West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

Shanu · Post by **Shanu** » 10 Apr 2016 17:14

Egypt handed over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia in return for a $16 billion investment fund supporting an industrial park and a bridge over the Red Sea. The oil slide has not stopped the Saudis from continuing with their dollar diplomacy, yet.

Muslim Brotherhood is, of course very pissed about handing out of Egyptian National assets for a fistful of dollars.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt ... 1246995118

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 10 Apr 2016 23:17

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/ar ... ?id=326331
Feature: Indian Holi color festival brings joy, hope to Egyptians

C
AIRO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Amid gaiety and cheerful music, hundreds of Egyptians and foreigners celebrated on Friday the annual Indian Holi color festival that was sponsored by the Indian Embassy in Cairo. The playing field of Cairo Sporting Club was decorated by vibrant colors of the rainbow when friends and families splashed brightly colored powders on each other, celebrating the Egyptian version of the Indian Festival of Colors. "I came with my friends to enjoy the festival of colors. I'm a fan of the Indian culture and this event is really joyful," said Noha Hassan, a college student from Cairo, as brilliant colors covered her face and clothes. Hassan, who was dressed in an orange and brown traditional Sari garment, said colors can change the mood of people as the bright ones fill the atmosphere with positive energies. "Colors symbolize nature ... our life and the conditions in Egypt have been a bit gloomy recently, such events can give us hope and stamina," Hassan added as they reacted to the beats of the Indian music played during the event. The Holi Festival of Colors is the spring Hindu festival that takes place on the streets of India and other countries with Hindu population.
In recent years the festival has spread to Europe, North America and the Middle East as a spring celebration of love, frolic and colors. Most of the attendees here were young Egyptians with quite a good number of foreigners, mainly Indians. "The event is very outstanding and it is really nice... I love the smiles on the faces of the people who came to celebrate the festival with all these colors," said Syed, an Indian businessman who lives in Cairo. He hoped that more such events would be held in Egypt and help promote tourism which has been suffering in recent years due to the unstable political and security conditions in the Middle Eastern country. "Such events should be used as messages to tourists abroad that Egypt is safe and lively," he said. Although it is not the first Indian color festival in Egypt, but this one is the largest. Organizers believe that such events are very well met by Egyptians who really are in bad need for such pleasant activities to help them survive the current hardships facing the country. May Khafagi, the event organizer who is a big fan of India and its culture, said she is the one who raised the idea of holding such events in Egypt. "I have attended many color festivals in India, and then I asked myself why do not bring this to Egypt? So I did and it really works well," she said with colored powders splashed overhead. Khafagi said she is keen to promote Indian culture in Egypt through holding more Indian activities, "because the Indian culture has much to offer to Egyptians." Splashing colors was not the only thing attendees could enjoy. Local music bands performed on the stage surrounded by the ecstatic young people, families and children with eye-catching colors. "It is a new thing that I want to try and it is a great fun," 10-year-old Elinore Alphonse said as she tossed powder on her mother.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 11 Apr 2016 09:30

Green Card’ for expatriates in Saudi Arabia is a strategic plan
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/n ... -plan.html

The “green card” plan disclosed by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, in an interview with Bloomberg, has been welcomed by many expatriates. The plan will help expatriates ease away from the tight hold of sponsors, many of whom have been exploiting both white and blue-collar workers.Though the modalities of how to attain this “green card” needs to be framed carefully, there are essentials that the future card holders will be required to do or get once obtaining the card. They’ll have to pay zakat and value added tax, and they can own property and undertake commercial, industrial and other related activities.The plan was welcomed by expatriates especially who have been in the country for three or four decades and whose children were born and bred in the Kingdom. One Indian told me “this is home”. A Filipino engineer living in Riyadh since 1988 said that with the plan more cohesion between expatriates and nationals will evolve.Over the years, I have been writing on the contribution of expatriates to the Kingdom. I was privileged to be in contact with them due to my stint as editor in chief of both the English language dailies from 1982 to 2014. They (the expatriates) would approach us to voice their grievances, fears, aspirations and quest for justice.With great changes happening all over the world and globalization at its highest peak we too should avail of the expertise available
Working in a foreign land, braving heat and cold and at times being subjected to harsh treatment by heartless sponsors their only voice were the English-language media outlets in the Kingdom. Many, after years in the Kingdom, did aspire to gain a residential status in Saudi Arabia. Some did propose similar systems whereby the Saudi government would be the sponsor. Even Arab expatriates would write to us expressing their problems and their requests.Our editorials reflected our belief that this country is a heaven for all who live and participate in its development irrespective of their caste or creed. This was the philosophy of its founding father King Abdul Aziz. With great changes happening all over the world and globalization at its highest peak we too should avail of the expertise available. The greatness of America, an already advanced nation, was enhanced by the acceptance and inclusion of Asians who came and added value to the economic and social system. We too can gain from their system. As we try to boost our non-oil sector we would be requiring all available experienced hands.Yes, Saudization is a goal but we can’t implant bodies in systems that require a high caliber of professionalism. Many tactics have to be improvised in order that a total strategic plan is evolved for competing in a highly competitive and fierce business environment. The “green card” plan is one of them.

