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Re: Update - Re: Blue Sky Bullets Friday Dec 2 - 11:00
Released on 2012-10-11 16:00 GMT
Email-ID | 4022014 |
Date | 2011-12-02 16:49:17 |
From | email@example.com |
To | email@example.com |
List-Name | firstname.lastname@example.com |
Also, please remember Reva's guidance yesterday about not using your
laptops in meetings.
On 12/2/11 9:39 AM, Ashley Harrison wrote:
So we are no longer doing Yemen?
On 12/2/11 9:34 AM, Michael Wilson wrote:
Nothing new has come in that Supersedes these
* Syria - Lets imagine you are Riad al-Assad and you just read the
piece we put out yesterday. Protestors are still dying every day.
What can you actually do to speed up foreign intervention. What
are your
* Pakistan - Assuming the change in ROE changes is true (and we've
got insight that it is), how does this change the ability of ANA
and US forces to operate on the border, both from a small scale
tactical approach and from a larger political/strategic approach.
How does a higher risk environment on the border alter the US
-Pakistani relationship?
* Iran - We saw a surprising amount of countries react to the attack
on the British Embassy - do they know something we don't? We also
saw France and Germany get on board sanctions more aggresively
than before. Why such a shift now? What kind of message are they
trying to send to Iran and vice -versa. Also how does a reduced
embassy presence from these countries affect their intel abilities
* Iraq - This may be more of a tasking session but what kind of
security environment are we looking at in Iraq in 2012, as the US
withdraws. What do we need to look for?
* Serbia - The ruling party could be hurt by Serbia not getting EU
accession status (which looks increasingly unlikely),to the point
nationalist parties take power after 2012 May elections. What does
this mean in Serbia and in the region. Is the EU going to take
this into account and do somethign aout it?
* On 12/1/11 4:50 PM, Michael Wilson wrote:
Sean will be moderating from Tactical side. I will get together with
him tomorrow morning and decide order and add anything that comes in
over night
SYRIA - From the lists. We've seen the FSA (re-) iterate that it
will only use arms defensively to protect protestors. This has
apparently been its "mission" the whole time but we also see
offensive operations claimed by or attributed to the FSA daily. This
(re-)iteration was part of an agreement with the SNC. A more unified
opposition is a big demand by outside powers before they will give
support. There are a number of questions to be asked.
* If you are Riad al-Assad what is your long-term on the ground
strategy and overarching political strategy, and how do you get
there. Put ourselves in his shoes (and those of his backers)
* Why only operate defensively (a number of hypotheses have been
thrown around on the lists)
* If the SNC and FSA come together does that actually indicate a
"unified" syrian opposition. What about opposition groups
outside the SNC? What about the Kurds?
* Lets say you are a western state or an Arab state unhappy with
Turkey's speed. What do you do.
IRAQ - We need to look forward at what the internal security
situation will look like in 2012. The US is pulling out this month.
The Sunni's have got to be worried. They didnt not get what
they were promised in terms of integration of political
representation. On the more radical axis, AQ, the ISI, the Islamic
Army, which allied with other Sunni groups in the framework of
Political Council Resistance have put out a call for Sunnis to come
together and support them in fighting the Iranian occupation. We've
also see the interior ministry warn that cells that have been
"asleep" are wakening back up. Sunni's might find help from Arab
states worried about Iran.
On the Shiite side, we saw various shiite groups and politicians
come together with Iranian backing to form National Alliance. Can
they hold together. We seen reports and gotten insight on a possible
split breaking at some point between Badr Brigades and ISCI. What
about ISCI and State of Law? We also know there are a variety of
shiite militia running around - Sadr, Asaib al Haq, Badr - and then
just the gangs.
PAKISTAN - Pakistan (supposedly) suspends Chain of command, allowing
more flexibility for Border commanders. Gilani said Pakistan needs
new rules of Engagement. What does this mean for US military
commanders operating on the border, and for US strategy in the area
in general.
IRAN (Tactical commissioned) We saw the protestors storm the UK
Embassy. This came the day after Iran finally downgraded relations
with the UK after talking about week in and week out in the
parliament for over a year, and after the UK, US and Canada
announced new sanctions November 21. Iran has traditionally bad
relations with the UK going back to when Persia was in UK's sphere
of influence.
Five or so European countries are in the process of moving some
or all of their diplomats out of Iran, or are seriously discussing
the possiblity. The security concerns over the UK embassy have
continued, whether or not there have been new protests. We saw new
EU sanctions announced December 1 with seemingly unprecedented
support from states like France and Germany. Germany proposed them
and France said paralyze Iran with sanctions.
We've written on how this disrupts an embassy from a tactical
angle, with increasing pressure of sanctions, how does this change
the ability to deal/negotiate/etc with IRan? was the confrontation
with the British an isolated incident or is it in Iran's interest to
put further pressure on western diplomatic missions in Iran?
SERBIA - Increasing violence in Mitrovica (serb Kosovo). Pasting a
discussion Primo wrote
Germany and Austria on Dec 1 harshly criticized Serbia on its
handling of Kosovo Serb violence, standoffs and barricade building
in Kosovo's north, which injured nearly 50 KFOR troops, and have
all but threatened to vote against the start of Serbia's accession
talks which require unanimity of approval.
EU accession talks starting are key to Tadic's party and
government possibly eeking out another victory in next year's
parliamentary elections as the EU is considered a strategic goal
for Serbia; however Germany and Austria have been quite critical
of Kosovo Serb actions, Serb government inaction, and especially
Serb media coverage (which has become hysterical and is on the
level of the 1990s) of the past week, along with Tadic all but
equating KFOR activities with Serb rioting.
If Serbia loses the hope of eventual EU entry, then there is a
very likely chance of the nationalists in the Serbian Progressive
Party (SNS), and ultra-nationalists - the Serbian Radical Party
(SRS), an old and significantly supported party, getting a
majority of votes either outright or combined -- this would
destabilize not just Serbia, but the region as Serb nationalists
taking over would mean a change in Serbia's foreign policy that
would cause nationalist backlashes in both Bosnia Herzegovina,
Kosovo and possibly Croatia despite the SNS's attempt at
legitimacy. The entire situation is compounded by the possibility
of the EURO crashing and the EU failing - as the EURO is what both
Bosnia and Kosovo peg their currencies on, and the EU is the only
thing that keeps the Balkan states (outside of Croatia and
Slovenia), in line.
YEMEN - We are getting closer to a political agreement. Saleh has
transfered powers to VP Hadi who assigned an opposition PM to form a
joint GPC-JMP cabinet. But Ali Mohsen and the al-Amhars are not in
it (yet.) Houthis are fighting Salafis in the North. We saw the
first southern seccesion protests in a while. What the hell is AQAP
up to? Haven't heard from them in a whil.
- - - -- -- -- - -
Syrian opposition launches initiative to unify ranks, expand
National Council
Text of report by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat website on 25
[Report by Muhammad al-Shadhili: "Ethical Initiative by Blocs From
Outside National Council To Bring Opposition Together"]
Syrian oppositionists have cast doubts on the Syrian Government
acceptance of the Arab League deadline for signing a protocol
allowing observers to enter Syrian territory. Dr Muhammad Damis
Kilani, head of the Information Office of the National Commission
for Supporting the Syrian Revolution, said that the opposition
wants the Arab League to refer the Syrian dossier to the United
Nations, freeze Damascus' membership of the Arab League rather
than just suspend its participation , and oblige Arab countries to
withdraw their ambassadors from Damascus, freeze the assets of the
Syrian regime, impose an air embargo, ban Syrian civilian aircraft
from landing in Arab airports, support the Free Syrian Army while
emphasizing the peacefulness of the revolution, and designate a
fund for supporting the Syrian people without handing over the
money to the Syrian regime. Also, Ahmad Hammudi, general
coordinator of the Coordination Committee of the Syrian Revolution
in Egypt, ! stated that the opposition "wants to refer the crimes
committed by the regime to the International Criminal Court
[ICC]." Yesterday, efforts continued in Cairo to unify the ranks
of the Syrian opposition and study the requests submitted by
several political blocs and parties to join the Syrian National
Kurdish National Council head Abd-al-Hamid Darwish stated to
Al-Hayat that the efforts include organizing all the shades of the
opposition and achieving their unity within a single framework. He
pointed out that there is no sign of a fully favourable response
to date.
