West Asia News and Discussions

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 16 Jun 2011 08:49

Riyadh's royals are having a rough time.

D Roy · Post by **D Roy** » 16 Jun 2011 19:02

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/arti ... r-strategy

India, too, will benefit from the Saudi nuclear program, especially if French or Russian designs are chosen, since Indian manufacturing majors are putting in place joint ventures with suppliers from those two countries to produce major nuclear components. Saudi nuclear trade with India and China will be part of a larger importation of scientific knowledge from them in exchange for the hydrocarbon flow that the Asian giants crave. Saudi Arabia will essentially buy its future by helping the East secure its present.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 17 Jun 2011 02:53

Tempers flaring now between Turkey and Syria. Syria has threatened war/missile barrage at Turkey. Turkey for its part told Syrain emmissary that Syrai shouldn't blame any country if a foreign intervention takes place, if the current situation continues. Iran is making threats to the GCC again. Tensions are now heightening once again. Things getting pretty serious. Ghadir class submarines were in the Red Sea. US is building up forces off the Syrian coast.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 17 Jun 2011 23:49

shyamd wrote: So the conclusion from this article is that Assad is going out. Source says Saleh is on his way too.

Saleh Will Not Return to Yemen: Saudi Official

Assad is finished. Sunni officers are defecting.Asad really has to come up with some refrms to survive or he is going.

shyam · Post by **shyam** » 18 Jun 2011 23:01

US government funding 'shadow' networks

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 22 Jun 2011 01:59

UAE votes for new charter of rights for domestic workers
Ramona Ruiz and Habiba Hamid

Jun 22, 2011
ABU DHABI // The UAE has voted for a new international convention that guarantees a lengthy list of rights to domestic staff.

They include clearly defined conditions of employment before work begins, agency fees paid by employers and not deducted from staff's wages, salary payment in cash at least once a month, at least one day off a week, and rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The convention also governs payments in kind: they must be the same as those received by other workers, and agreed with each domestic employee.

The International Labour Organisation's Convention 189 and Recommendation 201 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers was approved by delegates from ILO member states at a conference in Geneva.

The convention requires migrant domestic workers recruited in one country for domestic work in another to receive a written job offer or contract of employment before they start work, although this will not apply in countries recruiting from within regional organisations such as the Gulf Co-operation Council.

The UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia delegates were among the 396 who voted in favour of the convention. There were 16 votes against, including India.

The ILO is a United Nations body responsible for international labour standards. It is the only tripartite UN agency, including representatives of governments, employers and workers.

Before the convention comes into force, a two-stage ratification process must be completed.

First, governments must verify to what extent their existing laws meet the convention's requirements. If necessary, "they must then work to align themselves with the convention", said Manuela Tomei, director of the ILO's conditions of work and employment programme. This may involve new legislation or amendments to existing law.

Some countries, such as Brazil, have already said they will ratify.

It was unclear last night how advanced the UAE's plans for ratification and legal alignment were. "It is easy to discuss legal texts and conventions," said Humaid Rashid bin Demas, undersecretary at the Ministry of Labour and part of the UAE delegation. "We may even amend national legislation and ratify conventions, but the real challenge is how to make these principles a reality.

"In discussing and adopting this convention, we have accepted an international and national obligation. We hope that our commitment to domestic workers will be both a legal and a moral one."

Yesterday he said the Government would issue a statement on the matter shortly.

The Interior Ministry is drawing up new laws and regulations covering the rights of housemaids, but no further details have been issued.

There may be hurdles before the convention becomes law in the UAE. For examples, signatories must ensure that "domestic workers enjoy minimum wage coverage, where such coverage exists".

The UAE minimum-wage rules apply only to employees with at least a secondary school education, a requirement for many nannies, and whose emploment is regulated by the Ministry of Labour. However, domestic staff are the remit of the Ministry of Interior.

In addition, the requirement that signatories to the convention grant domestic workers the right to collective bargaining may contradict existing laws, which do not allow for trades unions.

About a third of the Gulf's 22 million migrant workers are engaged in domestic work, nine out of 10 of them women, and it is among the lowest paid work in the world.

In a statement last Thursday, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) singled out Gulf states for criticism. Sharan Burrow, its general secretary, said: "The international union movement will continue to shed light on the working conditions of migrant domestic workers in the Gulf countries, in particular Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain."

fredleander · Post by **fredleander** » 22 Jun 2011 13:17

Dilbu wrote:Turkey's prime minister confirmed that a "ban" had been implemented following the 31 May raid, in which nine Turkish citizens on the flotilla were killed.

Military flight bans are now being considered on a case-by-case basis, Turkish officials said.

A new Flotilla is now gathering in the eastern Med:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEfhAX8U-jE

The Turkish passenger vessel Mavi Marmara has been held back by the Turkish authorities so the IDF should have an easier job this time. OTH, Israel shall now have problems describing the Flotilla as "Moslem", "Turkish" and Terrorists" as the participants are mainly western dignitaries and news people.

Fred

http://www.fredleander.com

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 22 Jun 2011 22:59

Let us always remember who is who

http://www.timesnow.tv/videoshow/4376649.cms

In what can be seen as a massive provocation, TIMES NOW has access to copy of a letter written by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to Separatist leader Mirwaiz where Kashmir has been referred to as an 'occupied territory'.

Vikas · Post by **Vikas** » 22 Jun 2011 23:37

..And someone will quickly point out that these pin pricks are nothing and we should not pay any attention to these and secretly all Islamic countries are in love with India. Those who don't stand by us should be let down by us when the time is ripe.

Why make noises when Gaddaffi or other clowns like him are being hanged by western world. Let them rot.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 23 Jun 2011 00:55

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... lenews_wsj
Saudi Suggests 'Squeezing' Iran Over Nuclear Ambition
closed

-door remarks earlier this month, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal also strongly implied that Riyadh would be forced to follow suit if Tehran pushed ahead to develop nuclear weapons and said Saudi Arabia is preparing to employ all of its economic, diplomatic and security assets to confront Tehran's regional ambitions.Iran is very vulnerable in the oil sector, and it is there that more could be done to squeeze the current government," Prince Turki, a former Saudi ambassador to the U.S. and U.K., told a private gathering of American and British servicemen at RAF Molesworth airbase outside London.Iran's "meddling and destabilizing efforts in countries with Shiite majorities, such as Iraq and Bahrain, as well as those countries with significant Shiite communities…must come to an end," Prince Turki said, according to a copy of his speech obtained by The Wall Street Journal. "Saudi Arabia will oppose any and all of Iran's actions in other countries because it is Saudi Arabia's position that Iran has no right to meddle in other nations' internal affairs."

Saudi Arabia has withheld sending an ambassador to Baghdad due to charges that Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki's Shiite-majority government is too close to Iran. Indeed, Iraq sided with Iran in the recent dispute over OPEC energy prices. And Prince Turki alleged that Iranian military officers were directly involved in formulating Iraqi security policy, a charge Baghdad has regularly denied."There are people and groups in Iraq that are, as much as they deny it, completely beholden to Iran, and that is not only unacceptable, but it is bad for the future of an ethnically and religiously diverse country," the prince said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jun 2011 01:05

I think KSA is on losing side if Ibn Saud family is making such threats.
The throne is shaken.

BTW Turki was a prime supporter of the Taliban! So dont care for his harangues.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jun 2011 01:13

Looks like Libya caper to oust Gaddafi is on the rocks with Italy demanding a halt.

KSA is doing its best to alter the demographics of Bahrain.

Arab Spring turned into summer in many places. I think it really was return of mamleukes mistaken for democracy.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 23 Jun 2011 02:17

These threats are more vocal than ever before due to Ayatollah Khamanei (apparently MA is not on K's side, hence thier fight over Meshaie, a lot happening discretely) aggressively pursuing the shia interests in Bahrain and Iraq. KSA feels surrounded once again! Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran.

Turki is just being used by the rulers to get the KSA govt's view out into the public. But Turki publicly tells everyone that he has nothing todo with the KSA govt any more. He is well entrenched, even the younger generation know the policy moves, due to the nature of how they make their policy. Although some people say Turki is part of the younger generation who want KSA to become independent and restore to their original position and use their muscle.

Threatening to go nuclear - They have been nuclear since the 80's when they got those Chinese missiles by hoodwinking Unkil. Their fights with Iran go back to the 80's, they have shot down Iranian jets trying to hit refineries.

They are shaken because they feel surrounded with problems and Iran can influence events more easier than ever before.

Support for Taliban - They felt it was in their interests as it was a step towards keeping Iran in check and getting the Talebs to extradite the anti monarchy AQ guys at thetop. Negotiations (US also started trying the same tactic in 2001 too alongside Turki!) went on for years and finally Turki lost his job in 2001 as failure to get the taleban (King blamed Turki for recognising Taliban idea and called it a failure) to extradite OBL was seen as a failure. KSA expelled the Taliban ambassador at the time.

The Peninsula Shield chief in an interview at the height of the crisis was doing some plain speaking to Iran - he said power is not just military but is a mixture of a poltical, military and economic. We have all 3, what do you have?

See Admiral Mullen's interview to Charlie Rose - he talks about all this.

The problem with KSA/GCC going to war with Iran is just the huuge amount of problem it will cause in the region. Various countries will be drawn in and it will be a massive war. So the easiest option was to get US to "cut thehead of the snake". But since US has signalled otherwise, KSA has to take things into its own hands to an extent.Hence all these moves in Syria and expanding army etc etc.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 23 Jun 2011 08:22

India rejects OIC's reference to Kashmir

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jun 2011 22:38

How is oil doing after the IEA released 60M barrels of stocks? Must have impact on WANA politics. This is bigger than KSA ramping up production.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 23 Jun 2011 22:41

Dropped to $90. Technicals suggest $88. KSA needs $88 to balance its budgets this year due to all the spending.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 24 Jun 2011 11:12

A Five-Star Retirement Home for Dictators: Welcome to sunny Saudi Arabia, land of fallen tyrants.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 24 Jun 2011 22:20

ramana wrote: BTW I found an interesting factoid. It was the ban on Saudi hunting of Great Indian Bustard(Godwan/Taloor) in India by ABV in 1979 due to a delegation of environmentalists that turned the Shieks to go to TSP for Houbara hunting and the rest is history. Its a shame that Mrs. G's govt first granted the hunting permits to KSA in 1975 during Emergency. Must be a CBM for votebank politics.

