http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=91591
Peres, Shteinitz Agree: Assad Must Go
14:39 Oct 21, '05 / 18 Tishrei 5766
By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Labor and Likud party ministers said Bashar Assad cannot remain as Syrian president following a U.N. report implicating Assad's regime in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Vice Premier Shimon Peres, leader of the Labor party, and Yuval Shteinitz (Likud), chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said the Assad regime must change. Peres said that Israel should stay on the sidelines and let the United States and France take the lead in changing the Assad regime.
Arab MK Talab el-Sana accused the United States of planning the report as an excuse to involve itself in Syrian affairs. El-Sana is calling upon the Arab League to help Assad (pictured above) and oppose the findings of the U.N. report.
The report did not blame Assad for the murder but pointed out that the assassination was a result of cooperation by Assad's security officials. His brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, forced one person to tape an announcement taking responsibility for the murder 15 days before the assassination, according to the United Nations report issued Thursday night.
Shteinitz said it is in Israel's interest that Assad be ousted. "I have a dispute with some of the people in the security establishment. It is not just an American interest but a clear Israeli interest to end the Assad dynasty and replace Bashar Assad," he said. Several security officials are concerned that Israel might suffer attacks from Hezbollah terrorists if it takes an active role in opposing Assad.
Former intelligence director Ephraim Halevy told Israel Radio he is sure that the assassination was an "extensive and coordinated operation that was planned for many months [and] many people from the Syrian elite were involved."
Terrorists killed Hariri and 20 others on February 14 in an explosive attack in Beirut. Syrian-backed Lebanese officials and Syria rejected the 53-page U.N. report, which Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said was a part of campaign directed against him. Two anti-Syrian members of the Lebanese parliament demanded Lahoud's resignation.
Hariri was a leader against Syrian domination of Lebanon. The report concluded that the plot to kill him took months of preparation. It presented evidence against four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals arrested and charged earlier in connection with Hariri's killing.
One witness told investigators that one of the four, Gen. Mustapha Hamdan, commander of the Republican Guard Brigade, accused Hariri of being pro-Israeli. "We are going to send him on a trip -- bye, bye Hariri," according to the U.N. report.
"The report is far from the truth. It was not professional and will not arrive at the truth but will be part of a deception and a great tension in this region," Syria's information minister, Mahdi Dakhl-Allah told Al Jazeera television.
American Ambassador John Bolton said that the Bush administration will decide in a few days how to react but already has "various contingencies." Sanctions are expected when the UN Security Council discusses the report on Tuesday.
Published: 11:47 October 21, 2005
Last Update: 14:39 October 21, 2005
Full Version: What's Up in the Middle East
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Foreign Policy and National Defense > Foreign Policy & National Defense Issues Archive
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_serv...service_ID=9894
Syria: War clock ticking down
10/22/2005 11:00:00 PM GMT
Only time will tell if the Syrian President will remain bold against Washington’s pressure
Just few days ago we saw the Iraqi people waiting to know the fate of their former leader Saddam Hussein, the first Arab leader in history to stand trial. But there’s another Arab leader’s fate that's being threatened, it’s the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad- It seems that history repeats itself.
While Saddam Hussein was standing trial before the U.S.-controlled Iraqi Special Tribune; Washington was busy preparing to put another Arab President, a leader of another Baathist government, in the corner.
It’s all about lies.
Today, more than two years after the war on Iraq began; every single piece of evidence confirms that President Bush, who was obsessed with ousting the Iraqi leader even before 9/11, fixed the intelligence to justify his unwise decision to invade a sovereign nation, and up till now he can’t face the realty or admit his mistakes, instead he keeps repeating his old lies, the lies he fooled his nation with regarding the reasons for the war.
The same order of events in the lead up to Iraq war is now being repeated with Syria: claims, forcing UN to impose sanctions, and then military action.
But it seems that the Americans are trying this time to not repeat old mistakes. In Syria’s case, Bush’s admin seems determined not to engage in any conflict without international support.
Unlike what happened with Iraq, an international system has been arranged, without conflict and within the framework of the United Nations, to pile up the pressure on Syria, according to Le Figaro, a French paper.
Shortly after Detlev Mehlis, a UN investigator, leading the probe into February assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri, released his report which accused Syrian officials of involvement in the murder, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Michael Bolton was getting ready to gather international support for taking tough action against Syria.
Washington is also trying to fuel the Syrian opposition against President Bashar so that he gives in and ask for support from Bush’s administration, in return stop backing the Lebanese government, viewed by the U.S. and Israel as political interferences, as well as stopping the infiltration of fighters into Iraq to boost the strength of the anti-occupation resistance.
Only time will tell if the Syrian President will remain bold against Washington’s pressure, or if he will give in to save his nation from facing a terrible fate similar to that of the Iraqis, both under the UN sanctions and the occupation.
Syria’s hour has come.
Syria: War clock ticking down
10/22/2005 11:00:00 PM GMT
Only time will tell if the Syrian President will remain bold against Washington’s pressure
Just few days ago we saw the Iraqi people waiting to know the fate of their former leader Saddam Hussein, the first Arab leader in history to stand trial. But there’s another Arab leader’s fate that's being threatened, it’s the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad- It seems that history repeats itself.
While Saddam Hussein was standing trial before the U.S.-controlled Iraqi Special Tribune; Washington was busy preparing to put another Arab President, a leader of another Baathist government, in the corner.
It’s all about lies.
Today, more than two years after the war on Iraq began; every single piece of evidence confirms that President Bush, who was obsessed with ousting the Iraqi leader even before 9/11, fixed the intelligence to justify his unwise decision to invade a sovereign nation, and up till now he can’t face the realty or admit his mistakes, instead he keeps repeating his old lies, the lies he fooled his nation with regarding the reasons for the war.
The same order of events in the lead up to Iraq war is now being repeated with Syria: claims, forcing UN to impose sanctions, and then military action.
But it seems that the Americans are trying this time to not repeat old mistakes. In Syria’s case, Bush’s admin seems determined not to engage in any conflict without international support.
Unlike what happened with Iraq, an international system has been arranged, without conflict and within the framework of the United Nations, to pile up the pressure on Syria, according to Le Figaro, a French paper.
Shortly after Detlev Mehlis, a UN investigator, leading the probe into February assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri, released his report which accused Syrian officials of involvement in the murder, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Michael Bolton was getting ready to gather international support for taking tough action against Syria.
Washington is also trying to fuel the Syrian opposition against President Bashar so that he gives in and ask for support from Bush’s administration, in return stop backing the Lebanese government, viewed by the U.S. and Israel as political interferences, as well as stopping the infiltration of fighters into Iraq to boost the strength of the anti-occupation resistance.
Only time will tell if the Syrian President will remain bold against Washington’s pressure, or if he will give in to save his nation from facing a terrible fate similar to that of the Iraqis, both under the UN sanctions and the occupation.
Syria’s hour has come.
Plot to kill Hariri reads like a thriller Indianapolis Star
By John Kifner By the summer of 2004, Syrian officials, long accustomed to running neighboring Lebanon, were fed up with its prime minister, Rafik Hariri. So, a UN investigation found, they decided to kill him. In chilling detail, often reading like a paperback thriller, the U.N. report traces months of plotting by top Syrian intelligence officials -- including President Bashar Assad's powerful brother-in-law -- and their Lebanese proxies. The plot included constant surveillance of Hariri's movements and the forced recruitment of a fake assassin to tape a confession of the bombing that killed Hariri in February. The report was released Thursday. In 2004, Assad bluntly ordered the Lebanese to amend their constitution to extend the term of his ally, President Emile Lahoud. Hariri, an ebullient billionaire who had almost single-handedly rebuilt the city center shattered by 15 years of civil war, objected. On Aug. 26, he was summoned to Damascus for a meeting with Assad that lasted just 15 minutes. Hariri's relatives and allies recalled that he returned shaken. The report includes the transcript of a taped conversation with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem two weeks before Hariri was killed. In it, Hariri called the meeting "the worst day of my life." Hariri eventually gave in; his bloc voted to change the constitution. In October, Hariri resigned in disgust. Later, he signaled that he would join an anti-Syrian alliance building in Beirut. Around this time, according to the report, Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, the commander of Lahoud's personal security force, said, "We are going to send him on a trip -- bye-bye Hariri." Hamdan is one of four top Lebanese generals who have been charged with the killing by the Lebanese authorities on the recommendation of the U.N. investigator, Detlev Mehlis.
Small explosion north of Beirut -security source Reuters AlertNet
Lebanon Arrests Man in Connection with Hariri Assassination Voice of America
Boston Globe - philly.com - Ynetnews - IranMania News - all 2,441 related »
By John Kifner By the summer of 2004, Syrian officials, long accustomed to running neighboring Lebanon, were fed up with its prime minister, Rafik Hariri. So, a UN investigation found, they decided to kill him. In chilling detail, often reading like a paperback thriller, the U.N. report traces months of plotting by top Syrian intelligence officials -- including President Bashar Assad's powerful brother-in-law -- and their Lebanese proxies. The plot included constant surveillance of Hariri's movements and the forced recruitment of a fake assassin to tape a confession of the bombing that killed Hariri in February. The report was released Thursday. In 2004, Assad bluntly ordered the Lebanese to amend their constitution to extend the term of his ally, President Emile Lahoud. Hariri, an ebullient billionaire who had almost single-handedly rebuilt the city center shattered by 15 years of civil war, objected. On Aug. 26, he was summoned to Damascus for a meeting with Assad that lasted just 15 minutes. Hariri's relatives and allies recalled that he returned shaken. The report includes the transcript of a taped conversation with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem two weeks before Hariri was killed. In it, Hariri called the meeting "the worst day of my life." Hariri eventually gave in; his bloc voted to change the constitution. In October, Hariri resigned in disgust. Later, he signaled that he would join an anti-Syrian alliance building in Beirut. Around this time, according to the report, Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, the commander of Lahoud's personal security force, said, "We are going to send him on a trip -- bye-bye Hariri." Hamdan is one of four top Lebanese generals who have been charged with the killing by the Lebanese authorities on the recommendation of the U.N. investigator, Detlev Mehlis.
Small explosion north of Beirut -security source Reuters AlertNet
Lebanon Arrests Man in Connection with Hariri Assassination Voice of America
Boston Globe - philly.com - Ynetnews - IranMania News - all 2,441 related »
Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank - army Reuters AlertNet
Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man they believed was trying to plant a bomb in the West Bank on Saturday, the army said, the latest in a series of shootings in recent days.
Woman Found Hiding Grenade Under Baby ABC News
Real Disengagement Plan Now at Work Milli Gazette
Reuters - New York Times - Aljazeera.net - The Baltimore Chronicle - all 204 related »
Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man they believed was trying to plant a bomb in the West Bank on Saturday, the army said, the latest in a series of shootings in recent days.
Woman Found Hiding Grenade Under Baby ABC News
Real Disengagement Plan Now at Work Milli Gazette
Reuters - New York Times - Aljazeera.net - The Baltimore Chronicle - all 204 related »
Arab League Holds Second Day of Talks with Iraqi Leaders Chosun Ilbo
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa has held a second day of meetings in Baghdad with Iraqi leaders to help promote reconciliation efforts among Iraq's divided communities.
Arab League chief meets Kurdish leaders Aljazeera.net
Arab League chief extends Iraq visit United Press International
Bahrain News Agency - Arabic News - Daily Times - Xinhua - all 128 related »
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa has held a second day of meetings in Baghdad with Iraqi leaders to help promote reconciliation efforts among Iraq's divided communities.
Arab League chief meets Kurdish leaders Aljazeera.net
Arab League chief extends Iraq visit United Press International
Bahrain News Agency - Arabic News - Daily Times - Xinhua - all 128 related »
'Russia's trying to save the Syrians' Ynetnews
While the Americans are considering which steps to take against Syria in the U.N. Security Council session on Tuesday in which the U.N. report on the murder of Hariri will be presented, a senior diplomatic source in New York tells Ynet that "the toughest nut to crack is Russia, which is trying to save the Syrians". The Russian government is attempting to rescue the Syrians from the potentially devastating consequences of a U.N. report on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, which has tied senior Syrian officials to the murder, a senior diplomat in New York told Ynet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, "the toughest nut to crack" Photo: AP
Ahead of the U.N. Security Council session on the report, and on which steps to take against Syria, the "toughest nut to crack" has been Russia, which is trying to save the Syrians. Their excuse is that the report is intermediate, and that the final report of the investigation committee must come out before further steps are considered, the diplomat said. Senior American government officials are weighing up which steps to take ahead of Tuesday's Security Council session, in which the German judge leading the investigation team, Detlev Mehlis, will present his report. One of the suggestions which was examined over the weekend in Washington in talks between President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, and U.N. Ambassador John Bolton was the possibility of inviting the foreign minister of the Security Council to Washington, in order to formulate a joint policy on steps to be taken against Syria.
