WAR 01/24/2013 to 01/30/2013____****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****

For links see article source....
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http://freebeacon.com/going-on-defense/

China, U.S. conduct missile defense tests
BY: Bill Gertz
January 27, 2013 5:02 pm

China on Sunday conducted the second test of a new anti-ballistic missile defense interceptor that United States officials say is directly linked to Beijing’s secret anti-satellite weapons program.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Sunday announced it conducted a successful test of a long-range anti-missile interceptor.

China’s Defense Ministry announced the test, according to the official state-run Xinhua news agency, which quoted an official saying “the test has reached the preset goal.”

“The test is defensive in nature and targets no other country,” the official was quoted as saying.

China in the past has opposed U.S. missile defenses, claiming the systems are designed to weaponize space. However, Beijing refused to discuss any details of its secret ASAT program. A 2007 ASAT missile destroyed a Chinese weather satellite, creating a debris field that threatens both manned and unmanned satellites.

It is the second time China announced such a missile test. A similar anti-missile interception test was successfully conducted on Jan. 11, 2010.

The test was not unexpected. U.S. officials said Chinese missile defense testing facilities were under close intelligence surveillance since early January amid signs a missile defense interceptor test was to be carried out.

The Washington Free Beacon reported in September that new intelligence had indicated the Chinese were planning to fire what they called a Dong Ning-2 anti-satellite missile that is part of Beijing’s program to target U.S. military communications, navigation, and targeting satellites in space.

Pentagon officials had no immediate comment on the Chinese test.

Maj. Catherine Wilkinson, a Pentagon spokeswoman, earlier this month declined to comment on Chinese plans for an ASAT test, citing a policy of not discussing intelligence matters.

“We carefully monitor China’s military developments and urge China to exhibit greater transparency regarding its capabilities and intention,” she said. “Military-to-military dialogues between the United States and China featuring open and substantive discussions between our armed forces will help us improve mutual understanding, build trust, and reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculations.”

A U.S. official said earlier this month there were signs in China that the missile defense test was being readied.

Regarding the 2010 test, a State Department cable, disclosed by Wikileaks, revealed that China had launched an SC-18 missile from the Korla Peninsula and intercepted a near-simultaneous launched CSS-X-11 medium-range target missile from the Shuangchengzi Space and Missile Center.

The cable noted the similarities between the missile defense interceptor and China’s ASAT missile. “An SC-19 was used previously as the payload booster for the Jan. 11, 2007, direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) intercept of the Chinese FY-1C weather satellite,” the cable said. “Previous SC-19 DA-ASAT flight-tests were conducted in 2005 and 2006. This test is assessed to have furthered both Chinese ASAT and ballistic missile defense technologies.”

Richard Fisher, a China military affairs specialist, said the latest test also was carried out over Korla, China’s traditional center for anti-missile research dating to the 1960s.

“So far the missile used for the Jan. 27 test has not been identified,” Fisher, with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said. “It could be a second test of the SC-19 ASAT missile modified for warhead interception for the January 2010 test, or it could be a new missile.”

Fisher said China is known to be developing several anti-missile systems. “One system sometimes referred to as the HQ-26 appears to be intended to have a capability similar to the Raytheon-built SM-3 [interceptor], the main system used by the U.S. Navy for missile defense,” he said.

“China’s new missile is expected to arm a new large PLA Navy combat ship that has not yet been launched and is also expected to have a land-deployed version as well.”

According to reports from China, an engineer from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), the state-run company most likely behind development of a HQ-26-like missile, has received a national prize for the development of a dual-pulse rocket engine, a technology also used on the SM-3, Fisher said.

“China’s development of more capable theater missile defense systems addresses what for China is a practically non-existent threat,” Fisher said. “Other than North Korea and to a slight degree India, no country has the ability to target China with medium or intermediate range missiles.”

Fisher said unlike the Chinese, the United States has retired its subsonic nuclear cruise missiles and has no plans for medium-range ballistic missiles or longer-range non-strategic missiles.

“These Chinese missiles allow the PLA to target Asian-based land and naval aircraft at longer distances,” he said. “In all, it poses another major chop at the U.S. ability to ‘extend’ deterrence to its Asian allies, adds another layer to China’s ‘anti-access’ capabilities.”

The missile test comes as the Pentagon on Sunday announced the successful test of a Ground-Based Interceptor, the new limited anti-missile system currently deployed against North Korean ICBMs.

Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner said in a statement that the GBI test was “successful” after launch on Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., one of two western U.S. missile defense bases.

“Data from this flight test will be used to evaluate the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle system performance in a flight environment,” Lehner said. “If a target missile were present, the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle would collide directly with the threat warhead to perform a hit-to-kill intercept. Engineering data from this test will be used to improve confidence for future intercept missions.

The test did not plan to use a target missile.

“After performing fly out maneuvers, the three-stage booster deployed the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle to a designated point in space,” Lehner said. “After separating from the booster, the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle executed a variety of pre-planned maneuvers to collect performance data in space.”

Preliminary results show all components performed as designed, he said.

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http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/28/world/africa/egypt-unrest-explainer/?hpt=hp_t2

Q&A: What's behind the latest wave of violence in Egypt?
By Amir Ahmed and Holly Yan, CNN
updated 3:22 AM EST, Mon January 28, 2013

An protester throws a tear gas canister back toward riot police in Tahrir Square on Sunday, January 27, in Cairo, Egypt. An judge sentenced 21 people to death Saturday for their roles in a football game riot last year, a ruling that sparked deadly clashes between security forces and relatives of the convicted. An protester throws a tear gas canister back toward riot police in Tahrir Square on Sunday, January 27, in Cairo, Egypt. An judge sentenced 21 people to death Saturday for their roles in a football game riot last year, a ruling that sparked deadly clashes between security forces and relatives of the convicted.
HIDE CAPTION
Clashes in Egypt after court sentencing

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Protests on the two-year anniversary of the revolution left seven people dead Friday
Chaos erupted after 21 people were sentenced to death after a football riot in Port Said
Critics have accused Morsy of becoming a new dictator
Morsy announces a temporary curfew in three cities and a meeting amongst different parties

(CNN) -- Two years ago, Egyptians toppled a longtime dictator and reveled in the hope of a new future. But frustration over the new leadership and controversial court verdicts have ignited clashes regularly.

Here's what's behind the most recent unrest, which flared up on the two-year anniversary of the revolution.

What sparked this latest rash of violence?

Two seemingly unrelated developments.

Read: Egypt's Morsy declares curfew in 3 cities

Friday was the two-year anniversary of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Protesters who have been angry with the slow pace of change and with some of the steps President Mohamed Morsy has taken clashed with his supporters and police in the cities of Suez, Ismailia and elsewhere.
Violence sparked by Egypt verdict
Egypt's Morsy imposes curfew after riots
New, deadly violence in Egypt
Tensions high in Port Said, Egypt
Egypt's football fans demand justice

At least seven people were killed in those clashes, including several by gunfire. It was not immediately clear who was responsible.

Then on Saturday, a judge sentenced 21 people from Port Said to death for their roles in a 2012 football game riot in the coastal city -- a riot that left 74 people dead and 1,000 injured.

The court rulings sparked deadly clashes between security forces and relatives of the convicted. Over the course of two days, at least 38 people -- including civilians and soldiers -- were killed in Port Said.

What's the back story of tensions between Port Said and Cairo?

Port Said residents say they have grievances that date back six decades.

Over the past 60 years, residents of Port Said have felt betrayed by Egyptian security forces during a series of wars with Israel.

Thousands of residents were displaced several times because of the Suez War, the Six-Day War of 1967, the War of Attrition with Israel, and the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

Residents of Port Said, in northeastern Egypt, believed security forces did not adequately defend their city.

In addition, some say Cairo has not invested enough in Port Said's infrastructure, and that their city doesn't reap enough tax benefits from trade with international ships that pass though Port Said via the critical Suez Canal.

Some also say Port Said is still getting the cold shoulder from Cairo after the 1999 assassination attempt of then-President Hosni Mubarak, who was visiting the city.

Why are some Egyptians angry with Morsy?

Morsy, Egypt's first democratically elected president, came to power last June following Mubarak's ouster a year earlier.

But accusations of power hoarding soon followed.

Morsy issued a sweeping presidential decree in November, which prevented any court from overturning his decisions until a new, post-Mubarak constitution was passed. The ruling essentially gave him unchecked power, protecting from judicial review any decisions he has made since assuming office.

Protesters decried the "birth of a new pharaoh" and "Morsy the dictator."

But Morsy defended his move, saying it was only temporary until a new constitution is put in place. He said it was intended to safeguard the revolution, in part by preventing courts from interfering with the work of Egypt's Constituent Assembly, the body charged with drafting a new constitution.

The judges, many of whom were holdover loyalists from the government of Mubarak, are widely viewed as hostile to the Islamists who now dominate the assembly that has been charged with framing a new constitution.

The constitution eventually passed with a nearly two-thirds majority.

What happens now?

During a speech Sunday night, Morsy declared a limited state of emergency for violent hot spots and announced a 30-day nighttime curfew for the provinces of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez.

Morsy said some protesters' violent behavior "does not have anything to do with the Egyptian revolution. ... In fact, it is against the revolution."

But he acknowledged the legitimate dissent in Egypt, saying "dialogue is the only way to bring about stability and security."

To this end, he invited representatives from 11 political parties to a meeting Monday.

The meeting "is meant to address problems in Egypt, as opposed to express anger," Morsy's spokesman told state-run TV.

But for a country that has seen rounds of change, dissent, celebration and violence, it's unclear what the next chapter will be.

CNN's Reza Sayah and Tim Hume contributed to this report.

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http://atimes.com/atimes/Korea/OA29Dg01.html

Korea
Jan 29, 2013
COMMENT
Resolve the North Korean nuclear issue
By Joseph R DeTrani

It is high time for China and the United States to get North Korea back to the table to resolve the nuclear issue, not by caving in, but by convincing Pyongyang that a negotiated settlement would be mutually beneficial for North Korea and the international community. Kim Jong-eun could be convinced that his legacy should be peace, not war, famine and isolation.

Given the turmoil in the Middle East and South Asia and the tension in East Asia, success in resolving the North Korea nuclear issue is needed and still could be within reach, despite North Korea's harsh response to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution condemning it for the missile launch in December.

The fourth round of the six-party talks with North Korea, in September 2005, produced a joint statement that declared North Korea was prepared to dismantle existing nuclear programs in exchange for economic assistance, ultimate normalization of relations with the United States and the provision of a light-water reactor when North Korea returned to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapons state.

Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il endorsed the joint statement, noting on numerous occasions that North Korea was prepared to dismantle all of its nuclear programs, in exchange for security assurances, economic assistance and normal relations with the US. His son and successor, Kim Jong-eun, has not commented on this and has not - as his father stated - made a commitment to denuclearization. Getting Kim Jong-eun to do so now will be more difficult, but not impossible.

Pyongyang's January 24 statement, in response to the January 22 UNSC resolution, stated: "Under this situation, the DPRK cannot but declare that there will no longer exist the six-party talks and the September 19 joint statement." North Korea had made similar statements on previous occasions but through the intervention of China and others, had returned to negotiations. As before, it now must be persuaded to return to talks.

By way of background, the optimism the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement engendered, after three years of fruitless negotiations that started in August 2003, was short-lived. When in July 2006 North Korea launched seven missiles, followed by a nuclear test that October, sanctions were immediately imposed through UNSC resolutions 1695 and 1718.

At that time, North Korea argued that the missiles were launched because of a breach of US breach of trust when the US Treasury, on the same day that the joint statement was signed, sanctioned a bank in Macau that was accused of laundering money for North Korea and obliged to freeze US$25 million in an account held by North Korea. When the bank complied with US law, the money was returned to North Korea.

This resulted in North Korea returning to the six-party negotiations, where some progress was made, only to be dashed when North Korea balked at the US demand that an oral agreement be put in writing.

We've been in six-party talks and held numerous bilateral negotiations with North Korea for almost 10 years. During the past few of those years, no official six-party negotiations have taken place and dismal results have been the outcome of what contact has taken place. Indeed, over this 10 years of sporadic negotiation, North Korea has built, sold and upgraded its stockpile of ballistic missiles and fabricated more plutonium and highly enriched uranium-based nuclear weapons. Based on the December 12, 2012 successful missile launch that put a satellite in orbit, it appears Pyongyang is making appreciable progress with long-range ballistic missiles.

Although the five countries engaging North Korea in the six-party talks - China, the US, South Korea, Japan and Russia - are equally invested in these negotiations, it's China and the US that have the most leverage with North Korea. China provides significant food and energy assistance to North Korea; its trade with North Korea has increased significantly and the 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance with North Korea provides a foundation that makes China's significant leverage clear.

The US has considerable leverage, in that North Korea wants security assurances and the normalization of diplomatic relations, which in turn would give North Korea access to international financial institutions and international legitimacy. Consequently, it would be fair to assume that China and the US can and should do more, especially now, to re-engage North Korea before an escalation of tensions further by Pyongyang makes a resumption of negotiations inconceivable.

The strategy of insouciance has not been a success. Engagement at this time with the new leadership in Pyongyang seems prudent, assuming the young North Korean leader refrains from any further missile launches or nuclear tests and, as his father did, commits to eventual denuclearization, in line with the September 19, 2005 joint statement. China, working closely with the US, can move this process forward by getting Pyongyang to immediately return unconditionally to the six-party talks.

The goal should be to get Kim Jong-eun to publicly commit North Korea to the September 19, 2005 joint statement, declaring that North Korea is prepared to dismantle all its nuclear programs in return for security assurances, economic assistance and ultimate normalization of relations with the US. Now is the time to act.

Joseph R DeTrani was the Special Envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea from 2003-2006 and the ODNI North Korea Mission Manager from 2006-2010. Until January 2012, he was the Director of the National Counterproliferation Center. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are not representative of any US Government department, agency or office. DeTrani can be reached at josephdetrani@gmail.com.

(Copyright 2013 Joseph R DeTrani.)


Related Articles:
China's short-lived North Korean shift
(Jan 9, '13)

North Korea picks its rocket moment
(Dec 14, '12)

Russia's foreign minister says world powers, Tehran should stop 'behaving like little children' and agree talks on Iran's nuclear program - @Reuters

3 mins ago by editor


*Spank* LOL

Saw this just by happenstance:


Iran hangs two for 'waging war against God'

Iran has hanged two men for "waging war against God," over their role in an assault that was filmed and posted on YouTube.


Alireza Mafiha, left, and Mohammad Ali Sorouri were hanged early on Sunday in Tehran Photo: AP - Their picture is at the link.

2:20PM GMT 21 Jan 2013

A 37-second video posted on YouTube in December and later shown on Iranian state television showed four masked men approaching the victim on motorcycles, and then two of them assaulting him, taking his bag and jacket.

One of the attackers appeared to be wielding a long knife or machete.

The attack prompted public outrage, and officials vowed to punish those responsible.

Alireza Mafiha and Mohammad Ali Sorouri were hanged early on Sunday in the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).

They were convicted of "moharebe", or waging war against God, which under Iran's interpretation of Islamic law is punishable by death. Their sentence was issued by a Revolutionary Court in late December, ISNA said.

Related Articles

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18 Jan 2013

Iranian kick-boxer hanged for 'being Israeli spy'
15 May 2012

"The issue of security for our people is more important even than daily bread," said Sadeq Larijani, head of Iran's judiciary, in December.

Two accomplices were sentenced to 10 years in prison and 74 lashes, ISNA reported.

Iran carries out one of the world's highest number of annual executions, according to rights group Amnesty International, which has called on the Islamic Republic to commute death sentences.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ran-hangs-two-for-waging-war-against-God.html

Japan, US to join South Korea in urging North Korea's restraint over rumored new nuclear test - Kyodo

36 mins ago by editor


Israeli military deploys Iron Dome missile defense batteries in country's north amid Syria worries - @Jersualem_Post

5 mins ago from www.jpost.com by editor

--------

IDF deploys Iron Domes in North amid Syria worries

01/27/2013 20:12

The IDF confirmed the deployment of Iron Dome missile defense batteries in the North on Sunday, amid an escalation in the Syrian civil war and concerns over Syria’s sizeable chemical weapons falling into radical Islamic hands.

An army spokesman confirmed that batteries had been deployed to the North, including one in the Haifa area, but claimed the move was “routine.”

