News items that look towards Ezekiel 38 & 39

[Shammu]

King Abdullah of Jordan and Brown discuss Mideast, Iraq

Nov 8, 2007, 13:00 GMT

London - King Abdullah II of Jordan and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown discussed the forthcoming US-sponsored Middle East peace conference and the conflict in Iraq during a meeting in London, officials said Thursday.

The talks, which were followed by a dinner banquet Wednesday evening, were the highlight of a three-day private visit by the King and his wife, Queen Rania Al Abdullah, to Britain.

A statement released by the Jordanian embassy said King Abdullah had stressed that the upcoming conference in Annapolis, Maryland, should be a real 'starting point for negotiations within a specified timeframe.'

The international meeting should address final status issues, which, once resolved, would end the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis and establish a viable independent Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside Israel, said the statement.

The two men also discussed ways to support the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and alleviate the 'difficult living conditions of the Palestinian people.'

In this regard, King Abdullah urged the international community to provide the support needed by the PNA to strengthen institutions and improve the services it provides to Palestinians.

The king emphasized the need to advance efforts to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq, adding that this process must be inclusive in order to succeed.

According to the statement, France will host a conference at the end of the year for donor countries to garner international political and financial support for the PNA.

Britain's former leader Tony Blair, who is now the special envoy of the so-called Middle East Quartet, is due to attend the conference.

King Abdullah also thanked Britain for its support of Jordanian efforts to ease its current external debt burden of more than 7 billion dollars, and urged the London government to back the 'establishment of an effective partnership between the G8 and G11 countries.'

King Abdullah of Jordan and Brown discuss Mideast, Iraq

[Shammu]

'Apocalyptic scenario' if Egypt, Saudi go nuclear: Israel minister

7 hours ago

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Egyptian and Saudi nuclear ambitions, on top of Iran's atomic drive, will lead to an "apocalyptic scenario", a senior Israeli cabinet minister said in comments published on Friday.

"If Egypt and Saudi Arabia begin nuclear programmes, this can bring an apocalyptic scenario upon us," Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman told the English-language Jerusalem Post newspaper.

"Their intentions should be taken seriously and the declarations being made now are to prepare the world for when they decide to actually do it," said the minister, responsible for coordinating Israeli efforts against a nuclear Iran.

On October 29, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced a programme to build several nuclear power stations -- the country having abandoned an atomic energy programme in 1986 after the Chernobyl disaster.

Jordan, one of only two Arab countries with Egypt to have signed peace deals with Israel, as well as Algeria, Libya, Yemen and all six pro-Western Gulf states including Saudi Arabia have also announced peaceful nuclear ambitions.

Lieberman, who heads the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, also told the Jerusalem Post that Pakistan could pose a major threat to Israel.

"If the Taliban or (Al-Qaeda leader Osama) bin Laden get control (of Pakistan), they will have nuclear weapons for terror use and they don't hide their opinions about Israel," he said.

Lieberman also joined the chorus of Israeli criticism against the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, over comments from the Egyptian that Iran's nuclear acitivites pose no immediate danger.

"He is part of the problem, not part of the solution," said Lieberman, who is also a deputy prime minister.

Israel, which belongs to the UN nuclear watchdog but is not a signatory to its key Non-Proliferation Treaty, is widely considered to have the Middle East's sole -- if undeclared -- nuclear arsenal.

It considers Iran its chief enemy after repeated statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state should be wiped off the map.

Lieberman is known for extreme nationalist views.

He advocates a land swap in which Israel would annex its largest Jewish settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and transfer Israeli territory with a large Arab population to a future Palestinian state.

He also once sparked outrage by advocating the execution of Arab Israeli MPs who had dealings with Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which Israel considers a terrorist organisation but which controls the Gaza Strip.

'Apocalyptic scenario' if Egypt, Saudi go nuclear: Israel minister

[Shammu]

US worries rise over Pakistan crackdown

By MATTHEW ROSENBERG, Associated Press Writer 3 minutes ago

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan quickly ended house arrest for opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Friday as President Gen. Pervez Musharraf came under new U.S. pressure to end a crackdown that Washington fears is hurting the fight against Islamic extremism.

Earlier in the day, police threw up barbed wire around Bhutto's house to keep her from speaking at a rally to protest Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule, and security forces rounded up thousands of her supporters to block any mass demonstrations.

The action was a new blow to hopes the two U.S.-friendly leaders could form an alliance against militants — a rising threat underlined by a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan that targeted the home of a Cabinet minister, who escaped without injury.

Bhutto twice tried to evade authorities in her car, telling police who surrounded her villa: "Do not raise hands on women. You are Muslims. This is un-Islamic." Officers blocked the former prime minister's way with an armored vehicle.

In Rawalpindi, the nearby garrison town where she had hoped to stage the rally, police fired tear gas at hundreds of Bhutto loyalists who staged wildcat protests and hurled stones. More than 100 were arrested.

The Bush administration called for the restrictions on Bhutto to be lifted, and Pakistan's government said late Friday that she was again free to move about, although police barriers remained outside her house. Her supporters said she would try to leave Saturday morning.