Tube light moment.

Doesnt that closely mirror the invite to Al Suadais and pumping flesh with him right now?

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 24 Jun 2011 22:35

Wedding set for Bahrain and Saudi royal families

Updated 6 days ago

MANAMA: Friends become relatives, that is what has happened to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The son of Bahrain’s king and the daughter of Saudi Arabia’s monarch have gotten engaged

According to the official news agency of Bahrain, the king’s fifth son Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad has gotten engaged to Saudi King Abdullah’s daughter. She is the 15th daughter of the King and her name was not given by the news agency.

The engagement comes at a time when protests have taken place in Bahrain calling for a political change and the country’s forces have been helped by Saudi forces to quell those protests.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 24 Jun 2011 23:46

^^ Khalid bin Hamad is engaged to Sahab bint Abdullah. The engagement was done in September last year but only officially announced recently.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 25 Jun 2011 01:34

Someone anonymous left this comment in my blog

Actually Pakistanis are hardly involved in Saudi training programs now. The Saudis are very scared that AQ sympathisers are now in PA, PAF and PN branches since OBL assasination and would like to use only foot soldiers as cannon fodder.

The training is all either French, German or US. In some cases Chinese and Indian as well. If India pushes ahead and provides some training at attractive prices, we can have a bigger ingress.

Their main idea is to use non-muslims for training as they would be less likely to be radicalised in the name of Islam and Democracy

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 26 Jun 2011 12:04

shyamd ji, an interesting blog you have. thank you for spreading Indian viewpoints and good luck.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 26 Jun 2011 15:19

Many Thanks

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MEA took 6 months to give clearance for NIA team to visit Qatar and probe Kerala IG visit to Doha and meeting with terror leaders.
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UAE FM due in New Delhi today.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 26 Jun 2011 20:25

Some interesting articles on the origins of our relations with the GCC:

Friends in Oman

THE Sultanate of Oman has been one of India's closest friends in the Gulf region. In fact even the nuclear tests that India carried out in May have not affected bilateral ties, despite the fact that some of Oman's neighbours have tilted towards Pakistan. Senior officials in India's Foreign Ministry say that India and Oman have had a "special relationship" since Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's visit to the sultanate in 1993. It was during this visit that the agreement to cooperate in the hydrocarbon and fertilizer sectors was reached.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Oman's ruler, is known for his non-conformist approach to international and regional issues. (The Sultan, who is also Prime Minister, holds the Defence, Finance and Foreign Affairs portfolios, besides being the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.)

Sultan Qaboos came on an official visit to India in 1997. During this visit many important agreements, including the ones relating to the setting up of the Indo-Oman Holding Company with a total estimated capital of $100 million, were signed. The Sultan also proposed the exploration of the possibility of having a framework of "strategic trade alliance" between the two countries.

With oil and gas supplies depleting steadily, Oman is keen to diversify its economy. According to a senior Foreign Ministry official, India too wants to bring about a qualitative change in its relationship with Gulf countries such as Oman, which have until now revolved around the purchase of crude and the supply of labour. He said that India wanted to have a more broad-based and politically enduring relationship.

Oman is one of the few countries in the region that have made it a policy to abstain from voting whenever a vote on Kashmir is taken at international forums such as the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

Sultan's party

As a gesture, the Sultan of Oman hosted a totally vegetarian banquet for the Indian delegation visiting Salalah. Ironically, Vajpayee is a non-vegetarian. The Sultan took great pains not just in ordering the menu personally, but he also personally selected the music to be played by the band at the dinner.

India, Saudi Arabia vow to fight terrorism

RIYADH, JAN. 20. India today asked Saudi Arabia to join hands in fighting terrorism saying the two countries were committed to the U.N. principles of strengthening global peace, security and stability.

``Today, our two countries share a commitment to peace and stability in our region and rejection of all forms of extremism and violence,'' the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, said in a letter to the Saudi Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

``There is much that we can do together as partners to make our region and the world a more tranquil place for our people,'' Mr. Vajpayee said in a letter delivered by the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, to Prince Abdullah at their meeting here.

