West Asia News and Discussions

[Mahendra]

What is Oman buying from us?

[Prasad]

What is Oman buying from us?

INSAS rifles.

[nithish]

What is Oman buying from us?

Oman army all set to use India's INSAS rifles

[shyamd]

Sorry folks, yes INSAS.

You won't find this stuff freely available. This is the most accurate picture of where Oil&Gas assets are in the GCC. Now you know why the UAE are fighting for the 3 islands and how important it is. Apparently the big guys in Dubai are pissed off with Britain as most of the bad press coverage about the Dubai debt thingy came from Britain. They are not happy!



If you look between UAE and Qatar at the dolphin pipeline, thats what the recent altercation took place over between UAE navy and KSA.

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X post:
Pakistani centrifuges launched Iran's nuclear program 24 years ago

[shyamd]

Quick post:

Got further confirmation that the missile test with KSA- US did take place. The head of the US missile defence agency was present.

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Heavy devolution of power going on in Iraq. Looks like Basra is set to have a lot of independent power and have its own govt type thing going similar to Kurdistan.

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Qatar is interested in buying a stake in national champion Areva. It reportedly has the backing of Sarkozy. Several highlevel Franco-Qatari meetings have taken place regarding this issue.

Areva lost to South Koreans in the UAE nuclear contract because their EPR's were way too expensive (wonder what that means for Areva biz in India). Incidentally the first 4 nuclear plants are to be located in Braka 75km from KSA border. Wonder why they went there after all.

France is negotiating a civil nuke deal with KSA. KSA would rather work with France because sensitive deals never get passed through US congress.

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Senior Iraqi officials have met with King Abdullah to secure support for a new govt.

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One of Sultan Qaboos's closest advisors were educated in Bombay.
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King Abdullah of KSA is going to codify Shariah, which will significantly reduce the power of the ulema and clerics. The ulema at the moment have discretion on the way Shariah is applied especially in ambigious areas of sharia law. The codification will take place to stop the misinterpretation of shariah law and clarify the KSA legal system.

Abdullah regards the reform as a further step towards instilling basic rights and principles into the Saudi institutional structure, but it could restrict his freedom, as monarch, to intervene: in a number of often highly publicised cases. Apparently Prince Nayef has reservations about this.

The role of the Sahwa has become powerful over KSA society. They are a religious group and looks like the KSA people listen to these guys most. These guys condemned terroristm and 9/11, which made the bulk of public opinion fall in line and also the condemnation of violent jihad has also sidelined a lot of militants. The clerics who approved are sitting in KSA jails.

The Sahwa clerics are really divided as some came out openly and have denounced OBL etc and are for starting talks with the Shias and other brands of islam. But there are clerics who are against such moves approaches to other strands, these guys are backed by Prince Nayef (interior minister).

KSA defacto leader of shias has come out in support of King Abdullah and is positioning himself as a nationalist leader. Shias are supporting King Abdullah's offers to coopt them into society. There are now more Shia judges in courts today. There is still a lot of discrimination in the military for shias, also Saudi Aramco is still for sunni's only. KSA leadership used to be worried that shia's will turn into a column in support of Tehran, but this is no longer the case and the leadership dont view shias as a threat any more.

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Saudi navy interested in Scorpene.
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Prince Bandar is receiving medical treatment in his palace in Riyad apparently
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Oman has entered into some naval cooperation with China.
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Al Qaeda in Yemen, fortified with diverted US funds, strikes British embassy

[abhishek_sharma]

Arab generosity not keeping up with Arab prosperity

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... prosperity

[Ameet]

Kenya seeks end to visa row after Dubai rulers expelled

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8646155.stm

Kenya's foreign minister is in Dubai to defuse a row after members of the Gulf state's ruling family were deported as terror suspects.

The four were on holiday from Dubai in Kenya's resort of Mombasa over Easter, when immigration officers interrogated them for hours before expelling them.

[ramana]

^^^

King Abdullah of KSA is going to codify Shariah, which will significantly reduce the power of the ulema and clerics. The ulema at the moment have discretion on the way Shariah is applied especially in ambigious areas of sharia law. The codification will take place to stop the misinterpretation of shariah law and clarify the KSA legal system.

Abdullah regards the reform as a further step towards instilling basic rights and principles into the Saudi institutional structure, but it could restrict his freedom, as monarch, to intervene: in a number of often highly publicised cases. Apparently Prince Nayef has reservations about this.

The role of the Sahwa has become powerful over KSA society. They are a religious group and looks like the KSA people listen to these guys most. These guys condemned terroristm and 9/11, which made the bulk of public opinion fall in line and also the condemnation of violent jihad has also sidelined a lot of militants. The clerics who approved are sitting in KSA jails.

The Sahwa clerics are really divided as some came out openly and have denounced OBL etc and are for starting talks with the Shias and other brands of islam. But there are clerics who are against such moves approaches to other strands, these guys are backed by Prince Nayef (interior minister).

KSA defacto leader of shias has come out in support of King Abdullah and is positioning himself as a nationalist leader. Shias are supporting King Abdullah's offers to coopt them into society. There are now more Shia judges in courts today. There is still a lot of discrimination in the military for shias, also Saudi Aramco is still for sunni's only. KSA leadership used to be worried that shia's will turn into a column in support of Tehran, but this is no longer the case and the leadership dont view shias as a threat any more.

It shows the KSA is maturing as a nation state. King Abdullah is realising the importance of Zawabit versus Shariat. Prince Najaf doesn't realize the miportance as he might be too steeped in the mess.

Usually Zawabit kicks in after fifty to sixty years. In case of KSA it should have kicked in 1970s but for the Yom Kippur War and the petrodollars and Afghan jihad.

Zawabit = "The king must rule"

Ziauddin Barani

[RamaY]

Arab generosity not keeping up with Arab prosperity

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... prosperity

From above link; for future reference

[shyamd]

Ramana, they say Nayef is a big time extremist supporter despite being the interior minister.

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Israel refuses to sell Turkey advanced naval Barak-8 interceptor

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 27, 2010, 4:50 PM (GMT+02:00)

Israel has turned down several Turkish requests for advanced military hardware, according to Israeli and Western intelligence sources. Sources in Ankara say that the impact from Prime minister Tayyep Recep Erdogan's alignment with Syria and Iran and poisonous attacks on Israel is beginning to cut into the Turkish army's operational capabilities. In recent weeks, Turkish naval chiefs tried to find out in particular if Israel would be willing to sell the Barak 8 missile interceptor, whose radar provides 360-degree coverage against incoming missiles or air attack, and which was developed in partnership with India.
Security sources told debkafile that it was decided in Jerusalem not to sell, in case Erdogan decided to allow Iranian military intelligence experts to study the Barak-8 and analyze its technology. This interceptor is a key defensive component for the Israeli missile and warships patrolling the Persian Gulf seas opposite Iran, the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean opposite Syrian and Lebanese shores.
As debkafile revealed exclusively last November, the Turkish Prime minister and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed a secret military pact on Oct. 28, 2009, requiring Turkey's military intelligence, its air force and navy to help Iran repel a possible Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities. It included a provision for the sharing of any data and technology on Israeli weapons systems in Turkish possession, which the IDF might use for a potential strike. Click here for article.
Since that pact was signed, Israel has cut off all advanced weapons supplies to the Turkish armed forces.India too is flatly against letting Turkey getting hold of the Barak 8, in whose development the Indian Navy has invested $330 million since the program began in 2004. New Delhi fears that from Turkey, the technology might leak to Tehran, which India fears is capable of trading its secrets with Islamabad for Pakistani nuclear and missile technology.
Six months ago, India and Israel signed a $1.1 billion contract for the purchase of the interceptor and its installation on most of its navy's warships. The system, complete with launchers, radar and installation sells for $24 million.
The Barak 8 provides warships with all-weather, day-and-night, 360 degrees coverage and is capable of intercepting incoming missiles when they are no more than 500 meters away from target.

