News, Prophecy and other

[Soldier4Christ]

US wants direct access to AQ Khan



LAHORE: The United States wants direct access to Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and President Bush, in his recent visit to Pakistan, told President Pervez Musharraf that US experts want to question the detained scientist, said BBC security correspondent.

Speaking at a television programme on Wednesday, BBC security correspondent Gordon Correra was commenting on a Pakistan Foreign Office statement, which said that the Dr AQ Khan case had been closed and that there would be no further investigation into the matter. He said that such a statement by the Pakistani Foreign Office was an attempt to sweep things under the rug.

"But this raises a very difficult question for Pakistan - how a chief scientist was able to leak nuclear secrets to countries like Iran and Libya," Correra said. He said that Khan supplied nuclear material and designs to Iran and the US wanted access to Dr Khan because only he could explain the history and purposes of Iran's nuclear program. "The question everyone is asking is that did Khan sell nuclear weapons designs, because only the answer to this question will explain whether Iran was after nuclear weapons or not," he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Iran Threatens to Quit Nuclear Treaty

 The Iranian parliament threatened Sunday to force the government to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the United States continues pressuring Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment.

In a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan read on state-run radio, the lawmakers said they would consider forcing the withdrawal if "the U.N. Secretary General and other members of the U.N. Security Council fail in their crucial responsibility to resolve differences peacefully."

 The legislators said they would have no choice but to "review Article 10 of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty." The article allows signatories to pull out of the treaty if they decide that extraordinary events have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country. A withdrawing nation must give fellow treaty signers and the U.N. three months notice and detail the events that have forced the decision to pullout of the agreement.

North Korea withdrew from the treaty in 2003 on that basis.

Parliament also threatened to ask the government to withdraw its signature of the Additional Protocol to the NPT that allows unannounced inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran already halted such inspections in January after being referred to the U.N. Security Council. It recently offered to allow them if the Security Council left the dispute to the U.N. nuclear monitor, the International Atomic Energy Agency.The United States rejected the offer.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi insisted Sunday that there was nothing the international community could do to force Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, declaring that "intervention by the Security Council in this issue is completely illegal."

The United States France and Britain, which are sponsoring a draft resolution that would make U.N. demands that Iran stop uranium enrichment mandatory, "have political motivations," Asefi said.

"Intervention by the U.N. Security Council would change the path of cooperation to confrontation. We recommend they do not do this," Asefi said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Israel foils plot to kill Palestinian president


A HAMAS plot to assassinate Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has been thwarted after he was tipped off by Israeli intelligence.

Hamas’s military wing, the Izza Din Al-Qassem, had planned to kill Abbas at his office in Gaza, intelligence sources said.

Abbas, who became president of the Palestinian Authority last year after the death of Yasser Arafat, was formally warned of the danger by the Israelis and cancelled a planned visit to the territory.

The murder plan is the clearest sign yet of the tensions inside the Palestinian Authority between Hamas, which swept to power after elections in January, and Abbas’s Fatah movement.

Hamas leaders, who refuse to recognise the state of Israel, suspect Abbas of obstructing their attempts to govern, which have been hampered by a financial boycott from donor nations. “Hamas considers Abbas to be a barrier to its complete control over Palestine and decided to kill him,” said a Palestinian source who was an adviser to Arafat and is a close acquaintance of Abbas.

It is understood that the attack would also have targeted Mohammed Dahlan, Abbas’s strongman in Gaza.

The sources were unable to say who in Hamas’s secretive leadership had given the order to kill Abbas. But an indication of its hostility towards Abbas came last week.

In a statement to Al-Jazeera, the Arab television news network, Mohammed Nazzal, one of its leaders, accused the president of being party to “besieging and isolating the Hamas-led government”.

Abbas, who is guarded by his own security men, divides his time between his Gaza and Ramallah offices. While in the West Bank he is relatively safe, but Gaza — stronghold of Hamas and numerous rogue terrorist organisations — is a dangerous place. Shortly after his election to the presidency Abbas narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in the Gaza Strip.

A recent request to the Israeli government to let him bring in new weapons for his presidential guard was rejected by Shaul Mofaz, the outgoing Israeli defence minister.

However, the Israelis could not ignore intelligence information regarding the imminent threat to Abbas’s life. “We monitor every movement of Hamas in Gaza,” said an Israeli intelligence source. “So when we learnt that Abbas’s life was in danger, we made sure to inform him without delay.”

Matti Steinberg, a former adviser to the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service, said he would be surprised if any decision to kill Abbas had been taken by Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian prime minister, or Khaled Mashaal, the Damascus-based Hamas leader. “However, such an action by the military wing of Hamas is very plausible,” he added.

