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Friday, February 18, 2011

Russia angered by speech of suspected militant in top U.S. university

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

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17/02/2011

Russia is outraged after a top U.S. university invited a suspected Russian militant, who is on an international wanted list, as a guest speaker for a panel discussion, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Lukashevich, said on Thursday.

Ilyas Akhmadov, who according to Russia served as an aide for notorious Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev, participated on Monday in the Crisis in the North Caucasus: Any Way Out? panel discussion at the John Hopkins University in Maryland.

"We are bewildered and outraged that the well-known John Hopkins University gave the floor to a former militant, who served as an aide for the international terrorist Basayev. Moreover, we are talking about a criminal who is on the international wanted list. Unfortunately, this person is still registered in the United States as a refugee," Lukashevich said.

Basayev, who was behind some of the most gruesome terrorist attacks on Russian soil, including the September 2004 Beslan school siege, was killed by federal troops in July 2006.

Such events, he said, as at the John Hopkins University "play into the hands of terrorists and their allies."

The diplomat also called on the United States to remove its objections in regard to Russia's proposal to include its suspected militant Doku Umarov on the UN Security Council list of the most dangerous wanted terrorists.

Russia submitted this proposal last November with the UN Security Council commission 1267, which deals with sanctions against the Taliban movement, al-Qaeda and other organizations linked to them. Russia claims that Umarov and his movement, the Caucasus Emirate, are closely linked to al-Qaeda.

"Russia's arguments and evidence submitted with the 1267 committee have conclusively proven that Umarov and his so-called Caucasus Emirate are closely linked with al-Qaeda and the Taliban movement. However, the committee decided to stay its decision on our application after the United States objected," Lukashevich said.

The United States claims that Russia provided insufficient proof that Umarov and his movement were linked to Al-Qaeda, he said, adding however that last year the U.S. Department of State included Umarov in the national list of the most dangerous international terrorists.

MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti)

Source: RIA Novosti.
Link: http://en.rian.ru/world/20110217/162652199.html.

Students keep Algeria protests warm

17 February - As weekly anti-government protests are planned in Algeria each Saturday, students around the country keep the movement warm during weekdays, organizing strikes, sit-ins and protests.

The student protests in Algeria started already on 8 February, almost a week before the pro-democracy protests, and were sparked by unpopular reforms in the qualification system and poor quality of teaching at Algerian universities. But a loose connection to the regional anti-regime protest wave was soon noted.

Since the Saturday anti-government protests in Algiers, which was brutally dispersed by a large number of police troops, the pro-democracy movement mostly has staid off the streets, rather concentrating on setting up a nation-wide organization to head the protests each Saturday.

But meanwhile, the student protests are going on, spreading and reaching new heights. All over the country and during the entire week, university students have organized strikes, sit-ins and manifestations.

Ten days ago, some 500 students at the University of Algiers started boycotting classes. More students joined in a protest march the day after as an "indefinite strike" was declared. Then, students in the cities of Oran, Tlemcen and Annaba followed up with strikes and manifestations.

This week, the more politicized students have even widened their action. In the city of M'sila, the "indefinite" student strike was announced on Monday. Yesterday, an estimated 15,000 students took to the streets of M'sila, mostly shouting slogans against Algeria's education policies. The protests were peaceful.

Also yesterday, students from several cities, including Boumerdes, Blida and Oran, streamed into the capital, Algiers, establishing a protest camp in front of the Ministry of Higher Education. Students spent the night in front of the Ministry, demanding that a decree reforming the qualification system be called back.

Algeria's independent and usually well-informed daily 'El Watan' reports from the protest camp in front of the Ministry that protesters' numbers were around thousand. A student spokesperson told the newspaper that "we are in contact with 38 universities," all having joined the protest movement.

Government so far has not reacted to these peaceful protests and security forces have not interfered with the students. Student leaders in statements have made sure only to focus on issues relative to education policies, although students' sympathies with the pro-democracy movement have been demonstrated at several occasions.

While government is not interfering with the striking students, government media are not mentioning the student protests. Independent Algerian media, which have a considerable market position, however give the protests an ample coverage.

While the Algerian student protest movement is increasing its pressure on government from day to day, also a wave of strikes is hitting the country. Hospital workers have been on strike, engineers and agronomists have followed and an education sector strike has been announced.

Also the striking groups maintain their mass action is connected to working conditions and salaries and is not in connection with the mounting pro-democracy movement. Popular belief in Algeria however says otherwise.

Source: afrol.
Link: http://www.afrol.com/articles/37354.

Jordan, Turkey cement nuclear ties

By Taylor Luck

AMMAN - Jordan and Turkey on Thursday brought decades of cooperation into a new era by signing a nuclear cooperation agreement (NCA).

The agreement, signed by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Khaled Toukan and Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) President Zafer Alper, aims to boost exchange of expertise among the emerging nuclear states and bolster regional energy cooperation.

In a signing ceremony on Thursday, Toukan expressed hope that Jordan will benefit from Turkey’s experience at its Sarakoy Nuclear Research and Training Center, underlining that a Korean consortium is currently preparing for a nuclear research reactor at the Jordan University of Science and Technology.

During the signing ceremony, which was also attended by Turkish Ambassador to Jordan Ali Koprulu, Alper underlined Turkey’s unique financing approach in establishing its program.

In May 2010, TAEK signed with Russian Atomstroyexport for four 1,200 megawatt VVER reactors, the first of which is to be brought online within the next seven years.

The Russian firm is one of the three technology suppliers shortlisted by JAEC to construct the Kingdom’s first nuclear reactor, along with Japanese-French consortium AREVA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Canadian firm AECL.

According to Toukan: “The preferred technology provider is to be announced by the commission in August 2011.”

Thursday’s agreement raised to 12 the number of countries which have extended their official support for the country’s nuclear program, which calls for the construction of a 1,000 megawatt Generation III reactor in the central region by the end of the decade.

Jordan has previously signed NCAs with France, China, South Korea, Canada, Russia, the UK, Spain, Argentina, Japan, Romania and Italy.

JAEC is currently in ongoing discussions with Romania and Czechoslovakia to broaden its scope of international cooperation.

Of the major nuclear powers, only the US has yet to sign an NCA with the Kingdom.

The Kingdom’s peaceful nuclear power program has been prioritized as key to weaning the country off energy imports, which cost the Kingdom around 20 per cent of its gross domestic product.

18 February 2011

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=34622.

Egypt: Victory march planned to mark Mubarak fall

By BEN HUBBARD, Associated Press

CAIRO – Egyptians by the thousands gathered for prayers Friday and a planned victory march through Tahrir Square to mark the fall of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak a week ago.

The groups that sparked the 18-day revolt that led to Mubarak's downfall are calling this the "Friday of Victory and Continuation," a name reflecting both their pride in forcing a change in national leadership and their worries about the future.

People streamed into the square, even though a main access road was blocked by an army jeep and a barricade, and those entering on foot had to present identification to soldiers.

The atmosphere was festive, in keeping with the aim of the event, which was to maintain the upbeat spirit of the earlier protests. Families brought their children and some flag-draped Egyptians clapped or played musical instruments as they waited for prayers to begin.

Organizers planned a lineup of bands in the afternoon, while an ad agency was looking to shoot footage to promote Egypt's tourism industry, which has been hard hit by the nation's political tumult.

Among those waiting in line was a group of about 30 activists from the "Visit Egypt" campaign. They wore matching T-shirts with the slogan "Support Freedom, Visit Egypt" printed on the front.

Despite Friday's festivities, the situation in Egypt remains unsettled amid labor unrest and worries the military council running the country won't implement promised reforms. Banks and the stock market have been shuttered, and the military has twice warned Egyptians not to strike. Even so, at least 1,500 employees of the Suez Canal Authority protested for better pay, housing and benefits Thursday in three cities — just one example of workers nationwide using this opportunity to voice long-held grievances.

Four killed in Bahrain clashes as Mideast seethes

By Cynthia Johnston and Frederik Richter
MANAMA | Thu Feb 17, 2011

(Reuters) - Unrest spread across the Middle East and North Africa on Thursday as Bahrain launched a swift military crackdown on anti-government protesters and clashes were reported in Libya and Yemen.

Troops in armored vehicles took control of the Bahraini capital after police firing buckshot and teargas drove out protesters hoping to emulate those who toppled veteran leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.

It was the worst violence in the Saudi-allied Gulf island kingdom in decades and a sign of the nervousness felt by Bahrain's Sunni al-Khalifa royal family, long aware of simmering discontent among the country's majority Shi'ites.

Four people were killed, 231 were injured and opposition leaders said dozens were detained and about 60 were missing.

"They are killing us!" one demonstrator told Reuters.

On the other side of the Arabian peninsula in Yemen, four protesters were killed in the port of Aden in demonstrations that began seven days ago.

In the capital Sanaa, at least 40 people were injured as hundreds of government loyalists, some armed with guns, charged about 1,500 protesters, who threw rocks at them.

Demonstrators want rid of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for 32 years but is seen by Washington as a key ally in its fight against al Qaeda militants based in Yemen.

In Libya, there were reports of five deaths in a rare show of defiance against leader Muammar Gaddafi.

A resident of the eastern city of Benghazi told Reuters there were clashes in the nearby town of Al Bayda between government supporters and relatives of two young men killed during a protest a day earlier.

A Benghazi resident said at least five people had been killed in violence in nearby towns but it was impossible to establish an exact death toll.

A "Day of Rage" in the North African country promoted on social media websites showed little sign of activity in the capital Tripoli, where supporters of Gaddafi, in power for 42 years, held a rally in his support.

In Iraq, two people were killed and 47 were injured when police opened fire on anti-government protesters in the northern city of Sulaimaniya, a police source and witnesses said.

"Profound social and economic issues throughout the Middle East and North Africa will continue to serve as a driving force for further unrest," said political risk analyst Anthony Skinner at the Maplecroft consultancy. "Protests in Bahrain and Libya reflect the ease with which protests have spread in the region."

Such worries helped push Brent crude prices to a 28-month high of $104 a barrel at one point on Thursday and were a factor in gold prices extending early gains to five-week highs.

