The number of nations boycotting the Durban 2 conference keeps increasing: Australia and the Netherlands were added today. One of the few significant Western nations that will send a delegation to Geneva is the UK.In other news, a U.S. Marine was arrested after bomb-making materials, a gun, and ammo were found in his checked luggage at Logan Airport.
Thanks to Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni, DS, Insubria, islam o’phobe, Paul Green, TB, TV, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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Bomb Materials Found in Marine’s Baggage at Logan
BOSTON — State police and security officials say a U.S. Marine was arrested Sunday morning at Boston’s Logan International Airport after screeners found bomb-making materials, a gun and ammunition in his checked baggage.
Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Ann Davis says 22-year-old Cpl. Justin Reed, of Jacksonville, N.C., was booked on US Airways Flight 877 to Charlotte, N.C. Davis says Reed arrived in Boston on a flight from Las Vegas earlier Sunday morning. Davis says the TSA is trying to determine why the items were not detected during a screening in Las Vegas.
State police at Logan were notified about the items by the TSA screeners.
Reed was charged with possession of an infernal machine and possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport. Bail was set at $50,000.
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Obama Warned on CIA
A former CIA deep-cover spy says President-elect Barack Obama needs to radically reshape what he terms the “dysfunctional” CIA — or face more strategic intelligence failures.
Ishmael Jones, the pseudonym for a former Marine and recently retired CIA case officer, said in an interview that despite intelligence reform efforts in the post-Sept. 11 era, “the CIA bureaucracy has mutated into a living creature that serves its own aims.”
The retired CIA officer, an Arabic speaker and 20-year veteran, stated in his recently published book, “The Human Factor,” that the CIA’s clandestine service should be streamlined and given clear marching orders and more focus on its mission: recruiting and handling human spies while avoiding trivial sources.
The officer wrote of his frustration as an overseas agent recruiter who couldn’t make a phone call without five bureaus at CIA headquarters first approving it.
He also wrote that “most” CIA employees work in the United States but that there is an urgent need to “get the CIA spying on and in foreign countries.”
The officer said in the interview that fixing the CIA will not be easy. “While the CIA is unable to run effective human source operations, it has a raptorlike efficiency when it comes to defending itself and its growth,” he said. “The CIA’s myriad offices and wealthy contracting companies are constituents of congressional districts, and they wield lobbying power to protect CIA funding.”
Also, he thinks CIA managers will give the new president impressive “dog and pony show” briefings “to make the CIA look busy.”
Money is not the problem. The former CIA nonofficial cover officer said one post-2001 CIA program got $3 billion to deploy more operations officers outside U.S. embassies overseas but “has been unable to field a single additional effective officer.”
The former spy recommends putting the military in charge of foreign spying and transferring foreign intelligence liaison carried out at U.S. embassies to the State Department. The FBI should take charge of the CIA’s domestic activities, he said…
| — Hat tip: DS | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Will Boycott U.N. Conference on Racism
GENEVA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The United States will boycott a United Nations conference on racism next week, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday, citing objectionable language in the meeting’s draft declaration.
The United Nations organized the forum in Geneva to help heal the wounds from the last such meeting, in Durban, South Africa. The United States and Israel walked out of that 2001 conference when Arab states tried to define Zionism as racist.
The Obama administration, which kept its distance from preparations for the “Durban II” meeting, has come under strong pressure from Israel not to attend.
“With regret, the United States will not join the review conference,” said State Department spokesman Robert Wood, ending weeks of deliberations inside the Obama administration over whether to attend.
Wood said significant improvements were made to the conference document, but the text still reaffirmed “in toto” a declaration that emerged from the Durban conference which the United States had opposed.
“The United States also has serious concerns with relatively new additions to the text regarding “incitement,” that run counter to the U.S. commitment to unfettered free speech,” he added.
The announced boycott came about three months after President Barack Obama became the first African-American to lead the United States.
Canada also has said it will not go next week because of fears of a repeat of the “Israel-bashing” that occurred at the last conference. The European Union is still deliberating.
The Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency, has called a meeting for Sunday evening to evaluate the bloc’s stance on attending.
“There are still several member states of the EU that are not decided yet,” Czech foreign ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova said. “We are in touch with them and there will be a decision on a common position before the conference starts.”
Britain, however, confirmed that it would send a delegation to the conference, albeit without a high-level official.
RIGHTS GROUPS CONCERNED
Juliette de Rivero of Human Rights Watch said the meeting in Geneva would lack needed diplomatic gravitas without Washington’s presence.
“For us it’s extremely disappointing and it’s a missed opportunity, really, for the United States,” she said.
A draft declaration prepared for the conference removed all references to Israel, the Middle East conflict and a call to bar “defamation of religion” — an Arab-backed response to a 2006 controversy over Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that Western states see as a way to quash free expression.
Wood conceded there had been improvements to the document, but he said it was not enough.
“The United States will work with all people and nations to build greater resolve and enduring political will to halt racism and discrimination wherever it occurs,” he said.
Diplomats said the high-profile presence of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the forum made it probable that touchy subjects would still dominate the proceedings.
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U.S. Boycotts Racism Conference, Says It ‘Singles Out’ Israel
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The United States is boycotting a U.N. conference on racism next week over a document that “singles out” Israel in its criticism and conflicts with the nation’s “commitment to unfettered free speech,” the U.S. State Department said Saturday.
The Obama administration made the decision not to attend the Durban Review Conference in Geneva “with regret,” a State Department statement said.
Two months ago, the administration had warned that it would boycott the conference if changes were not made to the document to be adopted by the conference. In recent weeks, discussions over the document have fueled several revisions, but the changes to the language didn’t meet U.S. expectations, the statement said.
The current draft is “significantly improved,” but “it now seems certain these remaining concerns will not be addressed in the document to be adopted by the conference next week.”
State Department officials say the document contains language that reaffirms the Durban Declaration and Programme of Actions from the 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa, which the United States has said it won’t support. The 2001 document “prejudges key issues that can only be resolved in negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians,” the statement said.
Australia also said it would boycott the conference. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the 2001 document unfairly “singled out” Israel.
““Regrettably, we cannot be confident that the Review Conference will not again be used as a platform to air offensive views, including anti-Semitic views,” he said.
Disagreements over the Middle East and slavery that year had threatened to derail the conference goal of creating a global blueprint for fighting discrimination. At the time, Israel had said it was disappointed so much of the conference had focused on its relations with Palestinians.
The Obama administration also said recent additions to the document regarding “incitement” contradict the United States’ stance on free speech.
Still, the United States “will continue to work assiduously” with all nations “to combat bigotry and end discrimination,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Congressional Black Caucus said it was “deeply dismayed” by the decision made by the nation’s first African-African president, saying it was inconsistent with administration policies.
