Posted on 01/30/2006 11:19:08 PM PST by Gucho
Cpl. Jonathan E. Knight, a member of the Security Augmentation Force with Marine Forces Pacific, fires a few rounds from an M1014 combat shotgun to familiarize himself with the weapon before running the room-breaching course at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, on Jan. 18. (Lance Cpl. R. Drew Hendricks / U.S. Marine Corps)
By Jim Garamone - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2006 – The world cannot allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons, President Bush said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program yesterday. He also discussed coaBushlition efforts in Iraq and the terrorist surveillance program.
Worldwide diplomatic efforts are concentrating on getting Iran to end its nuclear program, Bush said. "Our strategy is to present and hold together a united front to say to the Iranians, 'Your designs to have a nuclear weapon or your desire to have the capability of making a nuclear weapon is unacceptable,'" he said.
Bush said the world's message to Iran is to become part of the family of nations and give up nuclear weapons ambitions. Bush said precautions over Iran's nuclear program are necessary because Iran has a "non-transparent government" and because the leader of Iran has openly stated his desire to destroy Israel.
The president de-emphasized any U.S. military option in Iraq but said the option "should be on the table" as a last resort.
Bush also spoke about public support for operations in Iraq. He said it's important to highlight U.S. efforts in Iraq because "people saw death on the TV screens without a sense that we're making progress."
"I needed to say to the people, 'You bet it's tough,'" he said. "The enemy is using their one weapon effectively, which is the destruction of innocent life."
Referring to the terrorist surveillance program, Bush said the question really is to what extent a president during war can exercise authorities to protect the American people. "I made the decision to listen to phone calls of al Qaeda or suspected al Qaeda from outside the country coming in or inside the country going out because the people, our operators, told me that this is one of the best ways to protect the American people," he said.
"It is important that this program go on. I understand the debate, and I understand the need to make sure people discuss and debate whether or not I've got the authority to do it," he said. "But as I told the American people, ... if somebody's talking to al Qaeda inside the United States, we need to know why. And that's what this program is aimed to do."
Monday, January 30, 2006
Bomb Attacks Are Foiled Near U.S. Embassy and Military Base in Afghanistan
January 30, 2006
TIKRIT, IRAQ -- Iraqi Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division worked with coalition forces Sunday to raid an anti-Iraqi forces cell targeting coalition bases in Baqubah.
The Iraqi Soldiers, joined by members of 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, planned and conducted several raids to capture terrorists who were behind mortar and rocket attacks on coalition bases. Prior to the raids, unit leaders targeted several specific AIF members who were believed to be behind the attacks and operating in the nearby town of Septia.
The raid into Septia began just after daybreak, and the units completed the mission by about noon. In all, three targeted terrorists and 15 other suspected AIF members were detained. The units also seized a weapon, several hundred rounds of ammunition and one IED triggering device.
This operation between the Iraqi Army and coalition forces is another example of the growing competence and capability of the Iraqi Army as they continue to assume more responsibility for Iraq’s security and the safety of its citizens.
Source : MSG Terry Webster - 101st Airborne Div. - FOB Speicher, Iraq
BBC World News Service - LIVE - Click RealAudio - Stream
BBC World News Service - LIVE - Windows Media - Stream
Click Radio Taiwan International (English)
Click LBC 1152 AM London News Radio
Israel News Radio, 0430 UTC - English
Israel News Radio, 2000 UTC - English
Click Here Listen Live~~Israel Radio News UPDATES (on the half-hour)
3 Radio Pakistan News Bulletins (English) ~~ (Left Margin - Scroll Down to "Select")
Voice of Russia, 0300 UTC - English
Voice of Russia, 0800 UTC - English
Radio China International, 1500 UTC - English
Radio Polonia, 1700 UTC - English
Radio Australia, 0700 UTC - English
Radio Australia, 1100 UTC - English
North American Radio Stations List
Click Latest VOA Radio News Headlines (5 Min.)
Radio Japan News (English)
(1, 2 & 3 + Radio)
BUMP FOR PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH TOMORROW NIGHT.