However, Britain's security minister, Pauline Neville-Jones, said in an interview that revolts by young Arabs seeking freedom were a "huge opportunity" for Western counterterrorism because they weakened al Qaeda's argument that democracy and Islam were incompatible.

SUICIDE TRIGGER

It was two months to the day since a young Tunisian, Mohamed Bouazizi, triggered the wave of protests by setting himself alight on December 17 outside a government office in the rundown city of Sidi Bouzid. He was venting frustration at grinding poverty, official corruption and police brutality.

Since Tunisia's autocratic ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled a month later, followed a week ago by Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, opposition groups in a dozen or more countries have lived in hope the Arab world might experience a "domino effect" of the kind that swept communists from power in eastern Europe in 1989.

Oil and gas riches, as well as formidable police forces, give rulers the means to fend off challenges. The way in which Ben Ali and Mubarak were overthrown after their armies refused to crush popular uprisings has given many pause.

A Saudi source said on Thursday Ben Ali, who sought refuge in Saudi Arabia, was in a "grave condition" in a Saudi hospital.

Leaders from the Gulf to the Atlantic have announced a variety of measures to ease rising food prices and unemployment and to enhance political participation.

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates said on Thursday it would treble the number of people the rulers would choose to vote for members of an advisory body that serves as a form of parliament.

Middle Eastern leaders have also tightened security.

The army in Bahrain, a country of 1.3 million people out of whom 600,000 are native Bahrainis, issued a warning to people to stay away from the center of the capital and said it would do whatever was needed to maintain security.

At Pearl Square in central Manama, abandoned tents, blankets and rubbish were scattered about and the smell of tear gas wafted through the air.

Helicopters flew over the city, which is a regional hub for banks and home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

SECTARIAN DIMENSION

The protesters want the Sunni ruling family to relinquish its control over top government posts and address grievances held by the country's majority Shi'ites who complain of economic hardships, lack of political freedom and discrimination in jobs in public service and the military in favor of Sunnis.

The sectarian aspect of the violence in Bahrain could fuel discontent among the Shi'ite minority in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter.

"This is real terrorism," said Abdul Jalil Khalil of Bahrain's Shi'ite party Wefaq, which said it would withdraw from a parliament, which has limited powers. "Whoever took the decision to attack the protest was aiming to kill."

Western powers have been caught in a dilemma between backing rulers whom they see as bulwarks against anti-Western Islamists and at the same time being seen to promote democracy.

In Bahrain, Saudi and Western officials fear majority rule could help their adversaries in Shi'ite-ruled Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington supported "real, meaningful" change in Bahrain, which she called "a friend and ally," and called on the government to show restraint.

(Writing by Alastair Macdonald and Philippa Fletcher; editing by Andrew Dobbie and Eric Beech)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/us-protests-idUSTRE71F41K20110217.

Ben Ali reportedly in coma after stroke

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Former Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali suffered a stroke and was in a coma in a Saudi Arabian hospital, a French online journalist reported.

Journalist Nicolas Beau, citing Tunisian sources, posted on his blog that Ben Ali was in critical condition in a medical facility in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Radio France Internationale reported Thursday.

It is believed the ousted leader was admitted to the hospital Tuesday under a false name, the blogger said.

The claim that Ben Ali was hospitalized also was reported by Web-zine JSSnews, although it reported he suffered a heart attack, RFI said.

Ben Ali had ruled Tunisia for 23 years before a popular uprising forced him to flee the country in January.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/02/17/UPI-86441297956230/.

Egypt nominates Mufid Shehab as Moussa's Arab League successor

Khalifa Gab Allah
Thu, 17/02/2011

Egypt has nominated Mufid Shehab, the minister for legal and legislative councils, as successor to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

Moussa earlier announced that he would resign within a few weeks.

Arab states were informed of the decision two days ago, and Egyptian officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed it with the representatives in Egypt of various Arab countries.

The source added that no one has objected to the nomination thus far, and said Arab states will soon inform Egypt of their official positions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit visited the Arab League headquarters yesterday to meet Moussa in a closed session.

Moussa also received a number of young Arab politicians who asked him to run for the next presidential elections. Moussa told them that he would make a decision after amendments have been made to the Constitution.

Source: al-Masry al-Youm.
Link: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/321547.

Bahrain mourners call for toppling of monarchy

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press

MANAMA, Bahrain – Thousands of mourners called for the downfall of Bahrain's ruling monarchy as burials began Friday after a deadly assault on pro-reform protesters that has brought army tanks into the streets of one of the most strategic Western allies in the Gulf.

The cries against Bahrain's king and his inner circle reflect an escalation of the demands from a political uprising that began just with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy's hold on top government posts and address claims of discrimination against the Shiite majority in the tiny island nation.

The mood, however, appears to have turned toward defiance of the entire ruling system after the brutal attack Thursday on a protest encampment in Bahrain's capital Manama, which left at least five dead, more than 230 injured and put the nation under emergency-style footing with military forces in key areas and checkpoints on main roadways.

"The regime has broken something inside of me ... All of these people gathered today have had something broken in them," said Ahmed Makki Abu Taki, whose 23-year-old brother Mahmoud was killed in the pre-dawn sweep through the protest camp in Manama's Pearl Square. "We used to demand for the prime minister to step down, but now our demand is for the ruling family to get out."

Outside a village mosque, several thousands mourners gathered to bury three men killed in the crackdown. The first body, covered in black velvet, was passed hand to hand toward a grave as it was being dug.

Amid the Shiite funeral rites, many chanted for the removal of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the entire Sunni dynasty that has ruled for more than two centuries in Bahrain, the first nation in the Gulf to feel the pressure for changes sweeping the Arab world.

"The government has shaken something inside us all and we have lost all trust in it," said Mohamed Ali, 40, a civil servant as he choked back tears. "Our demands were peaceful and simple at first. We wanted the prime minister to step down. Now the demands are harsher and have reached the pinnacle of the pyramid. We want the whole government to fall."

There were no security forces near the mosque on the island of Sitra, where three of those killed had lived.

The White House has expressed "strong displeasure" about the rising tensions in Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and the centerpiece of the Pentagon's efforts to confront growing Iranian military ambitions in the region.

The capital and other areas remained under the close watch of the military and police — which includes various nationalities from around the region under a policy by Bahrain's ruling system to give citizenship and jobs to other Sunnis to try to offset the Shiites, who account for about 70 percent of the population.

Soldiers guarded the capital's main areas and placed roadblocks and barbs wire around Pearl Square and other potential gathering sites. Work crews were busy trying to cover up the protest graffiti.

In another funeral in the Shiite village of Karzkan, opposition leaders urged protesters to keep up their fight but not to seek revenge.

"We know they have weapons and they are trying to drag us into violence," said Sheik Ali Salman, the leader of the largest Shiite party, Al Wefaq, whose 18 lawmakers have resigned in protest from the 40-seat parliament to deepen the political crisis.

On Thursday, Bahrain's leaders banned public gatherings in an attempt to keep the protest movement from re-igniting. But the underlying tensions in Bahrain run even deeper than the rebellions for democracy that began two months ago in Tunisia and later swept away Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and is challenging old-guard regimes in Libya and Yemen.

In the government's first public comment on the crackdown, Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa said Thursday it was necessary because the demonstrators were "polarizing the country" and pushing it to the "brink of the sectarian abyss."

Speaking to reporters after an emergency meeting with his Gulf counterparts in Manama to discuss the unrest, he called the violence "regrettable," said the deaths would be investigated and added that authorities chose to clear the square by force at 3 a.m. — when the fewest number of people would be in the square — "to minimize any possibility of casualties."

Many of the protesters were sleeping and said they received little warning of the assault. More than 230 people were injured, some seriously.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Washington must expand efforts for political and economic reforms in places such as Bahrain. "There is an urgency to this," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Elsewhere, the European Union and Human Rights Watch urged Bahraini authorities to order security forces to stop attacks on peaceful protesters.

The protesters had called for the monarchy to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions and address deep grievances by Shiites, who claim they face systematic discrimination and poverty and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.

Shiites have clashed with police before in protests over their complaints. But the growing numbers of Sunnis joining the latest protests have come as a surprise to authorities, said Simon Henderson, a Gulf specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"The Sunnis seem to increasingly dislike what is a very paternalistic government," he said, adding that the crackdown was "symptomatic" of Gulf nations' response to crises. "As far as the Gulf rulers are concerned, there's only one proper way with this and that is: be tough and be tough early."

The Bahrain violence forced the cancellation of a lower-tier open-wheel race in Bahrain for Friday and Saturday, and leaves in doubt the March 13 season-opening Formula One race at the same track.

Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone said he will wait until next week to decide whether to proceed with the race. He spoke Thursday to Crown Prince Sheik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa about the situation.

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Barbara Surk in Manama and Brian Murphy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Protesters want king's power curtailed in Jordan

2011-02-17

Tehran, Feb 17 (IANS) A group of demonstrators, including students, held protests in the Jordanian capital Amman, calling for constitutional and political reforms as well as limited powers for King Abdullah II, a media report said Thursday.

Jordanian scholars and students Wednesday gathered in the capital, demanding a parliamentary government and 'true' economic reforms, Iran's Press TV reported.

The protesters also held a 'symbolic' sit-in outside the royal palace in the capital. They held banners reading, 'The people want to form their own government', and 'Reform starts with the constitution'.

Jordanians also demonstrated in the northern city of Irbid Wednesday, demanding reforms and denouncing corruption.

Trade unionists, representatives from various political parties and women's organizations participated in the demonstration to protest against poverty, oppression and corruption.

The demonstrations, inspired by the unrest in the Middle East, reflect growing discontent fueled by the most serious domestic economic crisis in years and accusations of rampant government corruption. Abdullah has been among the leaders alarmed by the popular uprising that toppled Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia's President Zine el Abidine ben Ali.

The protesters are also demanding change in the Jordanian constitution, which adopted in 1952 gives the king the exclusive power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister.

The Persian Gulf kingdom has recently witnessed several anti-government rallies against the government's economic policies and the political situation in the country.

Meanwhile, Jordanian tribesmen, demanding return of their agricultural land the government took by force in the early 1980s, blocked the road to Amman's international airport.

