West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

[kmkraoind]

http://cigeography.blogspot.fr/2015/04/operation-resolute-storm-saudi-led.html

[ramana]

Folks try to read about how the Ummayad Caliphate was displaced by the Abbasids.

We are seeing the first moves via ISIS.

[vishvak]

We also need some research about how usual chattering and protesting masses of people, including ones related to the Gaza blockade, are silent now. This is much more than a blockade since illegal alliance of some countries is bombing Yemen.

[vijaykarthik]

Turkey realizes the importance of the nuke deal which allows Iran to re-emerge. Hence rushing in to pay obeisance.

No wonder KSA is hopping mad.

I thought so too initially. But I took it off my list as I would've thought that someone lesser than Erdogan would have gone if that were so. It didn't ring a bell that he goes to talk to Rouhani and Khomenei when its easier to send Fidan or Davutoglu etc etc, particularly when he was critical of Iran just a couple weeks ago. Didn't work out in my cobweb of thoughts.

So dug for more dirt.

Sequence as follows:

Egypt - Pak meet up of defence min Sidqy Sobhy and COAS, JCOAS etc.
Pak Turkey meet up - Davutoglu and Sharif?

Iran - Turkey meetup : Rouhani / Khomenei & Erdogan.

Something serious is either building up or its getting defused.

Iran sends a couple destroyers to Bab el Mandab on a antipiracy mission.

Iran border guards got killed a few days back -- this is the damned odd one out. Cant figure this. Why?

[vijaykarthik]

I also think the fellas are beginning to think that the Yemeni army is a big risk. The Houthis are light militias but its a different story chasing and attacking the Saleh sided army. KSA will get into a very messy situation if they actually end up getting in even with Paki and Egyptian support.

Don't think they have a sensible defence minister who has an age band of 27-35 years.

[Philip]

The Pakis have assured the Saudis that they will spring to their aid to defend .......the "two holy places", not threatened right now! They are doing every contorted trick in the book to avoid going to Yemen and getting their backsides burnt.The Iranians are also wooing the Pakis saying that a political solution is the answer. The situ in the region now resembles a WWE "Royal Rumble" rather than two sides against each other.

[Singha]

imo they will heavily fund the AQ and pro saudi sunni militias still holding out in the eastern provinces to go at the houthis and army.

everyone has got themselves a rifle and are willing to fight.

so the next split of yemen would be west yemen and east yemen, a change from the old north and south!

[vijaykarthik]

^^ Yes. When I saw the first news about the AQAP making a rapid move towards S Yemen and did a quickie and took over a few bases, I thought KSA had moved and that was it. This was about a wk before the first of air strikes.

However, that didn't do and the KSA went all in with air strikes. And did a bit of pressurizing Paki and Egypt. There is still a lot more to be done and lot more in the works but it does seem as if at least a small bit of AQAP will still swear allegiance to the KSA and UAE bosses?

How about the IS?

[deejay]

The Pakis have assured the Saudis that they will spring to their aid to defend .......the "two holy places", not threatened right now! They are doing every contorted trick in the book to avoid going to Yemen and getting their backsides burnt.The Iranians are also wooing the Pakis saying that a political solution is the answer. The situ in the region now resembles a WWE "Royal Rumble" rather than two sides against each other.

The Pakis are already there in the garb of some joint Saudi Paki military exercise. A few got killed too (not sure if they were Pakis or Soothias). The place of exercise is in South West Saudi Arabia, close to Yemen borders!!!

Now, like the magicians their sleight of hand is - say something else while doing something else. It will be best to dismiss the Paki posturing vis-vis the Arabian lords as just that. TSP is in Saudi Arabia doing the biding of Arabian fathers- fighting Hoothis while training with Soothis.

[vijaykarthik]

There is no doubt in some Pakis being there. Even per MSM reports, there are about 700-800 Pakis there in various capacities.

[Singha]

I thought a Paki mech brigade is always there for decades and people rotate in and out?

[vijaykarthik]

Funny this: http://tribune.com.pk/story/866892/one- ... -training/
In Al Samsam-5 exercise.

Even more funny this: https://in.newshub.org/pakistan-hindu-c ... 62817.html
Eh? Who is this Dr Ramesh Vankwani

[vijaykarthik]

Oho, now Pak hints to Iran that they are leaning against supporting KSA's request:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... t-in-yemen

[deejay]

Funny this: http://tribune.com.pk/story/866892/one- ... -training/
In Al Samsam-5 exercise.

...

Another news link posted STFUP thread (X-posting sudhan ji's link):http://www.dawn.com/news/1174879/one-de ... y-training

As reported in that link:

The report on the SPA website quoted an official source at the Saudi Ministry of Defense saying, “a non-commissioned officer has died and three other officers have sustained injuries during live-ammunition shooting related to the Saudi-Pakistani al-Samsam 5” exercises in Baha, in the kingdom's southwest.

and further from the same link

The pre scheduled Saudi-Pak joint exercise al-Samsam-5 is being held in Taif since March 29. At the time of commencement a Saudi commander had said that exercise has nothing to do with military operations in Yemen.