[Carl_T]

As debkafile revealed exclusively last November, the Turkish Prime minister and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed a secret military pact on Oct. 28, 2009, requiring Turkey's military intelligence, its air force and navy to help Iran repel a possible Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.

How the hell does US expect Turkey to be a negotiator if this is true??

[ramana]

The Turkey Iranian alliance is a non Arab ummah alliance. During the Shah's time Israel had good ties with non Arabic Muslim nations ie Turkey and Iran.
So they are hedging for KSA becoming the Arab leader of the Muslim world.

[Vivek Raghuvanshi]

BLUNT TRUTH ABOUT ISRAEL
========================

1. Nationhood and Jerusalem: Israel became a nation in 1312 BC, two thousand
(2000) years before the rise of Islam.

2... Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a
Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the
modern State of Israel.

3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BC, the Jews have had dominion over the
land for one thousand (1000) years with a continuous presence in the land
for the past 3,300 years.

4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 lasted no more than 22
years.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem
has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the
Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital,
and Arab leaders
did not come to visit.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy
Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran.

7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to
Jerusalem.

8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward
Jerusalem.

9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to
leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews.
Sixty-eight percent left (many in fear of retaliation by their own brethren,
the Arabs), without ever seeing an Israeli soldier. The ones who stayed were
afforded the same peace, civility, and citizenship rights as everyone else.

10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab
brutality, persecution and pogroms.

11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be
around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated
to be the same.

12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the
Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the
100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in
the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's
lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no
larger than the state of New Jersey...

13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate
nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation.
The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself
each time and won.

14. The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of
Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land,
autonomy under the
Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.

15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews
were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and
Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all
faiths.

16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council
resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.

17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were
directed against Israel.

18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem
synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.

19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the
ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like
policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western
Wall.

[Carl_T]

The Turkey Iranian alliance is a non Arab ummah alliance. During the Shah's time Israel had good ties with non Arabic Muslim nations ie Turkey and Iran.
So they are hedging for KSA becoming the Arab leader of the Muslim world.

A good relationship with Iran will certainly position them well strategically, but to actually pledge to defend them against Israel seems a little excessive, considering their relations with the US (downhill admittedly) not to mention all the US and Israeli equipment they own.

[shyamd]

Vivek please refrain from posting propaganda. Even a short research will rip many of those points made to pieces.

---------------
Looks like dassault has made approaches to Iraqi AF to sell Abu Dhabi's mirage 2k's.

[shyamd]

Interesting article published in the UAE National paper in 2008. Imagines what it would be like if UN security council reintegrates TSP and Bangladesh with India. Written By Sultan Saud Al Qassemi from Sharjah. Writes now and then for the Hindu.

Imagine if… the UN were to pass this resolution

New York, April 1st 2015:


In an unprecedented step, the Security Council of the United Nations voted in a heated session that extended late into Tuesday evening to withdraw the recognition of two member states. According to Resolution 2133, Pakistan and Bangladesh will both cease to be recognised in their current form beginning 2pm on the May 11, 2015. This is the first time that the world body has taken such a step, prompting the French representative to call it “an extremely special case”.

The UN Secretary General, Natasha Rabinovich, addressed a stormy press conference that was attended by representatives of the UN Security Council, which saw several journalists interrupt and challenge the decision. The Secretary General stated in reply to a question regarding the right of the UN to determine the future of peoples: “Taking into account that the security of these nations is integral to the security of the entire world, we deeply regret having to take such action but they cannot be allowed to continue to fail their people and the world community.”

The British ambassador to the UN, Sir John Steward, also addressed the press conference saying: “The global fight against terror requires stable governments to be able to provide security for their own population and eradicate terrorist breeding grounds.” Europe has been hit by a string of terror attacks that have been linked to fundamentalist training grounds based in the North-Western Pakistani borders with Afghanistan.

Reactions from the Pakistani government came swiftly via Masood Afzal, the country’s ambassador to the world body. “This is a completely illegal and unacceptable act,” he said, adding that: “The people of Pakistan will not stand for this and will fight the resolution by all means. It is not part of the mandate of the United Nations to dictate the fate of an entire nation which has elected a democratic government in a transparent and fair process”.

Riots broke out in the streets of Pakistan when the news was announced, with protesters demanding the use of the country’s nuclear weapons in the event of foreign troops entering Pakistani territory.

The United States, Britain and France voted in favour of the resolution. Russia and China both abstained, allowing the resolution to pass with a simple majority of nine of the 15 states serving on the UN Security Council.

In the six months since the resolution was tabled by the US and the European powers of the UK, France, Poland and Germany, known as the EU4, tensions have mounted in the Asian subcontinent with Pakistan’s President, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, repeatedly shuttling between Moscow and Beijing. Both capitals were expected to use their veto power against the resolution but according to observers, the emergence of India as a superpower and major trading partner, as well as a rising tide of militant Islamism especially within Pakistan in recent years, contributed to their abstention.

Sources inside the UN also reported that Russia received assurances from the US and the EU4 that included guarantees that no former Soviet state would be allowed into Nato before 2025. The same sources also expect a UN resolution to be passed in the coming months designating Tibet as an integral part of China, and Nima Lhamo, the Dalai Lama, as persona non grata within UN bodies.

The reintegration of Pakistan and Bangladesh into India reverses a seven decade-old independence process widely seen as having failed due to the deteriorating situation in each country with regards to education, health care, unemployment, rampant corruption and graft, as well as the mounting threat of global terrorism.

The foreign ministers of the US and the EU4 are expected to travel to the wealthy Arab Gulf states as well as Japan in order to raise the $30 billion that experts predict will be the cost of reintegrating the two states into India over the coming two years.

Although the resolution does not call for the use of force and is being billed as a “soft power” approach to world diplomacy, various countries and world organisations such as Human Rights Watch issued strongly worded condemnations.

The controversial resolution calls for the isolation of both states starting with a halt of all international flights from May 18, should their governments fail to start taking steps towards reintegration. Both nations will also be suspended from world bodies, and trade will only be allowed in essential items such as food and medicine from June 1. Also by then, the embassies of both Pakistan and Bangladesh in UN member nations will be required to be vacated and diplomats expelled. Only the representatives to the UN will be allowed to remain to coordinate humanitarian efforts, according to the resolution.

Mohammad Yunus, the President of the hunger and poverty stricken state of Bangladesh issued a joint statement with Aisha Mubarak, the country’s Prime Minister welcoming the UN resolution.