A member of the Bani Sakhr tribe claimed that the government had taken 2,200 hectares of land from the tribesmen to built the airport and has not compensated them.

Source: Sify.
Link: http://www.sify.com/news/protesters-want-king-s-power-curtailed-in-jordan-news-international-lcrlakafbdj.html.

Report: Holbrooke replacement to be named by Clinton

Tue, 15 Feb 2011

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to name a former ambassador to Turkey as Washington's new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, newspaper reports said early Tuesday.

Marc Grossman, a retired senior diplomat, is to be named Friday to replace Richard Holbrooke, who died suddenly in December of a torn aorta, the Washington Post reported.

The Post and New York Times cited unnamed officials as their sources. Clinton is expected to announce the appointment Friday at a major speech on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Asia Society in New York.

Grossman is currently the vice chairman of a consulting firm.

Holbrooke's death came at a crucial time for Afghanistan, where US President Barack Obama is aiming to start winding down the US presence later this year.

US-Pakistan relations have also been shaky. Late last week, a US diplomat in Pakistan denied a report that Washington had threatened to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Islamabad in an attempt to secure the release of one of its citizens held for double murder.

The report by ABC news said that US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon had told the Pakistani ambassador to the US to release the suspect or face diplomatic consequences.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/367387,replacement-be-named-clinton.html.

New Zealand and Australia reaffirm Afghan commitment despite deaths

Wed, 16 Feb 2011

Wellington - The prime ministers of New Zealand and Australia reaffirmed their commitments to Afghanistan Wednesday despite the rising casualty toll of their troops in the country.

The flags of both countries flew at half-mast at the New Zealand parliament as the two leaders held talks following news that a New Zealand soldier had died in a motor accident in Bamyan province on Tuesday.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and his counterpart Julia Gillard, who on Monday attended the funeral of an Australian soldier killed earlier this month, both said they would continue to post troops in Afghanistan until it was able to take care of its own security.

"As tragic as it is, I don't think we should change course," Key told a joint news conference.

"I believe we should remain absolutely committed to seeing the job done."

Gillard said, "We went to Afghanistan to deny terrorists - people who would seek to take the lives of Australians and New Zealanders - to deny them the opportunity to use Afghanistan as a training base.

"We expect there to be some hard days ahead, but we are making progress and we need to see the mission through."

The New Zealand Defense Force said Private Kirifi Mila, 27, died when the convoy vehicle he was traveling in rolled off a road down a steep cliff.

He was in New Zealand's 231-member Provincial Reconstruction Team operating in Bamyan province.

He was the second New Zealand soldier to die in Afghanistan. The Australian death toll is 22.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/367550,reaffirm-afghan-commitment-deaths.html.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

More than 10,000 Tunisians entered Algeria after the fall of Ben Ali

15 February, 2011

Algiers- Corroborating sources of Ennahar reported that Tunisian nationals would have entered on Algeria waving Algerian flags and asking permission to stay until the situation calms down in their country.

According to the bordering center in the east of the country, 10,000 Tunisians would have entered in Algeria during the period of the fall of Ben Ali’s regime.

The bordering Center Um Tboul alone has recorded the entry of 6,000 Tunisian nationals following the events of the revolution of jasmine. About 600 Tunisian nationals came every day to do shopping; others come to refuel or to visit relatives.

The movement of people between Algeria and Tunisia has been reversed, so before we recorded a lot of Algerians visiting Tunisia, today it's more Tunisians who come to Algeria in number given the situation in their country after the events that led to the downfall of the regime of Ben Ali. Whole Tunisian families came to Algeria in recent days, waving Algerian flags to express the fraternal links that bind the two peoples.

Ennahar / Dalila Belkheir

Source: Ennahar.
Link: http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/5801.html.

Algeria unrest: Akbou protesters clash with police

14 February 2011

Hundreds of youths have clashed with security forces during protests in the northern Algerian town of Akbou.

Police reportedly used tear gas and batons to drive back crowds protesting over unemployment. About 30 people, most of them protesters, were hurt.

In January Algeria was the first in a string of countries to see street protests, as people rallied against high food prices and unemployment.

Several people were killed as unrest spread across the country.

The sporadic protests have been continuing since early January.

On Saturday, thousands of people took part in protests in the capital, Algiers, demanding the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, but were dispersed by riot police.

Monday's unrest broke out in in Akbou, about 180km (110 miles) east of Algiers.

'Democracy and freedom'

One political activist, Rida Bourda, told BBC Arabic that the demonstrators were met with unreasonable force.

"The youth went to protest. But the only answer the authority gave them was the police," he said.

"The police started beating them and used tear gas canisters. All the youth wanted was democracy and more freedom."

Correspondents say the protests are widely seen as drawing on deep frustrations with the ruling elite and a lack of political freedom, as well as more immediate concerns about the cost of living, housing, and jobs.

Source: British Broadcasting Center (BBC).
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12460486.

U.S. to spend $75 million on new Yemen military training

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

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WASHINGTON | Mon Feb 14, 2011

(Reuters) - The United States aims to spend $75 million to double the size of a special Yemeni counter-terrorism unit, a U.S. official said on Monday.

The funding, which has yet to be approved by Congress, is part of a broader effort to increase pressure on al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Michael Leiter, head of the National Counterterrorism Center, told Congress last week he saw AQAP as the biggest current threat to the U.S. homeland.

The group has claimed responsibility for a failed Christmas Day attack in 2009 aboard a U.S. airliner and a more recent attempt last year to blow up two U.S.-bound cargo planes with toner cartridges packed with explosives.

The U.S. official said the funds would be invested in a special Yemeni counter-terrorism unit that is operated under Yemen's interior ministry and now totals around 300 people.

The funds are unrelated to another $120 million earmarked for Yemen in President Barack Obama's 2012 budget request unveiled on Monday. The request includes $35 million in additional military assistance for Yemen and $69 million in economic assistance.

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power for 30 years, has faced growing protests in recent weeks from thousands of Yemenis, inspired by uprisings that toppled Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia's President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

He is also under pressure to quash the resurgent al Qaeda wing in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state, at the same time as he struggles to control southern secessionists and to cement a fragile truce with rebels in the north.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Congress last week that Yemen's "myriad political, security, and development challenges" pose the greatest threat to that poor Arab nation since its 1994 civil war.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; additional reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by John Whitesides)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/14/us-usa-yemen-idUSTRE71D7AQ20110214.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood plans to set up party

Muslim Brotherhood say when popular demand to freely form political parties is achieved they will form their own

Reuters, Tuesday 15 Feb 2011

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood says it will set up a political party once restrictions are lifted that prevented it and other groups from doing so under President Hosni Mubarak.

The Islamist group said in a statement it had declared its desire to a set up a party many years ago but was stopped by the political parties law, one of many curbs on political activity during Mubarak's rule.

"When the popular demand for the freedom to form parties is realized, the group will found a political party," said the statement, posted on the group's website and dated Feb. 14.

The Brotherhood was founded in the 1920s and has deep roots in Egypt's conservative Muslim society. Although Mubarak maintained a formal ban on the group, his administration tolerated it so long as it did not challenge his power.

The Brotherhood said on Saturday it would not seek the presidency or a parliamentary majority in elections which Egypt's new military rulers have promised to hold.

The military council, which took over from Mubarak on Friday, has said it plans to transfer power to civilians and establish democratic rule. The council has said it will govern temporarily until elections are held.

The United States has expressed concern about what it has called the Brotherhood's "anti-American rhetoric", but stopped short of saying it would be against the group taking a role in a future government.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/5643.aspx.

Amr Moussa: 2011 presidential candidate

Amr Moussa intends to nominate himself in the coming presidential elections

Ahram Online, Monday 14 Feb 2011

Amr Moussa announced that he will be running for Egypt’s 2011 presidential elections in September.

According to activist Ahmed Nassar, Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League, stated that he will be devoting his time in the coming months to his presidential campaign as soon as he hands over his Arab League post in March.

Moreover, Moussa met January 25 activists at the Arab League’s headquarters yesterday where they laid out a plan for a popular campaign focusing on the principles of law, democracy and human rights.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/5563.aspx.

Arab summit in Baghdad on March 29

CAIRO — Arab heads of state will hold their annual summit in Baghdad on March 29, Iraq's ambassador to the Arab League told reporters on Monday.

"The Arab League summit will be held in Baghdad on March 29," Qais al-Azzawi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the league's permanent representatives in Cairo.

It will be the first summit of the 22-member body since the resignation of Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak, who led the regional powerhouse for 30 years.

Azzawi said Arab foreign ministers will hold preparatory meetings on March 28 in Baghdad. Permanent representatives will also meet in Cairo on March 26 and 27, he said.

Iraq has not hosted an Arab League summit since 1978, though an extraordinary meeting of leaders took place there in 1990.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Last Group Of Malaysian Evacuees To Arrive Home Monday

February 13, 2011

SEPANG, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- The last group of Malaysians airlifted from Egypt numbering 602 people who are still in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia are scheduled to be flown home on Monday.

The group will be brought back on a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Saudi Air flight which are scheduled to arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International airport (KLIA) around noon.

Speaking to Bernama at KLIA here, a foreign ministry official said four flights would depart Jeddah today to ferry home 1,010 Malaysians moved out Egypt, one of which would land in Jakarta.

The 170 Malaysians flown to Jakarta would be brought home on Royal Malaysian Air Force Hercules C180 aircraft which are scheduled to arriving at RMAF's Subang airbase at around 6pm, he said.

Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Senator Kohilan Pillay was present at KLIA to welcome 450 Malaysians evacuees from Egypt who were flown home from Jeddah on a Mas flight which touched down at 5.20am.

Two more flights - one MAS and the other Saudi Air bringing home 150 and 250 Malaysians home respectively, are scheduled to arrive at KLIA at 11am and 1pm respectively.

-- BERNAMA

Source: Bernama.
Link: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=563375.

Malaysia Promoting Shoes, Art As New Tourist Products

February 13, 2011

By Azman Ujang

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is now promoting shoes and art as new tourist products, following the success of two international festivals held last year, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

At the heart of this shoe effort was world-renowned Malaysian-born shoe designer Datuk Jimmy Choo, she told the monthly Melaka Business magazine in an interview in its just-released latest issue.

