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Monday, December 6, 2010

Argentina Latest Nation to Recognize Independent Palestine on '67 Borders

06.12.10

Ankara – PNN - Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Yasser Abed Rabbo said on Monday morning that the recognition of an independent Palestine by the state of Brazil has encouraged others, like Argentina, to follow suit.

Rabbo said Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner confirmed in a phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday that her country would recognize an independent Palestine within the 1967 borders.

Kirchner also said that her recognition was not just a political gesture but a moral stand.

Abed Rabbo said he believed the recognition of Brazil and Argentina would encourage many other countries to follow in their footsteps. Brazil announced its official recognition last Friday, November 24, in a letter from Brazilian President Ignacio Lula da Silva to Abbas.

For their part, the Israeli foreign ministry and several American congressmen condemned Brazil for the action, and similar recriminations are likely to be directed at Argentina. The American government considers peace talks the only way to an independent Palestine alongside Israel, but those talks have been stalled for months over the issue of illegal Israeli settlements.

The smaller South American nation of Uruguay announced on September 18 that it could recognize Palestine within a year, then announced its full recognition on November 16. Argentine press said Uruguayan President Jose Mujica was “merely recognizing a fact of reality.”

More than 100 countries have recognized an independent Palestine within its '67 borders, most from Asia and Africa. Other emerging economic powers such as China and India have already done so.

Source: Palestine News Network.
Link: http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9234&Itemid=56.

Wikileaks: what Bouteflika said about the army chiefs

05 December, 2010

"Anyone can be a candidate for election, in accordance with the constitution, even a general." This is what President Bouteflika said, according to a report published by Wikileaks, during discussions with the head of Africom, General William Ward, during a recent visit of the latter in early December 2009.

Bouteflika underscored that Algeria's military "absolutely" respected the authority of civilian leadership. "This is not at all like Turkey," he said. Bouteflika asserted that the army was forced to take drastic measures during the violence of the 1990s in order to save the country. This was a difficult period, but constitutional rule had been restored. "The house is now in order," he stressed, "and I can tell you that the army obeys the civilians. There is one constitution and all obey it."

Bouteflika acknowledged, however, that the problems of the past still haunted the country. He cited foreign press reports referring to Algeria as a dictatorship and argued that the term was sometimes used carelessly. The Algerian constitution had established the rule of law. In 2004 it was decided that there was no more historical "revolutionary legitimacy". The only legitimacy was the constitution. "Anyone can be a candidate for election, in accordance with the constitution, even a general." He paused, then grinned and said, "But the generals realize the difficulties and none has been a candidate yet."

Egypt and Soccer

Bouteflika shared his perceptions of Egypt's anti-Algerian nationalism following the November 18 World Cup qualifying match. Bouteflika said the Egyptian media had overreacted to the situation and that Algeria did not plan to respond. Algeria could not afford to confuse its historical relationship with Egypt (past, present and future) with the outcome of a soccer match. He said Algeria and Egypt had a number of common political and economic interests and that his country had no desire to have a political crisis over the results of a soccer match. Some have urged Bouteflika to respond publicly to Egyptian claims. "I understand the Egyptians are responding to local conditions," he said, "but we won't take the same tack." Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Bouteflika asserted, asked to visit Algiers to mediate the issue. Bouteflika told Moussa there was nothing to discuss in Algiers and suggested Moussa might best mediate tensions by working with Cairo to influence Egyptian opinion.

Ennahar

Source: Ennahar.
Link: http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/5320.html.

Rain falls on forest after devastating blaze

06/12/2010

BEIT OREN, Israel (AFP) -- A fine rain fell Monday morning on the forests of Mount Carmel, near the northern Israel city of Haifa, where a the country's worst forest fire raged for four days, killing 42 people.

Around five millimeters of rain had already fallen on the area, dampening the ground, and another 10 millimeters were expected to fall during the day, meteorologists said.

The rain is some of the first the country has had this year, after a particularly dry summer and an unusually warm autumn. This November was the driest in nearly 50 years.

Firefighters were still on the scene, working to ensure that the blaze, which consumed thousands of acres of Israeli forest, did not reignite.

Government officials cited by the Israeli media on Monday said the fire had caused damage estimated at two billion shekels (400 million euro, 533 million dollars).

In addition to those costs, Israel now plans to buy several firefighting planes, after scathing domestic criticism at the Jewish state's lack of aerial firefighting capacity.

Israel has just 1,500 firefighters and no firefighting planes, forcing it to rely on international assistance to put out the blaze.

The government has also announced plans to create a new body charged with overseeing the response to fires.

For the first time, the Israeli government has released emergency funding of 30 million euro to help residents who lost their homes in the fire.

"I don't want delays or bureaucracy. I want all the people who were evacuated to be able to return to their lives as soon as possible," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Haifa police chief 42nd fire death

Haifa's police chief, Ahuva Tomer, died in hospital of her burn injuries, public radio reported Monday, marking the 42nd death resulting from the blaze.

Tomer, 52, one of Israel's few female police chiefs, died in Rambam hospital in the Mediterranean city of Haifa where she worked, the radio reported, citing medical sources.

She suffered severe burns on Thursday, after being caught in the devastating blaze which raged through the Carmel forest south of Haifa for four days.

All but one of the deaths, not including the police chief, came on the first day. Thirty-seven of those killed worked for the prison service, three were police and the others a fireman and a 16-year-old firefighting volunteer.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=339371.

Erdogan pledges support for '67 state

06/12/2010

ANKARA, Turkey (Ma’an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas visited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan in his Ankara home on Sunday, to discuss developments in the peace negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators.

Following the meeting, Ambassador of Palestine to Turkey Nabil Ma’roof told the official PA news agency WAFA that Erdogan pledged to support a bid for the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. The official said he would speak with the leaders of all those nations with which Turkey had diplomatic relations.

Erdogan then stressed to the president that he believed a final reconciliation agreement had to be reached between rival factions Fatah and Hamas, saying "You must unite to be strong."

The Turkish leader also said he would continue to support economic development plans created as part of the Ramallah government's "two-years to statehood" initiative, by contributing $10 million to the construction of an industrial zone in the northern West Bank district of Jenin.

The leaders also agreed on a program to foster trade between the nations, which would include a preferential visa program for businessmen from Palestine.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=339326.

Turkey sends five truckloads of aid to Palestinian students

The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey has sent five truckloads of aid to Palestine in an effort to help Palestinian students aged between 6 and 11.

