Iran's first stock of 20 per cent-enriched uranium

The story behind hijacking biggest day in Iran’s calendar

President Ahmadinejad sought to divert attention from the protests by announcing that Iran had produced its first stock of 20 per cent-enriched uranium. He declared that Iran was now a “nuclear state”.

Opposition websites claimed a young woman named Leila Zareii, was killed and many others were wounded or arrested. The opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mohammed Khatami - a former president - were attacked, as was Zahra Rahnavard, wife of the Green Movement’s other leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Even Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 revolution, was briefly arrested. She and her brother, Hassan, are both opposition sympathisers and she is married to Mr Khatami’s brother.

“It's pretty clear that Greens everywhere will feel demoralised... The overall feeling is one of disappointment,” one well-placed source in Tehran told The Times last night. “The opposition miscalculated,” said another.

The regime was determined to prevent the so-called Green Movement from hijacking the biggest day in Iran’s calendar and largely succeeded.

It filled Azadi Square with tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters for the main event - Mr Ahmadinejad’s speech which was broadcast live on state television. Opposition websites posted pictures of the fleets of buses that had brought in the huge crowd and said it was given free food and drinks.

Most foreign journalists are banned from Iran. Those that remain, and their Iranian counterparts, were bussed to and from Azadi Square and barred from reporting on anything else, meaning only the patchiest information emerged from the rest of the city.

Opposition websites said Revolutionary Guards and basiji militiamen were stationed everywhere and that they moved swiftly and violently to break up opposition demonstrations.

They claimed the security forces used live ammunition, knives, teargas and paintballs that would enable them to identify protesters later and that they were beating and arresting women as well as men. They were backed up by water canon, new Chinese anti-riot vehicles and helicopters. Some, wearing plain clothes, infiltrated the protesters. The mobile telephone, internet and text messaging systems were seriously disrupted.

Mr Karroubi’s son, Hussein, said his father had to get out of his car and walk towards Sadeghieh Square, where thousands of supporters had gathered, because the roads were blocked. He was joined by other protestors, but they found their way blocked by plainclothes security forces who attacked them with knives, batons and tear gas.

Mr Karroubi’s bodyguards had to bundle him into a passing car which managed to drive him away, but not before the security forces smashed its windscreen. One of the bodyguards was seriously injured. Mr Karroubi’s other son, Ali, was arrested.

Film clips taken with mobile telephones showed opposition supporters chanting “Death to the dictator” on streets and in subway trains and ripping down a poster of Ayatollah Khomeini. Unrest was also reported in Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashad and other Iranian cities, but it was impossible to verify the reports.

It was also impossible to calculate how many opposition supporters turned out as their demonstrations were scattered. However the numbers appeared to be significantly smaller than on December 27, the holy day of Ashura, even though the Green movement’s three leaders had, unusually, urged their supporters to protest.

One protester insisted the opposition had come out in significant numbers, but “the problem was that we were not able to gather in one place because (the security forces) were very violent”.

Another said: “It means they won and we lost. They defeated us. They were able to gather so many people. But this doesn’t mean we have been defeated for good. It’s a defeat for now, today. We need time to regroup.”

Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, was quoted as saying: "The massive turnout of the nation shocked the central command of the arrogant front, including the US, England and the Zionist regime.”

News of the Day for Sunday, February 28, 2010

Protesters gather at a demonstration against recent attacks on Christians near Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. (AP Photo) (Sorry I couldn't find out more about this particular demonstration. Only a smaller demonstration in Baghdad got coverage in English.

Reported Security Incidents

Khadiyah, a Ramadi suburb

Car bomb attack on a campaign convoy of Ashur al-Karbouli, a candidate on the al-Iraqiya list, kills 2 and injures 3. Iraqiya is the secular party headed by former PM Iyad Allawi. Karbouli was not present.

Baghdad

IED in a liquor store injures 1 person, causes damage to the business and ones nearby.

Sticky bomb injures four in Shula district late Saturday.

al-Yousifiya, south of Baghdad

IED injures 2 people.

Kirkuk

Police find the body of a man wearing a "Kurdish uniform," dead of gunshots to the head.

Other News of the Day

Christians demonstrate in Ferdus Square in Baghdad to protest the continuing murders of Christians in Mosul.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani calls for clergy to remain neutral in the upcoming elections. A member of the Marjaiya, Ayatollah Bashir Al Najafi, has recently publicly criticized several allies of Nouri al-Maliki for corruption. One wonders if this could emerge as a test of Sistani's authority. -- C

Tariq Alhomayed discusses Maliki's announcement that he will reinstate officers from the Saddam era army. As with all pundits, readers may decide for themselves to what extent they agree with Alhomayed. I occasionally link to his column because I think his pro-secular viewpoint is useful to hear. In the U.S., we are often given the impression that it is uncommon in the Arab world. -- C

Jack Kimball of Reuters says Kurds will hold the balance of power in Parliament after the election. His analysis underlines the inherent instability of Iraq's factional politics.

