U.S. agents are helping guide air strikes and determining the allegiances of rebel forces
Since the conflict in Libya began, Barack Obama has promised not to put U.S. “boots on the ground” in the country. CIA agents presumably sport some other kind of footwear, then, because there are dozens of U.S. spies already in Libya, working with rebel forces and attempting to learn more about them, with the ultimate aim of determining whether the U.S. should arm the rebellion. Weeks ago, Obama signed a secret “presidential finding” that authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to provide weapons to the anti-Gadhafi forces, but so far no weapons have been shipped, and officials in Washington continue to weigh the consequences of such a move. British Special Forces and agents with the MI6 intelligence agency are also operating inside Libya.
Egypt Supplies Libyan Insurgents With Weapons, Reports American Newspaper
Egypt has began, at Washington’s instigation, sending arms shipments to insurgents fighting against Gaddafi’s forces in Libya, said on Friday the Wall Street Journal.
This information was obtained from a member of the National Transitional Council which represents the insurgents and US officials, indicated the American newspaper.
The newspaper further noted that this is the first time a confirmation is obtained on sending arms including light rifles and ammunition from a foreign country to Libyan revolutionaries who have recently been defeated by government forces, much better equipped.
The US had expressed its disappointment at the unavailability of Arab countries to solve regional problems and critics against Western countries engaged to help settle these issues.
According to a US official quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the dispatch of Egyptian arms shipments started a few days ago. However, he stressed that Washington has not put in place a clear official policy on this score, even if it knows.
The official considered that the quantity of weapons as too small and too late to have influenced the balance of power in favor of the insurgents.
Crack special forces troops have been secretly pouring into Libya to back the rebellion against Colonel Gaddafi.
The elite troops moved in as the defiant tyrant vowed to “fight to the last man and woman” – and warned that “thousands will die” if the West intervenes.
[...] Intelligence sources have told us that post-Mubarak Egyptian troops have been allowed into Libya by Tunisian soldiers – showing increasing Arab-backing for the anti-Gaddafi revolt.
[...] Egypt’s new foreign minister, Nabil al-Arabi, told reporters in Cairo on Tuesday that he intends to reestablish ties with the regime of Iranian strongman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Islamic overseers.
“We will turn over a new leaf with all states, including Iran,” said al-Arabi.
The minister said he was not yet sure if Egypt would be opening an embassy in Tehran anytime soon, but was keen to begin promoting friendly relations with the Islamic Republic.
Asked about Lebanon’s Hizballah terrorist militia, which more or less runs that country, al-Arabi indicated he had no problem with the group, and would not oppose official ties between Hizballah and Egypt.
“Hezbollah is part of Lebanon’s composition, and we see this as an internal matter,” he said. “If any party wishes to have ties with Egypt there will be nothing preventing us from talking.”
Egypt Stalls Reopening of Natural Gas Pipeline to Israel, Once again
Egyptian company Eastern Mediterranean Gas hints closure is political, asks U.S. government for help
Egyptian authorities refused to allow the reopening of the natural gas pipeline to Israel yesterday, which was closed a month ago after a terrorist bomb damaged part of the pipeline. Sources at the Egyptian company Eastern Mediterranean Gas, which supplies Israel with the Egyptian gas, hinted the issue is not actually technical − but political.
Some of the owners of EMG, which sells gas to Israel, asked the American and Thai governments to push the Egyptian government to resume the flow of gas to Israel. The reopening was scheduled for today, after three previous postponements.
Iran and Saudi Arabia Cold War Has Entered a New Era
Saudi Arabia fears Iranian influence – its Bahrain intervention has echoes of the Soviet reaction to the 1956 Hungary uprising.
Democracy is arriving in the Middle East, albeit slowly. But what is making progress at a much faster pace is the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Some described the fall of the Mubarak government, preceded by the fall of the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia, as the Middle East’s Berlin Wall moment. The parallels with the cold war in Europe do not end there. There are also similarities between the entry of Soviet forces into Budapest in November 1956 to put down a popular uprising and the Saudi decision to send forces into Bahrain on 14 March this year.
The Soviets were worried that communist Hungary might fall into the hands of their western cold war adversaries, and thus felt it necessary to send their forces to put down any such initiative. The new Saudi strategy is based on similar calculations. They sent their forces into Bahrain because they felt that if the Shia uprising succeeded, it could turn the country from a Saudi friend into an ally of Iran.
The Saudi decision to risk the lives of its own soldiers in Bahrain is a sign of how seriously they view the situation. It is a departure from the old strategy, where the Saudis paid others to do their fighting for them – as with the Saudi financing of Saddam Hussein’s war against Iran between 1980 and 1988.
As far as the Saudis are concerned, the gloves are off and this means that the Middle East’s version of the cold war is intensifying.
The Iranian government is furious as well. Publications such as the pro-Ahmadinejad Raja News have accused the Saudis of creating a “bloodbath” in Bahrain. Others, such as the Tehran-based Asr Iran, have called for the creation of a Hezbollah movement in Bahrain. Meanwhile, the Association of Independent Student Unions in Iran has declared its readiness to go to Bahrain in order to confront government and Saudi forces there.
This fury is now turning into warnings. President Ahmadinejad has already cautioned the Saudi royal family that they should “learn from Saddam’s fate”.
The Saudis should now start preparing themselves for Iran’s response, because the Iranian government is not going to let this pass quietly.
Saudi Arabia Virtually Annexes Bahrain, Will Build a Missile-Naval Base Opposite Iran
Saudi Arabia ranges defenses against Iran, is willing to swap gesture favoring coalition operation in Libya for recognition of its takeover of Bahrain.
Israeli and Saudi Leaders in Moscow as Palestinians Ramp up Missile Strikes
[...] In Moscow, DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources report that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was working to set up a discreet meeting between two visitors – Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, failing which he will try and bring the Saudi Intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, who arrived with the foreign minister, together with the Israeli leader.
Muqrin has met Israeli leaders in secret before, including the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
[...] DEBKAfile’s Jerusalem and Moscow sources note that this is the point at which Israel’s declining security situation becomes relevant to a possible Israeli-Saudi dialogue.
Neither Jerusalem nor Riyadh is at ease with the US role in favor of the popular uprisings against veteran Arab regimes – and most particularly the US-UK-French military intervention in Libya. Both find this policy detrimental to the national and security interests of America’s foremost Middle East allies.
They also share resentment for the benefits accrued from this wave of unrest by Tehran and the effect it has had to turn world attention away from its progress toward manufacturing a nuclear bomb.
The Saudi king and Israeli prime minster are apprehensive, on the strength of their intelligence input, that Iran will eventually seize control of the popular uprisings in Arab lands, especially Egypt.
Riyadh alone took a substantial precautionary step against this menace by sending military units into the Bahrain on Feb. 14 to pre-empt the Iranian-backed Shiite threat to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the tiny kingdom’s financial and oil assets at the back door of the rich eastern Saudi oil center.
Israel Holds Secret Talks With Russia in Bid to Thwart Recognition of Palestinian State
Isaac Molho, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior adviser and top negotiator on the Palestinian channel, made a secret trip to Moscow on Wednesday and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The purpose of the visit was to dissuade Russia from supporting the European Union’s intention to present in two weeks’ time a plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
Facebook on Tuesday removed a page calling on Palestinians to take up arms against Israel, following a high-profile Israeli appeal to the popular social-networking site.
The page, titled “Third Palestinian Intifada,” had more than 350,000 fans before it was taken down. It called on Palestinians to take to the streets after Friday prayers on May 15 and begin an uprising. “Judgment Day will be brought upon us only once the Muslims have killed all of the Jews,” a quote from the page reads.
Facebook said the page began as a call for peaceful protest, even though it used the term “intifada,” which has been associated with violence in the past.
“However, after the publicity of the page, more comments deteriorated to direct calls for violence,” said Andrew Noyes, Facebook’s public policy communications manager. He said the creators of the page eventually made calls for violence as well.
“We monitor pages that are reported to us and when they degrade to direct calls for violence or expressions of hate — as occurred in this case — we have and will continue to take them down.”
In a letter last week to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Israeli Cabinet Minister Yuli Edelstein said the page included “wild incitement.” Edelstein applauded Facebook for removing the page, saying he hoped the action would be an example to others and deter similar postings in the future.
Military Intelligence Monitoring Foreign Left-Wing Organizations
Military Intelligence is collecting information about left-wing organizations abroad that the army sees as aiming to delegitimize Israel, according to senior Israeli officials and Israel Defense Forces officers.
Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud al-Faisal on Thursday will arrive in Ankara, reported the website of CNN Turk TV channel, which links the visit to Bahrain events.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet al-Faisal after returning from Russia. According to the report, the foreign minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu will also attend the meeting.
On Wednesday, Davutoglu spoke with foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain by phone, Anadolu Agency reported.
Officials said that Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called Davutoglu, stating that Davutoglu and Salehi discussed “developments in the region”.
Davutoglu called foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and phone conversations mainly focused on developments in Bahrain, officials said.
Anti-government protests began in Manama, Bahrain in February. Demonstrators have been demanding the ouster of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as well as constitutional reforms, with hundreds camping out peacefully in the capital’s Pearl Square since February 14th.
Bahraini forces imposed a curfew and started to intervene in the protesting group on Wednesday. At least six people were reported to have been killed in Manama during attacks by Bahraini forces against the anti-government protesters in the capital. In response to this, Iran recalled its ambassador from Bahrain.
Troops from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states were dispatched to Bahrain at the country’s government’s request to help quell the uprising by majority Shiite Muslims against the Sunni leadership.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa will visit Turkey on Tuesday to discuss unrest in his country sparked by a Shiite-led opposition movement, Turkey’s foreign minister said, AFP reports.
Turmoil in the Gulf kingdom “could produce a potential to create an international conflict… and spread Shiite-Sunni tensions across the region,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in an interview with CNN Turk television Monday.
Turkey is in contact also with Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease tensions, he said.
“On the one side, we are advising Bahrain to put in practice democratisation reforms as soon as possible, and on the other side we are advising Iran, Saudi Arabia and the other related parties to show restraint,” he added.
Tension has escalated between Gulf states and Iran as Tehran condemned the deployment of Saudi-led Gulf troops in Bahrain last week, followed by a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in the Shiite-majority country.
The Turkish authorities have seized rifles on a Syria-bound Iranian plane, grounded since the weekend, and questioned its seven-man crew, police and judicial sources said Tuesday.
The cargo plane, a civilian Ilyushin, was ordered to land in Diyarbakir, in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, on Saturday night on suspicion that it had military or illicit cargo on board.
The plane had declared a cargo of spare car parts, but the inspection resulted also in the discovery of a box containing automatic rifles, a police source told AFP, without providing further details on the guns.
The crew was taken to a police station for questioning and argued that the weapons were on board as part of routine security measures, declining to give additional information.
Turkey to UN: We Seized illegal Iran Arms Shipment en Route to Syria
Turkey has informed a UN Security Council panel that it seized a cache of weapons Iran was attempting to export in breach of a UN arms embargo, according to a document obtained by Reuters on Thursday.
Security Council diplomats said the report of the seizure from an Iranian cargo plane reflected positively on Turkey, which some U.S. and European officials say has taken a lax approach to implementing international sanctions against Iranian financial institutions.
The report to the council’s Iran sanctions committee, which oversees compliance with the four rounds of punitive steps the 15-nation body has imposed on Iran over its nuclear program, said a March 21 inspection turned up the weapons, which were listed as “auto spare parts” on the plane’s documents.
The plane was bound for Aleppo, Syria, and was given permission to pass through Turkish airspace provided it made a “technical stop” at Diyarbakir airport.
