West Asia News and Discussions

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 18 Mar 2013 12:20

Bashar Al-Assad should know that the Sunnis would just not let go. They have tasted blood in Syria, and more blood will flow. It will never go back to how it was - too many countries and interests aligned against the Alawites.

He should use the period of interregnum to strengthen his position in Latakia and Tartus, moving all the Alawites and Christians there, throwing out the Sunnis from the region, and then letting Damascus and southern Syria sink into the chaos which cannot be prevented anyway. Let the various Sunni factions fight it out among themselves in Damascus, which gives him time to strengthen his position on the Mediterranean even more.

Let Southern Syria become the battleground between the Brotherhood and the Wahhabis.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 18 Mar 2013 12:21

Any nation's leader who has armed or provided logistical support or provided passage must be head accountable for crimes done by FSA or its affiliates.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Mar 2013 14:18

British/BLiar lies exposed yet again.MI 6 and the CIA knew that saddam had no WMDs.watch BBC's Panorama expose today .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/ma ... wmd-claims

Series: Panoramas
MI6 and CIA were told before invasion that Iraq had no active WMD
BBC's Panorama reveals fresh evidence that agencies dismissed intelligence from Iraqi foreign minister and spy chief

Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 March 2013 06.00 GMT

Tony Blair's claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are challenged again in Monday's Panorama. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Fresh evidence is revealed today about how MI6 and the CIA were told through secret channels by Saddam Hussein's foreign minister and his head of intelligence that Iraq had no active weapons of mass destruction.

Tony Blair told parliament before the war that intelligence showed Iraq's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programme was "active", "growing" and "up and running".

A special BBC Panorama programme tonight will reveal how British and US intelligence agencies were informed by top sources months before the invasion that Iraq had no active WMD programme, and that the information was not passed to subsequent inquiries.

It describes how Naji Sabri, Saddam's foreign minister, told the CIA's station chief in Paris at the time, Bill Murray, through an intermediary that Iraq had "virtually nothing" in terms of WMD.

Sabri said in a statement that the Panorama story was "totally fabricated".

However, Panorama confirms that three months before the war an MI6 officer met Iraq's head of intelligence, Tahir Habbush al-Tikriti, who also said that Saddam had no active WMD. The meeting in the Jordanian capital, Amman, took place days before the British government published its now widely discredited Iraqi weapons dossier in September 2002.

Lord Butler, the former cabinet secretary who led an inquiry into the use of intelligence in the runup to the invasion of Iraq, tells the programme that he was not told about Sabri's comments, and that he should have been.

Butler says of the use of intelligence: "There were ways in which people were misled or misled themselves at all stages."

When it was suggested to him that the body that probably felt most misled of all was the British public, Butler replied: "Yes, I think they're, they're, they got every reason think that."

The programme shows how the then chief of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, responded to information from Iraqi sources later acknowledged to be unreliable.

One unidentified MI6 officer has told the Chilcot inquiry that at one stage information was "being torn off the teleprinter and rushed across to Number 10".

Another said it was "wishful thinking… [that] promised the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow".

The programme says that MI6 stood by claims that Iraq was buying uranium from Niger, though these were dismissed by other intelligence agencies, including the French.

It also shows how claims by Iraqis were treated seriously by elements in MI6 and the CIA even after they were exposed as fabricated including claims, notably about alleged mobile biological warfare containers, made by Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, a German source codenamed Curveball. He admitted to the Guardian in 2011 that all the information he gave to the west was fabricated.

Panorama says it asked for an interview with Blair but he said he was "too busy".

• The Spies Who Fooled the World, BBC Panorama Special, BBC1, Monday, 18 March, 10.35pm

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Mar 2013 22:20

Anti-Saddam elements fed the fabrications that they thought the West needed to oust Saddam. And the West swallowed the fabrications as that was what they wanted to oust Saddam.

So there were liars on two sides of the equation.
However ouster of Saddam was a needed thing for Iraq to restore majority rule.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 19 Mar 2013 00:11

Aditya_V wrote:Any nation's leader who has armed or provided logistical support or provided passage must be head accountable for crimes done by FSA or its affiliates.

And regime crimes?

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 19 Mar 2013 06:44

The 10 Most Iconic Images from Iraq: Some of the most unforgettable photographs from a decade of war.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 19 Mar 2013 07:06

Seems to be following the same old Libya invasion pattern of arming local "rebels" and injecting foreign mercenaries.

Now comes a leader in an Armani suite to lead the movement.

Looks like this stragety of NATO using "rebels" to over-throw governments and then installing puppet governments is an emerging trend. Wonder which country is next to be visited by these friendly neighborhood rebels.

I also noticed from the time of the Libyan invasion that the Associate Press publishes lots of lies & propaganda to support these "rebel" invasions.

Syrian opposition elects interim prime minister
By BEN HUBBARD | Associated Press – 1 hr 31 mins ago

ISTANBUL (AP) — Syria's opposition coalition early Tuesday elected an American-educated IT manager and Islamic activist to head an interim government to administer the areas seized by rebel forces

http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-opposition ... 37659.html

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Mar 2013 20:20

When a comprehensive Palestine solution is found it should include separating the Al -Anbar province and merging it in Jordan. This allows Jordan to give up the East Bank to the Palestines.

Modern Iraq is created by the Brits by merging Al Anbar, Mosul and Basra provinces of the Ottomon Turkey. Sunni Anbar was an incorrect merger into Iraq.

Klaus · Post by **Klaus** » 19 Mar 2013 21:08

What are the geopolitical implications of the loot of Cyprus?

Does Turkey have it easier now to shout their claim from the rooftops? Perhaps they have a golden opportunity to even make claims to the entire island territory?

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 19 Mar 2013 22:37

Geopolitics is written alll over it. Russia has earlier (an year or so ago, will find a link) expressed willingness to aid Cyprus.

On the one hand it can be seen as a divisive measure between Russia and Germany but on the other hand it may well be the operationalization of the bailout process. Russia may be letting its tax evaders pay for the bailout (indirectly imposing Tax).

Location of Cyprus, island nation which sits on all important maritime lanes, stone's throw distance from Syria, can't be more better suited for strengthening its presence. Economically weaker British may vacate the region to the Russians.

Klaus · Post by **Klaus** » 19 Mar 2013 23:00

^^^ The Russians might have to resort to sending more warships with marines on board, similar to their dispatch to Tartus earlier this week if they are serious about Cyprus. When things get worse, the Turks north of Nicosia will be licking their lips, egged on by the Atlanticist-Jihadi alliance.

Added later: Regarding German claims of not instigating the economic troubles in Cyprus, I wonder why the finger of suspicion is not pointing the way of the British, Cyprus was in their zone of influence with a lot of their trade flows toward the ME and the Suez transiting through here, a typical ploy to create long term discord between Russia and Germany can only benefit the Anglo-Saxons, with the ME Sunni cartels following close behind.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 19 Mar 2013 23:39

Man tried to sell fake Indian rupees to Dubai Police, court hears

Salam Al Amir
Mar 19, 2013
Save this article

DUBAI // A man tried to sell more than two million fake Indian rupees to an undercover policeman, a court heard today.

AS, 23, from India, agreed to meet the officer behind the Sheraton Hotel in Deira to sell him the counterfeit Rupees in January this year.
Upon his arrest, police found 2.4 million fake rupees in his possession.
The man told arresting officers that he had received the money just 15 minutes before his arrest, claiming a man had asked him to deliver the money in return for Dh2,000.
In court, AS did not enter a plea as he did not have a lawyer present.
The case was adjourned to April 2.

Interesting
India can help Egypt build defence industry

The Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsy, who started his India visit on Monday, acknowledged that he foresaw China playing an important role in the development of heavy industry in Egypt, while India fitted prominently into Cairo’s plans to develop Information Technology (IT), small and medium enterprises as well as a national defence industry.

The President said Egypt wanted to establish a “unique relationship” with India in the area of defence as “in military industry also, India is quite advanced”. He identified military navigation, electronics and maintenance as some priority areas of interest.

The Egyptian President, who has ideological roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, rejected the notion of the existence of a sectarian Sunni-Shia conflict in West Asia. He said Egypt was ideally positioned to play a major diplomatic role in defusing tensions in the region, as Cairo enjoyed cordial relations with the Gulf countries as well as Iran. Mr. Morsy added that “as a pioneer of the moderation in Islam,” Al Azhar University, which “has an outreach [in] many countries,” was a key institution capable of playing a significant conciliatory role among adversarial parties.

Crown Prince of Bahrain is in India for the 2nd time this year. Leading a big business delegation with the senior ministers.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Mar 2013 23:57

‘Iraq allowing Iran to ship weapons to Syria’

Baghdad is “looking the other way” as Iran sends military equipment through Iraqi airspace to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime amid the ongoing conflict in Syria, a US official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, called on Iraq to randomly search Iranian planes flying to Syria, and said Washington had complained to “all levels of the Iraqi government” about the lack of inspection.

“It’s reasonable to stop the planes and inspect them,” the official said.

“At least do some randomly and legitimately to see. They (Iraq) have cause to be suspicious. Instead, they are suspending their disbelief, looking the other way, and averting their gaze.”

eklavya · Post by **eklavya** » 20 Mar 2013 04:46

This is getting very ugly ...

Alleged chemical attack kills 25 in northern Syria
Syria's state television said rebels fired a rocket carrying chemical agents that killed 25 people and wounded dozens. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, said 16 soldiers were among the dead.

The most notorious use of chemical weapons in the Middle East in recent history was in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Halabja where an estimated 5,000 people died in a poison gas attack ordered by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein 25 years ago.

No Western governments or international organisations confirmed a chemical attack in Syria, but Russia, an ally of Damascus, accused rebels of carrying out such a strike.

Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Meqdad, said his government would send a letter to the U.N. Security Council "calling on it to handle its responsibilities and clarify a limit to these crimes of terrorism and those that support it inside Syrian Arab Republic".

He warned that the violence that had engulfed Syria was a regional threat. "This is rather a starting point from which (the danger) will spread to the entire region, if not the entire world," he said.

The United States said it had no evidence to substantiate charges that the rebels had used chemical weapons.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said it was not in a position to confirm the reports, adding that if either side used such weapons it would be a "grave violation of international law".

Britain said its calculations would change if a chemical attack had taken place. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said it would "demand a serious response from the international community and force us to revisit our approach so far".

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 20 Mar 2013 12:14

Islamic law comes to rebel-held Syria

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 20 Mar 2013 12:19

If 16 soldiers indeed have been killed in a chemical attack, the heads of state of Qatar, SA, Jordan and Turkey arming the FSA should answer for this crime in a swift and speedy trial with death penalty carried as per law in SA.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 20 Mar 2013 23:01

Nigthwatch reports as of 19 March 2013 use of chemical weapons in SYria is unconfirmed.

LINK

Meanwhile

Egypt: The Minister of Supplies announced Egypt will begin to ration subsidized bread and cooking gas using smart cards in two months.

Comment: Egypt is almost broke. Changes in the price, composition, quality and availability of bread and cooking fuel are two of the daily living essentials that spark riots that have led to most government overthrows since World War II. Shortages of both, along with jobs and gasoline, were among the initial causal factors that led to large demonstrations seeking the overthrow of Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt.

The start of rationing means that Egypt's daily living conditions are sliding backwards from where they were when Mubarak was in power two years ago.

Cyprus: For the record. Cypriot lawmakers 19 March overwhelmingly rejected an EU bailout proposal that would have required a tax on deposits in the country's banks. Thousands of demonstrators burst into cheers and applause as their MPs on Tuesday voted down the EU bailout plan aimed at rescuing Cyprus from bankruptcy.

The Finance Minister flew to Moscow to seek Russian assistance to prevent insolvency by Cypriot banks. EU officials reportedly are stunned that the EU bailout scheme was rejected because it would have been paid mainly by Russian depositors in Cypriot banks.

Comment: The action of parliament averted widespread street disorders, at least for now. The Russians or Russian firms have several options for recapitalizing Cyprus as a banking center. If they decline, however, Cypriot banks would not be able to cover deposits, according to analysis in the Financial Times. Cyprus might eventually become the first EU member to be ejected, but for now Nicosia is not burning.

Meanwhile leaders in other European states with weak economies reassured bank depositors that they deposits were "sacred."

Looks like we will have European Spring if not a Winter!

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 21 Mar 2013 06:03

The Iraq War: Ten Years in Ten Numbers

---

Old and long article

THE MANIPULATOR: Ahmad Chalabi pushed a tainted case for war. Can he survive the occupation?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Mar 2013 19:30

UN will investigate alleged chemical weapon use in Syria - Ban ki-Moon

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday announced that the United Nations will launch an investigation as requested by the Syrian government into allegations that chemical weapons were used in Syria.

"I have decided to conduct a United Nations investigation into the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria," Ban told reporters.

He said the investigation will look into "the specific incident brought to my attention by the Syrian government."

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Mar 2013 19:48

Amid civil war, Syrian port prospers under Assad's protection

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 22 Mar 2013 00:05

More US-engineered Islamism? A good example of why the GOTUS keeps the Muslim Brotherhood so close.

Last stop Dallas, next stop Damascus? Ghassan Hitto - the IT executive who wants to govern Syria

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 22 Mar 2013 00:20

Cheney wants to drill in the Golan heights for oil. I bet he can't wait for all this to finish.

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 22 Mar 2013 00:26

Morsi eyeing joining BRICS

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Mar 2013 00:30

Carl wrote:Morsi eyeing joining BRICS

Egypt is broke and has to ration bread and fuel. The situation is worse than when Mubarak was Arab springed.
So how to join an economic power group without an economy?

Typical entitlement attitude.

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 22 Mar 2013 00:38

I think MB in Egypt wants to use "BRICS" for national istinja. Its quite common to use brick pieces for it in public lavatories in south asia where toilet paper is not available.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 22 Mar 2013 01:54

Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan declares ceasefire with Turkey

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2013 10:45

US Secret Service Fired Gun Near Iranian Leader in ’06—Book

WASHINGTON, March 21 (RIA Novosti) – A US Secret Service agent accidentally fired a shotgun near Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s motorcade during his 2006 visit to Manhattan for the United Nations General Assembly, jolting White House officials who learned of the incident in an intelligence briefing, according to a new book.

Ahmadinejad’s motorcade was preparing to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Manhattan when, “in an apparent accident,” the agent “discharged his shotgun,” an unidentified former White House official is cited as saying in “Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry.”

Excerpts of the book, written by national security journalists Marc Ambinder and D.B. Grady, were posted this week on the website of the US magazine The Atlantic.

According to the authors, the secret service agent was adjusting the “side-mounted shotgun” on one of the security vehicles accompanying the motorcade when the weapon was fired.

“Everyone just stopped,” they cite an official as saying. “The Iranians looked at us and we looked at the Iranians. The agent began to apologize. Ahmadinejad just turned his head and got into his car.”

Senior White House officials worried that the incident could prompt Ahmadinejad to accuse Washington of trying to assassinate him at time that the administration of US President George W. Bush was pressuring Tehran over its nuclear ambitions.

“The Iranians told no one,” Ambinder and Grady write.

“Their silence led several White House aides to begin to see Ahmadinejad in a new light. Here was evidence that maybe Iran was acting strategically, and therefore cautiously.”

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 22 Mar 2013 21:09

@NATOSource: Big news, positive impact on NATO partnerships @AlMonitor: Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey/Erdogan over Gaza flotilla http://t.co/AjdLVpTE48

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 23 Mar 2013 15:07

Dawood- He was moved
March 22, 2013 4 0 Rate This

...........

Dawood who is one of the masterminds of the dreaded attack in 1993 has business interests in several third world countries. He has been networking and creating newer routes for his drug trade which has one major base in Nairobi. The intelligence in India is constantly gathering information regarding Dawood Ibrahim and it has been found that he has stopped visiting his base in Dubai and other Gulf countries since the past two years. This has been done on the advise of his ISI handlers as the route had become too obvious and the Gulf nations were tilting towards India in the recent past and there was a good chance of him being arrested and extradited.