Last minute changes
Shortly before publication, Mehlis removed the names of senior Syrian and Lebanese officials suspected of being involved in the murder of Hariri. Some of the member states of the Security Council are planning on attacking Mehlis for the step. At a press conference over the weekend, Mehlis explained that he took the decision to remove the names because it became known to him that they were leaked to the media. The United States is applying international pressure to ensure that the Council passes a decision calling on Damascus to cooperate with the international community in the investigation. According to various reports, Washington will demand that Damascus turn in senior Syrians involved in the assassination, including Mahar Assad, brother of President Basher Assad. Other suspects include Asaf Shawkat, the president's right-hand man, as well as a number of Syrian intelligence officials. If Syria doesn't respond to the request, the U.S. plans on imposing aggressive international economic sanctions on Damascus, similar to those imposed on Libya following the Lockerbie attack. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on the international community to weigh its next steps regarding Syria in light of the U.N. report, saying that the accusations were extremely serious, and urging the U.N. not to leave the report "on the table." On Monday, Assad dispatched a letter to members of the Security Council addressing the murder. The content of the letter has yet to be revealed.
SYRIA: MASS RALLY TO REBUT UN ACCUSATIONS OVER HARIRI DEATH AKI
UN holds talks on sanctions for Syria Australian
Special Broadcasting Service - CRI - Islamic Republic News Agency - Guardian Unlimited - all 1,780 related »
While the Americans are considering which steps to take against Syria in the U.N. Security Council session on Tuesday in which the U.N. report on the murder of Hariri will be presented, a senior diplomatic source in New York tells Ynet that "the toughest nut to crack is Russia, which is trying to save the Syrians". The Russian government is attempting to rescue the Syrians from the potentially devastating consequences of a U.N. report on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, which has tied senior Syrian officials to the murder, a senior diplomat in New York told Ynet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, "the toughest nut to crack" Photo: AP
Ahead of the U.N. Security Council session on the report, and on which steps to take against Syria, the "toughest nut to crack" has been Russia, which is trying to save the Syrians. Their excuse is that the report is intermediate, and that the final report of the investigation committee must come out before further steps are considered, the diplomat said. Senior American government officials are weighing up which steps to take ahead of Tuesday's Security Council session, in which the German judge leading the investigation team, Detlev Mehlis, will present his report. One of the suggestions which was examined over the weekend in Washington in talks between President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, and U.N. Ambassador John Bolton was the possibility of inviting the foreign minister of the Security Council to Washington, in order to formulate a joint policy on steps to be taken against Syria.
Last minute changes
Shortly before publication, Mehlis removed the names of senior Syrian and Lebanese officials suspected of being involved in the murder of Hariri. Some of the member states of the Security Council are planning on attacking Mehlis for the step. At a press conference over the weekend, Mehlis explained that he took the decision to remove the names because it became known to him that they were leaked to the media. The United States is applying international pressure to ensure that the Council passes a decision calling on Damascus to cooperate with the international community in the investigation. According to various reports, Washington will demand that Damascus turn in senior Syrians involved in the assassination, including Mahar Assad, brother of President Basher Assad. Other suspects include Asaf Shawkat, the president's right-hand man, as well as a number of Syrian intelligence officials. If Syria doesn't respond to the request, the U.S. plans on imposing aggressive international economic sanctions on Damascus, similar to those imposed on Libya following the Lockerbie attack. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on the international community to weigh its next steps regarding Syria in light of the U.N. report, saying that the accusations were extremely serious, and urging the U.N. not to leave the report "on the table." On Monday, Assad dispatched a letter to members of the Security Council addressing the murder. The content of the letter has yet to be revealed.
SYRIA: MASS RALLY TO REBUT UN ACCUSATIONS OVER HARIRI DEATH AKI
UN holds talks on sanctions for Syria Australian
Special Broadcasting Service - CRI - Islamic Republic News Agency - Guardian Unlimited - all 1,780 related »
Politics & Policies: What Next For Syria?
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05c.html
By Claude SalhaniUPI International Editor
Washington (UPI) Oct 24, 2005 - The repercussions of the U.N. report on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are causing shockwaves in Beirut and Damascus -- but mainly Damascus.
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05c.html
By Claude SalhaniUPI International Editor
Washington (UPI) Oct 24, 2005 - The repercussions of the U.N. report on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are causing shockwaves in Beirut and Damascus -- but mainly Damascus.
Could Syria have been so stupid? Guardian Unlimited
Tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets of Damascus and Aleppo yesterday protesting against the UN report that implicated Syria in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Children arriving at school were informed that classes had been cancelled and instead they would be taking part in a "spontaneous" demonstration.
Syria denounces UN Hariri report BBC News
Will Syria benefit from Iraq's lessons? RIA Novosti
The Age (subscription) - ABC News - Times Online - Reuters AlertNet - all 1,307 related »
Tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets of Damascus and Aleppo yesterday protesting against the UN report that implicated Syria in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Children arriving at school were informed that classes had been cancelled and instead they would be taking part in a "spontaneous" demonstration.
Syria denounces UN Hariri report BBC News
Will Syria benefit from Iraq's lessons? RIA Novosti
The Age (subscription) - ABC News - Times Online - Reuters AlertNet - all 1,307 related »
Bush says military action against Syria "last resort":
"A military (option) is always the last choice of a president," he told Al Arabiya television in an interview aired on Tuesday when asked about a U.N. investigation that implicated Syrian officials in the killing of Hariri.
http://tinyurl.com/cbl6f
"A military (option) is always the last choice of a president," he told Al Arabiya television in an interview aired on Tuesday when asked about a U.N. investigation that implicated Syrian officials in the killing of Hariri.
http://tinyurl.com/cbl6f
Blair New Warnings To Syria And Iran:
The PM warned Iran that life could become "a lot more difficult" if it carries on defying the international community.
http://tinyurl.com/8ar5f
The PM warned Iran that life could become "a lot more difficult" if it carries on defying the international community.
http://tinyurl.com/8ar5f
Security Council Split Over Resolution on Syria :
Western nations working on a resolution to pressure Syria to cooperate with a U.N. investigation into the slaying of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri are encountering resistance from other Security Council members -- principally Algeria, China and Russia -- U.S., European and U.N officials said Monday.
http://www.champress.net/english/index.php...show_det&id=783
Western nations working on a resolution to pressure Syria to cooperate with a U.N. investigation into the slaying of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri are encountering resistance from other Security Council members -- principally Algeria, China and Russia -- U.S., European and U.N officials said Monday.
http://www.champress.net/english/index.php...show_det&id=783
Syria is being Set Up to Fail: A Leaked Letter from Washington :
It explains how Syria is being set up to fail so that the US can isolate it and carry out a process of regime-change at the expense of Iraqi stability and the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. It explains how the US administration's policy of forcing regime change in Syria is trumping the need to save lives in Iraq.
http://tinyurl.com/aftpz
It explains how Syria is being set up to fail so that the US can isolate it and carry out a process of regime-change at the expense of Iraqi stability and the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. It explains how the US administration's policy of forcing regime change in Syria is trumping the need to save lives in Iraq.
http://tinyurl.com/aftpz
NSC Chief Hadley asked Italy for a Bashar Replacement :
Steven Hadley, the director of the US National Security Council, called the President of the Italian senate to asked if he had a candidate to replace Bashar al-Asad as President of Syria. The Italians were horrified. Italy is one of Syria’s biggest trading partners so it seemed a reasonable place to ask! This is what Washington has been up to.
http://tinyurl.com/9jpa2
Steven Hadley, the director of the US National Security Council, called the President of the Italian senate to asked if he had a candidate to replace Bashar al-Asad as President of Syria. The Italians were horrified. Italy is one of Syria’s biggest trading partners so it seemed a reasonable place to ask! This is what Washington has been up to.
http://tinyurl.com/9jpa2
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/RegionNF...rticleID=188569
Published: 25/10/2005, 07:13 (UAE)
Has Syria been 'blixed'?
Linda S. Heard, Special to Gulf News
Detlev Mehlis, head of the UN commission charged with investigating the assassination of Rafik Hariri, has told the German magazine Der Stern that he knew his report would grease the US-led campaign against Syria and now understands how Hans Blix, former UN weapons inspector, must have felt in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.
Though, unlike Blix, whose reports on Iraq's chemical and biological weapons were consistently inconclusive and who later wrote a book outlining the pressure that had been put upon him by the powers that be, Mehlis maintains he was given a free hand to reach his own conclusions.
Let's take a look at the German prosecutor's report, which US President George W. Bush has found "deeply disturbing" to see how impartial it really is.
Paragraph 8 of the report Executive Summary reads: "... there is converging evidence pointing at both Lebanese and Syrian involvement in this terrorist act." This is interesting on two levels.
First, because the US and the UK are studiously avoiding pointing the finger at the Lebanese authorities when dancing their sanctions/war jig against Syria and secondly the use of the word "terrorist" is subjective in the context of the UN when members have yet to agree on its definition.
Indeed, John Bolton, the new US ambassador to the UN, pushed hard to exclude violent actions committed by states as opposed to individuals being defined as "terrorist" during the UN's recent 60th anniversary meet.
Paragraph 9 concludes that the Lebanese judiciary and security services should continue the investigation, yet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw are both calling for international action.
Like a pair of shy brides they are being reticent on what kind of action they're seeking just as they were when warming up their respective publics over Iraq.
At the same time Hariri's son is calling for his father's killers to be brought before an international court, which seems to imply he does not trust the Lebanese judiciary, even though Syria along with its army and intelligence agents have long exited from his country.
In that case, shouldn't Lebanon be sharing the dock with its neighbour?
Turning now to the report's "Conclusions" section forgotten during the sound bite reporting of much of the Western media is this snippet: "... the likely motive of the assassination was political.
However, since the crime was not the work of individuals but rather of a sophisticated group, it very much seems that fraud, corruption and money-laundering could also have been motives for individuals to participate in the operation."
In other words, Hariri could have been the victim of a mafia-type gang.
Paragraph 210 reads: "... the Commission is of course of the view that all people, including those charged with serious crimes should be considered innocent until proven guilty following a fair trial."
To protect innocents, Mehlis personally deleted the names of potential suspects from the report an admirable move. Yet, not so admirable was the fact those names were leaked to newspapers and can now be found all over the internet.
Yet, as the report admits in its preface, "Because the Commission credits the concern that these individuals [witnesses] have for their safety, this report will not reveal the identity of those interviewed."
So witnesses remain anonymous while the names of suspects, including members of the Syrian president's own family, are out there.
How convenient!
The report also finds that "through the constant wire-tapping of Mr Hariri's telephone lines, the Syrian and Lebanese security and intelligence services were kept informed of his movements and contacts." That said, and if Syria is involved, then it is surely guilty of abject stupidity.
If Syrian officials knew every move that Hariri made and wanted him out of the way, then given the anti-Syrian climate in much of the West and Bush's lust for pre-emptive warfare, why on earth wasn't a lone sniper used?
Why would Syria prefer to make a song-and-dance out of Hariri's death, entailing complex planning and the use of highly sophisticated equipment, while leaving behind a convoluted evidentiary trail when a single bullet would have sufficed? What say you, Mr Mehlis?
Why am I so sceptical? With all the dissemination of misinformation, forged documents and downright lies that preceded Iraq's invasion and the fact that Syria has long featured large on the neocon's "must do" list, anyone who isn't must be deluded.
Furthermore, one must surely wonder why those powers involved with the occupation of Iraq and the UN, eager to regain its credibility after the oil-for-food debacle, are involved in investigating the death of a former Lebanese politician.
Why, for example, was there no UN commission set up to investigate the mysterious deaths of Yasser Arafat, Anwar Sadat, Jamal Abdul Nasser, Salvadore Allende or the poisoning of the Ukrainian leader Victor Yushenko among a host of other leaders? Answer: Because in each case it was not in the West's interests to do so.
The Lebanese should take note and despite the natural emotion and justifiable bitterness many of them feel towards those responsible for the death of a beloved personality, they should not allow themselves to be sucked into this suspect political game ... and especially when the stability of both Lebanon and its neighbour hang so precariously in the balance.
Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com
Published: 25/10/2005, 07:13 (UAE)
Has Syria been 'blixed'?
