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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Algeria jails 11 on terror-related charges

2010-01-11

(Magharebia) An Algerian court arraigned nine young men on charges of financing armed fighting groups in the Mascara region, El Watan reported on Sunday (January 10th). The suspects, all in their teens and twenties, were arrested last Wednesday in Mamounia. Three other alleged support network members remain at large.

In related news, an Algiers court sentenced two men to prison for charges of recruiting young men for al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Indian Army Major-General Runs Terrorist Camps Inside Afghanistan

Sunday, August 2, 2009
By OmEr Jamil

Indian Army Major-General Runs Terrorist Camps Inside Afghanistan

* India Begins To Scale Down The Activities Of Its ‘Diplomatic’ Outposts; Pakistan Is Yet To Verify This; Terrorism Against Pakistan Will Continue Until Kabul & New Delhi Surrender Brahamdagh Bugti & Other Terrorists
* 8 Spy Foreign Agencies Active In Balochistan; No One Paying Attention To The 9th one: Oman

By Ahmed Quraishi

26 July 26, 2009

Eight foreign intelligence agencies are meddling in Pakistani Balochistan. There is a 9th possible player: Oman, where US and UK and reportedly Israel maintain ‘listening and monitoring outposts’. But it is the wily Indians who walk away with the top prize. For seven years now, India has played the lead role in spreading terror inside Pakistani Balochistan. India’s reckless adventurism has emboldened other players. But it is also emboldening Pakistan to respond. India cannot get away with this and stealing Pakistan’s water in Kashmir.

KABUL, Afghanistan—As the United States military occupation of Afghanistan falters, regional powers move in for the kill. Afghanistan has many neighbors. India is not one of them. It does not share any borders with Afghanistan. But after CIA, India’s two intelligence services – the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) – are among the most active in the occupied country.

The Indians have excellent contacts within Karzai’s security setup. Most of them are former communist leaders who escaped to India in the 1970s and ‘80s and returned to power along with the Northern Alliance in 2001, backed by both US and India.

The Indians have also sold the Americans, or at least some key people within the American intelligence and strategic communities, on the dubious Indian ‘expertise’ on Afghanistan. This is how India was assigned an expanded role inside Afghanistan. The role takes the form of development work on the surface. But in reality, the Indians are neck deep in Afghanistan, and now it turns out they are neck deep inside western Pakistan as well.

The Indians have a separate, extensive intelligence and espionage setup focused on Pakistan’s tribal Pashtun belt. This is where the Indians and Karzai’s people are running a joint venture of pumping saboteurs into Pakistan disguised as the so-called ‘Pakistani Taliban’, who are also known as the Fake Taliban to differentiate them from the Afghan Taliban who are fighting the foreign armies in Afghanistan and are not fighting Pakistan.

This report focuses on India’s espionage work in southern Afghanistan targeting Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Apart from the Indian Embassy in Kabul, there are nine consulates strategically located in the US-occupied country.

India has two consulates in the south near Pakistan’s three key areas: the provinces of Balochistan and NWFP and the tribal belt. One Indian consulate is located in Kandahar. The other one is located close to the airport in Lashkar Gah, capital of the Helmand province. This Indian ‘consulate’ has a training facility where training is imparted to would-be terrorists. Here they are equipped and sent to Pakistan. Most of these terrorists are young men recruited from both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Indian ‘diplomats’ from the two southern consulates have been sighted collecting large quantities of Pakistani rupees from the open market on several occasions.

Interestingly, Helmand is the same province where the United States and the United Kingdom have mobilized their military and intelligence resources to fight al Qaeda and the Taliban and push them toward Pakistan.

From Pakistan’s point of view, this US-NATO operation is bogus. After all, the Afghan Taliban are registering success in Afghan provinces that are nowhere near the Pakistani border, including northern Afghanistan. There is no evidence that the Afghan Taliban managed to do this because of help from Pakistani soil. And yet US-NATO forces forget Taliban everywhere else and decide to focus on Helmand which borders Pakistani Balochistan, a province that is being destabilized from the Afghan soil.

Knowing that this operation could be used by intelligence operatives [Indian, Afghan and possibly even American] to push undercover agents and saboteurs inside Pakistan, Pakistani authorities formally objected to Washington over the military action noting very clearly that pushing terrorists inside Pakistan is not a solution.

On top of the nine Indian consulates, six more ‘diplomatic’ outposts have been established by both RAW and a Karzai spy outfit called NDS.

The six new ‘consulates’ are part of a network headed by a retired major-general from the Indian army. His CV shows that he used to head RAW’s counterintelligence wing based in New Delhi.

His job description is simple.

In intelligence parlance, he is responsible for identifying strategic opportunities in Afghanistan and Pakistan and use them to India’s advantage. He is expected to cultivate, recruit, train, arm and finance espionage and sabotage inside Pakistan in a calculated manner resulting in supporting India’s wider political and strategic objectives in the region.

In simple everyday language, the Indian officer is supposed to open enough fronts for Pakistan from the west in order to distract Pakistan’s grip and attention over Kashmir, the Indian occupied region to the east.

The Indian major-general has led an operation where young men from Pakistan and Afghanistan have been recruited in the name of waging jihad against America. Once in, the young men are brainwashed. They are shown violent speeches by supposed religious clerics. They are introduced to ‘mujahedeen leaders’ who enjoy vast knowledge in Islamic and Quranic teachings. Most of these ‘mujahedeen leaders’ are either Indian or Karzai’s intelligence people.

The brainwashing sessions include virulent sermons against Pakistan and its role in betraying Islam. The indoctrination ends with the mission that Pakistan needs to be the first target in the jihad against America. Whoever sides with Pakistan in this battle is a supporter of America’s occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

These young men with ‘messed up minds’ are then sent to Pakistan to carry out bombings, suicide attacks, targeted killings, and slaughter innocent people.

Most of them are introduced as Islamic militants or Taliban. But a large number of them are also sent in to pretend they are Pakistanis fighting for the separation of Balochistan from the motherland.

As soon as these terrorists finish blowing up pipelines or killing university professors in Balochistan’s provincial capital Quetta, Indian consulates in Afghanistan arrange for their Urdu writers to pen down neatly written statements in Urdu which are then dispatched to Pakistani news organizations. Some analysts who have had a chance to look at these statements are impressed by the high quality of the Urdu language used in these written press statements. [Non-Pakistani readers may not understand the significance of this point. A small minority in northeast India, a region that has been the seat of Muslim nobility and empire for most of the past ten centuries, continue to be well acquainted with Urdu, the language of the old Muslim nobility in the region. The terrorists spreading havoc in Pakistani Balochistan do not enjoy even a moderately acceptable command over this classical language. The only other people outside Pakistan who can show off a few experts in this language are Indians from the northwestern part of their country.]

Exploiting a barren, rough terrain, the Indians and Karzai’s security people have identified routes along three regions in southwest Pakistan – Dalbandin, Noshki and Chaman – as transportation routes for weapons and bombs smuggled into the province.

Pakistani security forces have consistently been confiscating US and Israeli manufactured weapons from terrorists in various parts of southwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.

Intelligence agencies from eight different countries are suspected to be active in the wave of terror inside Pakistan. These spy outfits belong to the United States, India, Afghanistan, Iran, UAE, Israel, Britain and Russia.

Pakistani authorities have been slow in discovering the role of a 9th country in this mix: Oman.

Oman is situated right across the Arabian Sea, facing the coastal line of Balochistan. Thanks to cross migrations between Oman and Pakistan over the past two centuries, a substantial portion of the Omani population is of Pakistani Baloch descent. They have traditionally worked for the security service and the army of successive Omani kings, including the incumbent, Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed.

At least two countries, the US and Britain, have intelligence ‘listening and monitoring outposts’ in Oman. There have been reports that Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed had also granted Israel the right to use his territory for discreet information gathering operations targeting neighboring countries, especially Iran and the region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. This area includes Pakistani Balochistan.

