West Asia News and Discussions

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 08 Mar 2009 01:46

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/n ... ?nid=78872

Morocco cuts ties with Iran -- Afp, Rabat

Morocco on Friday severed diplomatic ties with Iran, the Moroccan foreign ministry said in a statement, resurrecting a row sparked by a senior Iranian official who questioned Bahrain's sovereignty. The decision followed Rabat's express backing for Bahrain -- despite Iran moving to patch up their differences -- with Morocco accusing Tehran of seeking to impose its Shia Muslim ideology on the Sunni-ruled Arab state.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 09 Mar 2009 02:25

Pope to visit Middle East in second week of May

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 09 Mar 2009 05:20

Its clearly to send a message. King of SA recently told hamas, Are you with us or with Al Jazeera?
Gaza police defuse bomb outside Jazeera office
AFP
Sunday, March 08, 2009 10:56:02 AM Oman Time

GAZA CITY: Palestinian police on Saturday defused a bomb outside the office of the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera satellite channel in the Hamas-ruled enclave, a television employee and witnesses said.

A television employee, who declined to be named, told AFP that the channel had received an anonymous phone call warning that a bomb had been placed outside the entrance to the Al-Jazeera office in Gaza City.

"They said they will blow up the Al-Jazeera office and they left a handwritten letter demanding Al-Jazeera to get out of Gaza," he added.

Police was called and defused a bomb, witnesses said.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 10 Mar 2009 01:04

Clinton Announces Million-Dollar Scholarship Program for Palestinian Students
http://chronicle.com/news/index.php?id= ... _medium=en

Ramallah, West Bank — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced a new million-dollar scholarship program to help Palestinian students enroll at Palestinian and American universities. Mrs. Clinton announced the Middle East Partnership Initiative during a visit to this Palestinian town last week. The four-year program will support about 10 scholarships each year for disadvantaged students to attend four-year courses at Palestinian universities. The program will also offer 25 “opportunity grants” to enable promising but disadvantaged young Palestinians to apply to American-accredited institutions in the United States or the Middle East, a State Department official told The Chronicle.

Well, there is something called Louisiana, if Madam Clinton would care to check an atlas or wiki.

Nesoj · Post by **Nesoj** » 10 Mar 2009 03:03

http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi ... 93374.html

Saudi court sentences 75-year-old woman to 4 months in prison for mingling with men
The sentencing of a 75-year-old widow to 40 lashes and four months in prison for mingling with two young men who were reportedly bringing her bread has sparked new criticism of Saudi Arabia's ultraconservative religious police and judiciary.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 10 Mar 2009 23:31

US Intel does not rule out Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapon from abroad

In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, US intelligence chief Dennis Blair warned that it would be difficult to convince Iran to give up its quest for nuclear weapons by diplomatic means. By 2010, he estimated, Tehran would have enough fissile material for a weapon.

He told the committee Tuesday, March 10 that "the agencies" could not "rule out that Iran has acquired from abroad or will acquire in the future a nuclear weapon or enough fissile material for a weapon."

A few hours earlier, in Tel Aviv, military and intelligence chiefs briefed designated prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the options open to Israel with regard to Iran's suspect nuclear projects.

Netanyahu and Barak then retired for a private discussion about which no details were released.

At the same time, passages of the Blair testimony, the first by an official of the Barack Obama administration before the Senate, were aired. All carried disquieting import for US and Israel national security.

The intelligence director told lawmakers that Tehran might bow to a blend of "credible" incentives and "threats of intensified international scrutiny and pressures" but "it is difficult to specify what such a combination might be."

He went on to say: "Although we do not know whether Iran currently intends to develop nuclear weapons, we assess Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop them."

Blair warned: "We assess convincing the Iranian leadership to forego the eventual development of nuclear weapons will be difficult, given the linkage many within the leadership see between nuclear weapons and Iran's key national security and foreign policy objectives.

DEBKAfile's intelligence sources add that Blair's refusal to rule out Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon from abroad may well mean that Tehran has bought one from North Korea or acquired it on the nuclear black market.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 11 Mar 2009 03:36

Non essential staff from US Khartoum embassy have been evacuated.

The first US-Saudi co-production is unveiled in Riyadh

DEBKA-Net-Weekly Exclusive Analysis

March 10, 2009, 10:06 PM (GMT+02:00)

The Arab mini-summit springs from Barack Obama's first venture into Middle East diplomacy.

Bashar Assad has made certain anti-Iranian gestures to prove himself worthy of admission to the pro-Western club led by Saudi King Abdullah and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak,. But is he willing to go all the way and cut Syria's strategic ties with Iran?

Saudi-Egyptian-Syrian summit in Riyadh Wednesday - first Obama ME breakthrough
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

March 9, 2009, 6:57 PM (GMT+02:00)
Saudi King Abdullah anxious to heal rift with Syria's Assad

The summit conference planned in Riyadh for Wednesday, March 11, between the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria - and possibly Qatar - may be the Obama administration's first Middle East breakthrough, according to DEBKAfile's Washington and Middle East sources.

Many hopes hang on this event.

The US president and secretary of state Hillary Clinton see it as ushering in the parting of the ways between Syria and Iran as a result of their overtures to Damascus.