Turkey has said it will help with distributing humanitarian aid to Libya and has suggested it could play a part in mediating between rebels and the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country’s prime minister, said Turkey would take over the running of Benghazi airport to take responsibility for distributing humanitarian aid from the rebel-held eastern city.
The AFP news agency also quoted an official as saying Turkey was responding to a request from fighters in Libya, saying civilian and technical personnel would be sent out.
Ankara has already sent a ferry carrying a medical team, two ambulances and two tonnes of medical supplies to Libya in an attempt to help treat wounded people.
Cemil Cicek, the deputy prime minister, said Turkey was planning to take around 450 injured people from the rebel-held port of Misurata to Turkey for treatment.
Last week, the Turkish parliament also approved the dispatch of a naval force to Libyan waters as the government moved reluctantly to join the military campaign in the north African country.
Turkish PM Cancels Brussels Trip amid Criticisms Over Press Freedom
The Turkish prime minister has canceled his April 1 trip to Brussels to avoid criticisms from EU officials over the deterioration of press freedom, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has learned from diplomatic sources.
[...] Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was scheduled to meet with top EU officials, including Herman van Rompuy, president of the EU Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission. A joint press conference was also expected during the Brussels talks.
Turkey’s Erdogan in First Visit to Iraq Kurd Region
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed on Tuesday as the first Turkish leader to visit Iraq’s Kurdish region, on a trip laden with significance born of Turkey’s own history of conflict with its Kurdish minority.
Turkey Hosts Military Exercise with Pakistani, Afghan Troops
Turkey has hosted joint “urban warfare” exercises with troops from Afghanistan and Pakistan, comprising sniper and anti-tank units from the three countries.
The number of troops was small — apparently 128 — but the meaning of the exercise was more political than operational. Turkey has long been NATO’s point of contact for relations with Pakistan, and Washington and Brussels have been trying to get Turkey to help build relations between the militaries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. So this exercise — agreed upon at a summit between the three countries in December — is a step in that direction.
Signs of an Axis Shift in EU’s Trust in Turkey’s Ruling Party
Trust in Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, appears to be diminishing among European circles due to growing concerns about fundamental freedoms.
[...] The views of EU institutions vis-a-vis Turkey have seen a clear shift, according to Demir Murat Seyrek, a senior policy adviser for the European Foundation for Democracy.
After Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, a wave of unprecedented anti-regime protests has now hit Syria, a country known for its iron grip on security matters.
[...] Daraa, a southern town that is home to large tribal families, has been the focal point of the rallies, the latest in a string of uprisings against long-running autocratic regimes across the Arab world.
Syria has deployed security forces to the northern city of Latakia after violent protests left at least 12 people dead and more than 150 injured amid calls for reform.
[...] Syrian authorities have accused “armed groups” of seeking to incite sectarian strife in the city, which has seen violent clashes between pro-reform protesters, security forces and government supporters.
IDF: Syria May Provoke Israel to Distract from Domestic Unrest
[...] The IDF is also preparing for the possibility that Damascus might use Hezbollah or other militant organizations in Lebanon to heat up that front to divert attention from events in Syria.
A bomb struck a crowded bus stop in central Jerusalem Wednesday, killing one woman and wounding more than 20 other people in what authorities said was the first major Palestinian militant attack in the city in several years.
The bombing brought back memories of the second Palestinian uprising last decade, a period in which hundreds of Israelis were killed by suicide bombings in Jerusalem and other major cities.
Lebanon: Estonian Tourists Kidnapped in Bekaa Valley
Seven Estonian tourists have been kidnapped while cycling in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
The army has now begun searching for the group, who had entered Lebanon legally from Syria earlier in the day.
They were in the town of Zahle when they were seized by men in a car and two vans.
It is not clear whether the kidnapping is politically motivated. The Bekaa Valley is a stronghold of the Islamist Hezbollah movement.
During Lebanon’s civil war, at least 88 foreigners were taken hostage between 1984 and 1990, including the journalist John McCarthy and peace envoy Terry Waite.
The Bekaa Valley is known for lawlessness, drug trafficking and feuds between the powerful clans which control the region’s hashish plantations.
The tourists’ abandoned bicycles were found near the industrial complex in Zahle where they were abducted.
A bomb exploded Sunday at a church in the eastern town of Zahle, causing severe damage but injuring no one, in an act denounced by politicians and religious leaders as an attack on Lebanon’s stability.
A security source told The Daily Star that a device containing 2 kilograms of TNT exploded inside Saidat al-Najat church at 4.15 a.m. Sunday morning, in a detonation performed via cellphone.
“This is the first time this kind of bomb has been used [in Lebanon], whereby the individual can detonate the bomb from anywhere,” the source said.
Israel Releases Map of Hezbollah Bunkers in Lebanon
Washington Post obtains map detailing bunkers, arms caches, surveillance sites in south Lebanon. IDF official: We want to show world that Shiite group has turned villages into fighting zones.
Syria Releases Egyptian-American Accused of Espionage
Syrian authorities have released an Egyptian-American man one week after detaining him on espionage concerns and showing him in what was billed as a televised confession on state TV.
Muhammad Radwan was released to the Egyptian Embassy in Damascus on Friday.
The organization that represents the conservative Arab Gulf states Monday defended military action in Libya by the U.S. and its allies, saying it doesn’t constitute “intervention.”
“What is happening now is not intervention, it is protecting the people from bloodshed,” said Abdel Rahman bin Hamad Al Attiyah, the secretary general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. “These operations are to stop bloodshed in Libya,” Mr. Al Attiyah added.
Mr. Al Attiyah’s statement follows criticism of allied military strikes on Libya by the Arab League, the group whose endorsement of a no-fly zone gave political cover for U.S. and European military action in a Muslim country.
The Arab League got back behind international military strikes against Libya on Monday after comments by its leader had indicated divisions over the campaign against Moamer Kadhafi.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa declared his commitment to the UN-mandated action after a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Ban, who later had to be rescued from pro-Kadhafi activists in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, said it was essential for the world “to speak with one voice” on the Libya crisis and Mussa gave new backing to the campaign.
“We are commmitted to UN Security Council Resolution 1973, we have no objection to this decision, particularly as it does not call for an invasion of Libyan territory,” Mussa told a press conference with the UN chief.
While Battling Riots at Home, Bahrain Military Joined Exercise With UAE
Bahrain’s military, amid bloody riots, has staged an exercise with the United Arab Emirates.
[...] The Royal Air Force of Bahrain conducted an air defense exercise with the United Arab Emirates this month. The two militaries were said to have focused on the U.S.-origin Hawk air defense battery, manufactured by Raytheon.
[...] The exercise took place in the UAE on March 8 and was deemed part of military cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Manama. Officials said the exercise facilitated interoperability as well as air defense skills.
[...] Manama has one of the smallest militaries in the GCC. Bahrain has been bolstered by a significant U.S. military presence, including that of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Iran Raises Doubt about True Objectives of West in Attacking Libya
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast cautioned about the objectives of the western military intervention in Libya, and called on the regional states to keep vigilant about the plots hatched by the hegemonic powers.
Iran Calls for Immediate Withdrawal of Foreign Forces from Bahrain
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called on the Bahraini regime to end the crackdown on popular demonstrations in the country, and stressed the necessity for an immediate withdrawal of foreign forces from the Persian Gulf island.
[...] Saudi Arabia has deployed more than 1,000 troops to the country, while the United Arab Emirates has dispatched around 500 police forces to assist in the repression of the peaceful protesters.
French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Spooks Rivals in Vote Poll
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen had her political rivals on the run after a poll showed she could beat any of the top likely candidates in a first-round presidential election.
The survey by pollster Harris Interactive published in Le Parisien newspaper showed Le Pen would win 24 percent of the first-round vote, ahead of the leading contenders from the main left- and right-wing rival parties.
Gaddafi’s Son Says Libya Funded “Clown” Sarkozy’s Presidential Campaign
The son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has claimed that his country helped fund French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s election campaign in 2007.
In an interview with Euronews, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi said Sarkozy would have to return the money, given his government is now the first to officially recognise the opposition council.
Gaddafi said Libya funded Sarkozy’s campaign and was prepared “to reveal everything” about it.
“The first thing we want this clown to do is to give the money back to the Libyan people. He was given assistance so that he could help them. But he’s disappointed us: give us back our money. We have all the bank details and documents for the transfer operations and we will make everything public soon.”
A spokesperson for Sarkozy’s office in Paris has denied the claims.
Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign funding is already a hot topic in France, where an investigation involving allegations L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt donated money to the campaign illegally has been underway for months.
French Plane Fires First Shot in Libya Intervention
The French air force destroyed Libyan tanks and armored vehicles on Saturday, the first shots fired in a U.N.-mandated military intervention to protect civilians from attacks by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
A French defense ministry official said “a number of tanks and armored vehicles” were destroyed in the region of Benghazi, with initial action focusing on stopping Gaddafi’s forces from advancing on the rebels’ eastern stronghold.
MI6 Puts Gun to Generals’ Heads: Our Spies Phone Gaddafi’s Men Direct to Warn : Defect or Die
British intelligence is warning Colonel Gaddafi’s generals that it could be fatal to remain loyal to the Libyan leader.
MI6 spies and military officials are contacting commanders in Tripoli trying to persuade them to defect, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Their message is blunt: ‘General, we’ve got the GPS co-ordinates of your command post. They are programmed into a Storm Shadow missile. What do you want to do?’
As Gaddafi vowed to wage a long war with the ‘crusader alliance’, British officials said the intelligence services had the telephone numbers of many key military officials in his regime.
A senior source said: ‘They will be doing their best to get in touch. This is a situation where success breeds success. Once you get air superiority it becomes suicidal for Libyan army commanders to want to move tanks or to use artillery.
Libyan rebels have been seen using Swedish-designed weapons in their battle to oust Muammar Qaddafi from power. Swedish arms export officials suspect the weapons arrived via the UK.
At least two foreign television reports of the fighting in Libya have shown rebels carrying older models of the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle, according to Sveriges Television (SVT).
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called Friday on Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stop violence against peaceful protesters.
Rival tanks deployed in the streets of Yemen’s capital Monday after three senior army commanders defected to a movement calling for the ouster of the U.S.-backed president, leaving him with virtually no support among the country’s most powerful institutions.
[...] Two Yemeni ambassadors also resigned their posts in protest at the government’s crackdown on protesters.
Oil Price Jumps on Libya Attacks and Japanese Demand
The price of oil jumped by more than $2 a barrel on Monday morning, driven higher by the military action in Libya and strong demand from Japan.
As Operation Odyssey Dawn continued in the Middle East, the cost of a barrel of Brent crude gained $2.29 to $116.22. US crude rose by the same amount, to $103.35. Analysts have predicted that the strikes against Colonel Gaddafi could push oil above its recent highs, with Brent tipped to rise above $120 a barrel.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday likened the UN Security Council resolution on Libya to a Medieval crusade call.
Russia abstained from a UN Security Council resolution adopted on Thursday imposing a no-fly zone over Libya and measures to protect civilians from leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
“The Security Council resolution is deficient and flawed; it allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade,” Putin told workers at a ballistic missile factory in the Urals region. “It effectively allows intervention in a sovereign state.”
Ten of the Security Council’s 15 members voted in favor of the resolution, with Russia, China, Germany, India and Brazil abstaining. The resolution was co-sponsored by France, Britain, Lebanon and the United States.
“This U.S. policy is becoming a stable trend,” Putin said, recalling the U.S. air strikes on Belgrade under Bill Clinton and Afghanistan and Iraq under the two Bush administrations.
“Now it’s Libya’s turn – under the pretext of protecting civilians,” the premier said. “Where is the logic and conscience? There is neither.”
“The ongoing events in Libya confirm that Russia is right to strengthen her defense capabilities,” he added.
A Russian programmer accused of stealing proprietary computer code from the U.S. financial firm Goldman Sachs has been sentenced in New York City to 97 months in prison.
Sergey Aleynikov was found guilty in a jury trial in December.
He was employed by Goldman Sachs between 2007-09 to develop and maintain computer platforms for high-frequency trading.
Prosecutors said that during his time with Goldman Sachs, Aleynikov stole proprietary computer code, with the intention of using it later at a competitor firm.
In addition to the prison sentence, Aleynikov, who is a dual Russian-American citizen, is required to pay a $12,500 fine.
China expressed regret on Sunday over the multinational air strikes in Libya, saying in a foreign ministry statement that it opposed the use of force in international relations.
“China has noted the latest developments in Libya and expresses regret over the military attacks on Libya,” the statement said.
Russia also issued a similarly worded statement in which it called for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
China’s statement made no mention of a ceasefire and stressed that China respected the north African country’s “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity”.
“We hope Libya can restore stability as soon as possible and avoid further civilian casualties due to an escalation of armed conflict,” it added.
Regretting air strikes over Libya, India today called upon all parties to abjure use of violence saying the need of the hour was “cessation of armed conflict” in the North African country.
“We view with grave concern the ongoing violence, strikes and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Libya. We regret the air strikes that are taking place,” External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters here.
“India calls upon all parties to abjure violence and the use of threat and force to resolve the differences. I think the need of the hour is cessation of armed conflict,” he added.
No Need to Panic Over Chinese Warship Off Coast of Libya
One of the most ironic developments in the Libyan crisis is the reaction of American military pundits to China dispatching a warship to the Mediterranean Sea.
The warship Xuzhou, which media outlets described as a “4,000-ton frigate, fully armed with air defence missiles,” or simply as a “Chinese missile ship,” would appear to a layperson to be both massive and powerful. The rationale that American analysts give for the Chinese deploying the Xuzhou is “projecting China’s power off the coast of Libya.”
Aramco and Sinopec Sign MoU for Refining Partnership
Saudi Aramco and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) related to the ongoing development of the Red Sea Refining Company (RSRC), a world-class, full-conversion refinery in Yanbu’, on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The MOU was signed by Khalid A. Al-Falih, president and CEO, Saudi Aramco, and Su Shulin, president, Sinopec.
U.S. Won’t Have Dominant Role in Libya Action : Gates
Aboard a U.S. military aircraft — US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday the United States would not play a “preeminent role” in military action against Libya, with other countries soon taking the lead.
US President Barack Obama “felt strongly, I would say, about limiting the scale of US military involvement in this,” Gates told reporters on his plane, en route to Russia.
“We will have a military role in the coalition. But we will not have the preeminent role,” Gates said.
In deciding to back intervention in Libya, Obama stressed the “importance of a meaningful coalition” with partners “making serious military contributions,” Gates said.
Turkey to Serve as Protecting Power for U.S. in Libya
Turkey will serve as a “protecting power” for the United States in Libya, senior State Department officials told CNN on Sunday.
As a protecting power, Turkey will represent the United States in Libya, including acting as consular officers on behalf of U.S. citizens in Libya and looking after American diplomatic facilities in the country.
Turkey can also pass messages between the United States and Libya, as what little communication remains between the two countries is likely to come to a grinding halt now that the U.S. is bombing Libyan targets as part of enforcement of a no-fly zone.
Levent Sahin Kaya, Turkish ambassador to Libya, told CNN he will represent America in Libya along with the United Kingdom and Italy.
Greece Asks Turkey to Halt Its Nuclear Plant Plans
Turkey is planning to building its first nuclear power station at Akkuyu, in the south of the country, under a deal signed last year with the Russian state nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom.
President Karolos Papoulias said Friday that the European Union should intervene to prevent a “catastrophe on its doorstep.”
Prime Minister George Papandreou’s office said the premier also telephoned his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express opposition to the venture.
U.S. Training Quietly Nurtured Young Arab Democrats
[...] And when 2011′s winter of discontent exploded into a pro-democracy storm in Tunisia and then Egypt, opposition activist Bilal Diab broke away from his six-month “young leaders school” and its imported instructors, and put his new skills to use among the protest tents of Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
“It helped us organize the revolution,” Diab, 23, said of his made-in-America training. “People were scattered, but we had learned how to bring them together and we did, and when we opened our tent we announced formation of the Revolution Youth Union.”
[...] That success, meanwhile, points up a core paradox: A U.S. government that long stood by Mubarak and other Arab leaders as steadfast allies was, at the same time, financing programs that ultimately contributed to his and potentially others’ downfall.
[...] “One of the beauties of the U.S. system is that there are many, many entry points in many centers of power, and they can have conflicting policies.”
[...] National Endowment money, $100-million-plus a year, is at work in more than 90 countries worldwide. But it’s the USAID grants, from an $800 million budget for developing “political competition” and “civil society” in 67 nations, that have proved vital to activists in a half-dozen Arab lands, from Morocco to Yemen. Some $104 million was requested for them in the proposed 2011 budget.
[...] Today General Enan, a favorite of the American military, is the second in command among the group of generals moving toward some form of democracy in Egypt. In meetings of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, he sits to the right of its leader, the 75-year-old defense minister, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and is considered his potential successor. In the meantime, American officials say, General Enan, 63, has become a crucial link for the United States as it navigates the rocky course ahead with Cairo.
If he is not yet the Pentagon’s man in Egypt, many hope he will be.
[...] Some experts on the Egyptian military have suggested that General Enan could be a candidate, a proposal swiftly dismissed by Pentagon officials and the Egyptian military. “The Supreme Council will not field a candidate from one of their own,” an Egyptian military official said in a rare interview on Friday in Washington. The official requested anonymity under ground rules imposed by the Egyptian government.
No one disputes, though, that General Enan will play a central role in Egypt’s future government, more likely from behind the scenes, where the country’s powerful and traditionally secretive armed forces are still most comfortable. There, out of sight of most Egyptians, they run national security policy and operate lucrative businesses as part of a parallel “Military Inc.” economy that produces electronics, household appliances, clothing and food.
U.S.-Saudi Tensions Intensify With Mideast Turmoil
[...] Saudi officials have made no secret of their deep displeasure with how President Obama handled the ouster of the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, charging Washington with abandoning a longtime ally. They show little patience with American messages about embracing what Mr. Obama calls “universal values,” including peaceful protests.
When Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton were forced to cancel visits to the kingdom in recent days, American officials were left wondering whether the cause was King Abdullah’s frail health — or his pique at the United States.
“They’re not in a mode for listening,” said one senior administration official, referring to the American exchanges with Saudi officials over the past two months about the need to get ahead of the protests that have engulfed other Arab states, including two of Saudi Arabia’s neighbors, Bahrain and Yemen.
A Saudi-led military force crossed into Bahrain on Monday to prop up the monarchy against widening demonstrations, launching the first cross-border military operation to quell unrest since the Arab world’s rebellions began in December.
[...] Gulf leaders are also concerned that political gains by Bahrain’s Shiites might give Shiite Iran a stepping stone to its arch-rival Saudi Arabia, connected to Bahrain by a wide causeway.
Instead, the Saudis and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council sent forces the other way, deploying about 1,000 troops by land and air and cementing the entire six-nation alliance to the fate of Bahrain’s rulers, who are key U.S. allies as hosts of the American Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Iran’s Arming of Afghan Insurgents Hits Lethal Level
British Foreign Minister William Hague has lashed out at Iran after extensive tests verified without a doubt that 122 mm rockets intercepted by the British Special Air Services in Southern Afghanistan were being shipped by Iran to the Taliban there. “This is a really significant indication of Iranian support for the insurgency,” said one British military source
Israeli Military Believes Experts from Iran, Hezbollah Training Gaza Militants
[...] Hamas, an anti-Israel group backed by Iran and Syria, took control of Gaza by force in June 2007.
[...] Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, frequently send in experts to train Hamas forces, crossing through illicit tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border that are also used to smuggle in weapons. Some foreign experts are even stationed in Gaza.
Lebanon Pro-Western Opposition Protests Against Hezbollah Arms
Tens of thousands of supporters of outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri gathered in Beirut on Sunday to protest the weapons arsenal held by the rival Shiite movement Hezbollah.
In a rally which marked the 2005 uprising that ended Syria’s 30-year domination of Lebanon.
[...] The militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, was the only Lebanese political faction allowed to keep its weapons after the 1975-90 civil war. The group argues it needs them to defend Lebanon from possible Israeli attacks.
Israel Finally Moving to Define National Policy on Iran
[...] Recently, activists in the United States and Germany, especially Stop the Bomb, have increased pressure on Angela Merkel’s government to close the Hamburg-based European-Iranian trade bank EIH. The bank, founded in 1971 during the shah’s rule, has for years functioned as Iran’s main financial arm in Europe to fund its undercover activities. It is considered a German bank and is supervised by Germany’s central bank, but it is owned by four large banks, all of them owned by the Iranian government.
Lebanon Lifts Banking Secrecy on 23 Cases Involved in Money Laundering
Report comes as U.S. scrutinizing Lebanese banks for possible links to terrorist financing.
Lebanon lifted the banking secrecy on 23 accounts involved in money laundering, financial embezzlement and terrorist funding in 2010, according to a report by the Special Investigation Commission (SIC).
[...] The U.S. Treasury Feb. 10 accused the Lebanese-Canadian Bank of money laundering in connection with Hezbollah, which is labeled by Washington as a terrorist group.
Central Bank governor Riad Salameh immediately left to Washington and held urgent talks with officials from the U.S. Treasury.
Salameh, who is keen to protect the reputation of the Lebanese banks, persuaded the management of the Lebanese-Canadian Bank to sell its entire stake to a major Lebanese bank to protect customers’ deposits.
Israeli Television : Third War with Hizbullah Will Include 230 Villages South of Awali River
Israeli Channel Ten television broadcast preliminary images of what it claimed was a base in Syria where Hizbullah stored its rockets. The report said: “Hizbullah is arming itself at an unprecedented rate under the misleading cover of calm in the North.”
The base, located in Adra in Syria, lies 50 kilometers east of Damascus and serves as an “emergency storage unit for Hizbullah in Syria or Hizbullah’s special region in the heart of Syria.”
These rockets are transported on a daily basis from Adra to northern Lebanon, the Bekaa, and the South, through smuggling routes.
“The international community is aware of these images,” the report stressed.
It also addressed the Iranian deputy foreign minister’s recent meeting to Lebanon, which it said was aimed at inspecting the “Iranian unit that it deployed at Lebanon’s border with Israel.”
“In fact, the official arrived to make sure that Hizbullah is not wasting the gifts and funds Iran has invested in Lebanon. They want all matters to be ready should Iran’s nuclear facilities be attacked,” it continued.
Given the extent of smuggling and the number of rockets being delivered, some of which have a range of 300 kilometers, then an attack by the Israeli army would include 230 villages south of the Awali River North of Sidon, and not just 180 villages as had previously been discussed, said the report.
Iran’s Majlis (parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani says power equations in the region are changing in favor of resistance against Israel.
In a meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri on Thursday, Larijani described the recent popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa as a good opportunity for “those countries [which are] in the resistance front against Israel and its arrogant supporters.”
[...] The Iranian lawmaker stressed the strategic importance of cooperation among Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq for the whole region.
Larijani accused foreign powers of “taking advantage of the region’s current situation” and said, “The vigilance of regional nations will prevent the plots devised by international powers to regain their hegemony in the region.”
Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq have agreed to issue joint visas in an effort to boost their tourism sectors, local media reported on Monday (March 7th). The measure, proposed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would cut tourist costs, allowing them to visit all four countries with one visa. The new document will be called “Shamgen”, from “Sham”, the Arab name for Syria.
China to Help Iran Build World’s Tallest Dam – Tehran
China signed a $2 billion contract with Iran to build the world’s tallest dam in the Islamic state, the Iranian energy minister was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
[...] Iran has been hit by foreign sanctions and Western firms are wary of investing in the Islamic Republic for fear of sanctions. State-owned Asian firms are less susceptible to Western pressure to stay away from the Iranian market.
Leader’s Advisor Warns of Iran’s Crushing Response to Aggressors
A senior advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution warned enemies of Iran’s crushing response to any possible action against the country, adding that Iran will chase and punish invaders beyond the country’s borders.
[...] Speculation that Israel could bomb Iran mounted since a big Israeli air drill last year. In the first week of June, 2008, 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters reportedly took part in an exercise over the eastern Mediterranean and Greece, which was interpreted as a dress rehearsal for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear installations.
Iran has, in return, warned that it would target Israel and the US as well as their worldwide interests in case it comes under attack by either country.
Iran has also warned it could close the strategic Strait of Hormoz if it became the target of a military attack over its nuclear program.
Strait of Hormoz, the entrance to the strategic Persian Gulf waterway, is a major oil shipping route.
Iran’s former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has lost his position as the head of powerful clerical body according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.
Rafsanjani had chaired the Assembly of Experts since 2007.
He did not seek re-election after a veteran conservative cleric applied for the post.
Rafsanjani has now been replaced by Ayatollah Mohammed Reza Mahdavi Kani.
Under Iran’s constitution the assembly appoints and supervises the Supreme Leader and can even dismiss him.
Rafsanjani lost to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005’s presidential election and has been a rival ever since.
Hardliners accuse Rafsanjani of being too close to the opposition.
The 77-year-old was a vocal critic of a government-led crackdown on the 2009 ‘Green Movement’ protests after Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election.
The volume of Iran’s oil exports to the EU member states increased to 41% in 2010 despite the western sanctions and the extra embargos imposed by the EU against the country.
According to a report citing Eurostat website, the recent statistical figures show that the value of Iran’s crude oil exports to the EU was worth 11.44bln euro in 2010, while the value of the country’s oil exports to 27 EU members in 2009 amounted only to 8.11bln euro.
Iran and Afghanistan have conducted a joint exercise to show off their readiness in countering drug-smugglers that operate along their shared borders.
Iranian and Afghan border guards kicked off the drill on Sunday as it entered its third day on Tuesday, commander of 4th Zone Afghan Border Police Maj. Gen. Sher Ali Shahryar said.
Gen. Shahryar added that Afghanistan had increased its forces in the west, saying that the Afghan border police are capable of stopping drug traffickers and preventing them from transporting drugs out of the country, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Afghanistan has deployed on its Western border 90 police officers that have been recently trained in Kabul, said the Afghan official.
He also stressed that new forces would be deployed in the border provinces of Herat, Farah, and Bagdis.
Afghanistan remains the source for over 90 percent of the world’s opium supply, which is the raw ingredient for heroin. The United Nations estimates the potential export value of Afghan narcotics to be about USD 3.4 billion a year.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has enforced strict security measures on its border with Afghanistan to stop drugs from being smuggled into the country.
British Special Forces Seize Shipment of Arms Iran Intended for the Taliban
Foreign Secretary William Hague has condemned Tehran’s ‘completely unacceptable’ behaviour after British Special Forces seized a shipment of Iranian arms intended for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
UK officials say detailed technical analysis has shown that the rockets, which have twice the range of the weapons currently available to the insurgents, were supplied by Iran.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Wednesday his country rejects any interference in its domestic affairs and would “cut off” any accusing finger.
Shiite protesters have taken to the streets in the majority Sunni kingdom in recent days demanding more freedom and democracy, mirroring the unrest across the Middle East and North Africa.
Lady Barbara Judge, a prominent member of the international board that advises the UAE on nuclear development, is happy with the way the Arab world’s first civilian nuclear programme is shaping up.
“The UAE understands that the key is to bring in the best people, give them the best facilities and a high degree of autonomy,” Lady Judge said yesterday after a lecture to female students at Zayed University in the capital.
“Abu Dhabi has the gold standard of nuclear projects,” she told a student who asked about security. “It is peaceful, transparent and will be a model for the rest of the world. The nuclear industry is the safest in the world, and it is only getting safer.”
Egypt, still grappling with a revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February, is reported to be quietly aiding rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
This is seen as part of a drive by the transitional regime in Cairo to restore Egypt’s leadership of the Arab world.
While the United States and the international community debate whether to intervene in the civil war raging in Libya to support the ragtag rebel forces holding the east of the country, Egypt apparently has sent around 100 Special Forces troops to help the insurgents.
The U.S. global security consultancy Stratfor says these troops “have played a key role in quietly providing weaponry and training to Libyan opposition forces while trying to organize a political command in the east.”
Cairo has made no official comment on the report.
[...] Stratfor claimed that, Tunisia, Libya’s western neighbor where the people power uprisings erupted in January, is “allowing armed volunteer fighters, along with Egyptian special operations forces, to enter Libya.”
It gave no numbers but noted, “This reported influx of fighters would presumably be used to flank Gadhafi’s forces from the west while other opposition forces move in from the east for a potential battle over Tripoli,” the Libyan capital held by Gadhafi’s loyalists and mercenaries.
[...] There has been speculation that with Mubarak gone, Egypt will have a freer hand in terms of foreign policy and that the powerful military will have a bigger say in that regard.
“Unlike Persian Gulf Arab states, whose power is derived from petrodollars, Egypt has real military might and regional intelligence networks with which to assert itself,” Stratfor observed.
“This means that in the near future, the United States may conceivably get a new source of manpower in the Middle East,” analyst Victor Kotsev wrote in Asia Times Online.
“For Egypt’s military rulers, this would also be a way to divert public attention away from domestic problems and to demonstrate competent rule in one area where they are indeed expert: military intervention.
“In a sense, the uprising created the ideal conditions for expanding Egypt’s military role in the region. It weakened the political structure of the country while empowering the army,” Kotsev wrote.
Egypt is well-placed to act as a regional gendarme, particularly as U.S. power and authority in the Middle East is waning.
One of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi’s closest aides is in on a mission in Egypt amid surging clashes between government forces and protesters in Libyan cities.
A plane carrying Libyan army General Abdel-Rahman al-Zawi landed in Cairo on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
A Libyan diplomat has confirmed that Major General al-Zawi is carrying a message for Egypt’s military council which is now running the country.
Three weeks after president Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, Egyptians are turning their anger toward his internal security apparatus, storming the agency’s headquarters and other offices Saturday and seizing documents to keep them from being destroyed to hide evidence of human rights abuses.
What to do with the country’s tainted security agencies remains one of the most contentious issues facing the military rulers who took charge after a popular uprising forced Mubarak to step down on Feb. 11.
The 500,000-strong internal security services are accused of some of the worst human rights abuses in the suppression of dissent against Mubarak’s nearly 30-year rule. The protesters are demanding the agency be dismantled and its leaders face a reckoning.
The ruling military council’s bind was evident on Friday and Saturday when thousands of demonstrators — including some who said they were victims of abuse by security agents — marched on state security buildings in Alexandria, Cairo and other cities.
Protesters stormed inside at least six of the buildings, including the agency’s main headquarters in Cairo’s northern Nasr City neighbourhood, confronting officers face to face and attacking some in a surreal reversal of roles.
[...] Egypt’s state security services, which under Mubarak were given a free hand by emergency laws to suppress dissent, are among the most powerful symbols of his regime. Many protest leaders say despite the fall of Mubarak and his government, the agency remains active in protecting the old regime and trying to sabotage the revolution.
The agency was the most pervasive security force, collecting intelligence on regime opponents and supporters alike.
Hundreds of Coptic Christians gathered outside the state television and radio building in Cairo on Sunday to protest against the burning of a church following religious clashes south of the capital.
Protesters, some carrying wooden crosses and Egyptian flags, demanded that the armed forces intervene to protect Coptic communities and churches.
The demonstration comes two days after a church was torched following clashes between Muslims and Christians in the town of Sol, 90 km south of Cairo.
Protesters demanded that those responsible for the incident be brought to justice.
Clashes in Sol were triggered when residents discovered that a Christian man from the town was having a relationship with a Muslim woman from a Cairo suburb.
The mass demonstrations sweeping the Middle East are touching the Palestinian territories, where West Bank and Gaza Strip activists are trying to organize their own “Facebook revolutions.”
The Palestinian activists are inspired by the calls for democracy that toppled autocratic leaders in Egypt and Tunisia and threaten longtime rulers in Libya and Bahrain.
In recent weeks, activists using Facebook have brought hundreds of people onto streets of the West Bank, waving Palestinian flags and calling for change. Smaller gatherings have taken place in Gaza. The protesters hope to stage a massive demonstration in both areas on March 15.
[...] Palestinians seek an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, areas wedged on different sides of Israel and ruled by rival governments. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority governs in the West Bank, where Israel’s military still retains overall control. The militant Islamic group Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Britain to Raise Status of Palestinian London Office
Hague says status being raised to mission; move falls short of conferring formal diplomatic status which would imply recognizing Palestinian state.
[...] The move means that the current Palestinian “general delegation” office in London becomes the Palestinian mission and the head of delegation becomes known as the head of mission.
[...] “We want to see an urgent return to negotiations, based on clear parameters including 1967 borders. We will work with all the parties to press for a decisive breakthrough this year,” Hague told parliament.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may move up a trip to the United States and present an interim peace plan to head off growing pressure on the Jewish state, Israeli radio reported Monday.
Citing sources close to the prime minister, the radio said Netanyahu had been expected to present the plan during a May 22 visit to Washington.
During that trip he had been expected to address US pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC and possibly the US Congress.
But, facing increasing international pressure over stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, Netanyahu is now considering moving up his visit and is hoping to secure an official invitation to address Congress with his plan.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Monday called on Netanyahu to “take a bold decision” as soon as possible “to move Israel out of its isolation.”
Defense Minister sees no immediate threat in Egypt but fears repercussions of Mideast unrest. In Wall Street Journal interview, he says military upgrade can turn Israel into regional stabilizer.
Defense Minister Barak said Israel might request an additional $20 billion in military assistance from the United States in order to prepare for possible threats, given the recent unrest in the Middle East.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Tuesday, Barak said that Israel should not fear regional changes or the risk of offering valiant concessions to the Palestinians.
Oil prices climbed to near $106 a barrel Monday as intense fighting between Libyan government forces and rebels appeared to be turning into a civil war and raised the prospect of a prolonged cut in crude exports from the OPEC nation.
[...] Over the weekend, supporters and opponents of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi fought in several cities, heightening fears that the country is headed for a protracted conflict. Libya’s oil output has fallen by at least 1 million barrels per day from 1.6 million since the uprising began last month.
Saudi Arabia’s “Day of Rage” Lures Record Bets on $200 Oil : Chart of Day
Options traders are betting more than ever that crude oil is heading to $200 a barrel as some websites call for a “Day of Rage” in Saudi Arabia and anti- government protests spread in the Middle East and North Africa.
[...] Saudi Arabia produced 9.71 million barrels a day in 2009, one-third of OPEC output and almost six times as much as Libya, according to BP Plc’s Statistical Review of World Energy. Websites have called for a nationwide “Day of Rage” on March 11 and March 20, Human Rights Watch said Feb 28. Protests in five of the kingdom’s eight immediate neighbors have prompted King Abdullah to boost spending on housing, social welfare and education to curb unrest in his country.
“The price of oil is going to go up, whether you like it to or don’t,” said Juerg Kiener, chief investment officer at Swiss Asia Capital Ltd. in Singapore. “If Saudi Arabia fails, then I say you have a fire in the house. They gave out $30 billion of money so maybe they’ll buy time. But I don’t see the problems disappearing.”
