russian nuclear chief to Bushehr; Ahmadinejad wants credit for nuclear achievements; Mashayee affair continues; Sistani
From Office of Michael Rubin at AEI
[Thanks to Ali Alfoneh for his compilation; (E) signifies English link]
Politics
· Hamid Mowlana, American University professor and newly-appointed advisor to president Ahmadinejad, says the executive affairs of the Iranian press should be taken over by the mosques.
· Following the Mashayee affair, Ahmadinejad takes an "emergency trip" to Qom to appease the Grand Ayatollahs.
o Friday prayer leader of Delijan in Markazi province says he will not allow Ahmadinejad to enter the city before dismissing Mashayee.
· Despite the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's recent declaration of support for the Ahmadinejad government, Agah-Sazi supports Rafsanjani's criticism of Ahmadinejad's policies.
o Government spokesman Elham accuses parliamentary speaker Larijani of "enmity towards the government."
· In a sarcastic article, Asr-e Iran publishes the "secret report" of "a secret official committee" which has identified the eight reasons behind Iran's fiasco at the Beijing Olympics, and concludes by blaming reformists.
· Regarding Nateq-Nouri's political future as representative of the Principalist Alliance, the former parliamentary speaker says he is an old man and young people should do such things.
· Iranian Nobel Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi insults the late Shah of Iran and refutes any report that she ever supported the Shah or the Pahlavi regime.
· Speaking to the clergy in Markazi province, Ahmadinejad says some "opportunists and charlatans try to take the credit for the nuclear achievements of the government," but the Irnaian president stressed that the sole party responsible for the "honor of Iran and Iranians is my [Ahmadinejad's] government."
o Ahmadinejad also said elements criticizing his government do not want to accept the conditions of the "cultural revolution."
o Ahmadinejad adds: "In our time, world powers try to monopolize globalization now that they can't stop globalization of mankind, but it is our duty and our mission to guide mankind to the radiant peaks, and the secret behind it is connecting the mankind to the Imam of the Era."
o Ahmadinejad adds: "some are engaged in a campaign of lies and propaganda and try to present a violent and unfitting picture of the Imam of the Era...The widespread claim that two-thirds of the mankind will fall by the sword of the Imam of the Era before society can be reformed is a lie and propaganda. [They say such things] in order to prevent mankind to listen to the true message of the Imam of the Era, which [they know] would transform [the masses]."
Diplomacy
· Asr-e Iran reports anti-Iranian campaign in Iraq: "Insulting placards accusing Iran of exporting terrorists to Iraq."
· Speaking to the families of martyrs in Markazi province, President Ahmadinejad says he has had a conversation with a U.S. journalist in which he asked the journalist what is wrong with the U.S., and what disease the U.S. suffers from since it is nagging constantly. Referring to his recent trip to Istanbul, the Iranian president claimed the "banner of Iran is flying high in those places and where ever I went, people shouted God is Great, echoing the slogans of the Iranian nation."
o Ahmadinejad also assured the public that the world soon will celebrate the "collapse of Zionists and the colonizers." Ahmadinejad also assured his public that the reason behind the "anger of the world devourers" against Iran is because the Iranian nation has "raised the banner of Imam Hussein and your slogan is the same as that of Imam Hussein at the day of 'Ashura." The president concluded his speech by saying he prays to God that the U.S. always sanctions Iran.
· (E) Former CIA official bashes U.S. policies to Iranian press.
Nuclear Issue
· (E) Russian nuclear chief to visit Bushehr.
· (E) Iran designing 2nd nuclear reactor.
Military and Security
· Agah-Sazi News Agency commemorates assassination of Evin Prison chief Lajevardi in five articles (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5).
· Islamic Republic Armed Forces Command Council chief Firouz-Abadi praises the policies of the Iranian president.
· Lebanese Hezbollah spokesman Nawaf al-Mousavi says in case Israel initiates a war against Lebanon it will be "its last war."
· (E) Iran will launch "topography" satellite.
· (E) Iran begins new submarine production.
Religion, Culture, and Society
· 98 percent of Iranian citizens have received a "National ID Card."
· Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani meets the press, denies rumors on illness.
· Kyrgyz officials claim 52 passengers of an airline crash were Iranian citizens.
o According to Shahab News, the crashed plane was a Boeing 737 rented by Iranian airliner Iran Aseman.
o (E) More, in English.
Economy
· (E) Iran to start its first charter airline.
Photo of the Day
· Supreme Leader receives cabinet ministers.
IRAN/U.S.: US air base being built near Iranian border
ALERT
The United States has reportedly begun constructing a new military base in Iraq's Kurdistan region not far from the Iranian border. According to the state-owned Press TV, the Kurdistan Regional Government has allocated 700 hectares of land near Iran's border for the construction of a large US-financed airport. The airport is to be built in a town called Halabja situated about 11 kilometres from the Iranian border in the northern Iraqi province of Sulaimaniyah, the Press TV website said on Monday. The site said there was speculation that the US wanted to establish an airbase close to the Iranian border for its forces. Iraqi Political Analyst Masud Abdulkhaliq says the construction of a civilian airport near the border raises many doubts, because of its size and location...(AKI).
Full Article: