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Archive for January 19th, 2010

Abu Sayyaf - ready to come out of the crock pot

Jan 19

Posted by A. Peasant in Corruption & Crime, Military, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Terrorism | No Comments

1. Malaysia finds US threat alert misleading

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA’S government has urged the United States to review what it called a ‘misleading’ travel advisory warning of possible attacks on foreigners on Borneo island. The US warned its citizens last week that criminal and terrorist groups could be plotting attacks in Malaysia’s eastern Sabah state in Borneo. The alert urged Americans to ‘avoid or use extreme caution’ especially when traveling to remote island resorts in Sabah.

A Malaysian Foreign Ministry official met with the US ambassador to the country, Mr James R. Keith, on Monday to emphasise that the security in Sabah was ‘not as perceived’ in the advisory, the ministry said in a statement. Foreign Ministry Deputy Secretary General Radzi Abdul Rahman told Mr Keith that the warning ‘could create a wrong, misleading and negative impression to the outside world on the security situation in Malaysia’, according to the statement issued late on Monday.

‘Foreign travellers and tourists need not be unduly worried when coming to Sabah as the situation there is peaceful,’ the statement added. A US Embassy representative in Kuala Lumpur declined to comment. The US advisory did not give details of the possible threat, but noted that Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants based in the southern Philippines - a short boat ride from Sabah - have kidnapped foreigners from Sabah’s secluded resort areas in the past. -- AFP

source: straits times

2. Abu Sayyaf Group - Philippines, Islamic Separatists - official CFR report: http://www.cfr.org/publication/9235/ — see full report

Abu Sayyaf mostly operates in the southern Philippines, specifically in the Sulu Archipelago and the easternmost island of Mindanao. But the group has acted in other parts of the Philippines, and in 2000, its members crossed the Sulu Sea to Malaysia for a kidnapping. Since 2001, Philippine military operations, supported by the United States, have weakened Abu Sayyaf on Basilan Island and in the Sulu islands southwest of Baslian.

…The 2008 U.S. State Department estimates the group to consist of between two hundered and five hundred members.

3. 911 timeline: bin laden’s brother-in-law Khalifa sets up aq fronts in Philippines — 1987-1991

Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden’s brother-in-law, moves to the Philippines and sets up numerous financial fronts to benefit al-Qaeda. Khalifa is not only one of bin Laden’s brothers-in-law, but he also says that during the 1980s, “Osama was my best friend. More than a brother….” [Australian, 1/16/2003; CNN, 11/25/2004] In the mid-1980s, Khalifa was already a very senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon and ran the Peshawar, Pakistan, office of the Muslim World League, where he was active in sending recruits to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan (see Late 1980s). Sent to the Philippines by bin Laden in 1987 or 1988, he soon marries two Filipino women. He sets up more than a dozen businesses and charities, all of which appear to be fronts to fund the Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) militant groups:

more here

4. July 2009: Philippine troops deployed to quell abu sayyaf by years end –  OR NOT!

Hundreds of marines and army troops have been deployed to two islands in the southern Philippines for a new offensive aimed at eradicating al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants by the end of this year, officials said Sunday.

Troops also have been ordered to hunt down three key members of the Southeast Asian radical network Jemaah Islamiyah who have been hiding with the Abu Sayyaf. Jemaah Islamiyah figures are suspected of involvement in Friday’s twin hotel bombings in the Indonesian capital, but authorities so far have not linked the fugitives in the Philippines to the Jakarta attacks.

The Philippines’ 120,000-strong military has previously tried but failed to finish off the 400-member Abu Sayyaf. [amazing - ed.]

The government has opened peace talks with a bigger Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but the Abu Sayyaf is not covered by the talks. A report by the US Pacific Command describes the Abu Sayyaf as “a cross between a chilling gang of bandits and a franchise operation of al-Qaida.” “Since the early 1990s, it has terrorized the southern Philippines with kidnappings, bombs and outright massacres; it has also been linked to several international terrorist plots and militants,” the report noted.

More recent reports said the Abu Sayyaf, under new leadership, has been able to link up with the Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah, said to be behind a regional Islamist terror campaign, including two recent bombings in Jakarta.

more @ siia

5. meanwhile, close confidant of Philippine president dies suddenly of heart attack at age 51

MANILA - PHILIPPINE Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, a staunch defender of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, died on Tuesday following a heart attack, officials said. He was 51.

Remonde was found unconscious and ’slumped inside the bathroom’ of his home and was rushed to the Makati Medical Center where doctors failed to revive him, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said. Remonde wasn’t breathing and had no pulse and heart beat when he was brought into the emergency room, hospital spokesman Dr. Eric Nubla said. Attempts to resuscitate him failed. There was no immediate comment from Mrs Arroyo. Remonde was a radio commentator and head of the Philippine broadcasters’ association before joining the Arroyo government as press undersecretary in 2001 and head of the Government Mass Media Group, which oversees state radio and television stations and news agency. In 2006, he was chief of presidential management staff until his appointment as press secretary early last year.

‘Indeed this is a very big loss,’ said Mr Ermita, the most senior Cabinet official. ‘He is a very, very close confidant of the president - that is how important his job was.’ — AP

source: straits times

6. August 2009: US troops joined combat in Mindanao, Navy whistleblower

American troops stationed in the southern Philippines have been active in combat operations with the Philippine military, the former Navy officer who exposed irregularities in the use of funds for the yearly joint RP-US military exercises said on Wednesday.

Lt. Senior Grade Nancy Gadian, whistleblower on an alleged fund mess in the RP-US Balikatan exercises in 2007, said in a press conference that US soldiers have joined Philippine troops in actual combat against Muslim rebels.

“During encounters in the actual terrain, embedded po yung sundalong Amerikano (the American soldiers were embedded in local units),” she said. Gadian, who was head of Civil Military Operations Task Group of Balikatan in 2007, also said that about 500 US soldiers were assigned in Mindanao as “the first line of defense against the enemy.”

She added that US troops usually engaged in operations in Mindanao without informing heads of the Philippine military in the area.   Philippine forces are fighting the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorist group and other armed groups in Sulu.

The press conference was held ahead of an inquiry by the Senate oversight committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) into the activities of US troops in the Philippines. Gadian was among the resource persons invited to the hearing. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) declined to comment, saying Gadian’s charges would be answered in the Senate hearing scheduled on Thursday.

...In the press conference, Gadian said American troops are stationed in Mindanao even without any Balikatan exercises going on, and that the Philippine government does not monitor the deployment and movement of these troops in the country’s southern region. …In her affidavit, Gadian also accused the US military of building permanent structures in different military camps in the country. She said US forces have established “permanent” and “continuous” presence in Zamboanga, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in the south.

She added that the Philippine military has no access to the camps built by the US soldiers in these areas since they are “fenced off by barbed wires and guarded by US Marines.” Gadian likewise said these structures are indications the US troops had no intention of leaving the country, which is a violation of the Philippine Constitution. Article XVII, Section 25 of the 1987 Constitution prohibits the presence of foreign military bases, troops or facilities in the country except “under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate.”

‘High-handed, imperious conduct’

The ex-Navy official also complained of the “arrogant” behavior of many US military officers toward Filipinos. “They are not calling us by our names. Masakit pong isipin ‘yun kasi hindi naman po ako aso para tawagin basta-basta through their mere fingers (The thought of them calling us like dogs through their mere fingers is really painful),” she said in the press conference. Gadian also observed some US military men bringing Filipino women prostitutes to different areas in the camp. “On the whole, their assertions of power and authority appear like they rule over us and the country,” she said in her affidavit. - GMANews.TV

more at source

HMM. PUT IT TOGETHER.


Georgia, Iran, Ukraine. sorry about Saakashvili

Jan 19

Posted by A. Peasant in Georgia, Iran, Ukraine | No Comments

1. Georgia apologizes for extraditing Iranian national to the US in 2008

Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze has apologized to Iran for the extradition of an Iranian national to the United States in 2008. Vashadze made the apology during a meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani in Tehran on Monday.  He said the extradition of Amir-Hossein Ardebili took place at a time when Georgia was in a complex political situation.[when Saakashvili attacked South Ossetia - ed.]

…During the meeting, Larijani expressed disapproval of the presence of foreign powers in the region. “The problems and crises of the region should be revolved through regional countries, and the presence of foreign powers only complicates the situation,” Larijani said. He went on to say that the insecurity in Afghanistan and Iraq affects all other countries in the region.
more @ press tv

2. Georgia backs Iranian nuclear program

Tehran : Visiting Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said on Monday that the Islamic Republic of Iran as signatory to Non-Proliferation Treaty should benefit from nuclear energy for civilian utility. The Georgian foreign minister made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran. The issue of confidence-building is of prime importance which should be taken into account in talks between Iran and the international community, he said. He said that his country welcomes active role of Iran to implement various development projects in Georgia mainly in energy sector. He thanked Iran for helping Georgia with gas supply when Russia stopped gas flow to Georgia in the winter 2006. “Iran proved its sincerity through timely action.” Expressing satisfaction with expansion of ties and cooperation with Iran during his talks with the Iranian foreign minister, he underlined the need to enhance level of trade between the two countries.

source: two circles

3. Georgia leaves CIS — sort of

On January 22 Georgian parliament will officially secede from the Inter-parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) explaining that the assembly has always been a formal structure without any functions. Remarkably, saying good-bye to the CIS Georgia plans to stay in nearly 75 international treaties signed within CIS framework. A logical question arises: whom do current Georgian authorities want to show their independence from the CIS to and why?

