The United States is at the risk of a war with China and Russia as its main objective behind engineering the Libyan war and Syrian unrest is to remove the two major powers from the Mediterranean, a senior former U.S. official has warned.
“Washington is all for invading Libya and is putting more and more pressure to intervene in Syria because we want to… clear China and Russia out of the Mediterranean,” Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, who served as an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration, said during an interview with Press TV on Tuesday.
Pakistan and China will hold two joint military exercises in 2011, a Pakistani senior military leader said Tuesday.
The two exercises, one army drill and one air force one, will be held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and China, said General Khalid Shameem Wynne, chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Frenemies: U.S. ally in hot seat after bin Laden found in Pakistani army town
U.S. officials have left little doubt that they did not sufficiently trust their counterparts in Pakistan to keep quiet on the plan to send a team of U.S. special forces and CIA operatives into the country on Sunday to kill Osama bin Laden. And now that the whole world knows U.S. forces found and killed bin Laden in a large, conspicuously fortified compound in an affluent Pakistani military town less than forty miles from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, American officials are likewise making it clear that they don’t fully buy the Pakistani government’s see-no-evil line on bin Laden’s whereabouts. It’s hard for Pakistani military leaders in particular to make a credible case that they were shocked–shocked!–to learn bin Laden was right there under their noses; the Pakistani army, after all, has a college in Abbottabad about 800 yards away from the compound where bin Laden was found and killed.
The United States collaborated with Saudi Arabia to increase crude oil supplies to China at the expense of Iran, U.S. diplomatic cables show. The move was designed to hurt Iran and win Beijing’s support for sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme.
China has long worried that oil supplies from Iran could be choked off if Beijing sides too closely with the West over Tehran’s disputed nuclear activity, which opponents say is intended to give it the means to assemble nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful.
But as Saudi deliveries of crude increased to China over the past years, so has Beijing’s support for U.N. sanctions against Tehran — although Chinese state oil conglomerates have been moving into the vacuum created by the withdrawal of most major players from the Iranian oil patch.
China has indicated it will deepen cooperation with Pakistan on counterterrorism issues and back its long-term strategic ally’s efforts to maintain stability, in the wake of renewed international concern over the country’s efforts to clamp down on terrorist groups on its soil following Osama bin Laden’s killing.
China says Pakistan made “important contributions” to international fight against terrorism
China on Tuesday said Pakistan has made “important contributions” to the fight against terror worldwide following the U.S. announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death.
“We noticed that the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has pledged not to allow its territory to be used for terrorist attacks against any country and it will continue to support the world’s anti-terror efforts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told a regular media briefing.
Jiang said the south Asian country is at the anti-terror front-line, and its anti-terror resolve is unwavering and its action powerful.
Putin says ‘dumbfounded’ over NATO operation in Libya
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin continued on Wednesday to criticize NATO military operations in Libya, saying that he was “dumb-founded” over how easy decisions are made to use force against countries.
When asked by a Swedish journalist, Putin, who is currently on a visit in Stockholm, said “this happens despite human rights and humanity concerns which the civilized world is believed to advocate,” apparently referring to reports about NATO planes bombing civilian objects in Libya.
“Don’t you think that there is a serious controversy between words and practice of international relations?” he said, adding that this “misbalance” should be eliminated.
On February 24 a majority in the Cyprus parliament voted for the country to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Partnership for Peace program, a transitional mechanism employed to bring twelve Eastern European nations into the U.S.-dominated military bloc from 1999-2009: The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania and Croatia. Macedonia would have become a full member of the Alliance in 2009 along with the last two except for the lingering name dispute with Greece.
Cyprus is the only member of the 27-nation European Union that is not either in NATO or the Partnership for Peace (PfP), the only EU member that did not need to join NATO or be on its doorstep in order to be accepted, and the only European nation (excluding the microstates of Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City) that is free of NATO entanglements. Every other nation on the continent and island state in the Mediterranean Sea is a member of NATO or the PfP. (NATO still lists Russia as a member of the second and since last November’s NATO summit in Portugal it has been active again in the NATO-Russia Council.)
[...] Cyprus was split into northern ethnic Turkish and southern Greek sections after the Turkish military invasion of 1974, although only Turkey recognizes the northern entity.
Britain, France and the United States have dispatched hundreds of military advisors to Libya to set up military bases in the country’s oil-rich east, reports say.
Several Libyan diplomats have been quoted by news outlets as saying these forces are setting up bases in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Tobruk — the two oil-rich cities that have been liberated by the opposition forces.
British and US special forces entered Libyan port cities of Benghazi and Toburk on February 23 and 24.
David Cameron’s Secret Talks With Tony Blair Over Libya Crisis
David Cameron has been secretly consulting Tony Blair about Libya despite publicly criticising his links with Colonel Gaddafi.
Senior officials say the Prime Minister has held at least two conversations in the past fortnight with the former Labour premier, now a Middle East peace envoy.
Mr Cameron has consulted Mr Blair about the Libyan dictator’s state of mind and sought advice about how to make him quit.
Members of the SAS have been captured by anti-government troops in Libya, according to a report.
The Sunday Times has claimed that rebels in the troubled North African state captured the eight elite soldiers as they escorted a British diplomat in a mission to establish a dialogue with opposition fighters.
According to the newspaper, the SAS men were armed but travelling in plain clothes and were seized as they accompanied the official in eastern Libya, before being taken to Benghazi for interrogation.
[...] It is thought that members of the anti-Gaddafi movement are unhappy that British special forces were operating in the country, despite the diplomatic offer of assistance, as has been perceived as Western interference.
[...] In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: “We neither confirm nor deny the story and we do not comment on the special forces.”
Libya : Captured Dutch Marines, Seized Helicopter Shown on State TV
Libyan state TV has aired footage of three detained Dutch marines who were captured along with their helicopter by forces loyal to leader Moammar Kadafi near the Kadafi-stronghold of Sirte on Sunday as they reportedly were carrying out a mission to evacuate two Europeans.
The Dutch Defense Ministry insists the crew was simply carrying out a “consular evacuation” — a claim that Libya seems to find dubious.
Preparing for “Operation Libya”: The Pentagon is “Repositioning” its Naval and Air Forces
“The United States is moving naval and air forces in the region” to “prepare the full range of options” in the confrontation with Libya: Pentagon spokesperson Col. Dave Lapan of the Marines made this announcement yesterday, March 1. He then said that “It was President Obama who asked the military to prepare for these options,” because the situation in Libya is getting worse. The military then began “the planning and preparation” phase for an intervention in Libya. Pentagon planners are working on several specific plans, depending on how the “repositioning of forces” begins so as to have maximum flexibility to implement any option.
China Insists Libyan Sovereignty Must Be Respected
China on Thursday stressed the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya and also promoted a peaceful solution to the crisis in that country.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu also said that an important principle for China was that the UN Security Council should the views of Arab and African nations.
She said Beijing hopes that all Libyan sectors can work together to restore order as soon as possible.
Regarding protests in Bahrain, she said the Chinese government welcomes the efforts of authorities with a view to reducing tension through dialogue.
All Middle Eastern nations are friends of China, she said, noting that her country had developed friendly relations and cooperation with these countries based on equality and mutual respect and benefit.
In First, Israel Blocks Palestinian Anti-Tank Rocket
For the first time, an Israeli system has intercepted an enemy missile fired toward a main battle tank.
[...] “For the first time during operational activity, the Trophy system, designed to actively protect against anti-tank missiles, identified, alerted and intercepted the missile.”
[...] The military did not identify the Palestinian anti-tank missile but said its crew was tracked and struck in counter-fire.
[...] In December, Hamas fired a Russian-origin AT-14 Kornet anti-tank missile that penetrated the Merkava Mk-4. The Hamas operation sparked an Army effort to install Trophy on all Merkavas deployed along the Gaza border.
