Germany welcomes nomination of UN special envoy to Libya

Mon, 07 Mar 2011

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Monday welcomed the UN's nomination of former Jordanian foreign minister Abdul Ilah Khatib as a special envoy for Libya.

Westerwelle praised Khatib as an "experienced politician from the region" who would give a "face and voice" to the international political and humanitarian efforts in Libya.

Germany previously campaigned for the UN to appoint somebody to lead consultations with the authorities in Tripoli and governments in the region.

At the same time, the minister called for states to place greater pressure on Libya, and said the issue should be raised again in the UN Security Council, of which Germany is a non-permanent member.

"Further targeted sanctions, such as an end to all payments to the Gaddafi regime, urgently belong onto the agenda of the EU and United Nations," Westerwelle said.

At the same time, the minister warned that any measure that went beyond sanctions - such as the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya - would have to be authorized by the UN Security Council and approved by partners in the region.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/370602,nomination-un%C2%A0special-envoy-libya.html.

Bahrainis slam US support for regime

Mon Mar 7, 2011

Anti-government protesters in Bahrain have gathered outside the US Embassy in the capital, Manama, calling on Washington to stop supporting the autocratic regime of the ruling al-Khalifa family.

The protesters gathered in front of the embassy on the 22nd day of protests on Monday, chanting slogans such as “Down down Hamad” -- a reference to the country's king -- and “Down with the monarchy! People want democracy!”

Demonstrators also chanted, "The people want to topple the regime!"

“If the Americans say 'OK, stop' ... I'm sure the regime won't say no,” said Muneer Shehab, a 39-year-old activist.

Protesters, inspired by revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, continued to keep vigil in hundreds of tents in the city's Pearl Square, demanding that Prime Minister Sheik Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa step down because of corruption and the deadly crackdown on the opposition in which seven people have so far been killed.

The prime minister, who is also the king's uncle, has been in power for 40 years.

The country has been ruled by the al-Khalifa royal family for more than 200 years.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168685.html.

Iran building new advanced destroyers

Mon Mar 7, 2011

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the country is building new destroyers in order to beef up its defense capabilities.

"Following the delivery of the Jamaran destroyer to the Navy, these destroyers were put on the production line," he was quoted as saying by IRNA on Monday.

"The Navy of Islamic Republic of Iran's Armed Forces is constantly working to improve its defense capabilities and the abilities of its destroyers and tries [to ensure that] its new models have fundamental advantages over their previous ones," the commander added.

Last year in February, the Iranian Navy unveiled its first domestically-manufactured destroyer, Jamaran, in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

The 1,420-ton destroyer, equipped with modern radars and other electronic warfare capabilities, patrols the southern waters of the Persian Gulf.

Jamaran has a top speed of up to 30 knots and a helipad. It also features highly advanced anti-aircraft, anti-surface and anti-subsurface systems. The vessel has also been equipped with torpedoes and modern naval cannons.

"Iran's Navy has always prepared itself according to the threats at hand and has therefore never been caught by surprise," Sayyari said.

He noted that the country's naval forces have properly shown readiness to defend Iran's sea borders by conducting military maneuvers.

In January, Iran and Oman carried out two joint naval relief and rescue drills in the north of the Omani Sultan Qaboos Port.

Despite sanctions against the country, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing military equipment and systems.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168674.html.

Saudi royals loot national wealth

Mon Mar 7, 2011

Reports show that members of the Saudi royal family have appropriated billions of dollars of the country's national wealth, including oil revenues, for their personal use.

According a Reuters report, Saudi royals took some $2 billion of the national income in 1996, while they as well as others closely associated with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz, now spend $10 billion of the country's earnings annually for personal expenses.

Also, it has already been revealed that revenues from the sale of one million barrels of oil per day go to only five or six Saudi princes.

Documents show the better part of national spending in Saudi Arabia over the past two decades has been allocated to the royal family.

One such document reads that Saudi royals, who number in the thousands, are known to possess great wealth and spend lavishly.

Monthly salaries given to the members of the royal family range from $800 a month for the most junior members to $270,000 per month for senior royals, reports Reuters. The figures do not include the expenses for wedding ceremonies and building palaces.