Apart from the Indians, Washington is known to be very interested in Balochistan. The Pakistani province offers the shortest land route to Afghanistan should Islamabad decide to cease support to NATO and US supply lines through the rest of Pakistan. The Americans are also suspicious that a hard-to-defeat Afghan Taliban are based in Balochistan.

The suspicion is that at some level Oman is helping US access Pakistani Balochistan without the knowledge of the Pakistani government.

The nine foreign intelligence agencies are in Afghanistan for various purposes. The American and the Omani roles have been explained. Karzai’s intelligence is simply ready to join any effort that harms Pakistan. The Indians want to punish Pakistan for supporting the struggle of the Kashmiri people against Indian occupation. India also wants to destabilize Balochistan enough so that China abandons the huge development projects inside the Pakistani province, an objective that the Americans would welcome without hesitation.

Iran is more concerned about the CIA-backed Jundullah terrorist group that is working on setting the Sunni Balochi population inside Iran against the Shiite majority. The Dubai emirate of the UAE has been told by the Indians that Pakistan’s Gwadar port in Balochistan is being developed as competition. There is also suspicion that some lobbies within the UAE are aligned with the American agenda on Iran, especially considering that Iran occupies three UAE islands. Pakistani Balochistan figures prominently in this agenda. I am referring to ‘lobbies inside the UAE’ because while Dubai is suspicious about Gwadar it is not interested in joining any anti-Iran effort. But Abu Dhabi, the other influential emirate in the UAE, is more susceptible to go along the Americans on Iran, including the idea of using Balochistan for this purpose.

The Brits are also closely aligned with the Americans. The case of the Israelis, however, is more interesting. Israel is the only country with the longest experience in dealing with Islamic groups. Israel has gone as far as establishing Islamic religious schools inside Israel that serve intelligence purposes, such as understanding how fighters are indoctrinated and also how to develop undercover agents who can go and join Islamic groups disguised as Muslim extremists.

Washington sought Israeli assistance in this regard after 9/11. The Indians were smarter. They approached Israel in the 1990s to counter Islamic groups backed by Pakistan. These groups were at the forefront of the Kashmiri people’s fight against the Indian occupation of Kashmir. Israeli has demonstrated it can help India in Kashmir in May-June 1999 when a defeated Indian army unit there was provided Israeli military assistance on the ground to repel advancing Pakistani and Kashmiri fighters. [The timely and effective Israeli assistance helped turn a tactical Pakistani military victory into defeat, providing India enough time to mobilize a diplomatic offensive to invite international intervention in Kashmir. This is according to a rare disclosure by Mark Sofer, Israel’s ambassador to India, in a Feb. 2008 interview with an Indian news magazine.]

There is a strong probability that Israel’s help is once again at play in India’s anti-Pakistan activities on the Afghan soil. The Israelis are also focused on Iran. This leaves out the Russians who are most probably fishing in troubled waters and are there to reclaim the influence they lost in the area with the end of the Soviet Union 18 years ago.

But it is the Indians who walk away with the prize. They have played their cards well and convinced likeminded lobbies in Washington to let them use the Afghan soil against Pakistan for a good seven years now. But as the situation deteriorates for the Americans inside Afghanistan, a desperate Obama administration is listening to Pakistani complaints for the first time and possibly taking some action to reign in their wayward Indian friends.

Source: Haqeeqat.
Link: http://www.haqeeqat.org/2009/08/02/indian-army-major-general-runs-terrorist-camps-inside-afghanistan/.

Turkey, Lebanon lift visa requirements, ink cooperation deals

Turkey and Lebanon signed agreements Monday lifting visa requirements for travel between the two countries, a change that was made during the Lebanese prime minister’s visit to Ankara.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül on Monday before heading for Istanbul to attend an economic gathering.

Hariri traveled to Turkey to oversee the signing of a series of cooperation agreements. The six accords signed deal with issues of defense, health, agriculture, transportation, education and the lifting of the visa requirement.

At a joint press conference, Erdoğan said Lebanon had started to take steps toward a peaceful future following the establishment of the new government. Turkey and Lebanon scrapped their visa requirements in hopes of boosting tourism and facilitating trade.

In September, Turkey signed a series of agreements with Syria, lifting the visa requirements for travel; it did the same with Libya in November.

Israel’s ‘disproportionate power’

At the press conference, Erdoğan also lashed out at Israel, accusing it of threatening peace in the region and using disproportionate force against Palestinians.

He urged Israel to stop violating Lebanon’s airspace and territorial waters and called on the U.N. Security Council to mount the same pressure on Israel as it does on Iran over nuclear armament.

“As Turkey, we can never remain silent in the face of Israel’s attitude … It has disproportionate power and it is using that at will while refusing to abide by U.N. resolutions,” Erdoğan said. “We can never accept this picture.”

For his part, Hariri leveled criticism at Israel and described the Jewish state as an enemy that threatens Lebanon’s security.

PM says he won’t go to Davos

Speaking at the press conference with Hariri, Erdoğan also announced he would not be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos this year.

“I’ll say it just once: I am not going to go there again,” the prime minister said.

His announcement comes nearly a year after Erdoğan stormed out of a debate on the Gaza conflict at the 2009 Davos summit. He accused Israel of “barbarian” acts and told Israeli President Shimon Peres, “You know well how to kill people.”

His reaction caused tension between the two countries that has had long-lasting implications on their diplomatic affairs. Before the outburst, Turkey had been a key Israel ally in the region since the two signed a military cooperation deal in 1996.

This year’s summit in Davos will mark the 40th World Economic Forum.

Source: Hurriyet.
Link: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-lebanob-lift-visa-and-ink-cooperation-deals-2010-01-11.

Pak, China to work closely to address strategic issues

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Islamabad: Pakistan and China will work closely to address regional security and strategic issues, including "intra-regional disputes and posturing of involved states," an apparent reference to a purported report which claimed that India is preparing for a two-front war with both.

During talks between a Pakistani team led by Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Tariq Majid and Gen Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army yesterday, the two sides focused ways of addressing "the tenuous specter of strategic stability in the region," an official statement said.

The latest round of the Pakistan-China Defense and Security Talks also decided to address the "intra-regional disputes and posturing of involved states."

Ma is heading a Chinese delegation that is holding talks with Pakistan's top military leadership.

Though the statement did not mention the specific "intra-regional disputes" that were discussed, analysts believe it was an apparent reference to Indian Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor's purported comments that his force is preparing for a two-front war involving Pakistan and China.

The bilateral defense and security talks are aimed at "sharing perspectives on the fast-evolving regional security situation for developing common insight into emerging scenarios and coordinating common responses," the statement said.

The comments purportedly made by Kapoor have been widely criticized by Pakistan’s civil and military leadership.

An unnamed official was quoted by the influential a newspaper as saying that the dialogue had a "greater significance" because it took place against the backdrop of Kapoor’s reported remarks about a "proactive strategy of simultaneously waging a war against Pakistan and China."

Both sides have taken the remarks seriously and "vowed to frustrate attempts to jeopardize regional security," the official said.

Gen Majid described the "time-tested multi-dimensional Pakistan-China strategic partnership as the bedrock of stability in the region."

He said: "As the world grows more complex and regional situation more challenging, it has become even more critical to add greater depth and dynamism to this relationship."

During yesterday's discussions, the two sides also discussed the impact of "changing global security dynamics, progress in efforts against terrorism and violent extremism (and the) revised US strategy for Afghanistan," the statement said.

The discussions also focused on threats related to terrorism by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a militant group fighting for an independent state in China’s Xinjiang province, and measures for the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.

The ETIM is believed to have close links with al Qaeda and militants based in Pakistan’s tribal belt.

The Pakistani and Chinese military officials conducted a "comprehensive review of bilateral military cooperation and the progress of various ongoing defense projects."