After the overthrow of a neighboring multi-year ruler of Egypt Hosni Mubarak, Israel has created rapid reaction forces in case the situation in Judea and Samaria gets out of control. It enhanced the guard of a number of military and civilian targets inside the country and abroad.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak inspected the military units stationed near the northern border and made a number of important statements. New Israeli war preparations are consistent with the anxiety that has seized the Middle East in recent weeks.
Recently Benny Ganz was appointed the new Chief of General Staff of Israel. Just like his predecessor, he had a career as a combat officer. One of his first decisions in his new position was separating of Haifa and a number of settlements located in the north of the country in a separate military district.
This is not a formal change in the structure, but an important step aimed at strengthening of the defense of the North. In summer of 2006, it was Haifa and Kiryat Shmona that suffered the most from the attacks of the radical Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah.
During a visit to battalion 932 “Granit” of the Infantry Brigade of IDF, Ehud Barak stated the possibility of a new invasion to Lebanon. This measure can be undertaken by the Israeli army in the event of another attack of Hezbollah.
According to Benny Ganz, Israel is preparing for major military operations in the face of the external threat. Despite the requirement under the UN resolution 1701, the Lebanese resistance movement not only has failed to disarm, but also significantly strengthened its position.
Iran Contacting Arab Opposition Movements : Clinton
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that Iran is directly or indirectly communicating with opposition groups in Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen in a bid to shape events there.
[...] They are doing everything they can to influence the outcomes in these places,” Clinton told the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“They are using Hezbollah… to communicate with counterparts… in (the Palestinian movement) Hamas who then in turn communicate with counterparts in Egypt.”
“We know that they are reaching out to the opposition in Bahrain. We know that the Iranians are very much involved in the opposition movements in Yemen.”
“So either directly or through proxies, they are constantly trying to influence events. They have a very active diplomatic foreign policy outreach.”
Gates on Urgent Mission to Cairo as Military Rulers Lose Grip
President Barack Obama Saturday, March 5, asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to set out for Cairo without delay on an emergency mission as the unrest in Egypt veered out of control, DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources report from Washington. Friday night, thousands of protesters seized control of the headquarters Egyptian security police in Alexandria, Cairo and the nearby 6 of October town, shutting down its operations across the country.
In the last hours, information reaching Washington indicated that control was slipping out of the hands of the Egyptian military junta ruling the country since Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow; anti-American elements energized by Iran appeared to have strengthened their hold on the protest movement, causing deep concern in the White House.
Commander : Navy to Continue Deployment of Warships in Foreign Waters
Commander of Iran’s Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on Saturday praised an Iranian flotilla of warships dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian coasts for their success in accomplishing their long-term mission, and announced that the Navy will continue similar missions in future.
U.S. to Send Warship to Mediterranean to Support Europe Defense Shield
In a bid to protect Europe from possible Iranian missile strikes, the United States military is considering sending a warship to the Mediterranean next week.
Italian Warship Sails for Anti-Piracy Mission in Indian Ocean
An Italian warship sailed to the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to take part in the international anti-piracy mission.
The Atalanta mission is part of an EU joint task force operation aimed at patrolling the Indian Ocean against pirates and escorting the UN World Food Program and the African Union humanitarian relief ships to Somalia, according to a statement by the Italian Navy.
Indian Vessel, Nine Crew-Members Detained in Iran Since Feb 16
An Indian vessel ‘MVS Ramban’ carrying livestock, alongwith its nine crew members has been detained by the Iranian authorities for over two weeks now, the Salaya Sailing Vessel Owner’s Association in the district said on Saturday.
[...] “The Iran Navy took the vessel to Chabahar Navy port. They have kept two crew members on board, while other seven members have been sent to jail.”
[...] This is the first time in the recent history that a vessel from Gujarat has been detained by Iran Navy.
Indian Army Chief to Visit U.S. to Enhance Defence Cooperation
In the light of enhanced defence cooperation between India and the United States, over the last five years, Indian Army Chief, General VK Singh will visit the United States from March 7.
“Airstrikes in Libya Did Not Take Place” – Russian Military
The reports of Libya mobilizing its air force against its own people spread quickly around the world. However, Russia’s military chiefs say they have been monitoring from space – and the pictures tell a different story.
According to Al Jazeera and BBC, on February 22 Libyan government inflicted airstrikes on Benghazi – the country’s largest city – and on the capital Tripoli. However, the Russian military, monitoring the unrest via satellite from the very beginning, says nothing of the sort was going on on the ground.
At this point, the Russian military is saying that, as far as they are concerned, the attacks some media were reporting have never occurred.
The same sources in Russia’s military establishment say they are also monitoring the situation around Libya’s oil pumping facilities.
All laws necessary for the launch of a nuclear power plant construction program in Poland are to be adopted by Parliament before the end of June, reports Rzeczpospolita.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has confirmed Washington’s plans to deploy missile defenses and Air Force units in Poland.
“As was announced by our two presidents in December, we plan to establish a new permanent U.S. air detachment in Poland, build missile defenses in Poland, and as agreed at the NATO summit, develop a contingency plan in the region,” Clinton told journalists ahead of talks with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Washington.
Wikileaks published U.S. cables in late 2010 showing that NATO was drawing up a plan on the protection of Estonia, Lithuania and Poland from external threats on a request from the United States and Germany.
The Guardian reported that under the plan, reportedly approved by Clinton, the United States, Britain, Germany and Poland would deploy troops in the region in case of a military aggression against the Baltic States or Poland itself.
According to the British newspaper, NATO members approved the draft plan during the alliance’s summit in Lisbon in November 2010.
In 2009, the United States decided to deploy several F-16 fighter jets and Hercules transport aircraft in Poland. Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich has said the United States was also planning to deploy Patriot missile defense systems in Poland at a base just 100 kilometers from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Russia Election Risks Causing Capital Flight – Finance Minister
Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Thursday that a perception of political risk leading up to the 2012 presidential election was causing capital to flee the country, a factor which battered the ruble in the second half of last year.
Russia saw over $30 billion in capital outflows last year, more than four times the amount forecast by the central bank.
Islamist Leader Calls for Jihad by Russian Muslims
Islamist rebel leader Doku Umarov called on Muslims throughout Russia to wage jihad (holy war) against the state, in a video posted on websites on Thursday.
A decade after federal forces drove separatists out of power in the second war in Chechnya, the Kremlin is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency throughout the North Caucasus, where rebels want to create a separate Islamic state.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Rejects No-Fly Zone for Libya
Russia’s top diplomat ruled out the idea of creating a no-fly zone over Libya on Tuesday as embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi unleashed bombing raids, special forces and army troops in a desperate bid to retain power.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the idea of imposing limits on Libyan air space as “superfluous” and said world powers must instead focus on fully using the sanctions that the U.N. Security Council approved over the weekend.
Russia’s Lavrov Urges Anti-terror Cooperation With British Intelligence
[...] Lavrov urged cooperation against terrorism and said he had discussed the issue with British Foreign Secretary William Hague during his visit to London last month.
[...] He said Britain should act first on un-freezing contacts with Russia’s Federal Security Service.
Tensions remain high after Britain expelled a Russian diplomat from London over allegations of spying in December. The Russian authorities responded in kind.
Mideast Unrest Puts U.S. Military Access in Jeopardy
Popular unrest sweeping the Middle East highlights the US military’s reliance on Arab regimes that offer privileged access to airfields and ports from Cairo to Qatar.
The military’s dominant role in the region hinges on a web of agreements with friendly Arab states that allow American forces to patrol oil shipping routes in the Gulf, target Islamist militants and keep a watchful eye on arch-foe Iran.
Roughly 27,000 US forces are deployed at an array of bases and sites throughout the Gulf, along with a 50,000-strong contingent in Iraq and thousands more aboard naval ships, a US military official told AFP.