“Had the United States sent a high-level delegation reflecting the richness and diversity of our country, it would have sent a powerful message to the world that we’re ready to lead by example,” the statement said. “Instead, the administration opted to boycott the conference, a decision that does not advance the cause of combating racism and intolerance, but rather sets the cause back.”
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Chrysler Deal in Marchionne’s Hands
Fiat Chairman Montezemolo has full confidence in his CEO
(ANSA) — Rome, April 17 — Partnership negotiations between Fiat and Chrysler are in the hands of Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, the chairman of the Turin automaker, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, said on Friday.
“The only thing I have to say about this is that we should leave it up to Sergio Marchionne and his staff to see whether a solution can be found by the end of the month,” Montezemolo said.
The Washington administration of President Barack Obama has given Chrysler until May 1 to strike a partnership deal with Fiat in order to have access to further federal bail-out funds and avoid bankruptcy.
The deal in part hinges on unions and lenders accepting stock in Chrysler in exchange for the debt owed to them.
An accord draft leaked to the press on Thursday indicated that unions would take a 20% stake in Chrysler, the same as Fiat’s initial stake, as payment for half their pension fund.
Marchionne is also asking that unions except wage cuts to bring labor costs in line with those in other plants in the US producing foreign cars, in states where the union have less power.
He added that Fiat was ready to “walk away” if the concessions were not made, while Montezemolo has said that a ‘Plan B’ existed should the accord fall through. The leaked draft also indicated that Marchionne would serve as CEO for both Fiat and Chrysler, while the US automaker would have an American chairman of the board.
In this case, it is not clear what would happen to Chrysler’s current CEO, Bob Nardelli.
Marchionne has been credited for what Obama has described as Fiat’s “impressive” turn around and the authoritative daily Financial Times on Friday likened him to a “superhero” in a “Chrysler cliffhanger”.
According to the draft accord, if a partnership is created then Fiat, unions and a federally appointed trust would name a future seven-man Chrysler board.
The federal trust would initially hold a significant stake in Chrysler, in exchange for the bail-out funds, including a 15% share which Fiat would receive in 5% instalments as it meets production milestones.
Fiat is offering its cutting-edge green technology and platforms for small cars in exchange for as much as 35% of Chrysler but it is likely to be also given an option to acquire up to 49% or more, once the bail-out loans have been repaid.
The Italian automaker is keen to strike a deal with Chrysler because it would have access to its plants and dealerships in order to allow it to return to the American market, initially with Alfa Romeo and the trendy Fiat 500 city car. Chrysler, in turn, would have access to Fiat’s facilities in Europe and Latin America.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
France: Violent Bus Ride — the Victim Sues
The Institut Pour la Justice, headed by Philippe Schmitt, father of Anne-Lorraine, whose brutal murder in a subway in November 2007 mobilized the sympathy and anger of French Catholics, nationalists, and all those realistic enough to admit the real dangers that French citizens face every day, has created a petition demanding the removal of all charges against the policeman who put online the video of the bus attack.
As of today (April 17) there are 12,943 signatures, if we are to trust the figures in tiny print at the bottom of the petition. Those interested in signing, click here.
The above was written a few days ago, but I have not had time to put it online. Now, in view of the latest development, one can’t help wondering if Philippe Schmitt and the 12,943 signatories aren’t wasting their time. The following is from the blog of Yves Daoudal:
The victim of the attack in the night bus in Paris, the video of which was seen all over the Internet, has filed a suit… for violation of secrecy in the police investigation and violation of secrecy in the court inquiry.
| — Hat tip: islam o’phobe | [Return to headlines] |
OIC General Secretariat Delegation Ends Its Visit to Sweden With Commitments to Closer Cooperation
An OIC General Secretariat delegation visited Sweden on 14-17 April 2009, on the eve of Sweden’s assumption of the Presidency of the European Union.
The objective of the visit was to open a channel of communication with Sweden, a country with respectable track record of cooperating with the Muslim World on crucial issues of concern and to make the best use of Swedish Presidency to the EU to enhance institutional interaction and coordination between the OIC and EU.
During the visit, the delegation had extensive talks with their counterparts in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden. They had discussions with the Director General of Political Affairs and officials in charge of Middle East and North Africa, International Law, Human Rights, Counter Terrorism and Union of the Mediterranean affairs. The OIC delegation briefed the Swedish officials on the new Charter, vision and priorities of the organization and its transformation process including the prospective setting up of an independent and permanent OIC human rights commission. The discussions centered on establishing direct and project based cooperation and consultation mechanism between the OIC and Sweden on issues of mutual concern. Consultations on various conflict areas as well as intercultural dialogue and cooperation in the field of socio-economic development in the least developed OIC countries featured with prominence during the discussions.
The delegation also met with senior parliamentarians from different political parties including the Deputy Speaker and the Secretary General of the Swedish Parliament and discussed the ways and means of reaching out to the grassroots of the both the Muslim and Western societies with a message of peace, security and stability through constructive dialogue and engagement.
The OIC delegation visited the Stockholm Mosque and met with the representatives of the Swedish Muslims who briefed the delegation about various social and cultural activities. Development of Muslim youth and their integration in the Swedish societies were among the topics of discussion. The delegation also visited Rinkebyskolan, a multicultural school, which is a pioneer in the field of teaching of religions under an innovative project which emphasizes commonalities and similarities of the teachings of the three Abrahamic faiths.
The delegation also had meetings with the Directors General and officials of the Swedish Institute and Folke Bernadotte Academy to discuss ways and means of cooperation in the socio-economic development and conflict resolution-mediation fields. The delegation also had a meeting with Swedish journalists covering the Muslim World at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: NATO at Sixty — Mission Implausible?
Contributors: Vladimir Belaeff, Stephen Blank, Ethan Burger, Ulrich Weisser, James Jatras, Nicholas Sluchevsky
The North Atlantic Alliance held its sixtieth anniversary summit last week at Strasburg-Kehl, amid growing doubts about its mission, its geographic scope, and the threats it should be called upon to counter. The NATO leaders adopted a Declaration on Alliance Security and launched a process to develop a new Strategic Concept, a document that will define NATO’s longer-term role in the new security environment of the 21st century. Where is NATO heading after these sixty years? Will its geographic boundaries be finally defined? Will the Russia-NATO Council evolve into a viable decision making body? Is Russia a possible future member of NATO?
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Professor Stephen Blank, the U.S. Army War College, Carlyle Barracks, PA:
I do not believe that NATO will stay forever in its present form, but there is little doubt that for the foreseeable future there will be no enlargement to Georgia and Ukraine. The numerous reasons behind this conclusion are well known to all, and do not require further elaboration. While the view associated with Merkel may win a round, if Europe and NATO wish to be relevant to contemporary security threats, playing the ostrich is not a viable option for the long term, and NATO will resume its evolution beyond its current borders.