As is known, Georgia joined the CIS in 1994 closing the list of members. Tbilisi seriously expected that CIS membership would solve problems with Abkhazia and South Ossetia that already then pressed for their independence.

Nonetheless, with Mikheil Saakashvili’s advent to power Georgia drastically changed the vector of its foreign policy pursuing US interests in South Caucasus. In the aftermath of August 2008 events Tbilisi decided to leave the CIS on the pretext that after the war with Georgia Russia recognized Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s independence.

A short while later the European Union announced launch of Eastern Partnership scheme, essentially the CIS’s direct competitor, aimed at close cooperation with 6 ex-USSR republics - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldavia, Ukraine and Belarus. Except for financial profit, free trade zones and facilitated visa regime were promised to the members. In May 2009 Mikheil Saakashvili swore Georgia had irrevocably seceded from the CIS and now the EU is its “natural partner”.

It is noteworthy that so far Tbilisi and Europe are not exactly on “free-trade terms”: the related agreement is still under preparation. As for visa-free access to Europe for Georgian citizens the recently reported seizure of a train in Poland by Georgian migrants will make Brussels think thoroughly before taking a decision like that.

Remarkably, the CIS is not upset about Georgia’s departure from the Commonwealth. The Georgian parliament’s decision to secede from the Inter-parliamentary assembly was taken ambiguously. First of all, the organization believes that if Georgia departs from the CIS IPA it will not be for a long time. Secondly, in November the Secretary General of Inter-parliamentary Assembly Council informed about Georgia’s intention to remain in 75 treaties and contracts including a crucial free trade zone agreement.

In reality Georgia wants to adhere to free trade zone agreements within Eastern Partnership and CIS frameworks. Here is a question: why did Tbilisi decide to leave the Commonwealth for good?

source: georgia times

4. Saakashvili accused of interfering in domestic affairs of Ukraine by sending a couple thousand election monitors

According to the statement of the pro-opposition of Democratic Movement-United Georgia movement council, by sending over 2000 monitors to presidential elections in Ukraine, the government of Georgia rudely interfered in the domestic affairs of the country and impaired Georgia’s image - RIA Novosti. The party believes that sending the aforesaid monitors “caused tension in electoral process.”

…The first tour of presidential elections in Ukraine took place on January 17th. Before the elections 400 Georgian “monitors” arrived in Donetsk. The President of Georgia commented the incident and said that monitors were sent on the request of Ukrainian people, and “their arrival was hailed with heart and soul”. According to Saakashvili, “their stay there was on my order agreed with all political forces, we received confirmation and agreement from all. Surely, before the second tour we’ll ask them again whether they want to involve our monitors. It’s up to them to decide.”

more @ georgia times

5. Laborites apologized to Ukrainians for Saakashvili

The Labour party of Georgia condemns President Mikheil Saakashvili for his actions in regard to Ukraine and apologizes for the incident with Georgian “monitors” to Ukraine and its people - Georgia Times correspondent in Tbilisi. At today’s press conference Shalva Natelashvili, the party leader, on behalf of the Georgian people apologized to Ukrainians and asked not to make equal Saakashvili and Georgian society.

He said that events in Ukraine again confirmed that Saakashvili is the biggest, global threat for Georgia.

“Sending to Kyiv, Donetsk and other cities and regions of Ukraine the so-called monitors who in fact turned out special services employees, can spoil relations between Ukraine and Georgia, ” Natelashvili said.