salaam · Post by **salaam** » 11 Apr 2016 19:37

Saudi-India-Pakistan Triangle
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aparna-pa ... 06740.html
...After years of considering Saudi Arabia as a major ally and economic benefactor, Pakistan may be on the verge of losing its erstwhile patron to archrival India...
...King Salman bin Abdul Aziz conferred the Kingdom’s highest civilian award, The King Abdul Aziz Order, on the Indian Prime Minister. For Pakistanis who see the world in binary terms as an eternal conflict between India and Pakistan, this was clearly a win for India...
...Pakistan could stick to its guns and see these developments as a threat. Or it could change its own approach to India and seek rapprochement to take advantage of economic and strategic opportunities that are making India a desirable partner for Pakistan’s erstwhile friends...

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 11 Apr 2016 20:16

Are Indian PMs allowed to accept such things from foreign countries? "Al Haj Sir Narendra Modi, OBE, KAAO"?

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 12 Apr 2016 07:27

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 12 Apr 2016 11:38

the other arabs call it the "sunni bomb"

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 13 Apr 2016 02:16

http://thediplomat.com/2016/04/why-indi ... ow-closer/
Why India and Saudi Arabia Continue to Grow Closer

The geopolitical faultlines of the Middle East are always difficult to traverse, even for great powers, as the United States has found to its considerable cost. Today, the Obama administration is desperately trying to reduce its equities in a region that has been in perpetual turmoil, partly due to external interference and partly due to internal contradictions. This has led to an even greater regional turmoil in the process.Enter China. In an attempt to gingerly probe its ability shape a new regional order, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia earlier this year was aimed at gaining greater political and economic salience in a region where Beijing has been reluctant to get involved so far. But as the balance of power in the region unravels, new equations are emerging and older paradigms are no longer sufficient.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the region once again recently for his visit to Saudi Arabia, eight months after his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There have been calls in India that the country should be willing to insert itself in the broader geopolitical dynamic of the region involving Iran and Saudi Arabia. Modi was right to resist that temptation. Before New Delhi can do that, it needs to make sure that its vital interests are preserved both in Riyadh and Tehran. India’s ties with Saudi Arabia have grown significantly over the last two decades based on their burgeoning energy ties and the 2.8 million-strong Indian diaspora in the Saudi kingdom. At a time when Riyadh has been losing its market share with countries such as China and the United States, it has emerged as the top supplier of crude oil to India, supplanting Iraq.

The deportation in 2012 of Sayed Zabiuddin, also known as Abu Jundal, a key suspect in November 2008 Mumbai attacks, also signaled a sea change in Saudi Arabia’s counter-terror priorities. While India had looked to the Saudi authorities for help on terrorism-related issues, Riyadh had been reluctant to jettison Pakistan in favor of India. In the past, it was quite common for Indian terrorists living in Pakistan to travel to Saudi Arabia with new names and Pakistani passports. This was also done by Abu Jundal, who went to Saudi Arabia with a Pakistani passport to raise funds and recruit men for future attacks in India. With his deportation, Riyadh was signalling that this won’t be allowed to happen any longer.Ahead of Modi’s visit, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had insisted that Saudi Arabia’s “relations with Pakistan do not come at the expense of [its] relations with India.” He was trying to alleviate growing concerns in Pakistan about budding Indo-Saudi ties. Moreover, there is resentment in Riyadh at Islamabad’s refusal to commit troops in Yemen for last year’s intervention and then to join the Saudi-led “coalition against terrorism” of 34 Islamic nations. Modi has deftly managed to position India in a manner so as to isolate Pakistan’s military-industrial complex and their policy of using terrorism as an instrument of state policy..”Modi signed five new bilateral agreements with Riyadh, covering intelligence sharing on terrorism financing, increasing private investment and enhancing defense cooperation. Moreover, in a move of some symbolic significance, Saudi Arabia bestowed the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit medal—the kingdom’s highest honor, which has never been given to a civilian Pakistani leader—on the Indian prime minister.
The Saudi government has its own reasons for cultivating Indian ties. The U.S.-Iran rapprochement is raising anxiety in Arab states about a resurgent Iran, forcing them to reorient their diplomacy accordingly. Reaching out to emerging powers such as India is one way to preserve the balance of power in the region.A strong India-Saudi relationship is important for the global fight against terrorism and India’s struggle against Pakistani military and intelligence services. Modi would like to build on its ties with Riyadh and to isolate Islamabad further. This is the only way to put pressure on Pakistan, as it has so far failed to respond to demands from India and the world at large that it should cease exporting terror as the recent “suspension” of peace talks underscores.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 13 Apr 2016 03:12