Location of Baha, Saudi Arabia not very far from Norther Yemen border 355 Kms (approx) and Taif from the same point in the Northern Yemeni border is 888 kms approx.

So the exercise in the general south western area which is fairly spread and is part of bilateral annual exercise. The causalities are all Saudi.

[uddu]

May be Pakistanis shot dead the Saudis during exercise.
It seems There is insurgency within Saudi Arabia by the Shias and Saudi May be trying to hide this. Otherwise why should there be such an alarm and reaction to something happening in neighboring yemen.

[vijaykarthik]

I wonder what KSA reaction will be for Pak's mentioning that Iran will need to part of the discussion about Yemen. Will it not be taken as a slap on them by its benefactor?

Should be fun to watch.

Should be even more interesting if KSA tries to calls Pak's bluff on support if KSA territorial integrity is in question!

[deejay]

Thanks uddu ji.

So Al Bahah or as mentioned earlier is either entirely Shia or very close to the Shia dominated areas and this is where the Saudi casualties have happened.

Taif where the exercise is reportedly supposed to happen appears to be in Sunni dominated area.

[vijaykarthik]

2 factors:

a. Houthis moving into Aden - KSA didn't expect it.
b. Iran getting into a likely deal though every possible means known to them has ben used [incl supporting Israel covertly]

With this plus Iraq and Syria and Lebanon already covered, KSA did feel bottled. I will be very surprised if KSA had a Shia-Sunni conflict currently. However, we should not be surprised if KSA has the fear of a potential Shia-Sunni conflict if the Houthis gain an upper hand.

Most (all?) east based oil fields are in Shia dominated areas and if Houthis capture Yemen they could lead to more fights / resistance movts in the underbelly eastern shia region too.

IIRC, the east bottom of KSA is the predominant Shia belt.

[UlanBatori]

Wonder how many desis are in KSA, and what is the plan to get them out when the time comes... any minute now..

Do u really see the KSA Fauj winning in ground warfare against hardened guerrilla fighters armed by, say, Hezbollah or Hamas? What happens when they suddenly find that the frontline Fauj has been routed, and the tanks start coming back with barrels pointed towards Mecca and Medina and Jeddah?

HUGELY risky decision to put actual boots on the ground inside Yemen, w/ or w/o aircover. One swift urban battle with a rout, and it's panic time.

[Agnimitra]

Saw this circulating among Kurds:

ISIS fighters killed by Kurds were members of Turkish MIT (Intelligence Services)

[Philip]

The massacres in the Yarmouk refugee camp is now forcing the Palestinians to come forth and take up the gun against ISIS.

'Military' Option Agreed Against ISIS In Yarmouk Refugee Camp, Palestinian Official Says
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/0 ... l?ir=India

By ALBERT AJI
Posted: 09/04/2015

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A senior Palestinian official said Thursday that an agreement has been reached with the Syrian government to use military force to expel Islamic State militants from an embattled Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus.

IS fighters overran much of the Yarmouk camp last week, marking the extremists' deepest foray yet into the Syrian capital. The IS incursion is the latest trial for Yarmouk and its estimated 18,000 remaining residents, who have already survived a devastating two-year government siege, starvation and disease.

"We have agreed with the Syrian government on ways to force the terrorist group IS out of the Yarmouk refugee camp," Ahmad Majdalani, the labor minister in the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, told the Voice of Palestine Radio. "The military solution is the only one to force these terrorists out of the camp."

Majdalani, who is leading a West Bank delegation to Damascus to address the crisis, told reporters in in the Syrian capital that all Palestinian factions have agreed to continue consultations with the Syrian leadership and to form a joint operations room with government forces.

But it was unclear who exactly had signed onto the plan. Yarmouk is home to factions that support Syrian President Bashar Assad and groups that oppose him, and it was unclear whether Palestinians from both sides of the divide had indeed agreed to join forces.

There was no immediate word from the main Palestinian faction fighting the Islamic State group in Yarmouk, known as Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis. The group is opposed to Assad and affiliated with Hamas.

Majdalani also said the Syrian government has agreed to ensure safe passage to refugees in Yarmouk and to provide them with shelter outside the camp.

Yarmouk was the main refugee camp established in Syria for Palestinians who fled the 1948 war that attended Israel's creation. Before the Syrian civil war it was a sprawling, built-up neighborhood that was home to tens of thousands of Palestinians and Syrians alike.

Once Syria's conflict began in March 2011, some Palestinian factions based in the camp, including Hamas, sided with Sunni rebels fighting to topple the Syrian government, and it became a refuge for anti-Assad activists. Over the past four years, the camp has been devastated by the conflict.

On Thursday, buildings at the northern entrance to Yarmouk were nothing but empty shells, their insides having been blown out by explosives and charred black by fire, according to an Associated Press reporter who visited the government-held segment of the camp. Walls were pockmarked by bullets.

Fighters had dragged battered water tanks into the streets to use them as barriers. Downed electricity cables and rubble covered the pavement. An aid distribution center once run by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, was totally destroyed by shelling.

The latest fighting in Yarmouk has worsened an already desperate situation for civilians still in the camp. On Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross joined a growing chorus of aid groups calling for immediate access to the camp.

The ICRC said emergency medical care is "urgently needed" for the estimated 18,000 people still inside the camp, and warned that humanitarian needs "are growing by the day." It called on the armed factions to allow the "immediate and unimpeded passage" of humanitarian aid and to permit civilians who wish to flee to be able to do so.

[Philip]

Everything about the war on Yemen is a smokescreen. Concealed behind the smoke is a tale of geopolitics and petro-politics that aims to control the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden

.

http://rt.com/op-edge/248269-yemen-oil- ... eb-strait/
War on Yemen: Where oil and geopolitics mix

Everything about the war on Yemen is a smokescreen. Concealed behind the smoke is a tale of geopolitics and petro-politics that aims to control the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.

The House of Saud and a military coalition that consists mostly of anachronistic monarchies are claiming to bomb Yemen as a means of saving the Yemenite people and their transition to democracy. The irony should not be lost on observers that recognize that the Saudi-led coalition — consisting of the Kingdom of Morocco, the UAE, Kuwait, Kingdom of Bahrain, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia itself — is comprised of an unhealthy mixture of backward family dictatorships and corrupt governments that essentially are the antithesis of democracy.

Just as important to note, the Saudi-led war on Yemen is a criminal act. The military attack on Yemen was not authorized by the UN Security Council. Nor can the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia justify its bombing campaign under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, because Yemen and Ansarullah (the Houthi movement) pose no threat of war to Riyadh and never had any intentions of igniting a war in the Arabian Peninsula. This is why the Kingdom’s war on Yemen is categorically a violation of the Charter of the UN and international law.

The Houthis never wanted to aggravate Saudi Arabia let alone start a war against the Kingdom. Days before the Saudi-led war on Yemen, the Houthis had stealthily sent a delegation to Riyadh to establish an understanding with the Saudis and to calm them down.

Instead of opposing the illegal war on Yemen, Washington and its allies, including Britain, have thrown their political support behind the bombing of Yemen by the malfeasant Royal Saudi Air Force, which has committed war crime by intentionally bombed civilian infrastructure, including refugee camps and children’s schools.

It is no coincidence that most of the victims in Yemen are civilians. This is part of a Saudi strategy of establishing rapid military dominance, which is colloquially called “shock and awe.” Ring any bells? This is a strategy taken right out of Uncle Sam’s playbook that intends to demoralize resistance and scare the opponent into surrendering.

Pentagon’s not-so-hidden bloody hands

Not eager to reveal their roles in another illegal war on another sovereign country, the US and undoubtedly several of its NATO allies have decided to keep low profiles in the attack on Yemen. This is why Washington has opted to publicly present itself as only providing logistical and intelligence support to the Saudis for the war on Yemen.

The war on Yemen, however, would not be possible without the US. Not only have countries like the US and Britain provided military hardware to Saudi Arabia, but they are providing it with bombs for the attack, refueling its warplanes, providing intelligence, and giving the Kingdom logistical support.

Does this sound like non-involvement? Can the US really be considered a non-combatant in the war?

History — and very recent history at that too — is repeating itself in Yemen.

Observers should recall how Washington deceptively claimed that it did not want to go to war with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 2011. The US publicly let the British and French take the lead in the NATO war on Tripoli while the Pentagon was actually the main force behind the war. US President Barack Obama called this a strategy of “leading from behind.”

The US strategy in Yemen is not too different from that of the NATO war on Libya. It is another case of cloak and dagger where the US does not want to be seen pulling the strings behind the aggression and violation of international law.

The Saudis would never have dared attack Yemen without Washington’s green light or help. The Pentagon is even selecting the bombing targets in Yemen for the Kingdom. “American military planners are using live intelligence feeds from surveillance flights over Yemen to help Saudi Arabia decide what and where to bomb,” the Wall Street Journal casually reported when the war began. National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan, even stated that the US had established “a joint planning cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate” the attack on Yemen.

This is why it should not come as a surprise that Saudi Arabia used Washington as the platform to announce the launching of its war on Yemen. The Associated Press even noticed the weird podium that the Kingdom had selected. “In an unusual tableau, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States announced the rare military operation by his country at a Washington news conference about a half-hour after the bombing began,” the Associated Press reported on March 25.