Related:

Israel's fears on Syria chemical weapons may trigger strike
Fighting rages in Syria as UN aid official arrives

Syrian President Bashar Assad is in possession of large quantities of deadly Sarin and mustard gas compounds, as well as VX nerve agents.

Some of the compounds can be affixed to Scud missiles as chemical warheads. The chemicals can also be placed in specialized artillery shells, or dropped from the air.

Syrian rebels clashed with forces loyal to Assad in southwest Damascus on Sunday, forcing the closure of the main highway to the southern town of Deraa, activists said.

The fighting came as United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos visited Syria ahead of a UN aid conference which aims to raise $1.5 billion for the millions of people made homeless, hungry and vulnerable by the 22-month-old conflict, which the UN says has killed 60,000 people.

Defense officials have noted in recent months that the crumbling of Syria presents a formidable threat to national, regional and global security, a threat that is developing right on Israel’s doorstep.

The presence of disorganized armed militias – some of them affiliated with hardline Islamistjihadi movements – in a land that hosts what some analysts consider the largest number of chemical weapons in the world creates a clear danger, according to officials. The concern is that rebel fanatical elements or Assad’s close ally, Hezbollah, may try to raid chemical weapons storage facilities.

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=301149

More: Islamist militants suspected of attacking an oil pipeline in the Algerian region of Djebahia; 2 dead - @Reuters

22 mins ago by editor

Report: Oil pipeline 70 kilometers east of Algiers, Algeria, attacked; 2 guards killed and 7 wounded - @Reuters

35 mins ago by editor

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://debka.com/article/22716/Iran...an-Israeli-clash-Iron-Dome-posted-in-N-Israel

Iran actively weighs Syrian-Israeli clash. Iron Dome posted in N. Israel
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 27, 2013, 6:38 PM (GMT+02:00)
Tags: Iran Israel Syrian war chemical weapons Hizballah Binyamin Netanyahu Iron Dome
Free Syrian Army displays used ordnance

Tehran is looking seriously at a limited Syrian-Lebanese clash of arms with Israel – possibly using Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons as a trigger, debkafile’s military and intelligence sources disclose. Reacting to this news, Israel announced Sunday, Jan. 27, the deployment of Iron Dome anti-missile batteries some days ago to reinforce security in northern Israel and the key Haifa port.

The Iranians see three strategic benefits in embroiling Israel in a limited war with its two allies, Syria and Hizballah:

1. A new outbreak of armed violence would direct world attention away from the Syrian civil war:
2. Israel would be sidetracked from a possible strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities – even a “surgical operation” such as Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke of over the weekend – by being thrown into multiple battles with Iranian forces in Syria and Lebanon, the Shiite Hizballah and the Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihadi in the Gaza Strip.

The clash would be programmed to end without winners or losers like Israel’s war against Hizballah in 2006 and its two anti-terror operations the Gaza Strip in 2009 and 2012. But meanwhile Israel would have its hands too full with threats on three borders to pursue military action against a nuclear Iran.

3. Tehran would buy another year’s delay for spinning out its talks with the Six Powers (US, Russia, France, Britain, China and Germany) on their nuclear controversy.

At the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said “Israel faced some of the gravest threats in its existence” and they continue to run riot “in the east, the north and the south.”

Behind his words, was an immediate neighborhood beset in last couple of weeks by al Qaeda’s advance in Mali - now checked by French intervention; the Algerian gas field hostage siege; and the discovery of the strong interface among the various African Al Qaeda branches, including Egypt, in operations, logistics, shared arms suppliers and the pooling of jihadist manpower in the different arenas.

Israel’s prime minister and security chiefs are clearly troubled by the perceived danger of the jihadist networks based in Egyptian Sinai and al Qaeda affiliates fighting in Syria joining up to attack Israel from two directions, the north and the south. This would be in keeping with the multiple, multinational terrorist threats surfacing in Africa.

With regard to Syria’s chemical weapons, after convening an expanded security-diplomatic cabinet meeting last Wednesday, Jan. 23, the day after Israel’s general election, Netanyahu remarked: “We have to look around us… What’s happening in Iran and the lethal weapons in Syria, which is falling apart…”

He left the specifics to Deputy Prime Minister Sylvan Shalom, who said Sunday that if chemical weapons reached Hizballah or Syrian rebel hands, “Such a development would be a crossing of all red lines that would require a different approach, including even preventive operations.”

But even Shalom did not specify where the red lines would be – the handover of Syrian chemical weapons to Hizballah? And against whom would Israel take preventive action – Syria, Hizballah or both? And if they reached Syrian rebel hands, would Israel hit them or go straight for the poison gas arsenals?

Neither Netanyahu nor Shalom responded to the Iranian warning issued Saturday by Ali Akbar Velayati, a close adviser to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that an attack on Syria would be tantamount to an attack on Iran.

This warning was intended to drive home to Israel the message that an offensive against Syria would be treated as a direct confrontation with Iran.

This warning aimed at holding Israel back from a military strike against Syria - Syria, not the Assad regime. This is because an Israeli attack on Syrian rebels armed with chemical weapons would also serve Tehran’s purpose very well: Iranian forces in Syria and Lebanon would use the opportunity to unite the Syrian army and the rebels against the common enemy, Israel, and so start the process of winding down the anti-Assad revolt.

Velayati also avoided mentioning Iran’s key ally in Lebanon, Hizballah. In his warning, he said: "Syria has a very basic and key role in the region for promoting firm policies of resistance [against Israel]... For this reason an attack on Syria would be considered an attack on Iran and Iran's allies."

This high-ranking Iranian figure took care not to draw attention to Hizballah because, according to debkafile’s military sources, parts of the Syrian chemical arsenal have already reached Hizballah and are stashed away in fortified bunkers in the terrorist militia’s Beqaa Valey strongholds, along with a lethal array of long- and medium-range ground-to-ground rockets that too were smuggled secretly across the Syrian border.

Some western intelligence sources – especially American – now believe Syrian chemical weapons were secreted to Hizballah during 2012. They were sent over in small packages to avoid attracting US or Israel notice. By now Hizballah is thought to have accumulated a substantial supply of poison weapons.

Our military sources report that Israel’s military planners have long-range logistical plans ready for dealing with new situations such as this one. It has expanded its undercover penetration of Syria and Lebanon and is making rapid progress in erecting a sophisticated 57-kilometer security fence along the Syrian border. This project may take months to complete. But meanwhile, Iran is working on its own plans for jumping the gun before it is finished with a military adventure.

Posted for fair use and discussion. These guys give Luddite new meaning.
http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/3563/

« Breaking News »
Fleeing Islamists burn priceless Timbuktu library
DEBKAfile January 28, 2013, 5:20 PM (GMT+02:00)

As French-led Malian troops captured the airport of the world heritage town of Timbuktu Monday, fleeing Islamists set fire to the Baba Ahmed Institution and its priceless ancient manuscripts. At Gao, jubilant inhabitants danced and sang in the streets to celebrate the liberation of their town from Islamist rule Sunday. The third key northern town of Kidal, seat of the Tuareg, remains to be captured before northern Mali is freed.

The Islamists and Mali rebels are pulling back into the Sahara desert and feared regrouping for guerrilla warfare as African troops are flown in to secure areas liberated by the French intervention.

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/20716052/japan-launches-2-intelligence-satellites#ixzz2JIFuGjFT

Japan launches 2 intelligence satellites
By ERIC TALMADGE
Posted: Jan 27, 2013 2:05 AM EST Updated: Jan 27, 2013 2:05 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) - Japan launched two intelligence satellites into orbit on Sunday amid growing concerns that North Korea is planning to test more rockets of its own and possibly conduct a nuclear test.

Officials say the launch Sunday of the domestically produced HII-A rocket went smoothly and the satellites - an operational radar satellite and an experimental optical probe - appear to have reached orbit.

Japan began its intelligence satellite program after North Korea fired a long-range missile over Japan's main island in 1998. North Korea conducted a launch last month that it says carried a satellite into orbit but has been condemned by the U.S. and others as a cover for its development of missile technology.

The latest Japanese launch was in the planning stages long before the current increase in tensions with North Korea, but underscores Japan's longstanding wariness of its isolated neighbor's abilities and intentions.

The radar satellite, which can provide intelligence through cloud cover and at night, is intended to augment a network of several probes that Japan already has in orbit. The optical probe will be used to test future technology and improvements that would allow Japan to strengthen its surveillance capabilities.

Japan still relies on the United States for much of its intelligence.

Its optical satellites are believed to be about as good as commercial satellites, meaning they are able to detect objects of about 40 centimeters (16 inches) in size from their orbits. With the additional radar satellite, Japan hopes to be able to glean intelligence on any specified location once a day.

Japan, which hosts about 50,000 U.S. troops, is especially concerned about North Korea because its main islands are already within range of the North's missiles. Along with developing its own network of spy satellites, Japan has cooperated with Washington in establishing an elaborate missile defense shield.

North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission declared last week that the country would carry out a nuclear test and launch more rockets in defiance of the U.N. Security Council's announcement that it would punish Pyongyang for its long-range rocket test in December with more sanctions, calling it a violation of a ban on nuclear and missile activity.

North Korea's state news agency said on Sunday that leader Kim Jong Un vowed at a meeting of top security and foreign officials to take "substantial and high-profile important state measures."

Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/20716052/japan-launches-2-intelligence-satellites#ixzz2JIGClZvJ

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/164645#.UQbW3vKwcrW

Israeli Source Confirms Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Plant Exploded

Israeli intelligence source confirms underground nuclear facility sustained major damage in a “mega explosion” last week.

By Chana Ya'ar
First Publish: 1/28/2013, 11:15 AM

Qoms Nuclear Site


An Israeli intelligence source has confirmed Iran’s Fordow underground nuclear uranium enrichment facility sustained major damage in a “mega explosion” that occurred last week.

Fordow, which contains at least 2,700 centrifuges for uranium enrichment, is located deep beneath a mountain near the Iranian city of Qom.

Some 200 workers were trapped inside the facility at the time, according to a report published Monday by The Times, a UK-based newspaper.

The report quoted an Israeli official as saying “We’re still in the early stages of trying to comprehend what happened and the extend of its significance.” The source added that it was not yet known whether the explosion was “an act of sabotage or incidental.”

The official declined to reveal whether Israeli aircraft had been in the vicinity at the time of the explosion.

Iran has denied that any explosion occurred at the facility, claiming in a statement to the official IRNA news agency that reports of the blast were nothing more than “Western propaganda.”

News of the explosion was reported Friday by the U.S.-based WND website.


Tags: Iran ,nuclear ,Fordow ,uranium enrichment

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/164646#.UQbZvvKwcrX

Report: Hizbullah Sets Up Bases Near Syria's Chemical Arsenal
Hizbullah terrorists are setting up bases in Syria close to known chemical weapons storage facilities, according to an Israeli media outlet.

By Chana Ya'ar
First Publish: 1/28/2013, 12:03 PM

Chemical war drill

The Lebanon-based Hizbullah terrorist organization is setting up bases in Syria close to known chemical weapons storage facilities, according to a source quoted in a report published Monday by Israeli Hebrew-language news outlet Ynet.

Hizbullah, which is generously funded and equipped by Iran, has been working to shore up the government forces backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, together with Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

But even with that assistance, the loyalists are beginning to lose their grip on the country, and it appears likely that Assad’s regime may soon fall.

If it does, there is a strong likelihood that he may first choose to hand over the country’s chemical weapons arsenal to his Iranian patrons. The other possibility is that Hizbullah may simply decide to seize the arsenal before anyone else has a chance to take it or destroy it.

The report follows on the heels of news that Jordan has tightened its security along its northern border with Syria, massing thousands of soldiers along with artillery, armored vehicles and other ordnance in the area.

Amman is also working in coordination with Israel to pass along information to the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia in anticipation of the strong possibility that the reign of President Bashar al-Assad may not hold much longer.

Israel, too, has beefed up its security as the chaos escalates in Syria. On Sunday, the IDF deployed Iron Dome anti-missile defense batteries at multiple locations throughout the north, and stepped up work on the new border fence in the area.

The new fence is embedded with highly technical surveillance systems designed to provide information with pinpoint accuracy about activities taking place within Syria’s inland region.

Chemical weapons are delivered in warheads on missiles fired either from surface-to-air launchers, or dropped on to targets by war planes.

The Iron Dome system is designed to intercept such missiles and neutralize them in mid-air. During Israel’s recent Operation Pillar of Defense counter terror offensive in Gaza, the system ensured that only 55 rockets out of the 1,500 fired at major cities in southern and central Israel actually landed in urban areas, a success rate of 85 percent.

It is essential to intercept a missile carrying a chemical weapons warhead as high in the air as possible, due to the fact that chemical weaponry loses its effectiveness the farther it is from the intended target. Sarin gas diffuses into the air and is neutralized at a relatively short distance. Mustard gas, which causes burns, likewise must be fired at a relatively limited range.

At least five sites are known to store lethal chemical weaponry in Syria, including a facility in the village of As-Safira, located just south of Aleppo, the country’s northern commercial hub.

Speaking from a hideout in an Arab nation outside the country several weeks ago, a Syrian source said that two senior Syrian officials transported 100 kilomgrams of chemicals used to create the deadly sarin nerve gas from a base 50 kilometers northeast of Damascus, to a site located closer to Lebanon.

At the time, the source said the Assad regime had developed special vehicles equipped to move and mix chemicals to create the weaponry. The defector who revealed the information told the source that two men with Lebanese accents had arrived at the secret base and were trained to mix the isopropanol and methylphosphonyl difluoride – the combination that produces sarin gas.

Syria is known to possess 500 tons of the two chemicals, but up to that point, had stored them in separate areas so as to avoid the danger of inadvertently creating the lethal combination.



Tags: Hizbullah ,Iron Dome ,WMD ,Chemical Weapons ,Syrian civil war, As-Safira

Did you guys get the news that the USA, Canada and Britain closed their embassies in Cairo due to the (deadly) protests there?

Here are a couple of the links

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/63415.aspx

http://allafrica.com/stories/201301280456.html

http://www.thewhig.com/2013/01/28/c...threats?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Except that the violence began after death sentences released, which we already know about, so won't post the links.

AR

For links see article source......
Posted for fair use.....
http://world.time.com/2013/01/29/revolt-of-the-egypts-canal-cities-an-ill-omen-for-morsi/

Egypt
Revolt of Egypt’s Canal Cities: An Ill Omen for Morsi
By Ashraf KhalilJan. 29, 20130

Memory is implacable in Egypt’s three major cities on the Suez Canal: Port Said in the north, Ismailia in the middle and Suez in the south. There is still vestigial rancor from British colonial days; and there is a hardened sense of honor and neglect from being at the front lines of the wars with Israel in the 1960s and ’70s. Those emotions have often turned inward, against Egypt itself and whoever rules from Cairo. The first martyrs in the January 2011 revolt against Hosni Mubarak were from the canal cities, and their blood fed a nationwide cry for vengeance. Now President Mohamed Morsi finds his greatest popular challenge not in the huge urban centers of Cairo or Alexandria but in the three troublesome cities.

It was no surprise that Egyptian police lost control of Port Said almost immediately after a Cairo court handed down death sentences on Jan. 26 to 21 residents from the canal city for their alleged role in a February 2012 soccer riot that killed 72 people. In the aftermath of the verdict, relatives of the condemned laid siege to the local prison and would have breached it if Morsi hadn’t called in the army. At least 30 people were killed in the mayhem — a toll that easily eclipsed the police action visited upon the more cogently political protests in Tahrir Square in Cairo. The bloodshed simply contributed to the local sense of outrage and marginalization. As one Port Said resident screamed to the cameras of al-Jazeera: “We bled for this country! We died for Egypt’s freedom! Why is our blood so cheap now?”

(PHOTOS: Cairo’s Latest Uprising, Two Years After Revolution)

The President imposed a 30-day state of emergency and nightly curfews in Port Said, Suez and Ismailia. The residents were unfazed; indeed they took to Morsi’s declaration of a 9 p.m. curfew with a rebellious gusto, making a point of scheduling their protest marches to start at 8:45 p.m.