"We did the International Shoe Festival because we have Jimmy Choo and Jimmy Choo is Malaysian. And Jimmy Choo for shoe also rhymes"," she said of the London-based designer.

The festival held in partnership with the Malaysian Shoe Association attracted at least 45,000 visitors and shoes worth RM5 million were sold in cash.

"People like shoes and Malaysia is well-known for shoes. I'm now promoting shoes as a tourist product," she said.

Dr Ng said, in always looking for innovative ways to promote tourism, she was also promoting art in a big way and a three-month Contemporary Art Festival was held last year.

"Your don't need too much money for art tourism, you don't need to cut trees and the artists are there and it's for me to create a platform for them and also link up all the art galleries.

"We had over 100 artists who participated and what I'm most happy is altogether, about RM17 million works of art were sold in cash," she said.

Dr Ng said many artists were so happy with the response and their works were being promoted to Hong Kong, Milan (Italy) and Australia.

"What I do when I go overseas, I actually visit the art galleries, whether government or private, to tell them about our resource in art".

Dr Ng also spoke of the big role played by Malaysia's budget airline AirAsia in the country's tourism industry and which sparked the boom in low-cost carriers in the last 10 years.

"You just have to look at the story of Malaysia where AirAsia coming into the industry is a very major trend now. AirAsia with its tagline 'Now Everyone Can Fly'.

"AirAsia is a very fine example of private sector initiative that has done so well, not only for itself but for opening up Malaysia as a tourism destination," she said.

Dr Ng said Malaysia wanted to increase mid-haul and long-haul tourists because 75 per cent of its tourist arrivals came from this region.

"We want to see more from China, Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Middle East, even from Europe, and AirAsia is flying farther and farther away.

"However nice the country can be, it won't do if you don't have accessibility. I think AirAsia is very clever in branding. Now, everyone can fly. So AirAsia is very important," she said.

Dr Ng said the tourism industry was becoming very competitive, including among South East Asian countries and Malaysia had to be "very, very good and very sharp" in following the tourist trends, never be complacent and must set the pace.

She said the year, 2009, saw some remarkable successes for Malaysia's tourism when the country emerged as the world's ninth largest tourist destination.

"Everybody was shocked that a country that has 28 million citizens attracted 23.6 million tourists. Our target for this year is 25 million tourists and we've got to work very hard. We want to develop in Malaysia a mindset where everybody must 'think tourism, act tourism", she said.

-- BERNAMA

Source: Bernama.
Link: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=563409.

Uncertainty In Arab Countries After Protests Dispersed In Algeria, Yemen

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

13.02.2011

Anti-government protesters have clashed with Yemeni police as they attempted to reach the capital's central square in the third straight day of protests to rock the small Arab state.

At least 1,000 demonstrators, many of them university students, gathered in Sanaa today to demand the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 30-year-rule.

On February 12, thousands staged a similar rally to call on Saleh, to step down, as the dramatic events in Egypt continue to send shock waves throughout the Middle East.

Elsewhere, thousands of demonstrators demanded reforms on the streets of the Algerian capital, Algiers, on February 12, despite an official ban on protests.

They called for the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power since 1999, before riot police dispersed the crowd under a state of emergency that's been in place for almost two decades.

Still, organizers claimed a victory, saying defiance of the ban marked a turning point.

Last week, Bouteflika said the state of emergency -- imposed since a brutal Islamist insurgency killed an estimated 200,000 people in the 1990s -- would be lifted "in the very near future."

Inspiring Protests

Just as Egypt's protesters took inspiration from Tunisia -- where a popular revolt brought down the regime of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali last month -- the Egyptian revolution has rocked the Arab world, triggering demonstrations against authoritarian regimes in Algeria and Yemen, and calls for protests in Syria and Morocco.

In Yemen on February 12, protester Ahmed Omar said he hoped the events in Cairo and Tunis were a taste of what's to come.

"What we want is to demand the rights of all people and overthrow the regime, the president must leave just like Hosni Mubarak and the Tunisian president," he said.

Student Abdulrhman Abdulla agreed, saying Yemen's leader had brought "pain" to the population.

"They must go, this is the first and last demand, we want to establish a modern democratic state, which includes all the Yemeni people," he said.

Signs Of Weakness?

Yemen's President Saleh, who rules the Arab world's poorest country, has promised to step down in 2013 and called for opposition groups to join a unity government. It's unclear what effect that will have as unrest continues to spread to other countries.

In Bahrain, activists have called for protests on February 14 against King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, who on February 11 announced he would give 1,000 dinars ($2,650) to each Bahraini family.

In Egypt today, soldiers scuffled with protesters remaining on central Tahrir Square, the focus of the popular uprising, two days after President Mubarak stepped down on February 11 following 18 days of mass protests.

The handful of protesters who remain say they won’t leave until the military announces concrete plans to hand over power to a civilian administration.

The effects of Egypt's uprising are also being felt in Iran, which has compared the revolt to its own 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought a hard-line Islamist regime to power.

But reports from Iran say the government is disrupting mobile-phone communications and slowing Internet speed to undermine protests called for February 14. Satellite television has also been jammed and news from Egypt censored.

And in Tunisia, the country that started the wave of unrest, there's been ongoing turmoil since President Ben Ali fled in January. Italy has declared a humanitarian emergency after almost 3,000 Tunisian migrants arrived there, many in small boats, in the last few days.

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
Link: http://www.rferl.org/content/arab_world_uncertain_protests_algeria_yemen/2307901.html.

New pro-reform rally in Algeria called for Feb. 19

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — The organizers of a pro-reform protest that brought thousands of Algerians onto the streets of the capital over the weekend called Sunday for another rally next week.

The Coordination for Democratic Change in Algeria — an umbrella group for human rights activists, unionists, lawyers and others — has called for the Feb. 19 demonstrations to take place throughout the country.

Saturday's rally — which came a day after an uprising in Egypt toppled that country's autocratic ruler — took place only in the capital, Algiers.

Organizers said around 10,000 took part in the gathering, though officials put turnout at 1,500. Many protesters held signs reading "Bouteflika out," in reference to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power in the impoverished but gas-rich North African nation since 1999.

Under the country's long-standing state of emergency, public protests are banned in Algiers, and an estimated 26,000 riot police set up barriers throughout the city in a failed bid to quash Saturday's gathering, organizers said.

A human rights campaigner said police briefly detained around 400 people. No injuries were reported.

The hours-long rally dissolved peacefully Saturday afternoon, and Sunday was calm in the capital, though youth clashed with riot police in the eastern coastal city of Annaba.

The skirmish broke out after thousands of people responded Sunday to an ad in the local paper announcing job vacancies at Annaba's city hall. When it turned out no jobs were on offer, members of the angry mob started throwing stones at police.

Annaba is 375 miles (600 kilometers) east of Algiers, near the border with Tunisia.

Tensions have been high in Algeria since a spate of riots over high food prices early last month that left three dead. and recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt that deposed those country's leaders.

The success of those uprisings is fueling activists' hope for change in Algeria, although many in this conflict-scarred nation of 35 million people fear any prospect of a return to violence. The country lived through a brutal Islamist insurgency in the 1990s that left an estimated 200,000 people dead.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called on the security services to exercise restraint.

"In addition, we reaffirm our support for the universal rights of the Algerian people, including assembly and expression," Crowley said. "These rights apply on the Internet. Moreover, these rights must be respected. We will continue to follow the situation closely in the days ahead."

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Awlaki urges support for jailed Yemeni journalist

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Sun Feb 13, 2011

Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has called for support for a journalist jailed in Yemen after being convicted of helping al Qaeda, according to an audio recording posted on the Internet on Sunday.

"The free-spirited journalist Abdulelah Haidar Shai was imprisoned because he exposed American crimes in Yemen," said the speaker in the recording, who sounded like Awlaki, a frequent propagandist for al Qaeda's Yemen-based regional wing.

"Abdulelah was doing his journalistic duty and every journalist ..., his tribe and all Yemenis should carry out their duty to support him," said Awlaki, who is of Yemeni origin and believed to be hiding in southern Yemen. The recording's authenticity could not be independently verified.

Shai, a Yemeni al Qaeda expert, was sentenced to five years in prison in January after being convicted of aiding the global militant group. He has denied the charges.

Yemen is under international pressure to quash the resurgent al Qaeda wing in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state, at the same time as it struggles to control southern secessionists and to cement a fragile truce with rebels in the north.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power for 30 years, has faced growing protests in recent weeks from thousands of Yemenis, inspired by uprisings that topped Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia's President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Hundreds of Yemeni protesters clashed with police blocking them from marching to the presidential palace in Sanaa on Sunday, witnesses said.

Awlaki drew attention to leaked U.S. diplomatic cables that showed Saleh secretly offered U.S. forces open access to his country to launch strikes against al Qaeda targets.

"The crime of the Yemeni government in collaboration with the Americans in bombing the people of Yemen should not be forgotten, and honest media people should take the banner from Abdulelah and conclude the journey he began," Awlaki said.

In early 2009, Shai interviewed Awlaki, who is wanted dead or alive by Washington. The footage was broadcast by the Arab news television network Al Jazeera.

Yemen has been at the center of Western security concerns after the al Qaeda branch based there launched failed plots to bomb cargo airliners in October and to destroy a U.S.-bound passenger plane in December 2009.

(Reporting by Firouz Sedarat; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/13/yemen-journalist-awlaki-idUSLDE71C0JR20110213.

Jordan hands clothes to Gaza children

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Gaza, Feb 13 (Petra) -- Jordanian military field hospital "Gaza 12" crews handed out winter clothes to Gaza children upon a directive by His Majesty King Abdullah II as part of the Kingdom's support of Palestinians in the Israeli-blockaded territory.

The aid distribution took place at charities in the enclave during a visit by a hospital team led by the hospital's commander Ahmad Karim Daajeh.

Daajeh lauded the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization for sending aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

The hospital's crew also distributed gas heaters to two charities caring for orphan children of Gaza.

Officials of the societies expressed their gratitude to Jordan for its continued support, adding that the Royal gesture reflected the strong bonds between the people of Jordan and Gaza.