This article first appeared in The National on September 21 2008

Here is what he has to say about the Currency union.
Currency Union

First, the issue of monetary union has started to cause a serious case of currency fatigue amongst even the most ardent supporters of this fantastical idea. Doubts have been cast now that two countries have more or less officially pulled out of the currency union[3]. GCC nationals are wondering when the other four are going to admit that they have failed in the most basic of agreements. The sad fact that seems to have been overlooked is that before our esteemed officials realized the obvious necessity of a common GCC currency the region actually had one for over a century that was working perfectly well. It was called the Indian Rupee (it still exists today). A currency that was universal in every meaning of the word, accepted as legal tender from Iraq to Yemen even though India is thousands of miles away and without the assistance of the European Union, IMF, World Bank, countless consultants, research papers, and investment banks that have ultimately contributed to this collective failure that is evident today. There are very few excuses that could be presented to the people of the GCC other than simple apathy and the lack of conviction on the part of the officials. Some might argue for maintaining the status quo in which Mr. Ben Bernanke effectively plays the part of the GCC Central Bank Governor as he knowingly or not dictates the monetary policy of six independent nations from his good offices in Washington DC.

[Suppiah]

Is he really a Sultan or just a name?

[shyamd]

Lol, No. Just a name. He's quite close to ruling circles, and is a common source of info on govt affairs for global newspapers. But his opinions are not shared by everyone.

His piece after 26/11.

It's not enough for Muslims to be revolted by terror

"They knock on my door aggressively but I don't open it, I stay very quiet." The caller pauses briefly before continuing. "But I am fine." These were the words of UAE national Rashid al Owais, a 40-year-old marble trader whose business took him to Mumbai last week.

Rashid, a Muslim and an Arab, was among the hostages of the co-ordinated terrorist attacks by a cowardly crew of criminal gangsters. He was speaking to Dubai TV on Thursday night from his hotel room in the Oberoi Trident, where he had been holed up since the beginning of the siege. Naturally, the UAE was one of the first countries to condemn this "reprehensible crime".

The situation of the UAE is unique: its ties with India go back hundreds of years, and it is a country where the peaceful Indian community constitutes a majority of the foreign residents. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, an association of 56 Islamic states, also condemned the terror attacks stating that "these acts of violence contradict all human values and can be justified by nothing". Nothing is the key word here.

Since the evil attacks of September 11, moderate Muslims dread the news of yet another "holy attack" in which the name of their religion – which means peace – is used as an excuse for bloodthirsty savagery. In fact there is an unannounced air of relief among Muslims whenever perpetrators of violent attacks turn out to be from non-Islamic fundamentalist backgrounds. Such was the case during the Virginia Tech university massacre in April 2007 in which 32 mostly students were killed by a South Korean.

We like to remind others that like Rashid al Owais, Muslims are victims of terror, too. We also are mindful of other notorious non-Islamic groups that perpetuate violence, including Eta in Spain and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. The latter are responsible for up to 60,000 deaths and more than 200 suicide attacks, one of which took the life of Rajiv Gandhi, the then prime minister of India.

The perpetrators of last week's Mumbai attacks could not have chosen a more powerful symbol of humanity than India, with its beautiful mosaic of ethnicities – a mosaic that will undoubtedly continue to shine despite the crimes of an unrepresentative minority who hijack Islam whenever the state of their miserable existence dawns upon them.

India is a proud nation in which the Hindu majority embraces many minorities such as Muslims and Christians, and where they are able to dream and flourish. This is the country of Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, who as a poor boy in the mid 20th century was forced to sell newspapers to pay for his studies, but who grew up to be elected as the 11th president of over a billion people earlier this decade.

This is the country, too, of Azim Premji, a young Stanford graduate who had the opportunity to turn a fledgling family business called Western Indian Vegetable Products Limited, into a global software giant now called Wipro, making him until recently it's richest citizen.

This is the country of Shah Rukh Khan, an orphaned Muslim boy who rocketed into movie stardom and yet respects the religion of his wife and continues to place the Holy Quran next to Hindu gods in his house. This is the country of the Taj Mahal, the most magnificent Islamic structure in the world, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

But most importantly, this is the country of the everyday man and woman, Hindu, Christian and Muslim, who wake up each morning and often embark on a journey that could last several hours, leaving their loved ones behind in order to build better lives for their families. This vision of humanity is at odds with the beliefs of terrorists, brainwashed thugs who also leave their homes and embark on a journey – but in their case to commit murder.

It is not enough for moderate Muslims to be revolted by the attacks in Mumbai as we have been revolted by the attacks on the New York office towers, Amman wedding, London transport system, Madrid trains, Beslan school, Jerusalem pizzeria, Baghdad markets and numerous other places. It is time to take a serious stand against these perpetrators and reclaim our religion.

Muslims must be more vocal in their sentiments regarding such criminals, and Islamic states must counter this behaviour proactively. To borrow from an unpopular phrase, the Islamic states must launch a psychological pre-emptive strike against these terrorists and more importantly those who encourage them. Muslim preachers who fail to condemn terror must either be re-educated or discredited completely, and those who excuse terror using certain conflicts as a pretext must be silenced because the poison that they spread today will come back to haunt us all tomorrow.

Some media outlets can also act as a conduit for the terrorists' propaganda. The stories of reformed radicals such as Sayed Imam, also known as Dr Fadl, must be highlighted to the ignorant minority. Our message must be clear: "These acts of violence contradict all human values and can be justified by nothing."

Nothing.

This article was published in The National on Sunday 30-11-2008

[Suppiah]

Mob lynching with cries of AOA in Lebanon

Lynching is not so uncommon but..

[shyamd]

Abbas asks China to support Iran sanctions as Palestinians would die in ME war

The two-day Indo-Oman joint commission meeting begins from June 5
Sharma’s gulf visit to push bilateral trade

Huma Siddiqui
Posted: Saturday, May 01, 2010 at 0026 hrs IST
Updated: Saturday, May 01, 2010 at 0026 hrs IST

New Delhi: India is going into an overdrive with its plan to attract investments from the gulf region. This is in addition to the country’s efforts to have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the region.

Cooperation with industries from West Asia will top the agenda of commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma’s visits to the region.

“The minister who will be representing the Indian side will apart from discussing bilateral trade between the two countries will also look at joint venture opportunities,” Oman ambassador to India Sheikh Humaid Bin Ali Bin Sultan Al-mani told FE.

“This is an annual meeting that is held alternately in Muscat and New Delhi. However, this JCM is taking place after two years and the expectations are very high on both sides,” said Omani envoy.

Accompanied by a high-level business delegation, the minister will be representing the Indian side at the two day Indo-Oman joint commission meeting from June 5.

This will be followed by a joint business council meeting where Ficci will be organising a high profile business delegation which will have joint interactions in an attempt to identify different and new sectors for investments.

According to senior officials, Oman is in a major way trying to diversify its economy and is now looking at other sectors including ceramics, food processing, healthcare, hospitality, where both countries are seeking investments and joint ventures.

Infact, the past decade has seen India become a significant trading partner for Oman, with bilateral trade rising from $200m at the start of the decade to almost $2.5 billion last year. The year 2010 will see those trade relations become more important, as Oman becomes the first foreign country to establish a joint fund to invest in India. “The India Oman joint fund will not be inked during the visit of the commerce minister, rather the minister of finance from Oman is expected to come to India to ink the joint fund,” said Al-mani.

While the agendas of the visits are still in the process of being finalised, Sharma will also travel to Dubai, to inaugurate the ‘Made in India’ trade fair from June 7-8, which seeks to highlight the country’s attractiveness as an investment destination. Also during his meetings with senior officials will review the bilateral trade with UAE as well as invite businessmen from that country to invest in India.