Earlier, Mr. Singh held wide-ranging discussions with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al Faisal on bilateral, regional and international issues. Declaring their mutual desire to upgrade their political contacts and cooperation and promote bilateral relations in various fields, Mr. Singh and Prince Faisal signed a memorandum of understanding for coordination and consultation between the two Governments on all regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The two sides expressed their commitment to the aims and principles of the U.N. to strengthen peace, security and stability across the world. Acknowledging the usefulness of consultations and exchange of opinion at various levels, the two sides agreed to coordinate at the U.N. General Assembly and other international fora. The MoU said the two countries shall hold annual meetings, periodically or whenever needed between their senior officials. Stating that the meetings shall be held alternatively in Riyadh and New Delhi, the two sides also agreed to endeavour to exchange information and experiences in the fields of studies, research and training.

Mr. Singh also met the Saudi Industries Minister, Hashim Abdullah Yamani.

Mr. Vajpayee, in his letter to the Crown Prince, invited him to visit India. ``Your visit would enable us to discuss all aspects of our bilateral relations and also exchange views on international issues of mutual interest and concern,'' he said adding that precise dates of the visit could be firmed up through diplomatic channels.

�We were able to convince Saudi Arabia, Kuwait that there�s a difference between Kashmir issue, terrorism�

Author:
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 9, 2002

Between the three of them, Najma Heptullah, Sikandar Bakht and R.L. Bhatia mapped the entire Islamic world for over a fortnight, seeking to advocate India�s case against terrorism. Their success has been in getting countries in the region to unequivocally condemn the December 13 attack. There were, however, other issues too where the delegations did not create a manifest shift in policy or resolve long-held misgivings, such as Indo-Israeli relations and the Indo-Pak face-off over the Kashmir problem. But, as the Parliamentarians tell SONIA TRIKHA, India got more than a fair hearing on these issues.

On the Islamic world�s response to India�s stand on terrorism and the difference between terrorism and the Kashmir issue

NAJMA HEPTULLAH (Congress): For the first time they condemned terrorism. Significantly, a country like Saudi Arabia had not condemned the December 13 attack on Parliament, but after I went there and explained the issues, they spoke out against the attack. I think it is very important that the Saudi Crown Prince condemned Osama bin Laden and made a clear distinction between Islam and terrorism, saying there is no room for terrorism in the religion.

Equally significantly, we were able to convince Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Sudan that there is a difference between the Kashmir issue and terrorism, that Kashmir is a political issue which Pakistan is trying to turn into an Islamic one by bringing it into the Organisation of Islamic Conference. I was told privately that Pakistan�s attempts to bring resolutions on the Kashmir issue are, in fact, not even discussed in the OIC. The Sudanese assured us that in the next session of the OIC, India can look forward to another resolution that actually supports India�s stand on terrorism.

R.L. BHATIA (Congress): We gave Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and the leadership in Syria and Jordan details of Pakistan�s action in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, on Parliament and in the rest of India. All of them condemned the attacks. We told them that India is ready to talk to Pakistan but cross-border terrorism should stop and Pakistan should hand over the 20 criminals India wants.

SIKANDAR BAKHT (BJP): The thrust of our talks was the state of relations with Pakistan. There was a lot concern on war. Our response was India has never attacked Pakistan. They have attacked us repeatedly. We told them this is not just about Musharraf either. We have been suffered terrorism for 20 years, that was long before Musharraf came on the scene. Now, he must stop the terror.

On Indo-Israel relations and comparisons with the Palestinian problem

HEPTULLAH: We explained that India�s good relations with Israel can only be helpful to the Arab world in their talks. There is no strategic military relationship with Israel and we don�t need it.

BHATIA: This question came up everywhere. In the government, in the universities, in the media. There are concerns that India which has been a friend of the Arabs for long is now tilting towards Israel. Their question was, is there any shift in policy?

BAKHT: Unfortunately, this issue was raised before us. But we told them that Indo-Pak relations have nothing to do with the Israel-Palestinian situation. The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting for centuries. Our problem with Islamabad is fairly recent. We impressed on the Islamic countries that our relations with Israel has not meant any change in relationship with Palestine.

On fears of an Indo-Pak war

HEPTULLAH: They are very worried about the army buildup and said that any war in the region will affect them too. They told us that India is a wise country and we look to India for leadership in the region. We would like it to act wisely in matters of war.

BAKHT: They repeatedly told us that war must be avoided at all costs. Tensions have been high and they said, war will be harmful for India, for Pakistan and for them too. But I must add that they didn�t condemn Pakistan either. Their emphasis was that India and Pakistan must walk together.