Meanwhile, Faysal al-Sabah, secretary general of the Coalition of
Syrian Tribes, told Al-Hayat that many blocs are not part of the
Syrian National Council. He revealed the existence of an
"initiative" for reconciliation between the council and the
various blocs that he described as "ethical" to unify the
opposition, or an initiative for "reunification" that stipulates
the unification of the opposition. He indicated that "the Syrian
National Council has been formed and we do not want to oppose it,
because Arab and international stances are taken through it." He
added: "The initiative works on the basis of expanding the council
and working towards joining blocs." He noted that a meeting was
held with members of the Office of the Secretary General of the
Syrian National Council, which in turn held deliberations with the
Executive Bureau of the council and got the green light. He added:
"However, they want a unification mechanism. We will meet to draw
up a mechani! sm after meeting with [Arab League Secretary
General] Al-Arabi, especially since we have sent the text of the
initiative to the Office of the [Arab League] secretary general."
He said that the representatives of the blocs that are outside the
alliance have approved the initiative that was presented by the
Coalition of Syrian Tribes in Cairo and agreed to support the
Syrian National Council if it commits to the implementation of the
decisions on which they have agreed and these are: approving the
initiative presented by the Coalition of Syrian Tribes, approving
the designation of Mr Haytham al-Malih to prepare a memorandum on
the Syrian opposition's joint vision in order to present it after
it is reviewed and approved, and forming a unified opposition
delegation to present the memorandum to the Arab League General
Secretariat that includes representatives of all the shades of the
opposition's spectrum, including the Syrian National Council.
According to the Syrian activist, the initiative also aims to open
the door to dialogue between the Syrian National Council and the
other shades of the Syrian opposition in order to rectify the
course through drawing on the content of the statement issued by
the national forces in Cairo on 16 November 2011 "and the items
included in it that fall in line with the demands of the
revolutionaries inside the country. Also, the right to be
represented in the Syrian Natio nal Council does not entail a
desire to attain posts or become a political climber. It is
necessary to work towards reconsidering the structure of the
council, its general secretariat, and its executive bureau based
on the standards of the revolution and make this binding on the
council, in addition to supporting and backing the Syrian Free
Army and its brigades and stressing their right to defend
themselves and the unarmed Syrian citizens inside the country."
The initiative was signed by the following blocs and bodies: The
National Salvation Conference, the National Commission for
Supporting the Syrian Revolution, the European Grouping for
Supporting the Syrian Revolution, the Syrian National Grouping,
the Freemen of Syria Bloc, the National Consultative Commission of
the Syrian National Conference, and National Commission for
Supporting the Syrian Revolution, the Hamah Grouping, the Grouping
of the 16 November National Opposition Forces, the Higher Council
of the Coalition of Syrian Tribes, independent activists, and
Khalil al-Haj Salih and Anas al-Abdah, members of the General
Secretariat of the Syrian National Council.
Source: Al-Hayat website, London, in Arabic 25 Nov 11
BBC Mon ME1 MEEauosc 011211 hs
(c) Copyright British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Free Syrian Army agrees to use arms for defence only - Turkish
Text of report in English by Turkish privately-owned,
mass-circulation daily Hurriyet website on 1 December
[Report by Ipek Yezdani: "Dissidents from Syria reveal action
The self-proclaimed Free Syrian Army agrees to use arms for
'defensive reasons' and to halt its attacks against Damascus after
a meeting with other dissidents in Turkey
A secret meeting in southern Turkey between the Syrian National
Council (SNC) and the self-proclaimed Free Syrian Army has
resulted in the creation of a joint commission and an action plan
to fight Damascus, the Hurriyet Daily News can reveal.
After meeting in Hatay, a Turkish province that borders Syria, the
SNC, an umbrella group of Syrian dissidents, and the fighting
force, a group of army defectors, established a "joint commission"
to coordinate their struggle against the Bashar al-Assad
government, the Daily News has learned.
Both parties have decided that the Free Syrian Army will "not
organize any assault" against the Syrian regime anymore, and will
resort to "armed resistance" only for "defensive reasons."
"The leader of the Free Syrian Army, Col. Riad al-Asaad, has
agreed that the movement in Syria will stay as civilian. [The
army] will be responsible for protecting civilians during
protests," SNC Executive Committee member Ahmed Ramadan, one of
the attendees at the secret meeting, told the Daily News on the
sidelines of the Turkish-Arab Media Forum in Istanbul yesterday.
The Nov. 28 Hatay meeting was attended by the SNC, which is headed
by Burhan Galioun, and the Free Syrian Army's al-Asaad. Other
high-ranking SNC members, including Ramadan, Sweden-based
Abdulbaset Seida and Mahmoud Osman, were also present.
Four high-ranking army defectors and four high-ranking SNC members
agreed to form the eight-member commission, Ramadan said. Members
of the joint commission from the SNC are "the people responsible
for foreign affairs, youth affairs, information and Syrian refugee
issues," Ramadan said, refusing to reveal the names of the four
"This was the first meeting in which the leaders of the SNC and
Free Syrian Army came together. The aim was to create a joint
action plan. This is why we formed this joint commission," Ramadan
said. A total of 10 individuals attended the Hatay meeting, which
was held at a refugee camp.
Al-Asaad "expressed the commitment of the Free Syrian Army to the
SNC and its programme" at the meeting, according to Ramadan. "The
Free Syrian Army is not going to organize any attacks against the
regime anymore. Their armed resistance will strictly aim at
defending themselves and the Syrian people," Ramadan said, adding
that there were "around 15,000 army defectors" in Syria.
The SNC, with a membership of over 260, was established in
Istanbul in September. Galioun, who leads the organization, is
based in France. The secret Hatay meeting came days after France
invited non-EU member Turkey to an EU foreign ministers' meeting
to be held on the topic of Syria - an admission of Ankara's key
role in the developments. However, Turkey's participation fell
through because of reported opposition from Greek Cyprus. The
French proposal was also a product of growing cooperation between
Ankara and Paris over the Arab Spring in recent months.
Syrian National Council rebuffs Libyan arms deal rumors
30 November 2011, Wednesday / NOAH BLASER, ISTANBUL
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Despite seeking closer ties with the anti-regime Free Syrian Army
(FSA), the Syrian National Council (SNC) rebuffed claims on
Wednesday that it plans to supply the group of national military
deserters with arms from deals with Libya.
"We have not discussed with Libyan authorities the possibility of
purchasing arms," SNC member Khaled Khodja told Today's Zaman
Wednesday, dismissing rumors in the Turkish press that the group
had discussed an arms deal with Libyan officials. The Turkish
press was awash with reports Wednesday morning that the council
had met in Istanbul with Libyan authorities earlier in the week,
with the two sides negotiating a deal that would see the smuggling
of arms across the Turkish border to Syria's armed resistance
"The Syrian National Council met previously with the [Libyan]
Transitional Council in Benghazi, but this was only a meeting.
They have offered support to us, especially of a political nature,
but there has never been any talk of an arms deal," Khodja stated.
The rumors come at a time when the SNC, a coalition of religious
and secular forces committed to the ousting of Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad, is seeking closer ties with the Free Syrian Army,
a group of military deserters who also oppose the regime.