Monday, 06 December 2010

The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) has sent five truckloads of aid to Palestine in an effort to help Palestinian students aged between 6 and 11.

A ceremony took place at Ankara's Swiss Hotel with the participation of President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine who is currently paying a visit to Turkey.

President Abbas said that Turkey, once again, rushed to assistance of Palestinian people, and thanked President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, TOBB and Turkish relief agency, the Red Crescent.

He also underlined importance of Turkey's other projects such as the construction of an organized industrial zone and building of a water purification facility in Gaza.

TOBB Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu said on his part that the aid worth of nearly 700 thousand USD included material to sew school uniforms for 101 thousand Palestinian students in Gaza and West Bank.

He vowed that their support to Palestinian people would continue, adding, "we will extend full support to any initiative that will ensure prosperity and tranquility in Palestine."

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67085.

Turkey calls for more recognition of Palestine

Turkey's president said on Monday that Israel should give up building new settlements.

Monday, 06 December 2010

Turkey's president said on Monday that Israel should give up building new settlements and start displaying a positive stance for the continuation of the peace talks with Palestine.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul and President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine held a tete-a-tete meeting and later co-chaired talks between Turkish and Palestinian delegations at the Cankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara on Monday.

Appearing at a joint press conference with Abbas afterwards, Turkish President Gul said developments regarding the critical peace process in the Middle East were on the agenda of the Palestinian leader's talks in Turkey.

Gul said that an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, should be founded in order to establish peace in the Middle East.

"We have previously expressed our strong support for the peace talks that started in the region in September. In order for the continuation of these peace talks, Israel should give up constructing new settlements and demolishing houses, besides, it should display a positive stance," Gul said.

The Turkish president also noted that Jerusalem's unique status was of great importance.

"Studies aiming at changing the identity and culture of Jerusalem, a city which has been home to different religions for thousands of years, should be stopped immediately," Gul said.

Gul stated that Turkey would maintain its close cooperation and solidarity with Palestine, moreover, it would continue to extend social and economic support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

"Brazil, Argentina praised"

Upon a question on Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu's recent talks with Israeli officials in Geneva, President Gul said the talks had been held at a "technical level".

"Turkey has clear expectations regarding the normalization of its relations with Israel," the president said.

Gul also noted that Turkey welcomed Brazil and Argentina's decision to recognize the state of Palestine.

"Presence of a Palestinian state is a reality. We expect everybody to recognize the independent state of Palestine just like we did in the past," he added.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67091.

Pakistani PM to join first council meeting in Turkey

Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, will arrive in Turkey on Monday on a four-day official trip.

Sunday, 05 December 2010

Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, will arrive in Turkey on Monday on a four-day official trip.

Gilani will be in Turkey between December 6 and 9 upon an invitation by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Ministry said on Sunday.

During Gilani's trip, the first meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council will take place with the participation of ministers from both countries.

Prime Minister Gilani will be received by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and meet Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin.

Gilani will meet Turkish businesspeople in Istanbul.

President Gul will decorate Gilani with a "Medal of Republic" as a symbol of the friendly and historic relations between the two countries.

Gilani will address the Turkish Parliament.

Prime Minister Gilani's visit will strengthen the comprehensive cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan, the Turkish Prime Ministry also said.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67051.

Turkey sends fire-fighting planes to Lebanon after Israel

Two planes from Turkey, which helped Israel fight against a forest fire, will proceed to Lebanon to join efforts to contain fire.

Monday, 06 December 2010

Turkey will send fire-fighting planes to Lebanon.

Two planes from Turkey, which helped Israel fight against a forest fire, will proceed to Lebanon to join efforts to contain fire.

Turkish Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that a fire, which broke out in Fitri --45 kilometers north of Beirut, Lebanon--, could not have been taken under control, and it affected nearly a four square-km area.

The ministry said that upon demand of Lebanese Premier Saad al-Hariri and directives of Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, two Turkish planes would proceed to Lebanon on Monday, and join fire extinguishing efforts.

A total of 120 fires broke out in Lebanon last week due to drought.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67062.

Palestinian leader meets top officials in Turkey

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Turkey on a two-day visit, held meetings with Turkish officials in Ankara on Sunday.

Monday, 06 December 2010

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Turkey on a two-day visit, held meetings with Turkish officials in Ankara on Sunday.

Abbas firstly met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting at Prime Ministry residence was closed to press.

Abbas, then, had a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. They discussed the recent developments about Middle East peace process, Palestine's relations with regional countries as well as settlement of domestic integrity in Palestine.

Palestinian leader will meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Monday.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67064.

Exclusive: Leaked cable reveals US-Israeli strategy for regime change in Iran

By Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane
Monday, November 29th, 2010

According to a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, in August 2007 the head of Israel's intelligence agency urged US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns, to join with Israel in carrying out a five-part strategy to implement regime change in Iran.

Mossad Director Meir Dagan acknowledged at the meeting that the American analysis of Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program was different from Israel's, but he insisted that the threat from Iran was "obvious" and stated that Israel was willing to take action unilaterally.

The classified diplomatic cable outlining the meeting is part of a large cache of documents leaked to the whistleblower website Wikileaks, and released to the public on Sunday via several international newspapers, including The Guardian and The New York Times.

Dagan began the meeting by thanking the US for its support of Israel, as well as for a recent $30 billion aid package.

The Mossad chief then conceded that US analysis of Iran's alleged nuclear capabilities differed from Israel's, but remarked that such differences were essentially irrelevant and that if need be Israel would take action alone.

"The threat is obvious, even if we have a different timetable," he said. "If we want to postpone their acquisition of a nuclear capability, then we have to invest time and effort ourselves."

Philip Giraldi, a former counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer and the Central Intelligence Agency, who served for eighteen years in Turkey, believes Dagan's comment that Israel will have to "invest time and effort ourselves” in dealing with Iran was, in essence, a veiled threat.

"It is essentially setting up a situation in which the threat of Israel acting alone becomes a wedge issue to force the US to do something so that it will be able to manage the situation rather than respond to Israeli initiatives," Giraldi told Raw Story on Sunday. "It pushes Washington into planning a military strike to force the Israelis to stand down on their own plans."

The differences between how each nation viewed the Iranian nuclear program were not discussed by either the US or Israeli officials in the cable.