India urges Saudi mediation in standoff with Pakistan
Thursday, 31 January 2002 01:58

Dubai: India has urged Saudi Arabia to use its good offices to stop Pakistan from sponsoring what it calls “cross-border terrorism” directed against it. Dubai: India has urged Saudi Arabia to use its good offices to stop Pakistan from sponsoring what it calls “cross-border terrorism” directed against it.
The request was made by Najma Heptulla, deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha and special emissary of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, when she called on Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh on Tuesday.
During their hour-long meeting, Heptullah, who is also president of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), handed over a special message from Vajpayee to the crown prince and took the opportunity to explain to him the terrorist attack on the Indian parliament.
Heptullah, who is heading a four-member delegation as part of the Indian government’s diplomatic offensive against Pakistan in the Islamic countries, will also visit Sudan and Kuwait.
Another Indian delegation, headed by parliamentarian Sikander Bakht, called on senior Omani officials in Muscat and handed over a letter from the prime minister to Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The team had earlier visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE)and Qatar.
Heptullah, speaking to reporters at the Indian embassy later, described her talks with the crown prince as “cordial” and said they had helped the two sides to understand the destructive effects of terrorism.
She said India looked to Saudi Arabia as the custodian of Islam and it was only right that New Delhi explained to Riyadh how terrorism was perpetrated in the name of Islam and Muslims.
She emphasised that terrorist organisations should not use the name of Islam and Muslims to justify their activities and said they had no right to spoil the name of the religion that stood for peace, she said.

UAE army chief, Advani discuss counter-terror strategy

Zayed receives Vajpayee message

Zayed invites Indian PM to visit UAE

Lt. Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the UAE Armed Forces, yesterday handed over a personal letter from President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan inviting Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit the UAE.

* By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
* Published: 00:00 July 2, 2003
* Gulf News

Lt. Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the UAE Armed Forces, yesterday handed over a personal letter from President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan inviting Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to visit the UAE.

The letter was handed over when the delegation led by Mohammed bin Zayed called on the Indian premier on the concluding day of their three-day visit to India.

Vajpayee, recovering from eye surgery, had cancelled all his other engagements of the day on medical advice, but insisted on meeting the delegation.

The meeting was attended by Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Economic Department, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Information and Culture, Dr Saeed Mohammed Al Shamsi, and the delegation members.

Official sources said Vajpayee expressed desire on behalf of India to further strengthen bilateral ties with the UAE during the meeting.

Earlier, Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam received Sheikh Mohammed and the UAE delegation.

Sheikh Mohammed conveyed the greetings of Sheikh Zayed and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the Indian President, wishing him good health, more progress and prosperity for the Indian people.

Sheikh Mohammed also held talks with Sonia Gandhi, leader of India's main opposition Congress Party.

Later a comprehensive agreement on defence cooperation was signed after the delegation had a meeting with India's Defence Minister George Fernandes.

India's Defence Secretary Subir Dutta and Dr. Saeed M Ali Al Shamsi, the UAE Ambassador to India, signed the defence cooperation agreement.

According to India's Ambassador to the UAE, K.C. Singh, it is the first time India has signed a defence cooperation accord with a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The two countries had on Monday agreed to have a strategic dialogue annually, building a permanent platform for delegation-level dialogue on a variety of issues. UAE is the second Gulf country after Oman to hold a strategic dialogue with India.

Besides signing the defence cooperation accord, the two countries have also discussed the possibility of forming a Joint Working Group (JWG) on security issues.

"The agreement also provides for military training, military medical services, military, cultural and sports activities, environmental issues and pollution caused by military, particularly at sea," Singh said while elaborating the highlights of the accord.

The agreement has given a fillip to cooperation in the defence industry as also in the field of scientific research.

Advani lands in Qatar, finds Iraq is nearby

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Jun 2011 16:28

^^ Could some kind soul please point me to ShyamD's blog?

Have lost all my older bookmarks..

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 27 Jun 2011 17:35

sum wrote:^^ Could some kind soul please point me to ShyamD's blog?

Have lost all my older bookmarks..

ShyamD's Blog

Klaus · Post by **Klaus** » 27 Jun 2011 23:24

Shaul Mofaz speaks up: Unilateral Palestinian bid for statehood could be potentially destabilizing for entire region.

Mofaz said he hoped the Sunni majority would take power, ending the domination of Assad's Alawite minority, an outcome he said might bring to an end to Syria's alliance with Shiite Iran and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

"The Sunnis are more moderate and this is good for Israel as it opens a possibility of future peace talks and preserving the quiet," he said.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 28 Jun 2011 01:31

India Gets Close to Saudi Arabia

By Rajeev Sharma
June 27, 2011

At a time when the Saudis are, with an eye on Iran, wooing India like never before, the traditionally warm relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are going through a rough patch.

On June 6, Saudi Arabia agreed to double its crude oil exports to India, meaning Indian crude imports from the kingdom would amount to more than 800,000 barrels per day. This is the first big step towards a strategic energy partnership between New Delhi and Riyadh, something that the two sides have been working on since the beginning of last year.

This strategic energy partnership could culminate in a 30-year oil supply contract that Saudi Arabia is expected to sign with India. It would also mark a further step along the path of improved ties since India-Saudi Arabia relations were transformed following the 2006 state visit to India by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.

Jjamwal, I've answered your question in the blog. Thanks.

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A Libya like situation is extremely likely in Syria unless Bashaar al Assad conducts major reforms. Here it will likely be Turkey that will intervene militarily backed by US air and naval cover.

You may also see a renewed US role in Libya "to finish the job".