The SNC met with SFA commanding officer Col. Riad al-Assad on
Monday and agreed to a new, semi-official relationship between the
two groups. According to Khodja, the agreement follows months of
informal contact with the FSA and is aimed at limiting the
increasingly "offensive" nature of the group's operations.
"The agreement stipulates that the Free Army must act in a way
suited to the goals and the aims of the SNC and further states
that the duty of this group is to protect, not to attack," stated
Khodja. The ideology of the SNC, which has urged Syria's street
movement to adopt a strictly nonviolent resistance, has found
itself increasingly at odds with the FSA's -- and a growing number
of protesters' -- plans to topple the regime by force.
Earlier this month saw an attack by the FSA on an air force
intelligence base on the outskirts of Damascus, an attack which
was demonized by state media and seen as evidence of a violent
turn in the opposition movement by international media.
The FSA, according to Khodja, is learning from such events. "Col.
Riad al-Assad has grown aware of the counterproductive nature of
these acts. [President] Assad is trying to push the street
movement towards a conflict and attacks only help [his regime]."
Thaer Libby to join the Syrian army free[GOOGLE TRANSLATE]
Monday, November 28, 2011 - 16:31
Syrian army
I wrote to allow Abdel-Hamid
Libyan source said that 600 fighters from the rebel Libya had gone
already to Syria during the past few days. The source for the
"seventh day" that after the announcement adviser Mustafa Abdul
Jalil, that Libya is willing to provide support to the rebels in
Syria, opened the door to volunteer for the participation of the
rebels Libyans in this process. He pointed out that there is
coordination between the Council (IGC) of Libya and his Syrian
counterpart to provide ongoing support. The source said that these
rebels entered Syria through Turkey, will join the Syrian army
dissident to face the pro-Bashar al-Assad, asserting that the door
to volunteer is still open in Libya in the case of the desire of
others to participate . The source pointed out that the adviser
Mustafa Abdul Jalil made the decision as a result of
the demands and pressure from some of the rebels in Libya to help
the Syrians in the overthrow Assad's rule, especially with the
View the suffering of the Syrian civilians on a daily basis
killing and violence.
Bomb voyage: 600 Libyans `already fighting in Syria'
Published: 29 November, 2011, 15:57
The Libyan government apparently wants to share its successful
experience of overthrowing the Gaddafi regime with like-minded
Syrians. It has sent 600 of its troops to support local militants
against the Assad regime, according to media reports.
The fighters have joined the Free Syria Army, the militant group
carrying out attacks on government forces in Syria, reports the
Egyptian news website Al-Ray Al-Arabi citing its sources. The
report says the troops entered Syria through Turkish territory.
The alleged incursion happened with the consent of the chairman of
the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) Mustafa Abdul
Jalil. The NTC allegedly welcomed volunteers to join the surge.
Last Friday British media reported a secret meeting between NTC
envoys and Syrian rebels had been held in Istanbul. The Libyan
governing body reportedly pledged to supply arms, money and
fighters to the Syrians.
Bashar Assad's government has repeatedly accused foreign forces of
smuggling armed groups and weapons into Syria and thus fueling the
ongoing violence.
In mid-October the Libyan NTC was the first government to
recognize the rebel Syrian National Council as the legitimate
representatives of the Syrian people.
The Libyan population is in possession of many weapons, which they
received during the civil war by plundering military depots,
through smuggling or as aid from NATO members and countries like
Qatar, which took part in the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The NTC
has difficulties in disarming the ex-rebels, who want to keep
their firearms, either for personal protection or as means to make
their living.
In November, the Libyan capital, Tripoli, saw a mass protest by
the rebels, who demanded that the NTC pay their wages. Some even
threatened to overthrow the new government the way they did with
the previous one, unless their demands are met.
Funneling armed, underemployed and eager-to-fight youngsters to
another country could be a convenient move for the NTC. The Syrian
government, however, is likely to see them as mercenaries, which
NATO member Turkey allowed into their country as an alternative to
a full-scale military campaign, which is impossible without the
sanction of the United Nations Security Council.
NTC sources say Libya will offer aid, fighters to Syrian
Excerpt from report by Khalid Mahmud headlined: "Libyan sources to
Al-Sharq al-Awsat: We will offer all the necessary support to the
Syrian revolutionaries to get rid of Al-Asad's regime," published
by Saudi-owned leading pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat website on
27 November
Libyan National Transitional Council [NTC] officials have said to
Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the NTC has decided to go "the full way in
offering all possible aid" to the Syrian civilians, who demand the
toppling of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad in order
to spite the Syrian regime, which the Libyan revolutionaries
accuse of offering logistic and military support in the past to
the regime of the late Col Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi.
An informed source at the Libyan NTC has revealed to Al-Sharq
al-Awsat that this unannounced resolution implicitly means
offering money, military equipment, in addition to fighters to
support what the source described as the "popular revolution" in
Syria to topple Al-Asad's regime.
The source, who asked us not to identify him, adds in a telephone
interview from the Libyan capital Tripoli: "Yes, the
representatives of the Syrian revolution have asked us to give
them support, and we have promised to respond to their requests
according to the available circumstances and resources. We believe
that the Al-Asad regime ought to go, and we will help in achieving
The source points out that the support offered by the NTC to the
popular revolution in Syria is not restricted to military support,
but it also includes political support. The source indicates that
Libya supports the resolutions to impose sanctions on the Syrian
regime at all regional and international forums until this regime
acquiesces to the will of its people, as the source says.
With talks that are supposed to take place in the Turkish capital
between Abd-al-Hakim Bilhaj, official in charge of the Tripoli
Military Council, and Turkish officials, the predictions escalate
about the Libyan revolutionaries offering military support to
their Syrian counterparts. Libyan sources, who refuse to be
identified, say that the NTC announcement of Bilhaj's presence in
Turkey to inspect the situation of the Libyan wounded being
treated there perhaps is a media coverage for his mission of
conducting secret talks with representatives of the Syrian
National Council and Turkish Government officials aimed at
discussing the way to offer aid to the popular revolution in
Syrian National Council officials, during a semi-secret visit to
Libya at the end of last month and the beginning of this month,
conducted talks with various Libyan national powers and the NTC
with the aim of getting military and logistic aid to enable the
demonstrators in Syria to confront the bloody oppression by the
Al-Asad regime. These meetings included a large number of
commanders of the revolutionaries and security battalions, in
addition to NTC officials.
NTC Chairman Justice Mustafa Abd-al-Jalil, in an exclusive
interview with Al-Sharq al-Awsat last month, considered that
Al-Asad ought to step down immediately.
Abdallah Nakir, chairman the Council of Tripoli's Revolutionaries,
who met the delegation of the Syrian National Council earlier, has
told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the Syrian delegation asked for
military and financial aid and advice on the way to confront the
oppression practiced by the Syrian authorities against the unarmed
demonstrators in the various Syrian cities. Nakir adds: "Of course
they asked for all types of aid they can get, from weapons and
money to fighters. We consider that everyone ought to support the
pursuits of these people to get rid of Al-Asad's regime."
[Passage omitted citing British Daily Telegraph article on secret
talks between Syrian revolutionaries and the new Libyan
Syrian activists have reported that Libya has not yet sent large
cargoes of weapons primarily because of logistic problems.
However, the establishment of a "buffer zone" inside Syria, as the
Arab League promotes, or the emergence of a region that completely
is under the control of the Syrian revolutionaries might resolve
these problems. On the other hand sources in the Libyan city of
Misratah do not exclude the possibility that cargoes of weapons
have been already sent. A man, who previously transported weapons
to the Libyan revolutionaries, has reported that smugglers have
been arrested in Misratah while selling small arms to Syrian
Humaydah al-Majiri, member of Tripoli's Military Council, says
that the Libyans are in solidarity with the Syrian cause.