Double standards: Remember EuroMaidan in Ukraine?

One ugly double-standard after another ugly double-standard sticks out. While the House of Saud argued that it has intervened militarily in Yemen to restore Abd-Rabbuh Manṣour Al-Hadi, who Riyadh claims is the legitimate president of Yemen, it has pushed for a war on Syria and worked with the US to topple Bashar Assad’s government.

Washington’s reaction is even more lopsided. When EuroMaidan was underway in Kiev and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich was forced to flee in 2014, the US and its allies claimed that Yanukovich had lost all legitimacy because he fled Ukraine. Even as recently as February 2015, US officials have maintained this argument. “Well, let’s all refresh ourselves on the facts here. President — former President Yanukovich abdicated his responsibilities by fleeing Kiev during a political crisis,” the US Department of State’s spokesperson, Jennifer Psaki, told reporters during a press briefing.

Well Mr. Al-Hadi also fled his country. Nevertheless, the same measuring stick that was used in Ukraine is not applied to assess Al-Hadi’s legitimacy. Unlike its position on Ukraine, Washington claims that Al-Hadi is still the legitimate leader of Yemen.

The US is even willing to put aside its differences and work with Sudan, which the US Department of State claims is a state sponsor of terrorism, to bomb Yemen into accepting Al-Hadi back.

The basis for all of these contradictory positions is really a marker of US interests and Machiavellianism. It has nothing to do with legitimacy, democracy, or human rights.

Al-Hadi’s (il)legitimacy

While there some parallels between the two, there are key differences between Ukraine and Yemen. These key differences set Yanukovich and Al-Hadi apart and are what made Yanukovich legitimate and Al-Hadi illegitimate.

Firstly, unlike President Yanukovich, Al-Hadi resigned from office. For arguments sake, however, we will not dwell on this. There are much more important points for evaluating Al-Hadi’s legitimacy.

Unlike Yanukovich, Al-Hadi’s term had actually expired. While President Yanukovich was elected into office by the Ukrainian people for his term, President Al-Hadi’s term was extended through an administrative process. To quote Reuters: “Yemen's political factions extended the president’s term by a year” on January 21, 2014. Al-Hadi was only kept in office to execute reforms, and this is the criterion for his legitimacy.

Under the above context, it has to be remembered that Al-Hadi was selected as a transitional figure. He became the president of Yemen to usher democracy and his term was extended in 2014 for this purpose. Instead, Al-Hadi dragged his feet on the democratic reforms — the fundamental basis for his legitimacy — that he was supposed to institute in Yemen. He was not fulfilling his mandate to share power and to enfranchise Yemen’s different political factions.

President Al-Hadi actually tried to concentrate power into his own hands while working to weaken Yemen’s other factions, including the Houthis, through gerrymandering by redrawing Yemen’s administrative regions.

Petro-politics & Bab-el-Mandeb Strait: Another war for control of oil?

The geopolitical significance of Yemen has weighed heavily in the equation. This war is as much about oil as it is about Saudi suzerainty and the House of Saud’s objectives to make Yemen a vassal state. Alongside Djibouti, Yemen forms part of an important maritime chokepoint, called the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait (also known as the Gateway of Tears/Anguish), which connects the Indian Ocean’s Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

It is no exaggerations to call the Mandeb Strait one of the world’s arteries. As a maritime chokepoint, the strait is just as important as Egypt’s Suez Canal — which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea — and the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, because Bab-el-Mandeb overlooks one of the most strategic and important global corridors for the transportation of energy and international commerce.

Preventing US and Saudi rivals from gaining a strategic foothold over the Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden is a major objective of the war on Yemen. The US and the House of Saud see control over the Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden as strategically important in the scenario of a conflict with Iran where Tehran closes the Strait of Hormuz to oil shipments and international shipping. As the New York Times points out, “Nearly all Saudi commerce is via sea, and direct access to the Arabian Sea would diminish dependence on the Persian Gulf — and fears of Iran’s ability to cut off the Strait of Hormuz.” Plan B in such a scenario for the Kingdom includes using Aden and other Yemeni ports.

Support for the balkanization of Yemen chimes with this and ideas about dividing Yemen have been floating around since the Arab Spring. In 2013, the New York Times had this to propose about a Saudi takeover and annexation of southern Yemen: “Arabs are abuzz about part of South Yemen’s eventually merging with Saudi Arabia. Most southerners are Sunni, as is most of Saudi Arabia; many have family in the kingdom. The poorest Arabs, Yemenis could benefit from Saudi riches. In turn, Saudis would gain access to the Arabian Sea for trade, diminishing dependence on the Persian Gulf and fear of Iran’s virtual control over the Strait of Hormuz.”