[shyamd]

Hyderabad plot casts light on renewed Lashkar threat
Praveen Swami

Enigmatic terror commander Rehan's networks had links across the Indian Ocean rim

Early last year, Research and Analysis Wing agents escorted a quiet, bespectacled Kerala resident off a flight from Muscat to Bengaluru: the Indian face of a Lashkar-e-Taiba network stretching across the Indian Ocean rim, from Oman and Dubai to Karachi and across southern India into Dhaka.

This weekend's arrest of Hyderabad jihadist Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, who is alleged by police to have been preparing to attack top multinational Deloitte's offices, has focussed attention on the renewed offensive intent of the Lashkar's Indian Ocean network. Police believe that Zia-ul-Haq's cell, was run by an enigmatic Lashkar operative known to his associates by Mohammad Rehan, Shamim, and Wali Sahib — a man India's intelligence services believe has been responsible for a string of attacks across southern India.

Finding Rehan could help unravel the Lashkar's southern Indian networks, and cast new light on a string of terrorist attacks including the November 2008 carnage in New Delhi — but the fugitive terror commander remains out of reach of Indian law.

Much of what Indian investigators know of Pakistan-origin Rehan's role in running jihadist networks in southern India comes from Sarfaraz Nawaz — the Ernakulam man who was deported by Oman authorities in 2009 and brought home under RAW escort. A former Students Islamic Movement of India activist, Nawaz is being tried on charges of helping finance and execute the July 2008 bombings in Bangalore.

In the summer of 2007, police say, Nawaz was introduced to Rehan by a common friend based in Muscat. The two men spoke at length about the oppression of Muslims in India. Nawaz, by his account to investigators, said his personal circumstances did not permit him to train with the Lashkar — but agreed to help find recruits from Kerala.

Nawaz turned to Tadiyantavide Nasir, a Kerala-based jihadist who was in the process of setting up a jihadist group run out of a ginger plantation in Madikere, near Kodagu in Karnataka. Nasir's cell, made up of an unlikely mix of Kerala Islamists and men linked to a Sufi order in Hyderabad, is alleged to have been set up by Lashkar funds routed through Nawaz. In March 2008, Nawaz travelled to Kerala, and met with Nasir to discuss plans to bomb Bengaluru.

Rehan, investigators say, was briefed on the plans at a meeting in Muscat in late March, 2008. The $2,500 paid for the bombings is alleged to have been routed by the Lashkar to Nawaz, and on to Nasir, through a chain of hawala operators. In the event, the bombs malfunctioned. Rehan now insisted that the cell make available volunteers for expert training at Lashkar camps in Pakistan.

Later that year, five men were joined to despatch a Lashkar unit operating in the mountains around Kupwara, in Jammu and Kashmir. Four were killed in a shootout with the Army; a fifth, Abdul Jabbar, was arrested.

Fearful of the fallout, Rehan arranged for Nasir to escape into Bangladesh. Early in November 2008, Nawaz was instructed to meet with the Lashkar's key covert operative in Bangladesh, Mubashir Shahid. Pakistan-origin Shahid, who has since been held by Bangladesh authorities, made over funds for Nasir's journey, as well as compensation intended to have been routed to the families of the four men killed in Kupwara. He also provided numbers for contacts in Kolkata who could help Nasir cross the border.

Nasir himself was eventually held by Bangladesh authorities near Chittagong in November 2009 and handed over to India.
Mumbai links

Late in 2008, Oman authorities cracked down on the Lashkar's operations in Muscat, after intelligence emerged that local residents linked to the jihadist groups were planning strikes in the city. Key among them was Abdul Aziz al-Hooti, the son of an Omani father and Indian mother. Al-Hooti is said to have recruited Fahim Arshad Ansari — an alleged Lashkar covert operative facing multiple terrorism charges, who was acquitted on Monday by a Mumbai court, of crimes related to the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai.

Oman investigators were, however, unable to locate Rehan himself. Government sources said the United Arab Emirates had been less than cooperative in the hunt for the Dubai-based Lashkar operative, for reasons that are still unclear.

Interestingly, al-Hooti was in Mumbai between November 9, 2008 and November 17, 2008 — returning home to Oman just days before the attacks. Oman investigators have told India he called Nawaz twice from the city during this time.

Many in India's intelligence services suspect that al-Hooti, who frequently travelled to India, may have knowledge of the surveillance operations that preceded the November 26 attacks on Mumbai. In testimony to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pakistani-American jihadist David Headley said he was shown a mock-up of the Taj Mahal Hotel when he was first ordered to conduct reconnaissance in the building, and asked to prepare videotape of particular areas. That suggests earlier reconnaissance was conducted — but by whom is still not known.

Finding Rehan — and dismantling the Lashkar's offensive apparatus — has become all the more imperative in the wake of Zia-ul-Haq's arrest.

I think this article doesnt say everything about Al Hooti. Oman has given some answers to queries by RAW - the bit about Al Hooti calling Nawaz twice from Mumbai before 26/11. I also think that even if Al Hooti was a crucial link in 26/11, Oman won't speak about it as it doesnt want to get bad press.

-------------------------
Kingdom, India plan mutual fund

By Hamdan Al-Harbi

NEW DELHI - Faisal Bin Tarad, the Saudi Ambassador to India, has said that the Saudi and Indian governments are planning to set up a mutual fund with capital of between $500 million and $750 million for private sector joint investments.
“The Saudi government will provide two thirds of the fund, and India a third,” Tarad said.
The fund is expected to be operational within a year once all the legal aspects related to its signing have been finalized.
Tarad also revealed that contracts worth over SR1 billion had been signed with Indian companies to provide pilgrim buses.
“Saudi Arabia is beginning to take more interest in India,” Tarad said. “There are real opportunities for economic cooperation, although Indian investors have been more active than their Saudi counterparts, investing $2.5 billion, a figure far higher than that for Saudi investments in India.”
He described investment opportunities as particularly evident in “energy production, road building and technology”, and revealed a ministerial visit planned for later this year.
“A large Saudi trade delegation headed by Minister of Trade and Industry Abdullah Zainal will visit India in August to look at investment opportunities for Saudi businessmen,” he said.
He noted increased business opportunities with the continued growth of India’s economy, which, he said, had not fallen below 7.2 percent over the past ten years, even during the world economic crisis, adding that trade exchange between the two countries had increased ten-fold over the years due to the Kingdom’s oil exports, the Delhi Declaration, and the strategic partnership between the two countries.
“India used to import 25 percent of its energy needs from the Kingdom, and that rose to 35 percent following the recent visit of the Indian prime minister to the Kingdom,” he added.
Indian exports to the Kingdom, meanwhile, have gone up from $1 billion to $4.5 billion over the last 10 years, while Saudi Arabian exports reached $25 billion, said Tarad.
The ambassador also spoke of the technology valleys projects in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam which were recently approved by the Cabinet, and building cooperation with the main Chambers of Commerce in India.
“We are at the moment coming close to opening a trade attaché to serve investment between the two countries, and Saudi universities have begun signing memorandums of understanding with universities and centers working in technology in India, which will be a catalyst for other universities to benefit from scientific research in India,” he said. – Okaz/SG

A big trade delegation eh... So what was Prince Salman doing in india??