Major air fields in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a large base in Kuwait and the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain serve as key points in an arc around Iran, ensuring American forces can move swiftly with heavy firepower.
In Bahrain, where security forces have cracked down on street protests after popular revolts ousted leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, about 4,000 Americans are stationed as part of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters.
With a flotilla of aircraft carriers, destroyers and amphibious ships at its disposal, the Fifth Fleet oversees an area spanning the Red Sea, the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
The Pentagon on Friday played down the impact of the unrest in Bahrain and elsewhere, saying the violence had not disrupted the naval headquarters or other bases.
Former officials say losing the headquarters in Bahrain would be a setback but not a catastrophe, as the Navy could move the command post elsewhere.
Mullen Mideast Trip Shows U.S. “Worry” : Iran General
A trip to the Middle East by the top US military officer Mike Mullen shows the “deep worry” of Washington when it comes to the fate of its forces in the region, the top Iranian general said Sunday.
“The hasty trip of Mike Mullen shows the deep worry regarding the fate of American forces stationed in the region,” armed forces chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi said in a statement.
Calling for the withdrawal of US forces from the region, Firouzabadi said that “any kind of military operation will fail to have an effect on the Muslim peoples’ revolution which is being done to get rid of American oppression.”
He said the revolts rocking longstanding Western-backed regimes around the Arab world would result in the troops’ “quick exit”.
Mullen was in the Middle East last week on a tour during which he accused Iran of fomenting instability in the region, but said Tehran was not behind the popular protests in several regional countries.
Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari stressed the significance of mutual cooperation between Tehran and Damascus, specially in naval fields, and called for the implementation of agreements already held by the two strategic allies.
“Definitely, the good ties between the two friendly and brotherly countries of Iran and Syria and their use of each other’s experiences would strengthen the two states, specially in naval fields,” stated Sayyari, who is in Syria at the head of a high-ranking military delegation.
He made the remarks in a meeting with the Syrian Army’s lieutenant commander, chief of staff and Defense Minister Lt. General Ali Habib.
[...] Adm. Habibollah Sayyari met with Syria’s defense minister and military chief Sunday, just days after Iran’s first show of naval power in the Mediterranean in decades. Two Iranian warships reached Syria last week after passing through the Suez Canal in the first such trip since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran’s military presence in the Mediterranean has raised alarm in Israel as political turmoil reshapes the region. Iran has close ties with Syria and the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
The official news agency IRNA say Sayyari and the Syrian military officials discussed the need for cooperation between the navies of the two countries, including training.
Israel saw the Iranian warships’ passage as a provocation. The country’s officials refused to comment, but earlier in the week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he viewed the move “with gravity.”
The canal linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean enables ships to avoid a lengthy sail around Africa. The Iranian ships were headed for a training mission in Syria. The country has been a close ally of Iran’s hard-line Islamic rulers and an arch foe of Israel. In Syria, officials at the Iranian embassy said it would mark the first time in years that Iranian naval vessels dock in a Syrian port.
Russia vowed Saturday to fulfil its contract to supply Syria with cruise missiles despite the turmoil shaking the Arab world and Israel’s furious condemnation of the deal.
“The contract is in the implementation stage,” news agencies quoted Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying. Russia initially agreed to send a large shipment of anti-ship Yakhont cruise missiles to Syria in 2007 under the terms of a controversial deal that was only disclosed by Serdyukov in September 2010.
The revelation infuriated both Israel and the United States and there had been speculation that Russia would decide to tear up the contract amid the current turmoil plaguing north Africa and the Middle East.
The Israeli ambassador to Moscow confirmed that the state was primarily worried the missiles would end up in the hands of the Shiite Hezbollah movement that receives strong backing from Syria.
Iran’s intelligence minister says authorities have arrested an Iranian who he says was working with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in connection with recent anti-government protests in Tehran.
Heidar Moslehi told state TV Thursday that the individual was using informants to collect information about the unrest to submit to the CIA.
He said the person was arrested on February 14 after a period of surveillance. That day, Iran’s opposition held its largest protest rally in more than a year, with two people killed in clashes.
Iran routinely blames the United States and Israel for alleged interference in Iranian affairs. Both nations deny meddling.
Saudi Arabia Witnesses First Signs of Unrest as ‘Day of Rage’ Planned for March 11th
The popular uprisings across the Middle East are sparking similar unrest in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with youth groups and workers in that country now calling for a “Day of Rage” demonstration in the capital, Riyadh, on March 11.
Already there have been protests last week in the city of Qatif and other towns in the country’s oil-rich Eastern Province demanding, among things, the release of political prisoners and a raft of social reforms. There are also reports of prominent Shia clerics being detained by the Saudi Sunni authorities, and security forces mobilizing in anticipation of further protests.
Al Jazeera Enrages Dictators, Wins Global Viewers With Coverage of Unrest
“Don’t believe those misleading dog stations,” Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi said this week. He wasn’t referring to CNN or the BBC.
Arab-owned television channels Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya have been denounced by targets of the Middle Eastern revolts, showing they’ve played a pivotal role in the uprisings that have shaken countries from Tunisia and Egypt to Libya and Yemen. Qaddafi called them the “biggest enemy.” In Egypt, Al Jazeera’s Cairo bureau was shut down at the start of rallies that led to the ouster of 82-year-old president Hosni Mubarak.
Beaming images of the protests and interviewing key participants, Al Jazeera in particular has moved from being perceived as a Middle Eastern talk shop to a catalyst for change. Although the Arabic- and English-language broadcaster has sometimes acted like a participant rather than an observer of the uprisings, it is winning praise in Europe and the U.S., which may help it extend its global reach.
Is Al Jazeera trying to bring down the Palestinian Authority?
“Al Jazeera is the enemy,” charged former Israeli ambassador to Cairo, Zvi Mazel, about the most widely viewed television channel in the Middle East whose pictures of the protests in Cairo have been seen all over. “Al Jazeera is serving Zionist interests and it invites Israeli representatives to its studios,” claimed the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi, which is owned by the family of the Qatari ruler, some two years ago.
“Al Jazeera has decided to bring down the Palestinian Authority,” moaned Israeli commentators while [Palestinian chief negotiator] Saeb Erekat complained that “Al Jazeera is waging a war against [Palestinian Authority head] Mahmoud Abbas.”
Al Jazeera is investigating reports of interference with its reception in several countries across the Middle East on 19 February, just a day after it claimed its satellite signal had been jammed once again.
“We are not sure of the cause, but we are looking into it,” a spokesman for the Qatar-based rolling news network told Reuters.
Bahrain’s King Hamad Concerned About Qatar, GCC Unity
[...] King Hamad of Bahrain expressed concern about Qatari policy toward Iran and al Qaeda in an hour-long conversation with the Ambassador. He spoke of strong disagreements among GCC leaders during their December summit in Kuwait, which troubled him. He said his focus would be to “look after” the unity and stability of the GCC and he urged close consultations with the United States as part of this effort.
The FBI has launched a hunt for a previously unknown team of men suspected of being part of the attacks of September 11, 2001, according to documents obtained by WikiLeaks.
The documents disclose that the three Qatari men, who had flown into America from London, conducted surveillance on the targets of the atrocities, gave ”support” to the plotters and had tickets for a flight to Washington on the eve of the attacks.
They allegedly carried out surveillance at the World Trade Centre, the White House and in Virginia, where the Pentagon and CIA headquarters are.
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Ten days later, they flew to Los Angeles and stayed in a hotel near the airport which the FBI has established was paid for by a ”convicted terrorist”, who had also paid for their airline tickets.
Hotel staff told investigators they saw pilot uniforms in their room. On September 10 they were booked on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Washington but did not board. The next day five terrorists hijacked the same aircraft and crashed it into the Pentagon.
Instead of boarding their flight to Washington, the Qatari suspects – named as Meshal Alhajri, Fahad Abdulla and Ali Alfehaid – flew back to London on a British Airways flight then on to Qatar. Their location now is unknown.