Al-Majiri adds: "Bashar sent weapons to Al-Qadhafi when he was
fighting us. There are hundreds who want to go to Syria to fight,
or to offer all the help they can."
Officials from the revolutionaries accuse Al-Asad's regime of
supporting Al-Qadhafi's regime militarily by providing it with
weapons and mercenary fighters, in addition to providing some
intelligence information about the Libyan opposition abroad.
[Passage omitted on the Damascus-based Al-Ra'y satellite channel,
and the Syrian regime's refusal to close it down.]
DGSE will she train Syrian deserters? GOOGLE TRANSLATE
Posted on 22-11-11 at 19:37 Edited on 23-11-11 at 13:13 by Celine
Lussato 5 reactions
According to the "Duck chained" French agents now in Lebanon and
Turkey "have the mission to be the first contingents of the Syrian
army free".
Image taken from a video posted on YouTube November 19, 2011
showing Syrian soldiers deserters who joined the protest movement
against the regime of President al-Assad (c) AFP Image taken from
a video posted on YouTube November 19, 2011 showing soldiers
Syrian deserters who joined the protest movement against the
regime of President al-Assad (c) Afp
French intelligence officers were sent to northern Lebanon and
Turkey with the mission to be the first contingents of the Syrian
army deserters free grace who fled Syria says "Duck chained" from
November 23. "Several members of the DGSE Action Service and the
Special Operations Command (SOC) in Turkey are ready, if they are
ordered to form these deserters to urban guerrilla warfare," says
the weekly.
"A war against Bashar in between?" to question the "Duck". "This
is not to repeat what happened in Libya, confirming a high-ranking
officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence, adding," but
it was the French and British who made the initial contacts with
rebels ".
According to the weekly is a "limited intervention by NATO
prepared" is planned. "Support for civil and military rebellion,
presenting a resolution at the UN General Assembly, arms
trafficking at the borders of Syria, contacts with Washington via
the NATO ... all issues under discussion between Paris , London
and Ankara "says" Duck ".
Resolution to the UN General Assembly
Pressed on all sides, Bashar al-Assad is clinging to power and
continues its relentless repression despite the ultimatum of the
Arab League has already suspended the country.
Since March 15, the beginning of the anti-regime, the repression
caused the deaths of over 3500 people. The international community
is divided on the Security Council for its support of China and
Russia to Syria, failed to affect Assad.
Tuesday, November 22, however, a resolution was adopted at the UN
General Assembly condemning the "bloody repression". A resolution
welcomed by Paris.
Alain Juppe has stressed in a statement how "this vote shows the
strong mobilization of the international community to condemn the
continuing grave violations of human rights committed by the
Syrian regime to demand an immediate end to violence against
civilians, to call on Syria to leave the commission of inquiry set
up by the Council for Human Rights to work on the ground. "
Iraqi groups pledge to resist the Iranian occupation
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
BAGHDAD - Mushreq Abbas
Edited version
Iraqi militant groups vowed not to give up its weapons after the
U.S. withdrawal at the end of this year, and to continue its
operations against the <<Iranian occupation>>. They called
<<Sunnis>> to support and being around their resistance.
In contrast, the Shiite militant groups vowed to continue its
operations against the U.S. military and political presence.
In addition to the organization of <<Qaeda>>, which has always
emphasized through its announcements and operations that its armed
activities do not link with the presence or the withdrawal of
American forces and that it seeks to rule Iraq by force by
<<Islamic State of Iraq>> organization, the <<Islamic Army>>,
which allied with other Sunni groups in the framework of
<<Political Council Resistance >> has called << Sunnis to support
and being around their resistance >>. In its statement issued
recently, commenting on the arrest campaigns of Baathists, that
the "detainees are only a simple group of the people of the
Sunnis, who most of them has quit this party after the occupation
of the country and the demise of its power, and this matter is one
the ways of the conspiracy on the Sunnis to clear them and
evacuate them from the land of the Caliphate and its regions".
While the three main Shiite parties that lead the front of armed
activity: <<Mahdi Army - the promised day- al-Yaum al-Maou'od>>,
<<League of the Righteous - Asaib Ahlul Haq >> and <<Hezbollah
Brigades>> do not reveal their strategies for the post-withdrawal
period, despite the possession of better opportunities for
regularization because of their proximity of the parties in power.
Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, on several occasions, has
considered that the U.S. withdrawal does not mean the evacuation
of the occupation and its effects; and that the U.S. trainers, in
the case of the adoption of their remaining, the American Embassy,
which includes thousands of employees, and also the
extensive U.S. activities in Iraq are another face of the
occupation that should be resisted.
Taji prison, (20 km) north of Baghdad, was under a suicide bomber
that led to dozens dead and wounded, as the the third operation
within a week. Also at least two people were killed, and MP was
wounded by an attack near parliament in the fortified Green Zone
in Baghdad, security and parliamentary sources said.
A source at the Ministry of Justice told <<al-Hayat>> that
<<immediately after the explosion, the prison administration
transferred prisoners to a safe room to avoid injury and to be
able to defend them in case there be an attempt to storm the
Sleeping cells woken up
30/11/2011 13:17
BAGHDAD, Nov. 30 (AKnews) - "Sleeping terrorists" have allegedly
woken up and gone back to work.
Deputy Interior Minister Ayden Khaled said at a press conference
in Baghdad that the Interior Ministry received intelligence
information, saying that terrorist groups have re-instated their
He was confident that Iraqi forces have the capacity to chase
these groups and end their insurgency.
Iraq was hit hard by a series of insurgent attacks especially in
Basra and Baghdad that left about 50 people dead. On Monday
evening, insurgents even attacked the Council of Representatives.
U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey said Sunday that some of the
bombings were possibly carried out by al-Qaeda.
Sadr-SLC squabble suspends general amnesty bill
01/12/2011 09:55
BAGHDAD, Dec. 1 (AKnews) - The discussion of the bill for general
amnesty has been stopped because of a disputes between the State
of Law Coalition and Sadr Current members in the Acting Legal
Committee at the House of Representatives
The bill was proposed by Sadr Current (led by radical Shiite
clergy Moqtada Sadr). Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed
he would not let the bill pass, fearing it may cover "terrorists"
and "murderers."
Latif Mustafa, a member of the Acting Legal Committee, told AKnews
the bill was excluded from the Committee's agenda until political
consensus is obtained.
He added SLC members are pushing to kill the bill while Sadrists
are trying to pass it with "conditional" support from Kurdish and
Iraqiya members of the Committee.
It was in September that the controversial bill was referred to
the Committee to see how far it conforms to the Iraqi
The first article of the bill stipulates a general and inclusive
amnesty for Iraqis (civilians and army members) inside and outside
the country who have been sentenced to execution, life
imprisonment and temporary custody, disregarding whether or not
their sentences were issued in their presence or in absentia,
whether their verdicts are decisive or not.
The bill does not cover convicts guilty of murder, drug
trafficking and adultery.
By Haidar Ibrahim
Badr Organization leader denies break with Iraqi Islamic Supreme
Council; update
Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic, in its evening newscasts on 16
November, reports
- "Leading Badr Organization figure Muhammad al-Bayati has
predicted that the organization's leadership would separate from
the IISC, probably by the end of this year. In a statement
published by Al-Sumariyah News, Al-Bayati said that both the IISC
and Badr have their separate offices and centres, stressing that
the two entities do not have basic joint coordination. Al-Bayati
said that the organization did not want to overlap its offices and
associations with those of the IISC, adding that the members of
the Badr Organization are currently discussing the renewal of Hadi
al-Amiri's leadership."
- "Leading Badr Organization figure Qasim al-A'raji has denied the
statements about the possibility of Badr's separation from the
IISC. In an exclusive statement to Al-Iraqiyah Television,
Al-A'raji stressed that such a scenario was not under discussion.