01:00am ET - 05:00am ET - Coast to Coast AM with George Noory
12:00pm ET - 03:00pm ET - The Rush Limbaugh Show
G. Gordon Liddy Show (10:00 AM-1:00 PM ET)
G. Gordon Liddy Show (12:00 PM-3:00 PM ET)
3:00PM ET-6:00PM ET -- Sean Hannnity
Neal Boortz -- 9:00AM ET-12:00PM ET
06:00pm ET - 9:00pm ET - The Michael Savage Show
9:00am ET - 12:00pm ET - The Laura Ingraham Show
11:00pm ET - 01:00am ET - Fox News LIVE with Alan Colmes
11:45am ET - 12:00pm ET - Paul Harvey News & Commentary
Paul Harvey News Radio Archives
SUNDAY ~ 10:00pm ET - 01:00am ET - Matt Drudge-LIVE!
4:00pm ET - 5:00PM ET ~~ The Kyle Warren Show
6:00PM ET - 8:00PM ET ~~Mark Levin
10:00PM ET - 12:00AM ET~~John Batchelor
12p.m. ET - 2 p.m. ET~~Bill O'Reilly
6:00am ET - 10:00am ET~~Imus in The Morning
9am ET -12pm ET ~~ Glenn Beck Show (Audio Feed)
10:00pm ET -1:00am ET ~~ The Jim Bohannon Show
Click Rollin Down the Road ~~ 12:00am ET - 5am ET
Thr Michael Reagan Show~~ 9:00pm ET - 12:00am ET
The Mike Gallagher Show~~12:00am ET - 3:00am ET
The Hugh Hewitt Show ~ 9:00pm ET - 12:00am ET
Michael Savage Show ~ 9:00pm ET - 12:00am ET (Click Bitcaster)
Bump - 8:00pm EST. (Today)
Basrah, Iraq
Kabul, Afghanistan
The current time in (UTC/GMT) is Here. 
Thanks Gucho -- looking forward to it.
#1 Old Radio Shows ~~ 10:00pm EST - 2:00am EST
#2 More OTR Shows ~~ (24/7) ~~ Windows Player or Real Player or Winamp
By Jeff Schogol - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has handed over 10 suspected pirates to Kenyan authorities, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for 5th Fleet.
The suspected pirates were captured Jan. 21 after the USS Winston Churchill stopped a dhow about 54 miles of the coast of Somalia. Of the 26 men aboard the dhow, 10 were Somalis and 16 were from India. The Indians told the Navy that the Somali men hijacked their vessel and used it to attack merchant shipping.
The 10 suspected pirates were transferred Sunday to authorities in Mombasa, Kenya, Brown said.
Brown deferred further comment to Kenyan authorities and declined to say whether this ends the Navy’s involvement in the matter. “It wouldn’t be appropriate to speculate on the legal disposition,” he said in an e-mailed response to questions.
The Churchill was conducting routine security operations when it responded to a report that pirates had fired on a ship off the Somali coast.
While the Navy responds to distress calls from mariners attacked by pirates, it does not actively patrol for pirates, according to a Navy statement.
“The world is 70 percent water. The Navy is not big enough now, nor would it be big enough with 600 ships to actively patrol and police the entire world for piracy,” the statement says.
The Navy essentially halted its efforts to counter piracy after the Civil War, said Michael Crawford, head of the Early History Branch at the Naval Historical Center.
Crawford said the United States’ anti-piracy operations can be divided into three periods.
During the first period the United States fought states in northern Africa that seized ships for ransom, Crawford said. The United States fought against Tripoli from 1801 to 1805 and Algiers in 1815, he said.
In the 1820s, the Navy quashed pirates of the Caribbean spawned by South American countries wars of independence, Crawford said.
The Navy had less success during the last period of fighting pirates when it worked with the British navy to stop the international slave trade, Crawford said.
The Navy: The Continental Period, 1775-1890
By Michael A. Palmer
January 30, 2006
... Many of the children I speak with know at least some English and are able to communicate with soldiers, always eager to converse and tell them their names. They bombard soldiers, asking questions about where we are from, what is our name, and many other small facts about soldiering.
Many of the times we are literally overwhelmed with children investigating the Stryker, wanting to know about absolutely every piece of gear that a soldier wears. They are absolutely fascinated by American soldiers and eager to build a relationship with them ...
As I was speaking about these children with my mother, who was born in Germany during World War II, she mentioned to me that "she used to be one of those children." I guess I never thought about it that way or realized it, but it was at that point that it occurred to me that I have American soldiers to thank for my mom's freedom.
Listening to my mom talk about these encounters with soldiers made me proud to carry on the tradition of fighting for the freedoms of others. If nothing else, I want to convey to the American public that yes, this is worth fighting for, and yes, we are making a huge difference no matter what the media states. If the American soldier left such an indelible mark on my mother, these children will live to tell stories of how American Soldiers helped them long after we have left Iraq. ..."