The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamed Ben Khalifa, succeeded in defeating the end of last week and attempted coup, which occurred after the deposition of some thirty senior Qatari army, some are under house arrest.
The news of the attempted coup coincided with a declaration of some people from families close to the emir of Qatar and opponents of the current regime, in which they announced the non-recognition of the legitimacy of the Emir Hamed Ben Khalifa, and seek to replace him by his brother Abdelaziz Ben Khalifa ben Hamed refugee to France.
The statement of the Qatari opposition, signed by 66 political opponents as well as Qatari personalities and ruling families, including 16 figures from the ruling family, contained serious accusations against the current Emir of Qatar, among others, relations with Israel and the United States of America. He is accused of working for the United States and creating discord among Arab countries in addition to his involvement with the family of his wife in corruption and social injustice against thousands of Qatari citizens.
The signatories of the statement have mentioned the wife of the Emir, known as “Sheikha Mouza Bint Nacer El Mesned “, whose appearances in various media, clothed contrary to the customs of Qatar which they considered “indecent”. His children, they add, have monopolized power and property of Qatari through use of power.
The signatories of the declaration encourage initiative on the social networking site Facebook, calling for bringing down the Qatari regime.
Putin Hopes Germany Will Permit Nord Stream Pumping Soon
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he hoped Germany will soon grant permission for Russia to pump gas through the Nord Stream pipeline, which is supposed to carry gas under the Baltic Sea to Europe.
NATO’s chief has called for an emergency NATO council meeting for Friday afternoon to discuss the situation in Libya, according to Reuters.
“I have convened an emergency meeting in the NATO council this afternoon to consult on this fast-moving situation. So I will return to Brussels in a few hours,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the wire service in an interview.
In the interview, he said the more immediate priority would be given to evacuation “and possibly humanitarian assistance.”
“It’s a bit premature to go into specifics but it’s well-known that NATO has assets that can be used in a situation like this and NATO can act as an enabler and coordinator if and when individual member states want to take action,” Rasmussen said in the interview.
Meanwhile, government sources in Malta, which has deep ties with Libya, told CBS News that they expect the imposition of a no-flight zone as soon as the last westerner is pulled out of the country.
Gaddafi’s Son Rejects Reports of Airstrikes Against Civilians
The son of Libyan strongman Moamer Gaddafi rejected reports that the country’s air force attacked civilian protesters, as demonstrators on Thursday geared up for a 10th day of rallies against the regime.
[...] Arab media reported airstrikes in recent days against barracks and ammunitions depots aimed at preventing anti-government forces from obtaining weapons.
However, witnesses reported that fighter aircraft also opened fire on protesters.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Friday for a short working visit as G-20 president, which has disappointed top Turkish officials.
Sarkozy is visiting Turkey as president of the Group of 20 (G20), a policy forum for the world’s leading rich and developing economies.
Sarkozy will meet President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks that mostly focusing G-20 issues, Turkey’s accession talks with the EU and the issue of Cyprus.
The six-hour visit has disappointed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the length of the visit “is far from reflecting the depth of Turkish-French ties.”
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France said Friday that Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi should step down and that those responsible for the killings in Libya, as well as people who now continue to cooperate with the regime, should face investigation and prosecution at the International Criminal Court.
[...] Mr. Sarkozy said France was “cautiously discussing” military intervention in Libya and called for both the United Nations Security Council and the European Union to meet and reassess their policy in the region.
Three German military vessels arrived at the Mediterranean island of Malta on Friday to take part in a rescue operation for German citizens fleeing Libya, Maltese officials said.
Two of the vessels will pick up German nationals who landed in Malta earlier this week after being evacuated from Tripoli airport. The third is awaiting instructions and could be sent to Libya to evacuate more Germans.
The Berlin supply ship and the Rheinland Pfalz frigate were berthed in Malta’s picturesque Grand Harbour, while the third vessel, the Brandenburg, also a frigate, remained offshore.
Malta, the closest European state to Libya, has become a hub for worldwide efforts to evacuate thousands of foreign nationals escaping escalating violence in the north African state.
The Inquirer | February 25, 2011 ____________________
U.S. Military Advisers in Cyrenaica. Qaddafi Loses His Air Force
Hundreds of US, British and French military advisers have arrived in Cyrenaica, Libya’s eastern breakaway province, DEBKAfile’s military sources report exclusively. This is the first time America and Europe have intervened militarily in any of the popular upheavals rolling through the Middle East since Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution in early January. The advisers, including intelligence officers, were dropped from warships and missile boats at the coastal towns of Benghazi and Tobruk Thursday Feb. 24, for a threefold mission:
1. To help the revolutionary committees controlling eastern Libyan establish government frameworks for supplying two million inhabitants with basic services and commodities;
2. To organize them into paramilitary units, teach them how to use the weapons they captured from Libyan army facilities, help them restore law and order on the streets and train them to fight Muammar Qaddafi’s combat units coming to retake Cyrenaica.
3. The prepare infrastructure for the intake of additional foreign troops. Egyptian units are among those under consideration.
[...] McCain and Lieberman are on a five-nation tour of the Middle East during this week’s congressional recess. They visited Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia (which has also seen protests) and Egypt.
The two senators also visited the Palestinian territories, where they met with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
Israel’s navy is drawing up plans to protect the state’s new-found strategic resource, a natural gas bonanza in the eastern Mediterranean, parts of which Lebanon and the Palestinians claim.
The arrival in the Mediterranean this week of an Iranian frigate, accompanied by a supply ship, the first Iranian warships in the region in more than 30 years, added a new twist amid the unprecedented ferment in the Arab world at this time.
Chinese Rockets, Apparently Supplied by Iran, Hit Israel in First Such Attack Since Hamas War
Israeli military sources said Palestinian gunners aligned with Iran fired at least two Chinese-modified BM-21 Grad rockets into Israel on Feb. 23. They said the rockets, believed supplied by Iran, slammed into the southern city of Beersheba, about 45 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.
[...] The rocket attack on Beersheba was the first since the Israel-Hamas war in December 2008. During the war, Hamas fired scores of Chinese-modified Grads with a range of at least 45 kilometers.
[...] The sources said the military expected additional rocket strikes from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. They said military intelligence has assessed that Iran and Syria were believed working with their proxies to escalate tension along Israel’s borders to divert from the Arab revolt in the Middle East.
The European Union is moving to secure a merger of two future gas transit pipeline projects – Nabucco and ITGI (Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy) – in order to guarantee the natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Europe.
The move is intended to consolidate EU’s strategy to start tapping into the natural gas reserves of the Caspian Sea thus reducing its dependence on Russian energy.
[...] The anonymous sources have indicated that, should such a merger come through, this could mean realizing first the cheaper ITGI project in a “Southern Corridor Phase I” to carry gas from Azerbaijan via Turkey to Greece and Italy, and then branching north according to the original Nabucco route plans from Turkey to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria.
[...] The Southern Gas Corridor entails the construction of several pipelines, such as Nabucco (running from Turkey to Austria and Germany via Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary), ITGI (Interconnection Turkey-Greece-Italy), White Stream (known also as the Georgia-Ukraine-EU pipeline) and TAP (the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline), aiming to bring gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
[...] The several pipelines from the Southern Gas Corridor, which provides an untapped natural gas supply route for the EU circumventing Russia, will supplement the existing gas supplies that the Union gets through pipelines from Russia, Norway and North Africa, most notably Algeria.
[...] The Nabucco consortium, Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH has formally refuted the information on the potential merging of the Nabucco and South Stream projects.
Nabucco and the Gazprom-sponsored gas transit pipeline have been widely considered rival projects, with EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger formally admitting in November 2010, the first such admission by an EU institution, that the two pipelines are competitors.