In Washington, where some lawmakers are calling for aid to Pakistan to be curtailed, U.S. officials again criticized Musharraf's crackdown.

"We remain concerned about the continued state of emergency and curtailment of basic freedoms, and urge Pakistani authorities to quickly return to constitutional order and democratic norms," Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement.

As Musharraf's chief international backer, the Bush administration is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 160 million people that is on the front lines of the U.S.-led campaign against terrorist groups.

The suspension of the constitution last weekend has intensified the anger of moderate and secular Pakistanis who have become increasingly frustrated with military rule. At the same time, Islamic militants with ties to the Taliban and al-Qaida are stepping up violence, including suicide bombings and fighting in the northwest along the border with Afghanistan.

Musharraf cited the gains by extremists in the frontier region as one of the main reasons for his emergency decree, saying political unrest was undermining the fight against militants.

On Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the home of Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam in the northwestern city of Peshawar. Muqam was unhurt but four people died.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the turmoil could undermine the battle against Pakistani insurgents.

"The concern I have is that the longer the internal problems continue, the more distracted the Pakistani army and security services will be in terms of the internal situation rather than focusing on the terrorist threat in the frontier area," Gates told reporters while flying home from a weeklong visit to Asia.

Despite the government's attempt to squelch Pakistani news coverage of the unrest, some independent TV channels are finding ways to broadcast reports. Geo TV, for instance, transmits by satellite from a backup facility in the Persian Gulf and it streams video on the Internet.

Most of the thousands of people rounded up this week have been moderates — lawyers and activists from secular opposition parties, such as Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party. The detentions have fueled popular suspicions the embattled Musharraf declared the emergency to maintain his grip on power, which he has held since leading a coup in 1999.

Bhutto's detention, if only for a day, showed Musharraf has no intention of easing the crackdown despite saying Thursday that parliamentary elections would be held by mid-February, just a month later than originally planned. The announcement came after intense pressure from the U.S.

The move against Bhutto further harmed prospects for a Bhutto-Musharraf alliance that Washington has been pushing for.

"I worked out a road map with Gen. Musharraf for a peaceful transition to democracy and I'm very disappointed that though there is a peaceful way, he chose the nonpolitical path," Bhutto told a few dozen supporters after her second foiled attempt to get out of her villa.

Police kept a wary eye on her supporters, who repeatedly tried to remove the barbed wire and steel and concrete barriers ringing Bhutto's house. At least 30 of her loyalists were arrested, including a woman carrying flowers.

Dressed in a blue tunic and her trademark white head scarf, Bhutto twice tried to leave for Rawalpindi inside a white Landcruiser with tinted windows, surrounded by about 50 supporters, including several lawmakers.

After being turned back the second time, her way blocked by an armored vehicle, she got out of the car and joined her supporters, who chanted "Go, Musharraf, go!"

"I want to tell you to have courage because this battle is against dictatorship and it will be won by the people," Bhutto said as police stood guard nearby.

Her supporters said they would only be further emboldened by Friday's clampdown.

"We will not go away. Our party activists have been mobilized to move out and take to the streets," said Abida Hussain, a former ambassador to the United States.

US worries rise over Pakistan crackdown

[Shammu]

Hizbullah: We're preparing for upcoming war

Deputy of militant Shiite organization says Hizbullah training for future conflicts, just recently conducted major maneuver; Nasrallah's right-hand-man claims UNIFIL forces aware of drill
Ali Waked

Naim Kassem, Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah's deputy, described a training exercise the group conducted at the beginning of this week as preparation for the next war with Israel.

In an interview with the Arab-Israeli paper Sawt el-Balad published Thursday, Kassem said that the Shiite organization's weapons arsenal can hit all parts of Israel. He described the maneuvers as "enormous and important and they were carried out as part of our deployment so that we won't be caught by surprise.

"Our exercise was unrestricted and was meant to cover all of the territory of the Israeli entity and not simply to strengthen our companies," he stated.

Kassem added that UNIFIL forces detected the increased Hizbullah activity but, since no militants were carrying weapons, he claimed they were acting in accordance with UN Security Resolution 1701.

"The drill was part of our obligation to make our presence and readiness known and (to show) that we act how we deem necessary," Hizbullah's number two said.

Nasrallah supervision

On Monday, the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported that Hizbullah General-Secretary Hassan Nasrallah himself supervised the drill. He claimed the maneuvers were orchestrated in response to a "threatening Israeli reinforcements."

The drill included infantry, anti-tank missile crews, and anti-aircraft teams. Engineering units, search and rescue teams, military propagandists, and communication and logistics teams also took part.

Hizbullah: We're preparing for upcoming war

[Shammu]

Diplomat denies Putin gave Iran secret message
Reuters
By Guy Faulconbridge Reuters - Wednesday, November 7 05:20 pm

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin gave Iran no secret messages about its disputed nuclear programme during a visit last month but pressed Tehran to resolve the issue through negotiations, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday.