Troops who would like to participate in Voices can send their dispatches and pictures to tbrant@adn.com. Submissions become the copyrighted property of the Daily News and can be reprinted in any form.
Foreign firms find oil in border town – official
By Salem Arif
Azzaman, January 30, 2006
Foreign firms have reached “very good results” in their exploration for oil deposits in the border town of Zakho, said Mohammed Zaibari, head of the northern oil distribution company.
Zaibari, speaking in a local television interview, did not name the foreign firms but said they were exploring for oil in northern Iraq under an agreement with the central government.
“The preliminary explorations have shown very good results,” he said.
Zakho is a town in the Kurdish north bordering Turkey.
Zaibari did not give the names of the foreign firms involved in the exploration.
But said: “The explorations in Zakho provide conclusive evidence that Iraqi crude reserves are is immense indeed.”
Proven Iraqi reserves are estimated at 14 billion barrels, the world’s second largest after those of Saudi Arabia.
Zibari is in charge of fuel distribution in the three Kurdish provinces of Dahouk, Sulaimaniya and Arbil as welll as Taameem (kirkuk) and Nineveh (Mosul).
He claimed that the five provinces currently suffer from no fuel shortages.
He said his company’s policy of rationing the distribution particularly of gasoline has slashed what he called “waste” in the three Kurdish provinces by 40%.
Despite its massive oil wealth, Iraq currently imports fuel from Turkey and Zaibari said fuel bills due to Turkey, and still unpaid by the government, were worth up to $1 billion.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news/2006-01-30/171.htm
Officials say Sabotage Caused Fatal Pakistan Train Crash
By Benjamin Sand - Islamabad
30 January 2006
Pakistani officials say a train crash Sunday was an act of sabotage. A damaged rail line sent a packed express train off the track and into a deep ravine, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more.
At least five cars barreled off the track Sunday night, sending one compartment down a deep ravine near Jhelum city in eastern Pakistan.
Almost 600 people were on board the Islamabad Express traveling from Rawalpindi to Lahore.
Speaking by phone from the scene, Pakistan's Minister of Railways Shamim Haider said the track was apparently sabotaged just minutes before the crowded train passed through.
"Plates at both ends of one rail were removed," said Haider. "They must have been removed recently because one train passed at 6:20 and this [the wrecked train] was crossing at 7:20."
He says so far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred about 100 kilometers southeast of the capital. An investigation is under way.
Emergency crews worked through the night pulling survivors out of the wreckage and taking the injured to a nearby hospital.
The area is considered politically stable and there is no record of insurgent activity in this part of Pakistan.
Similar attacks are fairly common in southwestern Pakistan, where tribal militants have been fighting government forces over control of local resources.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-01-30-voa17.cfm
1/31/06
WASHINGTON (AFP) - President George W. Bush plans to voice support for a "free society" in Iran during his annual State of the Union speech in which Iraq and the war on terror will also likely figure prominently.
"We want the people of Iran to be able to live in a free society," he said Monday as he met with his cabinet, adding that he would address the issue during Tuesday night's speech "and make clear the policy of the United States."
Bush drew a similar distinction between government and governed in 2002, but it was lost amid an international outcry over his decision to brand Iran part of an "axis of evil" with North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
That phrase drew a torrent of international criticism, with even the pro-reform majority in Iran's parliament denouncing it and some in Europe saying such harsh language was counter-productive.
Ahead of Tuesday's address, the US president has seemed eager to avoid a repeat of that controversy at a time when he says it is critical for the international community to form a "united front" on Tehran's nuclear program.
"It's very important that we speak to two groups: One is the government, and also the people," he told CBS news in an interview last week.
"And in speaking to the people, my message is this: You know, we're not going to tell you how to live your life, but we would like you to be free," he said. "But to the government, our message is, is that if you want to be a part of the family of nations, give up your nuclear weapons ambitions."
Bush's speech comes after a year in which his poll numbers dropped to their worst levels, battered by the poor response to Hurricane Katrina and growing unhappiness over how he has managed the war in Iraq.
Although up slightly, his approval ratings have stagnated in the low 40 percent range.
A Time magazine poll released this week showed 55 percent of Americans disapproved of Bush's handling of his job while 41 percent gave him the thumbs up. His approval rating was 12 points down from a year ago, the weekly said.
The prime-time televised address to a joint session of the US Congress on Tuesday is widely considered his best chance to shape the debate on difficult issues like the war in Iraq ahead of critical November legislative elections.