For decades, the cities have been a tribe apart within of Egypt. The last British battalion left Egypt in 1956 but, way into the 1990s, citizens of Ismailia would mark an annual spring holiday by burning effigies — the older residents would sort of recall that burning man was supposed to be Lord Edmund Allenby, who led British forces in the Sinai in 1917 and 1918. The tradition persisted for so long that younger residents had no idea who “Limby” was and took to burning effigies of more modern enemies of Egypt, like Ariel Sharon.

Port Said is particularly known for a contrarian streak. In the 1990s — at the height of Mubarak’s dominance — the city continued to elect a string of opposition politicians to parliament. And when the country erupted on Jan. 25, 2011, against Mubarak, the martyrs of Suez contributed momentum and intensity to a struggle, providing impetus to Cairo-based revolutionaries who were struggling to establish control over Tahrir Square.

(MORE: Blood in Egypt’s Streets: Anger in Tahrir, Then Soccer Violence in Port Said)

This time around, however, the anger in Suez, Port Said and Ismailia is a kind of street-based, almost anarchic ferocity that cannot be easily contained by the political slogans of Tahrir Square. Unlike the events of January 2011, the current uprising is partly sports fanaticism, partly generalized anger at feeling maligned by courts that the locals feel favor the followers of the Cairo’s soccer team. Nevertheless, the convulsions are the greatest threat to date to Morsi’s seven-month-old administration. The longer the violence persists — and the more new martyrs are created — the greater the likelihood that the emotions of the canal cities will spiral and spread. Clashes have continued for days in Tahrir Square and parts of Alexandria, but these remain fairly static and contained situations without the mass turnouts that would tip Morsi’s administration into crisis. The longtime Muslim Brotherhood official calculated that he could afford to look like a dictator when he granted himself nearly autocratic powers in late November in order to ram through a highly divisive constitution. What he can’t afford to do is look weak or unable to keep the peace.

That need to look strong was evident in Morsi’s Jan. 27 evening address to the nation. Gesturing angrily and nearly shouting at several points, he came off like an angry patriarch whose patience with his unruly children was wearing thin. In announcing the state of emergency and curfew for the canal cities, he offered an undisguised threat: “I’m willing to do a lot more for the sake of Egypt!”

(PHOTOS: Egypt’s Revolution in Retrospect: TIME Goes to Tahrir Square)

Exactly what “a lot more” means remains an open question. As the crisis deepens, Morsi has come to rely more and more on Egypt’s armed forces. On Monday, Egypt’s shura council — the upper house of parliament that is serving as the entire legislative branch until elections scheduled for sometime this spring — passed an ominous resolution granting the military the right to arrest civilians around the country unconditionally. This potentially puts the Egyptian army back into a position of conflict with its civilians, with no real public indication of how the current military leadership feels about being thrust into this role. The army leadership’s refusal to attack civilians was the final straw that forced Mubarak from the stage two years ago.

For more than a year after that, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces ran the country and managed to alienate almost every significant political force in Egypt. When Morsi succeeded in outmaneuvering his military rivals and sending Defense Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi into retirement, it was taken as a welcome end to the era of direct military involvement in politics. Tantawi’s replacement, General Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, has kept a deliberately low profile since then.

Morsi is not Hosni Mubarak. He was elected, albeit by a slim margin, and his main political support — the Muslim Brotherhood — has had the ability to marshal enough votes in national referendums to continue to claim at least a shaky popular mandate. But soon Morsi may not have the luxury of appearing in firm civilian control without calling upon the military. The police have officially lost control of Port Said, and its residents and those of other canal cities seem determined to force further confrontations with Morsi’s government. And the harsher Morsi reacts, the more he will be compared to the President that came before him. That is a parallel he does not want.

MORE: Cairo’s Anxious Days: The Revolution’s Anniversary and a Soccer-Riot Verdict

For links see article source....
Posted for fair use.....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323375204578267861575140662.html

MIDDLE EAST NEWS
Updated January 28, 2013, 1:28 p.m. ET

Egypt Resorts to Emergency Law
Morsi Takes Risk in Imposing Hated Mubarak-Era Measure to Calm Three Cities After Deadly Riots

Article
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By MATT BRADLEY And MUHAMMAD MANSOUR

The Egyptian government called a state of emergency in three provinces after 40 people died in three days of political violence. WSJ's Matt Bradley points out that the protesters are difficult to control as they don't come under the opposition umbrella.Photo: Getty Images

CAIRO—Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi imposed emergency law and set a curfew in three cities where rioting against his rule killed about 50 people over the weekend, in a move that seemed poised to further inflame violent opposition to his rule.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi imposed emergency law and set a curfew in three cities where rioting against his rule killed about 50 people over the weekend, in a move that seemed poised to further inflame violent opposition to his rule. Matt Bradley reports on The News Hub. Photo: Getty Images.

In a stern address to the nation Sunday evening, Mr. Morsi said he would impose the measures on the cities of Suez, Port Said and Ismailia for 30 days effective on Monday. He also called for talks Monday with the political opposition, which had urged more demonstrations.

Mr. Morsi's gambit was risky. Opposition to the emergency law was a central cause of the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago, spurring a democratic shift that led to Mr. Morsi's presidential victory in June.

The much-reviled law hands broad powers to the police to investigate, arrest and detain suspects indefinitely without charge. Mr. Mubarak maintained the law during his 30-year rule to imprison political opponents, particularly Islamists from the powerful Muslim Brotherhood organization that Mr. Morsi helped lead for much of his adult life.
A Wave of Protests in Egypt

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Asmaa Waguih/Reuters

The emergency law, which expired in May, will empower police to disperse protesters, ban demonstrations and block off certain areas, said Heba Morayef, a researcher for the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch. "This heavy-handed policing, which was a hallmark of Mubarak's police force, will just inflame opposition," Ms. Morayef said.

Even as the law outraged Mr. Morsi's opponents, it is likely to reassure many Egyptians who were terrified by some of the most violent street-level clashes since the revolution.

On Sunday, at least seven people were killed and more than 400 people were injured in Port Said after unknown assailants attacked a mass funeral for some of the 31 people who were killed during riots that engulfed the northern coastal city a day earlier. People who attended the funeral described a chaotic scramble for safety after mourners dropped their caskets to flee seemingly random gunfire.

Saturday's violence flared after a court in Cairo sentenced 21 Port Said residents to death for their role in the alleged murders of 74 soccer fans at a postmatch melee in February 2012.

In response, armed and outraged Port Said residents invaded a prison complex that housed the convicts, eventually freeing some of the captives inside. Some of the prisoners remain at large, reported Egypt's official state news agency.

A day earlier, on Friday, at least 11 people were killed in the city of Suez after protests to mark the second anniversary of Egypt's revolution turned into pitched battles between police and protesters in cities across the country.

Mr. Morsi coupled the announcement of expanded police powers with an invitation for opposition political forces to join a dialogue on Monday to resolve the country's latest crisis.

The predominantly secular and liberal opposition has in the past declined Mr. Morsi's dialogue offers, saying he must first meet some of its demands. The rioting and renewed emergency law appeared unlikely to change opposition leaders' minds.

The abrupt surge in street-level violence, which also occurred in Cairo on Sunday, has empowered Egypt's fractured political opposition, uniting them to capitalize on the crisis.

As Port Said surged with outrage over the death penalty verdicts on Saturday morning, the National Salvation Front, an umbrella group opposed to Egypt's Islamist government, released a statement threatening to boycott parliamentary elections unless Mr. Morsi agreed to amend the Islamist-friendly constitution, move up presidential elections and pass power to a "national salvation government."

But the opposition may have overestimated its power. The protest movement that ousted Mr. Mubarak has morphed into a mass expression of public rage, accountable to no one and without clear political goals or obvious negotiators.

Mr. Morsi, in his address Sunday, responded to the unchecked violence, took on the same scolding and harsh tone that outraged millions of Egyptians during Mr. Mubarak's final days. Twice during his speech, the president told his audience that he would impose even harsher police measures if he deemed it necessary. At several points, Mr. Morsi even waved his finger at the television camera, as if to admonish viewers for their naughtiness.

"I saw the speech and I saw [Morsi's] finger," said Adel Shehata, 54, a teacher in Port Said whose son, Mohamed, was among the 21 people sentenced to death. "The speech is the biggest evidence that he gave a thumb-up for the police to kill more. We will not be imprisoned in our homes for 30 days."

At the same time, the president sought to reassure Egyptians that his move wouldn't plunge the country back into autocracy. "There is no going back on freedom, democracy and the supremacy of the law," he said.

Sunday's announcement is the latest in a series of escalations of Mr. Morsi's political authority.

Mr. Morsi sparked massive riots in Cairo in November after he announced a presidential decree that sidelined Egypt's judiciary, letting his Islamist allies ratify an Islamic-tinged constitution. The move struck many secularists as a throwback to the strong-armed political tactics of Egypt's ousted regime. For many protest leaders and activists, Sunday's speech sounded like a case of history repeating.

"I'm afraid to say that it's the first time that I have the feeling that Mubarak was far better than this guy," said Shadi Al Ghazali Harb, an activist who helped lead the protests that ousted Mr. Mubarak.

Mr. Ghazali Harb, like many youth activists, supported Mr. Morsi's second-round presidential bid last August against a former Mubarak loyalist. After Sunday's speech, Mr. Harb said he now plans to reignite the dormant protest movement against Mr. Morsi.

"This guy, I can never describe him as our president," said Mr. Harb. "We will fight until our last drop of blood until he goes. He lost all legitimacy."

Write to Matt Bradley at matt.bradley@dowjones.com

For links see article source....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2013/jan/29/egypt-protests-defy-curfew-live


Egypt: protesters defy Morsi's curfew - live updates

• At least two killed in overnight clashes in Port Said
• Amnesty urges authorities to curb excessive use of force
• UN appeals for cash for Syria's growing humanitarian crisis

Matthew Weaver
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 January 2013 03.52 EST
Comments

10.02am GMT
Syrian refugees

The number of Syrian refugees has topped 700,000, according to new UN figures, as the continuing violence prompts an exodus of more than 100,000 people per month.

According to UNHCR figures posted overnight the number of refugees stood at 708,477 as of 28 January. The figures confirm the escalating rate of those fleeing the conflict - the number of refugees broke through the half a million mark as recently as the start of December.

Sybella Wilkes, spokeswoman for the UNHCR, told Reuters:

We have seen an unrelenting flow of refugees across all borders. We are running double shifts to register people ... We are trying to clear a backlog of people because the numbers have gone up so dramatically (in Jordan and Lebanon) The needs are enormous, we can't get to everyone fast enough.

This is the latest a breakdown of the number of Syrian refugees by country:

• Jordan: 171,033 refugees, 51,729 awaiting registration

• Turkey: 163,161 refugees

• Lebanon: 158,973 refugees, 69,963 awaiting registration

• Iraq: 77,415 refugees

• Egypt: 14,375 refugees

• North Africa: 5,417 refugees
Syrian refugees look at remains of a burnt tent at Zaatari Syrian refugees camp, in Mafraq, near the Syrian border, Jordan, on Monday. A refugee tent caught on fire, and the family who lives in it was evacuated by the refugees. Syrian refugees look at remains of a burnt tent at Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan, on Monday. A refugee tent caught fire, and the family who lived in it was evacuated. Photograph: Mohammad Hannon/AP

Updated at 10.55am GMT

9.20am GMT
Syria's humanitarian crisis

Aid agencies have struggled to help Syrians because control of some areas changes frequently and humanitarian workers have been kidnapped and killed, according to the UN's humanitarian chief Valerie Amos.

Speaking after she returned from a rare visit to Syria, she said: "We are doing all we can to make sure that our assistance inside the country reaches those in need, but it's very difficult given the insecurity and the volatility of the security situation."

Updated at 10.56am GMT

8.51am GMT
Summary

Welcome to Middle East Live.

Here's a round-up of the latest developments:
Egypt

• Protesters defied a night-time curfew in towns along the Suez Canal, attacking police stations and ignoring the emergency rule imposed by the president, Mohamed Morsi. At least two men died in overnight fighting in the canal city of Port Said in the latest outbreak of violence unleashed last week on the eve of the anniversary of the 2011 revolt that brought down Hosni Mubarak. Huge crowds of protesters took to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria and in the three Suez Canal cities - Port Said, Ismailiya and Suez - where Morsi imposed emergency rule and a curfew on Sunday.

• Amnesty International has urged the Egyptian authorities to curb the use of unnecessary violence after documenting evidence of the excessive use of force in Suez. "The recourse to violence by some protesters does not give a blank cheque to the police to shoot and beat protesters," said Amnesty's Middle East deputy director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

• Hopes for a swift end to Egypt's impasse faded on Monday as opposition leaders rebuffed a call by Morsi for a "national dialogue" amid violence that cast a long shadow over the second anniversary of the revolution that overthrew Mubarak, writes Ian Black:

Extreme polarisation is the hallmark of a transition whose outcome remains unclear. Police firing tear gas to disperse demonstrators on Cairo's Qasr al-Nil bridge on Monday was a case of deja vu – exactly two years to the day since the coercive power of the Egyptian state first seemed to have been lost when the headquarters of Mubarak's ruling National Democratic party was burned down.

Syria

• The al-Qaida-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra are now more evident in Syria than at any time in war, writes Martin Chulov in Jebel al-Krud - an area of north-west Syria known, until now, for its sectarian coexistence. He was told the group will kill any Alawite they capture:

Rebel leader Abu Ghaith said: "They do whatever they want with the Alawites."

Resentment of the minority Alawite sect, to which Bashar al-Assad belongs and from which he draws his power, is close to universal among rebels in the area. However, while non-jihadists dislike the Alawites because of their links to the regime, al-Nusra's distaste centres on their beliefs.

"They see them as Shia, as heretics," said a rebel fighter who called himself Abu Hamza, standing near a roadside butcher. "I am from here, and I have never got to know them. They have always kept to themselves. They are very insular."

• The United Nations warned that it will not be able to help millions of Syrians without more money ahead of Wednesday's aid conference in Kuwait. It says it needs to meet its $1.5bn (£956.4m) to help 4 million Syrians who need food, shelter and other aid inside the country and nearly 700,000 who fled to neighbouring countries. But it has raised just 3% of that so far. "The needs are more acute as the coping mechanisms continue to collapse,” said John Ging, head of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

• Britain will urge Europe to reform the arms embargo on Syria so it can start sending more non-lethal military equipment to the opposition, according to the Times. That equipment would include radar to allow the rebels to spot approaching aircraft, technology enabling them to eavesdrop on the regime, night-vision goggles, body armour and helmets, the paper says.

• A wave of 21,000 Syrian refugees in the past week, moving into northern Jordan at about five times the usual daily rate, has overwhelmed this crowded camp that is already struggling with flooding, short supplies and tent fires, according to AP.

As newly arrived refugees unpacked on Monday, one family's tent went up in flames after kerosene spewed onto a nearby heater. Black smoke poured into the sky. The family's meager possessions were incinerated. In a sign of frustration, some refugees pelted a fire truck with stones, cracking its windshield, saying the firefighters were slow to respond.

"Almost every day, one or two tents catch fire," said 22-year-old Abu Anis, who like most refugees interviewed at the camp asked to be identified by his nickname because they feared retaliation against relatives still living in Syria. "Thank God, other people haven't been hurt because the tents are so close together."

Libya

• The British embassy in the Libyan capital said it was aware of reports of a potential threat against it, days after London urged British nationals to leave the eastern city of Benghazi due to a "specific and imminent threat" against westerners. "We are aware of reports of a potential threat against the British embassy in Tripoli and we are liaising closely with the Libyan government," an embassy spokeswoman said.

Updated at 10.59am GMT

For links see article source....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...rmy-chief-warns-of-collapse-of-state/1873459/

Egypt army chief: 'collapse of state' a real threat
4:24a.m. EST January 29, 2013
egypt

(Photo: Khalil Hamra, AP)
Story Highlights

Political crisis has been roiling Egypt for nearly a week
60 people have been killed in the unrest that began last Thursday
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is Egypt's defense minister

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's army chief has warned of "the collapse of the state" if the political crisis roiling the nation for nearly a week continues.

The warning by Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, also the defense minister, comes as the country sinks deeper into chaos and lawlessness. Attempts by the Islamist president to stem a wave of political violence appear to have made no headway.

Some 60 people have been killed in the unrest that began last Thursday.

El-Sissi's warning came in an address to military academy cadets on Tuesday. His comments were posted on the armed forces' official Facebook page.

