Merkel: Mideast awakens memories of communist fall

By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press – Sat Feb 5

MUNICH – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that protests in the Middle East awaken memories of the events that ended communism in eastern Europe, and declared that "there will be change in Egypt."

However, Merkel — who grew up in East Germany and entered politics as communism crumbled amid protests in 1989 — said any transition needs to be orderly, and cautioned against assuming that the West's democratic model can simply be exported elsewhere.

"We are seeing pictures awaken memories of what we experienced in Europe ... people who are shaking off their fear, people who are saying what they don't like, who name injustices by name," Merkel said at an annual gathering of global security officials.

"Who would we be if we did not say we stand on the side of these people who are expressing what bothers them?"

Merkel called for Egyptian authorities to guarantee "freedoms that we consider universal — freedom of the press, freedom of opinion."

"There will be change in Egypt," she said, adding that it must be peaceful. Still, drawing on her own memories of starting out with a new pro-democracy party that failed to make much of a mark in elections a few months after the Berlin Wall fell, she cautioned against moving too fast.

"If you're in this kind of process of upheaval, things just can't go fast enough," Merkel said. But, she added, it doesn't make sense to hold elections very quickly "as the beginning of a process of democratization — you have to give people a chance to create structures."

She also recalled that East Germans didn't appreciate being given too much advice even by West Germans, and noted that the West has seen that "the simple export of what we call Westminster democracy ... to all the regions of this world won't work."

Change in other regions has to take account of local cultures, but respect for human rights is "the red line where we cannot make compromises," she added.

Merkel spoke alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron. Neither leader would say what should happen to President Hosni Mubarak, whose immediate departure is a key demand of Egyptian protesters.

"I don't think we in the West should be the ones to point fingers and say it's this leader or that leader who must go now or start now," Cameron said. However, "to those who say what we need is to stick to the regime (in the interest of) stability, there is no stability in Egypt today," he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged leaders across the Middle East to embrace democratic reforms. She said change is a "strategic necessity" that will make Arab nations stronger and their people more prosperous and less susceptible to extremist ideologies.

"The status quo is simply not sustainable," she said.

"The region is being battered by a perfect storm of powerful trends," Clinton added. "Leaders in the region may be able to hold back the tide for a little while, but not for long."

EU President Herman Van Rompuy said that while the Mideast needs to embark on reform, there is no "copy-paste (solution) that we can have in each country."

"Speed is not the most important thing," he said. "Direction is the most important thing."

The Munich conference also features U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and high-powered delegations from around the world.

Ban said recent events in the Middle East "are driven at bottom by human insecurity, poverty, diminished or disappointed expectations, the lack of good governance, corruption."

"It is important to remember: the problems and grievances causing unrest in the Arab world represent a microcosm in too many ways of the broader world," he added. "Despite progress in many places, insecurity is everywhere on the rise."

US-Russia nuclear arms treaty takes effect

By DAVID RISING, Associated Press

MUNICH – A U.S.-Russia nuclear arms treaty that limits the number of atomic warheads the former Cold War foes can possess and allows them to inspect each other's arsenals — securing a key foreign policy goal of President Barack Obama — went into effect Saturday.

The New START treaty was approved by the U.S. Senate in December after Obama pressed strongly for its passage. Russia ratified the deal last month.

The 10-year treaty, which can be extended by another five years, went into effect when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton exchanged the ratification papers with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich.

New START is a cornerstone of Obama's efforts to "reset" U.S. relations with Russia, and Clinton called it a "milestone in our strategic partnership."

"When it comes to the button that has worried us the most over the years — the one that would unleash nuclear destruction — today we take another step to ensure it will never be pushed," Clinton told reporters after the treaty went into effect.

Lavrov said that the treaty is in the national interests of both Russia and the United States.

"Both Russia and the U.S. share responsibility for security in the whole world," he said through a translator.

New START, negotiated last year, limits each side to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from 2,200. It limits the number of deployed strategic launchers and heavy bombers to 700.

The pact also re-establishes a monitoring system that ended in December 2009 with the expiration of an earlier arms deal. Russia and the U.S. have the right to conduct onsite inspections beginning 60 days from the agreement going into effect Saturday.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the treaty's entering into force as "a historical, political milestone on the road to our ultimate goal: achieving a world free of nuclear weapons."