Source: Jordan Directions.
Link: http://www.jordandirections.com/2011021318219/local/jordan-hands-clothes-to-gaza-children.

Hamas Bans Israeli Clothes Import to Gaza

2011-02-13
Xinhua

Gaza's ruler Hamas on Sunday decided to ban importing clothes from Israel to the Gaza Strip until a further notice.

The ministry of economy of the Hamas government said that it would also draw up regulations and restrictions on the imports of other products to protect domestic industry.

Ibrahim Jaber, an official from the ministry, said that all Israeli products that have a local substitute would be banned, which include furniture, plastics, soft drinks and a variety of food products.

In June 2010, Israel relaxed its blockade on Gaza to calm down global criticism of its deadly attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla, which killed nine activists.

Earlier, a Hamas official said that his movement prefers to trade with Arab countries through Egypt instead of Israel.

Source: CRIEnglish.
Link: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/02/13/2681s620496.htm.

Hizb ut-Tahrir to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces: the second Camp David protector has fallen!

Saturday, 12 February 2011
Hizb ut-Tahrir

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Hizb ut-Tahrir to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces

And the second Camp David protector has fallen!

Thirty years ago, Sadat fell dead by the faithful men of Egypt, a penalty for his sin of signing the treacherous Camp David Accords with the Jewish entity occupying Palestine, the land of Isra and Mira, and the land of al-Aqsa Mosque.
Today, the fugitive Hosni Mubarak has fallen, Sadat's successor in the protection of the Camp David Accords, in betrayal of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and the believers.

The two fell by what they earned with their own hands, after they built palaces and amassed wealth, and then left them behind their backs.

فَمَا بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّمَاءُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَا كَانُوا مُنْظَرِينَ

"Neither heaven nor earth shed any tears for them and they were granted no reprieve." [ad-Dukhan, 44:29]

They both fell after they "worshiped" America instead of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, yet they did not take anything away from Allah سبحانه وتعالى:

وَلَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْكُمْ فِئَتُكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ كَثُرَتْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

"Your troops will not help you at all, however many they are. Allah is with the believers." [al-Anfaal, 8:19]

The two fell without any good, only shame in this world.

وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَخْزَىٰ ۖ وَهُمْ لَا يُنْصَرُونَ

"And the punishment of the Next World is even more degrading. And they will not be helped." [Fusilat, 41:16]

The two fell. This is the case with every traitor, even after a while, who does not rule with Islam, and does not remain loyal to Allah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, and instead befriends the kuffar colonialists, conspiring with them on against the Muslim lands.

The two fell. So will the tyrants not take heed, before Allah سبحانه وتعالى takes them from where they do not reckon?

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ

"Do not consider Allah to be unaware of what the wrongdoers perpetrate. He is merely deferring them to a Day on which their sight will be transfixed." [Ibrahim, 14:42]

Do they not understand, the rulers who have signed treacherous agreements with the Jewish entity, or implemented them or negotiated with them, that their destiny is dark in this world before the next life, or are they deaf, dumb and blind and do not understand?

Egypt has risen against the injustice, and Tahrir Square was a masjid, resounding with takbirs, marking a new dawn. Could this dawn be the true dawn of the Khilafah in the land kananah? The dawn of the abolition of treasonous treaties; the dawn of victory in the battles of Palestine anew; the dawn of liberating it from the taint of the Zionists, and the removal of their entity that America established, fed and armed in the sight and earshot of the treacherous rulers in Muslim lands, with their complicity and pleasure!

The United States damaged Egypt over a long time, and this damage was made easy for her, by rulers who are not ashamed in front of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم or the believers. America remains even in these recent events, poking her nose into the affairs of Egypt, as is on the lips of Obama, his Vice President and his advisers. Do they not worry that this nose will be cut off, or that tongue will be cut off, as Egypt returns free and honorable the Kenana of Allah سبحانه وتعالى on His earth?

We in Hizb ut-Tahrir sincerely turn to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian armed forces, to whom Allah has given the rule, to make its allegiance to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and the believers, and cut all other loyalties. Establish the Khilafah, ruling by the revelation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, and strive in Allah's way. Root out the disbelieving colonialists, and restore in Palestine the history of her former liberators who removed the taint of the Crusaders and the Tatars, liberating the blessed land from the abomination of the occupiers.

وَلَيَنْصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ

"Allah will certainly help those who help Him - Allah is All-Strong, Almighty." [al-Hajj, 22:40]

Hizb ut-Tahrir

9 Rabee' al-Awwal 1432
12 Feb 2011

Source: Khilafah.
Link: http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/analysis/middle-east/11249-hizb-ut-tahrir-to-the-supreme-council-of-the-egyptian-armed-forces-the-second-camp-david-protector-has-fallen.

Afghan government next to fall after Egypt: Taliban

WASHINGTON — The Taliban warned Sunday that the US-backed Afghan government is next in line to get toppled by its people after the collapse of Hosni Mubarak's regime in Egypt, US-based monitors said.

Mubarak's ouster on Friday after three decades in power demonstrates that "many weapons and soldiers and much foreign assistance cannot keep a regime in power and that they cannot always hinder the caravan of 'hope and demands' of a nation," the Taliban said on its website, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

The Pashto-language statement said the Afghan people would rise up and overthrow the Kabul government due to its corruption and the "atrocities" committed by the United States in the country during a nearly decade-old military campaign.

The United States will eventually turn against Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government just as it did against Mubarak in Egypt, it continued.

The group also also urged Egyptians to form an Islamic government and to "foil the plots of the foreign enemies," according to SITE.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Jordan minister: Release soldier who shot Israelis

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
02/15/2011

Justice minister who served as defense lawyer of army corporal who shot dead 7 school girls in 1997 says "I'm committed to be here with you."

Jordan’s new justice minister joined dozens of protesters on Monday demanding the early release of a Jordanian soldier who killed seven Beit Shemesh schoolgirls in 1997.

Minister Hussein Mjali previously served as the defense lawyer of army Cpl. Ahmed Daqamseh, who shot dead the 11-year-olds, from Beit Shemesh’s Feurst School, on March 13, 1997. They were on a class trip to Naharayim in the Jordan Valley, visiting the “Island of Peace,” a joint Israeli-Jordanian tourist resort under Jordanian rule.

Daqamseh was sentenced to life in prison, which translates into a 25-year sentence in Jordan. It’s unlikely he will win early release.

Israel has asked for an explanation from Jordan on the issue.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem issued a statement saying that Mjali’s comments were received in Israel with “revulsion and shock.”

“The gravity of this call is all the more pronounced when coming from the minister in charge of law and justice,” the statement read. “Israel has turned to Jordan for explanations, and made clear its expectation that the convicted murderer bear the punishment imposed on him by the Jordanian justice system.”

Israeli Embassy spokeswoman Merav Horsandi said it “is difficult for us to comprehend how there are people who support the release of a cold-blooded murderer of young children,” adding that an early release would contradict the spirit of the 1994 peace treaty between the two countries.

“Israel cannot imagine a situation in which such a vile murderer will be set free by Jordan,” Horsandi said. Monday’s protest outside Mjali’s office was organized by Daqamseh’s family. The minister joined the protesters, saying he was participating in his capacity as the soldier’s former lawyer.“I’m committed to be here with you as his lawyer,” Mjali told the cheering group.

Mjali was appointed in a government shakeup last week in the wake of protests inspired by the Egyptian uprising. The protests ushered in a broad-based cabinet pledging greater democratic freedoms, including the rights of assembly and speech. He said on Monday he joined the cabinet because he wants to see greater freedom of speech in Jordan. It was not immediately clear if his appearance at Monday’s protest would have repercussions.

Source: The Jerusalem Post.
Link: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=208236.

Shooting erupts at Jordan land protest demo: MP

AMMAN — At least two people were reported wounded when gunshots were fired on Sunday after around 3,000 protesters blocking a main road in Jordan over a land dispute stopped a military Royal Guard bus.

"They blocked the road from Zarqa university to the city of Mafraq (in the northeast) to demand land that their tribes (Zawahrah and Khalailah) have been authorized by the government to use since 1952," deputy Musa Zawahrah told AFP.

"A military Royal Guard bus which was passing by was harassed by the demonstrators, and shooting in the air was heard. Two demonstrators were slightly injured."

He added that "servicemen were also injured," but did not elaborate.

King Abdullah II "immediately dispatched his adviser on tribal affairs, Sharif Fawwaz Zabn, who told members of the two tribes that a royal decree will be issued returning the land to the people," Zawahrah said.

However, a senior official denied that such a decree will be issued.

"The king has instructed an already existing ministerial committee headed by the interior minister that is in charge of such issues to look into their request in a fair way and in accordance with the law," the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Zawahrah earlier quoted Zabn as saying that "the cabinet will issue a decision in the coming two days to settle the land dispute and restore the rights of the people."

According to Zabn, the government in 1952 authorized the Zawahrah and Khalailah tribes to use 2,500 hectares (6,177 acres) of land in the area.

"But later, the government acquired chunks of the land for its employees, Zarqa university and the Jordan Press Association," Zawahrah charged.

"This is against the law and the constitution. Such an authorization cannot be granted twice."

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Jordan: King's Bodyguards Shoot Protesters

by Mudar Zahran
February 14, 2011

A visit by king Abdullah of Jordan turned violent yesterday when his bodyguards opened fire on protesters. This incident occurred one day after the Jordanian minister of foreign affairs, Nasser Juidah, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that "Jordan ­under Abdullah was different than Mubarak's Egypt," as "democratization was well under way in Jordan."

The king was on a field visit to Al-Hashemiyah University, in the rural area of Mafraq, East of Jordan. Upon the King's arrival at the university, protesters from Bani Hassan tribe, one of the biggest tribes, gathered before the King's motorcade; they were protesting their living conditions and the fact that the government has been stripping them from their rural-land possessions.

Members of the Royal Jordanian Guards accompanying the king opened fire on the protesters, injuring at least four according to several stories leaked to the Jordanian media. Official reports claim only two protesters were shot and nobody killed; nonetheless rumors circulated over several Jordanian website spoke of four dead young men.