R. Nicholas Burns, the U.S. envoy at the meeting -- who is now the Sultan of Oman Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government – did not respond to requests for comment.

The Israeli embassy also did not respond to request for comment.

The Five Pillars of Israeli Strategy

According to the cable, Dagan continued the meeting by enumerating Israel's "five pillar" strategy on Iran, which he urged that the US and Israel both implement:

1. Political Approach
2. Covert Measures
3. Counterprolifiration
4. Sanctions
5. Force Regime Change

Each of the so-called pillars is briefly summarized in the cable.

The political approach advocated by Dagan involved continued pressure from the United Nations Security Council to force Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

The covert pillar of the Israeli strategy was not discussed by Dagan or other Israeli envoys, nor does the classified cable elaborate on the particulars.

The counterproliferation part of the Israeli plans emphasize that Iran must be prevented from obtaining nuclear "know-how and technology."

Dagan noted that the economic sanctions pillar of the strategy was already working, citing the failure of three Iranian banks.

Finally, Dagan suggested that the U.S and Israel should both help "force regime change" in Iran by proxy, "possibly with the support of student democracy movements, and ethnic groups (e.g., Azeris, Kurds, Baluchs) opposed to the ruling regime."

It is unclear from the cable just exactly what "support" of "ethnic groups" meant or whether Dagan offered any suggestions.

Robert Baer -- a former Central Intelligence Agency officer who spent his career stationed in the Middle East, including in Iraqi Kurdistan and on whom the Academy Award winning movie Syriana is based -- interprets Dagan's suggestion as a violent one.

When asked what he thought forced regime change meant in this context with respect to support for the Azeris, Kurds, and Baluchs, Baer told Raw Story, "it means give them money so they can set off bombs - the Mad Max approach."

Dagan suggested that all five pillars be enacted simultaneously, including regime change, implying there was no need to allow time for the other pillars to work, including economic sanctions and political pressure. This would have put the U.S in a difficult position, given its history in Iran.

Events leading up to and after the meeting

According to published sources, both the United States and Israel have been active in attempts to spy on Iran's nuclear program and destabilize its government since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and those efforts intensified as concern over Iran's nuclear program mounted in late 2005.

Seymour Hersh wrote for the New Yorker In April 2006 that the previous December, Mossad Director Dagan had told the Knesset, "Iran is one to two years away, at the latest, from having enriched uranium. From that point, the completion of their nuclear weapon is simply a technical matter."

Over the next few months, Under Secretary Burns was active in diplomatic approaches to dealing with Iran. By the end of January 2006, he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had convinced Russia and China to vote for the International Atomic Energy Agency to report Iran to the Security Council.

But in March, the Bush administration decided against direct talks with the Iranians and the State Department announced "that a newly established Office of Iranian Affairs within the department would focus on introducing democracy in Iran." Burns, Rice, and Elizabeth Cheney --daughter of then Vice President Dick Cheney -- were all said to be behind the new policy.

A few weeks later, Hersh noted that "the Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack. Current and former American military and intelligence officials said that Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups."

Those clandestine efforts continued over the next year, amid widespread reports that the CIA was behind "a wave of unrest in ethnic minority border areas of Iran, with bombing and assassination campaigns against soldiers and government officials."

In the spring of 2007, there were signs of an apparent softening of policy towards Iran, including the disbanding of Liz Cheney's Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group, which had been seen as "plotting covert actions that could escalate into a military conflict with Iran or Syria."

Any softening, however, was short-lived. On July 21, 2007, Burns and Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams met with representatives of Iranian ethnic groups in the US to discuss (pdf) Iran's nuclear policies. And in August, Burns joined the Israeli foreign minister in Jerusalem to sign a new military aid package amounting to $30 billion over ten years -- an increase of 25% from previous levels.

That was the immediate background for Burns' meeting with Dagan, as described in the newly-released cable.

Within a few months, the Bush administration had decided to intensify its covert actions against Iran.

According to Hersh, in late 2007, "Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country's religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering intelligence about Iran's suspected nuclear-weapons program."

This is precisely the approach Dagan and Burns discussed at August 2007 meeting, as described in the leaked cable.

Source: The Raw Story.
Link: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/wikileaks-cable-reveals-israel-pushing-regime-change-iran/.

UN to assess human rights in Algeria

2010-12-05

A United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights will visit Algeria this month, La Tribune reported on Friday (December 3rd). National Advisory Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CNCPPDH) chief Farouk Ksentini announced the visit last Thursday while presenting a report on human rights in Algeria, which will be submitted to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika before the end of the year.

Another UN Special Rapporteur visited Algeria last month upon invitation from the government. Rashida Manjoo traveled to several Algerian cities to assess the country's progress in stemming violence against women.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/05/newsbrief-02.

Russian satellites crash into Pacific: space official

by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) Dec 5, 2010

Three Russian navigation satellites crashed into the Pacific off the US state of Hawaii Sunday after the rocket carrying them failed to reach orbit, officials from the Russian space agency said.

The capsule carrying the three Glonass satellites plummeted into the sea 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) off Honolulu, one official told Russia's RIA-Novosty news agency, adding that there had been no casualties.

The failure is a setback for Russia's attempt to put a satellite navigation system in place to rival the United States's GPS (Global Positioning System) and steal a march on Europe's fledgling Galileo system.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has underscored the strategic significance of developing the Glonass system to ensure Russia's technological independence.

"According to preliminary data, the Proton rocket that took off from Baikonur at 1:25 pm (1025 GMT) took a wrong trajectory," said a Russian space agency source cited by Interfax.

"Consequently, the booster rocket could not put the satellites in the intended orbit and it fell back with them into the atmosphere," the source added.

Once separated from the Proton rocket, a second-stage booster rocket with the three satellites aboard should have put them in orbit about 20 kilometers (12 miles) above the earth.

"The ballistics experts have checked everything: the upper-stage rocket with the satellites is not on the main, intermediate nor emergency orbit," a source told RIA Novosti.

The three Glonass-M satellites, weighing 1.4 tonnes, were supposed to complete a constellation of satellites already put in place by Moscow.

Putin said in April that Russia planned to equip all new cars sold in Russia in 2012 with the new navigation system, developed by the Russian military in the 1980s.

He said Moscow planned to launch a total of seven new Glonass satellites which would ensure coverage of the entire planet, bringing to 27 or 28 the number of operational satellites.

Russia would spend 1.7 billion rubles (40 million dollars) in 2011, after two billion rubles spent in 2010, Putin said.