Kimball and Muhanad Mohammed also discuss the state of development of the Iraqi army. Not good: "Iraq's armed forces will not finish a modernisation programme until 2020, several years after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country is completed, the defence minister said."

U.S. forces patrol jointly with Iraqi army and Peshmerga in the Kirkuk region. According to the Iraqi government, of course, the Peshmerga per se does not exist. "Several distinctive camouflage uniforms are being worn, but all are sporting black armbands embroidered with the head of a golden lion." This is apparently an experiment intended to prove that everybody can get along, but it strikes me as also more than a little bit weird. It takes for granted that the Iraqi and Kurdish armies really are separate entities and creates a new joint force under imaginary auspices, whose mandate and loyalty is undefined. What does the golden lion represent? -- C

The world's tiniest violin plays for Tony Blair, who was so depressed by the debacle of the Iraq war that he wanted to resign. "Mr Blair confided to friends he ''spaced out'' several times during his weekly session of parliamentary questions, according to the latest serialised extract from The End of the Party, by political journalist Andrew Rawnsley." Awwwww.

Afghanistan Update

Bomb kills 11 civilians on a bus in Helmand.

Five killed, 2 injured in a home invasion in Kabul. Not clear if the crime was politically motivated.

ISAF member killed by small arms fire in Western Afghanistan. No further details, including the individual's nationality, are available at this time.

Magnitude 5.7 earthquake in the Hindu Kush. No reports of significant damage at this time.

Senior police officials resign following Friday's deadly assault on Indian nationals in Kabul.

Quote of the Day

There is a fairly good chance that a good number of the [perpetrators of the Friday attack on Indians] had taken an amount of money to participate because they were tired of watching their families starve. . . . There may have been some hard-core jihadists from the Arab, Al Qaeda side, but for the most part, as former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General Karl Eikenberry (now ambassador, who opposed the surge,) told Congress: "Much of the enemy force is drawn from the ranks of unemployed men looking for wages to support their families" Unemployment is 40 percent, and starvation is of the literal, ribcage showing kind. This war is pointless, futile, and unnecessary. For what we spend in 2 months on military hardware and jet fuel contracts, we have done the math, you could take every one of these desperate, unemployed men and put them to work for a year.

Ralph Lopez

Saharawi: il popolo, la storia ( ultima parte )

Il re, per bloccare iniziative di indipendenza del popolo Saharawi, annuncia una marcia popolare di occupazione pacifica di 350000 persone. I marciatori reclutati in tutto il paese, ricevono la consegna di una copia del Corano e bandierine verdi, il colore dell’Islam: da qui l'appellativo di “marcia verde” dato all’operazione. In realtà si tratta di una vera invasione nel territorio Saharawi con forze di polizia e militari.



La Spagna in cambio di una sostanziosa buona uscita si ritira, cedendo i territori a Marocco e Mauritania. (Accordo di Madrid l975).
La preoccupazione principale del Polisario diventa la protezione della popolazione civile dagli attacchi dell’esercito marocchino. Migliaia di persone si danno alla fuga attraverso il deserto fino al confine algerino, dove, nei pressi di Tindouf, viene allestita una prima tendopoli di accoglienza. L’esodo di massa avviene sotto i bombardamenti dell’aviazione marocchina.
Nel l976 il Fronte Polisario decide di proclamare l'indipendenza e la nascita della Repubblica Araba Saharawi Democratica (RASD).
La Mauritania ratifica con il Fronte Polisario nel l979 un accordo di pace.
Il Marocco invece, raddoppia lo sforzo bellico per occupare tutto il territorio dell'ex Sahara Spagnolo.
Il Fronte intende la sua lotta armata come una guerra popolare di liberazione- pertanto non ha mai utilizzato metodi di terroristici, né in Marocco né altrove. Nei primi anni ottanta il Polisario bussa a tutte le sedi internazionali all’inizio gli si aprono le porte dell’Organizzazione dell’Unità Africana (OUA), poi dell’ONU; solo più tardi quelle del Parlamento Europeo.
Il successo più clamoroso è l’ammissione della RASD all’OUA come stato membro nell'1982.
Pur essendo il referendum accettato dalle parti, la situazione si congela: né l’ONU né l’OUA sono in grado di imporre una soluzione congiunta. E’ soprattutto il disimpegno dell’Europa, verso la quale si indirizza una grande manovra diplomatica del Marocco che aspira all’entrata nella CEE.



Il Polisario presenta il referendum come 1'unico strumento che possa risolvere la controversia sotto gli auspici delle Nazioni Unite, aggira l’indifferenza o le dichiarazioni di impotenza dei governi svolgendo un lavoro capillare a tutti i livelli della società civile, illustrando la situazione dei profughi e chiedendo solidarietà sul piano dell’informazione e dell'aiuto materiale.
Nel dicembre 1986, la questione Saharawi approda al Parlamento Europeo.