Meanwhile the relationship with Russia will not be determined by a new charter or strategy document. Rather, it will be defined by the actual policies Russia and major Western countries carry out. The only thing we can count on for sure in world politics is unrelenting change, and the Europeans’ visible desire to opt out of history, change, and world politics can only lead to a resounding strategic failure and crises. This inclination is now prominently displayed in regard to Afghanistan, Georgia, and Ukraine.
So while enlargement will not take place anytime soon, we should remember that NATO committed itself to the ultimate membership of these countries, and the issue will not die. However, I expect very little from the NATO-Russia Council or from the continuing false specter of Russia as NATO member.
As long as Russia is ruled by a gang of kleptocratic autocrats and oligarchs, it will insist on a free hand at home and abroad and pursue the will of the wisp of sovereign autocracy, which really is the case now. In other words, Russia does not want to join NATO because to do so would mean instituting reforms that are obnoxious to the elite, as well as surrendering a part of its sovereignty along with every other NATO member.
For this reason, the NRC will be of little use other than being a forum for dialogue. But it is long since time for Moscow to stop kvetching that Europe does not want it. The opposite is true—Russia does not want to be part of NATO. We need only remember that Lord George Robertson called Vladimir Putin’s bluff years ago on this point, when he told him that if Russia wanted to join NATO it should apply, and NATO would take up the application. But if it chose not to apply, let us sit down and talk seriously about what we can do together.
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James George Jatras, Deputy Director, American Institute in Ukraine, Director, American Council for Kosovo:
The late great Groucho Marx is quoted as saying, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” The same could be said by Ukraine about NATO.
Contrary to some expectations, the possible candidacy of Ukraine and Georgia barely made it onto the agenda of the Strasbourg-Kehl summit. Unlike last year in Bucharest, where the outgoing George Bush administration made a last-ditch effort to overcome the German and French resistance to inviting the two former Soviet republics, it appears that president Obama didn’t even try in the face of hardened opposition from the twin pillars of “Old Europe.” NATO ended up with the dubious compensation prizes of Croatia and Albania. Obama did push for Turkish accession to the EU — how you can invite someone into a club to which you don’t belong yourself is something of a mystery — and was decisively shot down by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The fact that NATO is becoming fatally dysfunctional is increasingly apparent. Recently characterized by CATO Institute analyst Ted Carpenter as a “hollow alliance,” NATO at the dawn of the Obama era seems to be in search of operational coherence no less than a clear vision of purpose. Obama’s main mission at the summit seemed to have been rattling his tin cup for more European contributions to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. He received commitments of $600 million and, depending on the reports, either 3,000 or 5,000 more European troops, most if not all non-combat. These, no doubt to include a crack Latvian mess-kit repair crew, are hardly likely to lessen the U.S. burden in the Hindu Kush, where Obama plans to ramp up the American force presence. In short, despite any enhanced European role — assuming the promised additional troops actually are deployed — the proportional U.S. load will actually increase.
On the eve of the summit, in what may be seen as an end run effort to get onto a NATO track, Kiev’s Cabinet of Ministers approved an agreement to permit the transit of Afghanistan-bound material through Ukraine. Perhaps seen as a partial compensation for loss of the U.S. base at Manas in Kyrgyzstan, the Ukrainian move instead highlights the logistical importance of Russia: no matter how much NATO piles into Ukraine, it can’t get from there to Afghanistan without transiting through Russian territory.
Advocates of Ukraine’s accession to NATO have yet to confront the tough questions. First, nobody has yet explained where the billions, or perhaps tens of billions of dollars will be found to bring Ukraine’s military up to NATO standards. Such a transition would involve scrapping almost all of Ukraine’s current Soviet hardware and replacing it with NATO-operable equipment. It’s a bill Ukraine’s beleaguered economy can’t support, and U.S. taxpayers, hardly having an easy time with it either, shouldn’t support.
Secondly, a heavy majority of Ukraine’s citizens are opposed to NATO membership. One would think that for an alliance that is supposed to be a champion of democratic values that would be dispositive of the matter. Ukrainians’ reasons for opposing NATO are quite rational. A serious crisis over an attempt by “orange” forces to drag Ukraine into NATO would rip apart the fragile unity of a country where a very large part of the population feels much closer to Russia than to the NATO countries. Also, unlike earlier expansions of NATO, Ukraine’s accession would be regarded as a direct threat to Russia’s national security. Paris and Berlin are clearly focused on what might be possible countermeasures by Moscow. Kiev and Washington need to focus a bit as well.
Finally, more than anyone else, the Ukrainians need to ask what real price might be demanded for their contribution to NATO. Sending Ukrainian soldiers back to Iraq? Maybe someday to Iran? Of course, today Washington’s center of attention is Afghanistan. Ukrainians’ last involvement with that country was a few years ago, but I suspect it’s an experience few would be eager to repeat.
| — Hat tip: islam o’phobe | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Police Union to Take Action Against Public Prosecutor
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, APRIL 17 — Police unions announced today that they will take action against public prosecutor, Candido Conde Pumpido, who yesterday accused the national police of not sufficiently collaborating with prosecutors in investigations into political parties manipulated by ETA. The SUP, CEP, UFP, and SPP police unions characterised the state prosecutor’s words in a joint statement cited by Europa Press, as “the harshest, rashest, most unfair, and unjustified attack that the police have suffered since the beginning of democracy”. “We are not willing to stand by and do nothing while the head of one of the highest offices in our country makes allegations against an entire organisation, insulting us and vilifying us,” said the unions. In the union statement, they called for the Interior Minister, Secretary of State of Security, and the director of the police and the civil guard to intervene to “defend the honour of the police” who are facing these serious accusations. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Two Boys Seriously Injured After Illegal Circumcision
Astrid Lindgren’s hospital in Solna near Stockholm has alerted police to suspicions of illegal circumcisions that have left two small boys with injuries.
The hospital has submitted a report to the police that two boys, born in 2001 and 2004, have been operated on as a result of injuries sustained during their circumcision.
It is suspected that the illegal home operations were conducted by the same man who lost his licence from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) in 2007 after he injured several young boys.
“This person must be stopped. This is a matter of urgency,” said Marie Hansson, a welfare board lawyer, to newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
Stockholm City police will now interview the boys and their parents. The man is suspected of performing illegal circumcisions with an alternative offence of assault.
The man does not have any medical qualifications recognised in Sweden, but unqualified people can in special cases apply to the health and welfare board for a licence to conduct circumcisions.
The procedure can then only be carried out in private on boys younger than two months. The boys in question are considerably older, having been born in 2001 and 2004.