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Analys ... ies-451024
Analysis: Israel and the Saudis covert ties

Egypt and Saudi Arabia's agreement on two Red Sea islands and Israel's approval of the deal according to foreign reports is likely a continuation of covert contacts and common interests.
Israel's approval of Egypt's move to give the islands of Sanafir and Tiran back to the Saudis is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the secret processes taking place behind the scenes.The ceding of the islands is apparently part of the changes made in recent years to the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. As part of these changes, Israel let Egypt move more troops into Sinai than the treaty originally allowed for, in order to aid in the fight against Islamic State's affiliate in the peninsula.

As the country who guaranteed the treaty, the US was involved in, and approved, the return of the islands, which were previously leased to the Egyptians, back to the Saudi Kingdom. The US did not oppose the returning of the islands. All three countries involved in the move are America's allies.The situation with the Saudis is much more complicated. Israel and the Kingdom do not have formal relations, and they will not have them as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not solved. Comments to that affect were made this week by the Saudi foreign minister, who served as the Kingdom's ambassador to Washington up until a few years ago. He knows the Jewish community there very well and even met with them.

However, according to foreign reports, the two countries do have third-party economic ties which see Israeli products - agricultural and technilogical goods - arriving via the Palestinian Authority, Jordan or Cyprus. More importantly, according to these reports there are contacts and even meetings between senior officials.The common interest is, first and foremost, the belief that the biggest threat is Iran. Reports have surfaced in the past that the Saudis gave Jerusalem approval for Air Force jets to pass through their airspace if Israel decides to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. The Saudis hoped that Israel would do their dirty work for them and were disappointed when it didn't happen.According to foreign reports, Mossad chiefs, including Meir Dagan, have met with Saudi intelligence officials in the past. There was also a report that former prime minister Ehud Olmert held a meeting with Prince Bander bin Sultan, who was the Saudi envoy to Washington, as well as the head of the National Security Council and the Saudi intel chief. The agreement on the islands is likely the continuation of these contacts as was published and the common interests between the two countries. These covert ties are unlikely to come to the surface, at least not until there is a Palestinian state and and the House of Saud can wave its flag from the mosques on the Temple Mount.]

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 13 Apr 2016 21:31

This Video shows 3 Saudi M1A2S (US SEP [System Enhancement Program] Equivalent) being destroyed by Iranian Tosun (Tosan) ATGM (Soviet Konkurs ATGM upgrade). As of March 2016, a total of 6 M1A2S Abrams tanks were destroyed with the crews not surviving.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 13 Apr 2016 23:18

While KSA is making its peace gestures to India, India should help the Houthis get the upper hand.

It all plays into the Look West strategy.
A whole big game is happening and its all connected.
West and East of India are one game and a mistake to see them as apart.

A strong India-Saudi relationship is important for the global fight against terrorism and India’s struggle against Pakistani military and intelligence services. Modi would like to build on its ties with Riyadh and to isolate Islamabad further.

I don't know what weed this writer is on but seems potent.

KSA was funding, enabling all that world wide terrorism via Pak ISI.

If he thinks that KSA will cut the umbilical for India, he is on very potent stuff.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 14 Apr 2016 01:56

I think excellent India-KSA relations are essential to facilitate the coming massive air-sea evac. Maybe asylum for the Sultan's family too.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 14 Apr 2016 12:03

so.... saudi tanks sit out in the open waiting to be hit...
and when saudi tank brews up, houthis say death to america, death to israel...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Apr 2016 13:30

thats the model - a few rifle shots pinging against the hull is a polite namaste and sign to bail out and head for the exit sign.
later on the houthis call in their camera crew and chanting choir
a rocket is fired on the immobile abandoned hardware and scores a direct hit
post to youtube

Shanu · Post by **Shanu** » 16 Apr 2016 10:38

All this comic tank hit games apart, the real troubling scenario for the womanising and alcohol drinking Gulf monarchies is the rise of Ansar al Sharia (AlQ Arabian branch) growing in Yemen. AlQ is dreaming again to bring true Sharia to Arabia.