Taliban style government in Iran

The current civil uprising in Iran reflects not just a protest against a rigged election. Nor is it primarily a symptom of contentions for power or clashes between opposing perspectives on the nature of the Islamic regime. It is, rather, resistance against a political coup, whose engineers plan to impose a Taliban-style Islamic government on Iran. The coup has been organized by an alliance between the supreme leader and the most militant and fundamentalist faction within the ruling establishment, backed by the Revolutionary Guard.

The political attitudes of one of its most notorious ideologues, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, demonstrate the danger Iranians and the world would be facing should this militant faction get its way. Mesbah Yazdi does not believe in the republican aspects of the Islamic regime, but rather views Islamic law as supreme and must be unquestionably followed. The supreme leader, he says, is not elected but rather discovered by the clerics. For him, Ayatollah Khamenei is the exemplar of such a leader. He has characterized the ideas of representative government and legislative functions as belong to the decadent system of Western liberalism. He has likened reformist ideas to the AIDS virus. He has publically endorsed the construction of a nuclear bomb.

These ideas have much appeal for Ahmadinejad, who claims that the past governments were corrupt and deviated from the Islamic path.

The outcome of the current civil uprising is certainly consequential for the development of democracy in Iran. It has also far reaching implications for regional stability, international peace efforts, and the security of the United States. At this point, the regime cannot secure its rule without unleashing a reign of terror. And if this coup succeeds, the regime will forge ahead with its expressed plans for nuclear development and support for religious extremism abroad.

It would be a mistake to think that people like Ahmadinejad are reasonable. It is counter productive to base policy on the untenable premise that he would be amenable to a cost-benefit analysis on the nuclear issue. Time and again he has announced that the nuclear issue is off the table. To believe or hope otherwise would be a profound and resonant error. 

Israel in Africa

For the second week running I will focus on the implications of the Israeli foreign minister's recent African tour. After visiting several countries in Central Asia and Latin America, Avigdor Lieberman went to Africa, where he visited five carefully selected African nations. The man who, because of his well-known racist views, has failed to persuade any Arab or Western nation to receive him found African doors open. The tour has scantly been reported in the media, apart from a few leaks. But from what we know, it is safe to assume that the Israeli government is trying to outflank us in Africa.

Most African countries have been off bounds to the Israelis since 1973, when 54 African nations severed ties with Israel in solidarity with Arab countries. This gives an added significance to Lieberman's tour, occurring at a time when the Arabs have given up their policy of boycotting Israel. Lured by the mirage of a lasting peace, one Arab country after another has normalised its ties with Israel, Egypt being the first to do so. Egypt, I will argue, is also the primary target of Lieberman's African schemes.

Few would deny that Israel is envious of Egypt's status and prestige. When Lieberman called for bombing the High Dam and flooding Egypt, his remarks were undoubtedly motivated by envy. To this moment, the Israeli foreign minister hasn't apologised for his remarks, and Egypt is acting as if the whole thing didn't matter much. But now Lieberman is taking steps not to flood Egypt this time, but to dry it up.

Africa was the third stop for Lieberman after Central Asia and Latin America. This leads one to surmise that the Israeli foreign minister wants to get as many nations as possible on his side and thus change the dynamic at the UN. Lieberman said that the visit is of great importance in bolstering the status of Israel in the international community and promoting commercial ties with Africa.

Some experts believe that Israel is hoping to put together an anti-Arab alliance. According to a Western diplomat based in Nairobi, Israel wants to forge closer ties with the countries situated beyond the boundaries of the Arab world. Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, India, Turkey, and Central Asia are primary targets.

In Africa, Israel seems to be intent not on making new friends as much as on consolidating ties with old friends. In his recent tour, Lieberman visited Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana. The first three countries control the sources of the Nile. Ethiopia has been Israel's best friend in Africa for sometime. Kenya is widely thought to be the centre of Mossad activities in Africa. Actually, some Kenyan churches are staunch supporters of Zionist Christianity. The Kenyans have had remarkably close ties with Israel. And Uganda is believed to be the springboard for Israel's secret wars in Africa. Experts say that Israeli weapons reach African insurgent movements usually through Uganda.

The delegation accompanying Lieberman included prominent businessmen specialised in energy projects, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, communications and security. Senior officials from the foreign, finance, and internal security ministries were also among Lieberman's entourage.

The visit could be seen as an answer to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's trip to Africa in February. The Israelis are said to have been shocked by the Iranian president's tour, especially his visit to Nairobi. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Lieberman was scheduled to discuss the Iranian question during his tour. Iran has numerous projects and invests considerable funds in more than one African country. Israel is worried that the Iranians may find someone to sell them uranium in Africa.

There is also the chance that Lieberman's tour was Israel's way of telling the US that Israel can be of help in African affairs. Washington has been facing increased Chinese and European competition in Africa of late.