Circumcision is a commonly applied tradition in Muslim and Jewish communities. The procedure involves the full or partial removal of the penis foreskin.
Sweden has a law, in force since 2001, covering the practice of circumcision on boys up to 18-years-old. The procedure should normally be conducted with pain relievers by a doctor, nurse or private person holding a special licence from the health and welfare board.
Stockholm County Council does not currently offer the operation within the public healthcare system and parents are referred to private clinics where demand is high, reports Dagens Nyheter.
The newspaper reports that since the man lost his licence there are no longer any people within the Muslim community who are licensed to carry out the practice.
Many Muslims therefore approach Jewish practitioners to circumcise their male offspring.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
UN Racism Meet Boycott Still on
Frattini in talks to rally EU partners
(ANSA) — Brussels, April 17 — Italy on Friday said it would stick to a boycott of an upcoming United Nations racism conference unless the draft document was changed. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he had phoned his British, French, Swedish, German and Dutch counterparts in a bid to have the document further amended or stage a joint European Union boycott of the ‘Durban II’ talks.
Frattini said the document’s description of the Holocaust still sounded “antisemitic” while freedom of expression was not “significantly guaranteed”.
He described the current version of the draft as “unacceptable”.
As things stand, he said, “there are not the (right) conditions” for Italy to attend the April 20-24 conference in Geneva. Italy would talk to its partners “right up to the wire,” he said. Last month Italy became the first European Union country to follow Israel, Canada and the United States in withdrawing from the Durban Review Conference, a follow-up to the 2001 World Conference against Racism in the South African city.
All four countries have slammed antisemitic sentiment and a clause banning criticism of religious faiths in the document.
EU foreign ministers recently threw their weight behind a new Dutch proposal for the draft document which was presented to organisers of the conference.
But it has not been fully accepted.
Frattini has said he is happy the Italian position has spurred other EU countries to consider a boycott.
Both the World Jewish Congress and the European Jewish Congress recently renewed calls for countries to boycott the conference.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican Statement on Belgian Resolution
Statement From the Secretariat of State
VATICAN CITY, 17 APR 2009 (VIS) This is the statement released today by the Secretary of State of the Holy See: “The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, acting under instructions from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has informed the Secretary for Relations with States of the Resolution with which the House of Representatives in his country asked the Belgian Government to “condemn the unacceptable statements of the Pope on the occasion of his journey to Africa and to protest officially to the Holy See”. The meeting took place on 15 April 2009.
The Secretariat of State notes with regret this action, unusual in the context of the diplomatic relations existing between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Belgium. It deplores the fact that a Parliamentary Assembly should have thought it appropriate to criticize the Holy Father on the basis of an isolated extract from an interview, separated from its context, and used by some groups with a clear intent to intimidate, as if to dissuade the Pope from expressing himself on certain themes of obvious moral relevance and from teaching the Church’s doctrine.
As is well known, the Holy Father, in answer to a question concerning the efficacy and the realistic character of the Church’s positions on combating Aids, stated that the solution is to be sought in two directions: on the one hand through bringing out the human dimension of sexuality; and on the other, through true friendship and willingness to help persons who are suffering. He also emphasized the commitment of the Church in both these areas. Without this moral and educational dimension, the battle against Aids will not be won.
While in some European countries an unprecedented media campaign was unleashed concerning the predominant, not to say exclusive, value of prophylactics in the fight against Aids, it is consoling to note that the moral considerations articulated by the Holy Father were understood and appreciated, in particular by the Africans and the true friends of Africa, as well as by some members of the scientific community. As one can read in a recent statement of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (CERAO): “We are grateful for the message of hope which [the Holy Father] came to entrust to us in Cameroon and Angola. He came to encourage us to live in unity, reconciled with one another in justice and peace, so that the Church in Africa can herself be a burning flame of hope for the life of the entire continent. And we thank him for having restated for all, in a nuanced, clear and insightful way, the common teaching of the Church concerning the pastoral care of sufferers from Aids.”
| — Hat tip: TV | [Return to headlines] |
Verhagen Boycotts Racism Conference
Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has announced that the Netherlands will not send a representative to the United Nations’ conference on racism next week in Switzerland. He said the text of the conference declaration is unacceptable and that he believes the meeting will be used to place religion above human rights. He added that Israel is being condemned for violations of human rights by a number of countries whose own records on human rights could be improved.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Kosovo: Tadic, Peace Missive, But No to Independence
(ANSAmed) — BELGRADE/PRISTINA, APRIL 17 — Serbian President Boris Tadic, in Kosovo today for the first time to the celebrate Orthodox Good Friday, sent a missive of peace, but confirmed his definite ‘no’ to independence for the country. “My message today in Decani is a message of peace for Serbians, Albanians, for peace for everyone living in Kosovo, in our Serbia,” said Tadic after lighting a candle in church. But the Serbian President repeatedly said that Belgrade can never recognise Kosovo as an independent state, and will continue to consider it a southern province. Reports indicated that the visit took place despite a refusal from the Kosovo government to allow Tadic to enter. According to some observers, Pristina went back on its decision after “strong diplomatic pressure” from the United States and the EU. Tadic’s arrival in Kosovo coincides with the expiration of the April 17 deadline, by which Pristina and Belgrade had to present their observations to the International Court of Justice for and against Kosovo’s independence. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Media: France, Commission to Increase Spaces for Minorities
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, APRIL 17 — A commission for “media and diversity” devoted to making minorities more visible in the mass media, was officially created today by Diversity and Equal Opportunities Commissioner, Yazid Sabeg. Its first task will be to compile a series of recommendations in three months aimed at improving the visibility of diversity, or of the problems faced by individuals who are not French. “The media is a mirror of society where a common image is built: if it cannot allow for diversity, how will we allow it to enter into society?”, said Sabeg, a businessman of Algerian origin who has launched himself wholeheartedly into the defence of those who are discriminated against due to their race and who prepared a report that already led to him being accused of wanting to carry out an ethnic census in France, accusations that he has categorically denied. The Media and Diversity Commission, headed by State Advisor Bernard Spitz, consists of 20 members including journalists such as Dominique Gerbaud, La Croix Director, Slimane Zeghidour, TV5 Monde Director, Jeanne-Emanuelle Hutin, Ouest-France editorial writer, director of the school of journalism in Lille Daniel Deloit, and historian Pascal Blanchard. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Copts Gunned Down in Egypt After Easter Vigil
Muslim gunmen shot dead two Coptic Christians as they left church after an Easter vigil in southern Egypt, in an apparent five-year-old vendetta, a security official said Sunday.
A third Copt was wounded in the attack Saturday night in Hagaza village, near the town of Qena, the official said, adding that police identified the four assailants who fled.