"The continuation of the conflict between the different political forces and their differences over how the country should be run could lead to the collapse of the state and threaten future generations," he said.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

For links see article source....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/dang...election-stability-is-a-fake.premium-1.499989

Danger ahead: Jordan's post-election stability is a fake
Last week's elections produced no surprises, but the apparent calm hides the fact that Jordan is in crisis. As the regional situation deteriorates, Jordan could come under more serious strain –with drastic implications for Israel and Palestine.
By Riad al Khouri | Jan.29, 2013 | 10:55 AM

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Last week's elections produced no surprises, but the apparent calm hides the fact that Jordan is in crisis. As the regional situation deteriorates, Jordan could come under more serious strain –with drastic implications for Israel and Palestine.

Unlike the Israeli polling that took place one day before, Jordan's parliamentary election last Wednesday produced no surprises. This was hardly unprecedented, as Jordanian Lower House elections since 1993 have been anything but surprising. Yet how could such continuity still be possible in a region swept by drastic change?

The Arab Spring is having a contrarian impact on many Jordanians, tending to make them more conservative, afraid of what political convulsions might bring to Amman. As violence soars in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region, Jordanian conservatives were generally pleased that the country managed to hold quiet elections for the kingdom's 17th Lower House of Parliament. Most of the winning candidates being non-ideological and representing clans, the result is a more or less apolitical legislature that does not impede the serious business of ruling the country. While the country was supposedly seeking a fresh approach to empower Parliament, the new House of Representatives will largely look like its predecessors, including a majority of individuals with few serious ties to political groups.

Not that the whole exercise was necessarily phony. The poll was more or less free and transparent, with most people voting without coercion. The few minor post-election riots that did take place were contained via tribal mediation, and the capital by the weekend right after the voting was miraculously cleared of campaign posters, banners and other election paraphernalia that reportedly came out to 4,100 tons of garbage.

Cynics, of course, might say that it was all garbage from the beginning, largely due to blatant gerrymandering of the mostly multi-member constituencies. In these, voters got to elect one person only, resulting in the success of candidates with the larger clan following. The inevitable result was thus a heavy bias in favor of tribal non-ideologues who could be counted on to continue playing the traditional political game.

To help overcome this systemic bias of previous parliaments, a vote for a National List was added for the first time so that voters could also cast ballots for one group of up to 27 individuals supposedly representing some kind of party line. In fact, many of these lists were simply the clients of the traditionalists who headed the groupings. In any case, these 27 seats ended up being filled by candidates from a score of lists, thus contributing to the fragmentation that will leave the new House of Representatives more amenable to the executive branch (the Senate, the other house of Jordan's parliament, is appointed by the king, so there will also not be much opposition there).

Nevertheless, even the more cynical observers couldn't fail to note the election of a record 18 women, about an eighth of the 150-seat Lower House's members. Fifteen of these won through the women’s quota already built into the election law in previous polls (the quota in the last election was 12). In addition, two women won by direct competition in the 108 constituency seats, and one other will enter the new House via a National List.

Compared with the deeply flawed 2007 and 2010 elections, on balance the overall electoral exercise this year was positive. That was attested to by most of the over 7,400 local and international election observers who monitored the poll. As foreseen in the government's plans, Jordan is boring local and other audiences with promises of stability, and not titillating them with hints of major change. Yet, the current Jordanian crisis – like that of the other countries of the region - is existential, so this tinkering with the system will eventually not work.

As the regional situation deteriorates, Jordan could come under more serious strain; in that case a business-as-usual attitude as exemplified in this month's electoral process won't be enough. The implications for Israel and Palestine (as well as for the rest of the region) of an upheaval in Amman would be drastic, so the current fake stability in Jordan should be a source of worry.

Riad al Khouri, a Jordanian economist who lives and works in the region, is principal of DEA Inc, Washington DC

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Posted for fair use....
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/us-egypt-anniversary-idUSBRE90N1E620130129

Army says political tussle taking Egypt to brink
By Edmund Blair and Tom Perry
Comments 5
CAIRO, Egypt | Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:34am EST

(Reuters) - Egypt's army chief said political strife was pushing the state to the brink of collapse - a stark warning from the institution that ran the country until last year, as Cairo's first elected leader struggles to contain bloody street violence.

General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, appointed by President Mohamed Mursi last year to head the military, added in a statement on Tuesday that one of the primary goals of deploying troops in cities on the Suez Canal was to protect the waterway that is vital for Egypt's economy and world trade.

Sisi's comments, published on an official army Facebook page, followed 52 deaths in the past week of disorder and highlighted the mounting sense of crisis facing Egypt and its Islamist head of state who is struggling to fix a teetering economy and needs to prepare Egypt for a parliamentary election in a few months that is meant to cement the new democracy.

The comments are unlikely to mean the army wants to take back the power it held, in effect, for six decades since the end of the colonial period and in the interim period after the overthrow of former general Hosni Mubarak two years ago.

But it sends a powerful message that the Egypt's biggest institution, with a huge economic as well as security role and a recipient of massive direct U.S. subsidies, is worried about the fate of the nation after five days of turmoil in major cities.

"The continuation of the struggle of the different political forces ... over the management of state affairs could lead to the collapse of the state," said General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is also defense minister in the government Mursi appointed.

He said the economic, political and social challenges facing the country represented "a real threat to the security of Egypt and the cohesiveness of the Egyptian state" and the army would remain "the solid and cohesive block" on which the state rests.

Sisi was appointed by Mursi after the army handed over power to the new president in June. Mursi sacked Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who had been in charge of Egypt during the transition and who had also been Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years.

Political opponents spurned a call by Mursi for talks on Monday to try to end the violence. Instead, huge crowds of protesters took to the streets in Cairo and Alexandria, and in the three Suez Canal cities - Port Said, Ismailia and Suez - where Mursi on Sunday imposed emergency rule and a curfew.

"DOWN, DOWN MURSI"

Residents in the three canal cities demonstrated overnight in defiance of the curfew. At least two men died in fighting in Port Said, raising to at least 42 people who have now been killed there, most of them by gunshot wounds.

Protests first flared to mark the second anniversary of the uprising that erupted on January 25, 2011 and toppled Mubarak 18 days later. They have been exacerbated by riots in Port Said by residents enraged by a court ruling sentencing several people from the city to death over deadly soccer violence last year.

"Down, down with Mohamed Mursi! Down, down with the state of emergency!" crowds shouted in Ismailia. In Cairo, flames lit up the night sky as protesters set vehicles ablaze.

The demonstrators accuse Mursi of betraying the two-year-old revolution. Mursi and his supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood accuse the protesters of seeking to overthrow Egypt's first ever democratically elected leader by undemocratic means.

Debris from days of unrest was strewn on the streets around Cairo's Tahrir Square, cauldron of the anti-Mubarak uprising.

Youths clambered over a burned-out police van. But unlike on previous mornings in the past few days, there was no early sign of renewed clashes with police.

Since the 2011 revolt, Islamists who Mubarak spent his 30-year rule suppressing have won two referendums, two parliamentary elections and a presidential vote.

But that legitimacy has been challenged by an opposition that accuses Mursi of imposing a new form of authoritarianism, and punctuated by repeated waves of unrest that have prevented a return to stability in the most populous Arab state.

U.S. UNEASE

The army has already been deployed in Port Said and Suez and the government agreed a measure to let soldiers arrest civilians as part of the state of emergency.

The instability has provoked unease in Western capitals, where officials worry about the direction of a powerful regional player that has a peace deal with Israel. The United States condemned the bloodshed and called on Egyptian leaders to make clear violence is not acceptable.

Mursi's invitation to rivals to hold a national dialogue with Islamists on Monday was spurned by the main opposition National Salvation Front coalition, which described it as "cosmetic".

The only liberal politician who attended, Ayman Nour, told Egypt's al-Hayat channel after the meeting ended late on Monday that attendees agreed to meet again in a week.

He said Mursi had promised to look at changes to the constitution requested by the opposition but did not consider the opposition's request for a government of national unity. Mursi's pushing through last month of a new constitution which critics see as too Islamic remains a bone of contention.

The president announced the emergency measures on television on Sunday. "The protection of the nation is the responsibility of everyone. We will confront any threat to its security with force and firmness within the remit of the law," Mursi said.

His demeanor infuriated his opponents, not least when he wagged a finger, imperiously, at the camera.

Some activists said Mursi's measures to try to impose control on the turbulent streets could backfire.

"Martial law, state of emergency and army arrests of civilians are not a solution to the crisis," said Ahmed Maher of the April 6 movement that helped galvanize the 2011 uprising. "All this will do is further provoke the youth. The solution has to be a political one that addresses the roots of the problem."

(Additional reporting by Yasmine Saleh and Omar Fahmy in Cairo, Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia and Abdelrahman Youssef in Alexandria; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)


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Malian War Spreading into Niger
Started by NC Susan‎, Today 12:18 AM
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?422052-Malian-War-Spreading-into-Niger

___

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Posted for fair use....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ali-as-general-warns-of-guerilla-warfare.html

UK troops to be sent to Mali as general warns of guerilla warfare
Hundreds of British troops could be deployed to Mali under plans being considered by ministers, as the former head of the Army warns forces face "protracted guerilla warfare" against rebels.

By Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent
10:28AM GMT 29 Jan 2013
Comments 28

It is believed that more than 200 troops could be sent to assist France in its conflict with Al Qaeda militants in the North African country.

All the troops will perform non-combat roles and it is understood that an EU training mission is likely to see "tens" of troops sent in a "support" role.

David Cameron told French President Francois Hollande at the weekend that Britain is "keen" to help Paris with its military operation to oust Islamist militants in northern Mali.

The Prime Minister has said the UK is ready to offer logistical, intelligence and surveillance help to France but has ruled out a combat role for British personnel.

The RAF has already provided two heavy-lift C-17 transport planes and a Sentinel surveillance aircraft to assist France's operation.

Related Articles

French troops encircle Timbuktu as fleeing Islamists burn scrolls
28 Jan 2013

Mali: French troops march unopposed into Timbuktu
28 Jan 2013

British troops to join Mali conflict
29 Jan 2013

Downing Street said that “discussions are ongoing” about how many troops to send to Africa.

“Discussions are ongoing with international partners about the possible training of Malian and African forces through an EU training mission and a wider African Union-led mission,” a spokesman said.

“We are considering how many UK military trainers would deploy alongside our European partners and there are a number of meetings happening today.”

It is thought the soldiers could be deployed in the coming weeks.

Downing Street has insisted that any troops sent to Mali will not serve on the front line.

Former head of the Army General Sir Mike Jackson has backed the Government's position but warned that nations involved may face a "protracted guerrilla warfare".

"It doesn't really surprise me that the British Government feels it needs to be seen to be helping," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"We cannot let states fail because we know from recent history that failed states just lead to really difficult circumstances, instability."

He added: "What Mali and France, and indeed other countries who may choose to assist may face, of course, is a protracted guerrilla warfare taking place away from the conurbations."

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, has said that Western intervention in Mali should follow the model of the recent successful action in Somalia.

"Think of the progress which we have made in Somalia in the last year – not by deploying Western armies, but by ensuring there is legitimate government, by funding and winning UN approval for African forces to do military work on the ground," he said.

Washington has warned that the conflict could take years to win, fuelling fears that the UK could become involved in the intervention for longer than currently expected.


Mali

News »
World News »
Africa and Indian Ocean »
Politics »
Peter Dominiczak »

In Mali
Mali Islamists seize garrison town
Mali crisis: timeline
Will Wintercross photographs French troops patrol the formerly Islamist held town of Diabal, Mali where a french air strikes killed Islamist militia who were holding the town
On the frontline in Mali
French Mirage 2000 D aircraft fly over Mali after taking off from the French military base of N'Djamena in Chad
Mali crisis in pictures
British military personnel could be sent to Mali to support its forces in their battle with Islamists linked to al-Qaeda.
France sends more troops to Mali as UN backs intervention
Mali: al-Qaeda have numerous options for retaliation
Mali: al-Qaeda have numerous options for retaliation

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http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-01-29/syrian-troops-battle-rebels-in-oil-rich-east

Syrian troops battle rebels in oil-rich east
Posted on January 29, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Activists say Syrian troops are fighting rebels over a government intelligence complex and a major prison where opposition figures are reportedly being held in the oil-rich east of the country.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Tuesday's clashes are taking place in the city of Deir el-Zour, along the border with Iraq.

The Observatory says the rebels now control most of the government complex, including the prison, from which they have freed at least 11 opposition figures.

It isn't clear if the freed people are fighters or activists.

Deir el-Zour has been the scene of heavy fighting during nearly two years of conflict.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders said last month the city is being shelled and bombed by government forces almost daily.

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http://www.therecord.com/opinion/co...sh-but-could-china-and-japan-stumble-into-war

Gwynne Dyer
Tue Jan 29 2013 00:01:00
0 Recommend

It’s foolish, but could China and Japan stumble into war?

Chinese survey vessels go into the waters around the disputed islands and Japanese patrol ships tail them much too closely. Twice last month Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft flew into the airspace around the Japanese-controlled islands and Tokyo scrambled F-15 fighters to meet them. On the second occasion, China then sent fighters too. Can these people be serious?

The rocky, uninhabited group of islets in the East China Sea, called the Senkaku Islands by Japan and the Diaoyu Islands by China, are worthless in themselves, and even the ocean and seabed resources around them could not justify a war. Yet both sides sound quite serious, and the media rhetoric about it in China has become downright bellicose.

Historical analogies are never exact, but they can sometimes be quite useful. What would be a good analogy for the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute? The dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the islands that the British call the Falklands and the Argentines call las Malvinas fits the case pretty well.

Worthless islands? Check, unless you think land for grazing sheep is worth a war. Rich fishing grounds? Check. Potential oil and gas resources under the seabed? Tick. Rival historical claims going back to the 19th century or “ancient times”? Check. A truly foolish war that killed lots of people? Yes, in the case of the Falklands/Malvinas, but not in the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Not yet.

One other difference: The Falkland Islands have been inhabited by some thousands of English-speaking people of British descent for almost two centuries. Argentina’s claim relates to a short-lived colony in 1830-33 (which was preceded by somewhat longer-lived French and British colonies in the 1700s). Whereas nobody has ever lived on the Senkakus/Diaoyus.

Curiously, this does not simplify the quarrel. Neither China nor Japan has a particularly persuasive historical claim to the islands, and with no resident population they are wide open to a sudden, non-violent occupation by either country. That could trigger a real military confrontation between China and Japan, and drag in Japan’s ally, the United States.

It was to avert exactly that sort of stunt that the Japanese government bought three of the islands last September. The ultra-nationalist governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, announced that he would use public money to buy the islands from their private Japanese owner, and the Foreign Ministry suspected that he would then land people there to assert Japanese sovereignty more vigorously.

The Chinese would probably respond in kind, and then the fat would be in the fire. But the Japanese government’s thwarting of Ishihara’s plans did not mollify the Chinese. The commercial change of ownership did not strengthen or weaken either country’s claim of sovereignty, but Beijing saw it as a nefarious Japanese plot, and so the confrontation began to grow.

It has got to the point where Japanese business interests in China have been seriously damaged by boycotts and violent protests, and Japan’s defence budget, after 10 years of decline, is to go up a bit this year. (China’s defence budget rises every year.) It’s foolish, but it’s getting beyond a joke.

Meanwhile, down in the South China Sea, a very similar confrontation has been simmering for years between China, which claims almost the entire sea for itself, and the five other countries (Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan) that maintain overlapping claims over various parts of the sea.

Military manoeuvres are taking place, non-negotiable declarations of sovereignty are being made, and navies are being beefed up. Once again there are fishing rights at stake in the waters under dispute, and oil and gas reserves are believed to exist underneath them. The United States, because of its military alliance with the Philippines, is also potentially involved in any conflict in this region.

All this nonsense over fish and petrochemical resources that would probably not yield one-tenth of the wealth that would be expended in even a small local war. Moreover, the oil and gas resources, however big they may be, will remain unexploited so long as the seabed boundaries are in doubt. So the obvious thing to do is to divide the disputed territory evenly between the interested parties, and exploit the resources jointly.

This is what the Russians and the Norwegians did three years ago, after a decades-long dispute over the seabed between them in the Barents Sea that led to speculations about a war in the Arctic.