Bush was also expected in his speech to try to soothe worries about soaring health care and energy costs -- two of the reasons why much of the US public expresses concerns about the US economy.
Aides said he would defend the Iraq war's place in the broader global campaign to stamp out terrorism, and emphasize what they said was a string of successes in promoting democracy around the world.
Bush was also expected to call for the renewal of the Patriot Act that expanded law-enforcement powers after the September 11th attacks, and justify his order authorizing spying on Americans at home without court approval.
The speech comes amid all-out diplomatic efforts by the United States and Europe to rally Russia and China to a hard-line position on Iran.
Washington accuses Iran of using a civilian nuclear program as cover for a quest to develop atomic weapons.
Tehran rejects the charge, and insists it has the right under international law to a peaceful atomic energy program. Moscow and Beijing have resisted efforts to refer the matter to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
"We're united in our goal to keep the Iranians from having a weapon, and we're working on the tactics necessary to continue putting a united front out," said Bush. "The message is: Give up your nuclear weapons ambitions."
Amid difficult talks aimed at easing US and European worries that Tehran seeks atomic weapons, Bush said "one option" was taking the Islamic republic to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
But he has steadfastly refused to rule out the use of military force.
The United States has been courting support from Russia and China, both among the veto-wielding permanent five council members, for a harder-line approach while offering support for a compromise proposal from Moscow.
NOTE; President George W. Bush will deliver the annual State of the Union Address to a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 9pm (ET).
Thank you (*Gucho*) outstanding!!!!!
"Shoes truly do make a difference"
January 30, 2006
CAMP ADDER, An Nasiriyah, Iraq -- It all comes down to a little leather, vinyl and rubber, by themselves not very much but together they make a pair of shoes and shoes in Iraq are the gateway to an education and a better way of life. School children cannot attend school unless they are dressed properly and that means shoes on their feet.
Shoes represent the difference between a child in a classroom, learning and a child outside watching as other children study their daily lessons. In a country where a little bit of money goes a long way, some parents simply do not have a spare dinar to put shoes on their children’s feet, opting instead to feed them. An education comes in second or third on the priority list of parents who must have their children work the fields and tend the herds of sheep that is often their sole source of income.
The 48th Brigade Combat Team Civil Affairs Team has been actively involved with school supplies and desk donations since they arrived in the southern region of Iraq in November 2005. Shoes were a different matter entirely until the Soldiers of the 48th teamed up with an Air Force Major who has a rather unique connection to an abundant supply of kid’s shoes. Maj. Steve Kassebaum who is employed with the Defense Contract Management Agency and his job is to provide oversight on contracts dealing with the military.
Payment - Spc. Sam Rogers, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 48th Brigade Combat Team, receives his "payment" from a young Iraqi Girl who is overjoyed with her new shoes. Spc. Rogers helped deliver donated shoes to the Abu Tubar School near An Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Britt Smith)
The small world category certainly fits this 15 year Air Force veteran who hails form Oregon, and happened to attend the same university as a certain athletic shoe company founder, the legendary Phil Knight of Nike fame. Both are graduates of the University of Oregon and are from the same area near Beaverton Oregon, corporate headquarters of Nike. The connection goes a step further; Kassebaum’s sister happens to be a Nike Employee and can buy shoes with her employee discount. The one component missing was a way to get the shoes to the feet and that problem was answered with a chance meeting with Maj. Joe Rohrer one of the members of the 48th BCT’s Civil Affairs Section.
Rohrer has been working with the local citizens and has coordinated several school supplies donations to local schools. Maj. Kassebaum explained his problem; he had the goods but no way to distribute them and the 48th BCT Civil Affairs section had the necessary means to deliver the 30 cartons of shoes that Kassebaum was in possession of.
"Helping the schools is one of our jobs, we enjoy helping the kids to have the tools to learn" said the Black Creek, Georgia native Rohrer.
With the partnering of the 48th BCT and Maj. Kassebaum, the ability to help further the education of Iraqi school children was in motion.
A convoy of Soldiers delivered school supplies to the Abu Tubar School which had been built by American Soldiers during an earlier rotation. Once the school supplies were distributed, it was time to help the children outside the school, the ones watching without any shoes on.
How does that feel? - Spc Daniel Larson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 148th Forward Support Battalion, 48th Brigade Combat Team checks for a good fit as a young Iraqi boy tries on his new shoes, courtesy of Nike.