While Hamas is struggling to maintain power, and Abbas to remain relevant, economic chaos is spreading in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. For the second month in a row 160,000 employees of the Palestinian Authority have not received their salaries.

[Soldier4Christ]

UN resolutions 'no value' for Iran, says Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that any resolutions by the United Nations Security Council which were contrary to Iran's interests would have 'no value' for Tehran.

'If international bodies acted contrary to international laws and if their resolutions threatened our national interests, then such resolutions would have no value for us,' Ahmadinejad was quoted by the news agency ISNA as telling military commanders.

Iran's controversial nuclear programme has been under informal discussion at the UN Security Council following the latest IAEA report on Tehran's non-compliance with the UN.

A draft resolution backed by permanent Council members the United States, Britain and France however faces opposition from Russia and China as it includes the option of military enforcement, under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, as well as sanctions.

Ahmadinejad said that Iran would reject international bodies if they 'acted as translators of imperialistic powers for voicing their illegitimate demands.'

'We will not accept suppression any more,' Ahmadinejad said. 'The West cannot impose its illegitimate demands (on Iran) under the cover of the IAEA or the Security Council.'

Earlier Sunday Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi had reaffirmend Iran's defiance of the UN demand to suspend uranium enrichment.

'We are generally against the Iranian nuclear case being evaluated in the Security Council and consider it as illegal,' Assefi told reporters in Tehran.

'Any resolution contradicting our legitimate rights (of pursuing nuclear technology) would be unacceptable,' Assefi said, however adding that Iran would 'wait and see' what the contents of any resolution would be before further responding.

He also reiterated that Iran's nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes and would not be used for military aims.

The spokesman however warned that if the Iranian nuclear case was not returned to the IAEA and remained in the UN Security Council, 'then the grounds would be prepared for confrontation rather than cooperation.'

The Iranian parliament meanwhile was preparing a statement urging the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to revise commitments to the IAEA Additional Protocol, even at voluntary level, as well as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The spokesman of the Foreign Policy and Security Commission of the parliament, Mahmoud Mohammadi, told the news network Khabar that if the US continued to adopt political pressure and threats against Iran especially under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, then the Iranian parliament would react accordingly.

'The political threats by the US should stop and the Iran case be returned to its initial status (IAEA investigation) ... otherwise the parliament would urge the government to revise both the voluntary implementation of the IAEA Additional Protocol and even commitment to the NPT,' Mohammadi said.

[twobombs]

Brit MI6 confirms
bin Laden nukes
Pakistani scientists reportedly advising al-Qaida
on weaponization of uranium it has obtained
Posted: May 7, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Gordon Thomas
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

MI6, Britain's secret intelligence service, has identified six Pakistani scientists working in Iran's nuclear bomb program who have been "advising al-Qaida on how to weaponize fissionable materials it has now obtained."

MI6 and the International Atomic Energy Agency believe the scientists have played a major role in enabling Iran to be "well advanced in providing uranium enriched materials for nuclear bombs," said Alexander Cirilovic, a nuclear terrorism expert in Paris.

Both high-level MI6 and CIA sources have confirmed the scientists would only have been allowed to assist al-Qaida with the authority of Iran's unpredictable President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The revelation comes at a time when Washington has increased pressure on Tehran to give up its nuclear weapons program.

The scientists worked for Dr. A.Q. Khan, the "father of the Islamic bomb," who is now under house arrest in Pakistan after confessing he had provided both Iran and North Korea with details of how to make their own nuclear bombs.

The MI6 report to other intelligence services followed bin Laden's recent threats to unleash a new wave of terror – with Britain and the United States his prime targets.

Recently, from his lair in north Pakistan, bin Laden boasted that "al-Qaida did not find it difficult to obtain the weapons grade material. We have contacts in Russia with other militant groups. Enough material to make a tactical nuke is available for £15 million."

Former CIA operative David Dastych, a G2B contributor from Poland and one of the agency's experts on nuclear terrorism, said: "The traffic in nuclear materials is ongoing and growing."

Bin Laden's material is hidden somewhere in the mountain fastness between Iran and Afghanistan.

Its proximity to Iran's own nuclear facilities has made it easy for the Pakistani scientists to assist al-Qaida.

Like Khan, all are strong al-Qaida supporters. One, Bashiruddin Mahmood, was briefly arrested in 2004 by the Pakistan intelligence service.

He said he had met the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar and a high-ranking al-Qaida operative.