They made specific proposals for "mutually beneficial future collaboration in operational, training, intelligence, logistics and defense industrial fields, including indigenisation projects and joint ventures."

The statement did not give details about these projects. Pakistan has received two of four F-22P frigates ordered from China and plans to induct 42 JF-17 Thunder combat jets, which are jointly developed by the two countries, into its air force over the next few years.

Pakistan is also set to receive four airborne warning and control system aircraft from China by 2012.

Source: Zee News.
Link: http://www.zeenews.com/news594837.html.

Venezuela Lifts Visa Requirement for Iranian Nationals

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Venezuelan government said it enacted an agreement which lifts visa requirement for Iranian nationals willing to visit the Latin American state.

The agreement, signed between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez in March 2009, will facilitate visits specially by Iranian traders and tourists to Venezuela, leading to the expansion of trade and cultural ties between Tehran and Caracas.

Venezuela is the third Latin American state lifting visa requirement for the Iranian nationals. Nicaragua and Ecuador took the same measure earlier.

Iran has moved to expand ties with Latin America in recent years and it has worked out an eye-catching number of economic, political and cultural agreements on mutual cooperation with what was formerly known as the US backyard. The move by Tehran which gained a much faster momentum under President Ahmadinejad has raised eyebrows in Washington.

Venezuelan Ambassador to Tehran had announced in December that over 300 agreements and contracts as well as 80 special projects have recently come into effect between the two countries.

Source: Fars News Agency.
Link: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8810211438.

Indian defense minister to visit Indian-controlled Kashmir

NEW DELHI, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony is to visit Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday to review the security situation in the region following reports of repeated infiltration attempts by militants across the border, a senior Indian official said.

"The Defense Minister will lead a high-level team which includes Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and Defense Secretary Pradeep Kumar during the one-day visit. He will be briefed by field commanders in the region about the country's preparedness to deal with any war-like situation," the official said.

The visit comes days after Indian security forces killed two militants, allegedly belonging to the Pakistani terror outfit Lashker-e-Toiba, who were holed up in a hotel in the Indian-controlled Kashmir's capital Srinagar, after a 22-hour-long fiercegun battle.

Confirming the deaths, police chief Kuldeep Khooda told the media in Srinagar last week that concerted efforts were being made by terrorists to hit targets in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"There is desperation in infiltration, there is desperation in carrying out such attacks," he said.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/11/content_12791973.htm.

Indian soldier killed in Kashmir

An Indian paramilitary soldier has been killed in firing from the Pakistani side on the Line of Control (LoC) which divides Kashmir, Indian officials say.

Indian army officials said Pakistani troops opened fire on the Indian positions in Poonch.

A soldier from India's Border Security Force (BSF) was hit by a bullet and died on the spot, officials say.

Indian Defense Minister AK Antony is visiting the border areas near Jammu to assess the situation there.

The Indian army described Monday evening's incident as "yet another violation of ceasefire" agreed between India and Pakistan in November 2003.

The incident happened in the Sabzian area in Poonch along the Line of Control (LoC) about 240 km north-west of Jammu.

The LoC separates Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

The fire hit the post guarded by BSF soldiers, Indian army officials said, adding that the Indian soldiers returned fire.

On Monday, Indian security forces said they had foiled a "fourth attempt by militants" to infiltrate the international border in Indian-administered Kashmir since the beginning of January.

About 30,000 troops have been withdrawn from Indian-administered Kashmir as rebel attacks have decreased.

Violence in Indian-administered Kashmir has declined dramatically in recent years.

India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire in 2003 but suspended peace talks after the 2008 Mumbai (Bombay) attacks, which India blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

Source: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8453372.stm.

President Zardari is a security risk: Farooq Leghari

* Former president calls cases against president, Benazir legitimate

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Calling President Asif Ali Zardari a security threat, former president Farooq Ahmed Leghari has said that he has been placed in the Presidency with a “particular agenda”, a private TV channel reported on Monday.

Speaking to the channel, Leghari, who parted ways with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) after dismissing Benazir Bhutto’s second government in 1996, claimed that Zardari intended to roll back the country’s nuclear program, among other things.

“He (Zardari) has not been able to achieve his target due to various constraints,” Farooq added.

He said Zardari’s future looks bleak, adding that Benazir and Zardari had been involved in corruption. Commenting on the corruption cases filed against them, he said he and other PPP leaders, Aitzaz Ahsan and Iftikhar Gilani, had asked Benazir to distance herself from Zardari during her first stint as the prime minister “but she expressed her inability to do so”.

Cases: When asked that no case had been proved against them in court, Leghari said all the cases were legitimate and the government had the necessary evidence to convict Zardari.

Leghari rejected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif as a positive option for the country’s premiership. “He is not a substitute. He has been a disaster for the country,” Leghari said, adding that Nawaz had been given two opportunities as prime minister, but had failed the nation and destroyed the country’s institutions in a bid to consolidate his grip on power.

Talking about his own political career, Leghari said he was neither a feudal nor had a feudal mindset.

Source: Daily Times.
Link: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\01\12\story_12-1-2010_pg7_34.

Turkish-Syrian rapprochement is a key to Mideast peace

By Mustafa Kibaroglu

As Henry Kissinger once put it, it is not possible to make peace in the Middle East without Syria. This, among other things, requires engaging Syria and not only by its arch-enemy, Israel. Other countries in the region have to make the Syrian leadership feel more confident of taking bold steps when necessary in highly complicated and multifaceted issues such as the return of the Golan Heights.

In recent history, Syria’s primary allies were the Soviet Union during the Cold War and Iran since the Islamic Revolution. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, only Iran remains. Lebanon formed the backdrop for Iran and Syria’s rivalry with Israel and the United States, but in the aftermath of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Syria was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and, by extension, diminish its influence on Lebanese domestic and foreign policy.

Since then, the Syrian leadership has seemed more willing to break out of its isolation from the rest of the world. Improved relations with its northern neighbor Turkey, a longstanding member of the Western world with close ties to the Middle East, came right at that point. Constructive approaches by the political leaderships on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border – which could have been the scene of a bloody war in October 1998 because of Syria’s sustained support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, and its terrorism against Turkey – have been one reason for the much improved bilateral relations ever since.

Based on the confidence built with the Syrian leadership, and thanks to Turkey’s already credible standing in Israeli political circles, Turkey was asked to mediate between Israel and Syria in order to reach a stable peace. Turkey’s engagement with Syria on bilateral as well as trilateral platforms helped Syria break its isolation until the recent crisis between Turkey and Israel due to the abrupt cancellation of the participation of Israeli aircraft in military exercises planned for October 2009.

Following a bitter exchange between Israeli and Turkish officials, Israel’s prime minister and foreign minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman, declared that Turkey would no longer be considered a mediator with Syria. This may be bad news for those who still care about the strategic value of Turkish-Israeli cooperation and who yearn for the “good old 1990s” when Turkey and Israel were jointly strategizing. But, is this really the case? Is Turkey’s mediation between Syria and Israel even still needed to overcome the bottlenecks in the negotiations? The short and simple answer is “no.” The unprecedented rapprochement between Turkey and Syria, which has gained enormous momentum during the last few months, is likely to provide Israel with what was indeed expected from Turkey’s mediation anyway.

The Golan Heights constitute the major bottleneck in negotiations between Israel and Syria, not because of their military-strategic value, but rather because of the existence of significant water resources in the area, which neither side can neglect. Israel’s proposed solution to this problem since the mid-1990s has been to convince Turkey to release more water from the Euphrates River to Syria so as to compensate for what Syria would lose by agreeing to the return of the Golan without the right to use the water resources in the area. Turkey has long resisted the idea on the grounds that a binding agreement with Syria would jeopardize Turkey’s future rights to the waters in the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin for its own economic development, especially when during extended dry seasons.