Russia Risks Losing Over $10 Billion in Arms Sales to the Middle East
Russia risks losing up to $10 billion (7.4 billion euros) in arms sales from the wave of unrest currently sweeping North Africa and the Middle East, a weapons industry official said Tuesday. The figure is equivalent to Russia’s total arms sales for 2010 and would represent a massive setback to the country’s efforts to maintain its Soviet-era clients in the Middle East. The unnamed arms export official told the Interfax news agency that Russia was carefully monitoring the situation because it had major outstanding contracts with some of the fallen regimes. The source said Russia “was working on and already implementing arms contracts worth some $10 billion” in the affected countries. ”Nothing can be ruled out in the current situation, and in the worst-case scenario, these plans may be wrecked.”
Iran-Turkey-Syria-Egypt Bloc Moves Closer With Profound Global Effect
[...] So the process is now becoming possible — despite attempts by current Vice-Pres. Suleiman and Defense Minister Tantawy, each in their own ways, to temporize and create delays in the removal of the Egyptian military from its position of power in Egypt — enabling the construction of a loose bloc of states with Iran and Turkey dominant, and Syria and Egypt subordinate.
Tunisia, Algeria, and Lebanon — each undergoing political upheaval — must be influenced by the transformation of reality in the Mediterranean.
Counterbalancing all of this, the rapid growth of an Israeli-Greek bloc, including the strategically impotent Cyprus, provides a link into NATO of which Jordan and Saudi Arabia must avail themselves. Other regional states in the Mediterranean see their fortunes change, especially given that the overall presence of the Islamist bloc will act as a deterrent to external investment in the whole region, but most vulnerable in all of this will be Morocco.
[...] Despite the overwhelming tide of change which began in the region in recent years, the US and British governments still have failed to understand that Turkey is no longer an ally, and now is more firmly aligned with Russia, the People’s Republic of China, and Iran.
Iran Warships Enter Suez Canal, Egypt’s State-Run MENA Says
[...] Two Iranian warships have begun crossing the Suez Canal as Israel stressed its objection to their planned voyage to Syria.
The ships entered the canal early today after the approval of Egypt’s Defense Ministry, the state-run Middle East News Agency cited Ahmed El Manakhly, head of traffic at the Suez Canal Authority, as saying.
Former Mossad Chief Meir Dagan to Head Ports Authority
According to financial publication Globes, Israel’s former spymaster, Mossad Chief Meir Dagan, is to be appointed chairman of the Israel Ports Development and Assets Company.
[...] Dagan, known for his aggressive and largely successful conduct of Israel’s secret affairs, will be responsible for implementing a national transportation plan for Israel.
[...] Various activities that delayed Iran’s nuclear plans, to which Israel did not admit publicly, took place during his term of office.
Moving quickly to fill the diplomatic and economic vacuum created by the deterioration of relations between Turkey and Israel, a new regional partnership is being formed by Israel and Greece.
With Cyprus as a catalyst for rapprochement and wide-ranging cooperation, the ultimate goal is a new multinational bloc that could include Bulgaria and Albania.
[...] Long-range Greek interest in Israel’s natural gas is a major, if not dominant, catalyst in the ongoing rapprochement. With the main impetus evidently coming from Cyprus, which would be one of the projected recipients, experts from all three countries have been preparing blueprints for these underwater conduits. They could link Israel’s Leviathian natural gas field to Crete as well as Cyprus.
From the strategic standpoint, this could be a “game changer,” Tziampiris said. “It certainly would alter Israel’s position vis-a-vis Europe and lessen the continent’s energy dependence on Russia (especially significant now, since the Nabucco gas pipeline project appears problematic).
[...] Routinely, the Greek and Israeli air forces and navies have conducted joint exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The United States evidently is favorably disposed to the positive turn in Greco-Israeli relations and has been nurturing it. This is a reflection of its having won strong congressional support.
Greece has begun exploratory talks with Israel about cooperation on transporting recently discovered offshore Israeli natural gas to markets in Europe, Investment Minister Harris Pamboukis said.
[...] “The Israelis have found big quantities of offshore gas in the Mediterranean. We are trying to see how Greece could be seen as a transportation hub and a services centre, since it is on a natural road to the Balkans and Europe.”
[...] Relations between the two countries were frosty for a long period because of Greece’s strong support for the Palestinians and close ties with Arab states. However, ties have warmed partly as a result of a chill between Israel and its traditional strategic partner Turkey, Greece’s neighbour and historic rival.
U.S. Firm : Good Chance of Large Gas Find Off Cyprus
U.S. company Noble Energy said Wednesday that seismic data indicate a strong chance of a sizable natural gas find off the southeastern coast of Cyprus.
[...] “We don’t have an exact number on the amount of resources available, but the structure that we can tell from seismic looks very favorable to be a sizable quantity,” Terry Gerhart, Noble Energy vice president for international operations, said after talks with Cyprus president Dimitris Christofias.
[...] Cyprus, along with the Kurdish question, has been among Turkey’s old problems that have for decades fallen victim to the policies of the status quo. This has stood as the main stumbling block before any contribution to be made by Ankara to end the stalemate over the 40-year-long dispute on the island.
[...] Consciously or unconsciously, the EU paved the way for two separate states to emerge on the island in the future by admitting the Greek Cypriots as full members of the union in 2004.
Greece Sends Pro-Kurdish Turkish Politician to Seek Asylum in Cyprus
Authorities announced on Tuesday (February 1st) that they have flown a pro-Kurdish politician wanted in Turkey to Cyprus, where his asylum request should be processed. Mustafa Sarikaya, former deputy leader of Turkey’s Democratic Society Party (DTP), was detained at the Thessaloniki airport in December. He had arrived from Cyprus using fake Bulgarian papers and requested political asylum. A court in Thessaloniki cleared him of charges of entering Greece illegally, accepting that he faced political prosecution in Turkey where he spent a total of 20 years in prison.
Turkey’s Constitutional Court banned the DTP in 2009 over its alleged ties to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Under EU laws, his asylum request must be processed at his point of entry in the bloc, which in this case was Cyprus.
Oil Giant BP Suspends Operations After Violent Protests
[...] The British company said 40 expatriate staff and their families, mostly based in the capital, Tripoli, are being evacuated as it temporarily shuts down work on preparations to drill in the Libyan desert.
David Cameron Arrives in Egypt to Meet Military Rulers
David Cameron has flown into Cairo amid tight security, becoming the first world leader to visit Egypt since Hosni Mubarak was ousted as president in the revolution 10 days ago.
A news blackout was lifted as the prime minister landed in the Egyptian capital for a five-hour stopover that was hastily added to the start of a planned tour of the Middle East.
“He who holds his State by means of mercenary troops can never be solidly or securely seated. For such troops are disunited, ambitious, insubordinate, treacherous, insolent among friends, cowardly before foes, and without fear of God or faith with man. Whenever they are attacked defeat follows; so that in peace you are plundered by them, in war by your enemies. And this because they have no tie or motive to keep them in the field beyond their paltry pay.”
Machiavelli, (N.), The Prince, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 1985. ____________________
Witnesses Say African Mercenaries Have Been Captured in Libya
Many of our Observers in Libya reported to FRANCE24 that mercenaries from sub-Saharan African countries have been tapped by Muammar Gaddafi’s government to crack down on protesters. Videos currently circulating on the Web show that in some cases these alleged mercenaries have been captured and lynched by Libyan demonstrators.
[...] Sending in mercenaries [to intimidate demonstrators] is a strategic mistake for Gaddafi. The only thing it does is convince police officers and soldiers to turn against the regime.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has ordered the Libyan air force to fire on military installations in Libya, according to what the BBC has characterized as a reliable source. Al Jazeera has suggested that air force fighters have opened fire on crowds of protesters.
Though the latter would be particularly draconian, the more important question is whether these signs reflect a split within the regime and Gadhafi using military force to crush opposition to his regime emerging from the military or other security forces. Similar reports of the Libyan navy firing on targets onshore also are emerging, as well as reports that Gadhafi has given execution orders to soldiers who have refused to fire on Libyan protesters.