From the regional perspective, it is meant to signal Syrian ruler Bashar Assad's reacceptance by the moderate Arab camp.

The Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak hope their meeting with Assad Wednesday will starting isolating Iran in the region and knock over the power bases it has built up in such places as the Gaza Strip.

They are optimistic, DEBKAfile's military sources report, because Saturday, March 7 Hamas began commandeering the mosques and charities owned by Jihad Islami, the Palestinian terrorist militia created and funded by Tehran. By Monday night, 80 of its mosques and institutions had been appropriated, ending the first day in weeks without Palestinian missile fire against Israel.

Official circles in Washington, Cairo and Riyadh read this crackdown as evidence that Damascus is willing to begin wresting the control of Palestinian radical organizations from Iran.

They also note that Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader based in Damascus, has been muzzled since his hero's welcome in Tehran. Downgrading Syrian ties with Iran's Lebanese proxy, Hizballah, would be welcomed too.

While optimistic, none of three partners can tell how far Assad will take his moves against Iran. They are not even sure if they are genuine or part of a sting operation with Tehran.

The outcome of the Riyadh summit and its aftermath are eagerly awaited for clues to the Syrian ruler's intentions. For now, the situation is delicate; the three or four summiteers have yet to fix a final date for their conference.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 11 Mar 2009 09:03

Shyamd, I think the recent overture to Iran is based on their having maal. So everyone is interested in ensuring that it doesn't come out and NPT etc stand.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 11 Mar 2009 17:25

Most likely true, Debka reckons that Iranian program is more advanced compared to what Israeli and US intel is willing to admit.

Egypt, Turkey have started their own programs now, Obama has told KSA that US will support them to develop "pissful" nuklear program(they have an up and running facility in Khamis Mushayt). Its a response.

SK Mody · Post by **SK Mody** » 11 Mar 2009 21:13

15 killed in suicide attack.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 11 Mar 2009 23:32

shyamd wrote:Most likely true, Debka reckons that Iranian program is more advanced compared to what Israeli and US intel is willing to admit.

Egypt, Turkey have started their own programs now, Obama has told KSA that US will support them to develop "pissful" nuklear program(they have an up and running facility in Khamis Mushayt). Its a response.

Think what it all means and in short and long term? All those are Sunnis. And TSP was supposed to be the Sunni power with bum. So why this sudden quest? Are they going back to Arab and Turkish balancing the TSP militant Islam or is it to balance the Persians?

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 12 Mar 2009 00:24

Short term, focuses on Persian/shia issue of having the bum. Turkey is said to be changing politically away from US. New Debka issue will address this. Why now, is a good question Ramana. Needs time to analyse, and also the assumption on what arun garu said about US ceasing Paki fizzl-e-bum assets.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 12 Mar 2009 00:42

ceasing= seizing

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 12 Mar 2009 03:20

http://amislam.com/fellow.htm
My Fellow Arabs
by Sami Alrabaa

No wonder that a culture of zero-creativity and silence is pervading the Arab world. On the other hand, a culture of demagogy is spreading across the Arab world. Prime examples are the Islamist preacher Amr Khaled and the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darweesh. The Arab current furor is scripted, whipped up, and mercurial.

The Arab regimes and their media focus on and exaggerate the number of Arabs killed in clashes with the Israeli army and the coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the same time, they deliberately ignore the thousands of Shiites, and Kurds butchered by Saddam Hussein and Hafez Asad of Syria.

The murder of some100.000 Muslims in Algeria by fellow Muslims, not by infidels, did not provoke so much indignation and violent demonstrations among Muslims as the so-called “Mohammed cartoons” did, although according to the holy Koran, “If someone kills a human being, it is as if he had killed the whole mankind.”

All the conferences held in the Arab world about alleged Western bias and media distortion, and all those open-letters signed by Muslim leaders to Christians for dialogue cannot hide the self-inflicted catastrophe – and the growing ostracism and suspicion towards Arab regimes and evil forces in the Middle East. The Arab-Muslim message: “You accept our Shari’a or die” will never be accepted by the world community. The gloat over that Islam is engulfing the world is mere self-deception, vulgar and hallucination, at best. What is engulfing the world is extremism and terrorism. And the world will never accept a religion that approves of bloodshed and carnage.

Yet, in sum, Arab regimes remain objectively powerful, at least in one respect, not because of greater courage, higher IQs, or stronger economy, but because of their unique skills in cultivating fanatics and breeding terrorists. The cultivated West has not yet been able to find an antidote to the culture of terrorism. That is an area where Arabs and Muslims have proved to be superior.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 12 Mar 2009 03:45

Ramana I meant Seizing. You understood my context right?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 13 Mar 2009 19:21

Revelations shwoing that the British Iraq threat dossiers were "sexed up",to make them appear more dangerous requiring militayr action/invasion.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 43960.html

Secret emails show Iraq dossier was 'sexed up

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 13 Mar 2009 21:27

shyamd wrote:Ramana I meant Seizing. You understood my context right?

I did. Sorry for being superflous/nit picking.

Nesoj · Post by **Nesoj** » 14 Mar 2009 18:05

Sarkozy to open first Gulf military base in Abu Dhabi
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArti ... ion=theuae
DUBAI - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to formally open his country's first Gulf-based military base in Abu Dhabi in May, the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat said on Saturday

The Saudi-owned paper quoted French diplomatic sources as saying that Sarkozy would travel to the United Arab Emirates to inaugurate the base amid efforts by France to bolster relations in the oil-rich Gulf region.