But much water passed under the bridge. Turkey and Syria signed over 50 protocols on issues extending from economic to scientific and technological cooperation and trade during the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Syria in the last days of 2009, where he was accompanied by half-a-dozen ministers. The water issue constituted one of the major topics of these protocols. There were some difficulties in reaching a full-fledged agreement on the definitional and technical dimensions of the issue in the area of cooperative uses of the waters in the region, including the Orontes River. However, the parties seem confident that these are not insurmountable problems, given the existence of political will on both sides of the border, now open to the transit of goods and services as well as of citizens of both countries.

Against this background, it wouldn’t be wrong to argue that, if Turkey provides enough assurances to Syria that it will release more water when needed by its southern neighbor, Ankara will have played the mediating role that was essentially expected from her by Israel. In other words, if Turkey can be effective in relieving Syria’s water stress, Syria and Israel can move closer to a resolution of the problems over the Golan Heights, which in turn will bring peace between them much nearer.

Whether Netanyahu and Lieberman acknowledge it or not, in some respects the key to a sustainable peace between Israel and Syria lies in Turkey’s policy toward Syria. Paradoxically though, one reason why the Israeli leaders make unfortunate statements that reflect their anger with their Turkish counterparts’ attitude toward Israel may be because Turkey is delivering anyway what Israel needs the most in this puzzle, but this time without Israel asking for it.

Source: The Daily Star.
Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=5&article_id=110534.

Tehran-Damascus sign economic MOU

TEHRAN – After three days of negotiations, Iran and Syria wound up the eighth gathering of the Economic Follow-Up and Cooperation Development Committee in Tehran by signing an MOU.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported that the agreement was signed between the Iranian Minister of Housing and Urban Development Ali Nikzad and the Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade Amer Husni Lutfi.

Nikzad stated that the annual trade between Iran and Syria is on the rise and has reached about $330 million, adding that, imports from Syria were only about $16 million.

He said that 36 Iranian companies were operating in Syria, further adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran has over $1.6 billion worth of technical and engineering services projects in hand in the Arab republic.

These projects include the construction of a cement factory, a car manufacturing plant, 10 silos, two power plants, tunnels, water canals, bridges, refinery boilers, a glass factory, manufacturing and repairing a variety of wagons, water and waste water projects, steel, color industry, pharmaceuticals and exporting electric transformer and posts comprise some of the projects.

Nikzad said that the establishment of a joint bank, exhibition cooperation, healthcare, agriculture, housing and urbanization, tourism and private sectors cooperation were negotiated in the meeting.

The Syrian minister said that we must make more efforts to augment economic relations to the same high level as political ties.

He said that the two countries cooperation is based on the views of the high-ranking leaders of the two countries and mutual benefit, adding that, they talked about organizing the activities of numerous Iranian companies operating in Syria.

In recent years, Syria and Iran have made plans to enhance their already significant financial cooperation.

In January 2008, Iranian Press TV reported that the two countries planned to speed up the construction of a joint oil refinery.

The $2.6 billion contract, which involved Malaysia and Venezuela as well as the two Middle East countries, will have the capacity to refine 140,000 barrels a day, noting this would provide Iran with the ability to refine much more of its own crude oil, giving Tehran greater flexibility by weaning it off refined oil imports from neighboring states.

On January 10 Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Seyed Shamseddin Hosseini called for speeding up the establishment of the proposed Iran-Syria joint bank.

In a meeting with Husni Lutfi in Tehran the Iranian official said the potential exists to boost the two-way trade.

Hosseini added setting up a joint bank could significantly give rise to the bilateral economic relations, the Mehr News Agency reported.

He also suggested establishing joint insurance companies, financial institutes and credit fund to further expand economic cooperation.

In a separate meeting between Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi and the Syrian minister, Rahimi expressed the hope that the setup of a joint Iranian-Syrian bank would be finalized soon.

“We hope to finalize the issue in my upcoming visit to Syria,” Rahimi said Saturday, Press TV reported.

Tehran and Damascus agreed in 2008 on setting up a joint bank in the Syrian capital, with an initial capitalization of $30 million.

The agreement was reached by Iran’s former Housing and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Saeedi-Kia and Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade, Amer Husni Lutfi, and the governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Adib Mayaleh.

Saeedi-Kia said that some 49 percent of the shares of the joint bank will belong to Iran’s Bank Saderat and 51 percent to Syria.

He noted that the Iran-Syria bank will provide Iranian investors, businesspersons and pilgrims with various services.

Source: Tehran Times.
Link: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=211992.

Spain Will Likely Accept 2 Guantanamo Prisoners

MADRID (AP) -- Spain says it is talking with the United States to finalize plans to receive two prisoners from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo.

Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos says, ''We are wrapping up details for the arrival of I think two prisoners from Guantanamo but there are still some things to clear up.''

Moratinos told a breakfast with politicians and business representatives Monday he could give no details on the prisoners but said they were not from Yemen.

On June 17, the United States asked Spain to accept four prisoners. It was not immediately possible to confirm whether Spain is now only accepting two, or may take more in the future.

The ministry said talks on the two prisoners should finish within a month.

Source: New York Times.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/11/world/AP-EU-Spain-Guantanamo.html.

Yemeni radical cleric warns of foreign occupation

By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer

SAN'A, Yemen – Yemen's most influential Islamic cleric, considered an al-Qaida-linked terrorist by the United States, warned Monday that the U.S.-backed fight against the terror group could lead to "foreign occupation" of the country.

Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani's comments illustrate the pressure Yemen's government is under to limit the U.S. role here even as Washington ramps up counterterrorism aid and training to help combat al-Qaida's offshoot in the country.

Al-Zindani is emblematic of how — unlike in Iraq and Afghanistan, whose governments are bitter enemies of al-Qaida — Yemen's beleaguered regime has built alliances with Islamic extremists to hold onto power. Some have al-Qaida connections, complicating the fight.

Branded a spiritual mentor of Osama bin Laden by the U.S., al-Zindani is highly influential among Yemenis. The United States has labeled him a "global terrorist," alleging in a 2004 U.S. Treasury report that he helped fund and recruit for al-Qaida and that students from his Iman University were involved in past attacks.

Yemen's government has openly allied with al-Zindani in the past and still courts his support. The deputy prime minister last week defended the cleric, saying he is not a member of al-Qaida.

Al-Zindani laughed Monday as he dismissed the U.S. terror accusations against him at a news conference at his home in San'a.

"It's become well known among the people that a lot of lies" come out of Washington, said the cleric, his white beard dyed reddish-orange with henna in the style of Islamic hard-liners and wearing a traditional Yemeni knife stuck in the belt of his robes.

He denied knowing anything about al-Qaida's activities in Yemen or having any influence on an American-Yemeni radical preacher, Anwar al-Awlaki, who is being hunted by Yemeni forces for alleged al-Qaida links. Yemeni officials say al-Awlaki may have met here with the man accused of the failed attempt to bomb a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day.

Al-Zindani carefully avoided any direct criticism of the San'a government's alliance with Washington against al-Qaida. But he warned: "Yemen's rulers and people must be careful before a (foreign) guardianship is imposed on them."

"We accept any cooperation in the framework of respect and joint interests, and we reject military occupation of our country," al-Zindani said.

He raised suspicions that the United States intends to send troops to seize the country's oil resources and strategic Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coastlines if Yemen's government collapses.

Pointing to the deployment last year of U.S. and NATO warships in the Gulf to protect shipping from Somali pirates, he said: "This mobilization is too large to just be for fighting pirates."

"Many observers have said these forces have come to occupy Yemen's sources of oil and Yemeni coasts," he said.

President Barack Obama says he does not plan to send American combat forces to Yemen, something the Yemeni government insists it won't allow. "I have no intention of sending U.S. boots on the ground in these regions," Obama said in an interview with People magazine to be published Friday.

American counterterrorism aid to Yemen is expected to double this year to around $150 million, compared to none in 2008, the top commander in the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, told CNN in an interview Sunday.

