Free Republic

The people of Pridnestrovie (Transnistria), represented by a joint coalition of civil society NGOs and political parties, appealed to the international community for a chance to be heard. They want recognition of their country's nearly 18 years of 'de facto' independence. UN, OSCE and the Council of Europe are urged to not pursue a policy of double standards that will lead to failure and increased tension in the region. By Karen Ryan, 29/Feb/2008 TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - In a mass meeting held in Tiraspol on Tuesday, civil society organizations from all over Pridnestrovie (also known as Transnistria, in Romanian) got...

The relations between Russia and the Shiite's religious leadership in Lebanon started to develop in the beginning of the seventies. The spiritual leader of the Lebanese Shia community, Imam Moussa Al-Sadr, visited Moscow in 1972 and asked Soviet authorities to issue humanitarian aid to his people. At the same time cooperation between the Marxist factions of the PLO that were active in Lebanon and Soviet military intelligence – GRU, intensified greatly. Several soviet officers (speaking fluent Arabic) even visited Palestinian terrorist training camps in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon between 1972-1975. Using their connections in PLO they managed to establish...