In his statement Mahmood admitted: "They had asked me to devise a radiological bomb. It would be constructed from nuclear material wrapped in conventional high explosive which bin Laden had obtained from a nuclear storage site in Uzbekistan. I refused to do so."

Despite a CIA request to have him transferred to the United States for further questioning, Mahmood was set free. Shortly afterward he fled from Pakistan to Iran.

With him went five other senior scientists at the Khan laboratories. They were Muhammad Zubair, Saeed Akhhter, Murad Qasim, Imtaz Baig and Waheed Nasir.

They had helped Khan to successfully detonate Pakistan's first nuclear bomb at a test site beneath the Baluchistan desert.

"Depending on the quality of the fissionable material bin Laden has obtained, the combined scientific skills would be able to create considerably more than a "dirty bomb," said Cirilovic.

Gordon Thomas is an Irish journalist specializing in international intelligence matters and a regular contributor to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

[Soldier4Christ]

Brit MI6 confirms

Post # 1137

[Shammu]

U.S. Set to Bring Iran Draft to UN Vote, With or Without Russia’s Support

Created: 07.05.2006 13:27 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 22:14 MSK, 2 hours 33 minutes ago

MosNews

The United States said Saturday it was prepared to bring a UN resolution on Iran’s nuclear program to a vote — with or without Russia and China’s support — but was still seeking to bridge differences and win unanimous Security Council approval, The Associated Press reported.

After an informal meeting at Britain’s UN Mission, council members said they made progress in a paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of the draft resolution. Britain’s UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry acknowledged, however, that the most contentious issues were not discussed in detail.

“We are still working to achieve unanimity ... but we’re prepared to go to a vote without it,” U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said. “We’re not prepared to extend these negotiations endlessly ... I think it’s realistic to consider this for a vote next week.”

The resolution, co-sponsored by Britain and France and backed by the U.S., would make mandatory the previous Security Council demands that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, plutonium reprocessing, and construction of a heavy-water nuclear reactor. The draft states that the “proliferation risk” posed by Iran constitutes a threat to international peace and security, and the resolution would be adopted under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can be enforced by sanctions — or if necessary — military action.

Russia and China, which both have veto power, and some nonpermanent members contend that there is no evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons — as the U.S. and its allies believe — and they object to the call for possible “further measures” to ensure Tehran’s compliance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed “the search for a diplomatic solution of the Iranian nuclear problem” with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday.

“It is too early to say which changes should be made to the draft resolution to satisfy Russia,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said in Moscow on Saturday, according to the RIA Novosti, ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agencies.

Bolton said he had told the Russians and Chinese four days ago to come up with some creative way to make the resolution mandatory without Chapter 7, and was still waiting for their proposals. “There’s no dispute about the basic course of conduct that we want Iran to pursue,” he said.

But Jones Parry said he did not envision a resolution without Chapter 7.

Qatar’s UN Ambassador Nassir Al-Nasser said after Saturday’s meeting that “the text language for some delegations is very unacceptable” and he is waiting for a revised text. Tanzania’s UN Ambassador Augustine Mahiga said the resolution should strengthen the role of the IAEA, remove the threat of further action, and “incorporate some inducements for Iranians to cooperate.”

Jones Parry said he and France’s UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere would now reflect on the suggestions made by council members.

“We have no intention of producing a new text at this stage,” Jones Parry said, adding that the co-sponsors were still open to consider possible amendments.

Neither Jones Parry nor Bolton would predict when a revised text would be introduced.

De La Sabliere said the council would meet again on Monday, ahead of a meeting Monday evening of foreign ministers of the six key players on the Iran nuclear issue — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. Supporters of the resolution had hoped it would be adopted before that gathering.

“We are moving in the right direction,” de La Sabliere said. “I think we have made some progress, but there is still a lot of work to do.”

Bolton said he expects the ministers to talk about “the longer term policy that we need to pursue to stop Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capability, and I think they could have that discussion on the assumption that this resolution will be adopted next week.”

In Saudi Arabia, six of Iran’s Persian Gulf neighbors urged Tehran on Saturday to be frank with them about its nuclear program. The gathering discussed developments in Iran, Iraq and combatting terrorism, United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan told journalists. “Iran should be transparent in dealing with the region,” regarding its nuclear program, Al Nahyan said.

U.S. Set to Bring Iran Draft to UN Vote, With or Without Russia’s Support

[Shammu]

Bible literalism 'pagan superstition'?
Vatican astronomer denounces 6-day creationism
Posted: May 6, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno says believing God created the universe in six days is a form of "pagan superstition."