Al-A'raji added that the Badr Organization is still a part of the
IISC's Shahid al-Mihrab Bloc."
INSIGHT - ME1471 - ** on rumors of Badar breaking up with IISC
He says the rumor is true, even though they are breaking the news
in installments. He does not think it will complicate matters for
Iran, because Tehran can stop them from breaking with IISC if they
really wanted. Iran very much prefers to work with fragmented
Shiite groups than a unified front. IISC is not a cohesive body in
any case. Badr Movement was autonomous, except at the leadership
level. He believes the Iranians encouraged Hadi al-'Amiri to
distance Badr from IISC and assert his leadership on it. Ibrahim
al-Ja'fari previously defected from Hizb al-Da'wa and created his
own al-Islah Trend, but he is still under the political umbrella
of Iran.
I agree this has been in the making for a while (Amiri vs Hakim on
the second Maliki premiership etc) but I don-t think it really is
an issue until the rift is a formal fact. As long as there are
some Badrists holding on to the idea of unity, the ambiguous
situation will remain. It will be interesting to see how many will
opt to stay with Ammar eventually...
Supreme Council denies intention to leave him. BadrGOOGLE
On: Friday 11/18/2011 7:40
 Baghdad / term
denied the leading role in the Islamic Supreme Council of what
appeared in the media about the division of the Badr Organization,
said MP Ali inch "block of the citizen" the news media, which
pointed to the determination of the Badr Organization to secede
from the Supreme Council "unfounded"
Because most members of the Badr Organization, see al-Hakim is
the leader of the strongest and best lead the organization and the
political process, stressing that the Badr stuck with Mr. Hakim as
a symbol of their organization and for his strong personality and
vision in the political and social issues and others.
He explained that the Badr Organization is closely linked to Pal
wise as that the organization since its inception was the Shahid
al-Mihrab Mohammad Baqer Al-Hakim is a symbol for them, followed
by Mr. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, and today the symbol for it is
al-Hakim. Noting that the project of the Badr Organization is the
same as the draft Council top, but a service of the citizen, so
there is no need or justification for separation from the Supreme
The news media indicated that the Badr Organization intends to
secede from the Islamic Supreme Council at the end of this year
and work as a political entity separate from the leadership of the
President Islamic Supreme Council of Ammar al-Hakim, as he said,
Muhammad Bayati yesterday that "the Islamic Supreme Council has
its offices, and the Badr Organisation, organizations and
independent offices," saying there was no link between the two but
in the relations coordination at the base, and may be announced on
our separation from them in the driving end of the year. "
Al-Bayati said, that the "The question of the separation of the
Badr Organization of the Council is not Balgraybh, which happened
earlier in the Dawa Party, when it became Ibrahim Jaafari, head of
the Reform Movement, leaving Maliki, head of the Dawa Party."
The al-Bayati, that "the Badr Organization, from the start were
not want an overlap in the organizations and offices of the
Council Top with it, but over the years there has been overlap
between the two and this overlap when separated must be separated
by the leadership as well, "asserting that" the members of the
Badr Organization are discussing renewal of the leadership of Hadi
al-Amiri for it. "
The al-Bayati, the "Martyr Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim was head of the
Supreme Council of Islamic and oversees the Badr Organization, but
the base was not the two is one thing, but now, Ammar al-Hakim
could not be a leader and supervisor on a Monday, "attributing to
the fact that" there is a program will be the difference in some
of the mechanisms with the Supreme Council. "
on the other announced the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council for the
formation of a new addition to the formations of political and
social is the formation of (Knights of hope).
A member of the National Alliance on the mass of citizens MP Ali
inch of the new composition (the Knights hope) is to form a youth
student and which will have posts political future, noting that
this formation will be synonymous with the formations Shahid
al-Mihrab and the Jihad and construction under the umbrella of the
Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, under the leadership of Ammar
He added an inch to this new configuration will have a clear
impact on the Iraqi street through the ideas of youth and student,
where he institution of a civil society is made up
of leaders of new youth to the people of Iraq.
He said he could see the potential of young members of this
formation in the House of Representatives during the next
sessions, which will serve the citizens and provide better
services and expand its space to serve the Iraqi people.
Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council spokesman stresses its
Text of report by Saudi-owned leading pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq
al-Awsat website on 21 November
[Report on telephone interview with Hamid Mu'allah, spokesperson
for the Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council, in Baghdad, by Mu'id
Fayyad; date not given: "Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council
Spokesperson: 'It Is Possible To Carry Out Reform, Early Elections
One of the Solutions'; Hamid Mu'allah Tells Al-Sharq al-Awsat: 'We
Are Against Those Who Claim There Is Bad Intent Behind Iraqi
People's Demands'"]
Hamid Mu'allah, the official spokesperson for the Iraqi Islamic
Supreme Council [IISC] under the leadership of Ammar al-Hakim, has
stated that "the IISC conducted a comprehensive and decisive
review of its organizations, media discourse, and the assessment
of political alliances. It made a set of decisions and carried out
reforms that will have an impact on the interests of Iraq and the
Iraqis, beginning with its slogans and the privileges of
governorates. It also discussed its future plans and prepared for
the forthcoming parliamentary election." He noted that "the IISC
has undergone leadership changes in governorates and at the level
of the members of the IISC Executive Bureau. However, there have
been no changes in the IISC's higher leadership; namely, the
Central Shura [Consultative] Council, which is the decision-making
Last week, the IISC appointed Mu'allah as its official
spokesperson. It also launched a satellite television channel and
a news agency under the name of Al-Furat on the occasion of the
29th anniversary of its foundation. According to the IISC official
spokesperson, this is "part of the well-thought-out and expressive
discursive approach of the IISC leadership." He stressed that "the
IISC is optimistic about its next moves."
Concerning the IISC's opinion on the ideas being presented by some
political forces, foremost among them the Al-Iraqiyah List under
the leadership of Dr Iyad Allawi regarding the staging of an early
election to rescue the political process, Mu'allah told Al-Sharq
al-Awsat over the telephone from Baghdad yesterday: "An early
election is actually one of the solutions on that table to save
the political process. Also, there is the scenario of changing the
map of political alignments and alliances." He pointed out that
"the IISC believes that holding talks between the political blocs
and transforming the roundtable concept for which Al-Sayyid Ammar
al-Hakim has called and is still calling into sustainable dialogue
in order to attain real reforms is the most realistic solution."
The IISC official spokesperson said that "holding an early
election means the endorsement of the law on political parties,
the election law, and the preparations by the Independent High
Electoral Commission [IHEC]. This will take time and might extend
until the actual date for holding the parliamentary election." He
indicated that "the IISC sees that in light of the current
situation and political alignments, staging an early election will
not lead to real changes and will only produce minor results.
Nevertheless, we stress that the early election proposal remains
an option on the table."
Concerning the IISC's stances that are described as ineffective
within the ruling Iraqi National Alliance [INA], which also
includes the State of Law Coalition under the leadership of Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Al-Sadr Trend under the leadership of
Muqtada al-Sadr, and the National Reform Trend under the
leadership of former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari that has
one seat in the Iraqi parliament, Mu'allah said: "The IISC is not
weak. It expresses its views and the positions in which it
believes strongly and clearly within the INA even if the other INA
components do not agree with them. For instance, we took a stand
against the dissolution of the IHEC, because this contradicts the
general interest and we succeeded in that. We were in favour of
maintaining the independence of independent bodies without
affiliating them with the Council of Ministers or subjecting them
to its control and we succeeded in that." He added: "Moreover, we
criticized the sta! te of affairs that we believe does not serve
the country or the people, whether through the IISC head's
speeches and positions or our stances within the INA. Among these
issues was the absence of security ministers. We blamed the
security failure on the absence of these ministers. We bravely
express our opinion in order to preserve the national plan and we
believe that it is possible to fix the situation."