In 2008 France signed an agreement with the UAE to set up its first permanent military base in Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest and largest of the nation's seven emirates.

'It will be the first such French base in the Gulf and it will face the Strait of Hormuz,' a French presidential source said in January 2008.

The strategic Strait of Hormuz, which separates the UAE's neighbours Iran and Oman, is a vital conduit through which an estimated 40 percent of the world's crude oil passes.

French officials said last year that the base will eventually host 400-500 French army, navy and air force personnel.

France is a leading military supplier to the UAE, and the two countries are linked by a 1995 defence pact.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 14 Mar 2009 23:35

New Bin Laden Video Condemns Israel Action in Gaza:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... id=7082536

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Mar 2009 06:27

Ramana: No worries.

Related to our discussion:
France to help develop Saudi, Egyptian, Gulf nuclear programs

DEBKAfile Special Report

March 14, 2009, 7:04 PM (GMT+02:00)

French nuclear giant offers stake to Arab interests

France has injected fresh momentum into the Middle East nuclear race by inviting Gulf nations to take a minority stake in the French nuclear giant Areva (CEPFi.PA), DEBKAfile's military sources report.

After a meeting with French president Nicolas Sarkozy Friday, March 13, the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Moubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, said the two leaders discussed the possible purchase of French military materiel and the issue of energy and nuclear reactors. He also referred to Kuwait and other Gulf countries taking a one-to-five percent stake in the world's biggest builder of nuclear reactors.

Paris has a separate deal with Egypt.

The cash-strapped Areva is 90-percent state-owned. Investment from partners in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia could also help Areva strengthen its standing in a region that is interested in developing nuclear energy

Areva is the only nuclear concern dealing with all aspects of nuclear energy production - from uranium mining and its enrichment to the recycling nuclear waste. The US is represented on its board of directors by AREVA Inc.

The Bush administration signed contracts for building nuclear power-generating industries with Saudi Arabia (Dec. 2, 2008) and the United Arab Emirates (Jan. 15, 2009). Our Middle East sources report that the proposed Arab stake in the French corporation came up in US president Barack Obama's conversation with Saudi King Abdullah Friday ahead of OPEC's weekend conference. He presumably asked how the French connection fitted in with these contracts.

DEBKAfile: Potential Gulf involvement in the French nuclear industry has four key aspects:

1. A one-to-five percent stake may only be the starter for more substantial control.

2. Paris is ready to open its international nuclear establishment for Arab interests to come in by the front door.

3. The Gulf states can be expected to use this access to win a dominant role in the world's two leading energy markets – oil and nuclear power.

4. They can also use their access to advanced nuclear technology for creating the infrastructure for developing a military nuclear industry to rival Iran's. According to DEBKAfile's military sources, Saudi Arabia's weapons program is already a lot more advanced that officially admitted.

Right after Washington signed its nuclear contracts with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, an official in region remarked: "The clear message to Iran is: If Tehran insists on pursuing its nuclear program, we the Arab countries in the region are going to have one, too although without enrichment."

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 16 Mar 2009 03:49

Was looking into the status of jews in the arab peninsula:

- Bahrain: Currently numbered less than 50. Current Bahraini ambassador to the US is a female jew. Has a synagogue and a jewish cemetary.
- Oman: The only arab state where there has been no repression or abuse of the jewish community. The Tomb of Job is located in Jabal Dohfar 45 miles from the port city of Salalah. In the mid 19th century, the British Lieutenant J.R. Wellsted documented the Jews of Muscat in his memoirs Travels in Arabia, vol. 1. He mentions that there are "a few Jews in Muskat (sic), who mostly arrived there in 1828, being driven from Baghdad . . .by the cruelties and extortions of the Pacha Daud." He also notes that Jews were not discriminated against at all in Oman, which was not the case in other Arab countries (they did not have to live in Ghettos, nor identify themselves as Jews, not walk in the road if a Muslim was walking on the same street, as was the case in Yemen). The Jews of Muscat were employed mostly in the making of silver ornaments, banking, and liquor sale. Despite the lack of persecution in Oman, the community is believed to have disappeared before 1900. During World War II, a Jewish American Army enlisted man, Emanuel Glick, encountered a small community of Omani Jews in Muscat, but this community consisted mostly of recent migrants from Yemen.

Qatar: There are few Jews in Qatar, but the Anti-Defamation League has protested the existence of antisemitic stereotypes in Qatar’s newspapers. Hindus, Buddhists, and others are not allowed to practice openly. Non-Islamic religious literature is banned, although Bibles for personal use are tolerated

UAE: No jews currently, but there were jewish populations in the past.