So now the monarchies need the US help to roll back AlQ control in Yemeni cities. Soon they will need the same to protect their own palaces.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKCN0XC19A

Shanu · Post by **Shanu** » 16 Apr 2016 10:59

And for those who feel the Bhest is the Land of the Free, here's how the Free Bhestern politics gets influenced by the petro-dollars. If you speak the truth, prime real estate in free Bhestern cities faces a price collapse - not good for the elite, i guess.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/world ... -bill.html

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 16 Apr 2016 23:21

[url]Saudi Arabia Warns of Economic Fallout if Congress Passes 9/11 Bill[/url]
Posted in Full

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia has told the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in American courts for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The Obama administration has lobbied Congress to block the bill’s passage, according to administration officials and congressional aides from both parties, and the Saudi threats have been the subject of intense discussions in recent weeks between lawmakers and officials from the State Department and the Pentagon. The officials have warned senators of diplomatic and economic fallout from the legislation.

Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, delivered the kingdom’s message personally last month during a trip to Washington, telling lawmakers that Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they could be in danger of being frozen by American courts.

Several outside economists are skeptical that the Saudis will follow through, saying that such a sell-off would be difficult to execute and would end up crippling the kingdom’s economy. But the threat is another sign of the escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The administration, which argues that the legislation would put Americans at legal risk overseas, has been lobbying so intently against the bill that some lawmakers and families of Sept. 11 victims are infuriated. In their view, the Obama administration has consistently sided with the kingdom and has thwarted their efforts to learn what they believe to be the truth about the role some Saudi officials played in the terrorist plot.

“It’s stunning to think that our government would back the Saudis over its own citizens,” said Mindy Kleinberg, whose husband died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 and who is part of a group of victims’ family members pushing for the legislation.
President Obama will arrive in Riyadh on Wednesday for meetings with King Salman and other Saudi officials. It is unclear whether the dispute over the Sept. 11 legislation will be on the agenda for the talks.
Continue reading the main story
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A spokesman for the Saudi Embassy did not respond to a message seeking comment.

(Due to incompetence and/or arrogance, this is always their standard response in such situations !)

Saudi officials have long denied that the kingdom had any role in the Sept. 11 plot, and the 9/11 Commission found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization.” But critics have noted that the commission’s narrow wording left open the possibility that less senior officials or parts of the Saudi government could have played a role. Suspicions have lingered, partly because of the conclusions of a 2002 congressional inquiry into the attacks that cited some evidence that Saudi officials living in the United States at the time had a hand in the plot.
Those conclusions, contained in 28 pages of the report, still have not been released publicly.

(Due to the influence of the then Bush Jr administration )

The dispute comes as bipartisan criticism is growing in Congress about Washington’s alliance with Saudi Arabia, for decades a crucial American ally in the Middle East and half of a partnership that once received little scrutiny from lawmakers. Last week, two senators introduced a resolution that would put restrictions on American arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which have expanded during the Obama administration.
Families of the Sept. 11 victims have used the courts to try to hold members of the Saudi royal family, Saudi banks and charities liable because of what the plaintiffs charged was Saudi financial support for terrorism. These efforts have largely been stymied, in part because of a 1976 law that gives foreign nations some immunity from lawsuits in American courts.

The Senate bill is intended to make clear that the immunity given to foreign nations under the law should not apply in cases where nations are found culpable for terrorist attacks that kill Americans on United States soil. If the bill were to pass both houses of Congress and be signed by the president, it could clear a path for the role of the Saudi government to be examined in the Sept. 11 lawsuits.

Obama administration officials counter that weakening the sovereign immunity provisions would put the American government, along with its citizens and corporations, in legal risk abroad because other nations might retaliate with their own legislation. Secretary of State John Kerry told a Senate panel in February that the bill, in its current form, would “expose the United States of America to lawsuits and take away our sovereign immunity and create a terrible precedent.”
The bill’s sponsors have said that the legislation is purposely drawn very narrowly — involving only attacks on American soil — to reduce the prospect that other nations might try to fight back.
In a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill on March 4, Anne W. Patterson, an assistant secretary of state, and Andrew Exum, a top Pentagon official on Middle East policy, told staff members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that American troops and civilians could be in legal jeopardy if other nations decide to retaliate and strip Americans of immunity abroad. They also discussed the Saudi threats specifically, laying out the impacts if Saudi Arabia made good on its economic threats.

John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement that the administration stands by the victims of terrorism, “especially those who suffered and sacrificed so much on 9/11.”
Edwin M. Truman, a fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said he thought the Saudis were most likely making an “empty threat.” Selling hundreds of billions of dollars in American assets would not only be technically difficult to pull off, he said, but would also very likely cause global market turmoil for which the Saudis would be blamed.
Moreover, he said, it could destabilize the American dollar — the currency to which the Saudi riyal is pegged.
“The only way they could punish us is by punishing themselves,” Mr. Truman said.

The bill is an anomaly in a Congress fractured by bitter partisanship, especially during an election year. It is sponsored by Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York. It has the support of an unlikely coalition of liberal and conservative senators, including Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, and Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas. It passed through the Judiciary Committee in January without dissent.
“As our nation confronts new and expanding terror networks that are targeting our citizens, stopping the funding source for terrorists becomes even more important,” Mr. Cornyn said last month.