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 29 Jun 2011 22:33

Syrian Anti regime prisoners were being spotted being brought to an old prison built in the 80's in Tata trucks. The prison has just been re-opened. The first few hundred prisoners were brought in 2 weeks ago in tata trucks.

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jjamwal ji. replied to your post.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 30 Jun 2011 23:17

The new drone base is in KSA. CIA/JSOC team present. Bandar and Turki combined. Mainly Bandar. Turki lobbied Nayef who was against it initially. It is heavily reliant on KSA intel.

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AC-130 and Drone strikes by JSOC in Somalia today. This is the new strategy for the US. The US has a base in Morocco for North African ops.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 03 Jul 2011 01:26

Expect trouble now between Iran and Turkey over Syria. It MAY turn into a regional conflict. Tensions are seriously rising. Its a re-start of the Ottomon/Persian rivalry.

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"maximum pressure" will be applied on AQAP over the coming months. They are worried about AQAP gaining more territory and taking over Yemen, then going after KSA.

I think Israel may have changed its mind on supporting Bashaar initially, but they might be onboard now to get rid of Bashaar.I personally don't think its a very good thing for Israel to remove Bashaar.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 03 Jul 2011 01:32

shyamd wrote:Expect trouble now between Iran and Turkey over Syria. It MAY turn into a regional conflict. Tensions are seriously rising. Its a re-start of the Ottomon/Persian rivalry.

How the winds change!

Just a few months ago, with Anatolian Eagle over Iranian air space, we were thinking about a Turkey-Iran-China Axis! And now this!

shyamd ji,
what are, in your view, the reasons for Turkey to get involved in Syria.

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 03 Jul 2011 01:45

Hurriyet Daily:
Turkey-Syria-Iran triangle is being redrawn

The Arab Spring caused the struggle over Iraq to fade into the background. We are witnessing an indeterminate process challenging power holders and straining the inter-bloc balances. For instance, on the Sunni side of the equation, there is Egypt, struggling with internal problems. On the Shiite side, Syria is experiencing a shift of power and carrying the potential of inter-bloc displacement. It seems that the uprisings will not yield outcomes favoring the Shiite side.
[...]
Turkey’s close rapport with the U.S. regarding the Syrian politics clearly shows that Turkey has completely parted company with Bashar al-Assad. Erdoğan doesn’t want another diplomatic crisis in the context of Syria, like the one instigated by the nuclear issue with Iran. We can say that he is ideologically much closer to the Muslim Brotherhood than Assad.
[...]
Turkey’s new approach to Syria also has the potential to create tension with Iran in the medium term. A possible shift of power will end the role of Syria as the “strategic ally” of Iran; which will in turn assign a partial responsibility for such an outcome to Turkey.
[...]
Iran-Syria relations teach a significant lesson for understanding the balances in the region. During the Iraq-Iran war, Khomeini’s Iran established a strategic alliance with Syria. Rapprochement with Iran was a sign that Syria was prepared to sacrifice Saddam’s Iraq. Iran rewarded this by providing Syria 1 billion dollars worth of free oil and commercial privileges. In return, Syria let Iran’s Revolutionary Guards move to Lebanon in order to train Hezbollah. In this way, Iran, exhilarated by the Islamic revolution, was now able to reach the Israeli border. No longer suffering from diplomatic isolation, Iran responded to NATO-member Turkey’s rapprochement with Iraq by first inviting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to its own land and then allowing them to move to northern Iraq. The Syria-Iran relations of the past continue up to this day, despite minor crises.

The rise to power of a “democratic” Muslim Brotherhood with the mediatized and psychological support of the West would mean that Syria will no longer belong to the Shiite bloc. Losing an ally like Syria would force Iran to lose a highly important geopolitical space and also instigate serious psychological trauma. Under such circumstances, Turkey will most likely leave aside the politics of balancing and begin to embrace its role as a new member of the Sunni bloc. It would be no surprise at all if Turkey-Iran relations acquired a new shape in the near future.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 03 Jul 2011 03:53

RajeshA wrote:
shyamd wrote:Expect trouble now between Iran and Turkey over Syria. It MAY turn into a regional conflict. Tensions are seriously rising. Its a re-start of the Ottomon/Persian rivalry.
How the winds change!

Just a few months ago, with Anatolian Eagle over Iranian air space, we were thinking about a Turkey-Iran-China Axis! And now this!

This was just a brief honeymoon.

shyamd ji,
what are, in your view, the reasons for Turkey to get involved in Syria.

Islam, GCC, US, regional stability with respect to Iran. Basically, Iran was looking for a little fight with Israel to divert some attention, Syria is very important to Iran due to Lebanon. You may see Hezbollah get even more powerful now as Iran transfers equipment from Syria to Lebanon.

West is treading carefully on Syria because it doesn't want to fight/start something with Tehran. Tehran is the power behind Asad. Tehran is flexing some muscle in the recent exercises in the northern borders. Testing the nuclear capable missiles is a direct threat to Europe.

The US/EU/NATO has enough of a mess to deal with.