The U.S. government reiterated that it could tap its strategic oil reserves in order to safeguard economic growth as surging gasoline prices increase pressure for action.
While longstanding U.S. policy is to release reserves only in the event of a significant and immediate supply shortage, some analysts say the Obama administration may feel compelled to try to tamp down prices that are being fueled both by outages in Libya and concern unrest could spread in the Middle East.
If crude oil prices stay high for an extended time — and that remains a big if — Asian countries from China to India might not be able to sustain the growth pace that has driven the global economy. While projections based on uncertainties such as oil prices and the Middle East’s future must come with big caveats, in some worst-case scenarios inflation could double and growth rates halve in parts of Asia. That would deprive the world of a growth driver just as developed countries start to get back on track.
If high prices persist, “Without a doubt, Asia could take a hit. It faces a big problem — and that will be a problem for everybody,” said Sanjay Mathur, an Asia economist in Singapore for RBS.
In a report, Mathur and RBS economist Erik Lueth estimated that at $120 a barrel, the oil price would shave off 1.5 percentage points off growth this year for Asia ex-Japan. Their baseline, with $80 a barrel oil, is for 8.2 percent growth, which drops to 6.7 percent for $120 a barrel.
On Monday, New York crude reached its highest level since September 2008. At 0645 GMT, it was up $2.02 to $106.44 a barrel.
U.S.’ Geithner to Meet Trichet, Schaeuble in Germany
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet with European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Tuesday during a brief trip to Frankfurt and Berlin, the Treasury said on Monday.
Geithner also will meet with German Bundesbank President Axel Weber while in Frankfurt on Tuesday morning.
Saudi Arabia has banned all protests following several small gatherings of demonstrators demanding change in the conservative kingdom.
The country’s Interior Ministry announced Saturday on state television that security forces would use what it called “all measures” to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order.
The ban follows a series of protests by minority Shi’ite Muslims, calling for the release of prisoners they said were being held unjustly. Media reports say police made a number of arrests during these events.
Most of Saudi Arabia’s Shi’ite minority lives in the country’s oil-rich east. This region borders the kingdom of Bahrain, which has been the scene of protests by majority Shi’ites against their Sunni rulers. Saudi Shi’ites – like their Bahraini bretheran – complain that their Sunni-controlled government discriminates against them.
Opposition activists in Saudi Arabia have made public calls on Facebook for two organized rallies, one on March 11 as a “Day of Rage,” and the other on March 20.
Saudis Mobilise Thousands of Troops to Quell Growing Revolt
Saudi Arabia was yesterday drafting up to 10,000 security personnel into its north-eastern Shia Muslim provinces, clogging the highways into Dammam and other cities with busloads of troops in fear of next week’s “day of rage” by what is now called the “Hunayn Revolution”.
[...] The opposition is expecting at least 20,000 Saudis to gather in Riyadh and in the Shia Muslim provinces of the north-east of the country in six days, to demand an end to corruption and, if necessary, the overthrow of the House of Saud. Saudi security forces have deployed troops and armed police across the Qatif area – where most of Saudi Arabia’s Shia Muslims live – and yesterday would-be protesters circulated photographs of armoured vehicles and buses of the state-security police on a highway near the port city of Dammam.
[...] Saudi security officials have known for more than a month that the revolt of Shia Muslims in the tiny island of Bahrain was expected to spread to Saudi Arabia.
Iran will earn USD 110 billion annually upon the complete launch of the remaining phases of the South Pars gas field, Oil Minister Massoud Mirkazemi says.
“Every phase of the South Pars will produce 25 million cubic meters of natural gas and some 40,000 barrels of condensates per day,” he was quoted as saying by the Oil Ministry’s news website Shana on Monday.
Mirkazemi noted that USD 60 billion would be allocated to developing the upstream sector of Asalouyeh and South Pars in the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2010-2015), which is part of long term roadmap for sustainable growth.
The process of developing gas production projects in the South Pars Special Economic Energy Zone has been divided into 28 phases.
The gas field is located in the Persian Gulf in the border zone between Iran and Qatar. Its reserves are estimated at 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of gas condensates.
South Pars covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, of which 3,700 square kilometers (South Pars) is in Iranian territorial waters and 6,000 square kilometers (North Dome) is in Qatar’s territorial waters.
The oil minister also said as South Pars gas field is a joint project with Qatar; it needs more investment in order to speed up the completion of the project.
Around 300 American CIA contractors are present in various parts of Pakistan, the revelation of which has further deepened the diplomatic row between Islamabad and Washington over the fate of the American killer of two Pakistanis ‘Raymond Davis’ arrested in Lahore in January this year, a security official revealed here yesterday.
The presence of dozens of CIA-linked Americans is not the only matter of deep concern for Pakistani security agencies but what is alarming is that these Davis-like “dubious characters” are also indulging in some highly-objectionable activities. Davis was for instance trying to make inroads into jihadi organisations linked to Kashmir, such as the defunct Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.
Number of DoD Contractors in Afghanistan at a Record High
The number of private security contractors employed by the Department of Defense in Afghanistan has reached a new record high, according to DoD statistics in a recently updated report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service.
In Afghanistan, as of December 2010, there were 18,919 private security contractor (PSC) personnel working for DOD.
Afghan Analyst : Gates in Kabul for Talks on Permanent Military Bases
An Afghan military analyst cautioned that the Monday visit to Kabul by the US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, aimed at military goals, including establishment of permanent US military bases in the war-torn country.
Gates arrived on a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Monday to meet with US troops and Afghan leaders. A number of media reports tried to connect the visit to the recent killing of civilians in foreign forces’ air attacks.
[...] In February, Afghan President Hamid Karzai confirmed that the Obama Administration has been in secret talks with him to formalize a system of permanent military bases across the war-torn country.
[...] During his visit, Gates claimed that both the US and Afghan governments agree the American military should remain involved in Afghanistan after the planned 2014 end of combat operations to help train and advise Afghan forces.
A soldier asked Gates about a long-term military presence, and Gates noted that Washington and Kabul have recently begun negotiating a security partnership.
The armed forces of South Korea and the United States on Monday launched planned joint military exercises as the North denounced the drills as preparations for an invasion.
About 200,000 South Korean and 12,800 US troops were to take part in the 11-day exercises, known as Key Resolve and focused on computer-based war games, the Yonhap News Agency reported, quoting officials from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The manoeuvres were to be followed by field training exercises under the name Foal Eagle, planned to run until April 30.
The drills were meant to reinforce the US-South Korean alliance and “demonstrate our mutual commitment to defending the Republic of Korea.”
[...] On Sunday, the North Korean military issued a statement condemning the drills, which it said were meant to “examine the practicability of the adventurous “plan on local war” against the DPRK,” the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Pyongyang said it would “respond to reckless provocation by the aggressors with an all-out war at any time” and turn Seoul into a “sea of fire.”
China’s increasingly assertive diplomatic and security postures present a much tougher challenge than its economic rise, requiring closer cooperation between the United States and its allies such as Japan to manage the situation, scholars from American think tanks said at a recent symposium in Tokyo.
North Korea threatened Sunday to enlarge its nuclear arsenal and “mercilessly” attack South Korea and the United States, as the allies prepared for joint military drills which the North considers a rehearsal for invasion.
North Korea routinely issues threats over the annual joint military drills, but its latest warning could rekindle tensions that rose sharply after two recent deadly incidents blamed on the North.
North Korea fired artillery at a front-line South Korean island in November, killing four people. Forty-six sailors died when a South Korean warship sank eight months earlier. North Korea has denied firing a torpedo at the ship.
North Korea called the South Korea-U.S. drills, which begin Monday, a “dangerous military scheme.”
“The army and people of (North Korea) will return bolstered nuclear deterrent of our own style for the continued nuclear threat by the aggressors,” North Korea’s military said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
It accused South Korea and the U.S. of plotting to topple the North’s communist government. It said if provoked, North Korea would start a “full-scale” war, take “merciless counteraction” and turn Seoul into a “sea of flames.”
North Korea also warned it would take “our own missile striking action” against what it called moves by the U.S. and South Korea to eliminate the North’s missiles. The statement didn’t elaborate.
Earlier Sunday, the North’s military warned that it would destroy South Korean border towns if Seoul continues to allow activists to launch propaganda leaflets toward the communist country.
With warships and missiles, Russia is flexing its muscles in the Far East in a bid to defend its position as an Asian power against China’s growing might.
China’s rise has forced Russia’s leaders to turn their gaze eastward and reassess decades of Soviet-era planning for a land war on the European plain or the nightmare of a nuclear conflict with the United States.
Russia to Reinforce, Rearm Division on Kurile Islands
Russia will restructure and rearm its 18th Machinegun and Artillery Division on the Kurile Islands, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said.
[...] The 18th Machinegun and Artillery Division is the only such permanent readiness unit in the Russian Armed Forces. Its regiments are stationed on Kunashir and Iturup and armed with tanks, armoured fighting vehicles, artillery systems, air defence and anti-tank systems, and machineguns.
Russia may build up its military presence on the Kurile Islands if faced with a security threat, State Duma Defence Committee Chairman Viktor Zavarzin said earlier.
President Dmitry Medvedev said the islands of the Kurile Ridge should have enough armaments to ensure their security.
“The armaments to be additionally deployed there should be necessary, sufficient and modern to ensure the security of these islands as an integral part of the Russian Federation,” Medvedev said at a meeting with Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Minister of Regional Development Viktor Basargin in early February.
[...] “The Kurile Islands are in fact of strategic importance for us, and we have a military unit stationed there. We are well aware that our frontiers must be effectively protected,” Zavarzin said.
China’s Jasmine Protest Organizers Call For Regular Sunday Strolls
Organizers of Sunday’s so-called “Jasmine Rallies” across China are now urging supporters to press for a more accountable government with a series of weekly Sunday strolls.
The anonymous organizers, believed to be overseas Chinese dissidents, posted their latest call Tuesday on the Chinese-language Boxun.com and other websites.
[...] Sunday’s rallies, inspired by uprisings across the Middle East, attracted only a small number of protesters who were vastly outnumbered by security forces, reporters and curious onlookers.
But in their latest posting the organizers tell the demonstrators that their action “has already made the authoritarian government very nervous.”
Japan and China agreed to improve ties which were strained to breaking point over maritime collisions in the East China Sea.
The agreement was reached at a meeting between Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae and his Chinese counterpart Zhang Zhijun, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a press release.
The meeting lasted about five and a half hours and was an “active, candid and pointed exchange of views,” the statement said.
It was the first so-called “strategic dialogue” between the two countries at the subcabinet level since June 2009.
Vietnam Opposes China’s Military Exercise in Hoang Sa Area
[...] “The military exercise of the Chinese Navy’s South Sea Fleet in Hoang Sa area seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelago ran counter to the ASEAN-China Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and negatively affected peace and stability in the region.”
Vietnam Did Not Join Military Exercise in Thailand
[...] The Ministry confirmed that Vietnam only sent one military attaché to Thailand to attend the opening ceremony.
[...] The military exercise – which is hosted annually by Thailand as a bilateral effort between the US and Thai militaries since 1982 – attracted full participation of the US, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore and, for the first time, Malaysia.
Communist Rebels Kill 3 Soldiers, Wound 4 Others in New Philippine Attack Despite Peace Talks
Communist rebels killed three soldiers and wounded four others in an ambush in the mountainous northern Philippines, officials said Sunday, despite the recent resumption of peace talks.
About 1000 personnel from the three branches of the armed forces started arriving yesterday in the South Canterbury and North Otago areas for one of the biggest exercises to be held in New Zealand for years.
[...] The exercise is to test and evaluate the defence force’s ability to react quickly to short-notice deployments, such as assistance to other countries, protected evacuation of New Zealand nationals, disruption of insurgent and criminal groups, and humanitarian relief.