Rokosmos, the Russian space agency, said in 2008 that Venezuela and Cuba were interested in adopting the new system.

Russia's defense ministry confirmed the loss, but insisted Sunday's accident would not affect the roll-out of the new positioning system.

"There are currently 26 satellites in the Glonass constellation, including two emergency satellites. This allows complete coverage of Russian Federation territory," the ministry said in a statement.

"The Russian space industry's capacity enables us to react rapidly to what's happened," it said, adding that the system would be fully in place next year in any case.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russian_satellites_crash_into_Pacific_space_official_999.html.

US concern as Iran declares nuclear 'self-sufficiency'

by Staff Writers
Tehran (AFP) Dec 5, 2010

Iran said Sunday it has produced a first batch of uranium yellowcake, the raw material for enrichment, in a move it said "strengthens" its position before talks with world powers on its controversial nuclear program.

In Washington, the White House said the claim raises "additional concerns" but was "not unexpected" since UN sanctions prevent Iran from importing it.

Iranian atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Islamic republic was now "self-sufficient" in the entire nuclear fuel cycle.

"The West had counted on the possibility of us being in trouble over raw material but today we had the first batch of yellowcake from Gachin mine sent to Isfahan (conversion) facility," Salehi said on state television.

Conversion is the process by which yellowcake is turned into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) for enrichment.

"This calls into further question Iran's intentions and raises additional concerns at a time when Iran needs to address the concerns of the international community," White House official Mike Hammer said.

Analysts believe Iran has nearly exhausted 600 tonnes of yellowcake acquired from South Africa in the 1970s before the Islamic revolution, triggering speculation that a lack of raw material might halt its nuclear program.

A February 2009 study by the US-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said there was scant evidence at the time that Iran had been able to supplement its dwindling yellowcake supply with domestically mined uranium.

Salehi said Iran still cannot meet "the overall need of the Isfahan facility but... will produce a significant part of it" from Gachin near the Gulf port city of Bandar Abbas.

"Iran has become self-sufficient in the entire fuel cycle, starting from (uranium) exploration, mining and then turning it into yellowcake and converting it to UF6 and then turning it into fuel plates or pellets," he said.

He said Iran would formally notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its yellowcake production, but declined to disclose the amount of the first domestically produced batch.

The announcement comes as Iran prepares for a new round of talks with world powers on its controversial nuclear program in Geneva on Monday.

Salehi said it meant Tehran would "go to the negotiations with strength and power."

Uranium enrichment lies at the heart of Western concerns about Iran's nuclear activities as it can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or in highly extended form the fissile core of an atom bomb.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, but has continued enriching uranium in defiance of repeated UN Security Council ultimatums.

A succession of UN sanctions imposed since 2006 aims at preventing Iran from acquiring technology, equipment and raw material for its nuclear program.

Tehran insists it has a right to enrichment to make fuel as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and has vowed to continue doing so.

"No matter how much effort they put into their sanctions in creating all sorts of hindrance... our nuclear activities will proceed," Salehi said.

The European Union's top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, will conduct the Geneva talks with Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili on behalf of the five UN Security Council permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly insisted that enrichment is "non-negotiable" while calling on Western governments to "stop being hostile."

Iran also accuses Western powers and Israel -- the sole if undeclared nuclear power in the Middle East -- of being behind the recent assassination of a top nuclear scientist and of seeking to sabotage its nuclear program.

Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said that some people behind the assassination and other attacks on nuclear scientists had confessed to Israeli involvement.

"We are pursuing the arrest of all the perpetrators of these attacks, some of whom have been captured," the English-language Press TV website quoted Najjar as saying.

"He added that according to the confessions of the arrested suspects the role of Israel in the incidents is completely obvious."

It took Iran and the six powers a month to agree on a date and venue for the Geneva talks, but they have yet to agree on an agenda.

The world powers want the talks to focus on Iran's enrichment program, but Tehran wants a wider discussion including regional security issues and Israel's suspected nuclear arsenal.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_concern_as_Iran_declares_nuclear_self-sufficiency_999.html.

Forest fires in northern Israel "a strike from Allah", Hamas says

Monday, December 6th, 2010

By BNO News

GAZA CITY (BNO NEWS) -- The fires ravaging northern Israel are Alla's expression of anger towards Israelis, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday.

Haniyeh told reporters that the fires, which killed 41 Israelis, "are divine strikes for what [Israel] did. These are plagues from God," said Haniyeh. "Allah is punishing them from a place they did not expect it."

The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon across the Carmel mountains and most of the casualties were from a bus evacuating prison guards near Haifa, Israel's third largest city. In addition, dozens more were injured including police officers and firefighters.

The fire is continuing to spread and is endangering many areas and police forces urged citizens to stay clear of the area, while more than 17,000 people have already been evacuated.

The affected region has heavy brush that burns easily and the fire is spreading due to the strong winds.

Israel on Friday announced that police forces arrested two individuals suspected of being involved in the fires. Both individuals were arrested after and Israeli Air Force drone filmed two men as they were attempting to ignite flammable material in the area before the fire began.

Investigators are also looking evidence of other recent arson incidents in order to determine if they are related. On Friday afternoon, a fire broke out near a gas station in Kiryat Bialik.

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/12997/forest-fires-in-northern-israel-a-strike-from-allah-hamas-says/.

Haneya urges Shalit's captors to stick to demands

December 06, 2010

Deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya on Sunday called on captors of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shailt in Gaza to stick to their demands and conditions on releasing him, urging the captors to keep Shalit "until achieving an honorable swap deal" with Israel.

Hamas militants and other two Palestinian armed groups captured Shalit in a cross-border raid near Gaza in 2006. The Islamic movement has been demanding Israel to free at least 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 450 Hamas detainees to exchange the captured soldier.

Haneya added that the exchange of prisoners "would be the first drop of rain that paves the way for releasing all the prisoners." It is estimated that more than 8,000 Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons.

However, the talks on swap deal has been suspended for a long time and each side blames the other.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7221829.html.

Israel extinguishes forest fire

Two teenagers arrested on suspicion of starting blaze in Carmel region, that killed 41 people and scorched woodland.

06 Dec 2010

A fire that killed 41 people and ravaged big swaths of forest in northern Israel's Carmel region has been extinguished, police have said.

"All of the fires were officially extinguished as of midnight," Mickey Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said on Monday morning.