Looking ahead, Clinton said the U.S. is in talks with Russia about how the two countries can further work together to address issues that affect their common security, while maintaining strategic stability.

Suggestions include joint analysis, joint exercises, and sharing of early warning data that could form the basis for a cooperative missile defense system, Clinton said.

She said she would also talk with Lavrov about "further arms control issues, including non-strategic and non-deployed nuclear weapons and our ongoing work to revive, strengthen and modernize the regime on conventional forces."

Lavrov called New START "a product of the understanding that unilateral approaches to security are counterproductive."

"The principles of equality, parity, equal and indivisible security ... form a solid basis for today's Russian-American interaction in a range of areas," Lavrov said.

"The treaty that enters into force today will enhance international stability."

_____

Geir Moulson contributed to this story.

Iraqi prime minister won't run for third term

By LARA JAKES, Associated Press

BAGHDAD – Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will not run for a third term in 2014, an adviser said Saturday, limiting himself in the name of democracy and with an eye on the popular anger directed at governments across the Middle East.

Al-Maliki narrowly held on to a second four-year term after his political bloc fell two seats short of its main rival in national elections last year. He will step down at a fragile time in Iraq's history — his successor will be the first Iraqi leader to run the nation without U.S. military help since Saddam Hussein.

Al-Maliki adviser Ali al-Moussawi said the premier also wants to change the Iraqi constitution before he leaves to limit all future prime ministers to two terms.

"Eight years is enough for him, in order to not convert to a dictatorship," al-Moussawi told The Associated Press, as state TV announced al-Maliki's decision. "This is the principle and the concept of democracy."

Saturday's stunning announcement follows al-Maliki's decision a day earlier to return half of his annual salary to the government — a move he said aimed to narrow the wide gap between rich and poor Iraqis.

Al-Maliki is not required to publicly report his pay, but he is believed to earn at least $360,000 annually.

The salary cut appeared calculated to insulate al-Maliki from the anti-government unrest spreading across the Middle East, as clerics and protesters warned him not to ignore public bitterness over Iraq's sagging economy and electricity shortages. The U.S. government estimates that as many as 30 percent of Iraqis are unemployed.

Al-Maliki's decision to announce he will step down after two terms — a deadline more than three years away — appeared fueled by the same desire to shield Iraq from uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

But it is particularly surprising, given his drawn-out fight last year to keep his job after his party failed to win the most seats in parliamentary elections last March.

Al-Maliki, a Shiite, remained prime minister only after pulling enough support from allies in closed-door negations and promising to share power with his rival Sunni-based political alliance.

Nobel laureate, Arab League chief might run

Reuters/AFP
February 5, 2011

Nobel Peace Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei said yesterday he could run in Egypt's presidential elections if the Egyptian people asked him to, denying a report in an Austrian newspaper that he would not run.

"This is not true," ElBaradei told the Al Jazeera news channel. "If the Egyptian people want me to continue the change process, I will not disappoint the Egyptian people."

ElBaradei has tended to answer the question of whether he wants to run for president by saying he was ready for a role in helping Egypt achieve political change. He has also said he would consider running if there was a prospect of a free and fair election.

"Naturally I want to play a part in the future, but who stands in the election, that's really not so important at the moment," he said. "But if the people want it, of course I would be available."

Also yesterday, charismatic Arab League chief Amr Mussa -whose second term as head of the 22-member league ends in two months -said he might run for the presidency.

"Why say no?" Mussa said. "I am of course at the service of my country. ... I am ready to serve as a citizen who has the right to be a candidate," he told France's Europe 1 radio before making an appearance at Tahrir Square, the focal point of the anti-Mubarak protests.

Mussa, 74, a former foreign minister, is a dynamic figure with a quick sense of humor and charisma that often eclipsed that of his former boss Mubarak. His popularity stems from his strong stands against Israel and language that appeals to the Arab street.

Days after a popular uprising in Tunisia, Mussa warned during an Arab summit in Egypt of the "unprecedented anger" in the region, sealing his legacy as an Arab public figure in touch with the people.

European and Arab diplomats believe he is a candidate who could appeal to both the people and international figures.