He alluded to the statements of Ukrainian politicians about possible visa regime between the countries and said it would be followed by deportation of thousands of Georgians, staying in Ukraine. Besides, he was worried about Yanukovich’s team making statements about possible recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

source: georgia times

note that it’s called the PERSIAN Gulf

Jan 19

Posted by A. Peasant in Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, Yemen | 4 Comments

1. Iran will retaliate on Western warships if Gulf attacked

Iran’s Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Tuesday that Western warships stationed in the Gulf are “best targets” for the Islamic republic if its nuclear sites are attacked, Fars news agency reported. Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to deliver a “crushing response” and hit U.S. targets, including its bases in the Gulf and neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan, if Iran’s nuclear sites are attacked. “Why are there so many warships there? The Westerners know that these warships are the best target for operation by Iran if they do anything against (us),” Vahidi told a conference entitled “Persian Gulf” in Tehran. He also criticized the building of U.S. bases in the region and Washington’s “unofficial presence in Yemen.”(AFP)

source: naharnet

2. Iran’s FM visits Libya

Tripoli - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in Tripoli Thursday at the start of a three-day visit to Libya. Mottaki was accompanied by a large political and economic delegation. Immediately upon his arrival in Tripoli, Mottaki held talks with Mr. Moussa Koussa, Secretary of Foreign Liaison in Libya where they reviewed bilateral relations and the means of strengthening them as to serve common interests, Jana reported….”Iran and Libya’s position in the Middle East and North Africa, [as well as the] unity and cooperation of Islamic countries will be discussed during the visit,” said Mottaki. He added that the two oil-rich counties could work together on oil and gas projects.
The two parties discussed political cooperation between the General People’s Congress and the Iranian Parliament.  Cooperation in the field of railroads and other economic activities was also discussed.

more @ tripoli post

3. in Libya, Mottaki stresses need for restructuring UN security council

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki stressed the need for establishment of more logical and fair international bodies and the restructuring of the United Nations Security Council. He made the remark on Friday when conferring with his Libyan counterpart Musa Kusa in Libya….He further stressed the need for more collective measures to establish security and stability in the world and confront the interventionist and oppressive policies of big powers which have resulted in nothing but extremism, terrorism and insecurity.

Pointing to the oppressive policies of the big powers to safeguard and secure the illegitimate regime of Zionists in Palestine, Mottaki said the last three invasions of the Zionists to Lebanon and Gaza just discredited the usurper regime and its backers. Kusa described as great and excellent the ties between the two nations throughout history and said his country specially revered the supreme nation of Iran. He said Iran has supported and backed the Arab countries in the region and pointed out that the two countries enjoyed many shared stances. He criticized the double-standard policies and biased political policies against Iran and said these pressures were despite the fact that the Zionist regime was equipped with nuclear arms but was still backed by big powers.

more @ isria

4. Islamic Games axed over “Persian Gulf”

RIYADH: The Riyadh-based Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation yesterday called off the athletic games planned for Tehran in April because of Iran’s use of the term “Persian Gulf” on winners’ medals. The ISSF, headed by Saudi Olympic Federation president Prince Sultan bin Fahd, said after an emergency board meeting that Iran’s local organising committee “unilaterally took some decisions without asking the federation by writing some slogans on the medals and pamphlets of the games”.

…Swine flu worries and the dispute over Tehran’s insistence on using “Persian Gulf” for the waters between Iran and the Arabian peninsula had already caused the games to be postponed since an initial planned date of last October. The Arab countries of the oil-rich region insist on the term “Arabian Gulf” or simply the “Gulf”. It would have been the second time the games were held after a first tournament was held in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah in 2005.

The cancellation comes amid a rise in tensions between Riyadh and Tehran, as Saudi Arabia has been seeking to unite Arab countries and isolate its regional rival. Both have traded accusations of interfering in the conflict in Yemen between government forces and Shiite rebels. And an Iranian official confirmed yesterday that Tehran has suspended Muslim pilgrimages to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia until Saudi religious police end their “appalling behaviour” towards Iranian Shiite pilg
rims.

more @ kuwait times

5. Iran warns of artificial islands’ environmental impact on Persian Gulf
TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has criticized the construction of artificial islands in the Persian Gulf.

“The construction of artificial islands has environmental impacts on the Persian Gulf region,” Mottaki said in an address to the 19th International Conference on the Persian Gulf, which opened in Tehran on Monday.

Experts from Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Romania, France, Germany, China, India, Russia, and five other foreign countries are participating in the two-day event, which is being sponsored by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Mottaki said the Persian Gulf is important because it is an international shipping route and because the region possesses vast energy resources.

Foreign forces trying to create insecurity in Persian Gulf

Mottaki also said that extra-regional powers are greedily eyeing the region and are attempting to create insecurity and to encourage regional countries to distrust each other in order to gain control of the region’s resources.