Libya: Unconfirmed Reports on Gaddafi Escape, Military Coup
[...] Libyan sources said that a senior figure in the Libyan army is trying to lead a coup against Gaddafi.
The officer was identified as Deputy Chief of Staff, Al Mahdi Al Arabi. The source said that fierce battles were reported between the remnants of the revolutionary guard committees close to Gaddafi and supporters of al Arabi.
Two Libyan air force jets landed in Malta on Monday and their pilots asked for political asylum amid a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters in Libya, a military source said.
The two Mirage jets landed at Malta International Airport shortly after two civilian helicopters landed carrying seven people who said they were French. A military source familiar with the situation said the passengers had left in such a hurry that only one had a passport.
The source, who insisted he not be identified further, said the jet pilots — both Libyan air force colonels — had communicated from the air that they wanted political asylum. They had left from a base near Tripoli and had flown low over Libyan airspace to avoid detection, the source said.
The aircraft remained at Malta’s airport, away from the commercial area, while the pilots and helicopter passengers were being questioned by airport immigration officials, the source said.
After a week of protests, anti-government unrest spread Monday to the capital Tripoli with clashes in Tripoli’s main square for the first time. European governments and oil and gas companies were evacuating their citizens.
Libyan Fighter Jets, Helicopters Land in Malta. Qaddafi’s Rule May Be Breaking Up
Muammar Qaddafi’s 42-year rule of Libya began falling apart Monday, Feb. 21. Libyan Air force fighter jets and helicopters carrying political elite and business figures out of Tripoli started landing on the Mediterranean island of Malta opposite Libya – so far, two Mirage fighter-bombers and a number of civilian helicopters. Government officials in Valetta said more flights are on their way, but declined to say whether the airmen were defectors or the civilians had asked for political asylum.
[...] DEBKAfile’s military sources report protesters stormed army bases and seized large quantities of missiles, mortars, heavy machine guns and armored vehicles – and used them. The important Fadil Ben Omar Brigade command base in Benghazi was burnt to the ground.
Hebrew daily “Yediot Ahronot” reports that the IDF is preparing a plan to protect Israel’s deepwater natural gas discoveries in its marine exclusive economic zone.
[...] The IDF will not only protect the current discoveries, such as Tamar and Leviathan, but also areas where exploration rights have been granted – an area equal to 1.5 times Israel’s land area. The area of the gas discoveries and potential discoveries has been declared a “strategic target”, as the gas fields will meet Israel’s energy needs for decades, as well as enable exports.
Brent, U.S. Crude Up More After Egypt OKs Iran Warship Passage
Brent and U.S. crude oil futures rose further on Friday after Egypt approved the passing of two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for March delivery was up $1.27 at $87.63 a barrel.
Egypt is No Longer Committed to an Alliance with Israel Against Iran
[...] A year and a half ago, an Israel Navy submarine crossed the Suez Canal on its way from Haifa to the Red Sea, where it conducted an exercise, and back. The unusual voyage reflected the growing strategic cooperation between Israel and Egypt, which aimed a menacing message at Iran. The submarine’s crossing of the waterway demonstrated how quickly Israel could deploy its deterrent near Iran’s shores, with the tacit support of Egypt.
Once more, the canal is being used to deliver a message of deterrence – but this time the direction is reversed. Egypt is allowing Iranian warships to cross the canal, on their way to Syrian ports. Israel was publicly critical of the passage – arguing that it is a provocative move – but Egypt ignored the pressures and granted the Iranian navy permission to pass, symbolizing the change to the regional balance of power following the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt is signaling that it is no longer committed to its strategic alliance with Israel against Iran, and that Cairo is now willing to do business with Tehran. This is precisely what Turkey has done in recent years under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Since the uprising against Mubarak, the cold peace between Egypt and Israel has cooled even further. The delivery of natural gas to Israel, which was cut off after a terrorist attack on a station in northern Sinai, has still not been resumed.
[...] Talks are expected to address uprisings that have toppled the presidents of both Tunisia and Egypt and continue to ripple through the region. As during his trip last week to Israel and Jordan, Mullen said, he plans to “reassure our friends and just listen to what’s on their minds” about the situation and to get their views firsthand, particularly concerning Egypt.
[...] The United States and Saudi Arabia have had strong military-to-military relations since World War II. U.S. advisors continue to help in training the Saudi military and national guard. The U.S. military training mission to Saudi Arabia and a U.S. program managers’ office for the Saudi Arabian national guard work to help in increasing Saudi military capabilities.
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers for U.S. defense goods.
The trip is expected to wrap up next weekend in Kuwait City, where a month-long commemoration is observing the 50th anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation and the 20th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm. Coalition forces liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation forces on Feb. 26, 1991, at the end of Operation Desert Storm. Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990.
The United Arab Emirates will finalise an estimated $7 billion deal to buy an advanced missile defence system from Lockheed Martin this spring, the first such export by the U.S. firm.
[...] The situation in Bahrain is complicated by U.S. uncertainty over Saudi Arabia’s position on the growing regional turmoil. Riyadh has enormous influence over Bahrain’s royal family due to the financial and energy aid it provides. Riyadh has in the past sent its own security forces into Bahrain to quell unrest, concerned that Bahrain’s Shiite majority could fuel instability inside Saudi Arabia.
Still, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and many of his closest advisers have been in Morocco in recent weeks as the Saudi monarch recovers from surgery. That has been seen as limiting the ability of other Saudi royals to make decisions.
[...] Saudi officials voiced disapproval of the Obama administration’s handling of Egypt, in particular its decision to pull its support for President Hosni Mubarak, according to Arab diplomats. There has been little high-level contact between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, U.S. officials said.
“There’s a leadership vacuum in Saudi Arabia, which is clouding the decision-making process,” said Simon Henderson, who tracks Saudi politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Washington’s strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia has faltered in other theaters in the Middle East as well this year.
Last month, the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah overthrew the U.S.- and Saudi-backed government in Beirut, greatly enhancing Iran’s and Syria’s influence in the Mediterranean nation. Successive U.S. administrations had since 2005 worked with Riyadh to try and bolster former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri as a counterweight to Hezbollah’s backers in Tehran and Damascus. But Saudi Arabia ultimately pulled out of mediating efforts on behalf of Mr. Hariri, as Hezbollah threatened to sow unrest.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz will return home within days after undergoing medical treatment abroad for three months, a government official said on Friday as unrest hit Gulf Arab neighbour Bahrain.
WikiLeaks Cables: Egyptian Military Head is “Old and Resistant to Change”
US ambassador to Cairo gives his opinion on Muhammad Tantawi and number two general, Sami Enan.
The frustration of the military’s American benefactors shines through in leaked US cables, where the criticism focuses mostly on the man at the top, 75-year-old Field Marshal Muhammad Tantawi.
In March 2008 cable [146040], the US ambassador to Cairo, Francis Ricciardone, described Tantawi as “aged and change-resistant”.
“Charming and courtly, he is nonetheless mired in a post-Camp David military paradigm that has served his cohort’s narrow interests for the last three decades. He and [Hosni] Mubarak are focused on regime stability and maintaining the status quo through the end of their time. They simply do not have the energy, inclination or world view to do anything differently,” it reads.
The ambassador also notes that Tantawi has used his influence in the cabinet to oppose economic and political reforms which he sees as weakening central government power.
“He is supremely concerned with national unity, and has opposed policy initiatives he views as encouraging political or religious cleavages within Egyptian society,” the cable says.
Despite Egypt’s dependence on US military funding, Tantawi seems to have viewed as standoffish by US officials. They saw the number two general on the council, Sami Enan, as more amenable to personal ties. In fact, Enan was in Washington when the Cairo protests erupted.