"There is an avenue for Amr Mussa. He is compatible with the current establishment. He was part of the system before being sidelined," a senior European diplomat told AFP.

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Source: The Montreal Gazette.
Link: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Nobel+laureate+Arab+League+chief+might/4228463/story.html.

Malaysian government paying for everything

Sat, Feb 05, 2011
New Straits Times

CAIRO: All expenses for the evacuation of Malaysian students from Egypt, including airport taxes, are being borne by the government, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said. He urged all parties to stop spreading rumors that the government would charge students who were flown to Malaysia via Jeddah.

"Please do not politicize the evacuation process as we are paying all the expenses, including the US$100 (S$127) airport tax for each student," he said at the Malaysian embassy here yesterday.

Rumors circulating on the Internet have also claimed that the government was only transferring government-sponsored students to Jeddah, while others were left on their own to leave Cairo and Alexandria.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister A. Kohilan Pillay, who is also here, said all students in Egypt, whether they were government-sponsored or not, were being transferred to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, under the evacuation exercise that started on Thursday.

He said the government was forking out millions of ringgit for this mammoth task.

"We pay for everything, from airport tax, landing rights to air tickets. We have also arranged coaches to pick students up from their hostels and their given addresses.

"They are all Malaysians. It does not matter if they are government-sponsored or not. Their safety is our main concern."

Kohilan, who flew to Cairo on Tuesday night, said all 11,700 students registered with the Malaysian embassy in Egypt were in the process of being transferred through air, land and sea in stages.

He said the MV Bunga Mas 5 ship could transfer some 520 people at one go to Jeddah, while the Charlie 3 aircraft had begun evacuating students since yesterday.

He said some had bought air tickets to other countries before flying back to Malaysia. "Some have up to five tickets and will fly on any plane they get first."

- New Straits Times

Source: New Straits Times.
Link: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20110205-262014.html.

Seven arrested in anti-Mubarak demo

Saturday February 5, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: The chaos in Egypt “trickled down” to Malaysia during an anti-Hosni Mubarak rally here.

The rally in Malaysia saw at least seven demonstrators arrested and several others injured as police took swift action to control the situation.

The mass rally started after the Friday prayer to present a memorandum to the American Embassy here.

Thousands of people gathered at Tabung Haji and KLCC mosque after Friday prayers and marched to the American Embassy to urge its government to stop supporting Mubarak and to stop interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs.

Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman confirmed at least seven people were detained for questioning. He said those detained had acted aggressively.

“We had to take stern action to keep the situation under control,” he said, adding one of the detainees did not bring his MyKad.

He also confirmed that all those arrested were Malaysians.

PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said the police should not have resorted to physical force to disperse the crowd.

“I too sustained bruises on my neck when a policeman hit me with a blunt object.

“Some protesters complained of being kicked and sprayed with pepper spray,” he said.

Shamsul said the chaos started because those who took part had overstayed by five minutes.

“We were only allowed to hold the rally from 2pm to 3.05pm.

“But we had to take extra five minutes as the crowd was larger than anticipated and we needed time to disperse after reciting the Quran,” he said.

Source: The Star.
Link: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/5/nation/7976307.

France suspends arms sale to Egypt

Sat, 05/02/2011

AFP - Paris--France said on Saturday it had suspended sales of arms and riot police equipment to Egypt amid mass protests pressing for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

The decision was taken by the prime minister’s office at an extraordinary meeting on January 27, and was conveyed to those concerned the following day, an aide to Prime Minister Francois Fillon told AFP, confirming a report on the website of the daily Le Monde.

With regard to equipment used to maintain public order, “export permits for explosive materiel, mostly tear gas grenades, are the responsibility of customs. These were suspended on January 25,” the aide said. Egypt has been rocked by a popular uprising since January 25 seeking to topple Mubarak, in power for nearly 30 years.

The French government was recently challenged by the Socialist opposition as to why it had continued to allow exports of such products to Tunisia after the uprising which eventually forced long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee.

Fillon acknowledged that France had authorized the exports to Tunisia in November last year and January, until just before the departure of Ben Ali, but said the exports had not taken place.