“There is a vendetta between the family of the accused and the family of the victims. A member of the victims’ family killed a relative of the accused in 2004,” he said.
Vendettas between clans in southern Egypt often drag on for several years, at times with bloody results, despite the efforts of government-appointed mediators.
In 2002, gunmen killed 22 members of a rival clan to avenge the killing of a relative.
Copts account for an estimated six to 10 percent of Egypt’s 80-million population. They complain of discrimination and have been the targets of sectarian killings and violence.
Copts and the Orthodox Christians this year marked Easter a week later than Western churches, Lebanon’s Maronites and the Armenians.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Terrorism: Morocco, 43 People Sentenced
(ANSAmed) — RABAT, APRIL 17 — Judges from the Criminal Court of Salé (Morocco) have sentenced 29 people to between two and 20 years in line with the antiterrorism law and a further 14 people have received fines. The longest sentence was handed down to Abdelkrim Makhloufi, who was found guilty of “building a criminal group whose objective was to prepare and commit terrorist acts in a collective project aimed at upsetting public order, an incitement to commit a terrorist act” and other minor crimes. The convicted people from Fez, Casablanca, Khouribga and Boujaad were part of a cell linked to the “Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb” and “Algerian Salafite Group for Prayer and Combat” (GSPC). (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas: Haniyeh and a-Zahar Appear Publicly in Gaza
(ANSAmed) — GAZA, APRIL 17 — Two Hamas leaders have appeared in public in Gaza for the first time since the end of Israeli military operation Cast Lead’. Local sources specified that Hamas Premier Ismail Haniyeh delivered a sermon in a mosque near his home in the Shati refugee camp, as was his habit before the conflict. Mahmud a-Zahar, a prominent Hamas political figure in Gaza, held a sermon in another mosque. Neither Haniyeh nor a-Zahar had appeared in public previously for security reasons. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mitchell: US Committed to Palestinian State
(ANSAmed) — RAMALLAH, APRIL 17 — The need to build an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel is in the national interests of the United States, said US President Barack Obama’s emissary to the Middle East, George Mitchell, today in Ramallah (West bank) at the end of a meeting with PNA President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). “The United States is committed to the creation of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state where the Palestinian people can realise their aspirations and control their own destiny,” said Mitchell, who yesterday had in-depth meetings with the leaders of the new Israeli government of Benyamin Netanyahu (Likud). “We want,” continued Mitchell, “the Arab peace initiative to be part of the effort to reach this objective. A general peace in the region is in the national interests of the United States. It is in the interest of the Palestinians, and in the interest of the people of Israel, and the entire region. The two-state solution is the only solution,” he insisted. Words destined probably for Netanyahu, who instead believes that the idea is not feasible at the present time. Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), completely agreed with Mitchell. “The Quartet (USA, EU, Russia, UN) asked us to adhere to the two-state solution, and we have done so. I believe,” added the Palestinian President, “that the same standards must be applied to the new Israeli government”. “The moment has arrived,” continued Abbas, “for President Obama to guarantee that Israel will maintain the commitments that it has made.” Otherwise, he warned, moderates in the region could find themselves in difficulty and give ground to extremists. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
West Bank: Armed Palestinian Attacks Settlement, Killed
(ANSAmed) — JERUSALEM, APRIL 17 — A Palestinian man died this morning while trying to attack the settlement of Bit Hagai, near Hebron (in the south of the West Bank). Settlers explained on military radio that the man, who was armed with a handgun, was killed by a guard before he could hurt any of the residents. This is the second episode of its type in the last two weeks and directors of the settlers’ movement have aimed harsh accusations at Benyamin Netanyahu’s government (Likud). According to Yaakov Katz, the leader of the extreme-right opposition party, the National Union, the current government has shown weakness after Netanyahu chose the “disastrous Ehud Barak”, leader of the Labour party, as minister of defence. Katz envisages that in this state of affairs “Palestinian attacks will continue from one side, whilst from the other the US’s diplomatic attempts to subdue the government in Jerusalem”. In particular, the settlers have reported the removal of Israeli military blocks in the West Bank (following pressure from the US), the removal of which, in their opinion, facilitates Palestinian attacks. According to the Rabbinical Council of Judea-Samaria (West Bank), it is now necessary “to end unrealistic, inane chatter about peace. Our enemy is thirsty for blood and thus there will be no peace today or ever”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic World Discusses Religious Tolerance Under Sharia
At the end of the month, 200 scholars from 60 countries will discuss topics related to the development of the modern world in the light of Muslim law, like freedom of expression, abuse within the family, the protection of the environment, and finance.
Mecca (AsiaNews) — Religious tolerance under Sharia and freedom of expression will be two of the central themes of the 19th meeting of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), which will see the presence of experts and scholars of Islamic law from about 60 countries, and will be held at the end of April in Mecca.
At the discussion, in addition to the 200 scholars, there will be many written contributions from various parts of the world, including countries in which Muslims are not the majority, but a significant minority.
At the meeting of the IIFA, which is a branch of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the scholars will also be joined by Islamic affairs ministers from various countries. In its coverage of the news, the Saudi newspaper Arab News reports a statement from the secretary general of the IIFA, Abdul Salam Al-Ebady, who says that, together with the topics of religious tolerance and freedom of expression, there will be discussions of “wide-ranging topics, such as Islamic finance, banking, domestic abuse, health and medicine and environmental protection.” He stresses that this is an international event that sees the participation of the largest number of scholars, for the purpose of confronting the problems of the modern world in the light of Islamic law.
Some topics, like diabetes and fasting, are exclusive to the Muslim world, but others, like domestic abuse, or like religious tolerance and freedom of expression, do not involve only people of different religious convictions, but have also been and are causes of criticism and dispute toward Islamic countries on the part of international organizations and human rights groups, in addition to non-Muslim countries.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Literary Forum Head Receives Death Threats
Slammed for hosting a woman poet
Saudi intellectual Khadeeja Najea was threatened when she kissed the forehead of a fellow poet during a seminar in March
The head of a Saudi literary forum received death threats for hosting a woman poet in one of the forum’s seminars, local press reported Saturday.
Ibrahim al-Hamid, head of al-Jawf Literary Forum, hosted poet Halima Mozafar and two other male poets in the two separate halls in the Prince Abdulellah cultural center. The seminar was attended by al-Jawf Police Chief and a considerable number of security officers, the Saudi newspaper al-Watan reported Sunday.
Before the seminar Hamid received text messages on his cell phone threatening to kill him.
“Your mother will lament your death like your corrupt predecessors. We will shed your blood if this … comes to the seminar. You are the one who declared war on God and his prophet and all believers,” he quoted one of the messages, pointing out that he crossed out some of the obscene words in the text.