Houthi control over Yemen, however, complicates and obscures US and Saudi plans.

Mandeb Strait and control of strategic chokepoints

As Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has rightly pointed out, the Houthis and the Yemeni military are capable of closing the Mandeb Strait. One of the reasons that Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel Al-Jubeir stressed that the Houthis should not have control over ballistic missiles, heavy military hardware, and Yemeni bases is because the US and Saudi Arabia want to neutralize the potential of Yemen to close the Mandeb Strait, especially if Yemen should coordinate with Tehran as an Iranian ally in the future. In this regard, the Saudis have attacked Yemen’s missile depots. The aim of the air strikes include not only preventing Yemen’s missile arsenal from being used to retaliate against any exertions of Saudi force, but to also prevent them from being on hand to a Yemen government aligned to Tehran or other US rivals.

Moreover, it has to be remembered that control over Yemen is not only important for mitigating the effects from a scenario where the Strait of Hormuz are closed by Tehran. Control over Mandeb Strait is also important for tightening the noose around the Iranians and in the scenario of a war with Iran. The same can be argued about a US strategy in the Indian Ocean against the Chinese.

Back in 2011, when Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin was serving in Brussels as Moscow’s envoy to NATO, he noted that Washington was not only planning on taking over Syria as a beachhead for a war with Iran, but that the US and its allies would later try to control Yemen as the next step in preparing the grounds for an attack on Iran. At the time, RIA Novosti (now renamed Sputnik) reported that “Rogozin agreed with the opinion expressed by some experts that Syria and later Yemen could be NATO’s last steps on the way to launch an attack on Iran.”

Why did Netanyahu warn US Congress about Yemen?

Reports that Israel is a not-so-secret member of the Saudi-led coalition that is bombing Yemen need to be read, understood, analyzed in the above context about the Mandeb Strait too. Netanyahu’s unspoken concern is that Yemen could cut off Israel’s access to the Indian Ocean and, more specifically, its ability to easily deploy its Dolphin class submarines to the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf.

Who is threatening who? According to the Sunday Times and Israeli sources, three nuclear-armed Israeli submarines are deployed near Iran’s shores at all times waiting on standby for orders from Tel Aviv to bomb Iran. In part, this is why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ringing the alarm bells about Yemen and the Mandeb Strait in the Washington Beltway when he went to speak on Capitol Hill on March 4.

Israel is concerned about Yemen because an independent Yemeni government could inhibit Israel’s nuclear-armed submarines from easily deploying from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf to menace Iran with the threat of an attack.

Iran and the Houthis

Just like the case with Ukraine, all the problems in Yemen are also being blamed on a nearby country. While Russia has been blamed as the scapegoat for the plethora of problems in Ukraine, Iran has been blamed for the Saudi war on Yemen.

The Saudis are falsely depicting the Houthis as Iranian proxies or allies, because the movement is composed of Zaidi (Fiver) Shiites. The Houthis, however, are independent from Tehran and have agency as political actors; they are not Iranian proxies whatsoever. A common faith has not brought the Houthis and the Iranians, who are predominately Jaffari (Twelver) Shiites, together. Politics is what has brought the two together.

The sectarian language that falsely depicts Yemen as a battleground between Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims is ill informed or intended to mislead people by design about the actual politics and history of Yemen. This type of sectarian language was never used when the House of Saud supported King Mohammed Al-Badr’s Zaidi imamate against the republicans or Ali Abdullah Saleh, who himself is a Zaidi Shiite, against the Houthis.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is very accurate when he points out that different regional players are turning to Tehran for help, because either Saudi Arabia will not help them or is pushing them in the direction of Iran through its foolish policies. This has been precisely the case for the Houthis. If it was not for the flawed policies of the US and Saudi Arabia, the Houthis would never have turned to Iran in the first place.

The Houthis also sent delegations to Moscow and Beijing to overcome US and Saudi efforts to isolate and weaken them internationally.

Will Yemen become Saudi Arabia’s Vietnam?

Historically, foreign intervention in Yemen has largely proven to be a disaster. Yemeni terrain is rugged and the elevated interior topography is perfect for guerilla warfare. Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Egypt lost many soldiers in North Yemen during its civil war, which was a major liability for Cairo.

When Ibn Saud was conquering Arabia, he was stopped in Yemen by King Yahya.

In more recent history times, when Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen to fight the Houthis in 2009 and 2010, it was effectively defeated again in Yemen. The Houthis even ended up capturing towns inside Saudi Arabia.

Ground operations will not be a walk in the park for Saudi Arabia. Any invasion and occupation of Yemen will prove to be a disaster for the Kingdom. There are also complex tribal links between southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In the chaos a Pandora’s Box could be ignited that would result in rebellions inside the Kingdom itself.

The House of Saud seems to be cognizant of the dangers. This may be why it is pushing Pakistan and Egypt to send their troops.