The King's visits to the area seemed to be a public relations move following a harsh statement released by the Bani Hassan tribe, in which they criticized the King for his "constant absence from the country on leisure travel" and "for not making the time for Jordan.". The Jordanian Minister of the Interior, Sa'ad Hail Srour, has since met with tribal leaders; nonetheless, vows of revenge and threats of "an eye for an eye" were circulated by several tribesmen online, and on several Jordanian and Arab internet websites.

King Abdullah of Jordan has been facing extreme criticism lately also from Jordanian tribes other than Bani Hassan, which, although a minority in the predominately Palestinian population, have control of the army and security agencies, and therefore secure the Kingdom's stability as well as having upper hand over the Hasmite kingdom's resentful Palestinian majority.

The King has also come under serious criticism from Jordanians of Palestinian origin for the discrimination and exclusion they have been facing for decades by the Jordanian monarchy.

Despite the Jordanian king's verbal support of change and democratization of the country, he has shown a much less tolerant approach for opposition and criticism than his relatively forgiving father, the late King Hussein. Recently, an outstanding opposition figure, Leith Shubilat, wrote an open letter of advice to King Abdullah; in it, he claimed the king had sent him a message stating, "I am not like my father, I do not put people (the opposition) in jail; I just kill them;" however this message has not been verified.

It seems that King Abduallah's claim of running a stable country will soon come under scrutiny.

Source: Hudson New York.
Link: http://www.hudson-ny.org/1889/jordan-king-bodyguards-shoot-protesters.

The Future of Jordan

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

by Khaled Abu Toameh
February 8, 2011

Jordan's King Abdullah II has good reason to be worried about the future of the monarchy in the Hashemite Kingdom. If he fails to implement real political and economic reforms, Jordan could easily fall into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood group or turn into a Palestinian state.

Last week, in an attempt to contain public anger, the king, in a wise move, sacked the government of Prime Minister Samir Rifai. But the king's choice for a new prime minister, Marouf al-Bakhit, has not been equally wise.

Al-Bakhit, a former prime minister and ambassador to Israel, does not seem to be accepted by most of the Jordanian opposition parties, including Muslim Brotherhood.

Even more troubling for the monarch is the fact that many of the kingdom's tribes, which make up nearly 40% of the population, do not see the appointment of the new prime minister as a step in the right direction. I is hard to see how the king would be able to survive without the support of these tribes, which have long been supportive of the royal family in Amman.

In an unprecedented move, leaders of several Jordanian tribes this week issued a strong warning that the kingdom could plunge into anarchy if the king did not move quickly to combat financial and administrative corruption.

"The Tunisian and Egyptian hurricane will come to Jordan, sooner or later," said a statement signed by 36 tribe leaders. "We express regret over the fact that the regime has surrounded itself with a group of corrupt commercial partners. Jordan is suffering from a regime and government crisis, as well as a crisis of corruption."

The statement is seen a huge challenge to King Abdullah II: these tribes have always been known for their blind and unwavering devotion to the royal family. Some Jordanians fear that radical Muslims have managed to "infiltrate" many tribes, inciting them against the monarch and turning them into a tool in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood.

But the tribes' discontent with the monarchy is not the only challenge. The king also needs to be worried about the "Palestinian problem" in his kingdom.

Millions of Palestinians living in the kingdom also pose a threat to the king. Many of these Palestinians live in harsh and inhumane conditions in refugee camps on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital of Amman.

Poverty and deprivation have driven many of these Palestinians into the open arms of Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood – two groups that would like to see an Islamic "caliphate" replace the royal family.

If the Palestinians revolt and bring down the monarchy, Jordan could become a Palestinian state. The Palestinians, under such circumstances, would end up with three states: one in the West Bank, a second in the Gaza Strip and a third in Jordan.

King Abdullah II needs to wake up before it is too late.

Source: Hudson New York.
Link: http://www.hudson-ny.org/1870/future-of-jordan.

Bahrain protesters take control of main square

By BRIAN MURPHY, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated pressure on authorities as the Arab push for change gripped the Gulf for the first time.

Security forces have battled demonstrators calling for political reforms and greater freedoms over two days, leading to the deaths of two protesters and the main opposition group vowing to freeze its work in parliament in protest.

In a clear sign of concern over the widening crisis, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering condolences for the deaths, pledging an investigation into the killings and promising to push ahead with reforms, which include loosening state controls on the media and Internet.

"We extend our condolences to the parents of the dear sons who died yesterday and today. We pray that they are inspired by the Almighty's patience, solace and tranquility," said the king, who had previously called for an emergency Arab summit to discuss the growing unrest.

As the crowds surged into the Pearl Square in the capital of Manama, security forces appeared to hold back. But key highways were blocked in an apparent attempt to choke off access to the vast traffic circle — which protesters quickly renamed "Nation's Square" and erected banners such as "Peaceful" that were prominent in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of protests there.

The dramatic move Tuesday came just hours after a second protester died in clashes with police in the strategic island kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Oppositions groups aren't calling for the ruling Sunni monarchy to be ousted, but they do want an end to its grip on key decisions and government posts.

Other demands — listed on a poster erected in the square — included the release of all political prisoners, more jobs and housing, an elected Cabinet and the replacement of longtime prime minister, Sheik Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The nation's majority Shiites — about 70 percent of the population of some 500,000 - have long complained of discrimination and being blackballed from important state jobs.

Many in the square waved Bahraini flags and chanted: "No Sunnis, no Shiites. We are all Bahrainis." It also appeared they were planning for the long haul. Some groups carried in tents and sought generators to set up under a nearly 300-foot (90-meter) monument cradling a giant white pearl-shaped ball that symbolizes the country's heritage as a pearl diving center.

Bahrain is one of the most politically volatile nations in the Middle East's wealthiest corner despite having one of the few elected parliaments and some of the most robust civil society groups. A crackdown on perceived dissent last year touched off weeks of riots and clashes in Shiite villages, and an ongoing trial in Bahrain accuses 25 Shiites of plotting against the country's leadership.

A prolonged showdown could draw in the region's two biggest rivals: Saudi Arabia, as close allies of Bahrain's Sunni monarchy, and Iran, whose hard-liners have spoken in support of the nation's Shiite majority.

Bahrain is also an economic weakling compared with the staggering energy riches of Gulf neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which can afford far more generous social benefits. Bahrain's oil reserves are small and its role as the region's international financial hub have been greatly eclipsed by Dubai.

One protester, 24-year-old Hussein Asamahiji, echoed the complaints from Tunisia and Egypt: a lack of jobs and allegations that the ruling elite monopolizes the best opportunities.

"We simply want the chance at a better future," he said. "Egypt showed it's possible."

The bloodshed already has brought sharp denunciations from the largest Shiite political bloc, which suspended its participation in parliament, and could threaten the nation's gradual pro-democracy reforms that have given Shiites a greater political voice.

The second day of turmoil began after police tried to disperse up to 10,000 mourners gathering at a hospital parking lot to begin a funeral procession for Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, 21, who died in Monday's marches.

Officials at Bahrain's Salmaniya Medical Complex said a 31-year-old man became the second fatality when he died of injuries from birdshot fired during the melee in the hospital's parking lot. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to journalists.

After the clash, riot police eventually withdrew and allowed the massive funeral cortege for Mushaima to proceed from the main state-run medical facility in Manama. He was killed Monday during clashes with security forces trying to halt marches to demand greater freedoms and political rights. At least 25 people were injured in the barrage of rubber bullets, birdshot and tear gas, relatives said.

The main Shiite opposition group, Al Wefaq, denounced the "bullying tactics and barbaric policies pursued by the security forces" and said it was suspending its participation in parliament, where it holds 18 of the 40 seats.

The declaration falls short of pulling out the group's lawmakers, which would spark a full-scale political crisis. But Al Wefaq warned that it could take more steps if violence persists against marchers staging the first major rallies in the Gulf since uprisings toppled long-ruling regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

A statement from Bahrain's interior minister, Lt. Gen. Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, expressed "sincere condolences and deep sympathy" to Mushaima's family. He expanded on the king's pledge: stressing that the deaths will be investigated and charges would be filed if authorities determined excessive force was used against the protesters.

But that's unlikely to appease the protesters, whose "day of rage" Monday coincided with major anti-government demonstrations in Iran and Yemen.

In the past week, Bahrain's rulers have attempted to defuse calls for reform by promising nearly $2,700 for each family and pledging to loosen state controls on the media.

State media reported that the king telephoned the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, on Tuesday. No further details were given, but Bahrain had earlier appealed for an emergency summit of Arab leaders to discuss the widening protests.

Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty also has extremely close ties with the leadership in Saudi Arabia, which is connected to Bahrain by a causeway. Bahrain has given citizenship to Sunnis in Saudi Arabia and across the region to bolster its ranks against the country's Shiite majority.

Bahrain's Sunni leaders point to parliamentary elections as a symbol of political openness. But many Sunnis in Bahrain also are highly suspicious of Shiite activists, claiming they seek to undermine the state and have cultural bonds with Shiite heavyweight Iran.

Ex-judge to head Egypt reform panel

Military rulers appoint retired judge as head of committee tasked with suggesting changes to country's constitution.

15 Feb 2011

Egypt's new army rulers have appointed Tareq al-Bishry, a retired judge, to head a committee set up to suggest constitutional changes.

Al-Bishry was a strong supporter of an independent judiciary during Hosni Mubarak's rule and is respected in legal circles for his independent views.

"I have been chosen by the Higher Military Council to head the committee for constitutional amendments," al-Bishry said on Tuesday.

The Higher Military Council had earlier vowed to rewrite the constitution within 10 days and put it to a referendum within two months.

The existing constitution, which the military council has suspended, had built-in guarantees to keep Mubarak and his allies in power.

The amendments added during his rule strengthened the establishment's grip on power.

The appointment of al-Bishry comes as the military rulers, in control of the country following the ouster of Mubarak, are attempting to restore normalcy after weeks of turmoil.

Security reshuffle

Meanwhile, Adly Fayed, the director of public security at Egypt’s interior ministry, and Ismail El Shaer, Cairo’s security chief, have been sacked for their involvement in the decision to open fire on anti-Mubarak protesters during the uprising.