[shyamd]

Navies from Indian Ocean Region to chalk out anti-piracy plan

NEW DELHI: Navies from as many as 35 nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) will meet next week at Abu Dhabi to debate and chalk out an action plan for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, among other things.

The three-day meeting will be held under the aegis of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a unique endeavour to forge cooperation among navies in IOR, which was launched in India in 2008. It includes countries ranging from Australia and Myanmar to Pakistan and Egypt, with US, UK and Japan having applied for "observer status''.

The second conclave of the IOR naval chiefs, IONS-2010 will be held from May 10 to 12, during which the grouping's chairmanship will pass from Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma to his UAE counterpart for a two-year tenure.

"IONS-2010 will discuss efficiency in anti-piracy operations where the expertise gained by the navies in countering piracy threat will be shared and other means of tackling the menace will be worked out,'' said assistant chief of naval staff (foreign cooperation and intelligence), Rear Admiral Sudharshan Shrikhande on Thursday.

Asked if the Abu Dhabi confabulations could lead to the formation of an IOR task force, on the lines of the European and the US-led combined task forces operating off Somalia, he said anti-piracy measures were on the agenda but it would take time for some "specific initiative'' to take concrete shape.

IONS-2010 will also debate technical expertise sharing, intelligence and information sharing among the IOR navies, apart from cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

It will focus on "reinforcement of regional stability and establishment of good order at sea, cooperative efforts to enhance maritime security including threats, risks and vulnerabilities and regional capacity building and capability enhancement''.

Man held after attempt to sell fake Indian rupees

The suspect, who confessed his crime, has been charged with counterfeiting, according to Police records.

* By Siham Al NajamiStaff Reporter
* Published: 00:00 May 8, 2010
* Gulf News

Dubai: Police foiled an attempt to market over one million fake Indian rupees into the UAE.

The financial crime department received information on April 20 that there is a man who is attempting to sell fake Indian rupees and that he is looking for possible buyers, said Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Director of the Criminal Investigations Department of Dubai Police.

Israel or Iran? Antony chooses Oman

SUJAN DUTTA

New Delhi, May 7: Dodging a visit to Israel despite repeated invitations, defence minister A.K. Antony has now asked a high-level military delegation led by the defence secretary to balance a trip to Tel Aviv with another to Tehran.

Antony himself has chosen the non-controversial shores of Oman, which he is scheduled to visit on May 18-19.

Defence secretary Pradeep Kumar is set to lead successive delegations to Israel and Iran later this month. The visit to Tel Aviv was a given because of the robust defence relations between India and Israel that both countries keep under wraps as far as possible. But significantly, Antony himself is not scheduling a visit, though it is long overdue on reciprocal terms — the last trip was by the Israeli defence minister.

The visit to Iran, probably the first at such a high level from the defence establishment in five years, is expected to counter-balance the criticism that Antony faces at home because of the ties with Israel.

The little revival in India-Iran military ties — on a steady downslide since New Delhi voted against Tehran twice at the International Atomic Energy Agency — will be taking place at a time India is pondering the future of its involvement in Afghanistan since President Barack Obama signalled that the US was in exit mode.

Antony has put off his Israel visit twice. New Delhi had also urged Tel Aviv to defer a second consecutive visit by the Israeli defence minister (Ehud Barak) in 2008. Antony has a record of being touchy about the Left’s questioning of India’s intense defence relations with Israel — which is now its second-largest supplier of military hardware after Russia. But the visit to Iran — Israel and Iran are foes — is likely to offset such doubts because it would allow the government to argue that it is pursuing a policy of multilateral initiatives.

It is likely that the defence secretary’s delegation to Iran will include a team from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The BRO completed a 217km highway between Zaranj and Delaram in Afghanistan in 2008. But for a short stretch, the road can connect the Iranian port of Chabahar — through which the BRO shipped most of its equipment — to the “Garland” Highway that connects major cities in Afghanistan and is a potential land route for Indian personnel and equipment to central Asian countries.

India and Iran had strong military relations till 2005. Both countries use largely Soviet/Russian-origin hardware. In the 1980s and the 1990s, the Indian military helped refurbish the Iran army’s T-72 tanks (which it also uses) and Indian naval bases serviced Iran’s Kilo-class submarines (that are also in the Indian Navy’s fleet).

In 2002, a BRO team had visited Iran for a feasibility study on building bridges near the port of Chabahar. But since five Iranian sailors were accepted for a training course in the Indian Navy in 2007, there has been practically no military exchange between the two nations even as the US rhetoric against Iran’s nuclear capabilities rose in pitch and tenor.

Iran’s foreign minister, Manouchehr Moutaki, visited India in November last year. In contrast, successive Israeli military delegations have been coming to India — at the rate of one every two months and in December last year even two in one month. Israel also has joint projects with the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation to make short-range and medium-range missiles.

[shyamd]

Prince Khaled bin Sultan (Crown Prince's son) has come out in the open and said that he wants to be the future Defense minister of KSA. He is currently assisstant Def Min and pretty much runs the ministry.

He was in Kuwait last week and reportedly met british officials to talk about the Eurofighter.

-----------------
Reliance Petroleum is about to get immensely rich as their Kurdistan oil contracts may get legalised by the central government in Baghdad. Lets hope they discover oil there.
-----------------
UAE has discussed buying the Klub cruise missile with Russia.
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KSA is having naval cooperation with Singapore.
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AK Anthony due in Oman next week 18th/19th. It will probably discuss INSAS.
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Iran's 8 day naval exercise plans to stop naval invaders, official press announcement mentioned the exercise will also be on Indian and Pakistani seas (IMO its a veiled warning towards Indian and TSP support to any US/Israeli strike). They would like to project power upto Sea of Aden. Indian navy must prepare to defend its interests and protect its trade routes from any disruption whether Iranian or any other.

Iran practices tactics for driving US fleet from Gulf oil routes

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report May 8, 2010, 1:17 PM (GMT+02:00)

Tags: Iranian naval exercise US-Persian Gulf
Giant shore-to-sea Saegheh in exercise

In Phases Two and Three of Iran's biggest sea exercise ever (May 6-7), debkafile's military sources report its Navy and Revolutionary Guards acted out a scenario for driving US naval forces out of the Persian Gulf after defeating them - as well as responding to potential retaliatory American WMD strikes.
Thursday night, May 6, Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki meanwhile informed the 15 Security Council members he invited to dinner at UN headquarters, New York, that his government would "definitely continue its nuclear program." They all attended including a low-ranking US official.
The eight-day war game, dubbed "The Last Prophet" or "Judgment Day," spans a 250,000-kilometer area from the strategic Hormuz Strait to the Gulf of Aden, with the accent for the first time on the Indian Ocean.

Iran has mobilized the best part of its naval, air, commando and elite forces for a drill whose codenames signal its goals: Simulating Iran's perception of its final battle with America and its ending with US forces beaten and put to flight from the regions covered by the exercise. Thereupon, a victorious Islamic Republic of Iran is seen as assuming the role of regional superpower.

Iranian officials told observers from neighboring countries that Persian Gulf security can be achieved without a "foreign military presence" in the strategic waters. The Iranian Navy, they said, had demonstrated its fitness for sole responsibility over the security of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world's crude is channeled to market.
..............................