Linda S. Heard, Special to Gulf News
Detlev Mehlis, head of the UN commission charged with investigating the assassination of Rafik Hariri, has told the German magazine Der Stern that he knew his report would grease the US-led campaign against Syria and now understands how Hans Blix, former UN weapons inspector, must have felt in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.
Though, unlike Blix, whose reports on Iraq's chemical and biological weapons were consistently inconclusive and who later wrote a book outlining the pressure that had been put upon him by the powers that be, Mehlis maintains he was given a free hand to reach his own conclusions.
Let's take a look at the German prosecutor's report, which US President George W. Bush has found "deeply disturbing" to see how impartial it really is.
Paragraph 8 of the report Executive Summary reads: "... there is converging evidence pointing at both Lebanese and Syrian involvement in this terrorist act." This is interesting on two levels.
First, because the US and the UK are studiously avoiding pointing the finger at the Lebanese authorities when dancing their sanctions/war jig against Syria and secondly the use of the word "terrorist" is subjective in the context of the UN when members have yet to agree on its definition.
Indeed, John Bolton, the new US ambassador to the UN, pushed hard to exclude violent actions committed by states as opposed to individuals being defined as "terrorist" during the UN's recent 60th anniversary meet.
Paragraph 9 concludes that the Lebanese judiciary and security services should continue the investigation, yet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw are both calling for international action.
Like a pair of shy brides they are being reticent on what kind of action they're seeking just as they were when warming up their respective publics over Iraq.
At the same time Hariri's son is calling for his father's killers to be brought before an international court, which seems to imply he does not trust the Lebanese judiciary, even though Syria along with its army and intelligence agents have long exited from his country.
In that case, shouldn't Lebanon be sharing the dock with its neighbour?
Turning now to the report's "Conclusions" section forgotten during the sound bite reporting of much of the Western media is this snippet: "... the likely motive of the assassination was political.
However, since the crime was not the work of individuals but rather of a sophisticated group, it very much seems that fraud, corruption and money-laundering could also have been motives for individuals to participate in the operation."
In other words, Hariri could have been the victim of a mafia-type gang.
Paragraph 210 reads: "... the Commission is of course of the view that all people, including those charged with serious crimes should be considered innocent until proven guilty following a fair trial."
To protect innocents, Mehlis personally deleted the names of potential suspects from the report an admirable move. Yet, not so admirable was the fact those names were leaked to newspapers and can now be found all over the internet.
Yet, as the report admits in its preface, "Because the Commission credits the concern that these individuals [witnesses] have for their safety, this report will not reveal the identity of those interviewed."
So witnesses remain anonymous while the names of suspects, including members of the Syrian president's own family, are out there.
How convenient!
The report also finds that "through the constant wire-tapping of Mr Hariri's telephone lines, the Syrian and Lebanese security and intelligence services were kept informed of his movements and contacts." That said, and if Syria is involved, then it is surely guilty of abject stupidity.
If Syrian officials knew every move that Hariri made and wanted him out of the way, then given the anti-Syrian climate in much of the West and Bush's lust for pre-emptive warfare, why on earth wasn't a lone sniper used?
Why would Syria prefer to make a song-and-dance out of Hariri's death, entailing complex planning and the use of highly sophisticated equipment, while leaving behind a convoluted evidentiary trail when a single bullet would have sufficed? What say you, Mr Mehlis?
Why am I so sceptical? With all the dissemination of misinformation, forged documents and downright lies that preceded Iraq's invasion and the fact that Syria has long featured large on the neocon's "must do" list, anyone who isn't must be deluded.
Furthermore, one must surely wonder why those powers involved with the occupation of Iraq and the UN, eager to regain its credibility after the oil-for-food debacle, are involved in investigating the death of a former Lebanese politician.
Why, for example, was there no UN commission set up to investigate the mysterious deaths of Yasser Arafat, Anwar Sadat, Jamal Abdul Nasser, Salvadore Allende or the poisoning of the Ukrainian leader Victor Yushenko among a host of other leaders? Answer: Because in each case it was not in the West's interests to do so.
The Lebanese should take note and despite the natural emotion and justifiable bitterness many of them feel towards those responsible for the death of a beloved personality, they should not allow themselves to be sucked into this suspect political game ... and especially when the stability of both Lebanon and its neighbour hang so precariously in the balance.
Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She can be contacted at lheard@gulfnews.com
Bush Wants Syria Held to Account in Terrorism
By Colum Lynch
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 25 -- President Bush urged the Security Council on Tuesday to hold Syria to account for supporting terrorism throughout the Middle East, as U.S., French and British diplomats circulated a draft resolution that threatens Damascus with sanctions if it fails to cooperate with a U.N. probe into the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
The resolution would impose an immediate travel ban and asset freeze on Syrian officials and other individuals suspected of plotting or participating in the Feb. 14 assassination of Hariri and 22 others. But the resolution would give the Syrian government an opportunity to prove it is committed to cooperating with the investigation before economic sanctions would be considered.
The draft resolution also would require Syrian officials to provide U.N. investigators with broad access to government documents, evidence and witness testimony, and to grant them freedom of movement throughout Syria, including any facility in the country.
In a speech at Bolling Air Force Base, Bush cast Syria, along with Iran, as the Middle East's major sponsors of Islamic radicalism, saying they "share the goal of hurting America and modern Muslim governments."
Bush sought to prod the council into supporting the resolution, saying that "the United Nations must act, and Syria and its leaders must be held accountable for their continuing support of terrorism, including any involvement in the murder of Prime Minister Hariri." He added that "Syria is destabilizing Lebanon, permitting terrorists to use its territory to reach Iraq and giving safe harbor to Palestinian terror groups."
The administration yesterday was escalating its rhetoric against Syria as it presses council members to convene an Oct. 31 meeting of foreign ministers to adopt the resolution. "We want a very strong signal from the council to the government of Syria that its obstructionism has to cease and cease immediately," said John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "And we want substantive cooperation in the investigation from Syria."
Detlev Mehlis, a German prosecutor leading the probe of the truck-bomb killing, released his preliminary report Friday. It concluded that senior Syrian officials were almost certainly behind the assassination, and named suspects within Syrian President Bashar Assad's family and inner circle.
The new draft resolution's provision that raised the prospect of future sanctions is expected to face resistance from key Security Council members, including Algeria, China and Russia. They are reluctant to entertain punitive measures before the United Nations has concluded its investigation and perpetrators have been convicted in a court of law.
The 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, meeting in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, issued a statement urging the council not to resort to "any measures" based on an incomplete investigation. "The Muslim World has always been against imposing sanctions and collective punishments on a nation as they primarily cause unjust sufferings to the people."
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan also responded coolly to the question of sanctions, saying that "we should be careful not to do anything that interferes with the judicial process or the rights of the accused."
The State Department acknowledged Tuesday that there are differences on the Security Council. "You've got a number of Security Council members that all have to be in sync. So that's not something that's done automatically," State Department spokesman J. Adam Ereli told reporters.
Mehlis pressed Syria on Tuesday in a council briefing on his findings to "show greater and meaningful cooperation" than it has in recent months. He criticized Damascus for offering spotty cooperation and providing misleading information to investigators. He also appealed to Damascus to carry out its own inquiry into Hariri's assassination and help "fill in the gaps" in his investigation.
Today's draft resolution, which also accuses Syria of misleading and impeding the U.N. investigation, would require Syria to detain Syrian officials suspected of involvement in Hariri's killing; it would require that Syria accede to requests by Mehlis to interview Syrian suspects outside the country; and it would require Syria "stop interfering" in Lebanon's domestic affairs. The draft would also invest Mehlis with the authority to inform the council at any time if Syria fails to fully cooperate with him, a provision that could place Mehlis in the position of possibly triggering sanctions against Syria.
Mehlis, 55, a German prosecutor, said he fears his team will face increasing personal danger as it closes in on suspects in the Syrian leadership. He said his investigators have received numerous "credible" death threats since the inquiry began more than four months ago.
He indicated that the complex investigation could drag on well beyond his current Dec. 15 deadline set by Annan.
"I would note that it is entirely normal that a case of this type takes many months, if not years, to cover all aspect of investigation with certitude and to prepare a case for prosecution."
Staff writer Robin Wright in Washington contributed to this report.
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By Colum Lynch
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 25 -- President Bush urged the Security Council on Tuesday to hold Syria to account for supporting terrorism throughout the Middle East, as U.S., French and British diplomats circulated a draft resolution that threatens Damascus with sanctions if it fails to cooperate with a U.N. probe into the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
The resolution would impose an immediate travel ban and asset freeze on Syrian officials and other individuals suspected of plotting or participating in the Feb. 14 assassination of Hariri and 22 others. But the resolution would give the Syrian government an opportunity to prove it is committed to cooperating with the investigation before economic sanctions would be considered.
The draft resolution also would require Syrian officials to provide U.N. investigators with broad access to government documents, evidence and witness testimony, and to grant them freedom of movement throughout Syria, including any facility in the country.
In a speech at Bolling Air Force Base, Bush cast Syria, along with Iran, as the Middle East's major sponsors of Islamic radicalism, saying they "share the goal of hurting America and modern Muslim governments."
Bush sought to prod the council into supporting the resolution, saying that "the United Nations must act, and Syria and its leaders must be held accountable for their continuing support of terrorism, including any involvement in the murder of Prime Minister Hariri." He added that "Syria is destabilizing Lebanon, permitting terrorists to use its territory to reach Iraq and giving safe harbor to Palestinian terror groups."
The administration yesterday was escalating its rhetoric against Syria as it presses council members to convene an Oct. 31 meeting of foreign ministers to adopt the resolution. "We want a very strong signal from the council to the government of Syria that its obstructionism has to cease and cease immediately," said John R. Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "And we want substantive cooperation in the investigation from Syria."
Detlev Mehlis, a German prosecutor leading the probe of the truck-bomb killing, released his preliminary report Friday. It concluded that senior Syrian officials were almost certainly behind the assassination, and named suspects within Syrian President Bashar Assad's family and inner circle.
The new draft resolution's provision that raised the prospect of future sanctions is expected to face resistance from key Security Council members, including Algeria, China and Russia. They are reluctant to entertain punitive measures before the United Nations has concluded its investigation and perpetrators have been convicted in a court of law.
The 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, meeting in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, issued a statement urging the council not to resort to "any measures" based on an incomplete investigation. "The Muslim World has always been against imposing sanctions and collective punishments on a nation as they primarily cause unjust sufferings to the people."
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan also responded coolly to the question of sanctions, saying that "we should be careful not to do anything that interferes with the judicial process or the rights of the accused."
The State Department acknowledged Tuesday that there are differences on the Security Council. "You've got a number of Security Council members that all have to be in sync. So that's not something that's done automatically," State Department spokesman J. Adam Ereli told reporters.
Mehlis pressed Syria on Tuesday in a council briefing on his findings to "show greater and meaningful cooperation" than it has in recent months. He criticized Damascus for offering spotty cooperation and providing misleading information to investigators. He also appealed to Damascus to carry out its own inquiry into Hariri's assassination and help "fill in the gaps" in his investigation.
Today's draft resolution, which also accuses Syria of misleading and impeding the U.N. investigation, would require Syria to detain Syrian officials suspected of involvement in Hariri's killing; it would require that Syria accede to requests by Mehlis to interview Syrian suspects outside the country; and it would require Syria "stop interfering" in Lebanon's domestic affairs. The draft would also invest Mehlis with the authority to inform the council at any time if Syria fails to fully cooperate with him, a provision that could place Mehlis in the position of possibly triggering sanctions against Syria.
Mehlis, 55, a German prosecutor, said he fears his team will face increasing personal danger as it closes in on suspects in the Syrian leadership. He said his investigators have received numerous "credible" death threats since the inquiry began more than four months ago.
He indicated that the complex investigation could drag on well beyond his current Dec. 15 deadline set by Annan.
"I would note that it is entirely normal that a case of this type takes many months, if not years, to cover all aspect of investigation with certitude and to prepare a case for prosecution."
Staff writer Robin Wright in Washington contributed to this report.
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BBC to launch Arabic channel to counter Al Jazeera Times of India
LONDON: The BBC is all set to take on Al Jazeera on its home ground by launching a new television news channel in Arabic. The main objective is to compete with Al Jazeera, which was launched in 1996 and which has since challenged the western domination of television news agendas by providing alternative perspectives of global events. Ironically, Al Jazeera's first journalists were former BBC employees in the Arabic service.