As the world's second largest manufacturer of diamonds, Israel imports raw diamonds from Africa. Israel also wants to import oil from African countries, including Nigeria. International Zionist financial firms may also be interested in the money laundering business believed to be rife in Africa. The fact that major oil companies, such as Chevron and BP, operate in Africa makes the continent particularly alluring to the Israelis.

Moreover, Israel is always on the lookout for markets for its light and medium calibre weapons. It is known to supply African militia with such arms. Retired Israeli officers routinely work as trainers for African militia, and they often send militia leaders to Israel to receive instruction and learn the ways of promoting Israeli interests on the continent in return.

Israel's ultimate goal in Africa, however, is to conspire against Egypt. Even before Lieberman threatened to bomb the High Dam and drown Egypt, Israeli diplomats have been trying to cut off the water supplies to Egypt from upstream countries. Israel has invested heavily in African water projects, and not just for financial gain. Its main purpose is to strangulate both Egypt and Sudan.

For decades, Israel has been trying to gain a foothold on the central lakes and the Nile sources -- its aim being to distract Egypt with problems on its southern front.

Egypt has recently asked for an increase of its quota of Nile water. This has led to differences with three of the upstream countries. Among the five countries that Lieberman visited are three that control Nile waters. Ethiopia controls Lake Tana, from which the Blue Nile flows. Kenya and Uganda control Lake Victoria, which provides the White Nile with water.

Two rounds of talks concerning the Nile waters were held in summer, the first in Kinshasa in June and the second in Alexandria in July. The meetings produced no agreement, and the participants agreed to hold further consultations in six months, during which littoral countries are supposed to maintain the status quo.

Still, Lieberman has concluded several agreements through which Israel would finance and implement projects ranging from water reservoirs to diversions of some of the tributaries of the Nile. When negotiations among the Nile basin countries resume in four months or so it will be hard for Egypt and Sudan to ask African nations to reverse the steps they would have taken. It is said that Israel has promised to build massive reservoirs at both Lake Tana and Lake Victoria.

Sudan is Israel's second target in Africa. Israel has accused Sudan of supporting the Palestinian resistance and providing it with weapons. According to a report published in Haaretz on 27 March 2009, Israeli planes raided vehicles loaded with Iranian weapons in eastern Sudan. The paper claimed that the weapons were bound for Gaza. The attack was conducted in January, but it was kept a secret because of a certain mishap. Instead of striking arms smugglers, the planes attacked a caravan of 1,000 civilians who were smuggling regular goods on the Sudanese- Egyptian borders. The Israeli planes killed 119 people, including 56 smugglers and 63 refugees from Ethiopia and Somalia who were trying to get across the border.

According to Muammar Gaddafi, Israel is behind much of the violence presently taking place in Africa. Addressing an extraordinary session of the African Union, Gaddafi said that the crises in Darfur and Southern Sudan would have petered out but for the interference of foreign powers. One of the factions fighting in Darfur has offices in Tel Aviv, the Libyan leader remarked.

Unfortunately, Egypt is doing little to confront Israel's tactics. Egypt has neglected Africa for years, according to Samir Radwan, member of the Higher Policies Council at the National Democratic Party. In an interview with Al-Masry Al-Yom, published on 6 September 2009, Radwan deplores Egypt's approach to the Nile basin countries.

"Egypt has neglected Africa and thus imperilled its quota of water coming from the south," Radwan says. He adds that Israel has stepped in and led Africans to believe that Egypt was getting more water than it deserved. Radwan says that Egypt should forge closer ties with all Nile Basin countries, not just Sudan.

The Arab world is not making much headway in Africa either. With the exception of the financing of mosques and the distribution of religious publications, the Arabs and Muslims are not doing much. Israel, meanwhile, is getting involved in economic life in Africa. According to one analyst, "the number of Muslims who can recite the whole Quran is rising in Africa, but people still need help with their day-to-day life."

To sum up, Israel could not care less for African welfare. But it will use the Africans to stab Egypt, and Sudan, in the back.

Hossein Mousavi challenged the government

Hijacked the concept of Iranianism and nationalism," Mousavi said 

Iran's opposition leader said Saturday that a dictatorial "cult" was ruling Iran in the name of Islam - his strongest attack to date on the country's clerical leadership.

Mir Hossein Mousavi also challenged the government to let his supporters take to the streets freely, saying that would allow it to gauge the opposition's true strength. Two days ago, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, charged that Iran's the opposition had lost its credibility and its right to participate in politics by not accepting the results of June presidential elections

"This is the rule of a cult that has hijacked the concept of Iranianism and nationalism," Mousavi said in an interview published on his website. "Our people can't tolerate that [dictatorial] behaviours are promoted in the name of religion." The opposition alleges President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the vote through massive fraud and that Mousavi was the rightful winner. A massive wave of protests provoked a bloody government crackdown, in which more than 80 demonstrators were killed and hundreds of rights activists, journalists and pro-reform politicians were rounded up.