This disclosure meant Iran had already begun grabbing control of the oil routes from the American and emirates' fleets.
The Iranian naval officer went on to describe the second phase of the exercise as "involving the detection and subsequent destruction of marine and submarine targets as well as conducting rescue drills for chemical, biological and nuclear strikes."
The information not disclosed by Tehran is that, according to debkafile's military and intelligence sources, Iran's entire fighter-bomber fleet flew the full extent of its flight range as far as the Arabian Sea and northern Indian Ocean, appearing for the first time over the Somali coast. Iran thus flexed its aerial muscles in pursuit of a far-reaching ambition to displace American naval strength - not only in a broad perimeter around its shores but as far afield as the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea approaches.

---------------
shyamd, i've deleted your last comment. If you have something with a link to it, pls post the link. If it is hearsay, I would prefer it not be online ... thank you for understanding.

[abhishek_sharma]

Gold stones, glass houses

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... ass_houses

[shyamd]

Another Ghar Waapsi:
‘Supplier’ of satphones to terrorists flown to Delhi from Dubai

Dubai-based Indian national Sajjad Sheikh, who allegedly supplied satellite phones, wireless sets, explosives and detonators to terror outfits, was today extradited to India from the UAE and taken into custody by the Special Cell of Delhi Police.

Sheikh, who is in his 40s, was flown to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi from Dubai where he was arrested earlier this year. Indian and UAE agencies completed his extradition formalities last month. He was flown to Delhi on an Indian Airlines flight.

“We picked him up from the airport itself. He is in custody and is being questioned about other agents in India and abroad who supply timers, detonators, wireless sets and Thuraya satellite phones to terror outfits,” sources told The Indian Express.

It is alleged that Sheikh had been supplying satellite phones, wireless sets and explosives to terror outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad, for the last 10 years.

Seems to be a big catch!!!

UAE extradites suspected Al Badr man to India

Updated on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 18:20 IST

New Delhi: A 35-year-old man, wanted in connection with seizure of communication equipment meant for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir five years ago, has been extradited from Dubai and arrested here, police said today.

Sheikh Sajjad, suspected to be linked to terror outfit Al Badr, was extradited on Saturday from Dubai where he was detained for his alleged involvement in sending hi-tech communication equipment, including satellite phones, meant for the militants. The consignment from Jeddah was seized at IGI airport.

Upon his arrival here, Sajjad was arrested by Special Cell which produced him before duty magistrate on Sunday. Yesterday, he was again produced before the court which sent him to police custody till May 16.

Police had sought 14 days' custody but the court allowed only nine days. Sajjad's lawyer said that his client had claimed that he was in a Gulf jail for the past four and a half years after India alerted authorities there about him.

Police had claimed that the Customs Preventive Unit had on June 8, 2005 seized a consignment from Saudi Arabian city Jeddah which included satellite phones and high-frequency wireless sets.

The consignment had landed up at the cargo complex of the IGI and was to be delivered at Srinagar.

Investigators found the presence of 40 Thuraya satellite phones, dozens of high frequency wireless sets, detonators and powder like substance during packet mapping.

Mohd Amin Khan, a resident of Srinagar who approached the customs officials to claim the consignment, was arrested a week later.

At his instance, one Ubaid was also apprehended, a senior police official said, adding their interrogation led them to Sajjad.

Ubaid was later acquitted by a court while Amin, who had a shoe shop in Chandni Chowk, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in this case.

PTI

[ramana]

So who does this extradiation form Gulf work? Do they send the guy with escort on a non-stop flight or what? I mean how can they be sure he isnt absconding in a transit lounge? Or does he get arrested on the plane on boarding as its considered like a ship and thus Indian?

[JE Menon]

Ramana, our relationship with most of these gulf states is exceedingly close. Don't go by the crap in the media. We have sufficient clout and influence there, across the spectrum. Operating procedures vary, as you might well guess. Generally, to the best of my understanding, even if local guys are involved in the escort up to a point, one of our chaps will be around, and then we take over fully at a certain point - perhaps on the tarmac as suggested above.

[shyamd]

I agree, it varies and depends on the situation. Sarfraz Nawaz was meant to be secret so they sent a Gulf stream along with a minister probably. I'd guess they are usually taken onto plane with local police and indian personell. Indian personel escort the person. However in this case, I think there is more to it as the media isn't sure when he was arrested. And court gave 9 days remand instead of 14, probably meaning he was arrested 5 days before. Some sources say saturday. Some say sunday.

[shyamd]

From IISS Manama Dialogue

In a previously unreported comment, U.S. Centcom commander Gen. David Petraeus said last week that the United Arab Emirates, a key U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, has the capability to overpower Iran's Air Force.

"The Emirati Air Force itself could take out the entire Iranian Air Force, I believe, given that it's got ... somewhere around 70 Block 60 F-16 fighters, which are better than the U.S. F-16 fighters," Petraeus said during remarks at a recent conference put on in Bahrain by the International Institute for Strategic Studies last week.

In a related development, the new nuclear agreement between the U.S. and the UAE entered into force today, with the signing ceremony presided over by Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Ellen Tauscher and UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba.

"In today's world, we must find ways to meet the demand for clean energy and to recognize the right that all nations have to pursue the peaceful use of nuclear power. But we need to achieve this balance without increasing the risk of the proliferation of nuclear weapons and material," Tauscher said.

She praised the UAE for agreeing to import nuclear fuel, rather than producing it through reprocessing or enrichment. Tauscher also praised the UAE as a partner in the drive to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The agreement, often referred to as the 123 agreement, provides for transfers of nuclear technology and knowhow to the UAE in exchange for its commitment to nonproliferation standards. (Meanwhile there are still concerns that members of the ruling family in the UAE are actually facilitating illicit weapons transfers to Iran.)

President Obama sent the agreement to Congress in May. It was negotiated and signed by the previous administration.

[shyamd]

Antony to visit Oman on May 17
MRUDU NAIK
Monday, May 10, 2010 5:33:51 AM Oman Time

MUSCAT: Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony will arrive on an official visit to the Sultanate of Oman from May 17 to 19.

His visit is a part of the high level exchange of visits between India and the Sultanate of Oman.

The minister is expected to hold high-level talks with senior Omani ministers and officials.

Antony, who is on a two-day itinerary, will hold meetings with his Oman counterpart on a one-to-one basis.

Speaking to Times of Oman Indian Ambassador Anil Wadhwa said, “He will exchange views with leadership on bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern and also review our bilateral defence cooperation with his counterpart.”

India and the Sultanate of Oman have been exchanging a lot of high level visits lately.

His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers of Oman visited India in December 2007 and Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh visited Oman in November 2008.

Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry had visited India in January for the Confederation of Indian Industry’s conference in Chennai where he was the keynote speaker.

Maqbool bin Ali Sultan also attended the India-Arab Investment Projects Conclave being organised in association with FICCI held in February in New Delhi.

In an earlier interview Anil Wadhwa had said, “Political relations between India and Oman are in great shape. These visits will boost partnerships between the two countries and bilateral ties in the recent times have played a key role in further building up of stronger international relations.”

The year is likely to see exchanges in the area of health, cultural, economic, education, science and technology.