Consolmagno told the Scotsman the idea that religion and science are competing principles is a "destructive myth."

Consolmagno works in a Vatican observatory in Arizona and as curator of the Vatican meteorite collection in Italy.

He is keenly aware of the renewed interest in creationism taking hold in America – particularly among evangelical Christians who take the Bible – including the Genesis account of creation -- literally.

Consolmagno described creationism as a "kind of paganism" because it is similar to the idea of "nature gods" who pagans believed to be responsible for natural events.

"Knowledge is dangerous, but so is ignorance," he said. "That's why science and religion need to talk to each other."

Consolmagno stated that the Christian God is a supernatural god. In the past, the belief in God being supernatural led the clergy to become involved in science to find natural explanations for things like thunder and lightning. Pagans often attribute thunder and lightning to vengeful gods.

"Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism -- it's turning God into a nature god," he said. "And science needs religion in order to have a conscience, to know that, just because something is possible, it may not be a good thing to do."

[Shammu]

'Russia has left the western orbit'

Missile deals with the 'axis of evil' are just the latest sign that Moscow is sick of kowtowing to the US and Europe, writes Tom Parfitt

Thursday April 27, 2006

Moscow could be on the verge of clinching an arms deal with Syria or Iran that would send the US and Israel into pop-eyed rage.

A few days ago a Russian arms manufacturer let slip at an arms fair in Kuala Lumpur that his state-run weapons design bureau was close to sealing a foreign sale of Iskander-E missiles. The destination of the hardware was secret, he said, but the most obvious market is clear: the Middle East.

Article continues
Last year, Israel was furious when it emerged that Moscow was planning to sell the Iskander to Damascus. The Iskander is like the Scuds that Iraq used during the Gulf war but many times more accurate and better equipped to avoid defensive weapons such as the Patriot missile. Syria - part of George Bush's "axis of evil" - would love to be able to trundle some of these short-range ballistic missiles (range: 180 miles) down to its southern border to point at Israel in the event of a conflict.

No doubt the Iranian regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also itching to get its hands on some of these weapons - whose sale is not restricted by any treaty. Earlier this month Iran tested an underwater missile that looked suspiciously like a Russian Shkval.

President Vladimir Putin, under pressure from the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, was forced to step in and reverse the Syrian missile deal. These days, one might surmise, he would not give a fig.

Everything about Russia's stance in the international arena suggests a new confidence that radiates "don't bully me". I is still possible the Iskanders will go to a less threatening client than the Middle Eastern bad boys - China, say, or India or Algeria. But the point is, they will go to whomever Moscow wants.

Russia has shown in recent months that western condemnation will not shake its resolve to play on the world stage as it likes.

Welcoming a Hamas delegation to Moscow last month - described by a minister in Jerusalem as "stabbing Israel in the back" - was one example. A second was the decision a few weeks later to give financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, against the wishes of the US and the EU.

In another robust move, the Russians have refused to back down on a recent $700m (£380m) deal to sell 29 Tor M1 mobile surface-to-air missile defence systems to Iran despite pressure from Washington.

"We hope and we trust that that deal will not go forward because this is not the time for business as usual with the Iranian government," grumbled the US undersecretary of state Nicholas Burns last week, as the UN geared up for its crucial report tomorrow on Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. But the complaint fell on deaf ears at the Kremlin.

While Russia's arms industry is growing fast, its new brassiness relies mostly on the billions of dollars it is raking in from hydrocarbon exports, on the back of high oil prices.

As an emerging energy superpower, Moscow is increasingly seeking to play off potential buyers of its oil and gas.

Last week Alexei Miller, the head of the Russian state gas monopoly, Gazprom, warned that attempts to limit his company's expansion in Europe would "not lead to good results". The company caused alarm at the British gas supplier Centrica when it emerged that the Russian firm saw it as a potential takeover target - Gazprom had turned off the taps to its neighbour Ukraine in January, in a politically charged dispute. Miller also said: "It should not be forgotten we are actively seeking new markets, such as North America and China."

President Vladimir Putin weighed in on the theme yesterday. "Despite the great demand for energy resources, any excuses are being used to limit us in the north, in the south, in the west," he said.

"We must look for markets, fit into the processes of global development. I have in mind the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, which are developing at great speed and need to cooperate with us."

Dmitry Trenin, an analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Centre, says Russia - fed up with pandering to the US and Europe - is undergoing a fundamental shift in foreign relations. Now it will focus on ties with countries, such as Brazil, India and China, that it sees as being on a similar path of development to itself.