"We have certainly seen significant commitment" from Yemen in the fight against al-Qaida, particularly in intelligence sharing, he said.

But San'a is a fragile partner in the fight. President Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime has been drained by a bloody war with Shiite rebels in the north and clashes with secessionists in the south. The central government only has firm control around the capital, while heavily armed and highly independent tribes control large areas of the mountainous country.

To counterbalance his opponents, Saleh has at times sought the backing of extremists like the 60-year-old al-Zindani.

In his writings and fiery sermons, al-Zindani has called for Muslims to take up arms in jihad, or holy war, against the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying Muslims must defend their land.

"If someone comes to kill you, won't you kill him before he does? ... All traditions and laws in the world give the right to anyone who is being attacked and killed to defend themselves," he told reporters Monday.

Al-Zindani worked in Afghanistan alongside bin Laden during the war against the Soviets in the 1980s, organizing mujahedeen fighters. The United States has called him a spiritual mentor of the al-Qaida leader.

Yemen has been a source of thousands of mujahedeen who went to those war fronts to fight. The United States contends al-Zindani is a major inspiration for them and has been involved in recruiting fighters for training camps. It also accuses him of buying weapons for al-Qaida.

Al-Zindani heads Iman University in San'a, an institution of up to 7,000 students where hard-line Sunni ideology is taught. John Walker Lindh, the American captured in 2001 fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, studied there briefly. The U.S. says students from the university killed three American missionaries in Yemen in 2002 — a claim al-Zindani denied on Monday.

Al-Zindani's popularity and political position make him a key support for the government. He is a leading figure in the Islamic fundamentalist Islah Party, which was once allied with Saleh's ruling party. More moderate figures dominate the party now and have steered it into opposition to Saleh, but al-Zindani and other Islamic radicals remain allied to the president.

Another visitor to al-Zindani's Iman University — though never a student there — was the U.S.-born cleric al-Awlaki.

Al-Awlaki is popular among extremists for his calls in Internet sermons for jihad against Americans. Yemeni officials say he may have met with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Yemen before the 23-year-old Nigerian allegedly tried to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day. Al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen is accused of plotting that attack.

Al-Awlaki also had e-mail contact with the accused Fort Hood shooter before he allegedly opened fire at the military base in Texas, killing 13 people. Al-Awlaki later praised the attack, and he has also praised al-Zindani's writings.

Al-Zindani denied any involvement with the cleric. "I was never a direct teacher for Anwar al-Awlaki," he said. "I am a general lecturer and a writer of books."

The cleric avoided saying whether he thought al-Awlaki was involved in terrorism and declined to pass judgment on whether bin Laden is "good or evil."

"That is for a court to decide," he said, of bin Laden, adding with a laugh: "Anyone who is able to take him to court, they are welcome to."

Sarah Palin takes Fox News commentator job

By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, will return to her broadcast roots and take her conservative message to Fox News as a regular commentator, the cable channel announced Monday.

"I am thrilled to be joining the great talent and management team at Fox News," Palin said in a statement posted on the network's Web site. "It's wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news."

Fox said that according to the multiyear deal, Palin will offer political commentary and analysis on the cable channel, as well as Fox's Web site, radio network and business cable channel.

She also will host occasional episodes of Fox News' "Real American Stories," a series debuting this year that the network said will feature true inspirational stories about Americans who have overcome adversity.

"Governor Palin has captivated everyone on both sides of the political spectrum and we are excited to add her dynamic voice to the FOX News lineup," Bill Shine, executive vice president of programming, said in a statement.

Palin, 45, is hugely popular with conservatives and has more than 1.1 million Facebook followers.

She stepped down as Alaska governor in July, 17 months before the end of her first term in office and less than a year after she vaulted to overnight fame as John McCain's running mate.

The bombshell resignation stunned even supporters and fueled widespread speculation on her next career step — with predictions ranging from seeking the presidency in 2012 to hosting a conservative talk show. She told Barbara Walters in November that a 2012 presidential bid was not on her radar but added she wouldn't rule out playing some kind of role in the next presidential election.

Since resigning, Palin has had colossal success with her best-selling memoir "Going Rogue," released four months after she left office. She finished a nationwide tour in December after hitting some of the political battleground states from the 2008 election and drawing thousands of fans.

Palin majored in journalism with an emphasis on broadcasting at the University of Idaho and worked part-time as a weekend sportscaster in 1988 for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, using her then-maiden name Heath. The station's sports director, John Carpenter, said the young broadcaster left after a few months because of the low pay.

Carpenter said he was sorry to see her go. She was a hard worker who enjoyed the entire process, not just being in front of the cameras, he said.

"She knew sports, she could talk sports, she looked OK on TV," Carpenter said. "She had the aptitude, no question."

Palin's upcoming commentary career had her Facebook fans giddy with excitement Monday.

"Tell 'em like it is girl!!!!!!," one person wrote on a post.

"I look forward to seeing you on Fox....but I hope it doesn't prevent you from running in '12!," another wrote.

Turkey, Lebanon lash out at Israel

ANKARA — The prime ministers of Turkey and Lebanon on Monday lashed out at Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace and air strikes in Gaza, warning they were undermining prospects for peace in the region.

"Attacks on Lebanon is terrorism itself... We have to stand shoulder by shoulder against the enemy's plans... We have to stop Israel," visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri told a press conference.

Lebanese anti-aircraft guns opened fire on four Israeli warplanes which were violating its airspace at low altitude on Monday, the military said.

Israel argues that the overflights are necessary to monitor what it says is massive arms smuggling by Hezbollah.

Hariri's counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country's once-flourishing ties with Israel took a sharp downturn last year, said that Turkey "will never stay silent" on Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace.

He slammed the Israeli overflights as "unacceptable action that threatens global peace."

Erdogan also questioned a deadly Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip Sunday, which, the Israeli army said, targeted militants who were preparing attacks.

"Is the Israeli government in favor of peace or not?... Gaza was bombed again yesterday. Why?... There were no rocket attacks," Erdogan said.

"They (the Israelis) have disproportional capabilities and power and they use them... They do not abide by UN resolutions... They say they will do what they like. We can in no way approve of such an attitude," he said.

Israel's ties with Turkey, a key regional ally, were poisoned by its massive offensive on Gaza last year, which prompted an unprecedented barrage of criticism from Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government.

In October, Turkey excluded Israel from joint military drills and said ties would continue to suffer unless Israel ends "the humanitarian tragedy" in Gaza and revives peace talks with the Palestinians.

Erdogan also renewed criticism of Western powers on Monday for pressuring Iran on its nuclear activities while tolerating Israel, considered the region's sole if undeclared nuclear power.

"We are against the development of nuclear weapons by any country in the region," he said.

"Israel has nuclear weapons... Those who are cautioning Iran must also caution Israel," he said, referring to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

"If we fail to display a fair attitude in this region, the problems will hit not only the region, but will spread elsewhere as well. The unrest of the Middle East is the unrest of the world," he said.

Hariri hailed Turkey's improving ties with Arab countries and increased activism in peace efforts in the Middle East.

"We hope and expect Turkey to continue playing a positive role in trying to bring peace," he said.

The two premiers witnessed the signing of an accord on visa-free travel between their countries and other deals envisaging cooperation in the military, agriculture and transport realms.

Erdogan said Turkey would supply natural gas and electricity to help meet Lebanon's energy needs and that the two countries planned a ferry service between their Mediterranean coasts.

Hariri was to wrap up his three-day visit Tuesday after attending a meeting of business people from the two countries in Istanbul.

Shaikh Khalifa receives Khaled Mesha'al of Hamas

Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Khaled Mesha'al, Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, at the Al Bateen Palace on Monday.

Khaled Mesha'al is currently visiting the UAE as part of a tour of the region.