Youth spread chaos
“Many fundamentalist youths attended the seminar,” Hamid told the paper. “Obviously they were sent to spread chaos in the seminar and try to make it fail. They kept moving chairs and talking loudly on the phone,” He added.
Hamid said that seminar moderator Dayes Mohamed al-Dayes received many written questions that had nothing to do with the seminar. They were basically objections to women who have their voices heard by men or who mingle with men.
When asked if he informed the police of the threats, Hamid replied in the negative and said what happened is not representative of the moderate society of al-Jawf.
“Fundamentalist groups try to flex their muscles through sending people to disrupt the seminars, but the intensive security presence prevented them from using violence or carrying out their threats.”
Many religious figures supported the literary forum’s activities, Hamid added, but recommended that it organizes fewer events for fear of the fundamentalists’ reaction.
“They appreciate the forum’s mission and understand its intellectual role,” said Hamid.
He attributed the rise of extremism in al-Jawf province to lack of social awareness and economic and scientific development.
“There are also no parks or shopping malls or big companies, and university in al-Jawf has only been here for two years,” he explained.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
The Dissidents’ War
I read Fiasco by Thomas Ricks because an American Marine officer in Fallujah told me to. “Especially make sure you read the chapter called How to Create an Insurgency,” he said. “Ricks gets it exactly right in that chapter. But you can’t quote me by name saying that because it’s another way of saying the insurgency is Paul Bremer’s fault. And Bremer outranks me.”
Fiasco is a devastating critique of the botched war in Iraq before General David Petraeus took over command. It isn’t what I’d call a fun read, but I don’t think you can fully appreciate what Petraeus accomplished without studying in depth the mess he inherited.
I met Thomas Ricks last week at a basement bar in Oregon near Powell’s Books while he toured the country promoting his new book about the surge, The Gamble. I drank a glass of red wine, a locally-made Pinot Noir. He drank a pitcher of root beer.
MJT: Tell us about your new book
Ricks: It’s about the Iraq war from 2006 to 2008. It’s very different from Fiasco. Fiasco was an indictment. It was an angry book. The Gamble is a narrative. It was a much more enjoyable book to write. It’s an account of the war being turned over to the dissidents. [U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan] Crocker reveals in the book that he was opposed to the original invasion of Iraq. [General David] Petraeus took command just after finishing his counterinsurgency manual, which was a scathing critique of the conduct of the occupation. There was entirely new attitude among Americans, a new humility. A willingness to listen.. I saw this reflected in the people they brought in to advise them. Emma Sky, a tiny little British woman who’s an expert on the Middle East and an anti-American anti-military pacifist. She became [General Ray] Odierno’s political advisor. Petraeus once said to Odierno, “she’s not your political advisor, she’s your insurgent.”
Sadi Othman, who was Petraeus’s advisor to the Iraqi government. He’s a Palestinian-American, born in Brazil, raised in Jordan, six foot seven, the first man to ever dunk a basketball in Jordanian university competition. He was raised and educated by Mennonites and pacifists.
This was a very different group of people with a very different attitude. My thought was that, essentially, the transition to Obama began in Iraq two years before it began here. Because in January they basically said, “okay, if you guys are so smart, you do it.” And they turned the war over to the internal critics of the war.
The surge was not supported by the U..S. military. The only person in the chain of command who really pushed for it was Odierno. His boss [General George] Casey was against it. Their boss [General John] Abizaid was against it. And their boss, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was against it. It really was an insurgency within the U.S. military that set out to fight a very different war with a very different attitude and with a different set of priorities.
The biggest shift in priorities came when they dropped the swift transition to Iraqi authority which had been an official mission statement — it was number one on the mission statement list. In the back of the book I have an appendix which shows the orders Odierno got when he arrived in Iraq. He was told in 2006 to move his troops out of the cities, seal the borders, secure the lines of communication, and basically let these people have the civil war they seem to want to have. When he rewrote his orders — the orders he gave to himself and Petraeus — they were to move troops off the big bases and into the cities, and drop transition to Iraqi authority as the top priority. Instead our top priority became the protection of the Iraqi people — a huge change in the prosecution of the war.
| — Hat tip: islam o’phobe | [Return to headlines] |
Orissa: Christians in Refugee Camps Vote But They Are Just a Minority of All Displaced People
The situation is calm in Kandhamal, the Orissa district most affected by Hindu violence. Tight security measures and the timely provision of identity papers allow Christians in refugee camps to cast their ballot. However, another 51,000 displaced Christians who are not in such camps have not been able to vote. Bhubaneswar bishop is “satisfied by the election process”, but stresses that ‘in the villages BJP supporters have threatened to expel Christians if they do not vote for their party.”
Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) — “I am satisfied of the election process in Kandhamal. There was a massive presence of security forces as promised by the district magistrate and Christians living in refugee camps got the identity papers and protection they needed to vote,” said Mgr Raphael Cheenath, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, who spoke to AsiaNews about India’s first day of voting.
Orissa was among the first states called to vote in the month-long process (16 April-13 May). Both the State Assembly and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, were up for grabs.
In some areas that saw some of the worst anti-Christian violence, voting is scheduled for 23 April in the second round of elections, but in Kandhamal District where the worst incidents occurred and where thousands of Christians are still displaced, voting was completed yesterday.
Here the possibility of attacks and violent demonstrations was high. In the past few months, Monsignor Cheenath had appealed several times to local and federal authorities to ensure the safety of Christians and make sure that they could exercise their right to vote.
Yesterday Maoist guerrillas killed 18 people, including police and election officials, in a series of simultaneous attacks in the so-called “Red Corridor” that runs through the States of the Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. But the violence remained circumscribe to small areas and did not prevent the election from taking place peacefully elsewhere.
The calm atmosphere that prevailed yesterday in Kandhamal and the possibility to vote did not dispel Christian apprehension which the local Church, in particular by Archbishop Cheenath, had voiced in the past. Indeed the prelate noted that “in the villages BJP supporters have threatened to expel Christians if they do not vote for their party.”
Father Nithiya, executive secretary of the National Commission for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, had more to say about the ongoing tensions in the district.
“A lot has been said about the 90 per cent turnout in the refugee camps, but it is a pity that only refugees in government-run camps voted (3,000 people) without a problem. The same cannot be said for the other 51,000 who could not,” Father Nithiya.
In fact Christians who left Kandhamal District or the State of Orissa because of the anti-Christian pogroms or sought shelter in camps not run by the government remain a problem.
Thousands of people “were not able to exercise their right to vote and are still living in a situation of deprivation and insecurity,” the priest said.