"Russia has left the western orbit," Mr Trenin said. "It was circling it distantly for about a decade, Pluto-like. But now it's gone."

'Russia has left the western orbit'

[Shammu]

Bin Laden hints major assassination


By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

U.S. intelligence officials say a high-profile political assassination, triggered by the public release of a new message from Osama bin Laden, will lead off the next major al Qaeda terrorist attack, The Washington Times has learned.
    The assassination plan is among new details of al Qaeda plots disclosed by U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports who, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the killing could be carried out against a U.S. or foreign leader either in the United States or abroad.
    The officials mentioned Saudi Arabia and Yemen, two nations that are working with the United States in the battle against al Qaeda, as likely locales for the opening assassination.
    The planning for the attacks to follow involves "multiple targets in multiple venues" across the United States, one official said.
    The new details of al Qaeda's plans were found on a laptop computer belonging to arrested al Qaeda operative Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan of Pakistan.
    "We're talking about planning at the screwdriver level," one official said. "It is very detailed."
    Khan was arrested July 13 in Lahore, Pakistan, along with Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian who was indicted in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa and was on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists.
    U.S. and allied counterterrorism officials are pursuing leads on other terrorists based on the data from Khan's seized laptop. At least one arrest in Britain has been made so far, and others are expected, the officials said.
    Additionally, U.S. intelligence officials said they think that several al Qaeda terrorists already in the United States are part of the plot, although their identities and locations are not known.
    The targets, in addition to the financial institutions in New York, Washington and Newark, N.J., that have been the subject of public warnings, include such economic-related targets as oil and gas facilities with a view toward disrupting the November election.
     "The goal of the next attack is twofold: to damage the U.S. economy and to undermine the U.S. election," the official said. "The view of al Qaeda is 'anybody but Bush.' "
    The officials also said the terrorist group has begun using female members for preattack surveillance and possibly as suicide bombers, thinking that women will have an easier time getting past security checkpoints at airports, borders and ports.
    The al Qaeda attack plans call for bombings using trucks and cars, and hijacked aircraft, including commercial airliners and helicopters.
    "There is a particular concern that chemical trucks will be used," one official said.
    Regarding the new bin Laden message, the officials said there are intelligence reports, some of them sketchy, that a new tape from the al Qaeda leader will surface soon.
    In the past, video and audio messages by bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, were broadcast days or weeks before an attack, the officials said.
    "The message likely will be the signal for the attack to be launched," one official said.
    A second U.S. official said one intelligence agency was aware of unconfirmed reports of a new bin Laden tape.
    "There may be such a tape, but it hasn't surfaced and we haven't seen it," this official said.
    Bin Laden last released a taped message in April. The CIA said that the audiotape probably was the voice of bin Laden and that the mention of the March 11 Madrid train bombings shows that the tape was current.
    That tape offered a "truce" for any European state that pledged to stop attacking Muslims and end cooperation with the United States.
    Contrary to what some Democratic critics of the Bush administration have said, intelligence officials said the new details of al Qaeda planning were obtained from the Khan laptop. The terrorist group was in the process of updating older attack plans, the officials said.
    On Aug. 2, the Bush administration raised the terrorism threat level from "elevated" to "high" for five finance-related sites in the District, New York and New Jersey, based on the intelligence in Khan's computer, as well as other intelligence.
    Frances Townsend, a White House homeland-security adviser, said Sunday that the government has received a steady "stream" of intelligence indicating that an al Qaeda attack is planned.
    "What we know now that we didn't know six months ago is that they've done a good deal of planning and surveillance work to accomplish that goal," she said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

Bin Laden hints major assassination

[Shammu]

Ahmadinejad sees nuclear Iran as “unrivalled” power
Sun. 07 May 2006

Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, May 07 – Iran’s radical President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic could fast become an “unrivalled world power” by obtaining nuclear capabilities.

“The Iranian nation has the potential to quickly become an unrivalled world power by obtaining modern technology”, Ahmadinejad told commanders of Iran’s paramilitary Bassij force in Tehran. His comments were reported by the official news agency.

“With only a short time having passed since the announcement that Iran had obtained nuclear technology, regional and global order have quickly changed”, he said, adding that the “enemies” feared a resurgence of “Islamic identity in the Islamic world”.

The Iranian president reiterated his previous comments that Iran would not heed demands by the United Nations Security Council to suspend its uranium enrichment activities.

“They must know that if they want to make unlawful decisions against Iran and issue statements or resolutions, the Iranian nation will thumb its nose at their unjust resolution”, he said, adding that if any limitations were placed on Iran then the countries that had taken such action would suffer “a hundred times worse”.