“You only have to look at what is in the news today about other countries to see we may be called upon to assist, including protecting and evacuating New Zealanders.”
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.
China Says Suffers “Large-Scale” Economic Losses in Libya
China has suffered severe economic losses as a result of the political turmoil in Libya, it said on Thursday.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on its website (www.mofcom.gov.cn) that as of Wednesday, 27 Chinese construction sites and camps in Libya had been “attacked and looted” amid unrest in the country after Muammar Gaddafi used the military to crack down on public revolt against his 41-year rule.
“China has suffered large-scale direct economic losses in Libya, including looted worksites, burned and destroyed vehicles and tools, smashed office equipment and stolen cash.”
Putin Says Fears Growing Islamic Radicalism in North Africa
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he fears the growing unrest in north Africa will strengthen radical groups, which could have a negative impact on Russia’s volatile North Caucasus region.
[...] The strengthening of radical movements “will affect other parts of the world, including the North Caucasus,” Putin said.
Russia has been fighting Islamist insurgents in the mainly-Muslim North Caucasus republics since the late 1990s. Terrorist attacks are common in the region and have spread to other areas of Russia, including Moscow, on numerous occasions.
Moscow Orders Air Strikes In KBR As Medvedev Promotes Tourism In Region
Russian military aircraft struck targets in Kabardino-Balkaria where battles between the militants who killed a group of tourists last week and Russian forces have intensified, even as President Dmitry Medvedev promised that Moscow will continue to promote the development of tourism in that republic in advance of the Sochi Olympics.
Over the past week, following an attack on tourists visiting the republic, violence in Kabardino-Balkaria has escalated to the point that yesterday, Russian officials said that they not only had introduced additional forces to try to hunt down and eliminate the militants but had called in airstrikes against them (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/181424/).
Russia launched a $650 billion rearmament plan Thursday to counter the West’s military dominance by adding eight nuclear submarines and hundreds of warplanes to its creaking armed forces.
Deliveries of S-300 missile defense systems to Venezuela have been delayed, but will go ahead, an official at Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state-owned arms export monopoly, said on Tuesday.
In November, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that Russia had agreed to lend his country over $4 billion to buy weapons.
Russia Planning New Arms Sales to Iran Despite Sanctions
[...] Mikhail Dmitriyev, the head of the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service, told the Kommersant daily that the fourth round of sanctions that the UN slapped on Iran in June hurt Russia’s defense industry.
“But there are lines that we can pursue,” Dmitriyev said. “We will continue negotiating with Iran within the framework of these possibilities.”
Iran Voices Opposition to U.S.-Afghan Military Pact
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast on Tuesday warned that endorsement of any strategic treaty between Afghanistan and the US would undermine regional peace and security and further complicate the conditions in the region.
[...] Earlier in February, Afghan President Hamid Karzai confirmed that the Obama Administration has been in secret talks with him to formalize a system of permanent military bases across the war-torn country.
Pakistani Intelligence Service Warns Relationship with CIA is at Breaking Point
Pakistan’s spy agency has warned that its relationship with the CIA came close to breaking point over the fate of an American agent arrested in Lahore, threatening a crucial alliance that underpins the war in Afghanistan.
Oman Secret Meeting on ‘Davis’: Mullen Woos Kayani to Bridge ISI CIA Rift
The American military publication “Stars and Stripes” revealed the story that “Several of the most senior leaders of the U.S. military, the Afghanistan War, and the Pakistani armed forces held a daylong secret meeting Wednesday at a secluded luxury resort along the Omani shores of the Persian Gulf.
[...] Stars and Stripes reports that the meeting as “very candid and cordial, and very productive discussions.” euphemism for tough and business-like atmosphere. Those who attended, was a virtual “Who’s Who” of the US and Pakistani Military leadership.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. David Petraeus, commander of International Security Assistance Force Adm. Eric Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan’s chief of army staff Maj. Gen. Javed Iqbal, director general of military operations.
It is amazing that the Big Elephant was absent from the conference room. General Shuja Pasha the head of the Pakistani ISI was not present in the meeting. The CIA was also absent from this high powered meeting. The news reports about a rift between the CIA and the ISI seem to be real. The relations between the two spy agencies have deteriorated dramatically since November, when Wikileaks confirmed that large numbers of U.S. special operations forces had been operating on the ground inside Pakistan’s borders. There are news reports that the Pakistan Embassy has issued more than 10,000 visas to Americans. The News, one of Pakistan’s largest newspapers is reporting that the Pakistan Embassy is under scrutiny for issuing more than 400 visas in a single day. The Washington Post says “The ISI is now scouring thousands of visas issued to U.S. employees in Pakistan.
[...] The Washington Post is reporting the ISI is ready to split with the CIA. One of the world’s most powerful spy agencies has now stopped all cooperation with the CIA.
[...] To make matters worse, two CIA contractors who were involved in the vehicular homicide of a Pakistani civilian have been spirited out of Pakistan by the US Embassy. The contractors can still be sued in a Civilian Court. Pakistani Courts have demanded that the US spies be returned and tried for murder.
Top U.S. Military Officer Mullen Arrives in Bahrain
Top US military officer Mike Mullen arrived in Bahrain on Thursday, an AFP reporter said, as anti-regime protests gathered steam in the kingdom, where Washington’s Fifth Fleet is based.
[...] Mullen’s visit is part of a regional tour aimed at “reaffirming, reassuring and also trying to understand where the leaderships of these countries are going, and in particular in Bahrain.”
Russia Summons U.S. Envoy Over Japan Islands Dispute
The Russian foreign ministry on Monday summoned the US ambassador to Moscow over comments in which Washington reportedly backed the Japanese position in a simmering territorial row with Russia.
[...] “In this connection, the Russian Federation once again laid out it principled and unwavering position on Russia’s sovereignty over the south Kurils.”
Russia Restates Kuril Position While Japan Shrugs its Shoulders
[...] Tokyo-based Moscow News reader Keiran Drea said that the issue was making little impact on most Japanese people – despite scenes of violence outside the Russian embassy, which got significant coverage in Russia.
Japan Creating Spy Agency for First Time After Second World War
Japan is creating an espionage agency for the first time since the end of the Second World War, amid growing tensions with its superpower neighbour China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
[...] The new unit, modelled on MI6 and the CIA, will also be tasked with gathering information to prevent terrorist attacks against Japanese targets, according to a US government cable obtained by WikiLeaks.
[...] worsening of relations with China and the unpredictability of the North Korean regime means that Tokyo can no longer rely on its allies for intelligence about the activities of its enemies.
China and Japan clashed over the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea last year, and Japan has become increasingly apprehensive of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi again emphasized the need for the resumption soon of the stalled multinational talks on North Korea’s denuclearization, indicating the lingering opinion gap with Seoul over how to deal with the North’s ongoing nuclear ambitions.
A Chinese court on Friday rejected an appeal by American geologist Xue Feng against his eight-year jail sentence for spying, despite a long-running campaign by Washington to free him, including a personal plea by President Obama.
[...] Mr. Xue’s sentencing last summer sent a chill through foreign investors in China and the people who make their money analyzing its economy. He was found guilty of obtaining and trafficking in state secrets after he unearthed information on Chinese oil wells for his former employer—U.S. petroleum research firm IHS Inc.
The United States Tuesday dismissed any bilateral dialogue with North Korea on easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, urging the North to first improve ties with South Korea.
Wikileaks Cables Show China Used Debt to Pressure U.S. on Taiwan
China has sought to use its massive U.S. debt holdings to influence American financial policy and deter arms sales to Taiwan, according to diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks.
China Clamping Down to Prevent Mideast-Style Protests
A previously unknown group has called on the Chinese to replicate the popular protests in the Middle East by staging their own peaceful “jasmine rallies” in cities across China every Sunday afternoon, to demand an end to corruption, greater accountability and an independent judiciary.
Former U.S. Defense Chief Backs Sale of F-16 Jets to Taiwan
Washington, Feb. 22 (CNA) Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday that he supports the sale of U.S. F-16 C/D fighter jets to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act.
[...] But Rumsfeld said that if a cross-strait conflict erupts, it would be an example of terribly handled diplomacy, because such a conflict would be totally unnecessary.
However, he said, he thinks there is little possibility that such a conflict will occur since both Taiwan and China have been engaged in economic and tourist exchanges.
Rumsfeld said he believes Taipei and Beijing can solve their differences with good behavior and wise diplomacy.
Seoul is closely monitoring activities at a North Korean nuclear site amid signs that Pyongyang is preparing for a third nuclear test, government sources said Sunday.
The vigilance comes after South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities spotted the North digging additional tunnels at the Musudan-ri Launch Facility for a possible underground atomic test, a source told Yonhap News Agency.
North Korea appears close to finishing a new missile launch site, according to analysis of satellite images taken in the last month, which show an almost completed 100ft tall launch tower, suggesting a step forward in Pyongyang’s inter-continental ballistic missile programme.
Conflict Looms Over US Military Presence in Australia
For two decades, the issue of US bases in Australia has remained dormant. The Government and community seem to have become comfortable with their presence, as long as they are perceived as passive.
[...] Nevertheless, the issue of US bases might be about to re-emerge as a hot-button political issue.
U.S. to Boost Naval Forces as China Develops Carrier
The U.S. navy will continue to upgrade its military capabilities in the Pacific given its steadfast commitment to the region, a U.S. vice admiral said on Monday, while urging China’s growing navy to avoid provocation.
[...] “It is our sincere hope that as China continues to develop a blue-water navy, one which may soon include an aircraft carrier, it will employ that navy in a way that is responsible and constructive,” said Vice admiral Scott Van Buskirk during a visit to Hong Kong.
[...] Following on from Gate’s comments that China’s military advances in cyber and anti-satellite warfare technology could challenge the ability of U.S. forces to operate in the Pacific, Van Buskirk said the United States would upgrade its hardware there.
[...] It was reported earlier this week that three unidentified people who broke into a hotel room of visiting Indonesian presidential envoys last week were actually officials at South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The intruders intruded into the hotel room in downtown Seoul in an apparent attempt to steal laptops and fled after being walked in on by a member of the Indonesian delegation.
The Indonesian delegation, led by Indonesia’s coordinating economic minister Hatta Rajasa, was visiting Seoul last week at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak. The delegates, six of whom are ministerial-level officials, asked for support of the South Korean government and local firms for their major economic projects.
Indonesia Denies Report South Korean Spies Stole Military Data
The South Koreans who entered the hotel room of Indonesian officials visiting Seoul didn’t steal military data, Indonesia’s Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said, denying a report by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
The incident occurred on a different floor than the one officials from the Indonesian Defense Ministry were staying, Yusgiantoro told reporters in Jakarta today. An official from the Indonesian Industry Ministry saw the South Koreans in his room and a laptop that was taken from the room was returned, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa said.
Chosun reported today South spies broke into the Lotte Hotel room in Central Seoul on Feb. 16 to find out what price Indonesia may bid for weapons and trainer jets. The report cited an unidentified South Korean government official, and didn’t say how the person knew the details of the case.
Bloomberg | February 22, 2011 ____________________
Indonesia to Observe Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict
Amidst the recent border conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia, both countries have accepted Indonesia to observe both sides of the border, officials said Tuesday.
An Indonesian team of observers will be deployed to the region where they will observe and report accurately, as well as impartially on complaints of violations and submitting its findings to each party, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said.
Turkey to Sell Armoured Combat Vehicles to Malaysian Military
Turkish defense industry company FNSS signed Tuesday a $600 million deal with Malaysia’s DEFTECH to sell armoured combat vehicles to Malaysian military.
[...] The deal is important for Turkish defense industry as it is the largest amount in defense industry exports of the country at one time.
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”.