But the administration has supported Saudi Arabia on other fronts, including providing the country with targeting intelligence and logistical support for its war in Yemen. The Saudi military is flying jets and dropping bombs it bought from the United States — part of the billions of dollars in arms deals that have been negotiated with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations during the Obama administration.
The war has been a humanitarian disaster and fueled a resurgence of Al Qaeda in Yemen, leading to the resolution in Congress to put new restrictions on arms deals to the kingdom. Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, one of the resolution’s sponsors and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that Congress has been “feckless” in conducting oversight of arms sales, especially those destined for Saudi Arabia.
“My first desire is for our relationship with Saudi Arabia to come with a greater degree of conditionality than it currently does,” he said.

Those who are interested in this subject should read the ex CIA agent - Robert Baer's - expose called "Sleeping With The Devil" ; he has detailed everything there!

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 17 Apr 2016 05:29

The Saudis can always sell their USD assets and invest in the Karachi stock market. Or invest in roubles. Pretty safe from US courts. I doubt if PRC needs their cash. Then again, Somalia is pretty safe.

Shanu · Post by **Shanu** » 17 Apr 2016 08:25

UlanBatori wrote:The Saudis can always sell their USD assets and invest in the Karachi stock market. Or invest in roubles. Pretty safe from US courts. I doubt if PRC needs their cash. Then again, Somalia is pretty safe.

The US may be the safest bet, but EU is there too. We know how the Germans are grovelling to the Turkish Sultan to buy a few years of freedom from the 'peaceful' migration. So it won't be a bad investment to make - to build more 'centers of religious harmony' in prime German real estate.

But more interesting is how far the American leaders are willing to throw their own people under the bus to maintain their business interests. It is the same mindset which allows them to consider yet another Middle Eastern special forces invasion - this time in Yemen to support 'little Sparta' UAE against AlQ forces. Surely, a match made in heaven. Let us play the 'pom pom girls' as they hit more such boundaries.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 17 Apr 2016 15:35

The issue in that COTUS Bright Idea is a bit more complicated than "Standing By Our People" etc. as Sen. Graham would have us believe. The issue is precedent. The moment the US allows its citjens to sue phoren guvrmands - and have the courts loot the investments and assets of said nations located in the US - many other countries will follow suit. In fact, most of the world. One or two, the US will easily slap down. But 35? 100? There is a reason why the guvrmands of the world have decided on this "Sovirginity Immunity" thing. Diplomat drives down the road in Mercedes luxury car, flag flying and all, and the police stop it, and the diplomat has to catch a taxi to get back in their underwear, all other 'assets' having been 'attached' by the police to pay the court-ordered judgement. The SDOTUS will have a slight problem...

Just an example: David Headley is US citjen - and from all accounts, a US dubbal-agint. Why can't Indian families bereaved due to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack sue US govt, since there MUST be US govt employees who at least knew that Headley was Dawood Gilani, LeT operative? Any time US weapons are used in attacks against India, isn't the US govt. 'responsible'?

So Cat. Ahuja's plane was shot down with a Stinger, right? Operated by terrorists. US is responsible - US built it, US govt supplied it to terrorists.

Is NaMO govt going to stand by its citizens, or sell out for measly business interests to those who sponsor terror against its own citizens, hain?

Every Afghan wedding party's relatives can sue the US. US Embassy in Isloo will become a madarssa.

GE is a supplier of weapons to the US govt. So GE Research Center in Bengalooru can be taken over and sold to pay claims. And so on.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 17 Apr 2016 18:27

UlanBatori- ji :
I agree with the general thrust of your argument ( "the issue is precedent" ...the movement the US allows it citjens"...) ; although, I don't have a clue of international law, I know that when the US Govt feels that it has been wronged, or to "protect" its national security interests, it has not hesitated to freeze foreign govt assets (Iran, Iraq, Libya ), and sometimes it has even "encouraged" its citizens to take legal action against the said foreign government (Lockerbie bombing ); but, there is a crucial difference here; in all these past cases, the said foreign government has already been on the "wrong side of Uncle Sam" and has been declared as an "enemy state " ; in this particular case, at least on paper, Saudi Arabia is considered a key ally and protector of US interest in the M.E. ; can the US afford to "offend" this "two faced ally " . Time will tell . Billary Clinton will backtrack (she is in SA's backpocket); Trump-ji will take action against SA ! IMHO