Someone should tell the House of Saud that according to the Chinese general Sun Tzu, “The best war is the one that never has to be fought.”

[Prem]

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/04/1 ... with-India
Iran proposes free trade agreement with India –

Iran has reportedly proposed a free trade agreement with India to boost bilateral trade and investment. The matter has been raised during the recent visit of India’s Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher to Tehran, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency has reported. He was there for the first meeting of the joint working group of the two countries."Iran has proposed to negotiate a preferential trading agreement with us. I told them that India will consider this proposal very positively and will soon respond after taking the appropriate mandate from the government," Kher has been quoted as saying by PTI.He said the pact would be beneficial for India as through Iran, it can get market access to some parts of Europe and Africa.Kher further indicated that lifting of trade sanctions would help Iran to increase oil imports to India.India had cut its imports from over 18 million tonnes five years back to 11 million tonnes in 2013-14. India is one of the largest importers of crude oil from Iran, PTI added.
India and Iran agreed to increase cooperation in sectors including petroleum, petrochemicals, raw materials like gold, stones and rare earth metals, Kher said."Iran also has high ambition to develop its rail infra, power infra, irrigation facilities and India has strength in engineering and projects exports," Kher said, adding that India could extend buyers credit line to Iran."We have also offered buyers credit for Chabahar port. First phase requirement will be $150 million. Iran wants to buy rail wagons to expand its rail network," he said.The Indian official further said Iran and India have discussed the expansion of the International North-South Corridor transit route, which is a shorter route for India to access Russian and eastern European markets."This route will drastically reduce transactions cost for India. To facilitate this route, India has already done a study on this. There is a need to popularize it. In June, we will organize a conference on this and will invite all the stakeholders."We will invite all the countries, private sector representatives from shipping and rail industry besides government officials," he said.

[Philip]

The grand army that has never won a war retreats without firing a shot! This is an unbelievable snub to its greatest friend,financier and feudal lord in the Islamic world,the Saudis.Their reactions are eagerly anticipated.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/a ... n-conflict
Pakistan's parliament votes against entering Yemen conflict
Vote is blow to Saudi-led coalition fighting Shia Houthi rebels in the country, after it called on Pakistan to provide warships, aircraft and ground troops

Jon Boone in Islamabad and Saeed Kamali Dehghan

Friday 10 April 2015

Pakistan’s parliament has dealt a blow to Saudi hopes of defeating Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with MPs voting overwhelmingly for the country to remain out of the conflict.

Friday’s vote, which came as tensions continued to rise between Riyadh and Tehran over the conflict in Yemen, will make it extremely hard for the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, to offer anything more than symbolic help.

Yemen conflict: 'This war has killed everything that was beautiful'

Saudi Arabia, a prized ally and generous donor to Pakistan, had called on Islamabad to provide warships, aircraft and even ground troops. Last month Riyadh embarrassed Pakistan’s government by claiming it had already “expressed desire” to participate in the operation.

MPs shot the plan down on Friday, however, passing a resolution saying that “Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict”.

It followed a week of debate in which politicians from across the spectrum called for the country not to become embroiled in what many regard as an overseas civil war.

Instead the resolution said Pakistan should play a mediating role, though it also promisese to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with Saudi Arabia in the event of an invasion or any threat to Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina – at present an unlikely scenario.

The national assembly’s decision came as the first plane carrying medical supplies form the International Committee of the Red Cross landed in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.

Saudi fighter jets continued to bomb a number of targets close to the city, including the airforce headquarters, and in the south of the country near the port city of Aden, which has been the scene of heavy street fighting.

Pakistani opponents of military action argued that the country was already busy with major operations against its own Islamist rebels, including the Pakistani Taliban, and could not afford to get ensnared in Yemen.

Analysis/ Yemen air strikes: a guide to the countries backing Saudi Arabia
Here’s a look at the Sunni Arab countries involved in the fighting, as well as others offering material support or backing the operation

With the struggle pitting a Saudi-led coalition of Sunni-majority countries against the Shia Houthi rebels, many also feared Pakistan’s involvement could make sectarian tensions inside the country worse.

In recent years there has been an increase in attacks by militant Sunni supremacists against Pakistan’s minority Shia population, including devastating bombings of neighbourhoods and places of worship.

A third factor making military action unpalatable to Islamabad is its need to maintain relations with its gas-rich neighbour Iran, which it hopes will help relieve chronic energy shortages should international sanctions against Iran be loosened.

On a two-day visit to Islamabad this week, the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, lobbied the country’s top decision makers, including Sharif and Pakistan’s military chief, Raheel Sharif.

Pakistan is torn by the need to remain on good terms with both Iran and Saudi Arabia, a country held in particularly high esteem by Sharif after it sheltered him following the 1999 military coup that ousted him from power.