[shyamd]

IOL:
Turkey and Israel are breaking their secret pact which they have had in place since 1958. Due to the islamist leaning Erdogan. Mossad and MIT formed info exchange agreement on what was called the Trident along with the Shah's intelligence service of Iran. They cooperated with each other since those days. Turkey was a major customer along with India for Israeli defence eqpt. Israeli air force pilots travelled to Turkey for training and were allowed to use turkish airspace for training because Israel itself is extremely small, so Turkey was a big help. Israeli fighter aircraft have not had this right in a year, and in October 2009, Ankara annulled the Anatolean Eagle manoeuvres. It was Mossad that helped connect the Iraqi Kurds to Turkey, and Turkey and Iraqi Kurds worked together to get rid of the Kurdish group PKK. The Turkish Military Intelligence (MIT) worked with Mossad against Palestinian Islamist groups and Syria. Israeli intelligence service had permission to monitor Syrian military manoeuvres from Turkish soil.

Turkish military were hoping to buy Barak and Spike missiles - but these are now put on hold. Ashkenazi was sent to try and solve the problems with Turkish mili chief, but to no avail.

--------------------------
Hezbollah is receiving training in using Pantsyr S1 SAM's, which syria has chosen to deploy on the border with israel and give some to hezb to use on lebanese border in anticipation of an air assault this summer. Debka has been anticipating war this summer.
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Israeli French have been having secret cooperation with the 2 air forces. Israeli boys have secretly visited Landes along with Mossad personel escort from the israeli embassy in paris. They came to learn air maneuvers and anti radar strikes, also how to evade ECM systems. But with Iran's nuclear programme giving rise to a lot of contingency planning among Western military chiefs, the war games help allied airforces get some joint skill on SEAD missions - one of the specialities of Landes centre, in southern france.

-----------------------
I had said a few weeks ago that the Chinese had recruited a senior Polish intel officer and he was living in France. Well just a week after the IOL report was published, the guy turned up mysteriously washed up in a Warsaw river, in a body bag. The body was decomposed but the papers were all fresh. Along with the bodybag they found bank statements. Without even waiting for confirmation of DNA tests that the body was of the missing intel officer, the state secretary for intelligence in Poland said that the body was the missing intel officer. It has embarresed polish PM. The missing officer was highly familiar with NATO codes and encryptions.
----------------
Chinese intel have recruited the French embassy DGSE Station chief, and he is now living in Beijing with protection from Local agencies. Apparently he fell in love with his chinese interpreter - his wife refused to join him in beijing. suprise suprise! How much he gave away is a closely guarded secret, so he might have given details of how DGSE is run etc and who their sources in china are. A

[ramana]

X-post...

Pakistan's bomb and Saudi ArabiaWestern intelligence officials believe that Pakistan has pledged to provide nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia in a Middle East crisis, but would Islamabad keep its end of the bargain?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/julian- ... audiarabia

Achieving break-out capacity

Putting it briefly: Turkey would not jeopardise the Nato umbrella by going nuclear unilaterally. Egypt has considered its options and decided it cannot afford to go nuclear and risk losing its annual US grant. The biggest worry is Saudi Arabia, which cannot rely on a US nuclear umbrella for reasons of domestic and regional politics. According to western intelligence sources (the meeting was under Chatham House rules so I am not allowed to be more specific) the Saudi monarchy paid for up to 60% of the Pakistani nuclear programme, and in return has the option to buy a small nuclear arsenal ('five to six warheads) off the shelf if things got tough in the neighbourhood.

There is a third partner in the relationship, the US, who might have something to say about it and the means to exert pressure to make sure it did not happen. Still, it remains one of the more likely dominoes to fall in a worst-case scenario.

Shyamd,
This ties into what you were alluding to some pages back about KSA and TSP ties and heartburn.

What caused the KSA introspection was that the TSP bomb turned up a bum deal.

[sum]

Chinese intel have recruited the French embassy DGSE Station chief, and he is now living in Beijing with protection from Local agencies.

Wow...the Chinese intel agencies are really upping their tradecraft!!!

[shyamd]

Ramana, busy with things at the moment. Will get back to you soon.
----------
Huma Siddiqui has some more on Anthony visit to Oman. Statements by Indian Ambassador in Oman are similar to the Omani counterpart in New Delhi.
Antony to review defence ties during his Oman visit
Huma Siddiqui

Posted: Friday, May 14, 2010 at 2219 hrs IST
Updated: Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 2228 hrs IST

New Delhi: Combating the persistent problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden would top the agenda of talks between India and Oman as the defence minister pays a visit to the Gulf country early next week.

In the recent past there has been an increase in the incidences of piracy in the Gulf of Aden that could be a threat to global maritime trade for even a decade down the line.

Talking to FE, the ambassador of Oman in New Delhi, Humaid Al Maani said, “The minister AK Antony, who will hold meetings with his Oman counterpart on a one-to-one basis, will discuss the issue of piracy and on efforts of securing safe sea lanes for trade between our two countries.”

According to Maani, “This visit is part of the high-level exchange of visits between India and the Sultanate of Oman. The defence minister will hold high-level talks with senior Omani ministers and officials.”

“During his maiden visit to that country, not only will the minister exchange views with leadership on bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern, he will also review bilateral defence cooperation with his counterpart,” said senior officials in the ministry of defence.

India and the Sultanate of Oman have been exchanging a lot of high level visits lately. In June, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma—accompanied by a high-level delegation—will visit that country in an effort to attract investments as well as step up efforts for free trade agreement (FTA) in the region.

Apart from safe sea-lanes, defence exports from India to Oman will also be on the agenda. As reported earlier in FE, Oman is the first country in the Gulf region to procure assault rifle INSAS (Indian small arms system), built by the state-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

The indigenously built rifle was sent to Muscat in March and is currently undergoing trial for the Oman army.

“Oman has informed us that the rifles have successfully passed the trial run. INSAS will, in all likelihood, be the standard assault rifle of the Royal Oman Army,” said an OFB official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

India will be supplying the 5.56 mm assault rifle to Oman. The weapon has been sent as part of the India-Oman comprehensive defence agreement of 2003. (My comment: Thanks to Pranab's efforts)

“If a deal is struck with Oman, the quantity and size of the deal will not be made public,” said major general VK Narula, additional director general (public relations) of the Indian Army. (Reflects the nature of our cooperation with Oman and HM Sultan Qaboos's attitude's - he likes to give Oman a quiet profile)

In December 2005, India and Oman signed a comprehensive defence memorandum of agreement (MoU) aimed at strengthening naval cooperation. Several Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercises have been successfully carried out and have met the underlying aims of the operation.

As per a defence agreement signed in 2008 between India and Oman, a maritime security arrangement was concluded as well as possibilities of stationing Indian troops in Oman. (First time that the press are specifically saying that this deal was signed with Oman)

The state-owned Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has previously delivered three tugboats to Oman and is now getting orders from Oman due to its efficiency.

In October 2009, India and Oman conducted their first joint air exercises, code named Eastern Bridge, at the Royal Air Force of Oman base at Thumrait.

The aim of our Jaguars was to work with F-16's, improve coordination. Official aim was pirates, but imo target was Balochistan. Hedge for the future by the West. Oman already running a 'formidable' intel ring in Balochistan according to orbat.com .
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Wow now this is big. WAM is the official news outlet of the UAE (usually announces royal weddings and anything royal related). This being listed on their website is very significant and this reflects the official position on Indo-TSP ties by UAE royals.