BBC to End Broadcasts for 10 Nations, Launch Arabic TV Channel Bloomberg
World Service comes full circle BBC News
Independent - Ynetnews - Guardian Unlimited - Times Online - all 170 related »
LONDON: The BBC is all set to take on Al Jazeera on its home ground by launching a new television news channel in Arabic. The main objective is to compete with Al Jazeera, which was launched in 1996 and which has since challenged the western domination of television news agendas by providing alternative perspectives of global events. Ironically, Al Jazeera's first journalists were former BBC employees in the Arabic service.
BBC to End Broadcasts for 10 Nations, Launch Arabic TV Channel Bloomberg
World Service comes full circle BBC News
Independent - Ynetnews - Guardian Unlimited - Times Online - all 170 related »
http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives...20sanctions.htm
Russia says will defend Syria against UN sanctions
Khaleej Times, 26 October 2005
MOSCOW - Russia, Syria’s close ally since Cold War times, will do all it takes to block any attempt to slap economic sanctions against Damascus, a Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
The United States and France threatened Syria with economic sanctions earlier this week if Damascus did not cooperate fully with a UN probe into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“Russia will do everything necessary to stop attempts to introduce sanctions against Syria,” spokesman Mikhail Kalmynin told Interfax news agency and other Russian media on the sidelines of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to Israel.
Russia says will defend Syria against UN sanctions
Khaleej Times, 26 October 2005
MOSCOW - Russia, Syria’s close ally since Cold War times, will do all it takes to block any attempt to slap economic sanctions against Damascus, a Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
The United States and France threatened Syria with economic sanctions earlier this week if Damascus did not cooperate fully with a UN probe into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
“Russia will do everything necessary to stop attempts to introduce sanctions against Syria,” spokesman Mikhail Kalmynin told Interfax news agency and other Russian media on the sidelines of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to Israel.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C80...18633F23F60.htm
Several die in Israel blast
Wednesday 26 October 2005, 19:13 Makka Time, 16:13 GMT
At least four Israelis were killed in Wednesday's explosion
A bomber has blown himself up next to a food stand in the northern Israeli town of Hadera (al-Khudaira), killing four people, wounding at least 30 and leaving a path of destruction at an open air market, police and rescuers said.
Ambulances rushed to the scene after Wednesday's explosion at the crowded entrance to a felafel stand next to the central bus station. Rescue teams were treating the wounded in a nearby field.
Aljazeera's Palestinian bureau chief, Walid al-Umari, has confirmed that a Palestinian bomber blew himself up at the entrance to a market in southern Hadera, a coastal town between Tel Aviv and Haifa.
At least four people have been killed and around 30 others injured, five seriously, he said.
Israeli police have closed all roads leading to Hadera, he added.
Police and medics too reported that four people were killed in the blast and that one person was critically wounded.
Israel Radio said a bomb had been placed at the scene. Police and Hadera mayor Chaim Avitan, however, insisted the attack was a human bombing.
Israel TV reported that the Islamic Jihad group had claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Blast claim
Islamic Jihad spokesman Khadir Habib later confirmed to Aljazeera the group's claim of responsibility for the Hadera attack, in retaliation for its leader Luai al-Saadi's assassination in the West Bank.
"We dedicate this heroic operation to the Palestinian people in retaliation for the killing of many martyrs by the Israeli army," he said in an interview to Aljazeera after the blast.
"The Israeli army harvests the results of the killings, terrorism and destruction against the Palestinian people. "Israelis should realise that this is what they harvest because of Israeli policies, escalating aggression against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."
Israel struck a building in the
Rafah camp in Gaza on Tuesday
"Israel launches daily terrorist operations against our people," Habib said.
"We, the Islamic Jihad movement and resistance factions, are responsible for retaliation against every Israeli crime against our Palestinian people."
""The Israeli enemy carries out almost daily assassinations against our Palestinian people, despite our commitment to the period of calm," Habib said.
"We still announce our commitment to the period of calm, on the condition that the Israeli enemy is committed to it too. The problem lies in the Israeli enemy that has never been and will never be committed to the calm operation.
"Therefore, this operation comes in retaliation against repeated Israeli crimes, and we have the right to do so."
Habib added: "We are living people that have living resistance factions. We will not give up. We will continue resisting."
Abbas reaction
For his part, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas condemned the deadly bombing, slamming armed factions for taking the law into their own hands and harming Palestinian interests.
"The Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza and the suicide bombing today is a violation of the Cairo truce agreement," Abbas said of the bombing which left five Israelis dead and dozens more injured.
"It is forbidden for people to take the law into their own hands.
The scene following the bombing
at the Hadera town market
"It is against our interests and it only increases the violence in this region," he added, while vowing that the Palestinian Authority would "increase its efforts to ensure the continuation of the truce because it is in the interest of both the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples".
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat added his voice to the criticism. "We condemn this attack in Hadera, as we've always condemned suicide attacks on Israeli civilians, and we hope that we will not allow this attack or any attack to undermine the cesation of violence between the two sides.
"At the end of the day, violence breeds more violence and we don't want to go back to this vicious cycle."
Not enough
Israeli Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said on Wednesday that the attack showed the Palestinian Authority was not doing enough to rein in fighters.
"To my sadness the Palestinian Authority is not doing a thing to stop terrorists from getting into Israel," said Ezra, adding he had received some information the bomber may have been female.
Israel killed Islamic Jihad leader
Luai al-Saadi in Tulkarem
"Following this attack, I call on the PA to do something, to help stop terrorists from getting into Israel, because it will hurt them, it will hurt their economy and their future ability to enter negotiations" with Israel, he said.
Israel froze contacts with the Palestinian Authority earlier this month following a shooting attack near a settlement bloc in the West Bank in which three settlers were killed.
The army had earlier reported that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired a mortar round onto a football pitch in southern Israel on Wednesday causing no casualties or damage.
Palestinian resistance groups agreed to a ceasefire last March. Since then, the level of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has dropped sharply despite periodic flare-ups.
No obstacle
Questioned by Aljazeera about the PA's stand on operations such as the Hadera attack in the context of peace negotiations with Israel, Islamic Jihad's Habib said: "We are not an obstacle in the way of the Palestinian Authority and its negotiations.
Policemen and rescue workers in
Hadera survey the blast scene
"The authority and the whole world should realise that the problem lies in the Israeli enemy, its escalation and killings against our Palestinian people.
"The whole world should realise this truth and impose pressure on Israel to halt the bloodshed it causes among Palestinians."
Habib said Islamic Jihad will never confront any Palestinian side, whether the PA or resistance factions.
"Our clear confrontation is with the Zionist enemy," he said. "We, the Islamic Jihad, still announce our commitment to the period of calm.
"If the world and the Palestinian Authority are concerned about the period of calm, they should impose pressure on the Israeli enemy to halt its crimes and escalation against our people."
Aljazeera + Agencies
Several die in Israel blast
Wednesday 26 October 2005, 19:13 Makka Time, 16:13 GMT
At least four Israelis were killed in Wednesday's explosion
A bomber has blown himself up next to a food stand in the northern Israeli town of Hadera (al-Khudaira), killing four people, wounding at least 30 and leaving a path of destruction at an open air market, police and rescuers said.
Ambulances rushed to the scene after Wednesday's explosion at the crowded entrance to a felafel stand next to the central bus station. Rescue teams were treating the wounded in a nearby field.
Aljazeera's Palestinian bureau chief, Walid al-Umari, has confirmed that a Palestinian bomber blew himself up at the entrance to a market in southern Hadera, a coastal town between Tel Aviv and Haifa.
At least four people have been killed and around 30 others injured, five seriously, he said.
Israeli police have closed all roads leading to Hadera, he added.
Police and medics too reported that four people were killed in the blast and that one person was critically wounded.
Israel Radio said a bomb had been placed at the scene. Police and Hadera mayor Chaim Avitan, however, insisted the attack was a human bombing.
Israel TV reported that the Islamic Jihad group had claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Blast claim
Islamic Jihad spokesman Khadir Habib later confirmed to Aljazeera the group's claim of responsibility for the Hadera attack, in retaliation for its leader Luai al-Saadi's assassination in the West Bank.
"We dedicate this heroic operation to the Palestinian people in retaliation for the killing of many martyrs by the Israeli army," he said in an interview to Aljazeera after the blast.
"The Israeli army harvests the results of the killings, terrorism and destruction against the Palestinian people. "Israelis should realise that this is what they harvest because of Israeli policies, escalating aggression against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."
Israel struck a building in the
Rafah camp in Gaza on Tuesday
"Israel launches daily terrorist operations against our people," Habib said.
"We, the Islamic Jihad movement and resistance factions, are responsible for retaliation against every Israeli crime against our Palestinian people."
""The Israeli enemy carries out almost daily assassinations against our Palestinian people, despite our commitment to the period of calm," Habib said.
"We still announce our commitment to the period of calm, on the condition that the Israeli enemy is committed to it too. The problem lies in the Israeli enemy that has never been and will never be committed to the calm operation.
"Therefore, this operation comes in retaliation against repeated Israeli crimes, and we have the right to do so."
Habib added: "We are living people that have living resistance factions. We will not give up. We will continue resisting."
Abbas reaction
For his part, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas condemned the deadly bombing, slamming armed factions for taking the law into their own hands and harming Palestinian interests.
"The Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza and the suicide bombing today is a violation of the Cairo truce agreement," Abbas said of the bombing which left five Israelis dead and dozens more injured.
"It is forbidden for people to take the law into their own hands.
The scene following the bombing
at the Hadera town market
"It is against our interests and it only increases the violence in this region," he added, while vowing that the Palestinian Authority would "increase its efforts to ensure the continuation of the truce because it is in the interest of both the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples".
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat added his voice to the criticism. "We condemn this attack in Hadera, as we've always condemned suicide attacks on Israeli civilians, and we hope that we will not allow this attack or any attack to undermine the cesation of violence between the two sides.
"At the end of the day, violence breeds more violence and we don't want to go back to this vicious cycle."
Not enough
Israeli Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said on Wednesday that the attack showed the Palestinian Authority was not doing enough to rein in fighters.
"To my sadness the Palestinian Authority is not doing a thing to stop terrorists from getting into Israel," said Ezra, adding he had received some information the bomber may have been female.
Israel killed Islamic Jihad leader
Luai al-Saadi in Tulkarem
"Following this attack, I call on the PA to do something, to help stop terrorists from getting into Israel, because it will hurt them, it will hurt their economy and their future ability to enter negotiations" with Israel, he said.
Israel froze contacts with the Palestinian Authority earlier this month following a shooting attack near a settlement bloc in the West Bank in which three settlers were killed.
The army had earlier reported that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired a mortar round onto a football pitch in southern Israel on Wednesday causing no casualties or damage.
Palestinian resistance groups agreed to a ceasefire last March. Since then, the level of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has dropped sharply despite periodic flare-ups.
No obstacle
Questioned by Aljazeera about the PA's stand on operations such as the Hadera attack in the context of peace negotiations with Israel, Islamic Jihad's Habib said: "We are not an obstacle in the way of the Palestinian Authority and its negotiations.
Policemen and rescue workers in
Hadera survey the blast scene
"The authority and the whole world should realise that the problem lies in the Israeli enemy, its escalation and killings against our Palestinian people.
"The whole world should realise this truth and impose pressure on Israel to halt the bloodshed it causes among Palestinians."
Habib said Islamic Jihad will never confront any Palestinian side, whether the PA or resistance factions.
"Our clear confrontation is with the Zionist enemy," he said. "We, the Islamic Jihad, still announce our commitment to the period of calm.
"If the world and the Palestinian Authority are concerned about the period of calm, they should impose pressure on the Israeli enemy to halt its crimes and escalation against our people."
Aljazeera + Agencies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 5 killed, 30 injured by a Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up at a food stand in the crowded Hadera market in central Israel. Seven victims were seriously injured, one is in critical condition.
October 26, 2005, 6:35 PM (GMT+02:00)
The large explosion caused heavy damage to stores and surrounding buildings. The bomber identified as Hassan Abu Zeid from Kabatiya near Jenin. He was member of member of Jihad Islami which claimed claims attack in revenge for death of its West Bank leader Louai Saadi in shootout with Israeli troops.
Counter-terror experts agree the Hadera market attack was planned well before the Saadi shooting. Israeli security forces raided the terrorist chief’s planning center in the wake of scores of terrorist threats. Jihad Islami vows no let-up in terrorist attacks, regardless of Abu Mazen’s orders or any ceasefire accepted by fellow terrorist groups
Israeli Police and IDF on elevated alert for further attacks in Israeli towns, with focus on Gaza Strip and West Bank exits into Israel and the Jerusalem region.
Copyright 2000-2005 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.
At least 5 killed, 30 injured by a Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up at a food stand in the crowded Hadera market in central Israel. Seven victims were seriously injured, one is in critical condition.