The situation seems to be worst in Saudi Arabia & Yemen. The Iraqi jews were exiled after problems in Palestine erupted in 1920's. Although they were flourishing and at one point 40% of Baghdad was jewish. They traded with Aleppo and India. Made and sold alcohol to the public. But this was later stopped.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 17 Mar 2009 15:53

Brain-dead Indian saves nine Saudi lives: PTI

I am happy that those suffering from fatal conditions got relief, but I still can't help feeling a certain discomfort that our countryman could have been used as a farm-house for organs transplants! I certainly would not like to see a pattern emerging here.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 17 Mar 2009 17:06

Mr.Liebermann,who is hated in certain circles is almost certain to be Israel's new FM.One thing is sure if he does become FM,Israel's enemies beware!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 920555.ece

Avigdor Lieberman - branded Arab-hating racist - set to be Israeli foreign minister

James Hider in Jerusalem

Israel's next foreign minister looks set to be Avigdor Lieberman, the Soviet immigrant whose controversial policies have been condemned widely by the country's regional neighbours. His critics accuse him of being an Arab-hating racist but he is hailed by supporters as a strongman who will deal harshly with the state's enemies, in particular Iran, which he has threatened to bomb.

Mr Lieberman has threatened to bomb a number of Israel's neighbours, including Egypt, with whom the Jewish state has a peace treaty. During a parliamentary debate last year Mr Lieberman also criticised Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's President, for never visiting the Jewish state.

Egypt was the first country yesterday to warn that the appointment could cause more setbacks for the peace process. “We are standing before a negative factor that is likely to damage the peace process,”Ahmad Abul Ghait, the Foreign Minister, said during a visit to the European parliament.

The appointment appeared to be on track though after Mr Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party, which came third in February's elections, cut a deal with Likud to form a coalition.

Ex-bouncer muscles way into Israeli politics

Netanyahu in pole position to lead Israel
Under the agreement Yisrael Beitenu would receive five ministerial posts, including the Foreign Ministry, which its leader is set to take.

Mr Lieberman has proven a divisive figure in Israeli politics, storming to power on the back of his anti-Arab rhetoric. He has called for the bombing of Palestinian commercial centres in revenge for terror attacks inside Israel and suggested that hundreds of thousands of Israeli Arabs should forfeit their citizenship in a land swap, trading West Bank Jewish settlements for Arab areas inside the Jewish state.

The Moldovan-born demagogue has also insisted that Arab Israelis - who are almost all Muslim or Christians - be forced to swear an oath of loyalty to the Jewish state and participate in national service. He has referred to Israel's Arab population - close to 20 per cent of the total - as a potential fifth column.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Likud leader and Prime Minister-designate, was nervous about handing the key portfolio to a man he sees as his main rival to the loyalty of the Israeli Right, and is still hoping for a last-minute deal with the centre-right party Kadima, whose leader Tzipi Livni is the current Foreign Minister.

Many observers expect Mr Lieberman to tone down his rhetoric once in office, citing his collaboration with the outgoing Government of Ehud Olmert, which he walked out of a year before it collapsed.

PS:If the quote is true,Mr.Liebermann has a point,why hasn't Hosni Mubarak visited Israel when both nations are at peace after signing the Camp David accord? He did aftera ll blame hamas for the latest round of fighting in Gaza.Greater interaction with Israel by Egypt could make a vast difference to issues like Gaza,where Gaza has a border with Egypt,which is where the smuggling through tunnels comes from.An Israeli-Egyptian agreement on a softer border,could make life better for those living in Gaza,with a cessation of rocket fire into Israel from the territory.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Mar 2009 12:52

A viewpoint from veteran ME journo Fisk of the Independent and the anti-Lieberman/Netanhayu brigade.It also highlights the US's problem in dealing evenhandedly in the ME,as Obama's choice for Intel,Charles Freeman,resigned alleging that the Israeli lobby worked against his appointment.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/co ... 47370.html

Robert Fisk: Why Avigdor Lieberman is the worst thing that could happen to the Middle East

World Focus: I can identify Lieberman's language with the language of Messrs Mladic and Karadzic and Milosevic

Wednesday, 18 March 2009

Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the extreme right-wing party Yisrael Beiteinu, who has just been named Israeli Foreign Minister

Only days after they were groaning with fury at the Israeli lobby's success in hounding the outspoken Charles Freeman away from his proposed intelligence job for President Obama, the Arabs now have to contend with an Israeli Foreign Minister whose – let us speak frankly – racist comments about Palestinian loyalty tests have brought into the new Netanyahu cabinet one of the most unpleasant politicians in the Middle East.

The Iraqis produced the hateful Saddam, the Iranians created the crackpot Ahmadinejad – for reasons of sanity, I leave out the weird ruler of Libya – and now the Israelis have exalted a man, Avigdor Lieberman, who out-Sharons even Ariel Sharon.

A few Palestinians expressed their cruel delight that at last the West will see the "true face" of Israel. I've heard that one before – when Sharon became prime minister – and the usual nonsense will be trotted out that only a "hard-line extremist" can make the compromises necessary for a deal with the Palestinians.

This kind of self-delusion is a Middle East disease. The fact is that the Israeli Prime Minister-to-be has made it perfectly clear there will be no two-state solution; and he has planted a tree on Golan to show the Syrians they will not get it back. And now he's brought into the cabinet a man who sees even the Arabs of Israel as second-class citizens.

Lieberman's first visit to Washington will be a gem. AIPAC – posing as an Israeli lobby when in fact it works for the Likudists – will fight for him and Lady Hillary will have to greet him warmly at the State Department. Who knows, he might even suggest to her that she imposes a loyalty test for American minorities as well – which would mean demanding an oath of faithfulness from Barack himself. The horizon goes on forever.