The IISC official spokesperson said: "The IISC is an integral part
of the INA and discusses the decisions presented within the IISC.
We approve of what we believe will serve the general interest,
object to the decisions that are not in line with our vision, and
express reservations over other decisions that might be
unanimously agreed by the other brothers in the INA who now
understand our positions." He commented on the Iraqi Government's
reservation over the Arab League's decision to freeze Syria's Arab
League membership by saying: "The government must have its own
view and position regarding certain decisions. It is wrong for
political parties and lists to interfere in such decisions and
express the opposite opinion."
Regarding the prime minister's refusal to transform some
governorates into federal entities upon their request, Mu'allah
said that "the IISC supports the formation of federal entities. We
were the first to strongly support this constitutional demand. We
adopted a very positive position on the legislation of the
federalism law and we have paid the price for adopting such
positions, because we believe that federalism is the solution to
the problems of governorates and it preserves Iraq's unity. Also,
this demand is a constitutional right that must be contained
within a legal framework." He indicated that "the IISC is against
those who claim that there is bad intent behind the Iraqi people's
demands and supports our people attaining their rights in a smooth
political and legal atmosphere." He pointed out that "the Iraqi
Government's position at the Arab League was not in support of the
Syrian regime. Rather, it had reservations over the decision and
there were th! ree no's, which are: no to the suspension of
membership; no to the imposition of economic sanctions, because we
in Iraq experienced subjection to such sanctions under the former
regime and it was our people not the regime who suffered from
these sanctions, therefore we are against the imposition of
sanctions against our Syrian people; and no to foreign
intervention. We said yes to real reform in Syria, yes to dialogue
with the regime, and yes to any Arab and Islamic plan to intervene
for the sake of resolving the crisis." He said: "It is no longer
possible for any dictatorial and despotic regime to remain in the
region in light of the Arab spring and freedoms. We are against
the concept of a one-party system and killing peoples."
Source: Al-Sharq al-Awsat website, London, in Arabic 21 Nov 11
Maliki might seek a third term
01/12/2011 15:29
BAGHDAD, Dec. 1 (AKnews) - Fadhil Mohammed Jawad, legal adviser to
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said Thursday that Maliki has the
legal right to nominate himself for a third term.
Jawad referred to the Iraqi constitution and said, it did not
specify a maximum number of terms a person can serve as prime
minister, since Iraq is a parliamentary country where the largest
bloc nominates a candidate.
"The political blocs need to amend the constitution if they agreed
to limit the number of terms of the prime minister to two only,
Jawad said.
Maliki, head of the State of law Coalition, became prime minister
in 2006 and is now in his second term. The start of his government
was difficult. No party had been able to win a majority in March
2010's elections, causing an eight-month deadlock, which was ended
by the Erbil Agreement. It meant that former Prime Minister Ayad
Allawi agreed to allow Maliki to stay on as prime minister as long
as a new tier of executive powers was created for Allawi.
This was to be in the form of the National Council for Strategic
Policies, which would be able to propose laws and ensure "harmony
and integration" of policy. However, disputes over its powers have
meant that it is yet to be realized, and Maliki finally said that
its implementation would be impractical.
Another element to the dispute stems from the fact that the three
key security ministerial positions have remained unfilled since
the new cabinet headed by Nuri al-Maliki was sworn in on December
2, 2010.
Kurdish student shot dead in Kirkuk
30/11/2011 16:59
Kirkuk, Nov. 30 (AKnews) - A high school student was gunned down
Wednesday by insurgents in the multi-ethnic volatile city of
"Unidentified gunmen in a civilian car opened fire from their
machine guns on a high school boy identified as Sherwan Arsalan
Jamal while he was getting out of his school in Almaz
neighbourhood, north of Kirkuk" Sarhad Qadir, a police commander
in Kirkuk told AKnews.
He died right on the spot of the attack.
Kirkuk is one of the multi-ethnic provinces of Iraq populated by
Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Christians. It is one of the disputed
areas between Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government (KRG).
Each group is trying to expand their control over the oil-rich
Pro-governmennt militia chief survives assasination
30/11/2011 17:43
Kirkuk, Nov. 30 (AKnews) - Commander of the Awakening Council
forces in al-Abbasi district, Kirkuk, survived an assassination
attempt on Wednesday as an IED placed on the roadside went off.
"Awakening Council leader Mulla Majeed Ahmed was passing by
al-Tariqiyah village, south of Kirkuk city, when a roadside bomb
went off" said Sarhad Qadir, Kirkuk Districts Police Commander
told AKnews.
The Awakening Councils or Sons of Iraq were formerly Sunni tribal
insurgents who turned against al-Qaeda militants in 2006 after
they were organized by major sheikhs and chieftains into the
They were later recruited in the Iraqi army and police. The
recruitment is still in progress. The slow process has raised
fears that the unsatisfied Sahwa may return to al-Qaeda.
Awakening Council militiamen are frequently targeted by al-Qaeda
and other insurgent groups who see them as traitors.
Earlier today, gunmen in the city of Kirkuk shot dead a high
school student with machine guns while he was coming out of
Kirkuk is one of the multi-ethnic provinces of Iraq populated by
Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Christians. It is one of the disputed
areas between Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government (KRG).
Each group is trying to expand their control over the oil-rich
It is the second arrest of Baath members in a week, after 22
suspects were detained last Wednesday, also in Karbala Province
More Baathists detained for conspiracy
28/11/2011 15:28
AL-HINDIYAH, Karbala, Nov. 28 (AKews) - Again, alleged members of
the forbidden Baath Party were arrested, this time in the district
of l-Hindiyah in Karbala Province.
A security force from Baghdad arrested the four suspects after
their house was raided.
It was the second arrest of Baath members in a week, after 22
suspects were detained last Wednesday, also in Karbala Province.
Last week, Security forces said the arrests were a precautionary
measure prior to Ashura Day, a Shiite feat in Karbala. The forces
claimed having received intelligence information about a planned
attack of Baath activists. 10,000 policemen are deployed to secure
the area.
The Baath Party is prohibited in Iraq, its former and current
members are not allowed to work in government jobs. Every once in
a while, Baathist or alleged Baathist are arrested. Politicians,
especially those of Sunni belief, see the arrests as a means of
the Shiite dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
to get rid of political opponents.
A larger wave of arrests started in October when more than 600
suspects were detained. The arrests were ordered by Maliki after
he received information from Libyan interim leader Mahmoud Jibril,
whose rebel forces obtained documents indicating that late former
Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi tried to support an attempt of
Baath members to overthrow the Iraqi government.
By Hassoun al-Haffar
COAS suspends 'chain of command' system to thwart Nato's
Last Updated On 01 December,2011 About 30 minutes ago
COAS General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has suspended 'chain of command'
system to counter any aggression.
Sources said the Army Chief has suspended the chain of command
system in order to enable the senior officers on the posts to take
appropriate action in case Pakistani forces come under attack.
Sources said that decision would however be applicable to
eventualities involving Nato troops.
Sources said that General Kayani has also ordered the troops to
counter any aggression with full force and defend the motherland
against any assailant. General Kayani has also said that the Pak
Air Force should have taken action while Nato helicopters had
violated the Pakistani airspace and attacked the Pakistani posts,
sources said.
In a letter written to the Armed Forces Chiefs, COAS Gen Kayani
has said that the PAF jets must have dashed to the border area
after the Nato attack.
General Kayani has also observed that the communication of the
attacked posts had snapped after the Nato attack. He said that now
the senior officer on the ground would decide about counter
No threat of judicial, military coup: Gilani
Gilani said Pakistan can work with the United States, Nato and
Isaf under a new agreement and by devising new rules of
"We have to formulate new rules of engagement and we can work
under a new agreement."