BP Plc, recovering from last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill, plans to begin offshore exploration drilling in Libya by the end of June, later than previously expected.
[...] The Libyan drilling will be the first under a $900 million deal BP signed with Libya in 2007 after the lifting of international sanctions on Libya removed barriers to doing business in the country.
[...] BP’s Libyan plans have aroused suspicion in the United States, where some politicians have said the British government and BP wanted convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi released to smooth BP’s deal with Libya. He was freed by Scottish authorities in 2009.
Ivory Coast’s incumbent Laurent Gbagbo decreed on Thursday that major banks suspending business in Ivory Coast are to be nationalised, the latest turn in a bitter struggle for political control of the West African state.
The banking system of the world’s top cocoa grower has been heading towards total collapse this week, with virtually all commercial banks shut and others swamped by customers trying to withdraw savings.
The closures are the consequence of an international sanctions effort to squeeze Gbagbo of funds and force him to stand down after UN-certified results of a November 28 election showed his rival Alassane Ouattara the winner.
South Africa Explains Presence of Warship Off Cote d’Ivoire Coast
Following the diplomatic spat triggered by the presence of a South African warship off the coast of Cote d’Ivoire, the South African government has explained the reason for the ship’s deployment. ‘The South African government confirms that it instructed the SA National Defence Force to pre-position the SA Navy support vessel, the SAS Drakensberg, in the Gulf of Guinea for possible assistance to SA diplomats, designated personnel and other South African citizens in Ivory Coast,’ Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said in a statement made available to PANA here Wednesday.
[...] ECOWAS Commission President James Victor Gbeho had accused South Africa of deploying the warship to Cote d’Ivoire in support of outgoing President Laurent Gbagbo, who is refusing to step down after being widely-acknowledged to have lost the country’s presidential runoff 28 Nov. to Alassane Ouattara.
[...] South Africa is believed to be among the nations propping up Gbagbo, in defiance of the international community which has recognised Ouattara as the country’s legitimately-elected President.
Gunmen attacked a church Tuesday in northern Nigeria, but it was unclear if there were casualties in the latest such incident in the region where dozens have been killed in recent months.
[...] “We don’t know who the attackers are yet,” he added, saying he could not provide further details.
[...] Previous such incidents have been blamed on an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in 2009 put down by a brutal military assault.
Three churches were attacked on Christmas Eve in Maiduguri, killing six people. The sect has also claimed responsibility for the recent assassination of a high-profile candidate for governor.
Chevron, USAID Putting $50M into Poor Nigeria Delta Region
A Chevron Corp. foundation and the United States Agency for International Development agreed to put $50 million into the poor Niger Delta area of Nigeria.
San Ramon-based Chevron (NYSE: CVX) has a strong interest in fostering political stability in Nigeria, where it has invested billions of dollars in finding and getting oil. The region around the Niger River delta is very poor and a people there sometimes attack oil company installations or hold workers hostage, demanding a share of their country’s oil wealth.
This is really a very important trip of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Sergey Lavrov came to London for the first time in a six years’ period, and this visit ended to show that the two countries are ready to develop further relations, and there exists some space for developing these relations. There are vast opportunities for developing ties between Moscow and London, and not only in business.
Vladimir Putin ‘Has £600 Million Italianate Palace’
Vladimir Putin has had a lavish £600 million Italianate palace built for himself near a Black Sea resort with the proceeds of “corruption, bribery and theft”, a Russian businessman has alleged.
The claim, made in a letter to Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, was boosted on Monday after the Novaya Gazeta newspaper obtained what it said was an authenticated copy of the original contract for the palace signed in 2005 by Vladimir Kozhin, the Russian presidential property manager. Mr Putin, now prime minister, was president at the time.
[...] In an interview with the opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, Mr Gorbachev said that Russia’s political elite cared nothing for ordinary people and aspired only to accumulate enormous wealth, such as that enjoyed by Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club. “They are rich and debauched. Their ideal is to be something close to Abramovich. I scorn this idea. I am ashamed of this rich debauchery. I am ashamed for us and the country.”
[...] “If things continue the way they are, I think the probability of the Egyptian scenario will grow,” he said in a separate radio interview released Tuesday, referring to the popular rebellion that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak last week. “Here it could end even more staggeringly,” he said.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, on Tuesday, warned the West against supporting the popular uprisings in the Middle East in what some analysts saw as a sign of the Kremlin’s concern.
Jailed Oil Tycoon Khodorkovsky Is `Perfect Martyr’ in Film
“Khodorkovsky,” a documentary about the former billionaire chief of Yukos Oil Co., grabbed headlines even before its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival when thieves stole it from the director’s Berlin apartment.
[...] They paint a picture of a charismatic, authoritative Russian who ran afoul of another charismatic, authoritative Russian. Tuschi, 42, says it was the man and the dynamics of his relationship with Vladimir Putin that drew him.
His film skates over the murky 1990s, an era when Khodorkovsky was becoming Russia’s richest man, founding a bank called Menatep, grabbing stakes in companies, and, along with other oligarchs, pushing the government to create a regulatory and tax framework that benefited them.
[...] Yet he also began supporting parties that opposed Putin and sought to break the state’s monopoly on oil pipelines. In short, he challenged Putin’s authority.
Tuschi’s film shows footage from a meeting between Putin and business leaders in 2003. Khodorkovsky asked a question about corruption at the Kremlin. Putin snarled back that Yukos’s taxes needed examining.
[...] The one-time billionaire may want to “redeem himself” through jail time to be in a position to forge a political career when he finally emerges.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after Khodorkovsky’s second verdict that it “raises serious questions about selective prosecution — and about the rule of law being overshadowed by political considerations.”
A judge Tuesday ordered Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial on charges of having sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power.
[...] Italy is one of Russia’s biggest business partners, with bilateral trade reaching $36.8 billion last year, the Kremlin said in an e-mailed statement ahead of Medvedev’s visit.
The figure increased by about 11.5 percent over 2009, the statement said.
During his visit, Medvedev also plans to meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is facing a court trial on charges of paying for sex with an underage nightclub performer.
Berlusconi, who is well known as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s close friend, denied accusations on Wednesday, saying he was “not worried” about the upcoming trial.
NATO May Draw Ukraine in Discussing Plans to Deploy Missile Defense in Europe
NATO is ready in the future to involve Ukraine into discussing the deployment of missile defenses in Europe. James Appathurai, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, said this at a news conference in Moscow, as UKRINFORM reported from Russia.
[...] It seems clear to the alliance that the Ukrainian government intends to further develop its cooperation with NATO in various fields. He also indicated that Ukraine is actively continuing to participate in NATO operations.
As reported, in early November 2010, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during his visit to Moscow, said he did not rule out the inclusion of the Ukrainian early warning systems in Sevastopol and Mukacheve in the European missile defense system.
Russia will send new air defense systems, possibly including S-400 rockets, to islands at the center of a territorial dispute with Japan, RIA news reported on Tuesday, citing a General Staff source.
[...] Interfax news agency quoted a General Staff source as denying the report. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense refused to confirm or deny it.
[...] Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last week Moscow would provide the islands with sufficient weaponry to ensure their security as a part of Russia’s sovereign territory.
For acts of political protest that his predecessor treated as mere infractions, Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich is seeking jail time.
Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich is throwing the book at dozens of people arrested during recent political demonstrations — a major shift in city policy that has him pressing for jail time in types of cases that previous prosecutors had treated as infractions.
Some of the activists arrested, including eight college students and one military veteran who took part in a Westwood rally last year in support of the DREAM Act, face up to one year in county jail.
Trutanich’s aggressive stance is the latest episode in the city’s decades-long legal struggle over the rights of protesters. The Los Angeles Police Department’s treatment of demonstrators at the 2000 Democratic National Convention and at a 2007 May Day rally at MacArthur Park led to lawsuits against the city.
The U.S. State Department started sending Twitter messages in Farsi aimed at reaching Iranian social media users on February 13.
The first tweet on the Twitter account — USA darFarsi — said “We want to join in your conversation.”
A later State Department tweet said, “By announcing that they will not give permission for its opponents to demonstrate (march), the government of Iran is showing that the very activities that it praised for Egyptians it sees as illegal and illegitimate for its own people.”
Another tweet said, “The U.S. calls on the government of Iran to allow its own people to enjoy the same universal rights to peacefully assemble, demonstrate and communicate that are being exercised in Cairo.”
The Farsi Twitter account reportedly had 60 followers within two hours of its launch.
Saudis Ready to Aid Bahraini ruler. First Riots in Libya After Yemen, Jordan
Despite security police efforts to dislodge them, anti-government protesters continued to occupy the main square of Manama, Bahrain Tuesday night, Feb. 15, even after its ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa made a rare television appearance to regret the two deaths and promised a full investigation.
[...] Saudi Arabia is especially alarmed by the swelling protest in its small but strategic neighbor, Bahrain, site of US Fifth Fleet headquarters for the Gulf region. For the first time, Sunni Muslims joined the majority Shiite protest against the rule of the Al Khalifas who have been in power since 1971. DEBKAfile discloses that shortly before dawn Wednesday, Feb. 16, the Bahraini king secretly asked the Saudis for riot dispersal gear for his security forces to break up the protests. He also asked Saudi Arabia to place its security forces on the ready in case they got out of hand.
Riyadh had already taken action out of fear that its own large Shiite minority in the eastern oil-rich regions of the kingdom catch fire from Bahrain. Tuesday, security and military forces were rushed to those regions and security stepped up at the oil facilities and ports of eastern Saudi Arabia, most of which are manned by Shiites who are close to their coreligionists over the bridge in Bahrain.
Iran Reportedly Holds Local Staffer at Japan Embassy, Spain Diplomat
A locally recruited staff member at the Japanese Embassy in Tehran has been arrested after taking part in an anti-government rally, a local newspaper said Tuesday.
[...] Media organizations including the Associated Press said the same day that a female diplomat at the Spanish Embassy in Tehran was temporarily detained in Tehran.
Russia Rejects Imposing More Sanctions Against Iran
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected imposing more sanctions against Iran in a new disagreement with his British counterpart William Hague.
‘Further sanctions would mean the creation of social problems for the (Iranian) population and we would not be able to support them,’ Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Hague in London.
[...] Hague admitted that Britain and Russian suffered from ‘serious disagreements’ that led to a deterioration in relations for the past four years but said that they had agreed to sign a ‘Hotline’ treaty.
[...] A fresh dispute erupted between the two countries last week after Russia prevented the Guardian’s correspondent to Moscow from entering the country, leading to a call from shadow European secretary Chris Bryant to prevent Lavrov’s visit.
But Hague said that the Russian foreign minister’s visit, coming four months after he travelled to Moscow, showed that the two countries “continue to seek a patient, steady improvement in relations.”
In an unprecedented move, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called together America’s ambassadors, consuls general, and special envoys to the State Department’s “Foggy Bottom” headquarters in Washington.
[...] The reason for the face-to-face meeting was primarily the result of a major compromise of secure U.S. diplomatic communications channels initiated by both outsiders and insiders who have decided to engage in a bit of “creative revolution,” mirroring to a lesser degree but with potentially as great an impact, the recent mass popular events on the streets of Tunis and Cairo.
[...] Other means of communicating sensitive information from overseas posts to Washington were apparently discussed in closed-door sessions from February 7 to 9. According to U.S. government insiders, it was not the WikiLeaks revelations that prompted Clinton to sound a general alarm, but the possibility that there could be future leaks directly to the Internet of higher classification State Department cables, Top Secret and higher Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) traffic, including details of CIA operations at U.S. embassies and consulates.