In Egypt, Avigdor Lieberman will have a tough time. Hosni Mubarak can be a soft touch for the Americans but it was Lieberman who, complaining that the Egyptian President should visit Israel or "go to hell", deeply offended a man who has taken great risks in maintaining his country's peace with the Israeli state.

Egyptians have been outraged to read in their newspapers that Lieberman has talked of drowning Palestinians in the Dead Sea or executing Israeli Palestinians who talked to Hamas. Last night, a supporter of Lieberman appeared on Al Jazeera television to describe Hamas as "an anti-Semitic, barbarous organisation" – even though Israeli army officers spoke openly with this supposedly "barbarous" group both before and after the Oslo agreement.

But the growth of such an extremist administration in Israel and the hopeless response of the Obama administration to the so-called supporters of Israel who destroyed Freeman's career, can only be dangerous news for the Middle East. The Jeddah-based Arab News called the Freeman disaster "a grave defeat for US foreign policy". But while uttering all the usual platitudes, the Arab press has been playing up the pusillanimous remarks of US press secretary Robert Gibbs when asked why Obama was "standing mute" in the Freeman affair. "I've watched with great interest how people perceive different things about our policy and during the campaign about whether we were too close to one group or too close to the other. So I don't give a lot of thought to those." Asked for "straight answers", Gibbs said: "I gave you as straight a one as I can get."

This was almost as funny as The New York Times when it attempted last week to explain why Lady Hillary was frightened of offending the Israelis during the formation of the Netanyahu government when she described the destruction of 1,000 Palestinian homes as "unhelpful".

Her caution in the Middle East, it explained, was "a reflection of the treacherous landscape in the Middle East, where a misplaced phrase can ruffle feathers among constituencies back home". You bet it can – and when Mr Lieberman comes to town, we'll see who those feathers belong to.

Their owners would do well, however, to dwell on the incendiary language of Avigdor Lieberman. He speaks like a Russian nationalist rather than the secular Israeli he claims to be.

I covered the bloodbath of Bosnia in the early Nineties and I can identify Lieberman's language – of executions, of drownings, of hell and loyalty oaths – with the language of Messrs Mladic and Karadzic and Milosevic.

Lady Hillary and her boss should pull out a few books on the war in ex-Yugoslavia if they want to understand who they are now dealing with. "Unhelpful" will not be the appropriate response.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Mar 2009 13:03

US bans future Israeli National Security Adviser on security grounds ,he worked for Mossad earlier as Dir of Intel.The US has been at times enraged at the activities of Israel's security servcies,when they had US serving officers working for them.The JOnathan Pollard case is one in point,where Pollard who passed on intel to Israel has a non-parole life sentence against him,with israel trying to get him released.Incidentally,Pollard also tried to pass on intel to Pak,details never revealed!

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/ma ... us/?page=2

EXCLUSIVE:

Uzi Arad, who is expected to serve as national security adviser in the next Israeli government, has been barred from entering the United States for nearly two years on the grounds that he is an intelligence risk.

Mr. Arad, a former member and director of intelligence for the Mossad, Israel's spy service, is mentioned in the indictment of Lawrence Franklin, a former Pentagon analyst who pleaded guilty in 2005 to providing classified information about Iran in a conversation with two employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Beyond Mr. Arad's status, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to face difficulties abroad because of his choice, announced Monday, of Avigdor Lieberman to serve as foreign minister in a narrow new rightist government. Mr. Lieberman, head of the Israel Is Our Home party, has advocated requiring Israel's 1.46 million Arabs to take a loyalty test or risk expulsion.

The choice of Mr. Arad for national security adviser has been reported in the Israeli press and was confirmed by sources close to Mr. Netanyahu, who has been tasked with forming the next government.

Mr. Arad acknowledged to The Washington Times that he has not been able to obtain a visa to come to the United States but said the Israeli government is trying to change that.

"The director general of the Israel Foreign Ministry did tell his American counterparts that there has been no cause to deny me a visa," Mr. Arad told The Times.

Israeli and U.S. officials said Mr. Arad has been denied a U.S. visa since June 2007 under section 212 3(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This gives consular officers and the Justice Department authority to bar people who may seek "to violate any law of the United States relating to espionage or sabotage" from entering the country.

Mr. Arad was a member of the Mossad spy service from 1975 to 1997. After retiring, he became Mr. Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser. While in the Mossad, Mr. Arad worked mainly on analysis, but he also served as a liaison for intelligence operations with allied services such as the CIA.

In the past 21 months, prominent Israelis and Americans have quietly but unsuccessfully pressed U.S. officials to grant Mr. Arad a visa.

"Overtures were made, and, by and large, there was not a satisfactory answer," said Herb London, president of the Hudson Institute, where Mr. Arad worked from 1972 to 1975 after obtaining a doctorate from Princeton University.

"He has invited luminaries from around the world to talk about foreign policy at the annual Herzliya conference," Mr. London said. "There are people from the left and the right who recognize that he has extraordinary insight into the foreign policy issues of our time."

In a June 18, 2007, letter to U.S. officials, the president of the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzliya, Uriel Reichman, wrote, "I very much hope that such visa will indeed be granted as expeditiously as possible since professor Arad's travels to the United States are essential for his work at the Interdisciplinary Center."