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 17 Apr 2016 21:07

True, and I can see the precedent being used to attack India (Gujarat riots.. Khalistan...). I haven't read the Bill - I wonder if it is limited to KSA or other govts such as Pakistan (not that they have a ton of money other than what the US gave them). OTOH, desis in US could sue to have Musharraf's New Jersey mansion attached.
The Bill is clearly intended to embarrass AlObama, but it is a very dangerous move - sort-of like liberating Iraq or Libya.

habal · Post by **habal** » 17 Apr 2016 22:18

Putin: if Turkey's Erdoğan doesn't stop supporting terrorists in Syria, I shall restore Constantinople (Istanbul) to Christendom

http://awdnews.com/top-news/putin-if-tu ... hristendom

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 17 Apr 2016 22:20

Wow! Phosphorus in Bosporus?

habal · Post by **habal** » 17 Apr 2016 22:21

ISIS collapses in eastern damascus.

ISIS defenses in eastern Damascus collapses and may have a very costly consequence for the this terrorist organization.

The SAA and NDF have advanced on the Damascus-Baghdad road and managed to retake the lost ground in the past 10 days at the Badia Cement factory, Khan Abu Shamat base, brigade 559, Al Safa resting place and the critical crossroad of Al Muthalath, this crossroad is one of the 3 crossroads on the large triangle area that leads to Bagdhad and Palmyra (see wikimapia below). This important gain will open up the possibility for the Syrian forces to advance toward Al Busayri from there while the other Syrian forces could advance from Al Quryatayn region that was recently liberated.

https://twitter.com/MilitaryMediaSy/sta ... 9684996096

http://wikimapia.org/#lang=pt&lat=33.91 ... 4&z=10&m=b

The short video below shows a considerable Syrian mobile force at Al Safa resting place, this force appears to be in access to the quick push in eastern Damascus, more likely it has the strength to push toward al Busayri, Hopefully it happens, ISIS elimination in Al Busayri would push ISIS far away from M5, Homs, Damascus, Palmyra and most of the Central/East Homs Province, that would impact in ISIS on the Iraqi border (Anbar Province) where ISIS is about to be completely wiped out by the ISF and militia that recently liberated all Hit area in the Euphrates. Should it be coordinated operation, then we will see ISIS losing ground in Homs Province, eastern Der ez Zor and all Anbar.

https://twitter.com/MilitaryMediaSy/sta ... 4042319872

habal · Post by **habal** » 17 Apr 2016 22:23

Syrian army liberates airport near Damascus from Daesh

The Syrian army forces have wrested control of a military airport near the capital, Damascus, marking the latest in a string of victories over the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

The recapture of the strategic al-Sin air base took place late on Saturday as the Syrian army continues its advances against militants, Arabic-language Syria Now news website reported.

The Syrian soldiers further liberated the Safa resort in eastern Qalamoun region.

Meanwhile, 20 terrorists were killed while four of their vehicles were destroyed in heavy clashes with the Syrian troops in a village located in the southern Suwayda Province.

The Syrian forces further foiled a Daesh attack on a village in the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.

The country’s air force further struck positions held by Daesh in the southeastern part of the recently-liberated city of Palmyra in Homs Province.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/04/17 ... Daesh-Air/

habal · Post by **habal** » 17 Apr 2016 22:25

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sou ... a-ukraine/

SouthFront: Russian parachute troops prepare for possible deployment to Syria or Ukraine

Recently, the Russian Armed Forces announced they had 46.000 elite parachute soldiers ready for warfare if given the command. With plans of further military expansions, it remains unknown how this fighting force will be utilized. However, Russia is heavily involved in conflicts in both the Ukraine and Syria. Thus, their future deployment to these countries cannot be ruled out.

habal · Post by **habal** » 17 Apr 2016 22:27

Putin brands Turkey **Terrorist Colluders** and warns the country is not safe for tourists

VLADIMIR Putin has issued a strongly-worded condemnation of Egypt and Turkey's handling of Islamic extremists, warning neither country is safe to travel to and branding the Turkish government terrorist colluders

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/661 ... l-not-safe

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 17 Apr 2016 22:29

And obviously India is indirectly being attacked by US, for "years and years" by it's "rent boy" Pakistan, which is being supplied all sorts of modern weapons, on one pretext or the other ; in this day and age, I do not think that they can take any direct military action against India on their own. (India is too big for that )This will create an international uproar. As long as the threat of nuclear proliferation from Pakistan prevails, US will behave with Pakistan like an indulgent parent ! They still need Pakistan to do their dirty work for them.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 18 Apr 2016 00:08

Russian parachute troops prepare for possible deployment to Syria or Ukraine

Bosporus? Nah! that would bring NATO in. Wonder if Putin has figured that Erdogan is thin-skinned and can be goaded by words into doing really stupid things.
Note that he has advised tourists that Turkey is in a state of ***CIVIL WAR***. Immediate future?