That puts the 62-year-old Soviet-trained chief of staff, in the unusual position of being both Washington’s and the Muslim Brotherhood’s favourite general. The movement has described him as incorruptible and as one of its cleric put it: “He can be the future man of Egypt … I think he will be acceptable.”
Egypt has approved the passage of two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal, an army source said on Friday.
Israel’s right-wing foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, had described Iran’s plans to send the ships through the canal enroute to Syria as “provocative”.
Addressing the Navy personnel on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Sayyari said the flotilla, which has been sent to the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian cargo ships against Somali raiders, docked in the Saudi port in order to renew Iran’s message of peace and friendship to the regional states.
[...] He further underlined Iran’s resolve to maintain its powerful and permanent presence in the high seas in a bid to protect the interests of the Islamic Republic and convey the message of peace and security in the sensitive and strategic waters North of the Indian Ocean.
[...] The Iranian Navy dispatched a fleet of warships to the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aden on a training and operational mission in late January.
In addition to its training program, the fleet is also due to gain good intelligence and information on the regions it is due to visit during the mission.
Egypt: Will U.S. And NATO Launch Second Suez Intervention?
On February 1 General James Mattis, commander of United States Central Command whose area of responsibility includes Egypt on its western end, stated that Washington currently has no plans to reinforce naval presence off the coast of that country, but added that in the event of the closure of the Suez Canal: “Were it to happen obviously we would have to deal with it diplomatically, economically, militarily.”
[...] The day before Mattis’ statement the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and its carrier strike group [...] crossed through the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea on its way to the Suez Canal. The warships are scheduled for operations in the Gulf of Aden off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen and in the Arabian Sea to support the war in Afghanistan.
[...] With the expansion of protests in Egypt calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the prospect of the Suez Canal being closed would severely hamper Western military operations across the Arabian Sea from Somalia to Pakistan.
[...] Several European oil companies, among them Norway’s Statoil, Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum, halted drilling in Egypt, closed down local offices and began evacuating the families of foreign workers as well as non-essential staff.
Connecticut National Guard Detachment 2, Company I, 185th Aviation Regiment of Groton has mobilized and will deploy to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, to support the Multinational Force and Observers.
[...] The unit will provide an on-demand aviation asset to the Multinational Force and Observers commander to support its mission of supervising the security provisions of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.
EGYPT: Pentagon Moving Warships, Preparing for Possible Evacuations
The Pentagon is moving U.S. warships and other military assets to make sure it is prepared in case evacuation of U.S. citizens from Egypt becomes necessary.
[...] Pentagon officials emphasized that military intervention in Egypt was not being contemplated and that the warships were being moved only for contingency purposes in case evacuations became necessary.
The movement of U.S. warships in the Mediterranean sea has been disrupting Lebanon’s internet services in the past three weeks, An Nahar daily reported Saturday.
The newspaper said that the problems which began when former Premier Saad Hariri’s government collapsed are not the result of operations conducted by UNIFIL’s naval force.
The problems have affected big companies and banks from the southern city of Sidon all the way to the Lebanese-Syrian border in the north, An Nahar said.
However, it said it received information that U.S. warships that are currently in Mediterranean waters are affecting the internet services in Lebanon.
Engineer Antoine Bustani, a telecom expert, confirmed to Voice of Lebanon radio station that radars of warships disrupt internet and other telecommunications services.
The telecommunications ministry has launched efforts to solve the issue, he said. The plan will be implemented in several stages, Bustani added.
Egypt’s Petroleum Ministry is reported to be considering claiming a stake in the big natural gas fields discovered in the eastern Mediterranean while Greece, a potential customer, has begun exploratory talks on moving the gas to the European market.
Iran and Syria have signed an energy pipeline accord.
The Middle East allies have approved a project to construct a pipeline between Iran and Syria. Officials said the pipeline would pump Iranian natural gas to Syria over the next few years.
“The strategic gas pipeline will transfer gas from Iran to Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea and this is connected to the Arab gas pipeline,” Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Alaw said.
Alaw, during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Massoud Mir Kazemi, said Iran, Iraq and Syria would examine the pipeline project later in 2011.
He said Syria has sought to acquire three million cubic meters of Iranian gas per day.
Less than 24 hours after the breakdown of its nuclear dialogue with the six world powers in Istanbul, Iran announced plans Sunday, Jan. 23, to send a fleet of warships, including a home-made destroyer, on operational and intelligence-gathering missions to the Red Sea and on to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. DEBKAfile’s military sources: Parts of the fleet will in fact be deployed in the three waters around Israel’s southern and western shores.
Why is official Washington so obsessed with the idea of overthrowing these governments? The answer has everything to do with Iran, China, and Russia. As regards Iran, the State Department policy is notoriously the attempt to assemble a united front of the entrenched Arab and Sunni regimes to be played against Shiite Iran and its various allies across the region. This had not been going well, as shown by the inability of the US to install its preferred puppet Allawi in Iraq, where the pro-Iranian Maliki seems likely to hold onto power for the foreseeable future. The US desperately wants a new generation of unstable “democratic” demagogues more willing to lead their countries against Iran than the current immobile regimes have proved to be. There is also the question of Chinese economic penetration.
We can be confident that any new leaders installed by the US will include in their program a rupture of economic relations with China, including especially a cutoff of oil and raw material shipments, along the lines of what Twitter revolution honcho Mir-Hossein Mousavi was reliably reported to be preparing for Iran if he had seized power there in the summer of 2009 at the head of his “Death to Russia, death to China” rent-a-mob. In addition, US hostility against Russia is undiminished, despite the cosmetic effects of the recent ratification of START II. If for example a color revolution were to come to Syria, we could be sure that the Russian naval presence at the port Tartus, which so disturbs NATO planners, would be speedily terminated. If the new regimes demonstrate hostility against Iran, China, and Russia, we would soon find that internal human rights concerns would quickly disappear from the US agenda.
The center of gravity in the Middle East has shifted dramatically in the past few decades from the Arab heartland comprising Egypt and the Fertile Crescent to what was once considered the non-Arab periphery — Turkey and Iran. The exciting era of Arab nationalism in the 1950s and 1960s, especially Nasser’s nationalization of the Suez Canal and the all too brief union of Egypt with Syria, had made the Arab heartland the symbol par excellence of the reassertion of the Third World’s dignity and its aspirations for autonomy from the great powers. Since the 1970s, that air of excitement and hope has given way to the moribund nature of Arab politics and the perpetuation of autocratic and kleptocratic rule, which have contributed in large measure to the diminution in the regional role of major Arab states such as Egypt. Regimes that were once considered “liberalizing autocracies”, such as Egypt with its controlled elections and Jordan with an increasingly vocal parliamentary opposition, have now reverted to an unalloyed autocratic model.
This shift in terms of power and influence from the Arab heartland to Turkey and Iran began with the Arab defeat in the Six Day War of 1967 and gained momentum with the Iranian revolution of 1979. One began to see, however, hazily, the contours of the emerging Turko-Persian future of the Middle East in 1991 with the decimation of Iraqi power in the First Gulf War that provided both Iran and Turkey political space to increase their influence in the Persian Gulf and Iraqi Kurdistan respectively. It became a full-blown reality following the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq by the United States and its allies between 2001 and 2003.
Energy resources have always been at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict, creating alliances and clearly influencing the policies of many nations towards the adversaries. Israel itself had a very complex relationship with its neighbors, mainly Egypt, a supplier of energy to Israel since the Camp David Accords in 1978.
In the past few years and with a stunning new announcement the last day of 2010, Israel’s energy situation has changed dramatically. With the recent major Leviathan gas discovery along with last year’s Tamar discovery, Israel enters the big energy leagues. The two are perhaps the largest purposeful gas discoveries in the world in each of the last two years and Israel is likely to play a highly enhanced regional and European geopolitical role.