Shaikh Khalifa affirmed the UAE's absolute support for reconciliation and unity among the Palestinian people so as to enable them restore their legitimate rights, the foremost of them being the establishment of Palestinian independent state on their land with Jerusalem as its capital, as per international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Shaikh Khalifa urged the Palestinian factions to grasp the sense of urgency of their unity at this critical juncture in the Palestinian cause and of the region in the light of efforts to revive the peace process.

Shaikh Khalifa was updated by the Hamas leader on the latest Palestinian developments and efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation.

He said Hamas was working faithfully to realize that as soon as possible with the help of Arab brethren, according to requirements that ensure unity of the Palestinian rank in order to address challenges imposed by the Israeli occupation.

Mesha'al paid tribute to the UAE and its people under the leadership of Shaikh Khalifa for their assistance to the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights and live decently on their lands.

Present at the meeting was Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region, and a number of Shaikhs, ministers and senior officials.

Source: Gulf Times.
Link: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/shaikh-khalifa-receives-khaled-mesha-al-of-hamas-1.566587.

Hamas restrains from another war with Israel in Gaza

by Saud Abu Ramadan

GAZA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Despite the recent escalation of violence between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip, the Islamic Hamas movement preferred not to react to Israel's attacks and had called on minor Gaza militant groups for restraint.

Palestinian observers see that Hamas movement is not currently interested in going into another war with Israel, similar to last winter's "Cast Lead" Israeli military operation, which killed more than 1,400 people, adding that Hamas focuses more on political activities rather than military actions.

In the last 10 days, Gaza militant groups, mainly the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) fired Russian made Grad rockets at southern Israeli towns, in addition to firing dozens of mortar shells at Jewish communities in the vicinity of Gaza.

Israel, meanwhile, had immediately reacted to launching rockets and mortars from the Gaza Strip at southern Israeli towns, by carrying out a series of air and ground strikes on militants and smuggling tunnels near the borders fence with Gaza, killing at least ten Palestinians within the last 10 days.

ISRAEL TESTS HAMAS MILITARY ABILITIES

Reyad el-Astal, a professor of the Middle East studies at the Gaza-based al-Azhar University told Xinhua that Israel "is deliberately trying to drag Hamas into a new war in order to test its military abilities and to see how strong the movement is one year after the end of the Cast Lead war."

On Thursday, Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas movement revealed new missiles it used during Israel's military operation last year. It published on its website images of the weapons that it could secretly smuggle to Gaza. The photos showed Tandem and RPG-29 anti-armor missiles.

Despite Hamas denial, Israel has accused the pro-Iran Islamic movement, which seized control of Gaza in June 2007, of producing makeshift rockets, and of seeking to get longer-range and more developed missiles through a network of tunnels located under Gaza's southern border with Egypt.

"I believe that the current Israeli military escalation on the Gaza Strip and the different statements of senior Israeli army officials published in the Israeli media this week also aims at exerting pressure on Hamas to drag it for carrying out retaliatory attacks in order to justify another war on Gaza," said el-Astal.

HAMAS ASKS MILITANTS NOT TO BE PROVOKED

Well-informed Palestinian sources in Gaza, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that during the recent Israeli military escalation on Gaza, Hamas leaders held a series of meetings and talks with leaders of different groups in Gaza and urged them for restraint.

Minister of interior in the deposed government of Hamas in Gaza Fathi Hammad had several times stated that there has been an agreement reached with other Palestinian factions and militant groups to avoid firing rockets from Gaza Strip at Israel "to preserve the highest interests of the Palestinians."

Spokesman of al-Qassam Brigades, better known as Abu Obeida had also stated that "Hamas is not interested to get into wars against Israel," however, he added "But if Israel launches a war against us, we know how to defend ourselves and the Zionist enemy will receive more painful strikes."

The sources had also revealed that Hamas leaders asked the leaders of the less-influential Islamic Jihad (Holy War) Organization in Gaza not to fire rockets back at Israel after three militants of the group were killed in Israeli airstrike east of the central Gaza Strip on Sunday.

MILITANTS YET TO FOLLOW HAMAS' ADVICE

Spokesman of al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad armed wing, better known as Abu Ahmed revealed in a press statement that the Palestinian armed wings in the Gaza Strip, including his group, "are preparing themselves for the upcoming confrontation with the Zionist enemy."

However, he said that "our response to the crime of killing our three militants will be carried out in the proper time and place, adding "the Palestinian armed resistance have painful weapons, but using these weapons depends on the circumstances decided by the armed resistance leadership."

But Isam Shawar, a West Bank-based political analyst ruled out that Israel would carry out another war similar to the Cast Lead military operation, adding that "Israel wants to drag Hamas and other militant groups to respond in order to target their political and military leaders and will avoid targeting civilians."

"All indications show that Israel is preparing for a big decisive strike that will target a big number of political and military leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad," Shawar told Xinhua. "I believe that Israel would avoid civilians in order to lessen the world public opinion support with Gaza and with Hamas."

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/11/content_12792206.htm.

Moroccan parliament passes stringent highway bill

2010-01-06

(Magharebia) The upper house of the Moroccan parliament on Tuesday (January 5th) adopted the draft Highway Code, MAP reported. The bill included some 80 amendments aimed at conciliating transport sector professionals, who were opposed to strict penalties and some elements of the proposed points-based system.

Mauritanian Islamic leaders host tolerance conference

2010-01-06

(Magharebia) Mauritania on Tuesday (January 5th) launched a colloquium on Islam and tolerance, local and international press reported. President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz addressed the opening ceremony of the four-day event in Nouakchott. Participants at the conference, hosted by the Mauritanian Ministry of Islamic Guidance, will also discuss the rejection of violence, fundamentalism and terrorism, ANI reported.

Libyan bloggers tackle racism, corruption

Dating across racial lines and the need to clean up corruption fire up Libyan bloggers.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 06/01/10

This week, Libyan blogs addressed several thorny issues including racial discrimination, corruption and the responsibilities and freedom of bloggers.

According to Ahmed Bukhari (Taboo), everyone agrees that Libya "is one of the most race-oriented societies. You can ask any girl from the area of Zawriya or any Amazigh girl about that. You may also, if you can, explain to a young "Hamri" man in the south why he can't marry a "free" girl; why a Touareg can't drive a public vehicle in the city of Ghadames; why this or that tribe can't deal at all with this or that tribe; or why the residents of that area are despised by the residents of another."

In his blog, Bukhari suggest that the reader try to "attend the wedding of any black man who's marrying a white woman, or a white man who's marrying a black woman. See for yourself the number of comments and criticisms made by everyone. In reality, these marriages are actually rare. Black Libyan men are doomed to marry black Libyan women."

"As for the other colors, whether white, red, dark-complexioned or even purple, they can marry each other without any notable problems," adds the blogger. "If we look at the issue from another angle, we find that a white woman has the possibility of marrying men of all colors, even black men in rare cases, while the possibility of a black woman marrying a man who isn't black is very small."

Bukhari cites several examples of what he claims is serious racism in his country. "Perhaps one of the harshest incidents that showed black Libyans how they were treated differently were the acts of violence that broke out years ago against Africans in Libya. Because of a certain problem with immigrant Africans, Libyans would hit and assault anyone with black skin, including black Libyans themselves, who were assaulted by mistake. A poor citizen who was attacked had to yell 'I'm Libyan! I'm Libyan!' Just note the absurdity and humiliation that black Libyans were exposed to during that period of time."

As for blogger Ramadan Jarbou, he presents a recipe for reform and eliminating corruption, saying: "There are so many reasons that call for reform, including the spread of corruption, which we can even say has become socially 'acceptable' when poverty worsens, living conditions become difficult and the means to get by become hard to find."

"In this atmosphere, a new mentality gets established, and we see a willingness to do anything in order to achieve the desired ends," writes Jarbou. "Worse still, those who do this and become important and influential people are received in our modern societies with acceptance and great respect, even though in our recent past they represented examples of corruption and conscienceless behavior and faced only criticism and disapproval."