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 18 Apr 2016 00:22

habal wrote:http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sou ... a-ukraine/

SouthFront: Russian parachute troops prepare for possible deployment to Syria or Ukraine

Recently, the Russian Armed Forces announced they had 46.000 elite parachute soldiers ready for warfare if given the command. With plans of further military expansions, it remains unknown how this fighting force will be utilized. However, Russia is heavily involved in conflicts in both the Ukraine and Syria. Thus, their future deployment to these countries cannot be ruled out.

Unstable area shown in the video in the link above. All of these area are near aboard for India.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 18 Apr 2016 07:12

India, Afghanistan and Iran finalise Chabahar Agreement

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... aign=cppst

NEW DELHI: India, Afghanistan and Iran have finalised the Chabahar Agreement to operationalise the strategic port, giving New Delhi much-needed access to Afghanistan in the absence of transit rights through Pakistan.The announcement comes as foreign minister Sushma Swaraj is in Tehran, discussing India's participation in Chabahar Port and other issues of connectivity and energy partnership. It is understood that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Tehran in the near future.According to a statement by the ministry of external affairs, the trio decided to expedite the transport and transit corridors agreement at a high level after completing necessary internal procedures in the three countries.The second meeting of experts from India, Afghanistan and Iran was held on April 11 to finalise text of the agreement. "The draft agreement envisions trilateral cooperation for providing alternative access to seas to Afghanistan, inter alia for Afghanistan's trade with India .India," said the MEA."It will significantly enhance utilisation of Chabahar Port, contribute to economic growth of Afghanistan and facilitate better regional connectivity, including between India and connections to Afghanistan and central Asia. The agreement will be a strategic bulwark for greater flow of people and goods among the three countries, as well as in the region." Chabahar is being billed as India's gateway to Afghanistan and beyond, including central Asia, Russia and EuropeSwaraj and Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif agreed that commercial contract on Chabahar, along with modalities for extending it a $150-million credit line for making of jetties and berths, should be finalised soon. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India will also supply $400 million of steel rails. A team from Ircon International Ltd will visit Iran for discussions on the Chabahar-Zahedan Railway link. Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced $20 billion investment for the Chabahar. ..

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Apr 2016 09:08

CNN: U.S. and Saudi Arabia, trapped in a bad marriage

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/20/opini ... index.html

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Apr 2016 03:29

Austin wrote:CNN: U.S. and Saudi Arabia, trapped in a bad marriage

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/20/opini ... index.html

More like a nightmare tryst.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 22 Apr 2016 12:25

The US treats Pakistan in the same manner Mrs.G treated Sanjay Gandhi.He could get upto any mischief without punishment.Therefore India has to carve out relationships in its own interests.The one with Iran is a very vital strat. one for India,as Iran borders both Baluchistan,a hopefullu future independent state and Afghanistan,from where the Afghan govt. can be supplied logistically without having to run the gauntlet through Pak. The Chahbahar agreement is a great development for the 3 nations,but for India,especially so as it is also in some measure a counter to Pak's gifting of Gwadar to China. China is also making large egstures to Iran and has provided it in the past with anti-ship missiles,etc. This agreement will anger the Soothis and US,but who cares.Indian interests must come first.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 22 Apr 2016 12:59

Yemen: Pulling the Strings
How did Yemen’s Houthis take Sanaa so easily? Was former President Saleh part of an unlikely alliance with the group?

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/alj ... 57078.html

Filmmaker: Gamal Al Moliky

The current crisis in Yemen is a very complex one.

This film focuses on one aspect of it - how the Houthis were able to move south from their northern base and take the capital, Sanaa, quite so easily, and whether former President Ali Abdullah Saleh may have played a role in this move.

habal · Post by **habal** » 22 Apr 2016 16:00

Obama is visiting the Saudi Regime because they are moving away from the US financial system and the US is threatening them to stay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj40xt_wPyM

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Apr 2016 10:45

Vox on themess forum.

Back in 2015 the international community came to the decision that Yemen was part of Saudi Arabia's sphere of influence and that they had a free hand to do what they will. I don't see this changing. Except for the Iranians, no one in the international community has anything to gain from pressuring the Saudis to stop their bombing campaign.

But the Saudis are still going to lose, it will just take years instead of months. The Saudi leadership is completely divorced from reality, they will not stop until Hadi is returned to Sanaa to lead a national government, which is a political impossibility.

Hadi has zero support anywhere in the country, even in Taiz people are cursing his name. The Saudis only have one real ally on the ground, which is Islah, the Muslim Brotherhood affiliate. Other than that the South is dominated by Al Qaeda and Southern Separatists.