One mystery about Mr. Arad's difficulties in obtaining a visa is that Mr. Franklin did not plead guilty to spying.

NATO ON THE OUTSIDE: Uzi Arad, Israel's next national security adviser, is considered an intelligence risk and has been unable to get a U.S. visa.

Indeed, the U.S. attorney handling the case against Mr. Franklin and two former AIPAC employees, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, charged all three men with mishandling national defense information, a count listed in the U.S. code under the Espionage Act but less serious than being an agent of a foreign power. Mr. Rosen and Mr. Weissman are fighting the charges, which are controversial because they are the first private citizens to be accused of leaking classified information.

The indictment against Mr. Franklin makes two references to "a person previously associated with an intelligence agency of [foreign official's] country." Two former U.S. officials and a former Israeli official have confirmed that Mr. Arad is the "person."

The passage refers to a meeting between Mr. Franklin and Mr. Arad on Feb. 20, 2004, at the Pentagon cafeteria and an earlier recommendation by an Israeli diplomat that Mr. Franklin meet with Mr. Arad.

In his letter, Mr. Reichman referenced the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that deals with espionage issues, saying, "it being absolutely certain to me and to all who know him, that none of the causes specified ... apply to him."

A Washington immigration lawyer, Glen Wasserstein, said Mr. Arad was being barred under the section of law that "allows the government to deny entry to those foreign nationals it deems as spies or saboteurs, and those who help or assist in such spying or sabotage."

Mr. Wasserstein said the president or attorney general could waive the restriction on the visa.

Buck Revell, a former associate director of the FBI who oversaw counterintelligence investigations at the bureau, added that as national security adviser, Mr. Arad would not be in a position to engage in espionage or intelligence activities.

Nonetheless, Mr. Revell said, the suspicion surrounding Mr. Arad could hamper U.S.-Israel relations.

"The [Israeli] national security council chairman has access to all of Israel's intelligence and all the intelligence we share with them, normally," Mr. Revell said. "Whether or not our agencies would restrict any type of intelligence from going to him would be very problematic. That is something they will have to deal with."

A senior official of the incoming Netanyahu administration, who spoke on the condition that he not be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, told The Times that he expects Mr. Arad to be able to travel to the United States for official business.

Director of Institute for Policy and Strategy and Chair of Atlantic Forum of Israel Professor Uzi Arad opening the NATO Public Diplomacy conference in Israel October 23, 2006. Photo credit: NATO.

"This is an issue that the new government of Israel trusts can be resolved," the official said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Mar 2009 21:34

Philip the charge is he was the handler of two spys and is thus a person of interest. IOW he was working for destabilizing the US system. I think thats fair enough.
Only India tolerates spys/known destabilizers visiting on official visas. Cant expect all to have same level of impotence.

sum · Post by **sum** » 18 Mar 2009 21:44

Only India tolerates spys/known destabilizers visiting on official visas. Cant expect all to have same level of impotence.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 18 Mar 2009 22:47

^^Sad.

New IOL issue out:

Mossad and Aman(israeli mili intel) are in disagreement over Iran nuclear capacity.

Obama feels uneasy about the US-UAE nuclear deal, while France is willing to offer them a stake in Areva.

Looks like Abu Dhabi (UAE) has purchased defence and intelligence eqpt quietly from Israa-eel.

Saudi's are pissed off with Iran, over meddling in the Eastern part of KSA. Although the shia threat is also serving interests of some saudi's.

Bahraini shi'ite militants trained in Syria

Iran is getting out of their sanctions by cultivating ties with their neighbours.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 20 Mar 2009 14:16

Obama's new video on Iranian TV,offering a "new initiative",will anger many in Israel and elsewhere,who fear Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
" Obama surprise video offers Iran a 'new beginning'
Barack Obama releases unprecedented video on Iranian networks saying US committed to 'constructive ties' with Tehran"

Israel is also embarrassed by revelations of alleged trigger happiness amongst some of its troops who fought in Gaza,allegedly killing civilians without provocation in this report.

Israel's dirty secrets in Gaza
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 49527.html

Army veterans reveal how they gunned down innocent Palestinian families and destroyed homes and farms

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 21 Mar 2009 00:36

It Takes One to Fight One
Saudis Gear up for Fresh al Qaeda Terror – Launched from Iran

India seriously has to revamp its intelligence to be able to project its power across the region.

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Meanwhile in Israa-eel. They are not too happy with the cold sholder received by Obama administration, will probably call AIPAC.

The Special Relationship Fades for Netanyahu
Washington denies Netanyahu's key security adviser Uzi Arad a visa, while administration cabinet members find no time to see visiting Israeli chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi.