Their dismissals are aimed at placating public anger against the much-hated security forces that the Mubarak regime allegedly used to stifle dissent. The military rulers have also dissolved the parliament and promised free and fair elections.

Egypt, Middle-East's most populous nation, has been in upheaval since January 25, when protests against Mubarak's 30-year rule erupted.

Though Mubarak quit last Friday, protests, sit-ins and strikes at state-owned institutions including the stock exchange, media groups and railways, are disrupting normal life.

The military council on Monday urged Egyptians to return to work.

"Noble Egyptians see that these strikes, at this delicate time, lead to negative results," a military spokesman said.

Al Jazeera's James Bays reporting from Cairo, said Egyptians faced uncertain times.

"Life is returning to some normality, however, many people have concerns, there is a great deal of uncertainty and that is why the army has decided that the stock market should remain closed.

"But most of the people here respect the military, and the military has said that they will come up with the first draft of constitutional reforms within 10 days so that is reassuring for the people."

"Ahmed Shafiq, the prime minister, has told foreign leaders that he is trying to reshuffle his cabinet, taking out some Mubarak appointees and replacing them with others," Bays said.

'Freeze the assets'

In another development, Egypt has asked the United States, Britain and France to freeze the assets of officials close to Mubarak. An EU diplomat said Egypt had made a similar request to the European Union.

However, both Washington and Paris said that Mubarak was not on the list.

Activists have called for the cash to be clawed back to help alleviate poverty in Egypt. Switzerland has already said it has frozen assets that may belong to Mubarak.

Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan, reporting from London, said "the request from Egypt comes at an opportune time as the EU finance ministers are meeting anyway".

"The Europeans have been particularly receptive to this request... George Osborne, British foreign minister, has advocated all 27 EU nations to get together in a pan-European effort to freeze the assets."

A senior EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera that "the request covers the riches accumulated by six or seven close aides of Mubarak and he said that Mubarak's name was not even being discussed or debated."

"There will be investigations and if no evidence of wrongdoing is found then those assets will be returned to the owners," Al Jazeera's Brennan added.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121563130198336.html.

Palestinian 'cabinet to resign'

Shake-up of cabinet has long been demanded by Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Authority PM, and other members of Fatah.

13 Feb 2011

The cabinet of the Palestinian Authority (PA) will tender its resignation on Monday after which Salam Fayyad, the prime minister, will select new ministers, according to political sources.

The shake-up, disclosed on Sunday, has long been demanded by Fayyad and others in the Fatah faction.

Al Jazeera's Cal Perry, reporting from Jerusalem, said that the cabinet will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to decide about the resignations.

"The weekly cabinet meeting that usually takes place on Tuesday has been brought forward one day, and it seems likely that this reshuffle will take place."

The planned move follows the fall of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to a popular revolt that has set off calls for reform throughout the Arab world.

"There will be massive change in the composition of the government," one political source said of the planned resignations in the PA, which was formed under 1993 interim peace deals with Israel.

Another source said: "Dr Fayyad will immediately start his discussion with the factions to form the cabinet. Some ministers will keep their portfolios."

Bankrolled by international donors and engaged in security co-ordination with Israel, the PA has a limited mandate in the occupied West Bank, while its rival Hamas controls the Gaza Strip.

The credibility of the authority has been further sapped by long-stalled negotiations with Israel on an accord founding a Palestinian state. Hamas spurns permanent co-existence with Israel.

Of the 24 posts in Fayyad's cabinet, only 16 are currently staffed. Two ministers resigned and six are marooned in Gaza. Of those present in the cabinet, some face allegations of incompetence.

The PA announced on Saturday it would seek new legislative and presidential elections by September.

Hamas has rejected the call and said it would not take part in the poll, nor recognize the results.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011213204323828560.html.

Yemen protesters clash with police

Third day of clashes in the capital amid reports that security forces used tasers and batons again demonstrators.

14 Feb 2011

Yemeni police have clashed with anti-government protesters for a third day in a row, as they demanded political reform and the resignation of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president.

Several thousand protesters, many of them university students, tried to reach the central square in the capital Sanaa on Sunday, but were pushed back by police using clubs.

Witnesses said several protesters were injured and 23 people were detained by police.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the security forces had used electroshock tasers and batons against the demonstrators.

The US-based organization called on the Yemeni government to cease all attacks against the demonstrators and investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence.

"Without provocation, government security forces brutally beat and tasered peaceful demonstrators on the streets of Sanaa," Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East and North Africa director at HRW, said.

"The government needs to take full responsibility for this abuse."

Protesters told the organization that an anti-government demonstration organized by local, independent activists had started at the new Sanaa University.

Later, dozens of pro-government activists arrived at the university and attacked the demonstrators.

To avoid a clash, the anti-government demonstrators said they then began a march.

Pro-government protesters were also seen in the city center, at some points facing off against the opposing demonstrators.

On Saturday, clashes broke out in Sanaa between groups supporting and opposing the government after men armed with knives and sticks forced around 300 anti-government protesters to end a rally, the Reuters news agency quoted witnesses as saying.

A day earlier, celebrations in the capital over the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, turned to clashes when hundreds of men armed with knives, sticks, and assault rifles attacked the protesters as security forces stood by, according to HRW.

The 18-day uprising in Egypt has raised questions about the stability of Yemen and several other governments in the region.

Saleh has been in power for three decades and has tried to quell unrest by promising not to run for office again

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/video/middleeast/2011/02/2011213235027318750.html.

Algeria protesters push for change

Pro-democracy demonstrators, inspired by the Egyptian revolution, ignore official ban and march in the capital Algiers.

12 Feb 2011

Algerian security forces and pro-democracy protesters have clashed in the capital, Algiers, amid demonstrations inspired by the revolution in Egypt.

Heavily outnumbered by riot police, at least 2,000 protesters were able to overcome a security cordon enforced around the city's May First Square on Saturday, joining other demonstrators calling for reform.

Earlier, thousands of police in riot gear were in position to stop the demonstrations that could mimic the uprising which forced out Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's long-serving president.

Security forces closed all entrances to Algiers and arrested hundreds of protesters, sources told Al Jazeera.

Elias Filali, an Algerian blogger and activist, said human rights activists and syndicate members were among those arrested at the scene of the protests.

"I'm right in the middle of the march," he told Al Jazeera. "People are being arrested and are heavily guarded by the police."

Officials banned Saturday's opposition march but protesters were determined to see it through.

Peaceful protests

Filali said the demonstrators were determined to remain peaceful, but he claimed that the police "want the crowd to go violent and then get them portrayed as a violent crowd".

Protesters are demanding greater democratic freedoms, a change of government and more jobs.

Earlier, police also charged at demonstrators and arrested 10 people outside the Algiers offices of the opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), as they celebrated Mubarak's downfall, Said Sadi, RCD leader, told the AFP news agency.

"It wasn't even an organized demonstration. It was spontaneous. It was an explosion of joy," he said.

Mubarak's resignation on Friday, and last month's overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's president for 23 years, have electrified the Arab world.

Many are left wondering which country could be next in a region where a flammable mix of authoritarian rule and popular anger are the norm.

"The timing is absolutely perfect. [Mubarak's departure] couldn't have come at a better time," Filali told Al Jazeera in the run-up to the protests.

"This is a police state, just like the Egyptian regime [was]."

Filali said Algeria's government was "corrupt to the bone, based on electoral fraud, and repression".

"There is a lot of discontent among young people ... the country is badly managed by a corrupt regime that does not want to listen".

Police on alert

Said Sadi, the RCD leader, had said earlier that he expected around 10,000 more police officers to reinforce the 20,000 who blocked the last demonstration on January 22, when five people were killed and more than 800 others hurt.

Police presence is routine in Algeria to counter the threat of attacks by al-Qaeda fighters. But Filali called the heavy police presence in the capital on Saturday "unbelievable".

At May First Square, the starting point for the planned march, there were around 40 police vans, jeeps and buses lined up, Filali said.

At several road junctions, the police had parked small military-style armored vehicles which are rarely seen in the city. Police standing outside a fuel station, about 2km from the square, were wearing anti-riot body armor.

The latest rally is being organized by the National Co-ordination for Change and Democracy (CNCD), a three-week-old umbrella group of opposition parties, civil society movements and unofficial unions inspired by the mass protests in Tunisia and Egypt.

Demonstrators have been protesting over the last few months against unemployment, high food costs, poor housing and corruption - similar issues that fueled uprisings in other north African nations.

Earlier this month, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria's president, said he would lift emergency powers, address unemployment and allow democratic marches to take place in the country, in a bid to stave off unrest.

"The regime is frightened," Filali said. "And the presence of 30,000 police officers in the capital gives you an idea of how frightened the regime [is] of its people."

Wider implications

Widespread unrest in Algeria could have implications for the world economy because it is a major oil and gas exporter, but many analysts say an Egypt-style revolt is unlikely as the government can use its energy wealth to placate most grievances.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Amnesty International, the London-based rights group, said "Algerians must be allowed to express themselves freely and hold peaceful protests in Algiers and elsewhere".

"We urge the Algerian authorities not to respond to these demands by using excessive force".

The government said it refused permission for the rally for public order reasons, not because it is trying to stifle dissent. It said it is working hard to create jobs, build new homes and improve public services.

Other Arab countries have also felt the ripples from the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia.

Jordan's King Abdullah replaced his prime minister after protests.

In Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh promised opponents he would not seek a new term as president.

The Bahraini government has also made several concessions in recent weeks, including promising higher social spending. Activists there have called for protests on February 14, the tenth anniversary of Bahrain's constitution.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201121235130627461.html.

Syria: 'A kingdom of silence'

Analysts say a popular president, dreaded security forces and religious diversity make a Syrian revolution unlikely.

09 Feb 2011

Despite a wave of protests spreading across the Middle East, so far the revolutionary spirit has failed to reach Syria.

Authoritarian rule, corruption and economic hardship are characteristics Syria share with both Egypt and Tunisia. However, analysts say that in addition to the repressive state apparatus, factors such as a relatively popular president and religious diversity make an uprising in the country unlikely.

Online activists have been urging Syrians to take to the streets but the calls for a "Syrian revolution" last weekend only resulted in some unconfirmed reports of small demonstrations in the mainly Kurdish northeast.