..........

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 23 Mar 2013 20:00

The Modern King in the Arab Spring

Amid the social and political transformations reshaping the Middle East, can Jordan's Abdullah II, the region's most pro-American Arab leader, liberalize his kingdom, modernize its economy, and save the country from capture by Islamist radicals?

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 23 Mar 2013 20:44

Italian effect on Abu Dhabi trip

Copycat US killing behind PM rethink

K.P. Nayar

Manmohan Singh
Washington, March 19: The Prime Minister has scrapped a visit to Abu Dhabi next week as a fallout from the Italian marines episode makes it imperative for New Delhi’s foreign policy to walk a tightrope.

Manmohan Singh was to have paid an official visit to the United Arab Emirates on his way to a summit of Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries in Durban from March 26. That the visit had been put off was known but not the reason.

The Prime Minister’s Office belatedly woke up to the damaging potential that any meeting he may have in Abu Dhabi at this stage could deepen the current diplomatic crisis with Italy.

In a copycat incident for which two Italian marines were detained in Kerala a year ago, one fisherman from Tamil Nadu was killed and three of his Indian boat mates were critically injured when a US naval ship mistook them for pirates off the Dubai coast and shot at their boat in July last year.

But unlike the Italians who languished in jails in Kochi and in New Delhi for a year without trial, or even formal charges, no American has paid any price for the mistaken identity by their vessel, the US naval ship Rappahannock.

Just like the authorities in Kerala, Dubai officials have insisted that the fatal firing took place in Dubai’s territorial waters and just like the Italians, the US Navy disputed this claim and asserted that their naval ship was in international waters when the fishing boat menacingly approached it, as Washington claims.

For all practical purposes, the Americans have arm-twisted the UAE into putting the incident on the backburner. Unlike in the case of Italy, no one in the UPA government has the stomach to make this an issue with the US at a time when South Block wants to focus its energies instead on preparations for a visit to New Delhi by the new US secretary of state John Kerry in June.

The Prime Minister’s problem in going to Abu Dhabi was a dilemma.

If he did not take up this issue with the UAE authorities, he would have been accused of neglecting an innocent Tamil Nadu fisherman who lost his life and three others who lost their livelihood and are now handicapped, possibly for the rest of their lives, in an incident that occurred in the territory of the Emirates. Singh does not need more problems from Tamil Nadu, where the Dravida parties are already crying foul over Sri Lanka.

Not taking up the issue with Abu Dhabi would also have laid India open to charges by the Italians that India practises double standard when an issue affects the Americans.

If he had taken up the matter in Abu Dhabi with the same earnestness with which he spoke out in public after Italy refused to return the marines to Indian custody, he would have introduced a sour element into his visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the UAE since Indira Gandhi travelled to the Emirates more than three decades ago.

Additionally, the Americans would have been unhappy that Singh is not only reviving but also internationalising an incident which they went to great lengths to defuse.

The US ambassador in New Delhi, Nancy Powell, was very prompt in calling foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai immediately after the Dubai offshore shooting to express regret over the death of an Indian. She promised a full investigation. That was eight months ago.

A spokesperson for the American embassy in New Delhi told this correspondent yesterday that “this incident is under investigation by the US Navy and officials in the UAE and that investigation has not been finalised. As the US embassy in Delhi noted after this incident, we offered our condolences to the families of the crew and regrets for the loss of life”.

The spokesperson added that “we continue to co-operate with all authorities on this matter and look forward to providing a full assessment to the government of India.” There was no word, though, on when this would be done.

A senior government source in New Delhi said in response to queries from this newspaper yesterday that a visit by the Prime Minister to Abu Dhabi was being planned en route to the Brics summit. “However, based on the visit of the advance team which visited the UAE, it was assessed that logistical and scheduling issues made it difficult to undertake a visit of the type that was being planned within the small window available.”

The source added that “hence it was decided that the visit could be planned for a mutually convenient time at a later stage.”

When India and the UAE first broached the idea of a visit by Singh, both sides felt that it would be a landmark since a surprising 32 years have elapsed since Indira Gandhi’s historic trip. Italy was not on Indian headlines or television screens then.