Ali Larijani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator at the time, was quoted by Iran's official news agency on October 17 as saying Putin gave Iranian leaders a "special message". He did not elaborate.

"There were no secret messages," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said when asked by Reuters about Putin's talks.

He said Putin pushed to resolve the Iranian problem through negotiations that stuck to the positions of the six-power mediators on Iran, the U.N. Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"We are acting along with the common position of the six, common to the U.N. Security Council and common to the ruling council of the IAEA," Kislyak told reporters after a debate in the Russian parliament.

"Our position is to resolve all the problems through negotiations," he said, when asked about Russian policy on Iran.

Putin's visit to Tehran, the first trip to Iran by a Russian leader since Josef Stalin in 1943, raised speculation that Russia was seeking to find a compromise in the stand-off over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

The United States, Israel and leading European Union countries suspect Iran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb under cover of its civilian atomic programme. Iran denies such intent.

Russia, a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, says there is no evidence that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons and has held up Western efforts to impose harsher sanctions on Iran. Tehran says it has a right to its own peaceful nuclear energy.

Iran pledged in August to clear up IAEA questions about the secret development of its programme but still refuses to halt enrichment as demanded by the Security Council. The IAEA will report in mid-November on how much Iran has cooperated.

FEARS OF WIDER CONFLICT

Russian and international media speculated that Putin might have told Iran that if, it gave up nuclear enrichment, the United States would open direct talks with Tehran.

The Kremlin fears that a U.S. military strike against Iran would spark a wider conflict close to its southern borders.

Russia is helping to build Iran's first nuclear power plant at Bushehr, although it has delayed providing nuclear fuel.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hinted during a visit to Tehran last month that Iran had so far failed to ease concerns in the IAEA about its nuclear programme.

Some analysts have speculated that Putin could be seeking to use Moscow's influence with Tehran to secure assurances from Washington over U.S. plans to deploy a missile defence shield in Europe and the future of Serbia's Kosovo province.

Kislyak dismissed suggestions of a wider deal. "...It is not very serious because, on every one of those problems, Russia has a independent and principled position, as presumably the American side also have," he said.

A diplomat close to the IAEA said its Director Mohamed ElBaradei had considered paying a visit to Tehran in the near future but decided the time was not right.

Diplomat denies Putin gave Iran secret message

[Shammu]

MAD MULLAHS PUZZLED PUTIN

November 9, 2007 -- 'EDUCATIONAL": That's how President Vladimir Putin's entourage described the Russian's recent whirlwind trip to Tehran.

Islamic Republic President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hyped the 36-hour visit as a "historic event." Some Western commentators even suggested that Putin and Ahmadinejad planned to create an axis to counter Western influence in the Middle East.

In fact, the visit seems to have persuaded Putin and his closest advisers that the Tehran leadership is culturally and temperamentally incapable of playing the classical Cold War-style power games that the Russians are interested in.

"This was the first time that Putin was talking to senior Islamic Republic leaders in a substantive and focused way," says a senior Russian official familiar with what happened. "The president found his Iranian interlocutor weird, to say the least. The Iranians mouthed a lot of eschatological nonsense and came close to urging Putin to convert to Islam. It was clear they lived in a world of their own."

Russian sources say that both Ahmadinejad and "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenei gave the impression that they settle matters "in the metaphysical space" and with "the help of the Hidden Imam."

"The Iranians think they have already won," reports one Russian source who witnessed the visit. "So intoxicated they appeared with hubris that they did not even ask Putin to help them ward off further United Nations sanctions."

Ahmadinejad gave the impression he sought neither advice nor support from the Russians. All he wanted was to project the Islamic Republic as the regional superpower and invite Putin to acknowledge its new status. "It was as if Russia needed Iran, not the other way round," says the Russian source. "Putin was taken aback. He had not expected what he heard."

Putin had brought with him a compromise formula to defuse the crisis over Iran's nuclear program: Moscow and Tehran would set up a joint enterprise to enrich uranium both on Iranian and Russian territory. In exchange, Moscow would transfer to Tehran more advanced scientific and technological data and build up to 20 nuclear-power stations in Iran over two decades. But he decided to abandon his game plan: "When it became clear that we were talking to the wall, there was no point in attempts at creative diplomacy," says the Russian source.

But why is Putin's entourage leaking the information about his trip to Tehran?

Conspiracy theorists might claim that the Russian leader, ordered the leaks (via French, German and British journalists) to soothe European nerves frayed by what many saw as a Russian bid to bolster the Islamic Republic. Yet several factors suggest that the Russian claims are more than a cynical ploy.

To start with, Putin appears to have discussed his proposed compromise only with Khamenei and not with Ahmadinejad. Even then, the official accounts on both sides clearly indicate that there was no discussion. Putin just spelled out some "broad ideas," and Khamenei responded by saying that he would "think about what you have said." Ahmadinejad went further by announcing that Putin hadn't raised "any new ideas."

Then there's the fact that, only days after his Tehran visit, Putin instructed the Russian delegation at a session of the Five Plus One group (the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany) to agree to devise new sanctions against Iran.