The government puts the number of confirmed death at 30. It has accused opposition leaders of being "stooges of the West" and seeking to topple the ruling system through street protests.

Meanwhile, it has put more than 100 people on a mass trial that began in August. Eleven people have been sentenced to death, and more than 80 others have been handed prison terms ranging from six months to 15 years.

Mousavi himself is free, in Tehran.

Iran's rulers point to several recent pro-goverment rallies as an indication that the opposition has lost popular backing.

But Mousavi accused the state of abusing in people to inflate the crowds at a February 11 rally marking the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. And he asked the government to let opposition supporters to take to the streets without being attacked or killed by security forces.

"Allow the Green Movement to invite people to a rally," Mousavi said. "How people respond will put an end to all speculation" about its strength, he added

On the northern edge of the former Taliban

Marines and Afghan troops who fought through the centre of Marjah linked up Saturday with American soldiers on the northern edge of the former Taliban stronghold, clearing the town's last major pocket of resistance.

The joint force encountered almost no hostile fire, indicating that the militants have either fled or blended in with the local population - perhaps to stage attacks later if the Afghan government fails to hold the town. Some Taliban operatives are believed to remain west of Marjah

Establishing a credible local government is a key component of NATO's strategy for the two-week-old offensive on the Taliban's longtime logistical hub and heroin-smuggling centre. Earlier in the week, the government installed a new town administrator, and several hundred Afghan police have begun to patrol the newly cleared areas of the town in the southern province of Helmand.

After a gruelling four-day march, Marines and Afghan troops succeeded Saturday in linking up with a US Army Stryker battalion on Marjah's northern outskirts.

"Basically, you can say that Marjah has been cleared," said Capt. Joshua Winfrey, commander of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines Regiment.

As helicopters and unmanned drones circled overhead, NATO troops saw little resistance except from homemade explosives buried in the ground.

Kabul attacks

Afghan President Hamid Karzai called India's prime minister on Saturday to express regret over the deaths of at least six Indians in a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul, as New Delhi sent an air force jet to repatriate the bodies.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveyed India's "outrage" over Friday's assault that killed at least 16 people in all, and requested Karzai "ensure full security for Indian nationals in Afghanistan", a statement from Singh's office said.

It said Karzai promised a full investigation into the attack, which targeted an area of residential hotels in the Afghan capital rented by Indian embassy workers and other foreigners. An Italian diplomat and a French filmmaker also died.

It follows attacks on India's embassy in Kabul in July 2008 and October 2009.

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for Friday's attack. He did not specifically name India as the target, but the Islamist has long opposed India's involvement in the country and its ties to the Northern Alliance that helped the US oust the Taliban regime in 2001.

"This attack specifically targeted Indian cooperation experts and workers, those who are serving the Afghan people and earning goodwill for India," Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Jayant Prasad said. "It's clearly the handiwork of those who oppose our presence in Afghanistan." He said India sent an air force jet Saturday to repatriate the bodies of the dead Indians.

Prasad refused to point the finger specifically at archrival Pakistan or say whether it would damage Pakistan-India talks which resumed Thursday after a 15-month hiatus.

India accused a Pakistani spy agency of involvement in the July 2008 embassy attack, and Pakistani militants waged the November 2008 attacks in India's financial hub, Mumbai, that had prompted India to pull out of the peace dialogue.

"That's too much to speculate," Prasad said of the possibility that Friday's attack could derail talks. "It depends on where the precise provenance of the attack is.

What is sure right now is that Dubai police have good camcorder

But what else they can do?

Most of the 26 people so far linked to the murder of a top Hamas commander are to be found in Israel, Agence France-Presse cited Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan as charging in comments published on Saturday.

Khalfan also again pointed the finger at Meir Dagan, the head of Israel’s secret service Mossad which is widely suspected of carrying out the Cold War-style hit on Mahmoud Mabhuh in his Dubai hotel room on January 20

Dubai police have published details of 26 suspects together with passport photographs and said on Friday they have DNA proof of the identity at least one of the killers.

“What is sure right now is that the majority of the murderers whose names have been announced... are to be found in Israel,” Khalfan said in comments published in Arabic-language Al Khaleej daily.

“Dagan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will head the list [of an international arrest warrant] if it is proven that Mossad is behind the murder,” the police chief said.

Khalfan was quoted in the government daily Emarat Al Yom as calling on the Mossad chief to come clean.

“Meir Dagan, the boss, should admit the crime... or present a categorical denial that his service is implicated,” he said.

“But his current attitude shows he is afraid. Let him be a man, and tell the truth.”

Israel has sought to play down the row, saying there is no evidence of its involvement. It has rejected the calls for Dagan’s arrest as “baseless” and “absurd”.

The murder of Mabhuh, regarded by Israel as a key link in a weapons smuggling chain into the Gaza Strip that is controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas, has mounted international pressure on Israel.