The “local government and the election commission failed in their duty to create a relaxed atmosphere” in which “each individual could democratically and freely exercise their right to vote in accordance with the principles of the constitution.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: Lahore High Court Clears Two Christians of Blasphemy Charges
James and Buta Masih had been imprisoned since 2006 on charges of burning a copy of the Qur’an in the street. The court has declared the charges unfounded, and has ordered their release. A Catholic priest calls for the repeal of the law on blasphemy, which he calls “killer.”
Lahore (AsiaNews) — The High Court of Lahore has cleared the Catholics James Masih and Buta Masih of blasphemy charges, declaring them “not guilty.” Khalil Tahir, their defense attorney and a member of the Punjab parliament, tells AsiaNews that the release of the two elderly Christians after two and a half years in prison is an “enormous victory,” a “blessing of Jesus Christ,” and “great news for their families.”
The incident involving James and Buta — who were 70 and 65 years old at the time of the events, and originally from Faisalabad — dates back to October of 2006: they were accused by a neighbor, Arshad Mubarak, of burning a copy of the Qur’an in the street. Witnesses at the trial said that Judge Muhammad Islam’s decision to sentence the two Christians was made solely out of fear of extremists, since no proof of their guilt was presented. Khalil Tahir, who is also president of the Adal Trust — an NGO that offers free legal assistance — has announced that “both will be released from prison within four to six days after the completion of formalities.”
According to the reconstruction of events provided by Fr. Yaqub Yousaf, the parish priest in the area, the incident was prompted by the lack of education and extreme poverty of the two Christian faithful. Nargis, James’s daughter, worked as a maid for a Muslim family, and would bring home objects that had been discarded by her employer, including plastic bottles, old books, and pieces of paper. Some of this was resold at the local market, some of it kept by the family, and the rest burned in the street by her father. The man, who is illiterate, is believed not to have noticed that the objects he was burning included a copy of the Qur’an, something he never expected to find amid the “trash” from his daughter’s employer. After their arrest, James and Buta Masih were sentenced to ten years in prison and a fine of 25,000 rupees each (about 227 euros).
“We are thankful to Jesus that he helped the innocent and Lahore High Court has acquitted them, so we are very happy at this judgment,” Fr. Yaqub says. “But at the same time we cannot forget the sufferings of James and Buta and their poor families. They spent more than two years in prison without doing anything wrong.” He calls for the repeal of the blasphemy law in Pakistan, a “killer law” as he calls it, because “it creates hatred and prejudice” among the faithful of different religions.
According to the national Justice and Peace Commission, from 1986 until today at least 892 people have been accused of blasphemy, according to section 295 B of the Pakistani criminal code. So far the state has not applied the death penalty in any blasphemy cases.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
China: Uyghur Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Talking to Friends About Protest
Jamal, 24, sent via mobile phone sounds and comments about a shopkeepers’ protest against local authorities. He was eventually arrested for separatism and leaking state secrets.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) — On 28 February 2008 the People’s Intermediate Court in Turpan sentenced Ekberjan Jamal, 24 and a member of the region’s mostly Muslim Uyghur minority, to ten years in prison for alleged separatism and leaking state secrets.
Using a mobile phone Jamal had sent some friends in the Netherlands the sounds of a November 2007 protest by local shopkeepers in Turpan, 180 kilometres east of the Xingjian regional capital, Urumqi.
The shopkeepers had taken to the streets against local authorities on 1, 17 and 18 November for the latter’s failure to restore their businesses and compensate them for lost income after a fire on 3 October 2007 at the Turpan Grand Bazaar (pictured). The fire killed one person and destroyed about 1 million yuan worth of merchandise.
The sounds Jamal shared by cell phone were of police sirens, voices, and his own voice explaining what he was witnessing. Radio Free Asia’s Uyghur service received the tape of the phone conversation and used it in its broadcast.
On 25 December 2007 Chinese authorities arrested Jamal, accusing him of trying to break up the country.
Jamal, who lost his father, is the main support for his mother and two younger sisters.
Now his mother, Ibadethan Jamal, said she wants to launch an appeal on her son’s behalf and explain, even via websites, that “Our family is not anti-government. We don’t have any complaints about the government.”
She added that her son was not tortured and that she can see him once a month.
Xingjian is home to some eight million Uyghurs who are mostly Muslim.
Exiled Uyghur groups have criticised the Chinese state for heavily discriminating against the indigenous population and favouring the mass immigration of ethnic Han Chinese.
What is more, not only are Uyghurs already a minority in their own country, but they have to endure restrictions on their religion as well as their language and traditions.
Many have protested against this kind of treatment.
Recently Chinese authorities have in fact reported an increase in the number of attacks. They also announced police reinforcement and a tougher crackdown against all activities they deem dangerous to “state security”.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Spies May Have Put Chips in US Planes
WASHINGTON: The Chinese cyber spies have penetrated so deep into the US system — ranging from its secure defence network, banking system,
electricity grid to putting spy chips into its defence planes — that it can cause serious damage to the US any time, a top US official on counter-intelligence has said.
“Chinese penetrations of unclassified DoD networks have also been widely reported. Those are more sophisticated, though hardly state of the art,” said National Counterintelligence Executive, Joel Brenner, at the Austin University Texas last week, according to a transcript made available on Wednesday.
Listing out some of the examples of Chinese cyber spy penetration, he said: “We’re also seeing counterfeit routers and chips, and some of those chips have made their way into US military fighter aircraft.. You don’t sneak counterfeit chips into another nation’s aircraft to steal data. When it’s done intentionally, it’s done to degrade systems, or to have the ability to do so at a time of one’s choosing.”
Referring to the Chinese networks penetrating the cyber grids, he said: “Do I worry about those grids, and about air traffic control systems, water supply systems, and so on? You bet I do. America’s networks are being mapped. There has also been experience of both Chinese and criminal network operations in the networks of some of the banks”.
| — Hat tip: Paul Green | [Return to headlines] |
Australia Joins U.N. Racism Conference Boycott
SYDNEY (Reuters) — Australia joined the United States and Canada Sunday in boycotting a United Nations conference on racism next week, saying it was concerned the conference would be used as a platform for anti-Semetic views.
The United Nations organized the forum in Geneva to help heal the wounds from the last such meeting, in Durban, South Africa. The United States and Israel walked out of that 2001 conference when Arab states tried to define Zionism as racist.
“Australia has decided not to participate in the Durban Review Conference,” Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said in a statement.
“The 2001 Declaration singled out Israel and the Middle East. Australia expressed strong concerns about this at the time,” he said.
“Regrettably, we cannot be confident that the Review Conference will not again be used as a platform to air offensive views, including anti-Semitic views.”
The U.S. State Department said Saturday that Washington would boycott the conference, citing objectionable language in the meeting’s draft declaration. The Obama administration has come under strong pressure from Israel not to attend.