Even more interesting are things that Putin did not do.

Ahmadinejad had announced that the Russian visitor would announce a clear date for the years-delayed completion of Iran's first, and so far only, nuclear plant, which is being built near Bushehr by a Russian company. But Putin refused to fix a new date, stating that inauguration would depend on "resolving other matters," code words for the dispute over Iran's uranium-enrichment program.

Putin also didn't give Iran the scientific code for the type of enriched uranium that the Bushehr plant would need as fuel. Iran says it's enriching uranium for a yet-to-be-completed plant without knowing exactly what type of fuel is required. The Russian refusal to provide the codes makes the Iranian claim sound more unconvincing.

And Putin refused to announce a long-promised scheme under which Russia would train hundreds of Iranian scientists and technicians, thus giving Iran access to all aspects of nuclear technology.

Another sign of Putin's disappointment: his last-minute decision not to issue an invitation to Ahmadinejad for a state visit to Moscow. The Iranians had worked hard to secure the invite and were visibly disappointed when it didn't materialize.

None of this means that Putin won't use the Islamic Republic in his power game against the Western democracies. But his trip may have helped him understand the limits of playing the Khomeinist card. A member of Putin's entourage sums up the Russian leader's visit to Tehran: "He came, he saw, he was dismayed!"

MAD MULLAHS PUZZLED PUTIN

[Shammu]

Blair to convert to Catholicism 'within weeks'
AFP
AFP - Friday, November 9 03:14 pm

LONDON (AFP) - Former prime minister Tony Blair is expected to be received into the Catholic Church within weeks, Catholic newspaper The Tablet will say in its Saturday edition.

The weekly said it understood that Blair, an Anglican, was to convert to the religion of his lawyer wife Cherie and their four children.

Blair is likely to be received into the Church by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster and the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, the newspaper said.

His acceptance into the faith would take place during a mass in the private chapel of Archbishop's House in Westminster, central London, it added.

However, Blair's spokesman said: "This is just the same old speculation that I'm not commenting on."

There were frequent rumours throughout Blair's 10-year premiership, which ended when he stepped down in June, that he would convert.

However, the Church of England is the state church in England and many pundits felt Blair might be putting off converting while in office due to the difficulties that becoming Britain's first Catholic premier might pose.

Blair, 54, is the envoy for the Middle East Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- working towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Blair regularly took communion at his local Catholic church when an opposition leader before being elected prime minister but was asked to desist by cardinal Basil Hume, then the archbishop of Westminster.

The Tablet said some Catholics might be upset by Blair's conversion, given that his parliamentary record showed he supported abortion.

Blair to convert to Catholicism 'within weeks'

[Shammu]

Russia Reasserts Power with Thermobaric Weapons and Bomber Runs''
08 November 2007

During the past few months, the Russian Federation has implemented a new doctrine of increased military activity, as well as the development of new thermobaric bombs. There are a number of political implications for Russia's close neighbors and for the international community.

The renewed bomber runs, which have been a regular occurrence since June 2007, have skirted U.S., British, and Norwegian airspace. Besides their provocative nature, Russia has not violated any international laws since the bombers have never entered the airspace of another country. Instead, the bombers have remained in international airspace, and only come close to U.S., British, and Norwegian airspace.

Nevertheless, the bombers have caused sufficient concern, as has been seen by the scrambling of Norwegian, British, and U.S. interceptors to "escort" the Russian bombers back toward Russian airspace. The perception of these flights has been summed up by Gene Renuart, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (N.O.R.A.D.), who told the media last month that "any time you have an unidentified aircraft approaching sovereign airspace of the country there's some concern about the intentions of the airplane."

The statement from Renuart encompasses the concerns of the political and military elite in the West. The return of the bomber runs has many of the older members of the Western political and military elite reminiscing about the days of the Cold War. This unnerve in the West is exactly what the Russians want, as Moscow is using the bomber runs in order to extend their influence over their neighbors, and to achieve leverage from their political adversaries in the West.

Another change in the military spectrum of the Russian Federation is the recent development of the so called "Father of All Bombs," or F.O.A.B. Aside from the obvious play on words used on the U.S. military's "Mother of All Bombs" (M.O.A.B.; the acronym was originally derived from the technical name, Massive Ordinance Air Blast), the F.O.A.B. represents an explosive leap forward in non-nuclear weaponry, especially in the field of thermobaric weaponry. [See: "Keep a Watchful Eye on Russia's Military Technology"]

The F.O.A.B. is allegedly four times as powerful, and produces an explosion that is twice as hot, as the next most powerful thermobaric weapon, the aforementioned M.O.A.B. It is also interesting to note the rhetoric involved with the name of the new bomb; while the United States may have the Mother of All Bombs, the Russians want everyone to know that they have the Father of All Bombs.