Militiamen loyal to the Yemeni president following clashes with Houthi fighters in the southern port city of Aden. Photograph: EPA

Riyadh has also been a generous patron, handing Pakistan $1.5bn (£1bn) last year to help it shore up its foreign exchange reserves and launch large energy projects.

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies see Iran as part of the problem in Yemen, accusing Tehran of meddling by sending arms and money to the Houthi rebels, who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shia Islam, a charge Iran vehemently denies.

Riyadh says its involvement in Yemen is simply to support what it and the west see as the country’s legitimate president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who fled to the Saudi capital last month.

Tehran and Riyadh have both stepped up their rhetoric, accusing each other of inflaming the conflict.
Analysis/ Yemen air strikes: a guide to the countries backing Saudi Arabia

Here’s a look at the Sunni Arab countries involved in the fighting, as well as others offering material support or backing the operation

On Thursday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his strongest condemnation yet, accused Saudi Arabia of committing genocide in Yemen and warned that its military intervention would ultimately backfire. “Saudis are making a mistake, setting a bad precedent in the region,” he said.

There are increasing fears in the Middle East that the fighting in Yemen might spiral out of control, with deeper Saudi involvement provoking Tehran to follow suit, leading to a full-scale proxy war of an even more sectarian nature.

At least 643 people, including children, have died and thousands have been wounded since the violence erupted in Yemen last year, and especially since the Saudis launched air strikes last month.

On Thursday alone, at least 20 Houthi rebels were killed in southern Yemen in eight dawn air raids by Saudi fighter jets.

According to the Saudi newspaper Arab News, the Saudi air force is using its new UK Typhoon jets for the first time in the Yemen campaign. The air force has received 24 out of 72 Typhoon jets it ordered from the UK at a cost of $8bn (£5.47bn). Typhoons are generally equipped with 13 rockets as well as cruise missiles and anti-ground defence systems.

Figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute show Saudi Arabia increased its imports of major weapons systems fourfold between 2010 and 2014, compared with the previous five years, importing helicopters, armoured vehicles, and fighter aircraft.

Last month, Sweden announced that it had torn-up a decade-long arms agreement with Saudi Arabia after the two countries were embroiled in a human rights dispute. But the UK government has sold Typhoon jets to the Saudis and is promoting further weapons sales to Oman, the UAE, and Bahrain.

[UlanBatori]

This reminds me of

Come into my parlour, said the Spider to The Fly

The Saudis are victoriously advancing deep into the Yemeni countryside as efficiently and gloriously as L'Armee de Napoleon into Russia.
I am waiting to hear of the first major strike at a Saudi air base. Or supply depot.
As for TSP, I think it is all a smokescreen, the Pakis have a very simple algorithm to test whether they should go participate or not:

Is there money involved?

[Prem]

Don't let Firstfather Wait: Arabbu Dislike KLPD

Waiting for Pak govt’s stance on military involvement: Saudi military spokesperson

RIYADH: Saudi military spokesperson said on Friday that Pakistan is yet to inform Saudi Arabia regarding the country’s official stance after the passing of resolution in Parliament.The spokesperson further said they would still like Pakistan’s military to join in the coalition and support Saudi Arabia in the Yemen conflict.He further said that there can be no doubts regarding the combat skills of the highly trained military of Pakistan.He added that with Pakistan’s support and inclusion, the gains in the conflict would only strengthen.

[UlanBatori]

Sounds like desperation setting in. Wonder what is really going on in field in reality.

We dug in deep
And shot on sight
And prayed to ATM with all of our might.

We, held the day
In the palm of our hands
They, ruled the night
And the night, seemed to last as long as six weeks
in khobbar barracks..
We held the coastline
They held the highland
And they were sharp
As sharp as knives
They heard the hum of the mortars
They counted the rotors
And waited for us to arrive

And we would all run away together
We said we'd all run away together
Or Yes we would all go down together.

[UlanBatori]

I wonder if the hospitals in Tel Aviv are surviving - with all the flood of senior leaders being brought in with rib injuries from at the Hezbollah and Hamas in a death struggle against the KSA.

The cold feet in Islamagood probably mean a realistic assessment of their changes against determined shias, with a long memory of Baluchistan.

[Tuvaluan]

Pakis will publicly disclaim being part of the "coalition of goats" fighting in Yemen, and privately send in their troops with pre-stained shalwars and motorized downhill skis...and make sure they can all be disowned when found. Pakis being pakis, always have the same solution in every situation.

[deejay]

Pakis will publicly disclaim being part of the "coalition of goats" fighting in Yemen, and privately send in their troops with pre-stained shalwars and motorized downhill skis...and make sure they can all be disowned when found. Pakis being pakis, always have the same solution in every situation.