The Japanese and the Chinese could obviously do the same thing: no face lost, and everybody makes a profit. A similar deal between the countries around the South China Sea would be more complicated to negotiate, but would yield even bigger returns. So why don’t they just do it?

Maybe because there are islands involved. Nobody has ever gone to war over a slice of seabed, but actual islands, sticking up out of the water, fall into the category of “sacred national territory, handed down from our forefathers,” over which large quantities of blood can and must be shed.

China will not just invade the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, because it is not run by a drunken and murderous military dictator (as Argentina was when it invaded the Falklands in 1982). But could everybody stumble into a war over this stupid confrontation? Yes, they could.

Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist.

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Posted for fair use....
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/OA30Ak01.html

Middle East
Jan 30, 2013
Security firms eye African 'terror' bonanza
By Ramzy Baroud

The hostage crisis at Algeria's In Amenas gas plant revives perceptions of al-Qaeda as well-prepared militants, while French intervention in the Malian conflict that spawned the attack raises the prospect of a post-war power vacuum. The time of Blackwater-style armed contractors may be over, but Libya's experience underlines that Western security groups are poised to cash in.

Although recognized as the world's biggest security firm, the image of Britain's G4S plummeted during the London Olympics last year as it failed to meet the government's labor demands. Through growing unrest in North and West Africa, G4S is eyeing a speedy route to recovery.

The January 16 hostage crisis at Algeria's In Amenas gas plant, where 38 hostages were killed, ushered in the return of international perceptions of al-Qaeda not as extremists on the run, but as well-prepared militants with the ability to strike deeply into enemy territories and cause serious damage.

For G4S and other security firms, this translates into growing demand.

"The British group ... is seeing a rise in work ranging from electronic surveillance to protecting travelers," the company's regional president for Africa told Reuters. "Demand has been very high across Africa," Andy Baker said. "The nature of our business is such that in high-risk environments the need for our services increases."

If Algeria's deadly encounter with al-Qaeda was enough to add the North African country to private security companies' emerging African market, Libya must be a security firm's paradise.

Following the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) toppling of the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his brutal assassination in Sirte on October 20, 2011, numerous militias sprung up throughout Libya, some armed with heavy weapons, courtesy of Western countries.

Initially, such disturbing scenes of armed militias setting up checkpoints at every corner were dismissed as an inevitable post-revolution reality. However, when Westerners became targets themselves, "security" in Libya finally became high on the agenda.

Many private security firms already operate in Libya; some were even present in the country before the former Libyan government was officially overthrown.

Some of these firms were virtually unknown before the war, including a small private British firm, Blue Mountain Group. The latter was responsible for guarding the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi which was torched on September 11 last year. It later emerged that the attack on the embassy was preplanned and well-coordinated, resulting in the death of four Americans, including ambassador J Christopher Stevens.

It remains unclear why the State Department opted to hire Blue Mountain Group, as opposed to a larger security firm as is usually the case with other Western embassies and large companies, which sometimes vie to reconstruct the very country that their governments conspired to destroy.

The lucrative business of destroying, rebuilding and securing has been witnessed in other wars and conflicts spurred on by Western interventions. Private security firms are the middlemen that keep local irritants from getting in the way of post-war "diplomacy" and the work of business giants.

When a country eventually collapses under the pressure of bunker busters and other advanced weapons, security firms move in to secure the realm at the same time as Western diplomats are bargaining with emerging local elites over the future of the country's wealth.

In Libya, those who contributed the biggest guns were the ones that received the largest contracts. Of course, while the destroyed country is being robbed blind, it is the local population that suffers the consequences of having foreigners with guns watch their neighborhoods in the name of security.

It must be said that the new Libyan government has specifically rejected Blackwater-style armed contractors - as in having boots on the ground - fearing provocations similar to those that occurred in Baghdad's Nisour Square and similar killings throughout Afghanistan.

The aim in Libya is to allow smooth business transactions without occasional protests provoked by trigger-happy foreigners. But considering the deteriorating security in Libya, which has been created by the systematic destruction of the central government and its entire military apparatus, a solution to the security vacuum remains a major topic of discussion.

Private security firms are essentially mercenaries who offer services to spare Western governments without the political cost of incurring too many casualties. While they are often based in Western cities, many of their employees come from so-called Third World countries.

It's much safer this way - when Asian, African or Arab security personnel are wounded or killed on duty, the matter tends to register, if ever, as a mere news item, with little political consequence, Senate hearings or government enquiries.

Mali, a West African country that is suffering multiple crises - military coups, civil war, famine and finally an all-out French-led war - is the likely next victim or opportunity for the deadly trio: Western governments, large corporations and of course, private security firms.

Mali is the perfect ground for such opportunists, who will spare no effort in exploiting its massive economic potential and strategic location. For years, the west African country has fallen under Western political and military influence. The year 2012 represented a text-book scenario that ultimately and predictably led to the Western intervention that finally took place on January 11, when France launched a military operation supposedly aimed at ousting armed Islamic extremists.

Military operations will last "as long as necessary," declared French President Francois Hollande, echoing the same logic of the George W Bush administration when it first declared its "war on terror".

As inviting as the Malian setting may seem, it is equally intricate and unpredictable. No linear timeline can possibly unravel in simple terms the crisis at hand. All arrows point to large caches of weapons that made their way from Libya to Mali following the NATO war. A new balance of power took hold, empowering the ever-oppressed Tuareg and flooding the country with desert-hardened militants belonging to various Islamic groups.

Two symmetrical lines of upheavals developed at the same time in both the north and south parts of the country. On one hand, Tuareg's National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad declared independence in the north and was quickly joined by Ansar Dine, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa.

On the other hand, US-trained army captain Amadou Haya Sanogo made his move in the southern part of the country in March, overthrowing President Amadou Toumani Toure.

The Malian storyline developed so rapidly, giving the impression that there was no other option but imminent confrontation between the south and the north. France, Mali's old colonial master, was quick to wave the military card and worked diligently to enlist west African countries in its war efforts.

The plan was for the intervention to appear as if it's purely an African effort, with mere logistical support and political backing by their Western benefactors. Indeed, on December 21, the UN Security Council approved the sending in of an African-led force (of 3,000 soldiers) from the Economic Community of West African States to chase after northern militants in the vast Malian desert.

That war was scheduled for September 2013, however, to allow France to form a united Western front and to train fragmented Malian forces. However, the militants' capture of the town of Konna, close to the capital Bamako, has reportedly forced France's hand to intervene in Mali and without UN consent.

A war which was waged in the name of human rights and Mali's territorial integrity, has already sparked outcries from major human-rights organizations regarding crimes committed by foreign forces and their Malian army partners. However, what seems thus far as an easy French conquest has left other Western powers licking their chops over the potential of having access to Mali, which is unlikely to have a strong central government anytime soon.

On January 25, the African Press Agency's (APA's) page on Mali was filled with news items about eager Western involvement in solidarity with the French war buildup. It ranged from "Italy to send aircraft to help transport troops to Mali" to "Germany pledges aid to Africa for Mali intervention."

All calls for political dialogue, especially as ethnic strife is likely to devastate the country for years to come, seem to fall on deaf ears. Meanwhile, according to APA, the UK is offering help to Mali in finding a "political roadmap" aimed at securing the "political future of the West African country".

As France, the US and EU countries determine the future of Mali through military efforts and political roadmaps, the country itself is weakened and politically disfigured beyond any possibility of confronting outside designs. For G4S and other security firms, Mali now tops the list in Africa's emerging security market. Nigeria and Kenya follow closely, with possibilities emerging elsewhere.

From Libya to Mali, a typical story is forming of lucrative contracts and massive opportunities. When private security firms speak of an emerging market in Africa, one can safely assume that the continent is once more falling prey to growing military ambitions and unfair business conduct.

While G4S is polishing its tarnished brand, hundreds of thousands of African refugees (800,000 in Mali alone) will continue their endless journeys into unfamiliar borders and unforgiving deserts. Their security matters to no one, for private security firms offer no protection to penniless refugees.

Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is: My Father was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story (Pluto Press).

(Copyright 2013 Ramzy Baroud)

Related Article:

Mali: West Africa's gate to intervention
(Dec 18, '13)

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?422056-The-Arab-World-s-Useful-Idiots-The-Arab-Left

Applicability also for US politics as well.....

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Posted for fair use...
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=301156

The Region: The Arab Left
By BARRY RUBIN
01/27/2013 21:39
The Western Left has sided with the reactionaries because they hate their own countries’ systems more. This is a mistake and their compatriots will pay for it in blood.

A decent but leftist British Middle East expert once described for me his experience in Iran in 1979. As a leftist, prior to the revolution he had discounted any idea that Islamists might take over the country, dismissing them as insignificant. But then he supported the revolution against the “reactionary, pro-Western” shah.

He had many friends among Iranian leftists. Quickly, he went to Teheran and scheduled meetings at the leftist newspaper established after the revolution. The newspaper was named with the Persian word for dawn, recalling – intentionally or not – the words of another revolutionary romantic quoted above.

As he arrived, however, a cordon of revolutionary Islamist police held him back. The supporters of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini were busy closing down the newspaper, ransacking the office and dragging the journalists away to prison. The enthusiastic supporters of revolution, betrayed by their allies (Wordsworth’s “auxiliars,”) were discovering that it wasn’t their revolution at all. The “meager, stale, forbidding” laws and customs were coming back with a vengeance.

The Left may believe itself to be “strong in love” but the Islamists have got the guns, money, organization, and the willingness (even eagerness) to kill for power. This was not the first time such a thing had happened, and now with the “Arab Spring,” we know it wasn’t the last, either.

THE LEFTIST forces in the Arabic-speaking world are seen as relatively weak but can be disproportionately significant, especially in Egypt, Syria and Tunisia. While Arab liberals have often been implicitly secular-oriented, it has been the leftists, Marxists to some degree, who have been militantly outspoken.

In recent years, though, the Arab Left has also hitched its star to the far more powerful Islamists, reasoning that they, too, were against the regime and the West. “After Hitler, us,” over-optimistic German Communists proclaimed in 1932. In a sense they were right, since after the Third Reich’s fall the Soviets would make the survivors the puppet rulers of East Germany. But that’s not the scenario they had in mind.

Now Arab leftists are repeating that pattern. In Egypt, the Left provided a youthful, pseudo-democratic cover at the revolution’s beginning that fooled the Western governments, journalists, and “experts.” Now the Muslim Brotherhood doesn’t need them anymore.

Here’s a small example: The Egyptian leftist newspaper is al- Tahrir and its editor is Ibrahim Issa.

He is now being investigated by the government prosecutor on charges of ridiculing the Koran and Sharia law as well as mocking Islam. Soon, people are going to be shot by Salafist terrorists on the basis of such accusations. For now, they just face trials and possible jail time.

What is worth noting is that just about anyone – in this case, as usual, it was an Islamist lawyer – can urge that charges be made against people who say something that offends the Islamists.

I WAS fascinated by one of the statements that got Issa in trouble. It was a very typical leftist theme the equivalent of which is used about every five minutes in the United States, and of late almost daily by Obama administration officials. Issa sarcastically remarked that if someone steals a wallet Sharia mandates that their hand be cut off, but for stealing millions the punishment is far less harsh.

Issa certainly has guts. He was once sentenced to death under the Mubarak regime, and then pardoned by that dictator. But now there has been a supposed democratic revolution.

If the opposition cannot make such non-theological points, how can it criticize Sharia and Islamist rule at all? And while Issa may be defiant, most will be deterred from speaking out or acting by fear of punishment. A common mistake is to think that repression is aimed at silencing courageous critics. Not really. It purpose – usually successful – is to get a far larger number of bystanders to shut up.

There has been a major failure on the part of the Western Left. Can’t they imagine themselves living in such places and being punished for saying or doing all the things they take for granted? Once upon a time they would have shown solidarity with their murdered, imprisoned and repressed counterparts. They would have been outspoken about what’s going on, for instance, in Tunisia where the level of crackdown is gradually increasing and at least one leftist party leader has been murdered by Islamists. They would be jumping up and down to protest the withdrawal of women’s rights. And the Marxists would be throwing around the phrase “clerical fascists.”

Sure, they were long apologists for repression carried out by leftist regimes, but not for repression carried out against leftists. Now things have changed. The Western Left has sided with the reactionaries because they hate their own countries’ systems more. This is a mistake and their compatriots will pay for it in blood.

The author is the director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center. http://www.gloria-center.org

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...eign-Policy-Officials-Suddenly-Told-The-Truth

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Posted for fair use....
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/01/27/some_inconvenient_truths

What If Foreign Policy Officials Suddenly Told The Truth?
Some inconvenient truths
Posted By Stephen M. Walt Monday, January 28, 2013 - 11:32 AM Share

Here's a little fantasy for you to ponder: what if one of our senior foreign policy officials accidentally swallowed some sodium pentothal (aka "truth serum") before some public hearing or press conference, and started speaking the truth about one of those issues where prevarication, political correctness, and obfuscation normally prevail? You know: what if they started saying in public all those things that they probably believe in private? What sorts of "inconvenient truths" might suddenly get revealed?

In that spirit, here's my Top Five Truths You Won't Hear Any U.S. Official Admit.

#1: "We're never gonna get rid of our nuclear weapons." U.S. presidents have talked about disarmament since the beginning of the nuclear age. According to the 1967 Non-Proliferation Treaty, we're formally committed to "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control." It has even become fashionable for retired foreign policy experts like George Shultz, William Perry, Sam Nunn, and Henry Kissinger to call for eliminating nuclear weapons too (even though they would have strenuously opposed such actions while in office) and of course Barack Obama made some speeches about it early in his presidency. And now some folks are trying to make a big deal about Chuck Hagel's involvement with Global Zero, a respectable international campaign to get rid of nuclear weapons.

But let's get serious for a minute. Although the United States has reduced its nuclear stockpile sharply since the end of the Cold War, it still has thousands either on active deployment or in reserve. Nobody in power is seriously advocating getting rid of all of them anytime soon, and even modest reductions (such as those stipulated by the most recent arms control treaty with Russia) are politically controversial. U.S. leaders have to pay lip service to the goal of total disarmament, and a few of them might privately favor it, but they understand that these weapons are the ultimate deterrent and that the United States isn't going to give them all up until it is confident that there is no conceivable scenario in which it might want them. Which means: not in my lifetime, or yours.

#2: "We don't actually care that much about human rights." Presidents, diplomats, and other politicians talk about human rights all the time, and both Congress and the Executive Branch often bully small countries over their human rights performance, especially when we have other differences with them). But when human rights concerns conflict with other interests, our ethical concerns take a back seat nearly every time. Most Americans didn't care when the U.S.-led sanctions program against Iraq caused the deaths of several hundred thousand Iraqis (many of them children), and none of the senior officials who authorized torture during the Bush administration has faced indictment or even serious investigation (Just imagine how much we'd be howling if we suspected some foreign government had been waterboarding captive Americans!). The United States has plenty of allies whose human rights performance ranges from questionable to awful, and we continue to trade and invest in China despite its own lax human rights standards. I'm not suggesting that the U.S. government is totally indifferent to such concerns, of course; what I'm saying is that we are rarely willing to do very much or pay significant costs in order to advance human rights, unless our strategic interests run parallel. Like most countries, in short, we talk a better game on human rights than we actually deliver. But you're not going to hear many American politicians admit it.

#3: "There's not going to be a two-state solution." For official Washington insiders, the politically-correct answer to any question about the Israel-Palestine conflict is that we favor a two-state solution based on negotiations between the two parties, preferably done under U.S. auspices. Never mind that there's not much support for creating a viable Palestinian state in Israel (surveys in Israel sometimes show slim majorities in favor of a 2SS, but support drops sharply when you spell out the details of what a viable state would mean). Never mind that the Palestinians are too weak and divided to negotiate properly, and the failure of the long Oslo process has diminished Fatah's legitimacy and strengthened the more hardline Hamas. Never mind that the latest Israeli election, while it weakened Netanyahu, did not strengthen the peace camp at all. And never mind that the United States has had twenty-plus years to pull of the deal and has blown it every time, mostly because it never acted like a genuine mediator. But nobody in official-dom is going to say this out loud, because they have no idea what U.S. policy would be once the 2SS was kaput.