Twelve British, six Irish, four French, one German and three Australian passports were used by the suspects, according to Dubai police.

Khalfan said police had succeeded in identifying the suspects although some had worn wigs during the operation. The suspects were identified by footage from closed circuit televisions, which abound in security-conscious Dubai.

The revelation of stolen identities being used by suspected Israeli agents has caused a diplomatic outcry, with Australia threatening it would “not be silent on the matter”.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Saturday his centre-left government had an “absolutely hard line” on defending the integrity of its passport system and took seriously allegations that suspected Mossad assassins had stolen Australian identities.

“That is why the foreign minister has called in the Israeli ambassador and asked for an explanation,” Rudd told reporters.

“Thus far we are not satisfied with that explanation.”

Canberra summoned ambassador Yuval Rotem on Thursday and warned that friendly ties were at risk if Israel was found to have sponsored or condoned the tampering of three Australian passports, linked to the killing of Mabhuh.

The Israel-based Australians caught in the passport scandal - Joshua Daniel Bruce, Nicole Sandra McCabe and Adam Korman - were among 15 named in connection with the killing of Mabhuh.

The real McCabe, a 27-year-old mother to be who has lived in Israel for two and a half years, said she first learned of her passport’s link to the crime from a radio news bulletin.

“I have no idea how they got hold of my passport. Obviously it’s not my photo,” she told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. “I don’t know any of these people, I don’t know the other Australians.”

“I’m terrified, I haven’t slept and I’m shaky. I’m worried for my health and I’m worried for my baby’s health,” she added.

Israeli ambassadors in four European countries have been summoned for talks and the European Union has also voiced outrage over the use of fake passports after an earlier list of 11 people was released.

The British embassy in Israel said an investigator was flown in this week to interview 10 dual Israeli-British citizens whose British passports may have been used in Mabhuh’s assassination, Reuters reported from Jerusalem.

At least six Britons with the same names as members of the alleged hit team live in Israel and say their identities were stolen.

The investigator will speak to the individuals when they come to the embassy to collect new passports, an embassy spokesman told Reuters. He provided no further details about the British probe.

Israel has officially remained silent on the January 20 assassination, though its foreign minister said there was nothing to link it to the killing.

unrest live in 1993 with out of sync sound

Qatar Facilities for usa

The State of Qatar is situated halfway along the west coast of the Persian Gulf, on the eastern side of the Arabian peninsula. The present population is estimated at 600,000 inhabitants most of whom reside in Doha, the capital city. It is a Peninsula that extends northward covering an area of 11,437 sq. km. as well as a number of islands in the coastal waters of the peninsula. The terrain is generally flat. However, there are some hills and sand dunes which reach an altitude of 40 metres above sea level in the areas of Dukhan and Jebel Fuwairit in the western and northern parts of the country and Khor Al-Udeid in the south.

The capital, Doha, is located on the central east coast on a sweeping (if shallow) harbor. Other ports include Umm Said, Al Khawr, and Al Wakrah. Only Doha and Umm Said are capable of handling commercial shipping, although a large port and a terminal for loading natural gas are planned at Ras Laffan, north of Al Khawr. Coral reefs and shallow coastal waters make navigation difficult in areas where channels have not been dredged.

Undoubtedly one of the most scenic of places to visit in Qatar is Khor Al Udeid - or the inland sea which penetrates the country in the southeast. Khor means inlet in Arabic. Here the sea surges in a wide channel dividing Qatar from Saudi Arabia and then curves to create a vast, shallow tidal lake. The Khor Al Udeid is not, despite its name, a real landlocked sea, but is a long, narrow channel of the Gulf on the borders of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. A huge tidal lake is formed at the inlet between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It is a surreal place, with white sand dunes on one side of the inlet facing the pink cliffs of Saudi Arabia on the other. It is long way off the beaten path and you will need either a boat or a four - wheel drive to get there. The government is particularly keen to preserve the beauty of Khor Al Udeid, and it has been agreed that no construction is to take place in the region. As a result, the area is pristine, and attracts wildlife, such as the migratory birds which gather there in abundance. The area is vast and affords plenty of opportunity to drive over both sabkha, or salt flats, and an astounding variety of sand dunes of all shapes and sizes. The area contains many magnificent, unspoiled beaches and is perfect both for day trips and for overnight (or longer) camping trips.

Bilateral relations are cordial and expanding. The U.S. embassy was opened in March 1973. The first resident U.S. ambassador arrived in July 1974. Ties between the U.S. and Qatar are excellent and marked by frequent senior-level consultations in Doha and Washington. Qatar and the United States coordinate closely on regional diplomatic initiative, cooperate to increase security in the Gulf, and enjoy extensive economic links, especially in the hydrocarbons sector. Qatar sees the development of a world-class educational system as key to its continued success. As a result, hundreds of Qataris study in the United States. Cornell University plans to establish a degree granting medical campus in Doha, and the State of Qatar is in talks with leading U.S. universities to also establish engineering, business, and other faculties there.