In December and January, there had been “no deliveries of war materiel” to the Tunisian authorities,” Fillon said, insisting that they needed the rubber stamp of a committee answerable to the prime minister. The permits had been granted by the defense, interior and foreign ministries, “but none of them resulted in exports,” he said.

Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie caused a storm last month when she suggested France could train Tunisian police to maintain order better, amid reports that they had shot dead dozens of unarmed protesters. It later emerged that France had approved the export of police equipment to Tunisia at the height of the violence.

Source: al-Masry al-Youm.
Link: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/france-suspends-arms-sale-egypt.

Egyptian PM makes veiled threat against ElBaradei

Sat, 05/02/2011

Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has implied that Mohamed ElBaradei, former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency and currently an opposition leadership figure, may be pursued by security forces.

In an interview broadcast on Egyptian Television on Friday, when asked why some activists were arrested after the government pledged not to arrest protesters in Tahrir Square, Shafiq responded: “Egyptian authorities have not arrested any of the protesting youth who left Tahrir."

He added: “If any were rounded up, that’s because they had been visiting a man who has been very irritating to us and is tracked by state security at the moment.”

Shafiq did not name ElBaradei, however Egyptian authorities had on Thursday arrested seven activists from the National Association for Change as they were leaving Elbaradei’s home.

News reports also said that ElBaradei had been put under house arrest following the massive protests on 28 January which called on President Hosni Muabrak to leave office.

ElBaradei, meanwhile, denied the news about being forced to remain at his home.

Source: al-Masry al-Youm.
Link: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/egyptian-pm-makes-veiled-threat-against-elbaradei.

World citizens express solidarity with Egypt protests

Sat, 05/02/2011

Protests were staged in several countries around the world in solidarity with Egyptian protesters calling for the departure of Mubarak's regime.

Approximately 1000 people assembled on Friday in Amman, Jordan in response to calls by the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, to express solidarity with Egyptian protests calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

Dozens of Jordanians had also protested on Thursday in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Amman in a gesture of support for Egyptian protesters.

In northern Lebanon, the Islamic Liberation party organized a march in support of anti-Mubarak protests in Egypt and called for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. Around 300 people carrying flags with the words “There is no God but Allah” marched from al-Mansouri al-Kabeer mosque in Tripoli to downtown, where they staged a sit-in.

The National Working Group in Morocco--which has representatives from the country’s different parties, associations and syndicates--called for a solidarity protest to be staged on Friday under the motto “Go Mubarak... Egypt will stay.” Similar protests were staged in Tunisia in front of the Egyptian Embassy.

Dozens of Iranians also protested in Tehran to support the ousting of Muabrak’s regime.

In Asia, hundreds of Malaysians protested in front of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and raised banners calling for the overthrow of Muabrak’s regime.

In Europe, French activists from Reporters Without Borders protested in front of the Egyptian embassy in Paris and raised banners expressing sympathy with the reporters who were injured in the protests in Cairo. In Madrid, activists collected the signatures of 80,000 activists who called for the respect of human rights in Egypt.

Source: al-Masry al-Youm.
Link: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/world-citizens-express-solidarity-egypt-protests.

Egypt: The Longest 30KM Journey For Malaysian Media

From Luqman Nul Hakim Mazlan

CAIRO, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- It was perhaps the longest 30km journey ever gone through by a group of Malaysian journalists here.

What could have been a mere 30-minute drive from Cairo International Airport to their hotel, turned out to be a nightmarish ride as a group of armed youths stopped their van on Friday night and seized the passports and belongings.

The 12 Malaysian journalists and four Putera 1Malaysia Club members, who were in the van driven by an Egyptian, were passing along an elevated highway near Tahrir Square, when a group of five local youths, carrying iron rods, sticks and various other weapons, stopped their vehicle at about 10pm (4am Saturday in Malaysia).

The group then rummaged through the vehicle and demanded their passports.

They also ransacked the bag belonging to a female officer of the Malaysian Immigration Department, who was also in the van provided by the Malaysian Embassy in here.

Tensions rose when one of the youths tried to take money inside the officer's bag but handed it back when the Malaysian group protested.

The youths however spared the bag containing a notebook computer belonging to Bernama journalist Luqman Nul Hakim Mazlan.

They later ordered the driver to take the van to their inspection point and then to a military police station before releasing them.