Thermobaric weaponry is classified by the use of atmospheric oxygen, instead of carrying an oxidizer, like most conventional explosives. Thermobarics produce a far greater explosion, and therefore are more destructive than other conventional explosives, but are much less predictable. This flaw does not make them less desirable than more accurate weapons, for they are used when attacking certain stationary targets, such as airports and troop formations, where high levels of precision are not necessary.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the thermobaric weapon is its ability to create a large explosion that affects the surrounding area, making it the perfect weapon for massive bombing campaigns against strategic targets. Evidence of this can be found in the use of thermobarics by the United States in Afghanistan, and the Russian use of thermobarics against the Chechen capital of Grozny in the second Chechen War (some experts believe that the U.S. "Daisy Cutter" used in Vietnam was a thermobaric bomb, and there are also reports of Russian use during the Russian-Sino border conflict in 1969).

There are a number of interests driving Russia's redefined military doctrine.

First, the enlargement of N.A.T.O.'s power into the border countries surrounding Russia has stoked fears in the Russian military and political hierarchy, who feel the need to reassert their power in the region.

While N.A.T.O. is no longer seen as the "arch-enemy" that it represented to the Soviet Union, there is still residual unrest concerning N.A.T.O. and the United States in the Russian security apparatus, which still includes officers who were in positions of command in the Red Army while the Soviet Union was still in existence.

This fear has also been stoked after the U.S.-led N.A.T.O. intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is not difficult to imagine the Russian military and political elite being concerned after two powers, that had once so vigorously opposed it, took military action in a region considered to be within Russia's sphere of influence. It is possible that Russia has decided to "remind" the United States and N.A.T.O. that even though the Iron Curtain has fallen, the Russian Federation is still a power with which to be reckoned.

Second, the constant perceived threat in Chechnya most likely has some effect on the development of new weaponry, especially the new advances made in the form of the new thermobaric weaponry. Russia has illustrated that it has no reservations in using thermobarics, or using them against civilian targets, as was shown in the second Chechen war when they used the TOS-1 system in order to strike at the Chechen capital, Grozny.

Third, one theme that seems to tie together much of Russia's policies and actions is also involved in the renewal of bomber runs and the new technological advances. Russia is set upon a course of gaining an energy monopoly, and has already set up a very effective infrastructure for transporting oil and natural gas into the Eastern European energy market. The new military developments are a show of power, as the bombers demonstrate that Russia can extend its influence, and back it up with force if necessary.

The recent testing of the F.O.A.B. is a potent show of power by the Russian military. By making public the testing of the new weapon, which is four times as powerful as Washington's nearest non-nuclear weapon, the Russian Federation has displayed its preeminence in Eastern Europe. This showing of force encourages submission from Russia's neighboring states, especially from those that have shown friendship toward the United States, such as Georgia. It also demonstrates that it is in their best interests to work with Russia on building an energy monopoly in and around Eastern Europe.

The development of these weapons and the re-institution of strategic bomber runs may represent a new era for the Russian Federation, one where Moscow increasingly attempts to demonstrate that it has the military means to seize and hold what it perceives to be its vital interest at home and abroad.

Russia Reasserts Power with Thermobaric Weapons and Bomber Runs''

[nChrist]

In reading King Abdullah's German interview, did you happen to notice his non-recognition of Israel, and that he only refers to her as 'Palestine'

Hello Dreamweaver,

Brother Bob, I did notice this. When Israel is specifically mentioned by the Muslim world, it's usually with statements to wipe it from the face of the earth. We should know that they mean this language, and they will try it at GOD'S Appointed Time. I think that time is soon. I'll simply say that I anxiously await the Glorious Appearance of JESUS CHRIST to catch HIS CHURCH up to meet HIM in the clouds. I have no doubt that the times will get increasingly harder while we wait. Our part is to pray that GOD will use us however HE Will until the last moment.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Hebrews 10:19-23 NASB
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

[Shammu]

Russia stresses Iran's right to access to peaceful nuclear technology
Moscow, Nov 9, IRNA

Russia-Iran-Nuclear
Head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency Sergei Kiriyenco here Friday supported Iran's absolute right to have access to full cycle of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Kiriyenco made the comment at a press conference, stressing Moscow's opposition to world nations' access to nuclear power for military purposes, adding, "The IAEA members are obliged to support world nations' efforts aimed at expanding the dimensions of nuclear technology application in the world for peaceful purposes." Kiriyenco meanwhile welcomed EU Foreign policy Chief Javier Solana's proposal for giving Iran a chance to get access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes."
He added, "Today many world nations are counting on nuclear energy for their future development plans."
The head of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency also referred to Solana's remarks on the need for expanding international nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes, arguing, "Russia had long ago proposed that such facilities need to be established."
He added, "Russia has already established an international uranium enrichment center at Angarsk, in far east parts of Russia." Kiriyenco had recently welcomed Iran's participation at that international nuclear center.

He had said, "Iran can be a shareholder at Angarsk uranium enrichment center, and not only be benefitted from the guaranteed fare price of its products, but also gain the benefits out of its investment and participation at nuclear fuel production.