Lines formed as the cartons were opened and children from 6 to 16 crowded around the Soldiers as they made every effort to fit the children feet, with the correct size shoe.
The scene was reminiscent of parents stateside, preparing their own children for the first day of school. The Soldiers were enjoying giving the shoes away, as the children were enjoying receiving them. Spc. Daniel Larson, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 148th Forward Support Battalion explained his reasons.
"It was unique I’ll never get an opportunity to help people like this again." Larson, from Jesup, Georgia feels that what Coalition Forces do now will pay off down the road. "We are making friends for life and that’s great for us here and for Americans back home."
Thirty cartons of shoes did not last long as children crowded the Soldiers, often bringing up a younger brother or sister, many too small to keep up with the crowd as they stood barefoot in the dirt waiting their turn. As the last pair of shoes was fitted on the last child, Maj. Kassebaum reflected on the real significance of the day’s event.
"I feel like I have done something good here, just the fact that they have so little, and that we can help."
This mission, nothing really difficult for these Soldiers and Airmen, just another day to try and make a difference in the lives of young people. Young people who will one day become the future of Iraq and its desire to live in a democratic state. Maj. Kassebaum summed up the day.
"I put some shoes on some kid’s feet and that’s worth all the time I have spent over here."
By Staff Sgt. Britt Smith - 48th BCT PAO
January 30, 2006
CONVOY SUPPORT CENTER SCANIA, Ad-Diwaniyah, Iraq -- At any truck-stop in America you can find the basics for a weary truck driver. Fuel, a dry place to stretch out and catch a night’s sleep, shoppette for the essentials and, of course, hot food. Although the latter is not always tasty, it is typically edible.
But this isn’t the states. In Iraq, a much more aggressive approach must be taken to get the 18-wheelers laden with supplies needed to sustain the fight to coalition Soldiers. Soldiers fighting, risking lives, to help a fledging democracy coexist with its rich history and religion based traditions.
A convoy of pulls up to the door of the check-in point in Convoy Support Center, Scania. Tired, dirty and ravaged for hot chow, they have arrived just prior to the stroke of midnight.
"Got here just in time for chow!" a burly Air Force convoy’s tactical commander announces with a wide, weary smile.
His boots are muddied as it is the rainy season in Iraq and it is cold. As if rehearsed, he simultaneously glances at a sand weathered clock, grabs his paperwork and marches out of the door. His crew has done their job - escorted their load safely through the ever-dangerous military supply routes. Now it is time for the reward; a visit to the McMillin-Williams Dining Facility.
A building with weathered paneling and close height ceilings, it is reminiscent of most homespun southern restaurants along major highways. This military truck-stop’s reputation precedes it. Coalition convoy escorts know they will not be disappointed with the bill of fare. What sets the CSC Scania DFAC apart from other camps and refueling points in Iraq? Managing food preparation with a flair reminiscent of four-star restaurants.
"This is about the most fun thing I’ve ever done," comments Greg Frankson. Frankson possesses an extensive food service background and is the kitchen manager for the Scania DFAC contracted through KBR (Kellogg, Brown & Root). As an auditor for the Hilton Hotel chain, (a subsidiary of the prestigious Waldorf-Astoria), he applies all he has learned in an environment devoid of the linen napkins, crystal stemware and china with no reservations required.
Grab it and go! - When it’s cold outside, a hot meal is appreciated. Spc. Keith J. Williams, a 48th BCT food service specialist with 108th Armor Regt. at CSC Scania knows how important this is. "If they can't come in and enjoy a hot meal, I take it to them." (Photo by Spc. Tracy. J. Smith, 48th BCT PAO)
"I am extremely meticulous when it comes to running the café here," the Texas native continued. "The Soldiers expect excellent service and hot food. My job is to make that happen and it is made easier because of the people I work with."
Exceptionally conscientious, the head chef, Chef Chabazz, worked as a culinary manager in a five-star hotel in his native Pakistan and oversees the preparation of meals, under the direction of Frankson, with painstaking attention to detail.
These professionals understand the challenges on the road the men and women face and want to give these road warriors a pleasurable dining experience.
"We subscribe to progressive cooking, which means we don’t cook for a thousand people at once," Frankson noted. "We cook continuously so our food is fresh and hot."
The mission within the camp does not always permit Soldiers to take advantage of the dine-in experience. Specialist Keith J. Williams rubber-stamps the dining facility’s philosophy of four-star service and takes the food to the Soldiers guarding the gates.