... but Iran is watching and it will know. The TSPA may fool the TSPians but how can they fool the Iranians? It is the Iranians who are most likely to p!$$ in Pakistan for TSPA action in Yemen.

[Philip]

I know one way in which the Saudis could seduce the Pakis into entering the fray,but I'm not giving them any ideas,or should I ?

Methinks that sober realization has dawned upon the Paki uniformed tribe and the political pyjamas,that the new dispensation in India and Mr.Modi can't be taken for granted unlike Snake-oil Singh and co. The Indian attitude has considerably hardened and after spurning Mr.Modi's olive branch by releasing a key architect of 26/11,India is going to play hardball with Pak not just along the border but also in Afghanistan and wherever Pak challenges India. Diverting Pak's stretched out mil resources to Yemen poses another major problem. In that Paki troops will be killing fellow Muslims,Shiites no doubt,but which could cause serious repercussions for it at home,where its own Shiite community have been taking tons of shit,pardon the pun,from paki Sunnis.If they take to the route of terror and arms ,like the MQM in Karachi,the Paki establishment will be dealing with a nightmare scenario on their hands.Shiites,MQM,Paki TBan,and Baluchis-egged on by Iran too and surrounded by hostiles on 3 fronts,with only the Arabian Sea for comfort,the "centre may fail".

Saudi selfishness is understandable having bankrolled Pak for decades to the tune of billions upon billions,including its N-arsenal. The Pakis are between a rock and a hard place. Time for India to stir the pot what?

[Tuvaluan]

The TSPA may fool the TSPians but how can they fool the Iranians?

deejay, TSPA only wants to fool the local populace. It does not really mind that it is seen as a cowardly bunch of terrorists by outsiders.

[kit]

India should mobilize/exercise near its western front apparently to take on "houthis" .. pakistan will forget all about Yemen = Big brother Saudi pissed off = cut funds / say names , = sharif scared = pakistan "special forces" under garb move in = gets hit hy iranian covert ops= iran pissed = 2 angry ones on both sides for pk = india declares no houthis found on western border = all happy

Really hope Modi / parrikar not miss this opportunity

[pankajs]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo...............

but Yes, King <whoever> of soothi barbaria did call Modi and Modi assured him that India was worried about the evolving situation in Yemen. (I am not joking; there was news item; will try and dig it up)

Ok ... here we go boys
http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/726706
King Salman, Indian prime minister confirm close ties

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman’s phone call to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in the wake of Operation Decisive Storm confirms the close relationship between the two nations, say analysts.

Arab News has learned that during the conversation, Modi thanked King Salman for the contact and wished him the best in resolving security challenges in the region “and early restoration of peace and stability under the king’s leadership.”

The prime minister also reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening India’s ties with Saudi Arabia.

The king highlighted the two countries’ longstanding relations and gave assurances that everything would be done to protect Indians in Yemen, and assistance for their safe evacuation if needed.

We are not going to stir the pot or anything like that and we hope for early restoration of peace and stability. We are far away and will be watching with interest. That is the extent of our interest.

Our contribution to the soothi barbaria war efforts has to be to not give BakMil a reason to back out. I think that must have been why the King called Modi and we got a window to evacuate our folks in return.

[kit]

omg ..the king saying please dont scare my poodle ..i am trying to make him jump

[deejay]

omg ..the king saying please dont scare my poodle ..i am trying to make him jump

Good one.

[Tuvaluan]

India should mobilize/exercise near its western front apparently to take on "houthis" .

That would be throwing the paki army and the pakis a lifeline! Only allows the pakis conveniently point to India as the reason why they are pant-browning cowards who do not want to fight even if they are paid for it handsomely. The pakis need to send only their sunnis to Yemen and get into a fight with pro-Iran groups in Yemen and cut a few more jugular veins in the fortress of islam -- it is wonderful to see the pakis head into yemen to fight once all the bargaining on the price of the paki army soldier has been settled with the GCC and the soothis. Paki airplanes are being denied entry into saudi airspace, such green-on-green love and friendship has vast scope for improvement.

[Prem]

Our new CEC is going to be Mr Zaidi, May be We should send him to Yemen/ Saudia to teach them how to hold election and not get unnecessary violent rear-action at the first sign of dispute.

[chaanakya]

If Pakistan goes to yemen on behalf of KSA then its western border will become hot. Can they handle three fronts??

[ldev]

Cinzia Bianco @Cinzia_Bianco
Confirmed: 1st pics of #Houthis taking #KSA post after clashes near #Najran #SaudiArabia #OpDecisiveStorm




MTV English News @MTVEnglishNews
Three Saudi soldiers killed in the border city of Najran by Houthi shelling http://bit.ly/YFbzyW

Al Arabiya English ✔ @AlArabiya_Eng
#BREAKING: Asiri: clashes reported near the Saudi city of Najran