The same report suggests that five percent of Saudi Arabia's $40 billion overall budget for 1996, that is $2 billion, was earmarked for salaries of the royal family.

This comes as many senior officials and royals in Saudi Arabia have gone into business, pocketing upwards of $10 billion dollars besides their regular salaries.

Some Saudi royals have even confiscated public land to sell to the Saudi government.

There are four main opposition groups in Saudi Arabia. There are the Hijaz tribes that have complained the Al-Saud family has even named the country after itself, excluding other tribes and groups from the government. Then there are the reformist technocrats and the youth, who would like to see a constitution as well as elections incorporated into the Saudi system of monarchy.

The third group that opposes the monarchy are mainly the reformist Salafis, and the fourth major group are the Shias, who mainly occupy the oil-rich eastern part of the country but are the most oppressed in the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168648.html.

Israel OKs al-Aqsa construction project

Mon Mar 7, 2011

Israel has given the green light for the resumption of the construction work on an access ramp to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The East al-Quds (Jerusalem) municipality said on Sunday that the building of the ramp to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound was given the go ahead last week, AFP reported.

It is meant to replace a provisional wooden version.

Work on the controversial ramp was suspended four years ago following a wave of protests across the Muslim world. Muslim authorities also demanded an end to Israel's provocative excavations near the site.

Israel occupied and annexed East al-Quds in 1967, but the measure was never recognized by the international community.

Palestinians say the demolitions and settlement construction activities are undermining their efforts to establish a state.

Israel has demolished 995 Palestinian homes and displaced 5,783 individuals, including 3,109 children, in occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem) since the start of 2000, according to the Palestinian Information Center.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168607.html.

Heavy clashes flare up in I. Coast

Mon Mar 7, 2011

Heavy fighting has erupted between security forces loyal to Ivory Coast's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and supporters of president-elect Alassane Ouattara.

Clashes happened in the western town of Toulepleu on Sunday and New Forces, an ex-rebel group loyal to Ouattara, took the control of the town, AFP reported.

"There has been bitter fighting at Toulepleu. The New Forces have taken the town," a local politician affiliated with the government said.

Meanwhile, young supporters of Gbagbo have looted homes of officials close to Ouattara in the country's main city, Abidjan, "trying to create an atmosphere of terror," witnesses said.

Most officials supporting Ouattara have been living with him in the Gulf Hotel where they have been confined after results of the election were announced. They are not able to protect their homes.

The political standoff started following last November's presidential election. The UN has recognized Ouattara as the winner of the poll, but Gbagbo has since refused to step down.

The situation worsened last week when seven women were killed by security forces in peaceful protests against the president.

Gbagbo had repeatedly warned mounting pressure on him could push the country to the brink of civil war, causing more instability.

The UN says at least 400 people have been killed in the violence in the country and more than 70,000 have fled to neighboring Liberia.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168609.html.

Iran mulling over downgrading UAE ties

Sun Mar 6, 2011

Members of Iranian parliament (Majlis) are set to review a bill on downgrading ties with the United Arab Emirates following the mistreatment of Iranian nationals by Emirati officials.

Member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said the body would first review the new legislation.

“The bill has been handed over to the governing board of the Majlis Foreign Policy Commission for more concise and critical review,” Fars News Agency quoted Falahatpisheh as saying on Saturday.

The lawmaker added that the insulting attitude toward Iranians traveling to the UAE is the main reason lawmakers are proposing that the Islamic Republic reconsiders its ties with the sheikhdom.

“The nature of Iran's trade relations with the Emirates is to the benefit of the UAE and in return their treatment of the citizens of our country is absolutely unacceptable,” Falahatpisheh stated.

He added that the UAE's attitude toward Iran on political issues is not on a par with the level of trade, tourism, and financial cooperation between the two countries either.

The Iranian lawmaker's remarks come at a time when the Persian Gulf littoral state has drawn criticism from Iran over the decision to construct artificial islands.

On Monday, Brigadier General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, senior military adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, described the construction of the islands without consulting other coastal countries as illegal.

The Iranian commander also revealed that the artificial islands would reduce the distance between the UAE and the Iranian island of Abu Musa by 10 kilometers, making it possible to change water borders in the Persian Gulf.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/168504.html.