"It’s cold outside," Williams, a food service specialist from Columbus, Ga. points out. "Sometimes it is raining." He remains focused on packing the Styrofoam lunches. "When (Soldiers) eat good, warm chow, they function better on the line. That makes me feel good about working here."
Sergeant 1st Class Alvin T. Durham is one of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 108th Armor Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team’s food service staff non-commissioned officers. It is his privilege, he says, to work with the motivated KBR employees.
You've said a mouthful - Pfc. Justin W. Harper is a student in LaGrange, Ga. In Iraq, the 48th BCT citizen-Soldier drives trucks for the 108th Armor Regt. He enjoys the care the professionals of the 'convoy café' put into preparing each meal, but he really appreciates the camaraderie the contractors and Soldiers share. "I get great chow and make a friend too." (Photo by Spc. Tracy. J. Smith, 48th BCT PAO)
"These guys are eager," Durham of Barnesville, Ga. passionately states. "They want to know what you know and apply it at every opportunity with a positive attitude."
As Durham supervises the service line it is immediately apparent what prompts his statement. A fatigued Soldier, calloused from the road, receives a heartfelt, "Thank you, sir," from Vijay Shrestha, a KBR server. The Soldier appreciates the gesture and offers a smile as he takes his course. Serving is Shrestha’s favorite because he gets to meet each person that comes through to give a thank you as they enjoy the food.
"(The Soldiers) are friendly and respect us and what we do. Their job is very difficult, we respect them."
Durham gives Shrestha a supportive slap on the back adding "... and we respect that y’all cook like you are at home." Durham’s statement is received with agreeable laughter from those within earshot. "They got that down-home Georgia southern flavor."
This cooking style transitions into something 48th BCT Soldiers are all too familiar with; southern hospitality. Private 1st Class Justin W. Harper spends a great deal of time on convoys. The 48th BCT citizen-Soldier is a truck driver for 108th Armor Regiment and appreciates this taste of home when he gets off the road.
A seafood connoisseur the LaGrange, Ga. student does allow his taste buds a slight deviation and confesses, "Taco Tuesdays are my favorites." Harper also has an affinity towards desert and, of course, good company.
"I play pool after I work off the chocolate cake at the gym," He says with a laugh. "That’s how I met (Shrestha and Robbie). They hang out with us, shoot pool and we get to know each other." When you are with family it is easy to enjoy a good meal.
By Spc. Tracy J. Smith - 48th BCT PAO
January 31, 2006 - 02:52:07
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER - (3pages)
Tue Jan 31, 2006 - 11:56 AM GMT
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Any move to report or refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear standoff with the West would spell the end of diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said on Tuesday.
"We consider any referral or report of Iran to the Security Council as the end of diplomacy," Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was quoted as saying by state television.
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed on Tuesday that the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog should report to the Council this week on what Iran must do to cooperate with the agency.
But with Russia and China opposed to a dramatic escalation of the Iran case, the agreement stopped short of recommending a formal referral of Iran to the Security Council, where it could face economic sanctions.
"This statement does not discuss referral but I believe that the Europeans should be more careful," the semi-official ISNA students news agency quoted Larijani as saying.
"We have asked for talks with the Europeans which shows that Iran wants to try all amicable ways to achieve peaceful nuclear technology," he said.
Iranian officials have previously said any move to inform or report Tehran's case to the Council would lead it to scale back cooperation with U.N. inspectors and resume uranium enrichment -- the most sensitive phase of the atomic fuel cycle.
© Reuters 2006
Monday 30 January 2006 - 4:12 Makka Time, 1:12 GMT
Security forces in southern Afghanistan have arrested seven Afghans and two Pakistanis who they believe were plotting attacks, according to Afghan officials.
Two vehicles laden with explosives were seized during the raids on Sunday in the southern city of Kandahar, which has suffered a spate of attacks in recent months, Asadullah Khalid, the governor, said.
He said the nine were suspected Taliban members and allegedly planned to carry out an unspecified number of attacks against US-led multinational forces and government targets.
The governor declined to identify the detainees or give other details about the raids.
Traffic jams
The arrests came the same day Afghan security forces set up checkpoints on all roads leading into Kandahar and started searching vehicles entering and exiting the city.
Six other checkpoints were set up inside the city, causing massive traffic jams.
Earlier this month, Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, dispatched police reinforcements to Kandahar to crack down on fighters.
Since late September, some 20 human bombings have wracked Kandahar and other southern provinces. Prior to that, such assaults were relatively rare. The new tactic has reinforced fears that insurgents are mimicking tactics seen in Iraq.