USAF Prepositioned War Reserve Materiel (WRM) provides support to bare base systems, medical, munitions, fuels mobility support equipment, vehicles, rations, aerospace ground equipment, air base operability equipment, and associated spares and other consumables at designated locations. Responsible for asset receipt, accountability, serviceability, storage, security, periodic inspection and test, maintenance, repair, outload, and reconstitution of prepositioned WRM. Current WRM operating locations include Seeb, Thumrait, Masirah, Oman; Al Udeid, Qatar; and Manama, Bahrain. United States Central Command Air Forces (USCENTAF), the designated air component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), uses prepositioned war reserve materiel (WRM) to support apportioned combat forces deployed to Southwest Asia (SWA). Prepositioning is a force multiplier for providing bare base systems; medical; munitions; Tanks, Racks, Adapters, and Pylons (TRAP); Fuels Mobility Support Equipment (FMSE); vehicles; rations; Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE); Air Base Operability (ABO) equipment; and associated spares and other consumables at designated operating locations. Prepositioning also mitigates transportation requirements and time/distance realities involved in moving like assets from the continental United States (CONUS) to SWA. The Contractor is responsible for asset receipt, accountability, serviceability, storage, security, periodic inspection and test, maintenance, repair, outload, and reconstitution of prepositioned WRM in the USCENTAF Area of Responsibility (AOR).

Services under the War Reserve Materiel (WRM) contract are performed by DynCorp Technical Services at Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) bases at Masirah, Thumrait, and Seeb; Al Udeid, Qatar; Manama, Bahrain; and Shaw AFB, SC. DynCorp provides support to bare base systems, medical, munitions, fuels mobility support equipment, vehicles, rations, aerospace ground equipment, air base operability equipment, and associated spares and other consumables at designated locations. Responsible for asset receipt, accountability, serviceability, storage, security, periodic inspection and test, maintenance, repair, outload, and reconstitution of prepositioned WRM. This is a one year contract with an option to renew the contract. Total length of contract is seven years.

Services include maintaining war reserve materiel (WRM) stored in the Sultanate of Oman, State of Bahrain, and State of Qatar. In Oman, contract performance is on Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) government installations, and all access to the installations is controlled by the RAFO Security. In Bahrain, performance is in an area controlled by US Navy and Bahrain Port Authority. In Qatar, the Host Nation controls access to the work site.

War reserve materiel includes medical and munitions, warehousing of rations, and various other supplies. The contractor shall be responsible for performing all or any specifically designated portions of the functions accomplished under this contract during any wartime operations. Wartime operations are those actions, including contingency planning, which would be required to support current or any future United States Air Force wartime requirement. Emergency situations (i.e., accident and rescue operations, civil disturbances, natural disasters and military peacetime contingency operations and exercises) may necessitate the Contractor provide increased or reduced support as indicated below when required by Contracting Officer. Military contingency operations may necessitate military personnel assistance be provided to the Contractor. Should this occur, the Contractor will be relieved of responsibilities and accountability for the phase of the contract taken over by the military. Optional WRM sites may be exercised at any time during the performance of this contract. In the event the Government adds a new site to the contract, both parties to this contract hereby agree to negotiate in good faith the applicable price necessary to account for the change.

As of October 2000 there were fewer than 50 US troops in Qatar, who manage a large stock of prepositioned Army war-fighting equipment.

Qatar is a country on the southwestern side of the Arabian Gulf. And what many military personnel don't know is that there are soldiers stationed there. Soldiers in Qatar get the best of both worlds. On the installation, Camp As Sayliyah, the soldiers have many of the same amenities that Camp Doha soldiers have. Meanwhile, in Doha, the main city off post, soldiers can do all of the same things that are available in Kuwait City, plus more, with a little less crowding.

Known as the "Pearl of the Gulf," Qatar mixes classic architecture with modern structures. The roads in downtown Doha are all lined with parks and fountains where natives and guests stop to catch their breath or enjoy a picnic. Al Corniche Street runs along the coast from one end of the city to the other. All along Al Corniche are mosaics, tall office buildings, and women in abayas. At night, after the sun has set Doha really comes to life. Some of the fountains get crowded with barefoot children cooling off under their parent's watchful eye. Gaggles of young men face off in soccer matches on the plush grass.

Some other places that soldiers like to frequent are the Souqs. Souqs are markets that are open late into the night. Vendors sell things like food, clothes, jewelry and carpets, as well as home furnishings. They will barter with shoppers to find an agreeable price. As in America, the malls are also a popular place to hang out. One mall features five floors that wrap around an ice skating rink. From the upper levels, shoppers look down on the ice, watching the skaters as they glide across the surface.