October 26, 2005, 6:35 PM (GMT+02:00)
The large explosion caused heavy damage to stores and surrounding buildings. The bomber identified as Hassan Abu Zeid from Kabatiya near Jenin. He was member of member of Jihad Islami which claimed claims attack in revenge for death of its West Bank leader Louai Saadi in shootout with Israeli troops.
Counter-terror experts agree the Hadera market attack was planned well before the Saadi shooting. Israeli security forces raided the terrorist chief’s planning center in the wake of scores of terrorist threats. Jihad Islami vows no let-up in terrorist attacks, regardless of Abu Mazen’s orders or any ceasefire accepted by fellow terrorist groups
Israeli Police and IDF on elevated alert for further attacks in Israeli towns, with focus on Gaza Strip and West Bank exits into Israel and the Jerusalem region.
Copyright 2000-2005 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.
Syria in the Imperialist Crosshairs:
The Israel News Agency report made clear that it was a region-wide program for toppling governments; this was shockingly revealed by the title, “UN Gives Green Light for Israel, Syria, Iran War.”
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Oct05/Petersen1026.htm
The Israel News Agency report made clear that it was a region-wide program for toppling governments; this was shockingly revealed by the title, “UN Gives Green Light for Israel, Syria, Iran War.”
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Oct05/Petersen1026.htm
Israel worried about possible new Russia-Syria arms deals :
Israel has expressed concern over Russia's intention to sign new arms deals with Syria, following the already completed deal to provide Syria with SA-18 anti-aircraft missiles.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/637727.html
Israel has expressed concern over Russia's intention to sign new arms deals with Syria, following the already completed deal to provide Syria with SA-18 anti-aircraft missiles.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/637727.html
Mike Whitney: Assassinations in Lebanon; Pipelines in Haifa :
Syria poses no threat to America's national security. We have no dog in this fight. The real threat is those who now operate freely within the foreign policy establishment, using the US military to further their own self-serving objectives of controlling Middle East oil and securing an imaginary Israeli empire.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10776.htm
Syria poses no threat to America's national security. We have no dog in this fight. The real threat is those who now operate freely within the foreign policy establishment, using the US military to further their own self-serving objectives of controlling Middle East oil and securing an imaginary Israeli empire.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10776.htm
Old whine, new bottle:
The UN ‘report’ on the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese PM, bears all the hallmarks of yet another set-up, no doubt ‘inspired’ by US pressure as part of the build-up to yet another Middle Eastern ‘adventure’.
http://www.williambowles.info/ini/ini-0371.html
The UN ‘report’ on the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese PM, bears all the hallmarks of yet another set-up, no doubt ‘inspired’ by US pressure as part of the build-up to yet another Middle Eastern ‘adventure’.
http://www.williambowles.info/ini/ini-0371.html
Lebanese encircle Palestinian bases :
Lebanese troops and tanks have encircled military bases run by pro-Syrian Palestinian fighters near the border with Syria.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/47B...6C3095897A1.htm
Lebanese troops and tanks have encircled military bases run by pro-Syrian Palestinian fighters near the border with Syria.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/47B...6C3095897A1.htm
Five Killed in Bombing at Israeli Market:
Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility, saying it was to avenge the killing of Luay Saadi, leader of the group's military wing in the West Bank.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../i080606D60.DTL
nder
Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility, saying it was to avenge the killing of Luay Saadi, leader of the group's military wing in the West Bank.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../i080606D60.DTL
nder
Islamic Jihad Leader Buried Amid Violence:
Thousands of Palestinian mourners buried one of Islamic Jihad's top leaders Tuesday, a day after he was killed during a shootout with Israeli troops, sparking a new round of violence.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1250200
fill their commitments u
Thousands of Palestinian mourners buried one of Islamic Jihad's top leaders Tuesday, a day after he was killed during a shootout with Israeli troops, sparking a new round of violence.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1250200
fill their commitments u
Setting up Abbas:
The Israeli Prime Minister has finally fulfilled the task with which he was charged 38 years ago by Menachem Begin: ensure permanent Israel control over the entire Land of Israel while foreclosing the emergence of a viable Palestinian state.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4269.shtml
The Israeli Prime Minister has finally fulfilled the task with which he was charged 38 years ago by Menachem Begin: ensure permanent Israel control over the entire Land of Israel while foreclosing the emergence of a viable Palestinian state.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4269.shtml
===
Amira Hass : It's no wonder envoy is frustrated :
Will James Wolfensohn succeed where others have failed and cause Israel to release its grip on Palestinian freedom of movement?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/637763.html
Amira Hass : It's no wonder envoy is frustrated :
Will James Wolfensohn succeed where others have failed and cause Israel to release its grip on Palestinian freedom of movement?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/637763.html
Iran: Ahmadinejad: Wipe Israel off map:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly called for Israel to be wiped off the map.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/15E...3CE0E9957EA.htm
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly called for Israel to be wiped off the map.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/15E...3CE0E9957EA.htm
Analysis: U.K., France, U.S. And Lebanon
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05d.html
United Nations (UPI) Oct 26, 2005 - The draft U.N. Security Council resolution extending to Syria the investigation into former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination went before the panel Wednesday evening for an initial closed-door consideration.
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05d.html
United Nations (UPI) Oct 26, 2005 - The draft U.N. Security Council resolution extending to Syria the investigation into former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination went before the panel Wednesday evening for an initial closed-door consideration.
Outside View: US, PRC At Odds On Taiwan
http://www.spacewar.com/news/taiwan-05zi.html
Bonn, Germany (UPI) Oct 26, 2005 - Taiwan is the flashpoint of U.S.-China relations. Washington and Beijing have completely different views about the political future of the island.
-
http://www.spacewar.com/news/taiwan-05zi.html
Bonn, Germany (UPI) Oct 26, 2005 - Taiwan is the flashpoint of U.S.-China relations. Washington and Beijing have completely different views about the political future of the island.
-
Giant Chinese Space-Tracking Ship Makes Rare Visit
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-05zzzzzzzzzzj.html
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-05zzzzzzzzzzj.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/637727.html
Israel worried about possible new Russia-Syria arms deals
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters
Israel has expressed concern over Russia's intention to sign new arms deals with Syria, following the already completed deal to provide Syria with SA-18 anti-aircraft missiles. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, will tell him of Israel's objection to the sale of more weapons to Syria, a political source in Jerusalem said Tuesday.
The source said Israel supports imposing sanctions on Syria and Iran.
"We believe sanctions should be imposed on any state that supports terror," he said.
But Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying Wednesday that Russia will do all it takes to block any attempt to slap economic sanctions against Damascus.
"Russia will do everything necessary to stop attempts to introduce sanctions against Syria," spokesman Mikhail Kalmynin told Interfax news agency and other Russian media on the sidelines of Lavrov's trip to Israel.
The Jerusalem source, meanwhile, said Syria was undermining the stability in the area. "Any cooperation with [Syria], especially when it comes to sensitive issues such as the supply of weapons, will cause more instability," the source added.
The source said Syria was still providing arms to Hezbollah and Ahmed Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine organization in Lebanon.
"Weapons sold to the Syrians could reach the terror organizations in Lebanon," the source said.
The Israeli cabinet has yet to discuss the report released by UN investigator Detlev Mehlis about the assassination of Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri and the debate in the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Sharon advocates keeping a low profile and not intervening in the crisis.
Israel welcomes pressure on Syria, which may change its conduct and even lead to the closure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus.
However, Israel's leadership is at odds over whether Syrian President Bashar Assad's continued rule would serve Israel's interest or whether Israel should strive to topple his regime.
Sharon is also expected to tell the Russian foreign minister on Thursday that Israel supports imposing sanctions on Iran due to its nuclear plan. He will warn Lavrov of the grave threat that an Iranian nuclear bomb would pose.
Israel worried about possible new Russia-Syria arms deals
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters
Israel has expressed concern over Russia's intention to sign new arms deals with Syria, following the already completed deal to provide Syria with SA-18 anti-aircraft missiles. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, will tell him of Israel's objection to the sale of more weapons to Syria, a political source in Jerusalem said Tuesday.
The source said Israel supports imposing sanctions on Syria and Iran.
"We believe sanctions should be imposed on any state that supports terror," he said.
But Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying Wednesday that Russia will do all it takes to block any attempt to slap economic sanctions against Damascus.
"Russia will do everything necessary to stop attempts to introduce sanctions against Syria," spokesman Mikhail Kalmynin told Interfax news agency and other Russian media on the sidelines of Lavrov's trip to Israel.
The Jerusalem source, meanwhile, said Syria was undermining the stability in the area. "Any cooperation with [Syria], especially when it comes to sensitive issues such as the supply of weapons, will cause more instability," the source added.
The source said Syria was still providing arms to Hezbollah and Ahmed Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine organization in Lebanon.
"Weapons sold to the Syrians could reach the terror organizations in Lebanon," the source said.
The Israeli cabinet has yet to discuss the report released by UN investigator Detlev Mehlis about the assassination of Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri and the debate in the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Sharon advocates keeping a low profile and not intervening in the crisis.
Israel welcomes pressure on Syria, which may change its conduct and even lead to the closure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus.
However, Israel's leadership is at odds over whether Syrian President Bashar Assad's continued rule would serve Israel's interest or whether Israel should strive to topple his regime.
Sharon is also expected to tell the Russian foreign minister on Thursday that Israel supports imposing sanctions on Iran due to its nuclear plan. He will warn Lavrov of the grave threat that an Iranian nuclear bomb would pose.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Gilerman submits demand for the UN Security Council to debar Iran from membership of the world body
October 27, 2005, 9:17 PM (GMT+02:00)
He acted on instructions from prime minister Ariel Sharon following Iranian president Ahmadinejad’s call to wipe Israel off the map and threat of a Palestinian offensive to destroy the Jewish state. The Iranian president has been universally slammed for his remarks. Sharon said a state which calls for the destruction of another is not fit to be a UN member.
Israel vice prime minister Shimon Peres urged the international community to take his threats seriously in the light of Iran’s projects to develop nuclear arms and acquire long-range missiles to deliver them.
Iran sponsors not only the Lebanese Hizballah but also the Palestinian Jihad Islami whose suicide bomber killed 5 Israelis in Hadera market on the same day as the Iranian president made his remarks.
Ahmadinejad told students at a conference in Tehran called The World Without Zionism: “Anyone who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury. Any Islamic leader who recognizes the Zionist regime means he acknowledges the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world.”
Copyright 2000-2005 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Gilerman submits demand for the UN Security Council to debar Iran from membership of the world body
October 27, 2005, 9:17 PM (GMT+02:00)
He acted on instructions from prime minister Ariel Sharon following Iranian president Ahmadinejad’s call to wipe Israel off the map and threat of a Palestinian offensive to destroy the Jewish state. The Iranian president has been universally slammed for his remarks. Sharon said a state which calls for the destruction of another is not fit to be a UN member.
Israel vice prime minister Shimon Peres urged the international community to take his threats seriously in the light of Iran’s projects to develop nuclear arms and acquire long-range missiles to deliver them.
Iran sponsors not only the Lebanese Hizballah but also the Palestinian Jihad Islami whose suicide bomber killed 5 Israelis in Hadera market on the same day as the Iranian president made his remarks.
Ahmadinejad told students at a conference in Tehran called The World Without Zionism: “Anyone who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury. Any Islamic leader who recognizes the Zionist regime means he acknowledges the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world.”
Copyright 2000-2005 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull
Israel: Remove Iran from the UN
This is a lengthy article. Please go to the link to read it.
Israel: Remove Iran from the UN
This is a lengthy article. Please go to the link to read it.
Advanced Member
Group: Moderator
Posts: 32,971
Joined: 5-November 04
From: Washington D.C.
Member No.: 9
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...27-122545-9473r
Analysis: Islamic Jihad's threat
By Joshua Brilliant
UPI Israel Correspondent
Published October 27, 2005
JERUSALEM -- Just a few hours passed from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' emphatic public demand for an end to attacks on Israel and the moment 21-year-old Hassan Muhammad Abu Zeid detonated his powerful charge at a falafel stand in Hadera, halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The blast killed four Jews who were between the ages of 53 and 68, a 48-year-old Israeli Arab and the bomber, and wounded more than 30 others.
"I am not here to defend the Israelis," Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, told the Legislative Council members. "It is so easy for someone to say the occupation is the cause of problem but we should not give them the excuse to attack us," he stressed.
Those who take the law into their owns hands "should be confronted with an iron first," he warned in an addressed broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV.