I think 2013/14 is the crucial period for Iran.

You see the GCC wants to have a relationship of interdependence with Iran & Iraq based on economic, tech, political etc similar to the times of the Shah. So GCC proposed a few strategic projects but there were a lot of protests recently against some of these projects. But you see Iran wants to have a really expansionist "persian" ideology. These are the source of the problems. Maliki is now on his way towards dictatorship. North - see Syria/Leb, West Egypt instability, East you have Bah/Iran, South you have Yemen/AQAP.

The GCC strategy is quite similar to what India is trying to do with Pak. We are trying to tell Pak that we are not a threat, but the very state of Pak is being built on hatred towards India and the only thing the Pak generals think about is India.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 03 Jul 2011 04:46

^ so iran-GCC is Islamic version of ind-pak. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 03 Jul 2011 07:22

Iran puts pressure on Indian oil firms over payment
PTI

Iran has threatened to stop crude oil supplies to India from August if a mechanism to pay for imports from the nation’s second largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia is not found quickly.

National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) on June 27 wrote letters to refiners like Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd and Essar Oil, who are the principal buyers of Iranian crude, demanding that a mechanism be put in place to pay for its oil supplies, industry official said on Friday.

Iran is supplying some 400,000 barrels per day of crude oil to India on credit since late December last year when the Reserve Bank of India scrapped a long-standing mechanism to pay for import from Persian Gulf nation using a clearing house system run by regional central banks.

“The situation is grave. We need to find an alternative to the scrapped payment mechanism,” an official said.

Outstanding payments have now topped $9 billion, sending finance ministry to scramble for an alternative mechanism.

The urgency stems from the fact that Iran is the second only to Saudi Arabia as an oil supplier to India, while India is Iran’s second-biggest crude buyer after China, accounting for about 20 per cent of its exports. Iran supplies 12 per cent of total oil needs of India.

As an alternative to Asian Clearing Union (ACU), India tried routing payments through countries like the UAE, Russia and Turkey. All of them were willing to do small payments, running into few million dollars, but said no to routing nearly $13 billion that India pays for Iranian crude annually.

Officials said the only option left with India was to pay in its own currency, rupee but finance ministry has not yet agreed to it.

Korea and China use their own currency to pay for Iranian imports. Iran buys cars and several other commodities including heavy equipment from the two nations from the payments it earns from oil sales, leaving almost nothing by way of actual currency transfer.

In case of India, its trade with Iran is heavily loaded in favour of Tehran. Its exports of items like tea accounts for just a couple of billion dollars while it imports up to $13 billion worth of crude oil every year.

The net result will be that Iran will have every month a billion dollar worth of rupee in hand, which finance ministry does not want it to be invested in stocks or buying stake.

MRPL, a unit of state explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp, is the largest buyer of Iranian crude at 142,000 barrels per day. Essar imports 110,000 bpd, state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd 65,000 bpd and Indian Oil Corp 50,000 bpd.

Reliance Industries has since last year completely stopped using Iranian oil at its twin refineries on the west coast.

http://www.thehindu.com/business/article2150682.ece

I don't see why India should not pay in rupees if Iran is willing to accept that. Iran could buy manufactured goods, like it does from China and S. Korea, and also invest in non-strategic infrastructure, like roads, rail and dams.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 03 Jul 2011 08:36

Iran could buy manufactured goods

For how many Billions?

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 03 Jul 2011 08:56

Pranav wrote: The net result will be that Iran will have every month a billion dollar worth of rupee in hand, which finance ministry does not want it to be invested in stocks or buying stake.

Seems typical concrete headed babu thinking...after all if Iran wants to invest it can convert dollars to rupees and buy stocks or stakes like others do, as such transactions are not controlled...if they buy with rupees, at least there is only one seller ie India so the terms are more favourable to us...and they will look to spend it meaningfully and cannot take it back so easily

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 03 Jul 2011 16:01

Sailing Up The Tigris

For India’s new envoy to Iraq, a quiet renewal
Pranay Sharma

When Suresh Reddy, an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1991 batch, flew out of New Delhi as India’s ambassador to Iraq a fortnight ago, he was symbolically burying dark memories from nearly seven years ago. In 2004, an Iraqi dissident group had abducted three Indian truck drivers (along with three Kenyans and an Egyptian) and threatened to kill them unless their company paid ransom. For 44 long days, an Indian team led by Talmiz Ahmad, currently ambassador to Saudi Arabia, engaged in protracted negotiations with the abductors, even as Indians watched every turn and twist in the tense kidnapping drama unfold on their TV. The drivers were ultimately released, but with insurgency at its height and the security situation precarious, New Delhi also decided to pull out its then ambassador B.B. Tyagi from Baghdad a few months later.

Reddy’s arrival in Baghdad marks the end of a seven-year hiatus in which India had downgraded its presence in Iraq, appointing just a charges d’affaires for holding operations. During this period, Iraq went through momentous changes—authoritarian rule was ended, two parliamentary elections were held, and the legacy of Saddam Hussein given a quiet burial. Buried with the Saddam legacy, however, is also the story of India’s eminence in Iraq, which will now be Reddy’s task to exhume and bring to life.