Canada has said it will not go next week because of fears of a repeat of the “Israel-bashing” that occurred at the last conference. The European Union is still deliberating.
The Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency, has called a meeting for Sunday evening to evaluate the bloc’s stance on attending. Britain, however, will send a delegation to the conference, albeit without a high-level official.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Pirate Suspect May be Tried in US Courts: Official
WASHINGTON (AFP) — A suspected Somali pirate may be brought to the United States to be tried for his role in the hostage-taking of American sea captain Richard Phillips, a Justice Department spokesman said Monday.
Three other pirates where shot and killed Sunday by US Navy snipers who freed Phillips after five days in captivity aboard a lifeboat taken from his cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama.
“The Justice Department continues to review the evidence and other issues to determine whether to seek prosecution in the United States,” said spokesman Dean Boyd.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the four hostage-takers were heavily armed but inexperienced youths, aged 17 to 19. The pirate in custody surrendered before the deadly rescue.
If the suspect is less than 18 years old, he could be tried as a minor and face more lenient terms.
Kidnapping carries a maximum penalty of life in prison for adults, the Justice Department said.
If the suspected pirate is not transferred to the United States, he could be turned over to Kenya for trial, following similar procedures to those applied to seven other alleged Somali pirates captured in an attack on a German oil tanker March 29.
The pirates were transferred under an agreement between Kenya and the European Union on the prosecution of Somalis suspected of piracy. Washington and Nairobi have a similar agreement.
| — Hat tip: Paul Green | [Return to headlines] |
Ship With 154 Migrants Stopped Near Lampedusa
(ANSAmed) — PALERMO, APRIL 17 — The Pinar, a Turkish vessel registered in Panama which yesterday picked up 154 migrants (and one body) drifting on two boats in the Sicilian channel, is still at a standstill approximately 45 miles to the south of Lampedusa, in Maltese controlled waters. The authorities in Valletta, which coordinated the rescue operation have ordered the container ship to proceed to the nearest port which is in fact on Lampedusa. However the ship has not yet been authorised to move towards the island. The matter can be linked to the dispute between Malta and Italy over duties relating to search and rescue operations at sea. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Naivete Kills
By Barry Rubin
It never ceases to amaze me that people who know nothing about the Middle East, in this case Roger Cohen but many other names come to mind, can suddenly proclaim themselves experts and make the most elementary errors involving the lives of other people. It also never ceases to amaze me that people can visit a country, especially a dictatorship, be wined and dined, handed a line and believe it so thoroughly that their mind is closed ever after.
Recently, I met a young man who helped me understand this phenomenon better. He worked on Afghanistan and took exception to my saying that there was no way that Western intervention was going to make that a stable and moderate country. It was too geographically diverse, bound by traditional culture, beset by conflict, and economically underdeveloped to achieve that condition. And no matter how much money was poured in to train its army to be efficient or to finance its government to be honest and effective, the situation would not change drastically.
He responded with some heat that after the Soviet withdrawal that the Communist government Moscow had established lasted three years, proving how good the Afghan army could be. That argument surprised me since—like so many I hear nowadays—it was so easy to refute, indeed containing within itself its own refutation.
My response was simple: so, in effect, what you are saying is that if the Western forces are withdrawn then the Taliban will take over within three years. In short, this is precisely the kind of thing I was saying.
I think that the mainstream view of the Middle East is so reinforced by its hegemony in the discussion, so underpinned by cultural and ideological assumption (which it isn’t even aware of making) that one often hears such weak or, in other cases, factually inaccurate statements. The idea of free debate is to test and correct our views. Yet when there is such hegemony in academia and—to a lesser extent—the mass media , for one viewpoint that set of arguments is weakened simply because it dismisses all challenges without even considering them.
Later that day, I had a chance to talk further with this young man, who was very sincere and dedicated to his studies. He had spent a lot of time in Afghanistan. And it quickly became clear what that meant. He argued passionately that the West must overthrow the current government and install others who, he said, were honest and would provide the country with a great government.
Upon further discussion, it turns out that these were powerful people from wealthy families who had courted him. They had invited him to their palatial homes, wined and dined him, and flattered him. “You understand our country,” they had said in admiring terms. In some cases, though not this one, aside from access and flattery, career promotion opportunities and money are also offered.
One might speculate—this is just a thought—that women are used to being courted and have learned how to discount flattery to a greater extent. Men, however, are probably especially prone to such appeals as they are used to colder treatment by their fellows.
At any rate, we see this constantly.
| — Hat tip: Barry Rubin | [Return to headlines] |
Seminar on the Development of Tourism in the Muslim World
H.E. Assoc. Prof. Turgay Avci, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, made a Statement in the Opening Ceremony of the Seminar.
He welcomed the delegates to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and briefed on the recent developments on the Cyprus issue. He expressed his thanks to all OIC Member States who have lent their valuable moral and material support. H.E. Assoc. Prof. Avci expressed his thanks to H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the OIC, for his personal support accorded to the Seminar and the just cause of Turkish Cypriot People and to the General Secretariat of the OIC and its institutions for the support for the organization of this Seminar. He pointed out that this event will further strengthen the solidarity and cooperation between the Turkish Cypriot people and the brotherly Member States of the OIC.
The Message of the H.E Prof. Ekmeleddin IHSANOGLU, the Secretary General of the OIC was delivered in the Opening Ceremony. In his Message, the Secretary General expressed his thanks and deep appreciation to the Government and People of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for kindly hosting and successful organization of this Seminar and for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to all delegations. Prof. Ihsanoglu also expressed his hope that this Seminar will adopt dynamic decisions in order to make an appraisal of the tourism sector in the Muslim World, examine ways and means likely to promote the best practices in this field and formulate a set of concrete recommendations to increase the flows to tourism in the Muslim World. He pointed out that the development of cooperation and the tourism sector in the Muslim World is firmly bound on a direct course towards achieving the objectives of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action, concerning the promotion of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, communication and exchange of information, strengthening of international and inter-institutional cooperation inside and outside the Muslim World.
H.E. the Secretary General also pointed out that this Seminar constitute one of the milestones in ending the unjust isolation and embargo imposed upon our Turkish Cypriot brothers and give the participants, including investors and businessmen, an appropriate opportunity to appreciate the beauty of this country and the potential it offers for fruitful cooperation in all domains.
The Opening Ceremony of the Seminar was attended by the Nineteen Member States of the OIC, two Observer Member State, as well as the representatives of the OIC General Secretariat and its Subsidiary Organs, Specialized and Affiliated Institutions, namely SESRIC, IRCICA, ICDT, ISESCO, IDB and ICCI.
The Seminar is expected to adopt the Report and the Recommendations which will be submitted by the representatives of the OIC Member States as well as OIC General Secretariat and its concerned institutions.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
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