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said that
there was no threat of either "judicial" or "military" coup as
both the institutions were pro-democracy and did not want to
derail the system.
The prime minister was responding to the queries of callers from
across the country in a live PTV's programme "Prime Minister
To a question about the submission of reply by the government,
Army, and ISI to the Supreme Court in Memo Case, the prime
minister said there will be one reply from the executive
The PM said Pakistan's decision to boycott the Bonn Conference in
protest against the Nato/Isaf attack and violation of its
sovereignty, was final and taken collectively.
"How we can attend the conference when our sovereignty came under
attack," he remarked.
The soil of Afghanistan was used against sovereignty and integrity
of Pakistan, he added.
He said the decision of staying away from the Bonn Conference was
taken after thoughtful consideration and after the meeting of the
Federal Cabinet which also endorsed the decisions of halting Nato
supplies and vacation of Shamsi Airbase, taken by the Defence
Committee of the Cabinet.
The decision was unanimous and taken with collective wisdom and
keeping in view sentiments and aspirations of the people, he said
adding, "If we sit in the Bonn Conference and another attack takes
place who will be responsible for that."
"When German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked me to attend the
conference, I told her that the matter is referred to a high
powered Parliamentary Committee on National Security," he added.
He said in his opinion, the decision to not to attend the
conference was in line with national honour, self-respect and
He denied that it was being considered to send Foreign Minister
Hina Rabbani Khar to Bonn.
Gilani said Pakistan can work with the United States, Nato and
Isaf under a new agreement and by devising new rules of
"We have to formulate new rules of engagement and we can work
under a new agreement."
The Prime Minister said it is upto the Parliamentary Committee on
National Security to give recommendations for a decision on ties
with US and Nato.
He said the military government of Pervez Musharraf first decided
the rules of engagement with the US and Nato.
To a question, he said the international community condemned the
Nato attack on Pakistani posts.
It is an attack on the integrity of Pakistan and it was decided in
the resolutions of the joint sitting of the parliament and All
Parties Conference that if US again takes a unilateral action,
Pakistan will respond, he said adding and now the government
responded by shutting off the supplies of Nato and getting vacated
Shamsi Airbase.
He said he will attend the meeting of the National Security
Committee of Parliament on Friday and the members will be briefed
on the Nato attack and other issues.
The recommendations of the parliamentary committee will be put
before joint session of the parliament.
The PM further said Husain Haqqani did not intend to go out of
Pakistan and "we are as patriotic as anybody else."
About Russia's reaction on the Nato attack, he said Russia is a
sovereign country, which has its own bilateral relations and
international commitments.
IRAN- Other Embassy concerns
Original analysis:
Iran Clings to Oil Lifeline as U.S. Pushes for Tighter Financial
Indira Lakshmanan
December 01, 2011 12:06 AM EST
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Protestors sack the British Embassy in Tehran. Photographer:
FarsNews/Getty Images
Just after 3 p.m. on Nov. 29, about 200 demonstrators ransacked
the British Embassy in Tehran, chanting "Death to England,"
setting fire to the Union Jack, carting off a portrait of Queen
Elizabeth, and detaining staff as Iranian security officers stood
by. It bore all the marks of a state-orchestrated provocation.
What aroused Iranian leaders' ire were stiff financial penalties
imposed on Nov. 21 by the U.K., the U.S., and Canada. The European
Union may today also impose trade and travel bans on almost 200
Iranian individuals and companies. The sanctions punish Iran for
clandestine nuclear weapons work and follow dozens of earlier
measures intended to make leaders choose between prosperity and
the bomb, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its Dec. 5 issue.
The latest penalties were spurred by a Nov. 8 United Nations
atomic inspectors' report contradicting Iran's claim that it seeks
only peaceful nuclear energy. The British sanctions hit the
Iranian financial system, including its central bank. The move
makes it difficult for any company that has banking operations
with a U.K. financial institution to trade with any company with
banking operations in Iran, says Jeanne Archibald, a former
general counsel for the U.S. Treasury.
The Obama Administration has declared the Iranian banking system
guilty of money laundering, which means U.S. financial
institutions must step up reporting requirements on foreign
correspondent banks that may be doing business with Iran. The
requirements may prove so onerous that more banks and companies
stop dealing with the Iranians.
`Don't Have Jobs'
Earlier sanctions have already hurt, says Matthew Levitt, a former
U.S. Treasury official now at the Washington Institute for Near
East Policy. "Other than oil, the economy is in very bad shape.
People have money, they have enough to eat, but they don't have
jobs," says Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, a professor of economics at
Virginia Tech. Iran has suffered inflation of at least 50 percent
in the last two years, he says, and the currency has depreciated
by 30 percent in the unofficial market.
"The economic welfare of the Iranian people has never been a top
priority of the Islamic Republic," says Karim Sadjadpour of the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Iran would seem to have no choice but to abandon its nuclear
program. The reality, however, is more complex. Iran has $80
billion in annual revenue from its crude oil output of about 3.5
million barrels a day, according to the Iranians and production
estimates from the International Energy Agency. Its near-total
reliance on energy sales is a vulnerability if oil prices crash.
European Customers
So far they haven't, and Iran continues to have steady customers
in China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Surprisingly, it has
European customers, too: Italy, Greece, and Spain are especially
important. With prices around $100 a barrel, Iran has, by some
estimates, foreign reserves of $60 billion. Its economy may grow 4
percent this year, says Kenneth Katzman, an Iran specialist for
the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Mark Dubowitz, director of the Iran Energy Project at the
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and co-author of a
confidential report on Iran circulated on Nov. 29 to the
Administration and Congress, says oil and natural gas sales
represent about 80 percent of Iran's hard currency export
That suggests sanctions on energy exports could deliver a body
blow to Iran. "Nobody with any sense is trying to impose an oil
embargo on Iran," he says. The challenge is "to target Iran's oil
sales without spooking markets."
Strategy for Sanctions
Iran has evaded sanctions before. In June it made a deal to barter
Chinese goods and services in exchange for oil, circumventing
payment difficulties set in place by sanctions. In September,
India paid off an oil debt through a Turkish bank to get around
similar restrictions. Some analysts wonder what damage the new
sanctions can do.
"The Iranians have locked sanctions into their strategy," says
Kevan Harris, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University who visits
Iran often. "It's going to hurt. But if you live there, you deal
with all kinds of problems."
The regime in Tehran has used sanctions as an excuse to boost
self-sufficiency by phasing out costly subsidies on gasoline. That
has reduced gasoline consumption and Iran's reliance on refined
gas imports, saving the regime billions of dollars.
Sanctions could achieve their purpose given the right
circumstances. If the price of oil slid to about $65 a barrel,
Iran's oil dependence could leave it struggling to meet government
budgets. Dubowitz's idea is to pressure law-abiding companies to
sever business ties with Iran, allowing the remaining players to
negotiate for deep discounts.
So if Europe, Japan, and South Korea abandoned Iranian oil,
customers such as China could push for discounts as big as 40
percent, Dubowitz's group estimates, starving the regime of funds
needed for its nuclear and missile programs. Iran is a tough
rival. Yet it's a few short steps away from crisis.
To contact the reporters on this story: Indira A.R. Lakshmanan in
Washington at firstname.lastname@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher
Power at cpower3@@bloomberg.net; Andrew J. Barden at
UK diplomats weren't taken hostage in Iran-UK source
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - British diplomats in Tehran
were not taken hostage or kidnapped and London is grateful for the
intervention of Iranian police after protesters stormed Britain's
diplomatic compounds, a British source said on Tuesday.
"It's been a confusing situation at times this afternoon. I
wouldn't use the term 'hostage,'" a British source told Reuters.
