Posted on 05/29/2003 8:53:11 PM PDT by null and void
Good Morning.
This is the Daily Thread of Operation Infinite Freedom - Situation Room - LIVE THREAD.
It is designed for general conversation about the ongoing war on terror, and the related events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.
Bush: U.S., France Must Forge New Ties
PARIS - President Bush said Wednesday that though Americans had been "disappointed" by French opposition to war in Iraq, an upcoming summit in France would not be confrontational.
The president, in interviews with French media, said it was time for both nations to move beyond disagreements and work to fight problems like AIDS.
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites), left, and Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Abdelouahed Belkeziz, right, share a laugh during the opening ceremony of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Wednesday, May, 28, 2003 in Tehran.
Iran: al-Qaida Leaders May Be in Custody
TEHRAN, Iran - In a reversal, Iran left open the possibility Thursday it may have top al-Qaida operatives in custody, including the terror network security chief suspected by U.S. officials of planning attacks in Saudi Arabia.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi's comments to The Associated Press contradicted his statement Monday, when he was quoted as telling state-run radio that al-Qaida members detained in Iran "are not senior members of the group."
Israeli-Palestinian Summit Ends on Positive Note
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Talks between the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers ended on a positive note, setting the tone for a three-way summit led by President Bush on taking the first steps in a peace "road map."
Israel announced a series of goodwill measures toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but stopping short of a troop pullout demanded by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and included in the U.S.-backed peace plan.
This peace plan is no ordinary road map.
The latest plan aimed at bringing security to Israel and a state to Palestinians, is more like the choreography for a delicate ballet. The intricacy of that ballet is why the United States must lead this dance until it is done.
It's good news that both sides have made moves. First, Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, under great pressure, appointed Mahmoud Abbas as the Palestinian Authority's prime minister. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made startling comments to his conservative Likud Party.
It was only a single word, but its impact was monumental: occupation. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told members of the Likud Party on Monday that Israel's control of 3.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank must come to an end. "You may not like the word, but what's happening is occupation," he said. The military hawk, who has defended - literally - Israel's right to settle the disputed land that could become a Palestinian state, tentatively has grabbed an olive branch. It is not a guarantee of peace, but it offers the most hope since the failed diplomacy of the Clinton administration.
Both Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to the U.S.-led "road map" for peace. It calls for the cessation of violence by Palestinian terrorists groups. It calls for an end to future Israeli settlements and the withdrawal from some. And it calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
U.S. official confirms 727 jet missing
The plane apparently departed from Angola several days ago on a flight to Burkina Faso, in northwestern Africa, but it never made it to its destination, and its whereabouts are unknown, this official said.
The official said there is "no evidence or information to suggest this is terrorist-related," and suggested "it is most likely criminal." According to this official, the plane was leased, and the people involved were behind in their payments.
CNS - February 1993 Bombing of the World Trade CenterYousef justified his terrorism as both punishment and revenge. Since the United States never learns, he argued, it must be punished. Yousef equated the U.S. punishment inflicted on Libyan and Iraqi civilians with the punishment he had dispensed: “the United States is applying the system of collective punishment against Iraq and Libya—when either government makes any mistake, the United States punishes the people in their entirety for the government’s mistake. We are reciprocating the treatment.”[13]...
In essence, the terrorists argued that to appreciate the tragedy Palestinians had experienced at the hands of the Israelis, innocent Americans had to die. The implication of Yousef’s twisted logic was that as a result of the losses inflicted by terrorism, the American people would come to value Palestinian lives as much as their own and stop supporting Israel. Yousef also justified terrorism against U.S. civilians as revenge for what he perceived as a long history of moral transgressions by the United States... Working with deadly materials with the intent to cripple a global superpower by killing its people fed Yousef’s view of himself as an expert and a genius.
The attack came as Lt. Gen. David McKiernan, coalition ground forces commander, was meeting with other top military officials.
Iraqi missile targeted coalition HQ during war
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait (CNN) -- The Iraqi military came within seconds of possibly wiping out the headquarters of the coalition ground forces with a missile on March 27, U.S. military officials said. The missile was intercepted and destroyed by a U.S. Patriot missile shortly before it could have hit its target.
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