The Islamic Jihad assumed responsibility for the Hadera attack. Khaled Al-Batsh, one of its leaders, told the Palestinian Ramatan news agency the bombing was "a natural retaliation to the Israeli ongoing violations of truce, including the assassination of Loai al-Sa'di and Mohammed Sheikh Khalil."
The two were killed in a gun battle in Tul Karem earlier this week.
The Islamic Jihad's explanations need not be taken at face value. The group was behind this year's suicide bombings in Tel Aviv and Netania, the killing of a settler in the West Bank, and the planning of more attacks. Eleven Israelis were killed in the earlier attacks.
It accepted the intra-Palestinian agreement to maintain quiet this year, but Israeli specialists maintained its acceptance was limited and it looked for excuses to strike.
Unlike Hamas that has a social agenda, that wants to enter politics and that does not insist Israel be liquidated now -- something that opens the door for understandings -- the Islamic Jihad's raison d'etre is the fight against Israel and the aim to eradicate it. Not just push it out of the occupied West Bank, but kick it out of the entire land.
In its view, "there can be no foreign sovereignty in an area that Islam had ruled," noted Yohanan Tzoreff, a senior research fellow at the International Policy Institute for Counter Terrorism.
Islamic Jihad gained some popularity during the intifada, but Palestinian and Israeli experts maintain it remained small. According to Israeli military and foreign assessments, its armed wing, the al-Quds Brigades, has a "few hundred" members.
It is not yet clear how the bomber reached Hadera since Israel has an effective security barrier there. He might have crossed in the Jerusalem area, where the barrier is not complete, or gone with an Israeli who smuggled him through one of the many crossings that Israeli soldiers maintain. Security checks in those crossings are usually cursory.
The attack underlines also the Palestinian Authority's weakness.
Abu Mazen genuinely opposes terror. He criticized the armed struggle even when it was not popular to say so. However, the Palestinian government has failed to enforce law and order. His hopes for "one gun" in the Palestinian Authority are, so far, just dreams.
According to a recent public opinion poll by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 77 percent of the public support continuation of the cease-fire. The vast majority also wants an end to anarchy. Still, the Palestinian security services have failed to sustain that.
Prime Minister Ahmad Qureia readily admitted the shortcomings in Wednesday's address to the Legislative Council. "I tell you in all honesty that no one side alone can control the security situation," he said.
The security services' shortcomings are not an excuse the Israelis would accept and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government has authorized a series of military measures from airstrikes to artillery shelling of areas from which Qassam rockets have been launched. Tanks were positioned near the Gaza Strip, only Palestinians with special humanitarian needs would be allowed into Israel, and more targeted killings are to be expected.
"The Palestinian Authority takes no steps ... to fight terror so we decided that we shall conduct the struggle against terror," Sharon declared Thursday.
"Our activity will be broad, without letup until we bring terror to an end," he added.
Unless the Palestinian Authority takes real, serious action against terror, "there will be no political progress ... I shall not meet Abu Mazen and the Palestinians will lose all their national dreams," he stated.
The danger of deterioration is clearly there. Israeli attacks would probably prompt Palestinian "retaliations." Targeted killings have generated a Palestinian sense of solidarity and a desire for revenge, noted Tzoreff. Very often innocent people have been hurt in those attacks. Closing the Gaza Strip and West Bank towns worsens people's economic conditions that are already awful with wide spread unemployment.
Palestinian parliamentary elections are scheduled for Jan. 25 and all this could hurt the Fatah Party. As it is 84 percent of the Palestinians believe Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was a victory for the resistance to the occupation. Most of them credit Hamas. Clearly it was not a result of Abu Mazen's negotiating skills. The Israeli withdrawal was unilateral, and Palestinians despairing of any deal with Israel might turn to Hamas.
On the other hand, if conducted wisely, if Israel convinces the people it is only after the militants trying to poison any deal, its strikes might produce the desired results.
Since the Islamic Jihad is adamant on liquidating Israel, there is no room for a compromise with it. Fighting will continue until Israel, or the Palestinians, put an end to that movement.
The Islamic Jihad does not have a widespread popular following. If it is crushed, if its leaders are killed or jailed and quiet is restored, even temporarily, Abu Mazen might have a chance to exercise his strategy and prove to his people there is more to gain more by following him.
Group: Moderator
Posts: 32,971
Joined: 5-November 04
From: Washington D.C.
Member No.: 9
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...27-122545-9473r
Analysis: Islamic Jihad's threat
By Joshua Brilliant
UPI Israel Correspondent
Published October 27, 2005
JERUSALEM -- Just a few hours passed from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' emphatic public demand for an end to attacks on Israel and the moment 21-year-old Hassan Muhammad Abu Zeid detonated his powerful charge at a falafel stand in Hadera, halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The blast killed four Jews who were between the ages of 53 and 68, a 48-year-old Israeli Arab and the bomber, and wounded more than 30 others.
"I am not here to defend the Israelis," Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, told the Legislative Council members. "It is so easy for someone to say the occupation is the cause of problem but we should not give them the excuse to attack us," he stressed.
Those who take the law into their owns hands "should be confronted with an iron first," he warned in an addressed broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV.
The Islamic Jihad assumed responsibility for the Hadera attack. Khaled Al-Batsh, one of its leaders, told the Palestinian Ramatan news agency the bombing was "a natural retaliation to the Israeli ongoing violations of truce, including the assassination of Loai al-Sa'di and Mohammed Sheikh Khalil."
The two were killed in a gun battle in Tul Karem earlier this week.
The Islamic Jihad's explanations need not be taken at face value. The group was behind this year's suicide bombings in Tel Aviv and Netania, the killing of a settler in the West Bank, and the planning of more attacks. Eleven Israelis were killed in the earlier attacks.
It accepted the intra-Palestinian agreement to maintain quiet this year, but Israeli specialists maintained its acceptance was limited and it looked for excuses to strike.
Unlike Hamas that has a social agenda, that wants to enter politics and that does not insist Israel be liquidated now -- something that opens the door for understandings -- the Islamic Jihad's raison d'etre is the fight against Israel and the aim to eradicate it. Not just push it out of the occupied West Bank, but kick it out of the entire land.
In its view, "there can be no foreign sovereignty in an area that Islam had ruled," noted Yohanan Tzoreff, a senior research fellow at the International Policy Institute for Counter Terrorism.
Islamic Jihad gained some popularity during the intifada, but Palestinian and Israeli experts maintain it remained small. According to Israeli military and foreign assessments, its armed wing, the al-Quds Brigades, has a "few hundred" members.
It is not yet clear how the bomber reached Hadera since Israel has an effective security barrier there. He might have crossed in the Jerusalem area, where the barrier is not complete, or gone with an Israeli who smuggled him through one of the many crossings that Israeli soldiers maintain. Security checks in those crossings are usually cursory.
The attack underlines also the Palestinian Authority's weakness.
Abu Mazen genuinely opposes terror. He criticized the armed struggle even when it was not popular to say so. However, the Palestinian government has failed to enforce law and order. His hopes for "one gun" in the Palestinian Authority are, so far, just dreams.
According to a recent public opinion poll by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 77 percent of the public support continuation of the cease-fire. The vast majority also wants an end to anarchy. Still, the Palestinian security services have failed to sustain that.
Prime Minister Ahmad Qureia readily admitted the shortcomings in Wednesday's address to the Legislative Council. "I tell you in all honesty that no one side alone can control the security situation," he said.
The security services' shortcomings are not an excuse the Israelis would accept and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government has authorized a series of military measures from airstrikes to artillery shelling of areas from which Qassam rockets have been launched. Tanks were positioned near the Gaza Strip, only Palestinians with special humanitarian needs would be allowed into Israel, and more targeted killings are to be expected.
"The Palestinian Authority takes no steps ... to fight terror so we decided that we shall conduct the struggle against terror," Sharon declared Thursday.
"Our activity will be broad, without letup until we bring terror to an end," he added.
Unless the Palestinian Authority takes real, serious action against terror, "there will be no political progress ... I shall not meet Abu Mazen and the Palestinians will lose all their national dreams," he stated.
The danger of deterioration is clearly there. Israeli attacks would probably prompt Palestinian "retaliations." Targeted killings have generated a Palestinian sense of solidarity and a desire for revenge, noted Tzoreff. Very often innocent people have been hurt in those attacks. Closing the Gaza Strip and West Bank towns worsens people's economic conditions that are already awful with wide spread unemployment.
Palestinian parliamentary elections are scheduled for Jan. 25 and all this could hurt the Fatah Party. As it is 84 percent of the Palestinians believe Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was a victory for the resistance to the occupation. Most of them credit Hamas. Clearly it was not a result of Abu Mazen's negotiating skills. The Israeli withdrawal was unilateral, and Palestinians despairing of any deal with Israel might turn to Hamas.
On the other hand, if conducted wisely, if Israel convinces the people it is only after the militants trying to poison any deal, its strikes might produce the desired results.
Since the Islamic Jihad is adamant on liquidating Israel, there is no room for a compromise with it. Fighting will continue until Israel, or the Palestinians, put an end to that movement.
The Islamic Jihad does not have a widespread popular following. If it is crushed, if its leaders are killed or jailed and quiet is restored, even temporarily, Abu Mazen might have a chance to exercise his strategy and prove to his people there is more to gain more by following him.
Palestinians seek halt to Israeli bombings in Gaza Reuters AlertNet
Palestinians called on Saturday for swift international intervention to stop a series of Israeli air strikes on Gaza that have knocked out electricity to several thousand homes and blasted deep craters in roads. The air strikes were part of a broad Israeli offensive launched by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon against Islamic Jihad militants who claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed five Israelis in an open-air market on Wednesday. In most of Israel's dozen raids, warplanes targeted rocket launch sites in open areas of northern Gaza, from where militants have fired rockets, mortars and anti-tank rockets at Israel since Friday. But several bombs dropped by Israeli fighter jets struck near homes and police stations, made deep holes in some roads and damaged a generator, cutting electricity to thousands of homes, Palestinian witnesses and security sources said. Israeli warplanes also staged a series of mock raids, creating deafening sonic booms throughout the coastal strip. Israel's bombings persisted despite international calls on both sides to show restraint and what appeared to be a respite in rocket launchings on Saturday. In a statement, Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Youssef urged "immediate international intervention" to stop the raids. In between the raids, the Israeli army dropped leaflets in Gaza threatening more strikes until there was "a total cessation of terror attacks". They also warned civilians to keep a distance from rocket launch sites and urged them to turn in militants. Nine Palestinians, most of them militants, died in Israeli air strikes in Gaza on Thursday and Friday.
ARMS CRACKDOWN
In his statement, Youssef urged militants to adhere to an eight-month truce with Israel and vowed to crack down further against those bearing illegal arms. "We will deal firmly and seriously with any foundry or workshop that manufactures weapons or explosives and also any place used as storage for arms," Youssef said. "We will not enter Palestinian houses to search for arms, but we will not spare any effort to confiscate every weapon we find in the streets," he added. A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said in a statement: "We urge the United States to work with the Israeli side for a ceasefire and to halt Israeli air strikes immediately in order to maintain the calm." Israeli Deputy Premier Shimon Peres criticised Israel's failure to hold talks with Palestinian leaders despite the offensive again militants. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said he would meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas only after Abbas took "serious action" against armed groups. Abbas has sought to persuade militants to stick to a truce he called with Sharon last February rather than disarm them by force, which he fears could cause a civil war. Peres told Israel Radio the militants were a common enemy of both Israel and the Palestinian leader. "We must speak to Abu Mazen," Peres said, using a nickname for Abbas. Israel should "fight terror mercilessly and aggressively, and find ways to resume the peace process." (Additional reporting by Atef Sa'ad in Nablus)
Israelis kill Palestinian behind rocket attacks Seattle Times
Israeli Airstrikes Intensify in Gaza ABC News
Guardian Unlimited - Ain-Al-Yaqeen - Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) - Ireland Online - all 2,282 related »
Palestinians called on Saturday for swift international intervention to stop a series of Israeli air strikes on Gaza that have knocked out electricity to several thousand homes and blasted deep craters in roads. The air strikes were part of a broad Israeli offensive launched by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon against Islamic Jihad militants who claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed five Israelis in an open-air market on Wednesday. In most of Israel's dozen raids, warplanes targeted rocket launch sites in open areas of northern Gaza, from where militants have fired rockets, mortars and anti-tank rockets at Israel since Friday. But several bombs dropped by Israeli fighter jets struck near homes and police stations, made deep holes in some roads and damaged a generator, cutting electricity to thousands of homes, Palestinian witnesses and security sources said. Israeli warplanes also staged a series of mock raids, creating deafening sonic booms throughout the coastal strip. Israel's bombings persisted despite international calls on both sides to show restraint and what appeared to be a respite in rocket launchings on Saturday. In a statement, Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Youssef urged "immediate international intervention" to stop the raids. In between the raids, the Israeli army dropped leaflets in Gaza threatening more strikes until there was "a total cessation of terror attacks". They also warned civilians to keep a distance from rocket launch sites and urged them to turn in militants. Nine Palestinians, most of them militants, died in Israeli air strikes in Gaza on Thursday and Friday.