Dozens of nations had sent firefighting equipment and helped in the effort to put out the four-day fire, which in addition to causing casualties, scorched 50 square kilometers of woodland, destroyed millions of trees, and an estimated dozens of homes.

Israel has admitted it was woefully underprepared, and politicians have called for officials to resign for failing to quickly quell the fire.

Two teenagers from the village of Isfiya have been arrested on suspicion of starting the blaze "through negligence" by leaving behind burning embers after a family picnic.

Compensation pledged

Israeli media assessed the cost of the damage at about $550m, and the fire brigade said it would take several days to confirm evacuated areas were safe.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, pledged to compensate victims and rebuild the area "in the quickest possible way".

"I don't want delays. I don't want red tape. I want processes to be shortened and rapid solutions," he said after he was given a tour of the area in a Boeing 747 Supertanker, the world's largest water-bombing plane, leased from a private US company.

Most of those killed in the fire were prison officers whose bus was trapped by the flames as they were traveling to help evacuate a nearby jail.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/12/201012672042314502.html.

Al Jazeera rejects leaked US claims

Al Jazeera says the leaked US cables about the network are very far from the truth.

06 Dec 2010

Al Jazeera has dismissed claims based on leaked US diplomatic cables that Qatar, the network's home, uses the news channel as a bargaining chip in foreign policy negotiations.

A report in The Guardian newspaper alleges that Qatari politicians use Al Jazeera as an "informal tool" to achieve foreign policy goals, ordering changes to the network's coverage in accordance with the country's national objectives.

Al Jazeera said the claims were "very far from the truth", insisting that its journalists operate with complete editorial independence despite facing pressure from international governments.

The allegations are based on the latest release of classified US documents by the whistle-blowing organization WikiLeaks.

They include details of a conversation between Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister (referred to in the documents as HBJ), and John Kerry, a US senator, about the faltering peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

In the exchange, Al Thani explains that he was not impressed by Egypt's attempts to prevent a crisis summit during Israel's military attack on Gaza in January 2009 from being held in Qatar.

The cable quotes Al Thani as saying that Egypt used its anger at Al Jazeera as an "excuse".

"Qatar is worried, said HBJ, about Egypt and its people, who are increasingly impatient. Mubarak, continued HBJ, says Al Jazeera is the source of Egypt's problems. This is an excuse. HBJ had told Mubarak "we would stop Al Jazeera for a year" if he agreed in that span of time to deliver a lasting settlement for the Palestinians. Mubarak said nothing in response, according to HBJ."

Another cable, written in November 2009 by a US diplomat as a forecast of the next three years in Qatar, says that Al Jazeera's Arabic channel could be used by the government of Qatar as "a bargaining tool to repair relationships with other countries, particularly those soured by Al Jazeera's broadcasts."

But a statement released by Al Jazeera on Sunday dismissed the claims. "This is the US embassy's assessment, and it is very far from the truth. Despite all the pressure Al Jazeera has been subjected to by regional and international governments, it has never changed its bold editorial policies which remain guided by the principles of a free press."

The release of thousands of classified US documents sent shockwaves through the diplomatic world, and prompted a storm of criticism from governments dismayed at the scale of the security breach.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/12/2010125231346145291.html.

WikiLeaks cables claim al-Jazeera changed coverage to suit Qatari foreign policy

US embassy memos contradict Arabic satellite channel's insistence that it is editorially independent despite being heavily subsidized by Gulf state.

Robert Booth
The Guardian, Monday 6 December 2010

Qatar is using the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera as a bargaining chip in foreign policy negotiations by adapting its coverage to suit other foreign leaders and offering to cease critical transmissions in exchange for major concessions, US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks claim.

The memos flatly contradict al-Jazeera's insistence that it is editorially independent despite being heavily subsidized by the Gulf state.

They will also be intensely embarrassing to Qatar, which last week controversially won the right to host the 2022 World Cup after presenting itself as the most open and modern Middle Eastern state.

In the past, the emir of Qatar has publicly refused US requests to use his influence to temper al-Jazeera's reporting.

But a cable written in November 2009 predicted that the station could be used "as a bargaining tool to repair relationships with other countries, particularly those soured by al-Jazeera's broadcasts, including the United States" over the next three years.

Doha-based al-Jazeera was launched in 1996 and has become the most watched satellite television station in the Middle East. It has been seen by many as relatively free and open in its coverage of the region, but government control over its reporting appears to US diplomats to be so direct that they said the channel's output had become "part of our bilateral discussions – as it has been to favorable effect between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and other countries".

In February, the US embassy reported to Washington how "relations [between Qatar and Saudi Arabia] are generally improving after Qatar toned down criticism of the Saudi royal family on al-Jazeera". In July 2009, the US embassy said the channel "has proved itself a useful tool for the station's political masters".

In one dispatch, the US ambassador, Joseph LeBaron, reported that the Qatari prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, had joked in an interview that al-Jazeera had caused the Gulf state such headaches that it might be better to sell it. But the ambassador remarked: "Such statements must not be taken at face value." He went on: "Al-Jazeera's ability to influence public opinion throughout the region is a substantial source of leverage for Qatar, one which it is unlikely to relinquish. Moreover, the network can also be used as a chip to improve relations. For example, al-Jazeera's more favorable coverage of Saudi Arabia's royal family has facilitated Qatari-Saudi reconciliation over the past year."

Although LeBaron noted that the station's coverage of the Middle East was "relatively free and open", he added: "Despite GOQ protestations to the contrary, al-Jazeera remains one of Qatar's most valuable political and diplomatic tools."

US allegations of manipulation of al-Jazeera's content for political ends also contradict Qatar's claim to support a free press. "The Qatari government claims to champion press freedom elsewhere, but generally does not tolerate it at home," the US embassy said after the French director of the Doha Center for Media Freedom resigned in June 2009, citing restrictions on the center's freedom to operate.

In a clear example of the regional news channel being exploited for political ends, the Doha embassy claimed Sheikh Hamad (HBJ) told the US senator John Kerry that he had proposed a bargain with the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, which involved stopping broadcasts in Egypt in exchange for a change in Cairo's position on Israel-Palestinian negotiations.

"HBJ had told Mubarak 'we would stop al-Jazeera for a year' if he agreed in that span of time to deliver a lasting settlement for the Palestinians," according to a confidential cable from the US embassy in Doha in February. "Mubarak said nothing in response, according to HBJ."