#4: "We like being #1, and we're going to stay there just as long as we can." Most U.S. leaders like to talk about global partnerships and the need to work with allies, and they try not to speak too glowingly about American dominance. But make no mistake: U.S. leaders have long recognized that being stronger than everyone else was desirable, and nobody ever runs for president vowing to "make America #2." That's why U.S. leaders have always been ambivalent about European unity: they want Europe to be sufficiently unified so that it doesn't become a source of trouble, but they don't want it to cohere into a super-state that might be powerful enough to stand up to Washington.

The problem, of course, is that openly proclaiming global primacy irritates other governments and makes them look for ways to keep Washington in check. That's why the first Bush administration had to disavow an early draft of the 1992 Defense Guidance; it was way too explicit in laying out these familiar aims. But dropping that draft didn't alter the ambition, and despite what you might think, neither Clinton, Bush Jr., or Obama has abandoned the basic goal of keeping the United States #1. Whether their policies advanced that goal is another question.

#5: "We do a lot of stupid things in foreign policy. Get used to it." Everyone knows that U.S. policy toward Cuba has been a failure since the early 1960s -- that's half a century, folks -- but it never changes because the stakes don't seem worth it and it would tick off a handful of influential people in Florida. Everyone knows the foreign policy side of the "war on drugs" has been no more successful than the anti-drug campaign here at home, but you didn't hear Kerry say that during his hearings last week and you won't hear Hagel (or anyone else) say that either. Everyone knows that most U.S. allies around the world have been free-riding for decades and taking advantage of our protection to pursue their own interests, but saying so out loud wouldn't be ... well, diplomatic. More and more insiders know that the Afghan war is a loser, but we're going to pretend it's a victory because that makes it getting out politically feasible. It's obvious that our basic approach to Iran's nuclear program has been misguided, and that we've spent the last two decades giving Iran more reasons to want a nuclear deterrent and digging ourselves into an deeper diplomatic hole. But don't expect officials to acknowledge that simple fact, and certainly not in public.

Like I said, this is just an idle fantasy. I don't really want to see what Kerry or Hagel or McDonough or Lew or others would be like on truth serum (though I sometimes wonder if somebody is slipping a smidge to Biden every now and then). But it is kinda fun to imagine what they might blurt out in an idle moment, especially if the normal inhibitions and constraints were removed. What would you expect them to say?

FOREIGN POLICY is published by the FP Group, a division of The Washington Post Company
All contents ©2013 The Foreign Policy Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

For links see article source....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/01/jordan-election-riots.html

Jordanian Political Crisis Deepens
As Riots Enter Third Day
[A riot policeman stands guard as protesters from opposition parties demonstrate against rising fuel prices, in Amman, Nov. 23, 2012. (photo by REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed)]

By: Tamer al-Samadi Translated from Al-Hayat (Pan Arab).

Jordan is witnessing its third day of riots protesting against the outcomes of the parliamentary elections, which showed a victory for tribal forces. These riots have deepened the political crisis that the country has been going through since January 2011. Scenes of violence killed one and injured three in the eastern tribal city of Mafraq, and eclipsed governmental and Western reports, which confirmed the integrity of the voting process. This comes at a time when Jordanian King Abdullah II is considering his options regarding the formation of a new government.

About This Article
Summary :
The political crisis gripping Jordan is deepening as the country witnesses its third day of post-election violence, writes Tamer al-Samadi.
Publisher: Al-Hayat (Pan Arab)
Original Title:
Jordan: Riot Stengthens the Crisis and Abdullah II considers the Options To Form a New Government
Author: Tamer al-Samadi
First Published: January 27, 2013
Posted on: January 28 2013
Translated by: Joelle El-Khoury
Categories : Jordan Security

Security sources told Al-Hayat that the Jordanian capital and other cities witnessed 31 different riots instead of peaceful protests from Friday night until yesterday afternoon [Jan. 26]. The sources said that some places witnessed shootings, roadblocks and the burning of public departments and institutions. Rioters attempted to reach the residence of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour in the city of Salt, west of Amman, before heading [Jan. 26] to the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) headquarters at around noon yesterday. The IEC headquarters are located at the heart of the capital, and were protected by large contingents of both the police and gendarmerie, along with military armored vehicles, in anticipation of being stormed.

In Mafraq (east of Amman), one man was killed and three more were injured, after being trampled in a fight between the supporters of two tribes, where firearms were used. This has prompted the authorities to deploy a large number of gendarmerie and guards at the city entrances and main streets, in anticipation of further violent clashes.

In Ma'an, south of Amman, riots killed one and injured two more Wednesday evening, a day after preliminary results were announced. The city is still experiencing widespread riots that have continued since the early hours of Thursday morning, when vehicles and public institutions were burned.

Protesters chanting slogans for the opposition

Remarkably, tribal protesters chanted slogans supporting the opposition forces and parties, in protest of the election results. These slogans were interpreted as a sort of political provocation against officials. The Muslim Brotherhood — the most prominent political force in the country — was absent from the entire scene, however, after it canceled the demonstration that the group had called for the day before yesterday [Jan. 25], with the aim of overthrowing the 17th parliament.

Vote-counting errors

While the majority of protests focused on the results for individual seats, the parties’ lists results overshadowed the electoral scene. While 819 candidates on 61 lists competed for 27 out of 150 seats, candidates from only 22 lists won.

Remarkably, the number of votes that the winning lists received ranged between 14,000 and 37,500 votes, up to 49,000 votes. This pushed the winning and losing candidates to question the results and accuse the authorities of increasing and decreasing the number of votes, an allegation which has been strongly denied by the IEC.

The scene became more complex, as the results showed a victory for the Citizenship list over the Democratic Renaissance list — which included five representatives from leftist and nationalist parties — by only 10 votes. This prompted the democratic renaissance list to accuse certain quarters of meddling against it. Surprisingly, the IEC agreed yesterday to a recount of votes in front of observers and representatives from the two lists. The recount showed that the leftist and nationalists list won a single seat, after final results had previously confirmed that this seat was won by the Citizenship list.

Such mistakes gave the losing candidates and their supporters additional excuses to continue to protest and demand a recount of the disputed ballot boxes. Moreover, others went as far as to demand new elections in their constituencies.

Consensual government

At the same time, Al-Hayat has learned that the Jordanian king has begun to consider options regarding the formation of a new government, after he announced in Davos, Switzerland, that in the near future Jordan “will see a new phase,” which consists of assigning the management of the country’s affairs to parliamentary governments. According to sources, the king discussed with his close associates the possibility of keeping Ensour at the head of the new government, based on new standards, in order to consult the majority in parliament. However, this option has hit a dead end, as they have decided that “keeping Ensour will not be encouraging when announcing a new phase of reform,” particularly when 40 former MPs are shown to be members of the new parliament. The King is looking at several scenarios regarding a new PM, who most importantly needs to be a consensual official who greatly contributes in ending the tension in the kingdom. Moreover, some close associates to decision-making circles have not ruled out the possibility that Abdul Ilah Khatib, head of the IEC, will be added to the list of candidates for the post.

This comes at a time when the U.S. State Department welcomed the reform process led by the king yesterday. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “We view these elections as an important step in the reform process initiated by King Abdullah II,” adding: “The international observers found that the voting process saw an improvement over past elections, but they also offered recommendations about continuing to improve Jordan’s electoral process going forward.”

Success and failure

Opposition and pro-government politicians believe that this time, the state has passed the integrity test in relation to managing the polling day, but failed the electoral law test. In fact, the law was protested by the opposition, and criticized by international observers who monitored the elections. The observers considered that the law “caused the public to return to tribalism and their sub-identities,” which was openly suggested by David Martin, head of the European Union's Election Observation Mission in Jordan, when he met a number of journalists.

Tribal protests in the kingdom seem expected, according to some officials to whom Al-Hayat spoke. Close associates to decision-making circles said that the state “could find itself forced to please some tribes irritated by the results by granting them seats in the new government or senate,” whose members are directly appointed by the king and considered the lower house of parliament.

While protests seem to be gradually dissipating, some believe that the recent violence “will leave additional scars” in the country’s political scene. The Jordanian election law, which largely consists of the one-vote system, has sparked a great deal of controversy. The opposition forces feel that it does not ensure enough representation for parties and major cities, which have been long considered the strongholds of Islamists and Jordanians of Palestinian origin.

For links see article source....
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http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/338852/sinondashjapanese-standoff-michael-auslin

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE
www.nationalreview.com

The Sino–Japanese Standoff
By Michael Auslin
January 28, 2013 4:00 A.M.
Comments 38

It’s been easy of late to get hyperbolic about the chance of conflict in East Asia. China appears to be the first serious military challenger America has had since the Soviet Union, and it is clearly beginning to throw its weight around in the waters of Asia. Especially raising tensions in the region is a passel of territorial disputes over islets that has pitted China against countries in southeast and northeast Asia and put Japan at odds with all its major neighbors. But the one key disagreement is between Japan and China in the East China Sea. There, an archipelago called the Senkaku Islands is claimed by Japan, Taiwan, and China. The islands sit near rich undersea oil and gas deposits, but, being situated just northeast of Taiwan, they also are in a crucial strategic location. They form the southernmost link in a chain of islands (including Okinawa and others) held by Japan that separate the East China Sea from the Pacific. The chain that ends with the Senkakus thus acts as a defensive barrier that conceivably could be used to prevent Chinese naval vessels from entering the wider Pacific.

Thus, Japan’s control of the islands presents a problem for Beijing. The history is murky, but Japanese control really didn’t start until the late 19th century. In 1945, the U.S. took over the Senkakus, and it returned them (along with Okinawa) to Tokyo’s administrative control in 1972. In recent years, however, basically since oil and gas were discovered nearby, China has reasserted a historical claim to the islands. Since the possibility of extractable energy reserves was discovered a decade ago, both Japan and China have tussled over whose islands (and resources) they really are. Half-hearted attempts at joint explorations for oil and gas have foundered due to mistrust and nationalistic intransigence.

Then the situation exploded over the summer of 2012. Japan’s government, controlled by the now-opposition Democratic Party of Japan, decided to buy three of the islands from their private owner, in a bid to forestall Tokyo’s nationalistic governor from purchasing them for the metropolitan government. This set off massive protests across China and a several-week-long boycott of Japanese goods; major Japanese businesses operating in China temporarily closed their doors last autumn.

What was more dangerous, however, was a game of chicken that began in the waters off the Senkakus. Beijing dispatched private fishing boats and maritime patrol vessels on a near-daily basis to the islands, and Japan responded with its coast guard. The two countries have now faced off regularly in the waters around the Senkakus, sometimes with a dozen ships or more.

Beijing’s goal seems to be to undercut Tokyo’s claim of administrative control over the islands. That would then invalidate Japan’s right to expel ships from the exclusive economic zone around the Senkakus. In recent weeks, though, the Chinese have become more aggressive, and very visibly escalated tensions. For the first time ever, they have flown maritime patrol planes into Japanese airspace around the islands. A predictable cycle thus emerged: The Japanese responded by scrambling F-15s, and last week, the Chinese sent two J-10 fighter jets to “monitor” Japanese military aircraft, according to the South China Morning Post. Now, the new Japanese government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is preparing to go one step further: giving Japanese pilots the authority to fire warning shots with tracer bullets across the nose of any Chinese aircraft that doesn’t heed warnings to leave Japanese-controlled airspace.

It was barely a dozen years ago that the U.S. and China faced a crisis when a hotshot Chinese pilot collided with a U.S. electronic-surveillance plane over the South China Sea, crashing both aircraft. Japan and China are now on a metaphorical collision course, too, and any accident when tensions are so high could be the spark in a tinderbox. It’s not difficult to see Beijing issuing orders for Chinese fighters to fire their own warning shots if Japanese jets start doing so. Even though leaders from both countries promise to meet and keep things cool, a faceoff at 20,000 feet is much harder to control than one done more slowly and clearly on the ocean’s surface.

This Sino–Japanese standoff also is a problem for the United States, which has a defense treaty with Tokyo and is pledged to come to the aid of Japanese forces under attack. There are also mechanisms for U.S.–Japanese consultations during a crisis, and if Tokyo requests such military talks, Washington would be forced into a difficult spot, since Beijing would undoubtedly perceive the holding of such talks as a serious provocation. The Obama administration has so far taken pains to stay neutral in the dispute; despite its rhetoric of “pivoting” to the Pacific, it has urged both sides to resolve the issue peacefully. Washington also has avoided any stance on the sovereignty of the Senkakus, supporting instead the status quo of Japanese administration of the islands. That may no longer suffice for Japan, however, since its government saw China’s taking to the air over the Senkakus as a significant escalation and proof that Beijing is in no mind to back down from its claims.

One does not have to be an alarmist to see real dangers in play here. As Barbara Tuchman showed in her classic The Guns of August, events have a way of taking on a life of their own (and one doesn’t need a Schlieffen Plan to feel trapped into acting). The enmity between Japan and China is deep and pervasive; there is little good will to try and avert conflict. Indeed, the people of both countries have abysmally low perceptions of the other. Since they are the two most advanced militaries in Asia, any tension-driven military jockeying between them is inherently destabilizing to the entire region.

Perhaps of even greater concern, neither government has shied away from its hardline tactics over the Senkakus, despite the fact that trade between the two has dropped nearly 4 percent since the crisis began in September. Most worrying, if the two sides don’t agree to return to the status quo ante, there are only one or two more rungs on the ladder of military escalation before someone has to back down or decide to initiate hostilities when challenged. Whoever does back down will lose an enormous amount of credibility in Asia, and the possibility of major domestic demonstrations in response.

The prospect of an armed clash between Asia’s two largest countries is one that should bring both sides to their senses, but instead the two seem to be maneuvering themselves into a corner from which it will be difficult to escape. One trigger-happy or nervous pilot, and Asia could face its gravest crisis perhaps since World War II.

— Michael Auslin is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. Follow him on Twitter @michaelauslin.

Report: Syrian rebels capture security agency in city of Deir al-Zor after days of heavy fighting - @Reuters

8 mins ago from www.reuters.com by editor

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE90S0GU20130129


Report: 65 people found shot dead with hands bound in Aleppo, Syria - @Reuters

11 mins ago by editor

Syrian refugees now number more than 700,000 as outflow swells, UN says - @Reuters

3 hours ago from www.reuters.com by editor

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/29/us-syria-crisis-refugees-idUSBRE90S0AR20130129

---------------

tintin1957: RT @tweets4peace: Another video of the massacre in #Aleppo today, more than 80 bodies executed recovered from river http://t.co/WoxKPpVC via @ANN_Syria #Syria
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7:46:20 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuOTQxd84VQ

Don't look -- unless you want to throw up. I managed 3 seconds. ^^^^^^^

AletheiaLibya: Long ago #Assad sold #Syria down the river (to #Iran & #Russia). Now he is physically dumping it in the river - 80 found murdered in #Aleppo
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7:45:31 AM

p_vanostaeyen: RT “@BSyria: See this image of the river massacre: https://t.co/aZhWmJPm It will become iconic.” #Aleppo today #Syria
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7:44:03 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/27267_10151276988982865_690007974_n.jpg

Dead bodies on the river bank ^^^^^^^^^^

josephwillits: Bodies of 68 men & boys shot execution style found in #Aleppo river- likely to be over 100 dead http://t.co/FaFMnsZe v @JustinSalhani #Syria
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7:58:57 AM

Dozens found shot execution-style in Syria's Aleppo

Last updated: January 29, 2013

The bodies of at least 68 young men and boys, all executed with a single gunshot to the head or neck, were found on Tuesday in a river in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a watchdog and rebels said.

A Free Syrian Army captain at the scene said at least 68 bodies had been found and that many more were still being dragged from the water, in a rebel-held area.

The bodies were found in the Quweiq River, which separates the Bustan al-Qasr district from Ansari in the southwest of the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Until now we have recovered 68 bodies, some of them just teens," said Captain Abu Sada, adding that all of them had been "executed by the regime."

"But there must be more than 100. There are still many in the water, and we are trying to recover them."

A volunteer said as he helped load one of the bodies on a truck: "We don't know who they are because there was no ID on them

At least 15 bodies could already be seen on the truck, with other continuing to arrive.

Abu Sada said they would be taken to the hospital at Zarzur where relatives could seek to identify them.

"Those who are not identified will be buried in a common grave."

http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/dozens-found-shot-executionstyle-in-syrias-aleppo_12628

Yup. The unarmed peasantry make such handy victims.