ARMS CRACKDOWN
In his statement, Youssef urged militants to adhere to an eight-month truce with Israel and vowed to crack down further against those bearing illegal arms. "We will deal firmly and seriously with any foundry or workshop that manufactures weapons or explosives and also any place used as storage for arms," Youssef said. "We will not enter Palestinian houses to search for arms, but we will not spare any effort to confiscate every weapon we find in the streets," he added. A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said in a statement: "We urge the United States to work with the Israeli side for a ceasefire and to halt Israeli air strikes immediately in order to maintain the calm." Israeli Deputy Premier Shimon Peres criticised Israel's failure to hold talks with Palestinian leaders despite the offensive again militants. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said he would meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas only after Abbas took "serious action" against armed groups. Abbas has sought to persuade militants to stick to a truce he called with Sharon last February rather than disarm them by force, which he fears could cause a civil war. Peres told Israel Radio the militants were a common enemy of both Israel and the Palestinian leader. "We must speak to Abu Mazen," Peres said, using a nickname for Abbas. Israel should "fight terror mercilessly and aggressively, and find ways to resume the peace process." (Additional reporting by Atef Sa'ad in Nablus)
Israelis kill Palestinian behind rocket attacks Seattle Times
Israeli Airstrikes Intensify in Gaza ABC News
Guardian Unlimited - Ain-Al-Yaqeen - Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) - Ireland Online - all 2,282 related »
Syria says to set up own probe into Hariri murder Reuters AlertNet
Syria said on Saturday it was setting up a special judicial committee to investigate Syrians implicated in the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
3 Nations Predict Tough Syria Resolution ABC News
China, Russia Ease Opposition to US Bid for Pressure on Syria Bloomberg
Arab News - Forbes - Miami Herald - American Chronicle - all 497 related »
Syria said on Saturday it was setting up a special judicial committee to investigate Syrians implicated in the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
3 Nations Predict Tough Syria Resolution ABC News
China, Russia Ease Opposition to US Bid for Pressure on Syria Bloomberg
Arab News - Forbes - Miami Herald - American Chronicle - all 497 related »
Politics & Policies: Syria's fading spring
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05e.html
Washington (UPI) Oct 28, 2005 - Syrian President Bashar Assad is likely to face growing scrutiny from the international community with Syria having sanctions imposed on it as a result of its implication in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri unless it cooperates.
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05e.html
Washington (UPI) Oct 28, 2005 - Syrian President Bashar Assad is likely to face growing scrutiny from the international community with Syria having sanctions imposed on it as a result of its implication in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri unless it cooperates.
Policy Watch: Democracy In Syria Unlikely
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05f.html
http://www.spacewar.com/news/syria-05f.html
Tougher international line on Syria
A diplomatic offensive at the UN Security Council will include a
meeting of foreign ministers. By Howard LaFranchi
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1031/p01s02-usfp.html?s=hns
A diplomatic offensive at the UN Security Council will include a
meeting of foreign ministers. By Howard LaFranchi
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1031/p01s02-usfp.html?s=hns
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml...30/ixworld.html
Syria accuses US of launching lethal raids over its borders
By Harry de Quetteville in Baghouz
(Filed: 29/10/2005)
Syria has accused the United States of launching lethal military raids into its territory from Iraq, escalating the diplomatic crisis between the two countries as the Bush administration seeks to step up pressure on President Bashar Assad's regime.
Concern: A Syrian soldier looks across at Iraqi border
Major General Amid Suleiman, a Syrian officer, said that American cross-border attacks into Syria had killed at least two border guards, wounded several more and prompted an official complaint to the American embassy in Damascus.
He made the allegations during an official press tour of Syrian security forces on the Iraqi border, which the US claims is a barely guarded passage into Iraq for hardcore foreign jihadis.
While showing off what he said were beefed-up Syrian border measures designed to blunt those criticisms, including new police stations and checkpoints, Maj Gen Suleiman alleged that his own border forces had come under repeated American attack.
"Incidents have taken place with casualties on my surveillance troops," he said, near the Euphrates river border crossing between Syria and Iraq. "Many US projectiles have landed here. In this area alone, two soldiers and two civilians have been killed by the American attacks."
The charge follows leaks in Washington that the US has already engaged in military raids into Syria and is contemplating launching special forces operations on Syrian soil to eliminate insurgent networks before they reach Iraq.
"No one in the administration has any problem with acting tough on Syria; it is the one thing they all agree on," said Edward Walker, a former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel, who is now head of the Middle East Institute think-tank. "I've heard there have been some cross-border activities, and it certainly makes sense as a warning to Syria that if they don't take care of the problem the US will step up itself."
But he warned that the increased blurring of battle lines between Iraq and Syria could turn a diplomatic stand-off between the two nations, playing out at the UN, into a fully fledged military confrontation. "It could escalate. With Syrian border guards getting shot, it could turn into a major issue."
In the Euphrates valley, however, the alleged cross-border fire fights are already a major issue. The Syrian military said that in May, in the divided village of Baghouz, which straddles the Syria-Iraq border about 350 miles north east of Damascus, Abdullah al-Hassake was manning a rundown concrete frontier outpost when he and fellow soldiers heard US helicopters.
He went on to the police station roof to survey the impending battle between US troops and Iraqi insurgents, who flee to the border when under attack, and was killed by fire from the US helicopters.
Syrian officials said that US charges that they were not doing enough to prevent insurgents crossing into Iraq are unfair. They pointed to new barbed wire and reinforced sand barriers across the 400-mile border, which cost £1.5 million, and claimed that they had deported or arrested about 1,500 foreign fighters heading to Iraq.
Much of the border is impossible to seal. Across the divide, the continuing violence in Iraq is all too evident. Both sides have strong ties with the regime of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The people here are happy to help fighters go to face the Americans," said one local. But reinforced security on the Syrian side had made life harder, he added. That view is supported by some Western diplomats in Damascus, although US defence officials remain sceptical.
"The Syrians have stopped actively encouraging jihadis to go," said one diplomat. "In fact recently they've tried quite hard to stop it."
Across the Euphrates, the border appears to be the likely stage for a future showdown between the US and Syria.
"Sometimes the US soldiers fire at us every day," said Ibrahim Brahim, a Syrian security official. "Sometimes it's simply a mistake, but sometimes it's not. Mostly the US army wants to show us its power."
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2005. Terms & Conditions of reading.
Commercial information. Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Syria accuses US of launching lethal raids over its borders
By Harry de Quetteville in Baghouz
(Filed: 29/10/2005)
Syria has accused the United States of launching lethal military raids into its territory from Iraq, escalating the diplomatic crisis between the two countries as the Bush administration seeks to step up pressure on President Bashar Assad's regime.
Concern: A Syrian soldier looks across at Iraqi border
Major General Amid Suleiman, a Syrian officer, said that American cross-border attacks into Syria had killed at least two border guards, wounded several more and prompted an official complaint to the American embassy in Damascus.
He made the allegations during an official press tour of Syrian security forces on the Iraqi border, which the US claims is a barely guarded passage into Iraq for hardcore foreign jihadis.
While showing off what he said were beefed-up Syrian border measures designed to blunt those criticisms, including new police stations and checkpoints, Maj Gen Suleiman alleged that his own border forces had come under repeated American attack.
"Incidents have taken place with casualties on my surveillance troops," he said, near the Euphrates river border crossing between Syria and Iraq. "Many US projectiles have landed here. In this area alone, two soldiers and two civilians have been killed by the American attacks."
The charge follows leaks in Washington that the US has already engaged in military raids into Syria and is contemplating launching special forces operations on Syrian soil to eliminate insurgent networks before they reach Iraq.
"No one in the administration has any problem with acting tough on Syria; it is the one thing they all agree on," said Edward Walker, a former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel, who is now head of the Middle East Institute think-tank. "I've heard there have been some cross-border activities, and it certainly makes sense as a warning to Syria that if they don't take care of the problem the US will step up itself."
But he warned that the increased blurring of battle lines between Iraq and Syria could turn a diplomatic stand-off between the two nations, playing out at the UN, into a fully fledged military confrontation. "It could escalate. With Syrian border guards getting shot, it could turn into a major issue."
In the Euphrates valley, however, the alleged cross-border fire fights are already a major issue. The Syrian military said that in May, in the divided village of Baghouz, which straddles the Syria-Iraq border about 350 miles north east of Damascus, Abdullah al-Hassake was manning a rundown concrete frontier outpost when he and fellow soldiers heard US helicopters.
He went on to the police station roof to survey the impending battle between US troops and Iraqi insurgents, who flee to the border when under attack, and was killed by fire from the US helicopters.
Syrian officials said that US charges that they were not doing enough to prevent insurgents crossing into Iraq are unfair. They pointed to new barbed wire and reinforced sand barriers across the 400-mile border, which cost £1.5 million, and claimed that they had deported or arrested about 1,500 foreign fighters heading to Iraq.
Much of the border is impossible to seal. Across the divide, the continuing violence in Iraq is all too evident. Both sides have strong ties with the regime of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The people here are happy to help fighters go to face the Americans," said one local. But reinforced security on the Syrian side had made life harder, he added. That view is supported by some Western diplomats in Damascus, although US defence officials remain sceptical.
"The Syrians have stopped actively encouraging jihadis to go," said one diplomat. "In fact recently they've tried quite hard to stop it."
Across the Euphrates, the border appears to be the likely stage for a future showdown between the US and Syria.
"Sometimes the US soldiers fire at us every day," said Ibrahim Brahim, a Syrian security official. "Sometimes it's simply a mistake, but sometimes it's not. Mostly the US army wants to show us its power."
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2005. Terms & Conditions of reading.
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UN votes to force Syria to aid in Hariri probe CNN International
The UN Security Council voted unanimously Monday in favor of a resolution demanding Syria cooperate with a U.N. investigation into the February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri or face "further action."
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice votes Monday for a Security Council resolution on Syria.
Last-minute diplomatic haggling deleted a direct reference to the threat of sanctions on the Syrian government, but the effect of Monday's resolution is the same. The United States, France and Britain had sponsored the resolution after a U.N. report published earlier in October blamed Syrian security forces and its Lebanese allies for the bombing that killed Hariri and 20 others in Beirut on February 14. Syria denies the accusations. The assassination of Hariri, a veteran Lebanese politician who had become a critic of Syria's military occupation of Lebanon, triggered massive protests that eventually led to Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon. The resolution is under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which holds open the ultimate possibility of the Security Council considering the use of force with failure to comply. Speaking in Monday's meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the resolution "made it clear that failure to comply with these demands will lead to serious consequences from the international community." She called the Chapter 7 resolution "the only way to compel the Syrians" to cooperate. The resolution calls for U.N. investigators to report to the Security Council on Syrian cooperation by December 15 or "anytime before" if the investigation sees a lack of cooperation. The resolution calls for sanctions on people suspected of involvement in the "planning, sponsoring, organizing or perpetrating" the assassination -- including travel bans and freezing of assets. A Security Council committee will be formed to help designate those individuals along with the Lebanese government and the U.N. investigative commission. The resolution requires suspects to be arrested and detained for questioning by the U.N. inquiry commission led by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis. He and his investigators have the authority, according to the resolution, "to determine the location and modalities" for any interviews. British Foreign Minister Jack Straw told the Security Council the Syrian government's "grudging and evasive attitude has to change" and said the resolution is "putting the government of Syria on notice that our patience has limits." French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said: "Syria's leaders must understand that the Security Council, and through it the international community as a whole, will not tolerate anything less than immediate and complete cooperation, and that it will draw the consequences of any failure by the Syrian authorities to meet their obligations." Both Russia and China -- which had opposed the threat of sanctions against Syria -- warned against hasty moves to sanctions against the Syrian government. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the final resolution "not ideal" but said it showed the "determination of all members of the council to find the truth" Eleven of the 15 Security Council members were represented by their foreign ministers -- including all five veto-holding permanent members -- underlining the importance placed on the vote. The resolution also allows a further extension beyond December 15 if the Lebanese or the U.N. inquiry deem necessary.