But that was not the end of their trouble as they still had to go through nearly 30 roadblocks before finally arriving at their hotel three hours later.

Meanwhile, the official car carrying the Malaysian Ambassador to Egypt Datuk Dr Mohd Fakhrudin Abdul Mukti, had to turn back to the airport because of the roadblocks mounted by armed groups.

M. Hamzah Jamaludin, a New Straits Times journalist, who was also in the van, said roadblocks mounted by civilians had been taking place regularly since the past few days.

"And they are becoming more aggressive. Previously they had never ransacked bags, especially those belonging to women," he said.

NSTP Group photographer Fauzan Jaafar said it was no longer safe for cameramen and photographers to carry their equipment around because it might get seized by the military or the local groups.

He said he had left his camera at the Malaysian ambassador's official car for fear that it might be taken by the protesters.

-- BERNAMA

Source: Bernama.
Link: http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=561646.

Solidarity Day reminds India about self-determination cause

Islamabad, February 05 (KMS): The friends and the sympathizers of the Kashmir cause are celebrating the Day of Solidarity with the people of Kashmir, today.

The Solidarity Day is celebrated all over the world to remind the Indian leadership about the Kashmiris’ self-determination cause fortified by multiple resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/solidarity-day-reminds-india-about-self-determination-cause.

Killing of student by troops sparks protest in Handwara

Srinagar, February 05 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops, in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a 12th class student in Kupwara district, today.

The student identified as Manzoor Ahmed Magray was killed when the troops fired upon him at Chogal in Handwara area of the district.

As the word about Manzoor’s death spread in the area, hundreds of people took to the streets and staged anti-India protests demanding punishment to the troopers involved in the killing. The protests were on when last reports came in.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/killing-student-troops-sparks-protest-handwara.

Yasmeen thanks Pak for expressing solidarity with Kashmiris

Srinagar, February 05 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, illegally detained leader of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Yasmeen Raja has thanked the people and government of Pakistan for observing Kashmir Solidarity Day every year.

Yasmeen Raja in her message from Srinagar Central jail, hailed the Pakistanis and their government for extending constant support to the Kashmiris’ just struggle for right to self-determination. She hoped that the country would continue its political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmir cause till the dispute was resolved in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiri people.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/yasmeen-thanks-pak-expressing-solidarity-with-kashmiris.

Pak support to Kashmiris' liberation struggle hailed

Srinagar, February 05 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi has thanked the people and government of Pakistan for their continued political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiris’ just struggle for right to self-determination.

Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi addressing a function in Budgam said that Pakistan had always extended support to the Kashmiris’ liberation struggle and advocated a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of Kashmiri people.

The senior APHC leader strongly denounced the killing of two sisters in Sopore by unidentified gunmen and demanded that the people involved in the incident must be identified and brought to justice.

On the other hand, APHC leader, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza in a statement in Srinagar express gratitude to Pakistan and its people for their sustained moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris’ just liberation movement. He said that durable peace in South Asia was not possible without resolving the Kashmir dispute.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Mahaz-e-Azadi and Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement in their statements also appreciated Pakistan’s consistent support to the Kashmiris’ liberation struggle.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/pak-support-kashmiris%E2%80%99-liberation-struggle-hailed.

Al-Jazeera says its Cairo offices attacked

05/02/2011

DOHA (AFP) - Al-Jazeera, the pan-Arab satellite television channel banned since last weekend from operating in Egypt, said Friday its offices in Cairo have been attacked.

"Unknown persons came into the Al-Jazeera bureau in Cairo and destroyed equipment inside," the Doha-based channel said in a statement, without giving details.

Last Sunday, the Egyptian information ministry ordered Al-Jazeera -- which has given saturation coverage to the ongoing protests in Cairo -- to halt operating in Egypt, and stripped its staff of their credentials.

Attacks on foreign news media in Cairo, including arrests and violent assaults, have intensified this week as Mubarak rejects protesters' demands to immediately stand down after three decades in power.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=356985.

Anti-wall protests take on Egyptian theme

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces suppressed on Friday the weekly demonstration in Al-Ma’sara village south of Bethlehem.