The US has benefited, too. "Anecdotal evidence suggests, and former al-Jazeera board members have affirmed, that the United States has been portrayed more positively since the advent of the Obama administration," a cable in November 2009 said. "We expect that trend to continue and to further develop as US-Qatari relations improve."

In 2001 the emir, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, refused a US request to stop al-Jazeera giving so much airtime to Osama bin Laden and other anti-American figures, saying: "Parliamentary life requires you to have a free and credible media, and that is what we are trying to do.

"Al-Jazeera is one of the most widely watched [TV stations] in the Arab world because of its editorial independence." The Gulf state has frequently held up al-Jazeera as evidence of its relative openness. The independent Visit Qatar website states: "What makes al-Jazeera such a unique channel in the Middle East is its editorial independence.

"This has been seen by many as evidence that Qatar is one of the region's more liberal and democratic countries, and one which provides freedom of press and speech."

Qatar maintains a working relationship with Iran, and the US embassy was concerned by the lack of al-Jazeera coverage of the civil unrest in Iran after the disputed presidential election in the summer of 2009.

"Al-Jazeera's coverage of the Iranian election and its aftermath has been scanty by comparison to other hot topics in the region, such as Gaza," reported the embassy at the time.

Al-Jazeera "has proved itself a useful tool for the station's political masters", the cables said.

Local media are also affected by government interference. "Over the past three [visits] we have assessed as steady the lack of overall media freedom in Qatar," the November cable said.

"Although overt and official censorship is not present, self and discreet official censorship continue to render Qatari domestic media tame and ineffective."

Al-Jazeera last night denied the claims. A spokesman for the station said: "This is the US embassy's assessment, and it is very far from the truth. Despite all the pressure al-Jazeera has been subjected to by regional and international governments, it has never changed its bold editorial policies which remain guided by the principles of a free press." The embassy of Qatar in London declined to comment on the story last night.

Source: The Guardian.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/05/wikileaks-cables-al-jazeera-qatari-foreign-policy.

WikiLeaks: Saudis Largest Source of Terror Funds

December 5, 2010
Posted by David S Morgan

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged U.S. diplomats to do more to stop the flow of money to Islamist militant groups from donors in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi government, Clinton wrote, was reluctant to cut off money being sent to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan.

"While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) takes seriously the threat of terrorism within Saudi Arabia, it has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority," the memo states.

Progress was cited by the Saudi government (due in part to "intense focus" by the United States) to proactively investigate and detain financiers of concern. "Still, donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide."

"In contrast to its increasingly aggressive efforts to disrupt al Qaeda's access to funding from Saudi sources, Riyadh has taken only limited action to disrupt fundraising for the UN 1267-listed Taliban and LeT-groups that are also aligned with al Qaeda and focused on undermining stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al Qaeda, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups," according to the memo signed by Clinton.

Other Arab countries cited as being sources of money for terrorists were Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

The memo states al Qaeda and other militants groups "continue to exploit Kuwait both as a source of funds and as a key transit point."

The UAE's growing global financial power, coupled with weak regulatory oversight, "makes it vulnerable to abuse by terrorist financiers and facilitation networks."

The memo was among those leaked by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, and appeared today in the British newspaper, The Guardian.

The memo recommends a strategic approach to achieve long-term success in combating terror financing, including:

"Aggressive action" to identify, disrupt and deter" those who raise or facilitate funds for terrorists;

"Appropriate legal measures, including effective prosecution" to hold terrorist financiers publicly accountable, and sending a strong message of deterrence to others.

"Strong oversight of charities" to ensure such organizations do not contribute to terrorist and extremist elements;

Strict enforcement of UN 1267 sanctions; and

Full compliance with international standards to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism.

Another memo published by the Guardian indicates that a front company for the LeT, Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JUD), was openly raising funds in Saudi Arabia.

Prior to the Mumbai, India terror attacks in November 2008, the memo says, an American effort to have JUD listed by the United Nations alongside other terror-allied organizations was placed on hold by China at the behest of Pakistan. Pakistan acquiesced the month following the Mumbai attacks, but JUD appears to still be operating in multiple locations in Pakistan.

Source: Central Broadcasting Service.
Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20024653-503543.html.

Indonesia downgrades Mount Bromo volcano's alert level

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Jakarta - Indonesian authorities on Monday downgraded the alert level for Mount Bromo in East Java province as the volcano's activity declined after a series of minor eruptions.

The Center of Vulcanology and Geological Mitigation said the status was downgraded one notch from the highest alert level based on observations, an analysis of seismic data and the potential danger of eruption.

However, residents around the volcano, tourists and climbers were still not allowed to enter an area within a radius of 2 kilometers from the volcano's crater, the center said.

Ash eruptions from Bromo last week caused the closure of Abdurahman Saleh Airport in nearby Malang for five days. Passenger flights to and from the city resumed Sunday.

Mount Bromo's status was upgraded to the top alert level on November 26 and placed offlimits to visitors, but no evacuation order was issued for residents living nearby.

The top alert means an eruption is possible in the next 24 hours while the next level means that if volcanic activity continues, an eruption is possible in two weeks.

The 2,329-meter peak, about 750 kilometers east of Jakarta, is a popular tourist destination. Two tourists were killed when the volcano erupted in 2004.

Indonesia has about 500 volcanoes, nearly 130 of them active and 68 classified as dangerous.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356750,bromo-volcanos-alert-level.html.

Long-serving leader of Malaysia's ethnic Indian party steps down

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Kuala Lumpur - The leader of Malaysia's largest ethnic Indian party resigned Monday after more than three decades at the helm amid criticism from members of his party and the public.

Calls for S Samy Vellu, 74, to quit had increased since his Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) party's poor performance in the 2008 general elections.

His critics charged that Samy, as he is widely known, has done little to protect the ethnic Indian community's rights in mainly Muslim Malaysia since he took the reins in 1979.

After the 2008 elections, the MIC saw its number of seats in the 222-member Parliament fall from nine to four, making it harder for the party to fulfill its role as defender of Malaysia's Indians, who account for around 7 per cent of the population.

Samy Vellu saw his own popularity drop and was forced to leave the cabinet and his position as works minister.

On Monday, his chosen successor, G Palanivel, was officially appointed as the MIC's new president.

Samy, whose colorful persona has attracted considerable media attention, had refuted calls to step down in the two years since the elections and fired critics from the upper ranks of his party.