Riyadh Summit – Chapter 2
Egyptian-Saudi Battle Lines Drawn against Syria, Iran
Egypt's Mubarak hurls heated abuse at Syria's Assad, while Saudi prince Saudi al Faisal administers a cold dressing-down to Iran's Mottaki.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 21 Mar 2009 01:10

When will Saudi acknowledge their own terrorists who are running amok being called as TSP citizens?

satya · Post by **satya** » 21 Mar 2009 03:00

India seriously need to upgrade its contact with Saudis . For a start ,MEA should start posting qualified person as Ambassador to Saudi instead of putting a Muslim head there who has no clue about Saudis & their dealings & is more interested in Haj for all his extended family.IIRC, current Saudi King told some visiting Indian dignitary of India having forgotten Sauds completely! ( only after that did MMS invited Saudi King to India ) , if Israelis can talk so can we & it all more urgent now for Saudis have now got more than one card in current TSP & Afghan territories , its not without reason or for some diplomatic protocol that US initiative for talks with Taliban being run through Riyadh as the strategy center & Pindi a tactical center .
With US opening up its arms for Iran , lines are getting re drawn and there is obviously a power struggle btw Saudis & Iranians & India need to make sure that this power struggle has no spillover in Indian territories .We already have sunni dominated Jihadi terrorism , last thing we need is Shia one to counter sunnis , it won't do us any good .

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 21 Mar 2009 07:47

Right then, details on last weeks IOL issue.

Uzi Arad was questioned by FBI agents about his ties with Larry Franklin, a Pentagon official working on the Iran desk who was accused of spying for Israel. Franklin was alleged to have passed intelligence to Israel through the intermediary of the AIPAC. Arad obviously denied any wrongdoing in the affair.

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Envoys are cris crossing the ME to ensure that Arab league summit in Doha next week, is the day when Saudi's and Syrians reconcile.

Syrian foreign Min was in riyadh in late feb, with a letter from Assad to the King. Ten days before the visit, Prince Muqrin (Saudi GID chief) was in Damascus. From the minutes of the meeting, the saudi prince was received by head of republican guard (Assads bro Maher), FM and his deputy.

Letter stated, King Abdullah asks assad to help patch Fatah and Hamas in WB and Gaza. Abdullah wanted Assad to pay Riyadh a visit before the AL summit on March 30th. If Assad accepted, KSA promised to immediately appoint Saudi ambassadors to Syria and Lebanon.

After arguing for 1 and half hours.
Muqrin denounced what he termed the “unnatural alliance between Damascus and Tehran.” “Syria’s place lies in the heart of the Arab world and not alongside the Persian nation.” The prince said Iran was exploiting Syria’s backing for the Palestinians “to defend its own interests” and also criticized Syria’s role in Lebanon. He told Assad that Syria “shouldn’t further Iran’s cause by arming Hezbollah” and thus contributing to the formation of a mini state alongside the Lebanese government. “We would encourage an exemplary role of Syria in Lebanon, halfway between all the protagonists in the country,” Muqrin stated.

To underscore the importance of issues at hand, Damascus has sought wide media coverage of its contacts with the international community (i.e John Kerry, Prince Muqrin's visit was also made public. Assad gives interview to Guardian ME editor).

On the other hand, a trip to Syria by the young Saudi prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, who is very close to his father, king Abdallah, was wrapped in secrecy, as was a visit to Riyadh of brigadier Ali Mamlouk, director of Syria’s General Intelligence agency. The two visits took place in early February.

-----------------------------------------
US intel has been scratching their heads over tunnels as they appear to be a pain in the ass to detect. Raytheon and companies are working on new technology to detect them. But until then, they will be detected by HUMINT sources as was seen in the Israel Hamas conflict. Spies pointed IsAF to 40 tunnels. Some tunnels remain inaccessible to soldiers on the ground and have to be targeted by bombs.

In the Gaza Strip, Iraq and even the United States, tunnels have become a nightmare of sorts for military brass and domestic security agencies - Dug under borders, the tunnels allow fighters, arms or drugs to infiltrate adverse territory. In military operations, the tunnels make it easier to camouflage weaponry and shift combatants from one spot to another. New methods of identifying and destroying tunnels are being developed to deal with dangers they present.

Fledgling Technology. Communist guerillas in Vietnam were past masters in the art of digging underground hiding places. The U.S. Army developed technical solutions to identify them but those methods haven’t changed in 40 years. The most widely used remains Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) mounted on a vehicle travelling a 30 km per hour over terrain thought to house tunnels. Rather cumbersome - the data must subsequently be interpreted by a specialist - the technology isn’t all that useful in an active military operation.

Under the auspices of the US Army Corps of Engineers, four trucks with GPR systems have been deployed over the past month in the Philadelphia Corridor between Egypt and Gaza. Having twice fought against movements specializing in underground operations (Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza), the Israeli Army has invested a lot in the quest for new detection methods.

The team has worked on Iraq’s eastern border where Iran has infiltrated fighters by underground but also in the southern United States. Last November 20, the US Northern Command, which holds authority over American territory, estimated that 93 different tunnels ran under the northern and southern borders of the United States and were used to smuggle in drugs or illegal workers.

----------------
For the science/mijjile guru's

The lift-off of Iran’s Safir 2 rocket in early February gave rise to a flurry of memos between Western intelligence agencies over the past month. Beyond the feat of placing a small satellite into orbit, analysts were unanimous in pointing to the rapidity with which Iranian scientists overcame problems that cropped up with a previous, abortive launch in 2008. They were able to resolve the delicate problem of separating the second stage of the rocket just five months after last year’s failure. Proliferation experts were equally surprised by how fast initial mistakes were corrected.