Demonstrators held Palestinian and Egyptian flags in solidarity with the Egyptian people. The demonstration was filled with banners supporting Egypt.

Protesters also held pictures of a Palestinian who was killed in the village.

Similar scenes were reported at the weekly protest in Bil'in, near Ramallah.

"We hope that the rebelling Arab people make it their priority to demand from any government or leadership to come to sever their ties with the Israeli occupation and abandon the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty," the popular committee there said.

"We believe it would be better to direct the masses towards the Israeli embassies and interests as an alternative to targeting the capabilities of the Egyptian people and the headquarters of its security."

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=356996.

Students in Scotland block lecture of Lieberman's aide

05-02-2011

Al Qassam website- Edinburgh - More than one hundred Palestinian students gathered in the University of Edinburgh in Scotland on Friday to protest a lecture that was to be delivered by an aide to Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman.

The students succeeded in blocking the lecture by Ismail Khaled, the civil adviser to Lieberman, describing him as "traitor" who sold himself to the Israeli occupation.

Police rushed to the scene of the event and escorted Khaled away from the lecture hall amidst anti-Israel slogans.

Palestinians from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, 1948 occupied land, and the diaspora took part in the gathering.

The event was confirmed by the Israeli foreign ministry spokesman for the Arab media Hassan Ka'biya.

Source: Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-4137-Students_in_Scotland_block_lecture_of_Liebermans_aide.html.

Al-shabab warns government troops to remove women's coverings

Feb 04, 2011
By Hassan Osman

MOGADISHU – Al-shabab fighters have Friday warned the transitional government troops of a checkpoint at Ex-control Afgoi in the Somali capital Mogadishu for forcing the women to remove their coverings as traveling on the street.

The spokesman of Al-shabab fighters Sheik Abdiazisz Abu Mus’ab told reporters that they would never accept the acts of the government troops adding that they continued taking of the coverings of the women.

He threatened they would target the officers of the soldiers at their houses in Mogadishu reiterating they knew their houses and had more information from them.

Ex-control, an important junction that connects the main streets of the Somali capital Mogadishu and regions in Somalia is controlled by the Somali government troops.

The spokesman accused the soldiers for committing intimidations against the women traveling on the street. The statement comes days after Al-shabab officials vowed they would revenge for the Somali civilians massacred in the capital.

Source: allvoices.
Link: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8092541-alshabab-warns-government-troops-to-remove-womens-coverings.

Turkey Eases Visa Regime For Kyrgyz, To Step Up Investment

February 04, 2011

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan and Turkey are planning to establish a no-visa regime for the two countries' citizens by the end of the year, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

On February 2, visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Kyrgyz counterpart, Almazbek Atambaev, signed several agreements on widening economic, political, and cultural ties between Bishkek and Ankara, including the document loosening visa requirements.

Currently Kyrgyz citizens are currently allowed to stay in Turkey for up to 30 days without a visa.

The agreement signed on February 2 prolongs the no-visa stay for Kyrgyz citizens in Turkey and Turkish citizens in Kyrgyzstan to 90 days. The agreement also states "the two countries will switch to a fully no-visa regime by the end of this year."

No further details were available.

Officials from the two sides also agreed to establish a Kyrgyz-Turkish intergovernmental council. The new council's first session is scheduled to be held in March in Turkey.

Erdogan told journalists in Bishkek that Turkey is ready to invest up to $450 million into the Kyrgyz economy. Atambaev stated that the first $10 million in investment has been granted by Ankara.

Erdogan arrived in Kyrgyzstan on February 1 and left Kyrgyzstan late the next day. He held meetings with President Roza Otunbaeva and other Kyrgyz officials and gave a speech in the Kyrgyz parliament.

Erdogan did not visit any other Central Asian countries on his trip.

Atambaev used to live in Turkey as a political refugee when Askar Akaev was Kyrgyz president.

Turkey, which shares linguistic similarities with the Turkic-speaking countries of Central Asia, was the first country to recognize the independence of Kyrgyzstan and the four other Central Asian countries in December 1991.

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
Link: http://www.rferl.org/content/turkey_krygyzstan_visa_regime/2297575.html.