He said his decision to finally quit was to give his successor adequate time to prepare for the next general elections, which are due in 2012 but which many believe will be much earlier.

The MIC is a member of the National Front coalition, which has ruled the country since its independence in 1957 and includes representatives from the country's different ethnic groups.

Most power is effectively wielded by the United Malays National Organization party. Ethnic Malays make up 60 per cent of the country's 28 million people. Ethnic Chinese make up 25 per cent.

In 2008, Chinese and Indian voters largely backed the three-party opposition alliance led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim and for the first time denied the National Front the two-thirds majority needed to legislate.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356751,indian-party-steps-down.html.

Gulf Cooperation Council summit to focus on Iran, common currency

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) opened its annual summit in Abu Dhabi Monday, with member states expected to focus on security concerns over Iran and a move towards a unified currency.

The two-day meeting is to specifically address the issue of Tehran's nuclear program and the long-standing territorial dispute between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran over three islands in the Persian Gulf.

The GCC is comprised of the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.

The meeting comes a day after the UAE announced it would upgrade its missile defense system.

"The threat of attack of long-range ballistic missiles is real," the deputy chief of the UAE Armed Forces, Major General Mohamed Suhaih al-Kaabi said Sunday.

Classified documents released by online whistleblower WikiLeaks last week revealed that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah encouraged Washington to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which lie in close proximity to the GCC members.

Summit delegates are expected to pick up on the question of the need for unified currency, which was agreed a year ago, but without much progress since.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356756,focus-iran-common-currency.html.

Egypt's opposition wins a handful of seats in parliamentary run-off

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Cairo - Egypt's opposition parties won a handful of seats in the lower house of parliament, after some members ignored a call to boycott Sunday's run-off vote, preliminary election results showed Monday.

One member of the leading opposition Muslim Brotherhood, won one of the 508 seats in the People's Assembly, while four members each from the al-Wafd and the al-Tagammu parties won seats, according to media reports.

The Brotherhood and several smaller opposition parties refused to take part in the run-off after making a poor showing in the first round. The Brotherhood, which has 88 seats in the outgoing parliament, failed to win a single seat in the first round.. They accused the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of fraud.

But several opposition candidates continued campaigning for the run-off despite the boycott.

President Hosny Mubarak's NDP won 209 of the 508 contested seats in the first round, and is expected to make similar gains in the run-off. Final results are expected Wednesday.

The run-off election was marked by a low voter turnout and saw renewed allegations of fraud from the opposition.

The National Council for Human Rights, a quasi-governmental body, reported that hundreds of complaints had been filed by voters throughout the day, with some claiming they were turned away at polling stations.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356757,handful-seats-parliamentary-run-off.html.

Iran, world powers resume nuclear talks in Geneva

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Geneva - Iran resumed talks with six world powers over its contentious nuclear program in Geneva on Monday, a Western diplomat confirmed, with both sides seeking to build confidence rather than achieve a real breakthrough.

The two-day meeting is the first in more than 12 months during which relations between Tehran and the grouping of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China have deteriorated.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeid Jalili said on the weekend that Iran's right to seek nuclear technology was "non-negotiable."

His counterpart in the latest talks is European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, negotiating on behalf of the six powers.

These and other countries are worried that Iran could use its uranium enrichment plants to make fuel for nuclear warheads rather than reactors. But four rounds of United Nations-imposed sanctions have not been able to pressure Tehran to halt enrichment.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Sunday called the resumption of talks a positive step and expressed hope that Iran would increase transparency surrounding its nuclear program.

"If Iran fulfills its international obligations on transparency, Germany is willing to cooperate with Iran on the civilian use of nuclear energy," he said.

Ahead of the talks, officials on both sides of the table said that one way to break the impasse could be to revive a confidence-building scheme in which Iran would export enriched uranium, thus signaling that it cannot be used for military means.

The plan was hatched in the previous round of talks in Geneva in October 2009, but faltered amid internal political bickering in Iran, the expansion of its nuclear program, and new international sanctions targeting the country.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356764,resume-nuclear-talks-geneva.html.

Merkel, Tusk to discuss eurozone debt crisis at Berlin talks

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Berlin - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Berlin Monday for talks on the eurozone debt crisis with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Several Polish ministers accompanied Tusk for consultations with their German counterparts.

The talks come ahead a European Union summit next week, at which member states are due to agree on a permanent eurozone rescue mechanism.

Last week EU finance ministers offered Ireland an 85-billion-euro (110-billion-dollar) loan under the temporary rescue mechanism set up following Greece's debt crisis earlier this year.

Speculation remains rife that Portugal or Spain could be the next eurozone states in need of rescue measures.

Merkel is also scheduled to discuss details of the proposed rescue mechanism with Swedish premier Fredrik Reinfeldt and French President Nicolas Sarkozy later this week.

Germany is demanding that creditors pay for at least a share of future rescue schemes, but opposes the use of jointly guaranteed eurobonds, as proposed by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

This is the tenth time Germany and Poland engage in joint government consultations.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356774,debt-crisis-berlin-talks.html.

Israel, Turkey officials meet in bid to smooth relationship crisis

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Tel Aviv - An Israeli and a Turkish official have met in Geneva to discuss the crisis in relations between the two former close allies - the first such bilateral encounter in months, Israel Radio reported Monday.

The crisis was sparked by Israel's assault on a flotilla headed to Gaza in May, during which Israeli commandos shot dead nine Turkish stick-wielding civilian pro-Palestinian activists on board the Turkish Mavi Marmara.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the Foreign Ministry, asked by the German Press-Agency dpa, would not confirm or deny the Sunday meeting.

A senior Israeli official said he would not comment on any specifics, but did tell dpa "Israel regrets deeply the deterioration in the relationship between Jerusalem and Ankara and firmly believes that a more positive relationship is in the fundamental interest of both sides."

He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Netanyahu reportedly sent Yosef Ciechanover, Israel's representative to the United Nations commission investigating the flotilla deaths, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry sent Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu, to the Geneva meeting.

It comes after Turkey sent two planes to Israel to help fight its worst ever forest fire, which over the past four days burnt 50 square kilometers of the Carmel Hill and killed 42 Israelis.

Netanyahu on Friday personally thanked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the assistance and said he hoped it would be the beginning of an improvement in the marred ties.

"We very much appreciate this mobilization and I am certain that it will be an opening toward improving relations between our two countries, Turkey and Israel," Netanyahu told Erdogan, according to a statement.