"In this case, when corruption prevails and becomes 'acceptable', it will inevitably reach all levels of administration in this country, including the judiciary," writes the blogger. "The judiciary includes good elements and some bad ones as well, and therefore, reform must be introduced to its structure. This is not a difficult task: all we need to do is to review the reputations and behaviors of their members over the years, provided that such a review is done by competent people."

Meanwhile, blogger Fitouri offers the perspective that personal blogs mirror the nature of the blogger's society. "In my opinion, blogging, before being an act lying within the scope of personal freedom where the writer writes whatever he or she wants without restrictions, limitations or conditions other than what his or her conscience dictates, is a diverse work of art that can be high or low, and can also be different from one person to another in content and aim."

"It represents man's regional and Arab identity," writes Fitouri. "The blogger's image, as it appears to the rest of the sisterly Arab countries and the whole world, in terms of writing valuable and distinguished human content … reflects the cultural identity of the blogger's country and expresses the depth of his or her society's culture to the world."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/blog/2010/01/06/feature-03.

Moroccan unions warn of strike over pay pact

Unions in Morocco are insisting that agreements on wages and bonuses must be implemented before talks with the government can proceed.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 06/01/10

Labor leaders are threatening a general strike in April if outstanding issues are not resolved with the help of the prime minister's office, according to the head of the Union for Moroccan Workers, Hamid Chabat.

"2010 will be a year of militancy if the social dialogue proves fruitless," Chabat said in a press release on December 29th.

According to the union leader, the latest series of talks between the prime minister's office and the unions has yet to resolve several important issues. His labor organization alleges that the government is refusing to begin negotiations on the thorny issue of pay increases, preferring to put off the discussion by another year.

Union members are also upset that the agreed change in pay scales has not been implemented yet. A pact to abolish pay scales 1 through 4 and place all Moroccan civil servants on pay scale 5 has not been activated. As a result of this change, the minimum wage for civil servants would rise from 1,560 dinars to 2,400 dinars, benefiting an estimated 47,500 people.

Another agreement which has yet to be acted on concerns the issue of employees in remote and inaccessible regions. Public servants working in the education and health sectors there were supposed to receive a bonus of 700 dinars per month, after taxes, to be extended across other sectors as well. No such bonus has materialized.

"These agreements must be implemented if labor dialogue is to move forward in practical terms," said Democratic Workers' Union member Abdelhamid Fatihi.

Union leaders are also calling for the introduction of sector-specific dialogues to put an end to continuing issues in the areas of education, justice and local government. The government has not yet announced a timetable for resuming those negotiations.

The dispute over who should pay for unemployment insurance also needs to be resolved, according to labor groups.

A December 28th press statement released by Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi described the latest meeting with labor groups, held on December 21st, as "characteristically serious, responsible" and demonstrating "a high level of commitment". However, he did not announce when the next meeting would be held.

The government is insisting that progress has been made, despite the unions' protests. According to Employment Minister Jamal Rhmani, a new round of social dialogue will be organized in 2010 to study key issues facing the working class.

Rhmani added that the government was conducting a study of the pay regime that would be used as the basis for reviewing the current system. The minister also called attention to the 2% reduction in income tax, which he said would result, in real terms, in a pay rise for both the public and private sectors.

"Then, in 2010 and 2011, the government will go on to begin negotiations on salary increases," he said.

The government has been most concerned with safeguarding jobs in the private sector during the international financial crisis, the minister said. He claimed that support given to 400 companies had so far saved 11,000 jobs.

However, union representatives are insisting that "real" progress must be made in negotiations, and are hoping for more significant results in the coming year.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/01/06/feature-02.

Sudan Referendum Bill Breeds Contempt

Fred Oluoch
10 January 2010

Nairobi — The Sudanese parliament has finally passed the controversial referendum Bill, but there is no guarantee of an orderly referendum in 2011.

The common feeling among the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) is that the leadership in Khartoum might devise new tricks in their determination to stop the South from seceding.

The SPLM members also feel the Security Bill is promoting dictatorship and one-man rule contrary to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that calls for the entrenchment of democracy and freedom of association and speech.

The Abyei referendum law and the popular consultations in the states of Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile are also bones of contention. These two states are geographically in the North but the majority of the population hails from the South.

According to the CPA, Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile will not participate in the 2011 referendum. Citizens will elect their members of parliament, who will decide on their behalf where they belong.

Many SPLM supporters are now appealing to Vice President Salva Kiir to unilaterally declare the South's independence out of fear that the NCP will manipulate the referendum in favor of a united Sudan.

According to the Government of Southern Sudan's head of mission in Nairobi, John Andruga Duku, the challenge still remains in the implementation, even though the referendum law was passed to the satisfaction of the south.

He argued that the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) has been a big disappointment as it has failed to engage the partners as the custodians of the peace deal.

"Igad must call for a special meeting to breathe life into the CPA implementation process. The implementation of the referendum law will be a big problem and the international community must come to our aid to ensure that it is fully implemented," he said.

Wrong timing

The 2011 referendum will be held in accordance with the 2005 peace accord that ended two decades of civil war between the former rebel SPLM, which now rules the semi-autonomous South and Khartoum's National Congress Party.

But the passage of the law to guide the process of the referendum came to a standstill when SPLM disputed modifications introduced by the NCP at a time when they and other opposition parties had boycotted parliament.

The SPLM's position was that those Northerners who claim to be Southerners should move to the south for confirmation by their respective local chiefs before they can register and vote within the South.

But there was a compromise in which southern citizens living in the North will be allowed to register and vote in the constituency they currently live in.

Since the signing of the CPA almost five years ago, the semi-autonomous South has been facing numerous challenges. The government is struggling to attract investment, encourage local entrepreneurship and ensure its security and stability.

There is also concern that next year's general election could leave out some eligible voters unless there is peace in Darfur and implementation of the remaining phases of the CPA is fast-tracked.

There is growing public frustration, especially in the South, over repeated delays in implementing the CPA. The referendum Bill was expected in 2008 and demarcation of the North-South border was also due in the first six months of the signing of the CPA.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201001111505.html.

Somalia: Spokesman - 'Foreign Companies Pretending Al-Shabab Plan to Carry Out Blasts in Somalia'

Somalia — Sheik Ali Mohamued Raghe (Sheik Ali Dere), the spokesman of Harakat Al-shabab Muajhideen has Monday discovered that they got information that foreign companies from America had arrived in the country and are planning to carry out blasts in the Somalia.

The spokesman said that those companies wanted to commit explosive activities and want to accuse and say that their actions were committed by Harakat Al-shabab Mujahideen.

Sheik Ali Dere told reporters in a seminar of learning Sharia law in Mogadishu and concluded for the Somali traditional elders that the foreign companies were from the United States of America saying that they want to commit blasts against the people.

"These companies are foreigners; they were chased from more countries as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Algeria and Iraq. Their plans failed. They have changed their names and they are in Villa Somalia, the presidential palace of the TFG. They changed their names," said the spokesman.

He said that one of the companies was called Black Water saying that it used to operate in Iraq and belonged by the United States of America confirming that its tasks is only to massacre the Muslims.

He added that it failed to continue its objectives in the countries mentioned above pointing out that it had changed its name to MC with other companies saying that they were all in Villa Somalia in Mogadishu,

"The companies want to commit explosive actions to the mosques, markets and streets which are often used by lorries and the different traffic by using the taxes who know nothing about that," the spokesman said.

Most of the areas planned the companies to carry out their operations are the areas under the control of TFG and the traffic from those areas to explode the mosques and then say that Harakat Al-shabab Mujahideen had committed the actions.

Sheik Moktar Robow Ali (Abu Mansur), top official of Harakat Al-shabab Mujahideen had also talked at the area where the seminar wrapped up today disproving statement from the Kenyan government that some of Harakat Al-shabab Muhjahideen members had reached there saying that it wanted different aims.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201001111650.html.