Qatar is a peninsula, 11437 sq. km in area, that projects from the Arabian mainland. It is approximately 160 km in length and 80 km in width at its widest point. Overall, the country is very flat, rising to only 110 m at its highest point, and the land mass largely consists of scrubby desert terrain, covered in sand and loose gravel. The country is largely formed of limestone deposits and clays, laid down in various geologically defined areas. A broad North-South arch dominates the structure of the land, with the Dukhan anticline to the west, while the coastal areas are mostly characterized by salt flats, with an area of high sand dunes in the southeast. Lying in the path of strong prevailing south-easterly winds, the peninsulas owes many of its features to wind erosion, in addition to significant fluctuations in the level of the sea-bed. The latter is responsible for the fact that Qatar is now separated from Bahrain and from the small islands that surround the peninsula, all of which, at one time, formed a complete land mass. There are several small islands dotted around the coastline of Qatar. The most significant of these are Halal, located 90 km off the east coast and used as an oil processing, storage and export terminal, and the Hawar Islands to the west, which are currently the subject of an ownership dispute between Qatar and Bahrain. The resolution of this conflict is in the hands of the International Court of Justice.

Iran's nuclear program

Iran's nuclear program began in the Shah's era, including a plan to build 20 nuclear power reactors. Two power reactors in Bushehr, on the coast of the Persian Gulf, were started but remained unfinished when they were bombed and damaged by the Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq war. Following the revolution in 1979, all nuclear activity was suspended, though subsequently work was resumed on a somewhat more modest scale. Current plans extend to the construction of 15 power reactors and two research reactors.

Research and development efforts also were conducted by the Shah's regime on fissile material production, although these efforts were halted during the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war.

The current nuclear program is headed by the President, the commander of the Iranian Revulutionary Gaurd Corps (IRGC), the head of the Defense Industries Organization, and the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO). These leaders continue the pursuit of WMD's and support Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear programs against all pressures from the United States and its allies.

Iran ratified the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1970, and since February 1992 has allowed the IAEA to inspect any of its nuclear facilities. Prior to 2003 no IAEA inspections had revealed Tehran's violations of the NPT.

Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, Tehran redoubled its efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missiles. In addition to Iran's legitimate efforts to develop its nuclear power-generation industry, it is believed to be operating a parallel clandestine nuclear weapons program. Iran appears to be following a policy of complying with the NPT and building its nuclear power program in such a way that if the appropriate political decision is made, know-how gained in the peaceful sphere (specialists and equipment) could be used to create nuclear weapons (dual-use technologies have been sold to Iran by at least nine western companies during the early 1990's). Also, in this atmosphere of deception, unconfirmed reports have been made that Tehran purchased several nuclear warheads in the early 1990's

It is evident that Iran's efforts are focused both on uranium enrichment and a parallel plutonium effort. Iran claims it is trying to establish a complete nuclear fuel cycle to support a civilian energy program, but this same fuel cycle would be applicable to a nuclear weapons development program. Iran appears to have spread their nuclear activities around a number of sites to reduce the risk of detection or attack.

Iran does not currently have nuclear weapons, and would appear to be about two years away from acquiring nuclear weapons. By some time in 2006, however, Iran could be producting fissile material for atomic bombs using both uranium enriched at Natanz and plutonium produced at Arak. The Natanz facility might produce enough uranium for about five bombs every year, and the Arak facility might produced enough plutonium for as many as three bombs every year.

If Iran did acquire atomic bombs, it would put pressure on other countries in the region do the same. Many Arab countries believe it is unfair that Israel has nuclear weapons. If Arab countries, notably Saudi Arabia but also Egypt and possibly Syria, found themselves caught between a nuclear-armed Israel and a nuclear-armed Iran, it would greatly increase pressures to pursue their own nuclear options. This could result in a regional arms race in the Middle East which is likely to be quite destabilizing, given the number and intensity of conflicts and instabilities in the region.

In December 2003 Presidential hopeful John Kerry said that he would explore "areas of mutual interest" with Iran. And in June 2004 Kerry proposed providing nuclear fuel to Iran in exchange for Iran's abandoning the fissile material production complex at Esfahan, Arak, Natanz and other locations. In an interview on 29 August 2004, reported in the Washington Post on 30 August, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards proposed a "Grand Bargain" with Iran, under which the US would drop objections to the nuclear power reactor at Bushehr, in exchange for Iran abandoning the material production complex. According to Edwards, if Iran rejected this offer, it would confirm that it was building atomic bombs. Edwards also said that Kerry would ensure that European allies would join the US in imposing sanctions on Iran. "If we are engaging with Iranians in an effort to reach this great bargain and if in fact this is a bluff that they are trying to develop nuclear weapons capability, then we know that our European friends will stand with us," Edwards said. "Iran is further along in developing a nuclear weapon than they were when George Bush came into office... A nuclear Iran is unacceptable for so many reasons, including the possibility that it creates a gateway and the need for other countries in the region to develop nuclear capability -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, potentially others," Edwards said.