UN Security Council OKs Syria Resolution ABC News
Security Council demands Syrian co-operation Globe and Mail
Bloomberg - Monday Morning - Aljazeera.net - Mail & Guardian Online - all 781 related »
The UN Security Council voted unanimously Monday in favor of a resolution demanding Syria cooperate with a U.N. investigation into the February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri or face "further action."
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice votes Monday for a Security Council resolution on Syria.
Last-minute diplomatic haggling deleted a direct reference to the threat of sanctions on the Syrian government, but the effect of Monday's resolution is the same. The United States, France and Britain had sponsored the resolution after a U.N. report published earlier in October blamed Syrian security forces and its Lebanese allies for the bombing that killed Hariri and 20 others in Beirut on February 14. Syria denies the accusations. The assassination of Hariri, a veteran Lebanese politician who had become a critic of Syria's military occupation of Lebanon, triggered massive protests that eventually led to Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon. The resolution is under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which holds open the ultimate possibility of the Security Council considering the use of force with failure to comply. Speaking in Monday's meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the resolution "made it clear that failure to comply with these demands will lead to serious consequences from the international community." She called the Chapter 7 resolution "the only way to compel the Syrians" to cooperate. The resolution calls for U.N. investigators to report to the Security Council on Syrian cooperation by December 15 or "anytime before" if the investigation sees a lack of cooperation. The resolution calls for sanctions on people suspected of involvement in the "planning, sponsoring, organizing or perpetrating" the assassination -- including travel bans and freezing of assets. A Security Council committee will be formed to help designate those individuals along with the Lebanese government and the U.N. investigative commission. The resolution requires suspects to be arrested and detained for questioning by the U.N. inquiry commission led by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis. He and his investigators have the authority, according to the resolution, "to determine the location and modalities" for any interviews. British Foreign Minister Jack Straw told the Security Council the Syrian government's "grudging and evasive attitude has to change" and said the resolution is "putting the government of Syria on notice that our patience has limits." French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said: "Syria's leaders must understand that the Security Council, and through it the international community as a whole, will not tolerate anything less than immediate and complete cooperation, and that it will draw the consequences of any failure by the Syrian authorities to meet their obligations." Both Russia and China -- which had opposed the threat of sanctions against Syria -- warned against hasty moves to sanctions against the Syrian government. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the final resolution "not ideal" but said it showed the "determination of all members of the council to find the truth" Eleven of the 15 Security Council members were represented by their foreign ministers -- including all five veto-holding permanent members -- underlining the importance placed on the vote. The resolution also allows a further extension beyond December 15 if the Lebanese or the U.N. inquiry deem necessary.
UN Security Council OKs Syria Resolution ABC News
Security Council demands Syrian co-operation Globe and Mail
Bloomberg - Monday Morning - Aljazeera.net - Mail & Guardian Online - all 781 related »
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...5382173,00.html
U.N. Security Council OKs Syria Resolution
Monday October 31, 2005 5:16 PM
AP Photo NYGB105
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday demanding Syria's full cooperation with a U.N. investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister and warning of possible ``further action'' if it doesn't.
The United States, France and Britain pressed for the resolution following last week's tough report by the U.N. investigating commission, which implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in the Feb. 14 bombing that killed Rafik Hariri and 20 others. The report also accused Syria of not cooperating fully with the inquiry.
The three co-sponsors agreed to drop a direct threat of sanctions against Syria in order to get support from Russia and China, which opposed sanctions while the investigation is still under way. Nonetheless, the resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which is militarily enforceable.
The U.S. invited foreign ministers of the 15 Security Council nations to attend the meeting to send a strong message to Syria to cooperate with the inquiry. A dozen ministers showed up and voted in favor of the resolution.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the council after the vote that Syria had been put on notice by the international community that it must cooperate.
``Syria has offered no truthful explanations to these serious allegations,'' she said. ``Instead it has chosen until now to dismiss the commission report as politically motivated.''
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the Security Council is ``putting the government of Syria on notice that our patience has limits.''
``The people of the Lebanon have become all too acquainted with grief,'' he said. ``We owe them a better future, and this resolution is one way of providing them with that better future.''
The resolution requires Syria to detain anyone the U.N. investigators consider a suspect and let investigators determine the location and conditions under which the individual would be questioned. It also would freeze assets and impose a travel ban on anyone identified as a suspect by the commission.
Those provisions could pose a problem for Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as his brother, Maher Assad, and his brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, the chief of military intelligence. The Syrian leader has refused a request from the chief U.N. investigator to be interviewed. Investigators also want to question his brother and brother-in-law.
Although the final text dropped the threat of sanctions, it said if Syria doesn't cooperate ``the council, if necessary, could consider further action.'' That could, ultimately, include sanctions.
In another concession to try to get Russia and China on board, the co-sponsors also agreed to drop an appeal to Syria to renounce all support ``for all forms of terrorist action and all assistance to terrorist groups.''
Syria, meanwhile, is pushing for an emergency Arab League summit in a bid to rally regional support in the face of the U.N. resolution, said Arab diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity because the request had not been officially made.
The diplomats, speaking at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, suggested a smaller gathering of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Lebanon and Egypt might be organized should other countries decline to participate out of concern over harming ties with the U.S., France and Britain.
The diplomats said Syrian Secretary-General Amr Moussa sent a special envoy to Gulf countries informing them of the Syrian request. They said Syria hoped for the meeting later this week, after the Muslim religious holiday that concludes the Ramadan month of fasting.
The Syrian media criticized the U.N. resolution before the vote Monday, with the English-language Syria Times saying it was ``openly politicized'' and too heavily influenced by the U.S.
``It's immoral and totally unacceptable that the will of the (international) community remains captive to a unilateral diktat and ... accepts tyranny and hegemony,'' the paper said.
Syria's official news agency, SANA, said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Moallem toured Gulf countries this past weekend bearing a message from the Syrian president concerning ``the dangers Syria faces'' as a result of the U.N. action.
SANA quoted Moallem as saying the resolution was ``dangerous'' and aimed at hurting Syria, not uncovering the truth in the Hariri assassination. But Moallem said that Syria will ``continue to cooperate'' with the U.N. investigation despite ``legal and political gaps in its report.''
Assad on Saturday ordered a judicial committee be formed to investigate Hariri's assassination. A presidential decree said the committee will cooperate with the U.N. inquiry and Lebanese judicial authorities.
While Syria has rejected accusations of its involvement in Hariri's killing, it buckled under international pressure and withdrew its soldiers from Lebanon in April, ending a 29-year presence in its smaller neighbor.
---
Associated Press writers Donna Abu-Nasr and Samar Kassabli contributed to this report from Damascus, Syria.
U.N. Security Council OKs Syria Resolution
Monday October 31, 2005 5:16 PM
AP Photo NYGB105
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday demanding Syria's full cooperation with a U.N. investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister and warning of possible ``further action'' if it doesn't.
The United States, France and Britain pressed for the resolution following last week's tough report by the U.N. investigating commission, which implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in the Feb. 14 bombing that killed Rafik Hariri and 20 others. The report also accused Syria of not cooperating fully with the inquiry.
The three co-sponsors agreed to drop a direct threat of sanctions against Syria in order to get support from Russia and China, which opposed sanctions while the investigation is still under way. Nonetheless, the resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which is militarily enforceable.
The U.S. invited foreign ministers of the 15 Security Council nations to attend the meeting to send a strong message to Syria to cooperate with the inquiry. A dozen ministers showed up and voted in favor of the resolution.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the council after the vote that Syria had been put on notice by the international community that it must cooperate.
``Syria has offered no truthful explanations to these serious allegations,'' she said. ``Instead it has chosen until now to dismiss the commission report as politically motivated.''
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the Security Council is ``putting the government of Syria on notice that our patience has limits.''
``The people of the Lebanon have become all too acquainted with grief,'' he said. ``We owe them a better future, and this resolution is one way of providing them with that better future.''
The resolution requires Syria to detain anyone the U.N. investigators consider a suspect and let investigators determine the location and conditions under which the individual would be questioned. It also would freeze assets and impose a travel ban on anyone identified as a suspect by the commission.
Those provisions could pose a problem for Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as his brother, Maher Assad, and his brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, the chief of military intelligence. The Syrian leader has refused a request from the chief U.N. investigator to be interviewed. Investigators also want to question his brother and brother-in-law.
Although the final text dropped the threat of sanctions, it said if Syria doesn't cooperate ``the council, if necessary, could consider further action.'' That could, ultimately, include sanctions.
In another concession to try to get Russia and China on board, the co-sponsors also agreed to drop an appeal to Syria to renounce all support ``for all forms of terrorist action and all assistance to terrorist groups.''
Syria, meanwhile, is pushing for an emergency Arab League summit in a bid to rally regional support in the face of the U.N. resolution, said Arab diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity because the request had not been officially made.
The diplomats, speaking at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, suggested a smaller gathering of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Lebanon and Egypt might be organized should other countries decline to participate out of concern over harming ties with the U.S., France and Britain.
The diplomats said Syrian Secretary-General Amr Moussa sent a special envoy to Gulf countries informing them of the Syrian request. They said Syria hoped for the meeting later this week, after the Muslim religious holiday that concludes the Ramadan month of fasting.
The Syrian media criticized the U.N. resolution before the vote Monday, with the English-language Syria Times saying it was ``openly politicized'' and too heavily influenced by the U.S.
``It's immoral and totally unacceptable that the will of the (international) community remains captive to a unilateral diktat and ... accepts tyranny and hegemony,'' the paper said.
Syria's official news agency, SANA, said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Moallem toured Gulf countries this past weekend bearing a message from the Syrian president concerning ``the dangers Syria faces'' as a result of the U.N. action.
SANA quoted Moallem as saying the resolution was ``dangerous'' and aimed at hurting Syria, not uncovering the truth in the Hariri assassination. But Moallem said that Syria will ``continue to cooperate'' with the U.N. investigation despite ``legal and political gaps in its report.''
Assad on Saturday ordered a judicial committee be formed to investigate Hariri's assassination. A presidential decree said the committee will cooperate with the U.N. inquiry and Lebanese judicial authorities.
While Syria has rejected accusations of its involvement in Hariri's killing, it buckled under international pressure and withdrew its soldiers from Lebanon in April, ending a 29-year presence in its smaller neighbor.
---
Associated Press writers Donna Abu-Nasr and Samar Kassabli contributed to this report from Damascus, Syria.
U.N. Security Council OKs Syria Resolution :
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday demanding Syria's full cooperation with a U.N. investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister and warning of possible "further action" if it doesn't.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051031/ap_on_...n_syria_lebanon
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday demanding Syria's full cooperation with a U.N. investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister and warning of possible "further action" if it doesn't.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051031/ap_on_...n_syria_lebanon
Pressure on Syria to hand over President's brother:
The resolution orders Damascus to arrest and freeze the assets of anybody the UN suspects of involvement in the killing. It was passed unanimously.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-1851637,00.html
The resolution orders Damascus to arrest and freeze the assets of anybody the UN suspects of involvement in the killing. It was passed unanimously.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-1851637,00.html
Sharon Praises Stands Against Iran, Syria:
Violence continued Monday, a day after an informal truce was apparently scuttled by an Israeli raid in the West Bank that killed three Palestinian militants.
http://tinyurl.com/c29ga
Violence continued Monday, a day after an informal truce was apparently scuttled by an Israeli raid in the West Bank that killed three Palestinian militants.
http://tinyurl.com/c29ga
Uri Avnery: Abbas and the Lame Duck :
The long campaign for the elimination of Mahmoud Abbas is entering its final phase.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10832.htm
The long campaign for the elimination of Mahmoud Abbas is entering its final phase.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10832.htm
Israel resumes plans to divide the West Bank into three isolated cantons :
Israeli Authorities are carrying a plan which aims to divide the West Bank into three isolated parts, with roadblocks, settlement constructions and the separation Wall dividing them.
http://tinyurl.com/9mowq
Israeli Authorities are carrying a plan which aims to divide the West Bank into three isolated parts, with roadblocks, settlement constructions and the separation Wall dividing them.
http://tinyurl.com/9mowq
Militia boasts of role in Sabra massacre :
Six former Christian Phalange militiamen tell of their training by Israeli allies and recount the events of 16-18 September, 1982, when hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children were killed in the Beirut camps.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10830.htm
More on this topic
http://tinyurl.com/b3r9v
Six former Christian Phalange militiamen tell of their training by Israeli allies and recount the events of 16-18 September, 1982, when hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children were killed in the Beirut camps.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10830.htm
http://tinyurl.com/b3r9v
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