[...] The U.S. military-intelligence-diplomatic-corporate complex realizes that continued exposure of its secret documents jeopardizes the global hegemony the United States has created. The fall of U.S. and Western client-dictators in Tunisia and Egypt and an Anonymous campaign against the dictatorship of Yemen’s president Ali Abdullah Saleh has the FBI and Justice Department scrambling to protect America’s steadily faltering status as the world’s “only superpower” by engaging in an all-out war, in some cases using illegal methods, against a stealth-like “enemy” of high-tech hackers and activists. With the Middle East’s “Pax Americana-Judaica-Egyptica” regional construct losing Egypt as one of its three main pillars, the power structures in Washington and Tel Aviv are nervous and capable of doing anything to preserve the status quo.
Secretary of State Clinton clearly sees the writing on the wall as the American empire begins to fray at the edges. The arrest of Raymond Davis, who was working in Lahore, Pakistan, ostensibly assigned to the U.S. Consulate under the non-official cover of being an employee of Hyperion Protective Consultants LLC, was arrested by Pakistani authorities in Lahore for shooting to death two Pakistani men. The State Department is claiming that Davis enjoys diplomatic immunity and must be released to U.S. custody. However, Pakistan believes it has nabbed a CIA spy and the refusal of Pakistan to release Davis has set off a major diplomatic row between Islamabad and Washington.
To the north of Pakistan, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is claiming that the United States wants to establish permanent military bases in the country. Egypt’s revolution is stirring up popular opposition to what is perceived by many Iraqis as a corrupt U.S. puppet government in Baghdad led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. U.S.-trained Iraqi police have responded to protests over the poor Iraqi economy and infrastructure by using non-lethal and lethal weapons against demonstrators. Most of Latin America has broken their political and economic chains to Washington and many Latin American nations have thumbed their noses at Washington and Tel Aviv by recognizing Palestine within its pre-1967 borders.
What “sceptics” have said all along since the onset of the peace process two decades ago has now an abundance of evidence to support it: Palestinian-Israeli negotiations since Oslo in 1993 have seen nothing but escalating Palestinian concessions and the expansion of the Israeli occupation. There is no “two state solution” in sight.
[...] By releasing a selection of 1,600 secret documents and minutes of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks from 2003 to 2010 on Sunday, Al-Jazeera mainly exposed the weakness of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and its concessions to and collaboration with the occupier Israel against its own people. The release has stripped it of any remaining legitimacy; one can say that Al-Jazeera morally assassinated the PA.
[...] The documents show that the PA made unprecedented compromises on Haram Al-Sharif (the compound that contains Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, one outer wall of which —known as the Wailing Wall —is of significance to Jews); ceded the right of six million Palestinian refugees to return home (agreeing to the return of a limited quota of 10,000); offered to Israel the annexation of all settlements in East Jerusalem except Har Homa; agreed to land swaps that gave up precious Palestinian territory to Israel; supported Israel’s self-identification as a “Jewish state”; cooperated with Israel against the Palestinian resistance, especially Hamas; made efforts to help the Iranian opposition (the minutes revealed that PA chairman Abbas convinced a Palestinian businessman to give Iranian opposition leader Hussein Mousavi $50m to fund his radio station); and pursued negotiations for the sake of its political survival.
Israelis are bracing for a more adversarial regime in Egypt, one they expect could lead their country to expand its army, fortify the two countries’ desert frontier and possibly re-invade the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip.
[...] Several former military and intelligence officials are arguing publicly that Israel must be prepared to reoccupy Gaza, or at least a wide swath of the enclave along its eight-mile border with Egypt. Other experts counsel caution, warning that such an operation would plunge Israel into years of fighting.
“There’s no reason for us to make any decisions in the next few weeks or even more than that,” said Giora Eiland, a former Israeli national security adviser. “We have to observe, and if the situation changes in a bad way, we will have time to shift whatever has to be shifted.”
Jordan Tribesmen Warn King to Reform or Risk Revolt
[...] It was a rare rebuke to King Abdullah from Jordan’s tribesmen, who are the main domestic allies of the ruling Hashemite monarchy. The king already has faced weeks of public protests organized by Islamists and other opposition groups angered by growing poverty and a lack of political freedoms.
Jordan Tribes Threaten Revolution Over Country’s Palestinian Queen Rania
Jordanian tribal figures have issued a petition urging King Abdullah to end his Palestinian wife’s role in politics, in a new challenge to the monarch grappling with fallout from uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
Evoking comparisons with the wives of Tunisia’s former strongman Zine al Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, the signatories attacked Queen Rania’s Palestinian origin and accused her of using state funds to promote her image abroad without concern for the hardship of ordinary Jordanians.
The 36 figures are drawn from conservative East Bank tribes who form the backbone of the Hashemite monarchy’s support — as opposed to Jordanians of Palestinian, or West Bank, origin who are the majority of the country’s 7 million population.
A US-based human rights group criticized Jordan Monday for stripping the citizenship of nearly 3,000 Jordanians of Palestinian origin in recent years.
Nearly half the kingdom’s 6 million people are of Palestinian origin and Jordan fears that if Palestinians become the majority, it will disrupt the delicate demographic balance.
Concerned about increasing numbers of Palestinians in the country, Jordan in 2004 began revoking citizenship from Palestinians who do not have the Israeli permits that are necessary to reside in the West Bank.
Jordanian citizenship has been given to senior Palestinian Authority officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas and his sons, a Jordanian politician said.
[...] A significant number of senior Palestinian officials are registered as full Jordanian citizens, the London based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper.
It noted that Abbas and his entire family have Jordanian citizenship as well as other senior Palestinian officials such as Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan and Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
[...] The king chastised the president for his treatment of Egypt and its president Hosni Mubarak calling it a disaster that would generate instability in the region and imperil all the moderate Arab rulers and regimes which had backed the United States until now. Abdullah took Obama to task for ditching America’s most faithful ally in the Arab world and vowed that if the US continues to try and get rid of Mubarak, the Saudi royal family would bend all its resources to undoing Washington’s plans for Egypt and nullifying their consequences.
[...] According to British intelligence sources in London, the Saudi King pledged to make up the losses to Egypt if Washington cuts off military and economic aid to force Mubarak to resign. He would personally instruct the Saudi treasury to transfer to the embattled Egyptian ruler the exact amounts he needs for himself and his army to stand up to American pressure.
[...] DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources add that replacement aid for Egypt was not the only card in Abdullah’s deck. He informed Obama that without waiting for events in Egypt to play out or America’s response, he had ordered the process set in train for raising the level of Riyadh’s diplomatic and military ties with Tehran. Invitations had gone out from Riyadh for Iranian delegations to visit the main Saudi cities.
[...] This development is also of pivotal importance for Israel. Saudi Arabia’s close friendship with the Mubarak regime dovetailed neatly with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s alignment with Egypt and provided them with common policy denominators. The opening of the Saudi door to the Iranian push toward the Red Sea and Suez Canal tightens the Iranian siege ring around Israel.
Signs of friction between Washington and Riyadh were noticeable this week even before President Obama’s call to King Abdullah. Some American media reported the discovery that Saudi oil reserves were a lot smaller than previously estimated. And Saudi media ran big headlines, most untypically, alleging the US embassy and consulate in Dahran were paying sub-contractors starvation wages of $4.3 a day for cleaning work and $3.3 a day for gardening work.
Israeli Military to Boost Presence on Egypt Border
[...] Military sources said the General Staff has determined that Israel could no longer maintain a light force along its 200-kilometer border with Egypt. They said the military could organize two brigades as a rapid-response force to counter any threat from Egypt, embroiled in the worst unrest in more than 30 years.
[...] On Feb. 7, outgoing Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi warned of the repercussions for Israel’s military by a collapse of the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In an address to the Herzliya Conference, Ashkenazi, who leaves his post on Feb. 14, said the military must now be prepared on all fronts.
[...] The chief of staff acknowledged that the military was not prepared for the massive unrest in Egypt.
[...] The chief of staff did not rule out that the unrest in Egypt would spread throughout the region. He called on the military to improve its intelligence capabilities.
Iran and Oman held the second round of joint military talks, an Iranian military official Brigadier General Mostafa Salami said on Monday.
[...] “Iran and Oman aerial and naval commanders held second round joint talks on military and defense cooperation. The talks aimed at strengthening bilateral interests, developing potentials, expanding military ties and making close cooperation to provide relief and stable security in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.”
The leaders of Iran have been watching the offense unfold in Egypt with unconcealed delight. They have embraced the protestors proclaiming that an Islamic awakening is underway there. And they characterize the turmoil as defeat for the United States and Israel and a victory for Iran. But Iran’s opposition is also taking heart in the Egyptian uprising.
[...] Iran’s Islamic leaders have been at odds with Mubarak for more than 30 years, and so when street protests broke out in Egypt, Iran was quick to spin them their way.
[...] There was trouble between Cairo and Tehran from the earliest days of Iran’s Islamic revolution, when the shah of Iran abdicated and left the country, it was Egypt, under the leadership of Anwar Sadat, who gave him sanctuary. The shah died in Egypt in 1980 and Sadat was assassinated in 1981.
[...] Iran embraced Sadat’s killers in a way that has poisoned relations with Egypt ever since.
[...] At the very least, it’s probably fair to say that Iran may have some room to maneuver politically no matter what government emerges after Mubarak but there’s no certainty at this point Tehran will have anything more than minor influence on events in Egypt.
Despite Turmoil, Egyptian Navy to Exercise with UAE
In the midst of the turmoil in Egypt with protesters demanding the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, the country’s navy is to hold a joint military exercise with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Monday welcomed a delegation from the Egyptian naval forces headed by Commodore Ashraf Ibrahim Atwa Mujahid.
Sheikh Mohammed underlining the depth of relationship between the two countries, said such exercises are vital for the development of military capability to cope with various threats.
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.
Iran and Turkey discuss the promotion of mutual relations in different fields, stressing that closer cooperation will benefit both nations as well as other regional countries.
Officials and experts from both countries, who took part in the 22nd meeting of the Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Cooperation Commission underscored the need to boost economic, trade, transportation, energy, industrial, agricultural, environmental, tourism and healthcare ties among other things.
President Abdullah Gül will pay an official visit to Tehran on Feb. 14-16 at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, only weeks after İstanbul hosted the second round of nuclear talks between world powers and Iran.
Turkish PM not Pilot in Dogfight Policy, Says Leaked Cable
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has allegedly admitted to being unable to control Turkish military flights that frequently caused tension in the Aegean region between neighbors Turkey and Greece, according to a leaked U.S. Embassy cable from 2004.
[...] Relations between the secular Turkish military and the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, have been problematic since Erdoğan came to power in late 2002. Apart from disagreements over interpretations of secularism, the military has also opposed the government’s foreign policy, especially on Cypriot and Aegean issues.
Turkey’s Main Opposition Leader Meets NATO Secretary General
The main opposition leader held meetings with officials on the sidelines of the 47th Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu had meetings with several officials including NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Kilicdaroglu said that they discussed the recent developments in Tunisia and Egypt during meetings.
France trained Egyptian police officers in crowd control and sent tear gas to Tunis. And its foreign minister vacationed in Tunisia after the uprising, using the jet of a man linked to the ousted president.
[...] French Prime Minister Francois Fillon confirmed this week that the government had authorized a shipment of tear gas grenades to Tunis on Jan. 12, two days before Tunisian President Zine el Abidine ben Ali was toppled from power.
And with chaos enveloping Egypt, it has been revealed that in October, France trained Egyptian police officers in crowd control. Protesters in Cairo have accused police, both in and out of uniform, of attacking them. A page on the website of the French Embassy in Cairo confirms that the city had the “benefit of 20 officers from the public order and state security services” who taught their Egyptian counterparts how to “restore order.”
[...] Weeks ago, Alliot-Marie was criticized for offering to prop up Ben Ali’s unpopular administration just days before he fled the country. She suggested sending France’s “world renowned” security forces to help quell the uprising.
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