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AletheiaLibya: Fake FB news site Syria24 blamed #Aleppo river massacre on FSA, sayng #Syria's army found corpses, despite video being opposition-released.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:01:50 AM

nouralhidaya: RT @freesyria78: #Syria the ppl in #Aleppo are unable to remove all the bodies of those killed in #Bustanalkasermassacre because of Assad regime snipers
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:44:37 AM

LizSly: RT @olireports: Looking at pictures of 51 men with gunshot wounds to heads, hands behind their backs, in #Aleppo. #Syria. Doubt it will make any front pages
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:43:33 AM

newosk: RT @luv2live2: Only 15, tortured, abused, bound, and executed #Aleppo #SYria #RiverMassacre https://t.co/1SCAFbYY
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:44:56 AM

Dead bloody kid ^^^^^^^^^

AhmadBhumi: RT @itsEnas: Banner says "Apologies to HR orgs for these horrific images";shot near martyrs of Bustan Qaser #Aleppo massacre #SYRIA http://t.co/hXIrkT6w
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:48:51 AM

http://tweetgrid.com/search?q=#aleppo

More dead guys they dragged out of the river ^^^^^^^^^

fla_GR: #aleppo - vietnam europas
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:56:36 AM

The Blame Game:

ShamiDammi7ami: 'executed' in Syrian river http://t.co/b7IelytK #Syria #Aleppo
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 8:57:16 AM

At least 65 bodies found 'executed' in Syrian river

(AFP) – 13 minutes ago

ALEPPO, Syria — The bodies of at least 65 young men and boys, all executed with a single gunshot to the head or neck, were found on Tuesday in a river in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a watchdog and rebels said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 65 bodies were found in the Quweiq River, which separates the Bustan al-Qasr district from Ansari in the southwest of the city, but that the toll could rise significantly.

A Free Syrian Army officer at the scene said at least 68 bodies had been recovered and that many more were still being dragged from the water, in a rebel-held area.

"Until now we have recovered 68 bodies, some of them just teens," said Captain Abu Sada, adding that all of them had been "executed by the regime."

"But there must be more than 100. There are still many in the water, and we are trying to recover them."

A senior government security source said many of the victims were from Bustan al-Qasr and had been reported kidnapped earlier.

He accused "terrorists," the standard regime term for people fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, of carrying out the executions and spreading propaganda to deflect responsibility.

"They were kidnapped by terrorist groups, who some are accusing of being pro-regime, and executed last night in a park in Bustan al-Qasr under their control," the source told AFP by telephone.

"Now these terrorist groups are creating a media campaign, showing the bodies being recovered from the Quweiq River in an area under their control.

"It has been confirmed that a number of the victims had been abducted by armed terrorist groups and their families had made repeated attempts to negotiate their releases.

"We will disclose the identities of those killed as soon as we are able to secure the bodies, which is a difficult process since the area is in the hands of terrorist groups," the source said.

A volunteer said as he helped load one of the bodies on a truck: "We don't know who they are because there was no ID on them

At least 15 bodies could already be seen on the truck, an AFP correspondent said, with other continuing to arrive.

Abu Sada said they would be taken to the hospital at Zarzur where relatives could seek to identify them.

"Those who are not identified will be buried in a common grave," noting that some were unrecognisable because of the impact of the bullet."

Meanwhile, people were gathering at the bank seeking lost relatives.

"My brother disappeared weeks ago when he was crossing (through) the regime-held zone, and we don't know where he is or what has become of him," said Mohammed Abdel Aziz, as he looked at the mud-covered bodies one by one.

"They could have been executed a couple of days ago and the current brought the bodies this far," an FSA fighter, Abu Anas, told AFP.

The 129-kilometre (80 mile) river originates in Turkey to the north and flows to the southwest of Aleppo, traversing both regime and rebel-held areas.

"This is not the first time that we have found the bodies of people executed, but so many, never," he says numbly, as he examines the body of a boy of about 12 with a gunshot wound to the back of the neck.

The shabiha (pro-government militia) seize people crossing the checkpoint ... and they torture and execute many of them," said Abu Anas.

In video filmed by activists and published by the Observatory on YouTube, the cameraman walks along the river, less than two metres (yards) wide, and films some 50 bodies that have been pulled onto the concrete path.

Most have their hands are tied behind their backs and pools of blood trail from their heads. Their faces are white and bodies bloated.

All look to be young men, some teens, wearing jeans, button-up shirts and sneakers.

The cameraman films them one-by-one as he walks slowly down the path, then starts running towards more ahead of him.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/af...ocId=CNG.2be26fada62d9694b4d968a27dda474b.431

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Defected translator sheds new
light on Iran’s global reach

Tehran challenging US presence in East Africa and bypassing
sanctions in the Indian subcontinent, says Ahmad Hashemi

By Elhanan Miller
January 29, 2013, 2:45 pm
http://www.timesofisrael.com/defected-translator-sheds-new-light-on-irans-global-reach/​

Iran has attempted to increase its military presence in the Horn of Africa and tried to initiate an “Islamic arms industry” as part of its bid to challenge Western hegemony, a defecting government translator told The Times of Israel in an interview.

Ahmad Hashemi, who worked as an English and Turkish translator at Iran’s foreign ministry until his defection in June 2012, wrote in a Times of Israel blog post that Iran continues to insist on developing nuclear weapons capabilities, using deceptive tactics to mislead the world regarding the true nature of its nuclear program.

But over the past five years Hashemi also attended numerous meetings pertaining to Iran’s international military involvement, the details of which he shared with The Times of Israel on Monday in a phone interview from Turkey, where he fled as a political asylum seeker. The details he divulged could not be independently corroborated, but they did correspond with recent reports regarding Iran’s oversees activities.

Iran proposed an Islamic military alliance​

Iranian defense minister Ahmad Vahidi on Saturday proposed the formation of a “NATO-like military organization” by Islamic states, tasked with defending Muslims across the world. According to London-based news daily Al-Hayat, Vahidi said the primary goal of the new alliance would be “to defend Palestine.”

Some two years ago, Hashemi was privy to a closed meeting in which Vahidi raised a similar idea.


Hashemi translates at a meeting between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a cleric from Azerbaijan (photo credit: Iranian presidential website)

The meeting took place in late 2010 between Vahidi and Bambang Brodjounegoro, director general of the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), a financial research center based in Saudi Arabia and owned by the Islamic Development Bank. In it, Vahidi raised the idea of creating an “advanced Islamic arms industry.” The idea, reported Hashemi, was dismissed by Brodjounegoro, an Indonesian national.

Vahidi is among the five Iranian and Lebanese nationals wanted by Argentina for his suspected involvement in the 1994 terrorist attack against the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires which left 85 people dead. On Sunday, Iran and Argentina signed an agreement to cooperate on a “truth commission” investigating Iran’s involvement in the bombing.

Iran’s involvement in Africa​

On May 20, 2008, Hashemi attended a highly confidential closed-door meeting between Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tasked with overseas operations, and the president of Eritrea, Isaias Afwereki. The meeting was also attended by Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

At the meeting, the Iranians offered Eritrea assistance in developing its military capabilities and combating neighboring Ethiopia. The officials also discussed the need to curb the US presence in the Horn of Africa and take control of the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, located between Eritrea and Yemen at the mouth of the Red Sea, through the deployment of Quds Force soldiers in the East African country.

A report published last month by Conflict Armament Research, a London-based center, traced Iranian ammunition in nine African countries from 2006 to 2009, including Sudan and Kenya in the east and Cote D’Ivoire and Nigeria in the west. Most of the ammunition was detected in the hands of non-state forces. The report found only one case of direct illicit supply of arms from Iran to Nigeria, in 2010, contravening a UN ban on Iranian arms export.

Bypassing the UN sanctions regime​

Hashemi attended a number of meetings in which Iran discussed ways of exporting its goods to the Indian subcontinent.

In early 2012, he attended a meeting between Iranian and Indian officials who discussed the exchange of Iranian oil in return for Indian commodities and rupees.

On the Iranian side, the meeting was attended by Ali Bagheri, deputy head of Iran’s National Security Council, deputy president Hamid Baghai and deputy foreign minister Hussein Sobhaninia.

According to Hashemi, the Indians wanted the Iranian oil to be transferred from Iran’s Chabahar port to the Afghani city of Herat, and then onward to India. Iran, on the other hand, preferred a more bold violation of international banking sanctions, demanding direct transaction through the countries financial institutions.

Also in early 2012, the governor of Sri Lanka’s central bank, Ajith Nirath Cavraal, visited Iran and discussed ways of bypassing the international sanctions imposed on Iran with minister of industry and commerce Mehdi Ghazanfari and central bank governor Mahmoud Bahmani. According to Hashemi, who was present at the meeting, Cavraal offered to put Sri Lanka’s central bank at Iran’s disposal to acquire products banned by international sanctions.

Leaving Iran​

Hashemi began working as an interpreter for Iran’s foreign ministry in January 2008, but joined the opposition’s Green Movement surrounding the elections of June 2009, he said.

In early 2012, Hashemi decided to run for parliament, but his candidacy was disqualified due to his so-called “nonreligious practices.” When he appealed the decision, he was fired from the foreign ministry and his entry to the building was banned. Throughout his service, Hashemi said, he was questioned numerous times by the ministry’s security department, known as Herasat, which ordered him to cease his opposition activity.

In May 2012 Hashemi began writing political articles for reformist dailies Shargh and Etemaad. At that point, he said, he started receiving anonymous death threats in late-night phone calls. One call, which explicitly threatened to behead him and toss his body in a nearby forest, particularly scared him.

Hashemi booked a return ticket to Istanbul, Turkey, in June and although he was stopped for questioning and a full physical search at Tehran airport by the Revolutionary Guard, he was eventually allowed to board the airplane, never to return to Iran. He told The Times of Israel that he continues to fear for his life, even in the relative safety of Turkey.







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Large arms shipment intercepted
off Yemen, Iran eyed as source

29/01/2013
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=32726​

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - Yemeni forces intercepted a ship on Jan. 23 carrying a large cache of weapons - including surface-to-air missiles - that U.S. officials suspect were being smuggled from Iran and destined for Yemeni insurgents, officials said on Monday.

Yemen's government said the arms intercepted aboard the ship off the country's coast also included military grade explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and bomb-making equipment, according to a statement by its embassy in Washington.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the operation was coordinated with the U.S. Navy and that a Navy destroyer was nearby.

A second official told Reuters the intercepted shipment was believed to have been from Iran and destined for insurgents, likely Houthis.

"This demonstrates the ever pernicious Iranian meddling in other countries in the region," said the second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Iran denies any interference in Yemen's affairs.​

Analysts and diplomats believe that the ascent of the Houthis, named after their leaders' family, has turned Yemen into a new front in a long struggle between Iran and Western powers and the Arab regimes they support.

Gulf Arab governments and Sunni clerical allies accuse Iran of backing Shi'ite communities around the region, and Sanaa has also accused Iran of trying to meddle in Yemeni affairs.

Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi snubbed a visiting Iranian envoy last year to signal "displeasure" with Tehran after Sanaa said it had uncovered an Iranian-led spy ring in the capital.

Earlier this month, the U.S. envoy to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, was quoted accusing Iran of working with southern secessionists. Yemen is also grappling with al Qaeda militants in the north.

Its location flanking top oil producer Saudi Arabia - Iran's Sunni Muslim regional adversary - and major shipping lanes have made restoring its stability an international priority.

Yemen's government said in a statement the shipment was intercepted in Yemeni waters, close to the Arabian Sea. It said Yemeni Coast Guard officials boarded the vessel, which flew multiple flags and had eight Yemeni crew members on board.

"Authorities are continuing to investigate the vessel's shipping route by analyzing navigation records found on board the ship," the statement said.







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U.S., Yemen forces seize Iranian weapons

Published: Jan. 29, 2013 at 5:54 AM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...ces-seize-Iranian-weapons/UPI-79431359456879/​

SANAA, Yemen, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Yemeni and U.S. military forces intercepted a boat carrying explosives, weapons and money believed to have originated in Iran, U.S. officials said.

Unnamed U.S. officials briefed on the incident off the Yemeni coast, said Monday there were indications that Iran was smuggling weapons and explosives to insurgents in Yemen, The New York Times said.

A boarding party from the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Farragut accompanied Yemeni forces in the raid Jan. 23, the Times said.

Weapons were reportedly found in three cargo sections of the 130-foot boat. The weapons included air-to-surface missiles, C4 military-grade explosives, 122-mm shells, rocket-propelled grenades and bomb making equipment, a statement from the Yemeni government Monday said.

U.S. officials said the weapons were made in Iran and is an attempt by the Islamic Republic to reach out to rebels and other political figures in Yemen, the Times said.








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Inside the war for Syria's mountains​

Rebels are occupying Alawite houses in a region known
for its tradition of sectarian coexistence in an offensive
that looks likely to determine the fate of the country's cosmopolitan heart

Martin Chulov in Jebel al-Krud
guardian.co.uk,
Monday 28 January 2013 12.21 EST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/28/war-syria-mountains​

The stone houses were half hidden amid the orchards, their doors kicked in and their walls scorched by flames. Every home in this tiny Alawite hamlet, amid the apple and plum trees, had been ransacked and abandoned.

"There were three families here until yesterday," said a young woman, a Sunni Muslim, pointing to her neighbours' homes. "Now there's no one left, not one."

The village sloped towards a river that had broken its banks a week before. Plastic bags and bottles hung in the trees, marking the line of the flood that coursed between the soaring cliffs of the nearby valley and then surged onwards, across the fields to Turkey.

The water reached so far, and so high, that it inundated the orchards. Mud still covered the road, exposing the footprints of the raiders who followed the flood. They were a far more formidable force even than the raging waters.

Scraped in charcoal on the wall of one house were three words in Arabic: Jabhat al-Nusra.

Until two months ago, locals in this corner of north-western Syria had not had to contend with the Jabhat al-Nusra organisation. Like much else about the war now crippling the nearby cities of Idlib and Aleppo, it was out of sight and out of mind, a distant bogeyman that posed little threat to this border town.

Then came a campaign by rebel units pushing south towards cities still controlled by the regime after almost two years of civil war. "That's when we first saw them," a rebel, Mahmoud Darwiche, said of Jabhat al-Nusra, which insurgent leaders simply call al-Qaida.

"They were good at first, quiet and respectful. Even now, they are still trying to behave. But they will kill any Alawite fighter they capture."

Until December, the town of Darkoush was roughly divided: the north supported the opposition while the south supported the regime; the frontline was marked by a line of ransacked security buildings.

Now, it is a staging point for a coming battle in the mountains to the south, a battle that will decide the fate of Syria's cosmopolitan heart.

Rebel leaders are preparing what they say will be imminent attacks on regime cities. Jabhat al-Nusra is also making plans, with new arrivals to the group turning up on most days over the past few weeks. Some are taking over empty Alawite homes near Darkoush; others are pushing south to frontlines near Latakia.

Al-Nusra fighters like to see themselves as being everywhere but nowhere. They play willingly to the regime characterisation of them as phantom-like figures who can outmanoeuvre the Syrian military. And they are now more evident than at any time in this war.

The al-Nusra member the Guardian met had not been expecting strangers. His head swathed in a black turban, and with a Kalashnikov strapped to his chest, he walked slowly down a potholed road towards us before stopping warily several metres away. He scanned us purposefully from head to toe, inhaled deeply, then said: "What's going on?"

The American-accented English was as much a surprise as finding him there in the first place, living in a house next door to the main rebel outpost in the region, along with 20 or so other members of the group at the vanguard of the fighting.
Rebels are pushing towards Latakia, redoubt of the Assad regime
His opening remark was less an icebreaker, however, than the beginning of an interrogation. For 40 minutes, sometimes chilling, sometimes charming, he tried to gauge our provenance and our reason for journeying south into Jebel al-Krud, the giant plateau that soars above Latakia and Tartous to the south.

The region is steeped in Islamic history, and has a tradition of sectarian coexistence. About 800 years ago, the Islamic warrior Salah al-Din – a Kurd better known to Europeans as Saladin – used the mountains and valleys of the area to prepare to battle the Crusaders. Kurds travelled with him from what is now northern Iraq, and settled here. Christian and Alawite communities are also long established.