Netanyahu also told reporters at Haifa's Rambam hospital that Israel would "find ways to express our appreciation."

Turkey's good ties with Israel started to sour when Ankara criticized Israel's December 2008 to January 2009 offensive against Gaza.

And they hit a low when Israel overpowered the Gaza-bound flotilla in May in international waters.

The Turkish premier has insisted that his country will not begin to restore relations with Israel until it apologizes for its "savage attack" on the vessel. Israel has ruled out such an apology.

Only last month, the depth of the crisis was exposed when the WikiLeaks website unveiled diplomats' cables briefing Washington, one of which claimed that Erdogan "hates" Israel. Ankara has denied that.

Another from the US embassy in Ankara said that when Turkey booted Israel from a joint exercise in June 2009, diplomats managed to present it publicly as a "postponement." But, said the cable, "the relationship is souring."

The unconfirmed Geneva parley was the first since Israeli Trade and Industry Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer secretly met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels in July.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356777,bid-smooth-relationship-crisis.html.

London mayor cancels FIFA Olympic freebie

Sun, 05 Dec 2010

London - The fall-out to England's defeat in the race to host the 2018 World Cup continued on Sunday as London mayor Boris Johnson withdrew an offer of free hotel rooms for FIFA executives during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Johnson had agreed to put up FIFA president Joseph Blatter and other officials at the exclusive Dorchester Hotel, but after Thursday's decision to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia, the offer has been rescinded.

The mayor is understood to have discussed the issue with the London Olympic organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe, but he has not commented on the decision.

Johnson, who was in Zurich to help with last-minute lobbying, said the result was a "big blow and tremendously disappointing".

The withdrawal of the offer, whose initial justification - from a bid that prided itself on not offering inducements - remains unclear, is part of a general backlash in England against FIFA.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356680,cancels-fifa-olympic-freebie.html.

Italy asks for clemency against Tariq Aziz death sentence

Sun, 05 Dec 2010

Baghdad - Italy asked that Iraq not execute Tariq Aziz, a former top aid to toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi foreign minister said Sunday.

Aziz, a fluent English speaker and once the public face of Saddam's regime, is 74 years old and suffered a stroke in January in a prison in Baghdad. He is believed to be in poor health.

The Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who was in Baghdad, issued "a request for a pardoning of Tariq Aziz or a clemency against his death sentence," Iraq Foreign Minister Houshiar Zubeiri told journalists.

"This request has also came from Russia, the Vatican, and Arab states," he said, but added that the "final decision lies with the justice system."

Zubeiri's statements came at a joint press conference with his Italian counterpart, who was completing a Middle East tour.

The Italian government and the European Union have condemned Aziz's death sentence, handed down in October by an Iraqi court, as politically motivated.

Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani, who opposes the death penalty, said last month that he would not sign Aziz's execution order. While Talabani has in the past refused to sign-off executions, vice presidents have approved some in his place.

Aziz, a Christian, served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister under Saddam and was the most prominent member of any minority sect in the previous regime.

The Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal in Baghdad found Aziz guilty of persecution and efforts to "liquidate" Iraqi religious parties, particularly those of Shiite Muslims.

Rights groups have accused the court of having suffered from "political interference" during Aziz's trial.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356688,tariq-aziz-death-sentence.html.

Mbeki begins mediation in Ivory Coast election crisis

Sun, 05 Dec 2010

Nairobi/Abidjan - Former South African leader Thabo Mbeki on Sunday began mediating between the two men laying claim to Ivory Coast's presidency in an effort to head off conflict in the West African nation.

The incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, 65, and his rival Alassane Ouattara, who were contesting an election supposed to put to bed the ghost of the 2002 civil war, on Saturday both conducted swearing-in ceremonies amid rising tensions in the world's biggest cocoa grower.

The nation's electoral commission on Thursday declared Ouattara, 68, the winner of last Sunday's run-off poll - a result recognized by the international community - only for a Gbagbo ally heading up the constitutional council to overrule the decision.

Mbeki was sent by the African Union to resolve a crisis the 53- nation bloc said could have "incalculable consequences for the country, as well as for the region and the continent as a whole."

The former South African president - who mediated during the civil war that split the nation into the rebel, mainly Muslim north and Christian-majority, government-controlled south - met Gbagbo and the United Nations special representative YJ Choi.

He was due to meet Ouattara, a former prime minister and senior International Monetary Fund official, later in the day.

"I am going to meet everyone to get a general overview ... I can't engage in conclusions," he said after meeting Gbagbo, according to a statement on the presidency's website.

Gbagbo is under intense pressure from the international community, including the United States, United Nations, African Union and former colonial master France, to abide by the electoral commission's decision.

However, he so far has shown no sign of cracking and has the backing of the army. The regime has closed its borders and blocked the signals of all foreign television and radio news services. An overnight curfew is in place.

UN head Ban Ki-moon is backing the stance of Choi, who said the electoral commission results were valid. Gbagbo, speaking at his swearing in, dismissed the outside interference.

"I have never called on someone from outside to put me in office," Gbagbo said in an apparent rebuke to Choi, who said the Ivory Coast government had earlier authorized him to certify the vote.

The constitutional court annulled votes from seven regions in Ouattara strongholds in the north, claiming irregularities, but Choi said even if all the complaints by Gbagbo's camp were taken into account, the outcome of vote would still have balanced in Ouattara's favor.

Ouattara is backed by the former northern rebel group New Forces, headed by Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who resigned in protest on Saturday.

"We recognize that Alassane Ouattara is the winner of the this election ... I decided to go give him my resignation from the government and as prime minister," Soro said in a statement on his party's website.

Ouattara immediately reinstated Soro.

There have been violent protests on the streets of Abidjan, with Ouattara supporters erecting flaming barricades, and unconfirmed reports of deaths, since Gbagbo claimed victory.

More than a dozen people had already died in clashes linked to the poll before the latest twist.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, Ban and US President Barack Obama warned the two candidates they would be held to account for any further violence carried out by their supporters, while the International Criminal Court also said it was monitoring events.

Ivory Coast has been in crisis since 2002 when Gbagbo, who came to power in the wake of violent demonstrations at the 2000 presidential elections, survived a coup attempt.

The failed coup sparked the brief civil war. A 2007 peace deal brought the rebels into government through Soro.

The presidential poll had been postponed six times since 2005.