Russia stresses Iran's right to access to peaceful nuclear technology

[Shammu]

Israel fears European countries might 'downsize' from UNIFIL

Yaakov Katz
THE JERUSALEM POST
Nov. 8, 2007

Concerns are mounting in the Israeli defense establishment over the possibility that European countries which contribute military forces to UNIFIL might begin to gradually reduce their participation in the peacekeeping force over the coming year, defense officials have told The Jerusalem Post.

According to the officials, the political instability in Lebanon on the one hand, and the growing threats in southern Lebanon against the UN force by Hizbullah as well as al-Qaida elements on the other, could cause European countries to reconsider the extent of their participation in the peacekeeping force.

UNIFIL was significantly enlarged - from a force of 2,000 troops to over 13,000 - following the Second Lebanon War Israel fought against Hizbullah in the summer of 2006.

Germany, for example, is scheduled to concede command of the UNIFIL naval contingent in February. While Germany will continue to serve as a UNIFIL member, Israeli officials said they were concerned that the move was the first step in the country's plan to downsize its involvement.

Defense officials from a number of European countries confirmed that their governments were currently debating the issue and that it was possible that the UNIFIL force would not remain at its current strength in the years to come. Some officials went as far as to predict that if the political situation in Lebanon resolved itself and stabilized, there may "no longer be a need for UNIFIL at all."

The concern over the fate of UNIFIL was reportedly recently raised by the force commander Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano, who was quoted as warning Lebanese leaders he met in Beirut last week that the tension in the south and a deepening political crisis in the country might prompt European countries "to withdraw from UNIFIL within less than four months."

In addition to the concerns over the future of UNIFIL, the IDF has recently lodged informal complaints with several European countries over the fact that their forces are, according to Israel, involved more in protecting themselves from terror groups in southern Lebanon than in fulfilling their mission of preventing weapons smuggling and Hizbullah buildup.

On Tuesday, Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz, head of Military Intelligence's research division, told a Knesset committee that Hizbullah was learning to adapt to the new reality in southern Lebanon where UNIFIL operates.

According to defense officials, since the deaths of six Spanish soldiers in a terror attack in June, UNIFIL has been investing most of its resources in self-protection at the expense of conducting its missions.

"Hizbullah is gaining from this situation," an official said.

Israel fears European countries might 'downsize' from UNIFIL

[Shammu]

Uncertainty Over Putin Succession Fuels 'Siloviki War'
By Brian Whitmore
Russia – Cityscape – Views of the Kremlin, Moscow, 5Jul2006
(ITAR-TASS)
November 9, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Konstantin Druzenko and Sergei Lomako were out last month for a long night of drinking at a St. Petersburg cafe. Early the next morning, their dead bodies were found in a ditch.

But these weren't ordinary drunks who passed out and died in the frigid Russian night. Druzenko was an officer with Russia's Federal Antinarcotics Service and Lomako a former colleague there. Police say both were poisoned.

Adding to the mystery, their October 27 deaths came in the midst of a nasty and protracted turf battle between rival clans of KGB and security-service veterans in Vladimir Putin's Kremlin. This "war of the siloviki" -- Russian slang for members or veterans of the security services -- pits a bureaucratic clique led by Federal Antinarcotics Service head Viktor Cherkesov, the two men's boss, against another led by Putin's powerful deputy chief of staff, Igor Sechin.

Police say they are still investigating the deaths, while insisting the poisonings were unconnected to the men's work. But some Kremlin-watchers, like Vladimir Pribylovsky, head of the Moscow-based Panorama think tank, believe otherwise.

"This is connected," Pribylovsky told RFE/RL. "I have few doubts that this happened in the context of the [siloviki] war. And I don't see peace breaking out."

Battle Of The Clans

Whether or not there is a connection -- and the evidence at this point is largely circumstantial -- speculation about the deaths highlights mounting concerns that the high-stakes battle for power and influence among the Kremlin's siloviki clans might be spinning out of control. The power struggle, analysts say, is largely being fueled by mounting uncertainty -- and growing apprehension -- over what will happen when Putin's term ends next year.

"The entire political system of Russia today is a struggle of various clans and groups fighting to see that Putin stays in power according to their scenario and not according to the scenario of their competitors," Mikhail Delyagin, who served as an economic adviser under former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, recently told the news weekly "Itogi."

In this atmosphere, Cherkesov and his ally Viktor Zolotov, the head of the presidential security service, are trying to increase their power in the Kremlin at the expense of Sechin and his ally, Federal Security Service (FSB) chief Nikolai Patrushev.

Related to this struggle for political power are the two sides' conflicting commercial interests as they vie for control of Russia's customs points. Such powers offer the possibility of collecting protection payments from firms engaged in smuggling and money laundering.

"Cherkesov's group is...the weakest among the siloviki," says Andrei Soldatov, editor in chief of the online magazine agentura.ru and an expert on the security services. "Therefore, Cherkesov is trying to change this situation."

Soldatov and other analysts say one way Cherkesov is seeking to turn the tables is by gaining control of the newly formed Investigative Committee -- a powerful law-enforcement agency that has assumed many of the functions of the Prosecutor-General's Office. The Investigative Committee is currently headed by Aleksandr Bastrykin, who is allied with Sechin and Patrushev.