Our interrogator eventually offered tea. "You do not share my ideology," he said. "But you are here on humanitarian grounds." The concession amounted to a travel pass. "Where is your flak jacket? We have an obligation before God to do what we can to protect ourselves," he said, pointing at the camouflage vest covering his shirt. "So should you."

Sheer cliffs climbed vertically from the first stretch of the road south, soon giving way to plunging, emerald ravines still flush with blue floodwaters. Villages peppered the hilltops, grey blobs against an iridescent green whenever they emerged from the fog.

Around one bend, white crosses jutted starkly from the graves on a hilltop. This was the Christian village of Jdeida, on the edge of Idlib province and Jebel al-Krud. Barely a home here had escaped shell damage since it was taken by rebel groups six weeks earlier. And next to none of the locals had remained.

One family had stayed behind. "We don't have an option," the elderly Christian man said. "The situation is as you see it. This is the first time there hasn't been shelling here in more than a week. We haven't seen the sun or sat in our garden in all that time."

The man's wife picked an orange from the tree at the centre of the courtyard and offered it on a silver tray.

His 90-year-old mother sat on a stone wall, her left eye red with a chronic infection, her right streaming with tears. "We can't go anywhere to get medicine," she said between sobs. "We are not with anyone, my son. We are too old for this. Please let it end."

Neither side seems to have any will to bring the war for the mountains to a close. Further up the hill, the town's church stood empty and barricaded, part of a wall hit by a shell. And from the bell tower, rebels pointed out the next target in their seemingly relentless sweep to the east and south, the town of Yaccubiya.

"We have a very big problem with this town," said the leader of the military council in Idlib province. "These Christians are our friends. We have lived with them for a long time, and we respect them. But the regime has put weapons in the cathedral there. We don't want to attack it but we know we must."

Purple-grey smoke from at least a dozen cigarettes and a wood-burning stove swirled around the room. The 10 or so men sitting cross-legged on the floor seemed to crouch ever lower as the haze descended before one finally opened a window, letting in a shock of frigid air.

"We have asked the Christian authorities," the rebel leader said as the smoke cleared. "We have even asked the priests in the north what to do. One gave us his permission to attack the town; another said not to. We want some guidance. Will the west talk to us about this?"

On Sunday, rebel reservations about Yaccubiya were set aside. The Free Syrian Army, which acts as an umbrella group for all the rebel groups except al-Nusra, announced the town had fallen. "There are only two old ladies left in the town," said a rebel leader, Abu Ghaith. "And, praise be to God, the church was not damaged. They ran away."

Evidence of the regime forces' flight from the villages of Jebel al-Krud is everywhere. Along a highway near another Christian village, al-Ghassaneyah, scores of makeshift graves have been dug for Syrian army soldiers killed in battles for nearby areas.

Several dozen destroyed armoured personnel carriers, lorries and tanks dot the roadside. Torched and rusting formations of armour mark overrun checkpoints that not long ago were part of Latakia's ring of defence. Battleground Christian and Alawite villages are largely abandoned. Al-Nusra had not looted the homes of Christian families who had fled, said Abu Ghaith. "They are being careful about them," he said. "But they do whatever they want with the Alawites."

Resentment of the minority Alawite sect, to which Bashar al-Assad belongs and from which he draws his power, is close to universal among rebels in the area. However, while non-jihadists dislike the Alawites because of their links to the regime, al-Nusra's distaste centres on their beliefs.

"They see them as Shia, as heretics," said a rebel fighter who called himself Abu Hamza, standing near a roadside butcher. "I am from here, and I have never got to know them. They have always kept to themselves. They are very insular."

Hamza wore his beard in the style of a Salafist Muslim, black and low and without a moustache. "People often think I'm al-Qaida," he laughed. He then reached into the left breast pocket of his ammunition vest and pulled out a Bible. "It's for you," he said. "I have a Qur'an in my right pocket, and I want to get a Torah for here," he said, pointing at an empty pocket on his hip.

"This area was built on the religions of the book, and it will stay that way, God willing."

Over a ridge ahead, tank shells rumbled in a rebel-held village on the edge of Jebel al-Krud and Latakia. Another two families, their battered cars laden with overflowing bags of belongings, moved slowly north along the deserted highway.

Night was drawing near when a driver stopped in the gathering dark to ask about the way ahead. A cross swung from his rear-view mirror. "Don't be afraid, my brother," a bearded rebel said. "God is with you, just as he is with us."

The rebel looked at his feet and said: "When the people come back, after we win, it will be like it was before. They will buy meat for us, and we will visit them for Christmas.

"But we can't let things get worse than they are here, because people who have known each other for ever may lose their trust. This was the Syria of our dreams."








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Winds of change are blowing in Syria

29.01.2013

SANA, the official Syrian news agency, reported that on the occasion of Prophet Mohammad's birthday, on the 24th of January 2013, the Syrian President, Dr. Bashar al-Assad, participated in a religious ceremony at the al-Afram Mosque in Damascus. He shook hands with believers and listened to the noon prayer, delivered by His Eminence, Sheikh Ahmad al-Jazaeri, imam of the al-Afra
Mosque.

by Olivia Kroth
http://english.pravda.ru/world/asia/29-01-2013/123604-change_syria-0/​

After the prayers, Sheikh Kamal Hawwari cited verses of the Holy Quran. The Minister of Religion, Dr. Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyid, held a speech about the birth of Prophet Mohammad, reminding the congregation that the Prophet had called for using one's logical mind rather than resorting to destruction.

"As we are celebrating the birth anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad, we recall what he went through and how God made him conquer his enemies ... We can draw a parallel to our present situation, as Syria's enemies are conspiring against the homeland, and we can refer that it will definitely be victorious," the Minister's speech was quoted by SANA.

He asked all Syrians to listen to President al-Assad's call for dialogue and urged them to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Mohammad. Sheik al-Jazaeri concluded the celebration with a prayer for the protection of Syria and its President.

The Lebanese news agency Al Manar reported that the Syrian President was shown in a live broadcast, as he was kneeling in the al-Afram Mosque of Damascus, accompanied by Syria's Grand Mufti, Ahmad Hassoun, and the Minister for Religion. According to Al Manar, a large crowd had gathered outside of the mosque to greet the President and express support.

One day later, on Friday, the 25th of January 2013, a nationwide prayer for the security and stability of the homeland was held in all Syrian mosques. The imams stressed the importance of unity and trust that Syria will foil the foreign conspiracy against the homeland's independence and security.

This was echoed by El Watan, an Algerian news media, in French, "Syrie: Damas appelle à une prière d'un million de fidèles." Syria: Damascus calls for prayers of one million believers. Surely, more than one million Syrians participated, as a great majority of Syrians stand on the President's side, not on that of the bankrupt, rag-tag "opposition."

The Socialist Republic of Algeria has traditionally been, and still is, a befriended country of the Socialist Arab Republic of Syria and the Great Socialist Libyan Jamahiriya. Algeria supported the Jamahiriya, just as it now supports Syria. When some family members of the Great Brother Leader of the Jamahiriya, Muammar Gaddafi, left the country, they took exile in Algeria.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Armed Forces keep cleansing their country of infiltrated terrorists.

Aleppo countryside:​

Scores of terrorists were killed in al-Amiriyah, al-Kalasa, al-Mijbil, al-Shaer, al-Sheik Said, Andan, Ayin Dakna, Bani Zaid, Kafir Dail and Ming.

Damascus countryside:​

In Darya, many terrorists were liquidated, among them the leader, Mahmoud Naileh, as well as Ahmad Abu Zid, Salim al-Kouz and Samir Abu al-Izz.

In the Douma farms and in Harasta, a great score of terrorists were killed as well, including Abdul-Aziz Maid, Izzo al-Houri, Mouaffaq al-Houri and Mohammd Khalifah. In Douma, women chanted slogans in salute to the Syrian Army.

In Abdeen, Deir Atiyeh and Haifoon, terrorists were killed and their weapons seized. Also a machine gun equipped vehicle and a minibus with terrorists inside were destroyed.

Hama province:​

In the village of Jalma, terrorists were killed and explosive devices at the entrance of the village were dismantled. More explosive devices were found and dismantled on the road between Hama, Mhardeh and al-Squailbiyeh. Their weight ranged between 25 and 40 kilos.

Hasaka city:​

Terrorists were liquidated north of the city and their machine gun equipped vehicles were destroyed.

Homs countryside:​

Dens and hideouts of terrorists were destroyed in al-Gharbiyeh, al-Houla, al-Tiybeh and Kafar Laha. All terrorists were liquidated.

In the Lebanese news media, New Orient News, based in Beyrouth, journalist Pierre Khalaf wrote that "The Syrian Army controls the field." It liquidated rebel strongholds, killing thousands of terrorists. Now those remaining have started fighting each other, after their overall strategic failures.

According to the Lebanese journalist, the Syrian state has retaken full control of 80 percent of its territory and all major cities. A National Defence Force has been created, composed of civilians and reservists. In Aleppo, in just one week, 20.000 young men were enrolled in the Republican Guard. The National Defence Force is a sign of strong national unity, according to Pierre Khalaf.

In addition, civilians in Aleppo, Damascus and other cities have been equipped with sophisticated surveillance and communications devices to assist the Syrian Armed Forces in their fight against terror.

Thus, the winds have changed in Syria. "Los Vientos Cambian y Assad se Queda" is the title of an article in the Spanish edition of Al Manar. It reports that the popular committees in Syria are working hand in hand with the Syrian Armed Forces, cleaning out one area after the other, while President Al-Assad has no intention of leaving. He is there to stay.

Help is coming from outside as well. SANA quoted the Russian President's Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, "We sincerely believe the plan that was suggested by President Assad is a kind of continuation of the Geneva talks and could constitute a very good basis for further attempts for a settlement." He reiterated that "the decision about the future of Syria cannot be taken in other capitals. This cannot be viable."

SANA also quoted Mikhail Margelov, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian State Duma, who pointed out that "Russia's stance towards Syria has remained firm since the beginning, as it stresses the need for dialogue among all parties."

In the Czech Republic's capital city of Prague, the community of Syrian expatriates voiced their full support for President Assad and called for a "national dialogue among all spectrums of society to preserve the homeland's sovereignty, security and unity."

Last, but not least, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah, who is known for calling a spade a spade, said in Beyrouth that "Those who are still living in the delusion that the Syrian state will fall, must remove this idea from their heads," as quoted by SANA.

The winds of change are blowing. Will they blow all nonsense out of western, Qatari, Turkish and Israeli heads? The war in Syria is over. Save your money and go home, folks!


Prepared for publication by:

Lisa Karpova
Pravda.Ru







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Jordan government submits resignation after vote

January 29, 2013 02:43 PM (Last updated: January 29, 2013 04:29 PM)
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Mi...its-resignation-after-vote.ashx#axzz2JNJWDtXR​

AMMAN: Jordan's Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur submitted his cabinet's resignation to King Abdullah II on Tuesday, following a general election which was swept by pro-regime loyalists.

"Nsur submitted the resignation of the government to his majesty," a palace statement said.

"The king asked that the government continue to handle its responsibilities until the formation of a new government, which will take place following consultations with MPs."

The government usually quits after a parliamentary election, in line with a constitutional custom. Nsur had formed his cabinet in October.

The final results published Monday of last week's general election showed tribal leaders, pro-regime loyalists and independent businessmen winning most of the seats after a boycott by the Muslim Brotherhood.

King Abdullah, who was Tuesday on a visit to Bahrain, hailed the election and thanked Jordanians for voting, vowing to pursue democratic reforms and reach out to groups such as the Brotherhood.

"The success of our reform depends on a democratic approach that is built on the interaction and participation of all Jordanians in the process," the monarch said in a letter addressed to the nation on Tuesday.

"The new parliament should face national challenges through sustainable dialogue with all political and social powers."

Scoffing at the election, Islamists have said the king's plans for a parliamentary government fall far short of true democratic change and insist he should have no say in naming a premier.

"The ball is now in the regime's court. We support dialogue with decision-makers, but it must be productive and serious," said Hamzeh Mansur, chief of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Brotherhood.

"We will not be part of the new government. But if it is a national salvation government, we might study the matter later," he told a news conference.


Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Mi...its-resignation-after-vote.ashx#ixzz2JNJdxdVT
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)




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Newsletter Tuesday January 29, 2013

Report:
Syria chemical arsenal within Hezbollah reach

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with U.S. delegation about developments in Syria, says the potential outcomes facing Israel are "bad,
bad and worse"

Shlomo Cesana and Daniel Siryoti
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=7217​

Israel continued to warn the world on Monday of the potentially devastating outcome if Syria's chemical arsenal falls into the hands of rebels, or worse, Hezbollah, as Lebanese media outlets reported that the Lebanese terror group had already obtained some chemical weapons and long range missiles.


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Sunday met with a delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives led by Rep. Rob Wittman, expressed his concern over the developments in Syria, and said the outcomes facing Israel were "bad, bad and worse."


The prime minister was briefed on the Syrian situation over the weekend and multiple meetings were held to discuss possible options.


U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said that Israel and the U.S. were working in full cooperation on the Syrian issue, and on Monday Netanyahu's adviser and National Security Council chief Yaakov Amidror visited Moscow and spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the matter.


Less than a week after the general election, in which Netanyahu won the leadership post by a narrow margin, he met with Middle East Quartet special envoy Tony Blair on Sunday, telling him that "the Middle East doesn't stop for elections; everything continues. We need to work on peace and security and there's no better person to work with than you."


According to Lebanese TV, Hezbollah fighters helping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fight the Sunni rebels in Syria have now taken over army bases throughout the country. Hundreds of armed fighters from the Shiite group were seen accompanying personnel from the Syrian military's unconventional weapons program, as well as taking position inside Syrian bases where chemical weapons were stored.


The Syrian military has been fighting rebels to keep control of the al-Safira compound south of Aleppo, where chemical weapons are produced and stored. Arab media reported that after days of pitched battles the army succeeded in repelling the rebel attack and regaining control of the territory around the base.


"Assad ordered the military to increase its bombing campaign in al-Safira, because he is in cahoots with the Zionists, who are helping his regime survive," a rebel belonging to the jihadist group Jahbat al-Nusra said. The rebel claimed their retreat was "to rearm and reinforce our troops."


Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar, which is aligned with Hezbollah, reported that the Syrian president was "calm and certain he will maintain control and restore stability to his country." According to the report, an Arab diplomat said he spoke with Assad for three hours, during which Assad showed "an impressive knowledge of every facet of the crisis in his country."


Assad's peace of mind could be the result of something else. Russia has deployed a sizable naval force for an exercise off the Syrian coast. According to the Institute for National Security Studies, the exercise, which is expected to end on Tuesday, is being presided over by Russia's military chief.


Tzvi Magen, who compiled the INSS report, did not rule out the possibility that, under the guise of a training exercise, Russia had deployed a large military contingent to a sensitive fighting zone.


Magen also speculated that it could be Russia's intention to prompt the U.S. to reach an agreement over Syria. If the West and Russia do not come to an agreement, Magen said he believed Russia would create conditions that will help Assad maintain control of the Alawite regions by securing the Syrian coast. If true, it could be a sign that Syria was about to be partitioned into separate states.







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CocoControverse: RT @Dima_Khatib: Deep sigh !! "@AmalHanano: @Dima_Khatib Yes, literally. There are no more trees in #Aleppo."
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 9:59:01 AM

explicithandlz: RT @AmalHanano: By the river Qwaiq, I sat down and wept. #Aleppo #Syria
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 9:56:18 AM

EANewsFeed: #Syria Live: 143 dead, according to LCC, 90 in #Aleppo where dozens of men executed by the river http://t.co/xsOKmCjL
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 9:56:08 AM

AletheiaLibya: RT @CFKlebergTT: Not the first time bodies of executed found, #Aleppo FSA fighter examining body of a boy tells AFP. "But so many, never," he says. #Syria
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 9:55:44 AM

asteris: RT @KareemLailah: 2 hours, MIG fighter killed 4 kids by shelling Msayfra in #Aleppo. #FSA took it down, few minutes ago. #Syria
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 9:54:38 AM

LeverrierIgnace: RT @DarthNader: Video: More than 100 corpses thrown into the Quiq river in #Aleppo, #Syria http://t.co/mU8ssA1p
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 10:06:25 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFfWRDykD4&feature=youtu.be

Different video, walking along the river bank under the blue sky, corpses all laying there. Unbelievable. If you didn't see it yourself you would never believe it.