Coupled with the fact that Israel has also emerged as a global leader in many high-tech industries with a direct expansion of energy usage, the country may become a trend setter in wide use of compressed natural gas (CNG) or electrical vehicles. Gas to liquids may not be far behind.
Without a question the future of Israeli energy is tied to natural gas. Starting in 2004, Noble Energy, a Houston based, relatively small but quite able in deep water, independent oil company began production of gas from the Mari field. This is the beginning of Israel’s shift towards natural gas dependency, moving away from coal and even further away from fuel oils. The Noble partnership consists of Noble Energy, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration, and Delek Investments.
Israel has announced the discovery of a massive natural gas field off its northern coast, worth tens of billions of dollars. The company behind the exploration of the “Leviathan 1″ field says it is the world’s biggest gas discovery in decades. It could free Israel from relying on foreign energy sources and could also affect the politics of the region.
The dispute over vast natural gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean, centered on Israel and Lebanon, has spread to divided Cyprus, which involves longtime rivals Greece and Turkey.
Israel’s discovery of three large fields containing an estimated 25 trillion cubic feet of gas off its northern coast over the last two years has added a whole new energy dimension to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
An agreement meant to prevent disputes over oil and gas fields may stir diplomatic crisis in Mediterranean: Turkish sources said Sunday that Foreign Ministry officials had summoned Israel’s Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy and expressed discontent over an agreement signed between Israel and Cyprus, which demarcates the exclusive economic zone within the territorial waters of the two countries and divides their rights to search for oil and gas reservoirs in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to a report published by a Turkish website, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan firmly opposes any maritime agreement between Cyprus and countries in the eastern Mediterranean, because it undermines the status of Turkish Cyprus and its stake of the territorial waters.
During the meeting with Levy, officials at the Turkish Foreign Ministry stressed that “Turkey opposes the agreement until a just and inclusive solution is reached in the Cyprus conflict.”
Turkey is the only country in the world that recognizes Turkish Cyprus.
The report also stated that Turkey would not hesitate sending its naval forces to the area, in order to thwart any oil field exploration.
According to the report, Turkey sees any such maritime agreement futile as long as there is no comprehensive peace agreement between Israel, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians.
The explosion heard in Lebanon late Wednesday was an Israel Air Force operation aimed at destroying an espionage device it had installed off the coast of the city of Sidon, the Voice of Lebanon radio station reported on Thursday.
The report comes a day after the Lebanese Army said it had uncovered two Israeli spy installations in mountainous areas near Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, The installations included photographic equipment as well as laser and broadcast equipment.
American officials swept aside British protests about secret US spy flights taking place from the UK’s Cyprus airbase, the leaked diplomatic cables reveal.
Labour ministers said they feared making the UK an unwitting accomplice to torture, and were upset about rendition flights going on behind their backs.
The use of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus for American U2 spy plane missions over Hezbollah locations in Lebanon – missions that have never been disclosed until now – prompted an acrimonious series of exchanges between British officials and the US embassy in London, according to the cables released by WikiLeaks. The then foreign secretary David Miliband is quoted as saying, unavailingly, “policymakers needed to get control of the military”.
Ministers demanded a full “audit trail” of covert operations, codenamed Cedar Sweep, amid growing public concern in the UK about unacknowledged CIA rendition flights and alleged UK complicity in torture. The planes gathered intelligence that was then allegedly passed to the Lebanese authorities to help them track down Hezbollah militants. In the past, such flights have also been carried out on Israel’s behalf by the Americans.
As the 2008 row escalated, the US rejected the British concerns over torture in unequivocal terms, with one senior official at the embassy in London baldly stating in one cable: “We cannot take a risk-avoidance approach to CT [counter-terrorism] in which the fear of potentially violating human rights allows terrorism to proliferate in Lebanon.”
The cables disclose that as well as the Lebanon missions, U2s from Akrotiri were gathering intelligence over Turkey and northern Iraq. The information was secretly supplied to the Turkish authorities in an operation codenamed Highland Warrior. The British protested that “in both cases, intelligence product is intended to be passed to third-party governments”.
On 18 April 2008, Britain demanded the US embassy provide full details of all flights so ministers could tell whether they “put the UK at risk of being complicit in unlawful acts.”
The Israeli and Italian air Forces concluded an extensive, two-week exercise in Sardinia this Friday. Members from four Israel Air Force fighter squadrons participated in the exercise, “The Twin-Tail Knights” and “The Spearhead” flying F-15Cs and Ds from the Tel-Nof base, and the “Defenders Of The South” and “The Golden Eagle” squadrons from the Nevatim IAF base, flying F-16s. The exercise was the first international training deployment of the “Eitam” (G550), an Early Warning & Control aircraft. The Italian element in the exercise played the ‘red team’ of adversary air force, challenging the Israelis with Eurofighter Typhoons, AMXs, Panavia Tornado and F-16s ‘aggressors’.
International training deployments are essential for the IAF to maintain pilot skills in extended-range operation, under changing weather conditions, over unfamiliar areas, fly at low altitude over the vast uninhibited areas of the island, perform precision navigation flights and practice cooperation with foreign NATO elements as part of coalition operations. The IAF has deployed to Sardinia for several years. In October 2009 Israeli Air Force F-15Es and F-16Is also deployed to Cagliari base in Sardinia, to participate in a similar exercise. According to Lt. Col A., “The Golden Eagle” squadron leader, the international training program will incorporate more air forces in the future, and the Italian Air Force plans to deploy aircraft on training missions to Israel in the future.
Shared concerns about Turkey’s radicalism leads to expanding ties and new opportunities for economic and security cooperation.
Since its relations with Turkey crumbled over the past year, Israel has begun looking to the Balkan states for new friends and allies. The new initiatives extend to shared intelligence, joint military exercises and boosting tourism, officials say.
In the past year Israel has expanded relations with Greece and Bulgaria and upgraded its existing ties with Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia. These states share concerns about Turkey’s new radicalism and world jihad’s growing influence there and see new opportunities for economic, technical and security cooperation with Israel.
“They realized a great danger was in store for them and the issue rose in the talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in January,” a senior Israeli official said.
The botched Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla increased Bulgaria’s motivation for intelligence and defense cooperation with Jerusalem. Borisov and Netanyahu had three conversations with each other within two weeks following the action, intended to facilitate the release of two Bulgarian journalists who had been on board one of the ships, the official said.
Borisov suggested increasing military cooperation by enabling the Israeli Air Force to use Bulgaria’s bases and air space for training. The first training session is due to be held soon.
“Unlike the past, Borisov decided in favor of cooperation with Israel. Immediately after his election he visited Jerusalem, the first visit of a Bulgarian prime minister for the past 18 years,” says Israel’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Noah Gal-Gendler.
The Bulgarians are hoping that Israeli tourists who stopped visiting Turkey will come en masse to Bourgas and Varna on the Black Sea coast. Some 150,000 Israelis are expected to visit Bulgaria by the end of the year and Bulgaria wants to increase the number to 250,000 in 2011.
“Borisov’s government sees us as top priority,” says Gal-Gendler. “They are looking for a new economic engine like Israeli high-tech and want to learn how we did it,” he says.
Israel’s relations with Greece have also taken a dramatic turn. In February Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou met Netanyahu in Moscow’s Cafe Pushkin restaurant.
Papandreou, who is seeking a greater role in the peace process, realized he must change Greece’s relations with Israel. After the Turkish flotilla incident, the Greek army and security forces urged him to forge closer ties with Israel.
When the economic crisis erupted in Greece, Athens was disappointed not to receive any assistance or investments from Arab states, despite 60 years of pro-Arab policy, a senior Israeli diplomat said.
Israeli and Greek officials have since discussed defense and strategic cooperation. Greece is also planning to attract Israeli vacationers who used to go to Turkey. Israeli tourism to Greece has increased by 200 percent this year and is expected to reach 250,000 by the end of the year.
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