Ahmadinejad accused international organisations of being pawns in the hands of “several bullying big powers” and hinted that Tehran might withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if the treaty became “discredited”.

He rejected the threat of sanctions on Iran as “meaningless”.

In threatening language, Ahmadinejad warned Iran’s enemies, “Do not make yourselves so hated among nations and do not do things that would bellow up the fire of hatred that the nations of the world harbour against you”.

Ahmadinejad sees nuclear Iran as “unrivalled” power

[Shammu]

South African government backs Iranian nuclear program
Pretoria, May 7, IRNA

Iran-South Africa-Pahad
South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said that South African government believes Iranian government's declaration that Iranian nuclear program is civilian.

"There are allegations without any substantiation. The Iranians have publicly stated that they have no intentions to build a nuclear bomb, but they reserve the right to use nuclear power for peaceful means. You have to accept the reality that Iran is faced with the situation and the perception that is created now, that Iran is posing a threat. If you keep saying that to the public in the West and Iran is not able to counter that, what might not even be true, becomes accepted as the truth.

"I think Iran should do a bigger diplomatic campaign, to explain its position. I do believe that on the nuclear issue, Iran has cooperated much but they must do much to solve the last two issues and that will remove any foundation to suppose Iran as having a hidden agenda. Once that is done, ElBaradei has no option but to conclude that there is no indication that Iran is using its program for other than civilian means. He has to be helped, to solve the outstanding issues.

"I am saying that when Iran has publicly stated that it has no intention to build a nuclear weapon. It should then deal with the remaining issues and then we can tackle the whole question of a nuclear free world. Our own campaign has been this. Countries which have nuclear disposal must according to the NPT start destroying them and they have not done it. There is also the concern that the Middle East is not a nuclear free zone. Israel has publicly stated that it possesses nuclear weapons and therefore, a nuclear free zone in the Middle East should include Israel as well.

"Our view remains that if Israel wants security, it must end its occupation of Palestinian territories, it must stop building the wall, it must stop expanding Jewish settlements, it must stop extrajudicial killings and for so-called its own security, it must work to ensure genuinely that there is a contiguous and viable Palestinian state.

And it is our view that as long as the occupation continues, the Palestinians will resist.

"Collective punishment against the Palestinian people is not in the interest of peace and stability. Just because some people consider Hamas as a terrorist organization, you can not punish the entire population. We might differ from Hamas in terms of the way forward, but we have to interact with them and we cannot isolate them simply because we have different opinions in terms of what the policies should be. Otherwise, how would we deal with many countries in the world?

"The democratic will of the Palestinian people have been demonstrated and the international community must respect this rather than punishing the Palestinian people. We have to intensify our efforts to eliminate the level of poverty which has grown dramatically in the past few years. The sanctions will only contribute to greater impoverishment, greater tensions and a greater anger and therefore the consequence will be that a greater conflict will be emerging."

South African government backs Iranian nuclear program

My note; Hey 2b, you want to explain this?

[Soldier4Christ]

North Korea trying to weaponize bird flu
Bio-warfare experts call it potentially 'greatest threat al-Qaida could unleash'

LONDON – The pariah state of North Korea is trying to weaponize the bird flu virus, making it the ideal threat for al-Qaida, the British intelligence agency MI6 has learned.

The Bush administration has given briefings classified "Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information" to members of Congress and the Senate on the threat.

In aerosol form it would be undetectable at all border crossings and virologists at Porton Down – Britain's research center responsible for developing antidotes against biological attacks – fear that a genetically engineered version of the virus would be far more lethal than any current threat from the virus.

World ranking experts have said that it would be "the greatest threat al-Qaida could unleash."

In an exclusive interview, Dr. Ken Allibek, the former director of the Soviet Union's biowarfare program, Biopreperat, who is now a senior adviser to the Bush administration on bio-defense, said: "The threat of a weaponized bird flu virus cannot be over emphasised. It would be the most terrible weapon in the hands of a terrorist. The advantage for al-Qaida is that an aerosolized weapon would be impossible to detect from one spread naturally by birds. But a lab-produced virus would be far more lethal."

Professor Peter Openshaw, a leading virologist at Imperial College, London, called it: "more terrifying than engineered smallpox. That would be relatively easy to contain because there is a vaccine. But with improvements in laboratory technology, it's becoming much easier to engineer these viruses. It's becoming a terrible concern."

A CIA document presented by Goss showed that the World Health Organization has warned the virus would affect one-fifth of the world's population "with 30 million requiring hospitalisation and at least 2 million people could die."