Proposals are being floated to unify Russia's myriad security, intelligence, and law-enforcement services under the Investigative Committee -- making control of the agency a key asset at a time of increased political uncertainty.

"If Cherkesov gets control of this new agency, then [his group] will become much stronger. If not, then they become marginalized. This is what the fight is over," Soldatov says, adding that Cherkesov is also angling to be appointed Security Council secretary.

Airing Dirty Laundry

Such jockeying for advantage has always been a feature of Putin's Kremlin, but it was a relatively low-intensity contest hidden from public view.

That all changed in October, when FSB agents arrested General Aleksandr Bulbov, Cherkesov's right-hand man at the Federal Antinarcotics Agency, after a tense standoff at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport.

A former security-service official familiar with the situation told "The Moscow Times" that there was "nearly a fight" at the airport when heavily armed FSB and Investigative Committee officials attempted to arrest Bulbov, who was being protected by Federal Antinarcotics Service agents.

Bulbov has been charged with illegally tapping telephones and accepting protection money.

In late August, Cherkesov and Zolotov suffered another blow when police arrested St. Petersburg businessman Vladimir Barsukov, who is reputed to have ties to both men, on suspicion of organizing contract killings.

Barsukov -- previously known as Vladimir Kumarin -- is a former vice president of the Petersburg Fuel Company who was once alleged to be the leader of an infamous criminal gang known as the Tambov Gang. According to media reports, prosecutors are investigating Zolotov's ties to Barsukov.

Cherkesov responded to Bulbov's arrest by publishing an open letter warning that Kremlin rivalries were on the verge of breaking into open conflict that could threaten Russia's stability.

Putin chastised Cherkesov publicly for breaking one of the key tenets of his usually tight-lipped ruling elite -- never air dirty laundry in public. But in a move characteristic of Putin's tendency to try to keep a balance of power among the top elite, the president then boosted Cherkesov's status by putting him in charge of a newly formed intergovernmental commission to fight illegal drugs.

A group of retired security officials -- including Vladimir Kruchkov, the last Soviet KGB chief -- published their own open letter in the nationalist newspaper "Zavtra" in October, urging the two sides to stop fighting. "Trust us from our experience," they wrote. "There will be major troubles and this is unacceptable."

For his part, Bulbov denies the charges against him and calls his arrest revenge for his role in a high-profile investigation last year of the Tri Kita company -- a large Moscow furniture business that was allegedly paying the FSB to turn its back as vast quantities of goods were smuggled into Russia without being subjected to customs duties.

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The case resulted in the resignation of several high-ranking FSB officials and that of Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov, a close ally of Sechin, in June 2006.

Putin As Arbiter

The battle has intensified, analysts say, as uncertainty mounts over what will happen when Putin's second presidential term ends next year. Putin insists he will not change the constitution to allow him to serve a third term, but he is nevertheless widely expected to maintain power in some form.

"The presidential transition lacks a lot of clarity about the composition of authority in the future, the separation of powers, how power is transferred, about who the successor will be," said Andrei Ryabov, a political analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center.

Over the past two months, the succession drama has indeed become increasingly muddled.

Initially, Putin was expected to anoint a loyal successor who would easily win the March 2008 presidential election. First Deputy Prime Ministers Sergei Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev were considered the prime contenders for Putin's coveted blessing. But those assumptions changed dramatically on September 12, when Putin unexpectedly passed over both and instead named the obscure Viktor Zubkov as his prime minister -- a post widely viewed as a stepping stone to the presidency.

The shock appointment suggested that the heretofore unknown bureaucrat Zubkov might be Putin's handpicked successor, and led to widespread speculation about another scenario -- that the next president would be a weak caretaker who would resign after a respectable period. This, in turn, would provide Putin a legal avenue to return to the Kremlin by circumventing the constitutional restriction preventing presidents from serving more than two consecutive terms.

Those theories were weakened when the Russian president dropped another bombshell. On October 1, Putin announced that he not only planned to head the pro-Kremlin Unified Russia party's candidates list in the December State Duma elections, but that he would also consider serving as prime minister. This sparked a new wave of conjecture that real political power in Russia would be transferred to a "super premiership" -- while the presidential post would  become largely symbolic.

But just weeks later, on October 18, Putin diluted that scenario by saying he opposed increasing the government's powers or decreasing those of the president.

Given the uncertainty of their political security, key members of the Kremlin elite are fighting to ensure that their interests are protected.

"Their main interest is the future composition of the ruling elite," Ryabov said. "They depend on the president...and they need some kind of guarantee that their influence and positions will be maintained under the new president. And it is obvious that their interests conflict, which makes it hard to find consensus."

Ryabov added, however, that he believes that the top elite's "common interests" and "corporate camaraderie" will in the end prove stronger than their divisions -- as long Putin remains in charge to keep the peace.

"With such countervailing forces, the system cannot regulate itself," Ryabov said. "It cannot resolve these conflicts through two-sided negotiations. An arbiter is always necessary and this is the role Putin is playing. And this is the key role."