The UAE has two million Indians and is a source for the kind of foreign investment that Singh has been scouting abroad for infrastructure and other development. Last year, the UAE soared to the position of India’s second largest trading partner. The UAE is a key to reviving India’s aviation sector with an investment by Etihad airline in Jet Airways on the anvil and similar other ideas up in the air.

Singh’s visit would have been an opportunity for both sides to iron out wrinkles in the bilateral relationship caused by the Supreme Court’s decision to cancel telecom licences to the UAE’s state-owned Etisalat, as part of the 2G investigations.

DP World, the Dubai government’s worldwide ports services giant, has been complaining of difficulties in implementing port projects in India. All of which could have been addressed by Singh at the highest levels.

Considerable work had actually gone into preparations for Singh’s visit next week. Commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma had spent time in the UAE last month in detailed discussions on adding content to a prime ministerial trip before the Italians put a spoke in the wheels of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The PMO sensed the first signs of potential trouble during a prime ministerial visit to Abu Dhabi when all five Indian fishermen who were on the UAE-owned boat attacked by the US, including the injured men, returned to Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu for good last month and began making noises about their fate. Their case stood in sharp contrast to the Italian incident.

Once New Delhi communicated plans to put off Singh’s visit to Abu Dhabi, it was clear that the UAE was displeased at the way it was being treated by India. Last week, in an effort to control the damage, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid rushed to the UAE and explained Singh’s change in travel plans to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 24 Mar 2013 17:02

@ReutersIndia: India plans reinsurance fund to cover refiners using Iranian oil http://t.co/pSXBg5nF2f

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 26 Mar 2013 00:54

Apparently pro-rebel article:
How Islamist Rebels in Syria Are Ruling a Fallen Provincial Capital

Raqqa city was once dubbed the “hotel of the revolution” because it became home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced from fighting elsewhere who sought refuge in a place considered firmly in the grip of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Earlier this month, however, the city in north central Syria, which was late to the antigovernment revolt, became known for something else: it is the first and only provincial capital that Assad’s regime has completely lost — with the rebels taking control of it within the span of a week.

The regime will likely lose the entire province within days. There are only three remaining regime outposts in this vast eastern tribal area that extends all the way to the Turkish border: there’s Division 17 a few kilometers outside the city; the military airport at Tabqa about 40 km to 50 km away; and Brigade 93 in Ain Issa, some 70 km away. All three positions are under heavy rebel attack and government counterattack.

But in Raqqa city, some 100 km from the Turkish border crossing of Tal Abyad, the scars of war are faint. Warplanes still rumble in the air, mainly to aid the men besieged in Division 17, but despite reports from earlier in the month, air strikes and artillery shelling in the city are now rare.

The dusty streets are swept clean, unlike so many other areas in Syria where the state’s power has collapsed along with its services and festering piles of fly-ridden garbage crowd the streets. The power outages are brief in most parts of the city although there have been days-long blackouts in areas around some damaged government buildings. The mobile-phone service has ceased since a few days ago, but the landlines still work. There are fresh fruit and meat in the markets (albeit at inflated prices), and most of the stores along the main thoroughfare of Tal Abyad Street are open, selling everything from carpets and women’s clothing to hardware and leather shoes. There are, however, long lines of people outside the bakeries, which only operate at night because Assad’s warplanes generally don’t fly in the dark. (In other parts of Syria, people waiting outside bakeries during the day have been the victims of air strikes.)

Perhaps what is most striking is that only a handful of the sand-colored flat-roofed three- and four-story buildings in this city have been damaged by fighting — or its aftermath. Even some of Assad’s portraits remain in place. There’s one on the outer facade of the office of the Agricultural Worker’s Union, another on the civil-engineering faculty as well as a two-starred Syrian regime flag flitting above the three-story women’s hospital. (The secularist rebels have a three-starred flag; the Islamists have variations of a black banner with Koranic script.)

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 26 Mar 2013 15:13

Qatar emir seeks UN action on Syria bloodshed

The emir of Qatar urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to stop the killing in Syria's two-year-old civil war and hold those responsible to account before international courts.

The emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, was speaking at the opening of an Arab summit in Doha, the capital of the Gulf Arab state.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 26 Mar 2013 16:16

Today should be quite interesting - Karzai is supposedly showing up and so is Turkish FM.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 27 Mar 2013 08:40

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/seven-indians-killed-in-saudi-godown-fire/article4552031.ece

Seven Indians, six of them Keralites, were killed in a fire in a furniture godown run by a Malayali at Gafara, 10 km from Hail town, in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning.

Five of the dead — Siddeek Adhikarath, 42; Satyakumar, 22, alias Kuttan; Lalu Pathiripadam, 40; Jaisal Puthanpeedika, 24; and Zainul Abideen — belonged to Malappuram district. The sixth Malayali is Shiju Varkey from Mananthavady in Wayanad.

Zainul Abideen was from Koottilangadi, Jaisal from Chungathara and Siddeek from Moothedam. Satyakumar and Lalu were from Edakkara.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 27 Mar 2013 08:45

Saudi Malayalis jittery as Nitaqat deadline ends today

Tens of thousands of Malayali workers in Saudi Arabia are on the edge as the deadline for the Saudization programme called Nitaqat ends on Wednesday (March 27).

They face the prospect of being forced to wind up and leave on their own or face deportation, should the Saudi government stick to its plan of Saudization. Nearly 20 lakh expatriate workers, the largest chunk being Indians, would have to leave Saudi Arabia as the firms, companies, and businesses they work for have failed to comply with the Nitaqat programme. Nitaqat (meaning ranges or zones) is a programme of the Saudi Labour Ministry to create job opportunities for its nationals by replacing a small percentage of the foreign workforce with Saudi youths.

Nitaqat, announced in June 2011, insists that the companies and businesses reserve a certain percentage of their workforce to Saudis — depending on the size of the enterprise. Those employing under-10 workers are exempt, but those with up to 49 have to have 10 per cent Saudis. Bigger workforces have to include higher number of Saudis. Depending on their level of compliance, the enterprises are being categorised into four; those that totally fail to comply will be in the ‘red’ zone. Those complying with the Nitaqat norms would be rewarded with incentives while those failing would have to fold as the work permits of their expatriate workers would not be renewed.

Since the work permit is mandatory for getting the residential permit (iqama), the expatriate workers would become illegal residents when denied of work permit renewal, and thus would be forced to leave the kingdom.

Saudi newspapers reported that as the March 27 deadline for compliance neared, nearly 2.5 lakh small and medium enterprises were likely to fall in the red zone. They had been asked to employ at least one Saudi in order to escape being labelled ‘red’ and had been warned that their staff’s work permits would not be renewed.

If strictly implemented, the Nitaqat would lead to the loss of jobs of some 20 lakh expatriate workers. Expatriate workers make up roughly one-third of Saudi population. The workers come mainly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Egypt, Yemen, and Indonesia. In terms of number, Indians constitute the largest chunk, and among Indians, Keralites are the largest group.

The Saudi government has in the past few months deported nearly two lakh expatriates working illegally in the country. There had been 3.4 lakh small and medium enterprises that did not employ a single Saudi worker and had been asked to employ at least one local worker to escape being penalised. The number has now fallen to 2.5 lakh.

Since the number of enterprises (2.5 lakh) that could not comply with the Nitaqat is so large and since the number of expatriate workers (about 20 lakh) who will have to leave is so high, the Malayali workers hang on to the hope that the Saudi government would set another deadline for compliance. But, the Saudi authorities have already started raiding illegal enterprises.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 28 Mar 2013 00:50

Musharraf return was backed by KSA. KSA asked Kayani and Nawaz sharif to come to Riyadh. They both guaranteed to cause no trouble for his return and mush safety

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 28 Mar 2013 00:54

But Kiyani has the TTP to carry out any need cutletting.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 28 Mar 2013 01:03

Mush security:
comprises of all his ex-SSG security staff - personal security has 80 people; GoP provided 267 guards

Plenty of assorted organisations out there to do something