Turkey's Erdogan gambles on Mubarak departure

by Cinar Kiper

ISTANBUL, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- While the world cautiously waits for the outcome of the chaos in Egypt, Turkey has abandoned its traditionally neutral stance with the country to gamble on the side of the protesters.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters throughout Egypt have taken to the streets for nearly two weeks, calling for President Hosni Mubarak to resign, and clashes between pro- and anti-government supporters have left at least over one hundred dead.

The largest anti-Mubarak protests in Cairo's downtown Tahrir square got strong support from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Listen to the voice of the people. Meet the demand for change from your people without hesitation," Erdogan urged Mubarak at his weekly party assembly on Tuesday.

Local analysts consider that Erdogan's call on Mubarak to step down is serious and a change of stance for Turkey which has usually avoided involvement with Egyptian affairs.

"The prime minister learned that the administration is out its way," Muharrem Hilmi Ozev, an expert from the Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM) told Xinhua, adding that remaining silence here might cause credibility issues for Turkey when a new administration comes to power.

In fact, the shifting position as regional leader of Ankara and Cairo's decline as a regional leader in recent years is one of the main reasons behind Erdogan's involvement and Mubarak's troubles.

The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) released a report titled "Perception of Turkey in the Middle-East 2010" on Wednesday. Over 2000 people in eight Mideast countries were asked about their views on Turkey, with 73 percent saying Turkey has more relevance in regional politics in recent years and 78 percent saying Turkey should play a greater role.

"Mubarak was a concern for Turkey even one month ago, but from a practical point it is difficult to make such disparaging statements while Mubarak remains in power," Ozev said.

"Right now we can hope for," he said, "the chaos is to end, stability to return and a slow transition towards democracy."

But even if Mubarak stays, Turkey's gamble for influence as a matter of fact is not gaining nothing, according to Nigar Hacizade, Projects Officer of Kultur University's Global Political Trends Center.

"Turkey won't have to wait too long to find someone it can talk if the opposition gains power," she told Xinhua.

Erdogan's speech met with sympathy in Tahrir square, Hacizade added, saying that by providing a message of support stronger than Barack Obama and even Iran, Turkey was in a unique position.

"Unlike Iran, Turkey has support from the West, which means its message is much more important in reintegrating Egypt into the world," she said.

And Erdogan also has more domestic consideration to gain from supporting to protesters. By announcing his support of the Egyptian protesters at his weekly party meeting, said Hacizade, Erdogan is trying to win support for Turkey's upcoming general elections to be held this summer.

"By standing on the side of the oppressed, he shows Turks that he is a man of the people," she added.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-02/05/c_13719419.htm.

Rallies for reform held in Jordan

Hundreds of protesters demand reform in Amman while a "day of rage" planned for Damascus fails to get underway.

04 Feb 2011

Hundreds of Jordanians have marched in Amman, the capital, demanding economic and political reforms, while also supporting the revolution unfolding in Egypt.

Protesters from leftist groups and the Muslim Brotherhood marched from the prime minister's office to the Egyptian embassy on Friday, calling for change in their country.

"We want seriousness on the ground. We want a genuine reform. We want initiatives and now so that people feel they are partners in decision making," Hamzeh Mansour, secretary general of the Islamic Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, said.

The action comes a day after King Abdullah of Jordan met with Muslim Brotherhood leaders at the royal palace, in an attempt to defuse tensions in the country.

New prime minister

Earlier this week, the king replaced his prime minister with Maruf Bakhit and asked him to form a new government after weeks of protests by opposition groups.

He instructed the premier to "take practical, quick and trangible steps to launch true political reforms," but Islamist groups have accused Bakhit of not being a reformist.

Opposition leaderships have been unhappy with the new appointment as Bakhit's last government, which oversaw local and parliamentary elections in 2007, was accused of being marred by vote-rigging.

Activists on Friday chanted "Down with the government" as they rallied outside the prime minister's office.

Protesters also expressed their support for Egyptians, calling on Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president, to step down and accused him of being a CIA agent.

"No to Arab regimes that have ties to the US and the West," they chanted outside the embassy in Cairo, and "no to Arab regimes that serve Israel's interests".

Activists also called prayed for all the Egyptians who had lost their lives during the protests against Mubarak.

In Tunisia, at least 100 people protested outside the Egyptian embassy in the capital, chanting anti-Mubarak slogans.