Somalia: Body of Somali MP Found in Mogadishu

Hassan Osman Abdi "Fantastic"
9 January 2010

Somalia — The body of one of the transitional Federal MPs has been found in a Muna hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, officials told Shabelle radio on Saturday.

The body of the lawmaker was found in the toilet of Muna, a hotel around the presidential palace in the Somali capital and called Mohamed Hussein Ra'is according to high officials of the transitional government in Mogadishu.

Professor Mohamed Omar Dalha, the deputy speaker of the transitional parliament had confirmed the death of the lawmaker to Shabelle radio and television saying that there had no been any other further more about his death.

"The time of our colleague has ended and there is no other more information about his death. I am sending my deep condolence to the family and relatives of the deceased legislator Mr. Mohamed Hussein Ra'is. He was substituted to another MP and I knew that he was fine, may Allah rest his life into the paradise." said Prof. M. Dalha.

"Oh! We knew that he was all right and very fine yesterday. We do not know what happened to him and what has caused his death. It is suppressible matter," some of the legislators were shouting each other as they had simply found his body in the hotel.

It is the first time that one of the transitional parliamentarians dies in the Somali capital Mogadishu in the New Year 2010 though there had been several parliament members who died in the country for different reasons in over the past year 2009.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201001090022.html.

Algeria bus crash kills 15 people: report

Sun Jan 10, 2010

ALGIERS (Reuters) - A collision between a bus and a truck in Algeria Sunday killed 15 people and injured another 15, state radio reported.

The crash happened on a major highway in the Ghardaia region, in the Sahara desert, the radio report said, quoting emergency services. It said five of the injured were in a serious condition.

In September last year, a collision between two buses in the Medea region of northern Algeria killed 11 people and wounded 65. Road accidents kill about 4,000 people each year in Algeria, a North African country with a population of 35 million people.

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6091GO20100110.

Somalia: Three killed in Mogadishu clashes

10 Jan 10, 2010

At least 3 people have been killed and 8 others injured after fighting between Al-Shabaab militants and Somali government forces rocked a district in the restive capital at Abdulaziz district in north Mogadishu,

An Al-Shabab official claimed that his group has repelled onslaught on their positions in Abdiaziz district in north Mogadishu, blaming the government forces backed by African Union troops.

"The government troops attacked us and we defend our bases," said Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, who was addressing the local media after the fight.

Somali government military spokesman Col. Ibrahim Kalmoy confirmed the fighting but denied Al-Shabaab claims of receiving backings from AU troops.

The casualty figures from the two sides were not clear and AMISOM officials have not commented about the fighting.

Last week, clashes between the government forces backed by AMISOM troops and Islamist rebels caused the death of more than 30 people including women and children.

The clashes also forced many civilians, who returned to their homes last months, to flee another time to the outskirts of Mogadishu where they don’t have shelter, food and water.

This come after WFP announced last week that it has suspended food aid distribution in southern Somalia.

Source: Garowe Online.
Link: http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia_Three_killed_in_Mogadishu_clashes.shtml.

Algeria willing to boost strategic cooperation with China: Bouteflika

ALGIERS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said here on Sunday that his country is willing to further develop the strategic cooperation relations with China.

During his meeting with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Bouteflika said Algeria is willing to enhance coordination and cooperation with China on international affairs and work with China to boost the strategic cooperation relations.

Algeria and China always support each other and boast a special partnership based on mutual trust, the president said, adding that the two nations have witnessed progress in substantial cooperation in all areas and close cooperation on major international issues.

Amid deep evolution of the international situation, both Algeria and China have the political will to further develop bilateral relations, he said.

The China-Africa Cooperation Forum (CACF) and China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF) are beneficial to boosting China's relations with African countries and with Arab countries respectively, he said.

Algeria would like to help push forward China's relations with Africa and Arab countries, the president said.

Bouteflika also said that Algeria firmly adheres to the one-China policy and supports China in its reunification, noting that Algeria's stand in this regard will never change.

The Chinese foreign minister said over the 51 years since China and Algeria established diplomatic ties, the two peoples have been supporting, trusting and cooperating with each other.

Since entering the new century, Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Bouteflika have exchanged visits and established the strategic cooperation relations, bringing China-Algeria relations to a period of best and quickest development in the history, Yang said.

China highly values Sino-Algerian traditional friendship and is willing to boost friendly communication, expand mutual beneficial cooperation, enhance discussion and coordination on regional and international affairs and enrich the scope of bilateral relations to push forward the strategic cooperation relations to bear more fruit, Yang said.

He said, in recent years, the two countries have enjoyed frequent exchange of high-ranking visits and growing political mutual trust and have worked together to safeguard the rights and interests of the developing countries on international affairs such as the climate change.

Moreover, the substantial cooperation in economic and trade and infrastructure construction fields have been deepened continuously, and the exchange and cooperation within the frameworks of the CACF and CASCF have been expanded, said the top Chinese diplomat.

Also in the day, Yang held talks with his Algerian counterpart Mourad Medelci on bilateral relations as well as on major global and regional issues of common concern. Yang arrived in Algeria on Sunday on a two-day visit.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/11/content_12787271.htm.

Jama'at al-Da'wa ila al-Sunnah Officialy Pledge Allegiance to his highness Amir-ul-Momineen

Saturday, 09 January 2010

The movement, Jama'at al-Daw'a ila al-Sunnah of Afghanistan which has regularly carried out Jihad in the name of Salafi Taliban in Kunar province, has now allied itself with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, according to the report of our website reporter from the region.

The Council, consisting of the Deputy leader of this group, honorable haji Hayaatullah and other senior members of the council, known as respected Sheikh Shawali, respected Maulawi Rahmatullah Khan, respected Maulawi kalajan Jan, respected Maulawi Inayatu Rahman and others, have officially proclaimed allegiance to his highness Amir-ul- Momineen.

They declared cooperation and coordination with Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, vowing that all the Mujahideen of Kunar province will act in compliance with the Code of Conduct of the of the Islamic Emirate and follow its course of actions and that the Mujahideen of Kunar will carry out Jihad as per instructions of the Leadership of the Islamic Emirate in the same way as the other Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Source: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Link: http://www.alemarah.info/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=968:jamaat-al-dawa-ila-al-sunnah-officaly-pledge-allegiance-to-his-highness-amir-ul-momineen.

Members of convoy to Palestine back safe after ordeal

SEPANG: Nine Malaysians, who were part of the largest Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy, arrived home safely yesterday.

The team, which was led by Matthias Chang and included four members of the Perdana Global Peace Organization and a Yayasan Al-Bukhari representative, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 2.05pm.

Organization chairman and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali were among those present to welcome the team.

“None of us was injured. We were determined not to return home until and unless we entered Gaza and delivered the aid supplies, That we have accomplished,” Chang told reporters.

After weeks of delay, the convoy was finally allowed to enter the besieged Palestinian enclave with more than a million dollars worth of medical, food and educational supplies for its people.

Malaysia donated four trucks of humanitarian aid and an ambulance vehicle worth some RM541,000 to the Gaza Elwafa Hospital.

Chang said Dr Mahathir’s aid and support through phone calls had been very assuring to many members of the convoy during the journey.

“Efforts by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in sending all the notes to various counterparts in Egypt and the Red Crescent also alleviated some of the most difficult problems that we encountered,” he said.

Despite the ordeal suffered by the convoy, Chang described the Malaysian team as “very united, determined and dignified”.

“The journey itself was not very difficult, but what was most difficult was the waiting in between various stops,” he said.

The Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy, which began its long journey from London on Dec 6, last year, crossed the Rafah border into Gaza last Thursday.

Some 150 vehicles of the total 220 are now in the hands of Palestinians living in Gaza, which has been under seige by Israeli soldiers.

Source: Malaysian Star.
Link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/11/nation/5447694&sec=nation.