"First of all, I'd argue that people in Syria are a lot more afraid of the government and the security forces than they were in Egypt," Nadim Houry, a Human Rights Watch researcher based in Lebanon, says.

"The groups who have mobilized in the past in Syria for any kind of popular protest have paid a very heavy price - Kurds back in 2004 when they had their uprising in Qamishli and Islamists in the early 1980s, notably in Hama."

The so-called Hama massacre, in which the Syrian army bombarded the town of Hama in 1982 in order to quell a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood, is believed to have killed about 20,000 people.

"I think that in the Syrian psyche, the repression of the regime is taken as a given, that if something [protests] would happen the military and the security forces would both line up together. I think that creates a higher threshold of fear."

Demonstrations are unlawful under the country's emergency law, and political activists are regularly detained. There are an estimated 4,500 "prisoners of opinion" in Syrian jails, according to the Haitham Maleh Foundation, a Brussels-based Syrian rights organization.

'Kingdom of silence'

As pages on Facebook called for demonstrations to be held in cities across Syria in early February, more than 10 activists told Human Rights Watch they were contacted by security services who warned them not to try and mobilize.

"Syria has for many years been a 'kingdom of silence'," Suhair Atassi, an activist in Damascus, says, when asked why no anti-government protests were held.

"Fear is dominating peoples' lives, despite poverty, starvation and humiliation ... When I was on my way to attend a sit-in against [the monopoly of] Syria's only mobile phone operators, I explained to the taxi driver where I was going and why.

"He told me: 'Please organize a demonstration against the high cost of diesel prices. The cold is killing us'. I asked him: 'Are you ready to demonstrate with us against the high diesel price?" He replied 'I'm afraid of being arrested because I’m the only breadwinner for my family!"

Fawas Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics, says Syria is one of the Middle Eastern countries least likely to be hit by popular protests, because of its power structure.

He says the allegiance of the army in Syria is different than in both Tunisia, where the military quickly became one of the main backers of the president's ouster, and in Egypt, where the army still has not taken sides.

"The army in Syria is the power structure," he says. "The armed forces would fight to an end. It would be a bloodbath, literally, because the army would fight to protect not only the institution of the army but the regime itself, because the army and the regime is one and the same."

Popular president

But even if people dared to challenge the army and the dreaded mukhabarat intelligence service, analysts say the appetite for change of the country's leadership is not that big.

Many Syrians tend to support Bashar al-Assad, the president who came to power in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez, who had ruled the country for 30 years.

"An important factor is that he's popular among young people," Joshua Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and author of Syria Comment, says.

"Unlike Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, who's 83, Bashar al-Assad is young. Young people are quite proud of him. They may not like the regime, they don't like corruption and a lot of things, but they tend to blame this on the people around him, the 'old guard'."

A Syrian student echoes these comments. "The president knows that reform is needed and he is working on it", she says.

"As for me, I don't have anything against our president. The main issues which need to be addressed are freedom of speech and expression as well as human rights. I believe that the president and his wife are working on that. New NGOs have started to emerge.

"Also, many things have changed since Bashar came to power, whether it has to do with road construction, salary raises, etc. Even when it comes to corruption, he is trying hard to stop that and limit the use of 'connections' by the powerful figures in Syria. However, he won't be able to dramatically change the country with the blink of an eye."

Al-Assad's tough stance towards Israel, with which Syria is technically at war, has also contributed to his popularity, both domestically and in the region.

Multi-religious society

Analysts stress that Syria's mix of religious communities and ethnic groups differentiates Syria from Egypt and Tunisia, countries which both have largely homogeneous populations. Fearing religious tensions, many Syrians believe that the ruling Baath party's emphasis on secularism is the best option.

"The regime in Syria presents itself as a buffer for various communities, essentially saying 'if we go, you will be left to the wolves'," Houry says. "That gives it ability to mobilize large segments of the population."

Sunni Muslims make up about 70 per cent of the 22 million population, but the Alawites, the Shia sect which President al-Assad belongs to, play a powerful role despite being a minority of 10 per cent. Kurds form the largest ethnic minority.

Landis says Alawites and Christians tend to be al-Assad's main supporters.

"If his regime were to fall, many of the Alawites would lose their jobs. And they look back at the times when the Muslim Brotherhood targeted them as nonbelievers and even non-Arabs.

"Then of course the Christians, who are about 10 per cent of the population, are the biggest supporters of al-Assad and the Baath party because it's secular. They hear horror stories of what has happened in Iraq, about Christians being killed and kidnapped."

The proximity to Iraq, another ethnically and religiously diverse country, is believed to play a major role in Syria's skepticism towards democracy and limited hunger for political change. About a million Iraqi refugees have come to Syria since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"The Iraqi refugees are a cautionary tale for Syrians," Landis says. "They have seen what happens when regime change goes wrong. This has made Syrians very conservative. They don't trust democracy."

Parties banned

Syria is essentially a one-party state, ruled by the Baath Party since 1963. Many political groups are banned. But Landis says the lack of political freedom does not appear to be a major concern among the people.

"I'm always astounded how the average guy in the street, the taxi driver, the person you talk to in a restaurant or wherever, they don't talk about democracy. They complain about corruption, they want justice and equality, but they'll look at elections in Lebanon and laugh, saying 'who needs that kind of democracy'?"

"The younger generation has been depoliticized. They don't belong to parties. They see politics as a danger and they have been taught by their parents to see it as a danger. They look at the violence out there, in places like Iraq."

Tunisia and Egypt both have a longer tradition of civil society and political parties than Syria and Landis describes the Syrian opposition as "notoriously mute".

"In some ways, being pro-American has forced Egypt to allow for greater civil society, while Syria has been quite shut off from the West," he says. "The opposition in Syria is very fragmented. The Kurds can usually get together in the biggest numbers but there are 14 Kurdish parties ... And the human rights leaders - half of them are in jail and others have been in jail for a long time."

Facebook sites calling for protests to be held in Syria on February 4 and 5 got about 15,000 fans but failed to mobilize demonstrators for a "day of anger". In fact, countercampaigns set up online in favor of the government garnered as much support.

Ribal al-Assad, an exiled cousin of President al-Assad and the director of the London-based Organization for Democracy and Freedom in Syria, said the people calling for protests were all based abroad and he is not surprised that nothing happened inside Syria.

"The campaign was a bit outrageous. First, they've chosen a date that reminds people of the uprising of the Muslim Brotherhood [the 29th anniversary of the Hama massacre]," he says.

"People don't want to be reminded of the past. They want change, they want freedom, but they want it peacefully. And the picture they used on Facebook, a clenched fist and red color like blood behind, it was like people calling for civil war and who in his right mind wants that?

"But of course people want change, because there is poverty, corruption, people get arrested without warrants, the government refuses to disclose their whereabouts for months. They are sentenced following unfair trials, a lot of times with stupid sentences such as 'weakening the nation's morale' for saying 'we want freedom and democracy'. But the only one weakening the nations moral is the government itself."

'Not holding hands with Israel'

One Syrian who became a "fan" of a Facebook page opposed to protesting says he cannot imagine, and does not want, Egyptian-style anti-government rallies to spread to Syria.

"I love my country and I don't want to see people fighting. I can't imagine the events occurring in Egypt to happen in Syria because we really like our president, not because they teach us to like him," he says.

"In the formation of ministries, he's made use of 100 per cent talent with the multiplicity of religions. There are not Alawites only. There are also Sunnis and Kurds and Christians. The president is married to Asma and she is Sunni. He shows the people we are brothers.

"And he is the only president in the Arab region that did not accept any offers from Israel, like other presidents. I, and most Syrians, if not all, can't accept a president who will hold hands with Israel."

As in Egypt and Tunisia, unemployment in Syria is high. The official jobless rate is about 10 per cent, but analysts say the double is a more realistic estimate. According to a Silatech report based on a Gallup survey last year, 32 per cent of young Syrians said they were neither in the workforce nor students.

Since the current president took office, the Syrian economic system has slowly moved away from socialism towards capitalism. Markets have opened up to foreign companies and the GDP growth rate is expected to reach 5.5 per cent by 2011.

Last year, the average Syrian monthly salary was 13,500SP ($290), an increase of six per cent over the previous year, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

But like in some other countries in the region, state subsidies have been slashed on various staples, including heating oil, and analysts say the poor are feeling the pinch.

"The bottom half of Syrians spend half of their income on food. Now, wheat and sugar prices have gone up in the last two years by almost 50 per cent," Landis says.

"Syria is moving towards capitalism. This has resulted in a greater growth rate but it's expanding income gaps. It's attracting foreign investment and the top 10 per cent are beginning to earn real salaries on an international scale because they're working for these new banks and in new industries. But the bottom 50 per cent are falling because they're on fixed incomes and they get hit by inflation, reduced subsidies on goods, coupled with the fact that Syria's water scarcity is going through the roof."

However, Forward Magazine recently quoted Shafek Arbach, director of the Syrian Bureau of Statistics, as saying there is nothing in new data to suggest a growing gap between the rich and the poor in Syria.

'Reforms needed'

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal late January, President al-Assad acknowledged the need for Syria to reform and but also said his country is "immune" from the kind of unrest seen in Tunisia and Egypt.

"We have more difficult circumstances than most of the Arab countries but in spite of that Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue. When there is divergence between your policy and the people's beliefs and interests, you will have this vacuum that creates disturbance," he said.

But Ribal al-Assad says it is obvious that the government is worried in the light of the discontent and anger spreading in the Middle East.

"Right after the Tunisian uprising they reduced the price for 'mazot' for the heating. They were supposed to bring up the price of medicines but then they didn't. They distributed some aid to over 450,000 families. And, today we're hearing that Facebook has been unblocked. They should have started this process a long time ago but better late than never."

Houry says the lesson from Tunisia, which has been hailed as an economic role model in North Africa, is that economic reform on its own does not work.

"It will be interesting to watch how things are going to unfold over the coming few months," he says. "The Syrians, like any other Arab household today, have their TVs turned on to Al Jazeera. They're seeing what's happening in Tunisia and Egypt. Freedom is an infectious feeling and I think people will want more freedom."

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/02/201129103121562395.html.