Give India and Pakistan space, UAE paper

May 13, 2010 - 09:50 -

WAM Abu Dhabi, May 13, 2010 (WAM) -- The meeting between Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers, fixed for July 15, should signify an important step forward in the resumption of bilateral ties between the two neighbours, commented a UAE daily.

"With the shadow of the Mumbai terrorist attacks last year and the spectre of terrorism threatening to destroy whatever little trust exists between the two countries, it is time for the respective parties to draw up a comprehensive agenda for dialogue and the speedy implementation of confidence-building measures. The process of conversation which will, in all probability, be set on important and multiple agendas, should be cloaked in optimism and realism", said Dubai-based English language newspaper " Gulf News" in its today's editorial.

"Confidence-building measures are the need of the hour and the brittle nature of the current relationship should be fashioned by solidity. The international community should take a step back and allow these two mature nations to chalk out an independent process of discourse without any interference from those who have their own schemes" , the paper concluded.

WAM/AM

WOW! Strong words at the end!

Guys please forward this article to friends.

[sum]

As per a defence agreement signed in 2008 between India and Oman, a maritime security arrangement was concluded as well as possibilities of stationing Indian troops in Oman. (First time that the press are specifically saying that this deal was signed with Oman)

Is this just a theoretical future option or is this going to happen very soon?

The aim of our Jaguars was to work with F-16's, improve coordination. Official aim was pirates, but imo target was Balochistan. Hedge for the future by the West. Oman already running a 'formidable' intel ring in Balochistan according to orbat.com .

Is India getting any access to info generated form this intel ring?

[shyamd]

Sum, Maritime security agreement is important and will grow and forms the main basis of our relationship with Oman. I don't know about info sharing, but perhaps you should refer to the original statement made by orbat.com on the subject by Mandeep SIngh Bajwa.

--------------------
Did Omani carry out Mumbai recce for 26/11 before Headley?

NEW DELHI: David Coleman Headley was not the only 'foreigner' deployed by Lashkar-e-Taiba for organizing the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, ongoing investigations reveal. In a fresh twist to the 26/11 attack investigations, credible evidence is emerging that some of the logistics for the LeT plot may have come from the Gulf region.

According to dependable sources in the security establishment, an Omani national, Abdul Aziz al-Hooti aka Ali, may have played a major role in assisting LeT execute the operation. As of now, the investigators believe that Ali provided some of the SIM cards used in the Mumbai attacks by the 10 terrorists who landed in Mumbai on November 26, 2008. Ali is currently in the custody of Oman authorities for plotting to carry out terror attacks in Oman.

A source in the Indian security establishment told TOI that they were in touch with the Oman authorities for further cooperation.

Ali is an Omani citizen married to a Chinese woman, but has strong links in India. His mother is from the Sangli area of Maharashtra and probably has wide contacts in the state. Sources said Ali was in Maharashtra for several days just before the attacks. It is not clear where he travelled to, and who all he kept in touch with during his stay in the state. Those details could reveal the local angle to the Mumbai attacks.

First details of Ali's specific involvement emerged during the interrogation of Sarfaraz Nawaz, a Malayali who was arrested in Oman and is now in Indian custody, for masterminding the July 25, 2008 Bangalore blasts. Nawaz was brought to India sometime last year. Omani national Ali had told Nawaz that he brought at least five SIM cards from Mumbai and passed it on to LeT before the 26/11 attacks.

However, sources now believe that Ali had far more involvement in the Mumbai attack than just providing the SIM cards. Among the possibilities are, speculated a source in the security establishment, that Ali may have provided the initial recce of Mumbai before Headley entered the scene and that Ali may have also arranged some local logistics help.

It has always been a mystery to investigators how the 10 terrorists who landed in Mumbai could so well carry out the carnage, on many occasions exhibiting military precision and extreme familiarity far beyond GPS precision and Google Earth. From the very day of the attack, many seasoned intelligence and security experts suspected that the terrorists had local support. Even today, many investigators believe that Headley's recce of Mumbai was not just enough for the execution of the carnage. Revelations on Ali now shed more light on the enormous planning that went into the Mumbai attacks.

The Indian security establishment now has a far better understanding of the influence of LeT in the Gulf region, and believes Ali was a key operator for the agency. They believe Ali, around 32 years old, helped in the movement of LeT recruits from India to Pakistan for training.

Among those whose movement to Pakistan Ali facilitated is Fahim Ansari, who was arrested for terrorist activities in India but was recently acquitted in the Mumbai attack case. Ali lived opposite the Royal Palace in Muscat and owns a transport business, Barkat Ali Ikha, Ruwi, which may be partially funded by LeT, sources say. Ali was also into actively recruiting expatriates for LeT from the Gulf region.

More on Ali Abdul Aziz al Hooti. I don't understand why this fuss was being kicked up now, because I had said before that this guy was involved in 26/11, after the fact that Omani authorities mentioned Ali was in Mumbai a few weeks before 26/11. Indian authorities were aware of this for the past 1 year. Why investigate this angle now?

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More on the Anthony visit from MoD.

Link

“India and Oman have a vibrant military cooperation,” the spokesman said, adding after the signing of a protocol agreement on military relations in 1972, the last decade has seen “an increase” of military relations between the two nations”.
.............
Coming from all parts of India, they include skilled workers and technicians and professionals such as doctors, engineers, bankers, finance experts and senior management officers in the private sector.

Antony’s Oman trip comes after he twice chose not to visit Israel despite repeated invitations. The minister also avoided a trip to Iran - given that Israel and Iran share bitter ties. Tehran has severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Tel Aviv.

Israel is India’s second-largest supplier of military hardware after Russia, though the defence ties between the two countries are largely kept under wraps. India’s Left parties have been severely critical of New Delhi’s strategic ties with Israel.

India and Iran also shared strong military relations till 2005. But the ties witnessed a steady downslide after New Delhi twice voted against Tehran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Sources said that in an attempted balancing act, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar will head a delegation that will be travelling to Iran and Israel later this month.

Presently a two-tier arrangement for defence cooperation –Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) and Air Force-to-Air Force Staff Talks (AFST) exists with Oman, the release added.

[ramana]

Domestic politics are being internationalised by UPA stal warts in charge of national security.

[shyamd]

Ramanaji, In what way do you mean?

[ramana]

Antony’s Oman trip comes after he twice chose not to visit Israel despite repeated invitations. The minister also avoided a trip to Iran - given that Israel and Iran share bitter ties. Tehran has severed all diplomatic and commercial ties with Tel Aviv.

Israel is India’s second-largest supplier of military hardware after Russia, though the defence ties between the two countries are largely kept under wraps. India’s Left parties have been severely critical of New Delhi’s strategic ties with Israel.

India and Iran also shared strong military relations till 2005. But the ties witnessed a steady downslide after New Delhi twice voted against Tehran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Sources said that in an attempted balancing act, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar will head a delegation that will be travelling to Iran and Israel later this month.

So not visiting Iran is to appease US.

Not visiting Israel is to appease Left politicians in India. Isn't this domestic politics spilling over into international area?

[svinayak]

So not visiting Iran is to appease US.

Not visiting Israel is to appease Left politicians in India. Isn't this domestic politics spilling over into international area?

National interest is supreme and it overrides domestic politics. For India religion cannot be the basis for foreign relations.
National interest is part of domestic politics. Security is also part of national interest.
That is how domestic politics connects to international politics.