Rachid Ghannouchi, the leader of pro-democracy party al-Nahda, made a brief appearance to show his solidarity with the protesters, waving an Egyptian flag.

Quiet in Syria

Meanwhile a similar protest planned for Damascus, the Syrian capital, failed to get underway on Friday despite heavy promotion on social networking sites.

Campaigns on Facebook and Twitter had called for a "day of rage" on Friday and Saturday, following similar actions in Yemen, Egypt and Tunisia.

But despite 12,000 "likes" on its campaign site, the streets of the Old City remained quiet on Friday.

The city did see a higher number of security agents but it was not clear whether protesters had been put off by authorities.

"Syrian dissidents, including Kurds, did not respond to this call because they are convinced protests would be inefficient under the current conditions," Abdel Karim Rihawi, president of the Syrian League for the Defense of Human Rights, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

Earlier, Human Rights Watch called on the country's authorities to "respect" the right of its people to protest, following reports that protest organizers had been intimidated by security forces.

"Syria's government should immediately cease its intimidation and harassment of demonstrators expressing solidarity with pro-democracy campaigners in Egypt," the human rights group said in a statement.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, has resisted calls for political freedoms and jailed many critics of his regime.

On Wednesday, a group of 20 people in civilian clothing beat and dispersed 15 demonstrators who had gathered in old Damascus to hold a candlelight vigil for Egyptian demonstrators.

"Security services also detained two young male demonstrators for a few hours ... and have exerted pressure on organizers to cease any public gatherings," Human Rights Watch said.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201124141624836763.html.

Khamenei hails 'Islamic' uprisings

Iranian supreme leader urges Egyptians to follow in the footsteps of Iran's 1979 revolution.

04 Feb 2011

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader has called the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia an "Islamic liberation movement".

In his address, during Friday prayers at Tehran University in Iran's capital, he said that people are witnessing the reverberations of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

"The awakening of the Islamic Egyptian people is an Islamic liberation movement and I, in the name of the Iranian government, salute the Egyptian people and the Tunisian people,"he said.

Khamenei has urged Egypt's protesters to follow in the footsteps of the Iranian revolution which toppled a pro-US leader and installed an Islamic Republic, calling on Egyptians to unite around religion.

He said events in Tunisia and Egypt, were a sign of "Islamic awareness" in the region and that these movements will spell an "irreparable defeat" for the United States.

'Servant of Zionists'

Khamenei added that the Egypt's embattled president, Hosni Mubarak, is a "servant" of Israel and the United States.

"For 30 years this country [Egypt] has been in the hands of someone who is not seeking freedom and is the enemy of those seeking freedom.

"Not only he is not anti-Zionist, but he is the companion, colleague, confidant and servant of Zionists. It is a fact that Hosni Mubarak's servitude to America has been unable to take Egypt one step towards prosperity."

The spiritual leader's remarks were received by cheering crowds of worshipers who, raising their hands, chanted "Death to America! Death to Israel!"

The sermon marked the first time in seven months that the leader has addressed the weekly Friday prayers, and came as protesters were massing in Egypt to participate in "departure day" demonstrations to force Mubarak to quit.

"Today's events in North Africa, Egypt and Tunisia and some other countries have different meanings for us," Khamenei said.

"This is what was always talked about as the occurrence of Islamic awakening at the time of the Islamic revolution of the great Iranian nation and is showing itself today."

Top Iranian officials have supported the protests in Egypt and have warned Tehran's arch-foe Washington against "interfering" in what they say is a movement of the people.

Khamenei said that Israel was the country most concerned about the Arab revolts.

"Today more than the fleeing Tunisian and Egyptian officials, Israelis and the Zionist enemies are the most worried about these events as they know if Egypt stops being their ally and take its rightful place, it would be a great event in the region," he said.

Dorsa Jabbari, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, said Khamenei "is asking them to follow through what he is calling a real earthquake in the region".

The Iranian people are supporting the uprising in Egypt as "they believe that it has been long time in the making and it is about time that [the Egyptian] people put an end to the dictatorship in their country", our correspondent said.

"They [the Iranians] see the events as extremely significant as they feel that it is the opportunity to change the religious field in the region."

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201124101233510493.html.