Last Updated: Tuesday, 31 January 2006 - 01:20 GMT
UN chief Kofi Annan has said future aid to the Palestinian Authority will hinge on the government's commitment to peace and recognising Israel.
Speaking for the Mid-East Quartet - the EU, the US, Russia and the UN - Mr Annan said any new government must accept previous agreements.
Aid to the Palestinians has been thrown into doubt by the election victory of Islamic militant group Hamas.
Hamas has already rejected the conditions listed by the Quartet.
It said it was up to Israel to change, by ending what Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the EU, calls its occupation and aggression.
"The Quartet should have demanded an end to [Israeli] occupation and aggression... not demanded that the victim should recognise the occupation and stand handcuffed in the face of the aggression," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
Careful words
The Quartet's statement, read by Mr Annan after a meeting in London, said: "All members of the future Palestinian government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap."
See how the EU and US fund the Palestinians It said future aid would be reviewed in reference to these demands, but did not threaten to cut it in the short term.
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent, James Robbins, said the words were chosen with care. They did not demand a renunciation of violence or immediate recognition of Israel, but a commitment to these things in the future.
The Quartet powers hope that by its actions, rather than words, Hamas can show itself willing to commit to peace efforts, our correspondent says.
Abbas appeal
Earlier, EU ministers made similar demands of Hamas, and said funding would continue as long as the new government proved it was committed to peace with Israel.
The EU is the biggest donor to the Palestinians, giving about $600m (£340m) in 2005.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas urged donors not to cut funding to ensure "that the institutions continue to function and the plan to build our independent Palestinian state is not disrupted or derailed".
Speaking after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Mr Abbas said it was vital that the work of the Palestinian Authority should carry on as normal.
Mr Abbas also vowed to honour all peace agreements with Israel.
Hamas 'must change'
A senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, promised all foreign aid would be spent on daily needs - not on attacking Israel - and would be subject to monitoring.
"We assure you that all the revenues will be spent on salaries, daily life and infrastructure. You can review this," he said.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said it could take up to three months for a new Palestinian government to be formed, and by then he hoped to see progress by Hamas.
"If these conditions are met then we stand ready to continue [to fund the Palestinian Authority]," he said.
"If [Hamas] do not change then it will be very difficult," he added.
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV - Associated Press Writer
Updated: 6:52 a.m. ET - Jan. 31, 2006
MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin boasted Tuesday that Russia has missiles capable of penetrating any missile defense system, Russian news reports said.
"Russia ... has tested missile systems that no one in the world has," the ITAR-Tass, Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies quoted him as saying at a news conference. "These missile systems don't represent a response to a missile defense system, but they are immune to that. They are hypersonic and capable of changing their flight path."
Putin said the new missiles were capable of carrying nuclear warheads. He wouldn't say whether the Russian military already had commissioned any such missiles.
He said he had shown the working principles of the missile systems to French President Jacques Chirac during a visit to a Russian military facility.
"He knows what I'm talking about," news agencies quoted Putin as telling reporters after state-run news channels had cut their live broadcast of the news conference.
In April 2004, Chirac became the first Western leader to visit Russia's top-secret Titov space control center, which is also involved in launches of its intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Putin said that the new missiles were capable of changing both the altitude and the direction of their flight, making it impossible for an enemy to intercept them.
"A missile defense system is designed to counter missiles moving along a ballistic trajectory," Putin was quoted as saying.
Putin and other Russian officials have boasted of the new missiles in similar comments in recent years, but they haven't identified them or given any further details other than about their ability to change their flight path on approach to a target.
Most analysts viewed the earlier announcements about "hypersonic" missile systems as Moscow's response to U.S. missile defense plans.
Military analysts have said that the military had experimented with a maneuvering warhead during a missile launch several years ago, but voiced doubt about Russia's ability to deploy such weapons anytime soon.
Analysts said the new warheads, designed to zigzag on their approach to targets, could be fitted to new land-based Topol-M missiles and the prospective Bulava missiles, now under development.
On other topics at the news conference, Putin:
• Urged the militant Palestinian group Hamas to engage in peaceful dialogue, and said Russia's position on the Middle East differed from that of the United States and Europe.
Hamas should "refrain from extremist declarations, acknowledge Israel's right to exist and put its contacts with the international community in order," Putin said. He said "Russia has never declared Hamas a terrorist organization, but it doesn't mean we support and accept everything Hamas has done and all the statements it has made."