Not surprisingly, Reddy’s departure to Baghdad has rekindled memories among Indian officials of the years during which Saddam and his predecessors were at the helm. In 1981, for instance, when India was facing an oil crisis, then prime minister Indira Gandhi dispatched Pranab Mukherjee to seek assistance from Iraq, which was then India’s largest oil supplier. Recalls an Indian diplomat, “It took less than five minutes to sort out the issue. Saddam instructed a close aide to ensure additional supply of oil was made to India at the earliest.”

Yet, the meeting between Pranab and Saddam continued for another 45 minutes, says the diplomat. The reason: Saddam wanted to know how “sister Indira” was coping with the death of her son Sanjay. The Iraqi president read out a verse from the Holy Quran pertaining to death, marked it, and asked Pranab to deliver it to “sister Indira” as an expression of his sympathy. This warm relationship between India and Iraq survived Indira’s death. A diplomat recalls the glow on Saddam’s face as foreign minister I.K. Gujral controversially hugged him in Baghdad, where he had gone to secure the evacuations of Indians prior to the First Gulf War. A member of the Indian delegation even called Saddam a “Jat”, applauding him for his fight against injustice, even though the show of warmth displeased the United States.

The Indian truck drivers held as hostages in Iraq, July 2004. (Photograph by AFP, From Outlook, July 04, 2011)

Indian diplomats narrate such stories to underscore the “formidable” and “enduring” relations India and Indians had with Iraq and its people till the 1980s. The touchstone of the Indo-Iraqi relationship was their 1952 treaty of “Perpetual Peace and Friendship”, which saw Indian doctors, teachers, professionals, businessmen and senior bureaucrats help Baghdad in capacity building and infrastructure development. Till the late 1980s, senior members of the Indian armed forces—both from the army and the air force—trained their Iraqi counterparts. Some 100 Indian companies had contracts worth $1 billion in Iraq. Indian films were a rage, and the Indian mind widely admired. Such was the esteem Indians enjoyed that they only had to utter the word Al Hind, or ‘India’, to have security checks waived at police posts.

India played down Suresh Reddy’s appointment to Baghdad in an attempt to scale down expectations.

India can’t hope to overnight become a magic word in today’s Iraq, which, though boasting a representative government, remains under US occupation. With violence on the wane, countries are rushing to open their embassies in the hopes of bagging lucrative contracts for rebuilding Iraq, estimated to be worth $150 billion. More than 50 countries—including China, Japan, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Russia and Bangladesh—have already established their presence. Says former mea official Zikrur Rehman, who played a crucial role in the release of the kidnapped drivers in 2004, “It will not be easy for the new ambassador in Iraq to recreate the magic and revive the pride of place India once enjoyed in the country.”

What might be to India’s advantage is its soft power. Even now a large number of Iraqi students come to study in India. There’s an Iraqi school in New Delhi, in fact down the street where the Outlook office is located. India remains the favoured place for medical treatment—as many as 28,000 Iraqis came for this purpose last year. And more than 50,000 Indians are said to be already working for different foreign companies in Iraq. In addition, India hasn’t alienated the Iraqis, turning down Washington’s request to send troops to Iraq and consistently opposing the imposition of sanctions against it. Says former ambassador to Iraq R. Dayakar, “India has an enduring relationship with Iraqis. There is no animosity against India and this is the right time to post an ambassador there.”

The Indian establishment is visibly playing down the decision to send Reddy to Baghdad, perhaps in an attempt to scale down expectations. As a secretary-rank official in South Block told Outlook, “The ambassador’s role will be to look for opportunities and inform the government where India can play a substantive part in Iraq’s nation-building.”

Perhaps this cautious approach is in consonance with the ground reality in Iraq. For instance, it’s hard to tell whether the nation—with its recent history of extreme violence and fractiousness— will plunge into bloody chaos should US President Barack Obama fulfil his promise of withdrawing his troops by 2011-end. The alternative, of the US retaining even a skeletal presence, is equally fraught—it would disappoint the moderates and encourage the extremists to target the “occupying force”. Also, no one quite knows the impact the Arab Spring could have on Iraq—in February Baghdad witnessed demonstrations demanding better governance. It only makes sense not to hype up the reopening of the Indian embassy.

As Reddy busies himself meeting officials in the Iraqi foreign ministry, he can only hope that the sentiments underlying the 1952 Treaty has endured in a rapidly changing country.

Saddam even helped India in whatever little way he could in counter terror per B Raman. This is a welcome development. I can confirm an IAF team has had talks with the Iraqi Air Force late last year.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 03 Jul 2011 21:48

Which ever country where India has a strong bond with the country and its people - they have been targeting and India seems to lose influence.
Is this seems to be happening in a systematic manner. It is part of a larger plan of change in world order.