The Iranian foreign minister stated that the instability and problems in the region are caused by a number of factors, namely the presence and interference of foreign forces in the region, the massive arms sales, the support for extremist groups, and the efforts to sow discord between regional ethnic groups.
He pointed to the expansionist policies Israel is pursuing in the Persian Gulf region, saying, “The presence of the Zionist regime has been interconnected with insecurity and instability in the region, and U.S. officials are pursuing their foreign policy based on the (Zionist) regime’s security.”

He also attributed the extremism and terrorism in the Middle East to the discriminatory policies foreign countries are implementing in the region.

Regional cooperation necessary to solve Persian Gulf’s problems

The Iranian foreign minister insisted that the problems of the Persian Gulf region must be resolved through regional cooperation.

Iran has presented its proposal for a regional security treaty to regional nations, he said, adding that Tehran believes that there are two approaches for resolving the problems facing the region.

One approach was devised by extra-regional countries that seek to create discord between regional nations, and the other approach envisages regional cooperation, he observed.

Iran is also ready to cooperate with neighboring countries to create a secure environment for economic activities in the region, he added.

Yemen can solve its own problems

Mottaki said the interference of foreign countries in the Yemen conflict has only increased insecurity in the region.

Tehran believes that Sanaa is able to resolve the current crisis through negotiations without the interference of other countries, he added.

The conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi fighters in northern Yemen began in 2004. It intensified in August 2009 when the Yemeni army launched Operation Scorched Earth in an attempt to crush Shia Houthi fighters in the northern province of Saada.

Regional meeting on dust pollution being organized

Mottaki also announced that a regional meeting will be held in the near future to discuss ways to tackle the region’s dust pollution problem.

He called Saudi Arabia the major source of regional dust pollution and said Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan are other sources of dust pollution.

Tehran to host trilateral meeting on Afghanistan crisis

Mottaki said that Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan plan to hold another trilateral meeting on the crisis in Afghanistan in Tehran in the near future.

Tehran is devising some regional approaches to deal with the crisis in Afghanistan, he stated.

He also asked certain countries, which claim they are helping Afghanistan resolve its problems, to support Tehran’s approaches.

Major powers pursuing double-standard policy toward Iran

Elsewhere in his remarks, Mottaki criticized the major powers for adopting double-standard policies toward Iran’s nuclear program.

He cited the fact that nothing is done about Israel’s hundreds of nuclear warheads and the nuclear cooperation between the U.S. and the Zionist regime, while illegal restrictions on the use of nuclear energy are imposed on Iran, which is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

source: tehran times

psychopath parlor games: i’ll trade you untold millions of poor brown people from 14 underfunded emergencies for one Andrew Hall

Jan 19

Posted by A. Peasant in Banks, Corruption & Crime, Evil, Mind-fucking | No Comments


January 2010: UN allocates 100 MILLION dollars to respond to 14 neglected crises

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — The United Nations has allocated some 100 million U.S. dollars to respond to 14 ongoing but underfunded emergencies, ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen, the world organization announced Monday.

The single largest allocation of some 17 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) went to UN agencies and their partners in Ethiopia. The Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC) came second with approximately 16 million dollars.

Other recipient countries include Afghanistan, Kenya, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Yemen, Chad, Niger, Colombia, Eritrea, the Philippines and Haiti. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in a news release that Haiti’s full funding needs are being re-evaluated in light of the tragic earthquake that struck the country last Tuesday.

Launched in March 2006, CERF is managed by OCHA and aims to speed up relief operations for humanitarian emergencies and make funds available quickly after a disaster, when people are most at risk.

July 2009: Bank Bonus Tab $33 billion

Nine banks that received government aid money paid out bonuses of nearly $33 billion [conspiracy math fact: 1 billion = 1,000 million - ed.] last year — including more than $1 million apiece to nearly 5,000 employees — despite huge losses that plunged the U.S. into economic turmoil….The nine firms in the report had combined 2008 losses of nearly $100 billion. That helped push the financial system to the brink, leading the government to inject $175 billion into the firms through its Troubled Asset Relief Program.

…Those on Wall Street argue they have to pay to keep talent.

…Citigroup — which received about 25% of the aid going to the nine banks — has the No. 1 pay recipient. Andrew Hall, who heads Citigroup’s energy-trading unit Phibro LLC, received $98.9 million in 2008, according to a government official. Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, by comparison, received more than $38 million last year.An early test for Mr. Feinberg will be the pay of Mr. Hall, whose profit-sharing contract with the bank could again entitle him to as much as $100 million, say people familiar with the matter.