According to Ryabov, the elite views the various schemes that have been floated to keep Putin in power as too risky, making the idea of changing the constitution to allow for a third term look increasingly attractive -- despite the president's public protestations to the contrary.

Many cities, including Moscow, have held rallies and meetings over the past three weeks to form local chapters of a new organization called For Putin! to urge that he remain in power. The group, which many observers say is a Kremlin creation, plans to hold an All-Russian Forum in Tver on November 15, just two weeks before the State Duma elections.

"The idea of a third term has been pulled back out of the archives, where it was placed a few months ago, and has returned to the center of the agenda since the end of October. I think this is no accident," Ryabov said. "This idea is alive. This idea is interesting again."   

Uncertainty Over Putin Succession Fuels 'Siloviki War'

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Lebanon again delays presidential vote

Sat Nov 10, 10:26 AM ET

BEIRUT, Lebanon - With just two weeks left before the president has to step down, Lebanon's parliament speaker on Saturday postponed presidential elections for the third time to give deadlocked rival factions more time to find a compromise candidate.

The 128-seat Parliament, dominated by anti-Syrian legislators, was scheduled to meet Monday for another attempt to choose a successor to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, who steps down Nov. 24.

A September session failed to reach quorum because of an opposition boycott, and an October attempt was postponed as negotiators struggled to find a compromise candidate.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in a statement issued by the parliament's secretariat general, said he decided to postpone the election until Nov. 21 "to give more time for consultations to reach agreement on a president."

The decision followed a meeting last night between Berri, who is aligned with the Syria-backed, Hezbollah-led opposition, and legislator Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority in Lebanon.

Lebanon again delays presidential vote

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Georgian Parliament Confirms Emergency Rule

MOSCOW, Saturday, Nov. 10 — The Georgian Parliament approved a state of emergency decree on Friday issued by President Mikheil Saakashvili on Wednesday, allowing emergency rule for as long as 15 days despite calls from inside and outside the country for the restoration of personal and political rights.

 The vote was 149 to 0 in a session of the 235-seat Parliament that the opposition boycotted.

The approval was a rebuff to international organizations that called for the decree to be lifted and to foreign governments, including the Bush administration, which until this week had championed Georgia as an example of a post-Soviet state undergoing bold democratic reforms.

The United States expressed swift dismay at the decision of Parliament, which is under Mr. Saakashvili’s control. A senior American diplomat said he was departing Washington this afternoon to fly to Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, to help mediate the crisis.

Matthew J. Bryza, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said by telephone that he would meet with Mr. Saakashvili on Saturday and deliver a clear message from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “I plan to tell the government that it needs to lift the state of emergency immediately,” Mr. Bryza said. “It is a big disappointment.

“This is a very serious moment,” he added. “This is a moment of truth.”

Mr. Bryza said that he would also meet the opposition leaders and ask them to refrain from inflammatory language and to negotiate constructively. In a clear sign to Mr. Saakashvili and his government that the American support they have enjoyed since coming to power in 2003 is not unequivocal, Mr. Bryza added that he hoped to give a message to the Georgian people.

“We care about Georgia and Georgian democracy, and frankly I love that country,” he said. “But it is about democracy in Georgia that we care. ”

The Parliament met as the country’s prosecutors announced that they had opened a criminal investigation against Badri Patarkatsishvili, a wealthy Georgian who had pledged financial support to the opposition, on the ground that he had plotted to overthrow the state.

Mr. Patarkatsishvili, who has been in Israel this week, was on an airplane Friday and not immediately available for comment, a member of his staff said.

Mr. Saakashvili issued the emergency decree on Wednesday night after a police crackdown on an opposition demonstration sowed unrest in Tbilisi, the country’s capital, and led to demonstrations and clashes with the police later in the day. The West maintains that there is credible evidence, including photographs, video and eyewitness accounts, that the police used disproportionate force, and chased and beat many demonstrators who did not resist or had run away.

The presidential decree banned public assembly, limited political speech and banned independent news television broadcasts. The police also seized the offices and smashed broadcasting equipment at the country’s most popular station, the opposition Imedi-TV, which remained entirely off the air on Friday.

Giga Bokeria, a member of Parliament and a close ally to the president, said by telephone that the station was now also under criminal investigation, accused of collaborating with Mr. Patarkatsishvili and actively inciting unrest, and had little prospect of reopening. Even when the state of emergency ends, he said, the station would be under sanction. “Imedi is a separate issue,” he said by telephone.

Under Georgian law, the state of emergency decree required parliamentary approval within 48 hours. The vote on Friday, with only a few hours remaining, allowed the extension of emergency rule to Nov. 22, giving Mr. Saakashvili the option of exercising the full 15-day period allowed by the country’s laws.

The speaker of Parliament, Nino Burdjanadze, said the order could not yet be lifted because there had been a coup attempt and the state remained at risk.

“The threat that existed until now is still present despite the calm that has been restored,” she said, according to news agency reporters present at the session.

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