One thing to keep your eyes on is increasing tensions between Hirak (the Southern Separatist movement) and the Islamists in Aden. Hirak is a mostly secular, vaguely leftist group, which does not want to see Aden fall to the Salafis. If the government in Aden is weakened any further, and if the Islamists start gaining control, its very possible that Hirak will change sides and throw their lot in with Saleh and the Houthis, naturally in exchange for a promise of Southern Autonomy.

That seems like its a way off for now, but as things stand the only stable government structure I can imagine is some kind of weak central government run by the pro-Saleh GPC, with the Houthis following the Hezbollah model in Lebanon and running things from behind the scenes, and an autonomous South hopefully dominated by Hirak. The Islamists will have to be defeated for the war to end, but this will only happen when Saudi military and economic assistance to these groups dries up. My guess is that will take about 5-10 years, which is usually how long it takes an occupying power to finally accept the fact that it has been defeated.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 23 Apr 2016 13:48

Rare consensus in U.S. on resetting ties with Saudi - Varghese K George, The Hindu

President Barack Obama’s meeting with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman this week lasted more than two hours and was the longest that the two have ever had. It was possibly the most awkward ever, too, as a consensus — extremely rare these days — in the U.S. is getting louder that Washington needs to reset its relations with Riyadh. “Reassess” is the expression that is widely used, as nobody wants to snap ties with the crucial and long-standing ally in the world’s most volatile region.

“Saudi Arabia is like a partner driving drunk. We need to tell them to stop,” said Bruce Riedel, Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution. “We don’t want to blow up, or completely disrupt this relationship. We need to reset it to ensure that the Saudis are fighting the war against extremism,” said Democrat Senator Christopher Murphy, who has moved a new bill along with Republican Rand Paul last week that will restrict arms sales to Saudi.

Over the last seven years, the Obama administration has sold the Saudis military equipment worth $90 billion, according to some estimates. Even the more conservative estimate of $65 billion is three times that was sold during George W. Bush’s tenure, which was the highest until then. “The difference now is that the Saudis have started using it, for the first time, and that too for offensive purposes,” Mr. Murphy said at a Brookings event on Thursday. “The Saudi air campaign in Yemen is not suiting the strategic objectives of the U.S. in the region.”

The Obama administration is stonewalling the anti-Saudi sentiments that are spreading fast. It has promised to veto a piece of legislation that would allow American victims of 9/11 to sue the Saudi government; is continuing with arms sales; and is going slow on reviewing the classification of an unpublished section the 9/11 commission report that apparently talks of the Saudi role in the terror strikes. But the Saudi aggression in Yemen has brought to the fore its role in U.S. strategy for the region. While civil society groups focus on the human misery caused by the Saudi action, strategic thinkers point out that the Saudi military campaign has allowed al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) a free rein in Yemen.

Most credible threat

Mr. Riedel said the most credible threat to the U.S. homeland comes from AQAP. “The bar that we seek to set for Saudi is pretty low — join our efforts to fight extremism,” said Mr. Murphy. “If the U.S. and U.K. told the king tonight, this war will end tomorrow. The Saudi Air Force cannot operate without U.S. and U.K. support,” added Mr. Riedel. The administration’s explanation is that but for U.S. intelligence and guidance, the humanitarian cost of the Yemen campaign would be higher and its effectiveness against Iranian supported rebels would be less.

Last month, civil society organisation Code Pink conducted a two-day summit on Saudi in Washington that highlighted the human costs of the U.S.-Saudi alliance in the country and the region. But this debate is no longer a fringe agenda in the U.S. as all remaining candidates in the presidential race appear to agree on one thing though in varying degrees — reassess ties with Riyadh. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz support a Bill that will allow 9/11 victims to sue Saudi. And the pioneer in the anti-Saudi campaign is Donald Trump — who never fails to make the point that the 9/11 terrorists came from Saudi Arabia and not Iran.

Asked whether it would be irrational for the Saudis to worry that they’re no longer the U.S.’s key ally in the region, Ben Rhodes, Deputy NSA, said “I think on the core of the relationship, that remains very solid. Our point is simply that that concern with Iran should not foreclose the potential for diplomatic engagement if there’s an ability to resolve problems.”

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 23 Apr 2016 15:57

Ben Rhodes, Deputy NSA, said “I think on the core of the relationship, that remains very solid. Our point is simply that that concern with Iran should not foreclose the potential for diplomatic engagement if there’s an ability to resolve problems.”

UBCNews translation of diplofa*t:

Both nations, hand in hand happily bombing hospitals and kindergartens in Yemen, they funding, the CIA training and the White House equipping the ISIS and most other Islamic terrorist rapist mass murderers, they sponsoring Pakistani terrorism, the WHOTUS protecting the Paki terrorists ... now if we could just agree to stop bellyaching about Eyeran.. What's a skyscraper or two between Friends?

What a nice Al-Lie-Antz!