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.

___

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.