• Lashed out at the government of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili for its criticism of Moscow over last week's gas pipeline explosion, which resulted in a weeklong cutoff of Russian gas from the Caucasus Mountains nation.
While repair teams were working to fix the pipeline in freezing temperatures, "we only saw them spitting at us," Putin said. "Georgian citizens must know that such a policy toward Russia won't help to improve conditions of ordinary people."
• Praised his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, for taking Russia on the democratic path amid the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"During the time when Yeltsin led Russia, Russian citizens got the most important thing: freedom," Putin said during a wide-ranging annual news conference. "This is a great historic accomplishment of Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin."
Many Russians hold Yeltsin, who turns 75 on Wednesday, responsible for the post-Soviet economic meltdown that led to a dramatic plunge in living standards. Putin owes his rise to power to Yeltsin, who picked him as his prime minister and then named him acting president.
Jan. 31, 2006 — Coretta Scott King, widow of slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., has died. She was 78.
Scott King was admitted to Atlanta's Piedmont Hospital on Aug. 16, 2005, suffering from a stroke that left her weakened on her right side, unable to walk, and barely able to speak.
Family Blazed Trails
Coretta Scott was born April 27, 1927, on a farm in Heiberger, Ala. Though the family owned the land, it was often a hardscrabble life. The young Coretta, her sister, Edythe, and brother, Obie, all had to pick cotton during the Depression to help the family make ends meet.
The Scott family was resourceful and blazed trails for blacks in its small corner of the world. Her father, Obediah, was the first black person in the area to own a truck, and he eventually opened a country store. Her mother, Bernice, hired a bus to drive all the black children to and from Lincoln High School — nine miles from Heiberger.
An intelligent and hardworking student, Scott King played trumpet and piano, and graduated from Lincoln High at the top of her class in 1945. She followed her older sister to Antioch College in Ohio, where Edythe had been the first full-time black student to live on campus.
At Antioch, Scott King majored in music and education. When she graduated, she decided she wanted to pursue music instead of teaching. She received a scholarship to study violin and voice at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she met her future husband, Martin Luther King Jr., who was studying theology at Boston University.
The Kings were married in 1953, and the following year, they moved to Montgomery, Ala., where King began his ministry.
Civil Rights Activists
Scott King spent much of her life devoted to raising their four children — Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott and Bernice Albertine — and to supporting her husband's work in the civil rights movement.
Scott King was often seen beside her husband during freedom marches, traveling abroad and giving speeches. Though she had essentially retired from her music career, she conceived of and performed in the Freedom Concerts, which combined the poetry, stories and music of the civil rights movement.
Scott King became an activist in her own right, as well, carrying messages of international peace and economic justice to organizations around the world. She was the first woman to deliver the Class Day address at Harvard University and the first woman to preach during a service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
When King was assassinated outside a motel room in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968, Scott King channeled her grief into action. Days later, she led a march through the streets of Memphis, and later that year took his place as a leader of the Poor People's March in Washington, D.C.
Scott King continued working for equality, peace and economic justice for the remainder of her life, both in the United States and abroad. Her travels took her to Latin America to speak out against poverty, South Africa to fight apartheid, and back to Washington, D.C., to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic March on Washington with a second massive gathering of human rights groups.
Honoring Martin
Scott King also devoted much of her time to developing the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change as a memorial to her husband's life and dreams. Scott King served as the center's leader until 1995, when she turned over the helm to her son Dexter.
She also led the campaign to make King's birthday, Jan. 15, a national holiday in the United States. By an Act of Congress, the first national observance of the holiday took place in 1986.
Scott King focused much of her energy during the last decade of her life on AIDS awareness and curbing gun violence.
Iraqi police find 11 bodies
Reuters
From correspondents in Baghdad
February 01, 2006
IRAQI police found the bodies of 11 young men in the back of a parked truck in western Baghdad overnight, police said.
The bodies of the men, all apparently civilians, had gunshot wounds to the head and were found in Baghdad's volatile Ghazaliya district.
Since the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein in March 2003, hundreds of bodies have been found, often bound and shot in the head.
Sunni Arab insurgents regularly capture and kill Iraqi soldiers, policemen and Shiite civilians in their campaign to topple the Shiite Islamist-led government.
Sunni leaders have also blamed Shiite-led Interior Ministry security units for carrying out retribution killings against Sunnis. The ministry denies the charges.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18004005-23109,00.html
Great thread Gucho!
Thanks for the ping, Sara!
Thank you blackie.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