The decision to keep the briefing secret has led to fierce criticism from public health officials in the United States.

Dr. Irwin Redlener, a director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness in Washington, said: "This is Cold War secrecy being applied to a public health issue. The truth is that the United States is seriously unprepared to cope with an avian flu outbreak – the more so if it is terrorist inspired."

Professor Hugh Pennington, a leading microbiologist at Aberdeen University, Scotland, said: "A clever molecular biologist could also try to mix the virus with other viruses so that it could spread person to person, which would be the greatest threat."

Scientists in America have recently recreated the Spanish flu virus that killed 50 million people in 1918. The full genetic sequence was published in specialist magazines earlier this year and is available via the Internet.

Openshaw said: "The sequence of the 1918 strain has just been published and there are obvious security concerns. There are many labs around the world that would be capable of recreating the same virus."

North Korea's biological warfare program is now the largest in the world. Among its 300,000 scientists, technicians and laboratory assistants are some 800 scientists who worked on the Russian bio-warfare program, Biopreperat. Some of them had been trying to exploit the 1918 Spanish flu virus as a potential weapon.

When Biopreperat collapsed with the end of the Soviet Union, a number of its staff were recruited by North Korea. In return for huge salaries they were given a comfortable lifestyle and unlimited research facilities to continue their work.

A high-ranking defector from North Korea's Academy of Sciences has told intelligence officers that the research to weaponize the virus is now a priority. The project is under the control of the country's top geneticist and head of its biological warfare program.

Dr. Yi Yong Su, 54, is known to have a close relationship with Kim Jong II, the country's supreme leader. A CIA profile describes her as conducting terminal experiments with anthrax on prisoners.

She has assigned eight research centers to work on various aspects of successfully weaponizing the bird flu virus.

One center is concerned with researching cereal rust spores, a disease which attacks crops. The spores are dusted on to the feathers of homing pigeons. When they return to their coops, they are checked to see how long the spores remain on their feathers.

But the sophisticated research on bird flu is being conducted at Institute 398 at Singam-Ri, south of the capital Pyongyang.

U.S. satellite images show the area is ring-fenced by three battalions of soldiers. Only visible above ground are a cluster of concrete-block buildings and fuel storage tanks.

The defector has said the laboratories, including two dealing with the latest molecular biological technology, are hidden far below ground.

[Shammu]

Alleged scam connected to B.C. church
Bilked investors of $10 million

By CP

   
         

KELOWNA, B.C. — Three Central Okanagan residents have been told to appear before the B.C. Securities Exchange Commission to face charges of an investment scam connected to the New Life Church in Kelowna.

It’s alleged that a “Ponzi” pyramid scheme cost investors more than $10 million, including $2 million in losses incurred by Okanagan residents who bought into the scheme.

John DeVries, who ran the investment program under Amber Enterprises; Ralph Bromley, president of the Hope for the Nations (HFTN) charity — which is run by New Life Church (NLC); and Wesley Campbell, a director of Hope for the Nations and New Life Church pastor, have been summoned to face a commission hearing.

The commission alleges they acted “contrary to the public interest” and will seek fines against them.

Also called before the commission are David DeVries, John's son who lives in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Reed Gafke of Texas.

“There were over 100 (investors) here,” said one Kelowna investor, who asked not to be named.

“Some people put second mortgages on their houses. Some were single moms who lost everything. There are some human stories that are terrible in this.”

Investment money was raised among members of the church by John DeVries through two companies: Amber Enterprises and Wealth for the Nations (WFTN).

The investments failed after the U.S.-based partner of Amber and Wealth for the Nations — Gregory Setser and his company, IPIC International — were indicted by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States.

The U.S. government alleges Setser illegally raised $160 million from investors associated with evangelical Christian congregations.

The commission’s filing states that Setser has spoken in Kelowna at Wealth for the Nations investment seminars organized by DeVries, where Setser promised investors returns that were higher than anything they could make in the stock market.

John DeVries also lives in the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as having a residence in B.C.’s Peachland.

He could not be reached for comment on the allegations.

A Ponzi scheme is a type of illegal pyramid named after Charles Ponzi, who duped thousands of Americans into investing in a postage stamp speculation scheme in the 1920s.

New Life Church is located on Highway 97 in the Okanagan.

Hope for the Nations is a registered charitable organization operated largely by members of New Life Church.

Wealth for the Nations, which is based in Barbados, is the governing body of Hope for the Nations, reports the commission.

“Many of the investors in Amber were members of NLC, affiliated churches or regular contributors to HFTN,” said the filing by the commission.