The Western specialists also noted the good performance of the propulsion system even though it used a particularly corrosive type of liquid fuel. That testified to the high quality of the milling of resistant alloys despite the embargo on certain types of steel and aluminium.

According to the notes being traded in Western intelligence circles the future of Iran’s ballistic program is linked to technological developments in two spheres. One concerns the quality of inertial systems to guide long-range missiles. The second is wider use of solid fuel, which is already employed in the 15 Achoura missiles that Iran currently possesses.

Well congrats to the iranians.
---------------------------------
Omani's are worried about the recent collission with US Nuke sub and US navy boat, spilling 90,000 litres of Diesel.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 24 Mar 2009 18:34

Israel clears Kuwait's intel chief for Ramallah, Bethlehem – but not Temple Mount

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 25 Mar 2009 22:33

Israel: Iran is only months away from building a nuke, has ballistic warhead capability
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Obama is weighing military, diplomatic cooperation with Tehran

The additional "gestures" Barack Obama's spokesmen promised Iran would follow on the presidential new year message may presage a dramatic U-turn on Iran, including even an astonishing offer of US-Iranian military and diplomatic cooperation - that is if the Islamic Republic decides to play ball.

AoA!

Congrats to Iran

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 26 Mar 2009 01:43

Sniff Sniff, Do I smell a similar India-Qatar deal now with the UAE, in the next 2-3 year view? Personally, I don't think we should offer the UAE a similar deal. If they are interested in purchasing equipment, thats fine.
Indian Navy docks three ships in Abu Dhabi

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 26 Mar 2009 18:50

AoA
US planes destroyed arms convoy for Gaza in Sudan, Egyptian, Sudanese media. CBS: Strike by Israeli Air Force

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 26 Mar 2009 21:37

IOL:

More on Israa-eeel selling their eqpt to the Emirati's. After Operation Cast Lead, Qatar told Israeli Def ministry to close their office in Doha. But the one in Abu Dhabi remained open.

-Sales include images from Israeli satellite ImageSAT to UAE space intel program in partnership with a US company.
-Working out of the United States Kochi recently reached an agreement with the UAE military An integrated program for the surveillance of Abu Dhabi’s borders and its oil wells.
-Various anti-intrusion systems(Motion sensors etc similar to what is deployed in LoC I presume) as well as UAVs. Radom Aviation Systems and the UAV manufacturer BlueBird Aero systems.
-Businessmen Mati Kochavi employs retired personel Israeli intelligence agencies and IDF.

---------------------------
Mossad and Aman dispute each other about Iranian capability. Israeli mili intel now believes, Iran has the tech, knowhow materials and equipment to produce a nuclear weapon. Mossad is in charge of preventing the Iranians getting the bomb.

A military strike against Iran’s nuclear sites as advocated by Dagan is now more remote than ever according to IOL.

Meir Dagan still convinced that they can stop Iran from going nuclear via covert ops. He isn't sure if Netanyahu will keep him in his job.

When dagan took office in 2003, he told his senior mossad boys in their first meeting, that his number one aim is to stop iran going nookleaar. He said his failure or success will be judged by this.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 27 Mar 2009 04:32

DNW:
Tehran: From Implacable Foe to Strategic Partner?
Obama Proposes a US Military Supply Route to Afghanistan via… Iran
On instructions from his commander-in-chief, the head of the US Transport Command has developed a proposal for Iran to lease three routes across its territory for US personnel and war materiel to cross into Afghanistan.

US Policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan in Disarray
Obama Feels for Grip on Declining War Situation
Torn between the needs for an exit strategy, making sure al Qaeda will not strike the US again and broadening the Afghanistan war to Pakistan, the Obama administration is sending out mixed signals.

Why Tehran Snubbed Obama's New Year Greeting
The Ayatollahs Are Impatient for Brass Tacks – Dialogue Can Wait
Tehran fears the US military buildup in neighboring Pakistani Baluchistan right on its doorstep but is giving no ground on its basic condition for a rapprochement with Washington: Accept our nuclear program as is.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 27 Mar 2009 19:20

IOL: Saudi's are pissed off with the Iranian meddling.

Saudi's have passed on intel reports about Iranian meddling in the eastern city of Al Jubail to their Syrian friends in GID, Immediately Assad sends an emmisary to Tehran to let them know of the "saudi anger". Tehran sends their Foreign Min to Riyadh to listen to the grievances.

Crown Prince suffers from incurable cancer, so a succession battle is on. Iranians are meddling in the east, so the princes are not happy. The Shia in the east have become more active.

Saudi GID suspects Al Qods IRGC are in the eastern provinces, stirring trouble.

However this serves the interests of some saudi dignitaries. E.g Mohammed Bin Fahd (Governor of the Eastern Province), who is a favourite to succeed Crown Prince Sultan. He has started a crackdown on anyone who speaks against wahhabism.
Mohammeds stance has increased his popularity among Bedouin tribes who form the hardcore of the Saudi regime, but also among Sunni ulemas who are also completely anti-shiite.

Bahrain:
Bahraini GID arrested many shia militants who were trained in Syria. Saudi GID intercepted comms between Saudi Shia sheikh and Iran. They apparently underwent military training in Syria under Hezbollah.
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Well, what goes around comes around as they say. Glad Iran is on the offensive against KSA.