“Campbell and Bromley both used their positions as pastors of NLC to solicit investments in Amber by members,” It said.

Neither Campbell nor Bromley were available for comment Friday.

Malcolm Petch, an elder of the church, issued a written response Friday.

“As you can imagine, those who lost money, including those named in the (B.C. commission’s) notice of hearing, were devastated and embarrassed by the developments that came to light in late 2003.

“We believe that our church members were acting from the heart to give, and to help children in need,” wrote Petch.

“The church continues to support all of our members and stands with them as they walk through these matters.”

He said Bromley, Campbell and John DeVries have pledged to co-operate with the regulatory bodies.

In a Dec. 13, 2003, story in The Okanagan Saturday which first brought the situation to light, DeVries stated in a letter to investors that his company in B.C. “was in no way aware of any of the alleged wrongdoing by Greg Setser.

“This does not mean that our business is finished; rather, we are transforming and developing plans to go forward,” wrote DeVries. “We would very much appreciate your joining us in prayer for the wisdom of the staff and the efforts of the government regulators and others involved in the investigation and recouping of assets.

“You have the unwavering commitment of the WFTN and Amber team to conduct all areas of our business prayerfully, honestly, with every ounce of wisdom God entrusts to us.

“Thank you for your prayers demonstrating you really are in this with us for Kingdoms sake."

The alleged wrongdoing occurred between the spring of 2002 and November 2003.

No date has been set for the commissions hearing.

Alleged scam connected to B.C. church

[Shammu]

Sampson superintendent backs Christian’s suspension

By Amneris Solano
Staff writer
ADVERTISEMENT

SPIVEY’S CORNER — The Sampson County school system stands behind a decision to suspend a student for passing out Christian leaflets at Midway High School, Superintendent Stewart Hobbs said Friday.

Hobbs said the student was given in-school suspension for insubordination after disobeying the principal about distributing the fliers.

The handouts, which presented a Christian viewpoint on homosexuality, caused a disturbance in the school and prompted some students, teachers and a parent to complain, Hobbs said.

But the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, said the student, Benjamin Arthurs, was wrongfully punished for expressing his religious beliefs. The group has filed a federal lawsuit against the school system, saying it violated Arthurs’ freedom of speech by not allowing him to wear a Day of Truth shirt and to pass out the leaflets during noninstructional time.

“That, in our opinion, is unconstitutional,” said David Cortman, a lawyer with the alliance.

Hobbs said the student was allowed to wear the shirt but told not to hand out the fliers. “The only thing the T-shirt said was, ‘Day of Truth,’ and we felt that was not forcing his religion on others,” Hobbs said. The handouts, however, did present religious views, he said.

The alliance warned the school system that it would sue if the student was not allowed to distribute the leaflets, Hobbs said. Educators have yet to receive a copy of the lawsuit. The student was given in-school suspension on Monday, Hobbs said, but chose out-of-school suspension.

Hobbs and Midway High Principal Gaynor Canady are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Arthurs, a ninth-grader, handed out the fliers following the April 26 Day of Silence, an event promoted by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. He asked Canady if he could wear the shirt and hand out Day of Truth cards, the lawsuit said. He was told he could not wear a religious T-shirt or distribute religious literature because that would be “pushing his religion on others,” the lawsuit said, and “religion is not allowed in school.”

His mother, Rebecca Arthurs, declined to comment when reached by phone Friday. She referred questions to the family’s lawyer at the Alliance Defense Fund.

Cortman said it is unfair that the school system allowed students to participate in the Day of Silence but did not let Arthurs express his Christian views. Day of Silence is a nationwide movement that allows students to protest anti-homosexual bullying and discrimination. Students hand out fliers and remain silent throughout the day.
Day of Truth

The Day of Truth, which is held after the Day of Silence, was established by the Alliance Defense Fund to express the Christian perspective on homosexuality.

“School officials shouldn’t be treating religious students any differently than they treat other students,” Cortman said, “and that’s exactly what is happening here.”

According to the lawsuit, Arthurs belongs to the Bible Club, the National Honor Society and Who’s Who of American High School students. The lawsuit says his religious beliefs “compel him to share his faith and to address relevant subjects from a Biblical point of view with other students.”

In the lawsuit, the alliance is asking that Arthurs’ in-school suspension be removed from his record and that the school system write a policy giving students the right to free speech including religious speech.

The Alliance Defense Fund was started in 1993 by the leaders of more than 35 ministries to advocate religious freedom, according to its Web site. The site said the group aims to defend religious liberty through litigation and other actions.

Sampson superintendent backs Christian’s suspension