"The Iranian police have intervened to try and ensure the safety
of some of our staff for which we are grateful," he said. "But
this is a situation that should have never occurred in the first
place." (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Bill Trott
Students gather at residential compound of British diplomats
Tehran - Some 200 students have gathered in front of the
residential compound of the British embassy's diplomats and staff
in the north of the Iranian capital Tehran, ISNA news agency
Some of them have entered the compound, with one of them quoted as
saying: 'The English spies should leave the country so that we get
rid of them.'
Police and riot-police have been stationed at the site.
The Foreign Office in London has urged all British nationals in
Iran to 'stay inside and keep a low profile.'
UK withdraws diplomatic staff from Iran after attack
30 November 2011 Last updated at 07:20 GMT
Britain is withdrawing its diplomats from Iran following the
attack on its embassy in the capital, Tehran, on Tuesday,
diplomatic sources say.
A first group of embassy staff are reported to be flying out to
The Foreign Office has said that "some staff" are leaving "for
their own safety", but has not confirmed if all its diplomats are
being pulled out.
The attack followed Britain's decision to impose further sanctions
on Iran over its nuclear programme.
It led to Iran reducing diplomatic relations with the UK.
Protesters ransacked the embassy and a UK residential compound in
the capital, burning British flags and a car.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned of "serious
consequences", while the US, EU and UN Security Council also
condemned the attack.
Iran has said it regretted the incident.
No rally planned outside UK embassy on 30 November - Iran student
Two Iranian student organizations have denied reports about yet
another rally being planned outside the UK embassy in Tehran on 30
November, urging students from other provinces of the country not
to head for the capital, Fars news agency has reported.
"The rally outside the British embassy in Tehran this afternoon
(Wednesday [30 November]) is a rumour, and student organizations
have no plans to stage a rally today," Seyyed Ali Musavi,
secretary of the Society of Islamic Students, and Ali Jamshidi,
secretary of the Union of Islamic Councils of Independent
Students, said in a joint interview with Fars news agency.
They also praised the storming of the embassy on 29 November,
saying that it was "a small amount of the students' historical
anger at the hostile and malevolent actions of British officials
against the Iranian nation", Fars said.
Source: Fars News Agency website, Tehran, in Persian 0559 gmt 30
Nov 11
BBC Mon Alert TCU ME1 MEPol 301111 sa/ek
New protest at British compound in Tehran, says report
December 1, 2011 share
A new rally was to be held Thursday at a British diplomatic
compound in Tehran, Mehr news agency reported, two days after it
and another property housing the British embassy was stormed by
A reporter for Mehr said "hundreds" of riot police had been
deployed to the Qolhak Garden compound in the North of the capital
ahead of the rally.
The new demonstration was called by "student associations" angry
that Western diplomats on Thursday had visited the compound to
inspect the destruction caused by Tuesday's incursion by hundreds
of protesters, Mehr said.
Foreign media in Tehran were informed just before the
demonstration that all anti-British protests were now off-limits
to them - an unprecedented restriction that adds to many other
reporting curbs already in place.
As a result, it was impossible to confirm whether riot police were
at the compound, and whether protesters were being deterred from
again rampaging through the premises.
Iran's Press TV, which had covered Tuesday's violent scenes at the
British embassy live, was on Thursday offering no footage of the
new demonstration.
No other Iranian news outlet was immediately reporting the rally,
Around 40 ambassadors and diplomats, most of them from Western and
European nations, on Thursday entered the Qolhak Garden compound
to inspect the damage wreaked by the protesters on Tuesday
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Iran to "retaliate" British decision to expel Iranian diplomats
TEHRAN, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry announced
Wednesday that the Islamic Republic will "retaliate" upon the
British decision to expel Iranian diplomats, local media reported.
The British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday that
Britain is to expel all Iranian diplomats after some Iranian
protesters stormed the British embassy in Tehran on Tuesday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called the
British government's decision to close the Iranian embassy in
London and demand all its staff to leave the country as a "passive
" and "hasty" measure and said that "Iran, for sure, will
retaliate," according to local Mehr news agency.
The British government is responsible for preserving the
diplomatic properties of the Islamic Republic in London,
Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.
On 11/30/11 12:18 PM, Yaroslav Primachenko wrote:
Iranian spokesman reacts to UK withdrawal of diplomats
Text of report by state-run Iranian TV channel one on 30 November
The Foreign Ministry spokesman [Ramin Mehmanparast] has said: The
Islamic Republic of Iran, with insistence on its international
commitments, considers unacceptable any kind of attack on diplomats and
diplomatic locations, and any actions that contravene international
regulations and laws.
He added: What happened in relation to the British embassy in Tehran was
an event that could not have been predicted and it stemmed from the
anger of some of the protesters about the British government's approach
towards the Islamic Republic of Iran. And thanks to vigilance and the
measures that were taken, no harm was done to the [British] diplomats.
He stressed: Dealing with the offenders through the judiciary is being
examined and pursued.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman also said that the UK government's demand
that Iranian diplomats leave that country was a hasty and knee-jerk
reaction, adding: It goes without saying that the Islamic Republic of
Iran will, in turn, take the necessary steps in this connection, and it
considers it to be the responsibility of the British government to
protect the Islamic Republic of Iran's diplomatic buildings and
properties in London.
Source: Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1, Tehran, in
Persian 1737 gmt 30 Nov 11
BBC Mon Alert ME1 MEPol nm
Iranians fed up with UK behavior
Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says the Iranian people are fed up
with the UK behavior.
Larijani told a press conference that Iranian students' sit-in
protest outside the UK Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday reflected the
Iranian nation's opinion on the British government.
He said the Iranian nation, old and young, are unhappy with the
behavior of the British government over the past few decades.
He added that the British government can prove this by conducting
an opinion poll if it has any doubt.
He noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has times and again
been subjected to the mischievous and adventurism approaches of
the British government.
The top parliamentarian said the London government could adopt
different approach in the post-1979 Islamic Revolution but it
continued its hostile approach.
The Iranian Speaker said the British government apparently thinks
that it can continue its policy under pretext of diplomatic
intricacy but Britons should know that Iran's decision to
downgrade UK ties was a response to improper behaviors of the
London government.
Commenting on Iran-EU ties, Larijani said the European Union
comprises a group of states which have economic relations with
Iran in a logical manner but there are certain other groups of
states with which economic ties have been reduced due to their
"We recommend other states to speak politely. Any government can
make decision based on behavior of the other party."
On 11/30/11 12:57 AM, Chris Farnham wrote:
Storming of UK embassy due to "students' anger" - Iran Speaker
Iran's parliament speaker has said the storming of the UK embassy in
Tehran was due to "students' anger at Britain's behaviour", Iran's state
news channel (IRINN) reported on 30 November.
Speaking at a session of parliament today, Ali Larijani criticized UK
and US policies against Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying
that the "anger was due to these countries' interference" and condemned
the UK's decision to refer the incident to the UN Security Council,
IRINN said.
"Why was it not referred to the Security Council when the Iranian
embassy in Britain was attacked and several people were killed and
wounded [in 1980]?" IRINN quoted Larijani as saying.
Referring to the parliament's decision to downgrade ties with the UK,
Larijani said that "these countries [presumably, the USA and Britain]
responded to this legal step with hostile words", IRINN reported.
Source: Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, Tehran, in Persian 0552
gmt 30 Nov 11
BBC Mon Alert TCU ME1 MEPol 301111 sa/ek
UK embassy storming being investigated - Iran police chief
An Iranian police chief has said that the storming of the UK
embassy in Tehran on 29 November is being investigated and that
some of the people who broke into the embassy have been arrested,
Fars news agency reported on 30 November.
"The causes of yesterday's incident are being investigated," the
agency quoted Gen Ahmad Reza Radan, the deputy chief of the
Iranian Law Enforcement Force, as saying.
"The issue of how these individuals entered the embassy is being
investigated, and a case will be opened against those who have
been arrested and they will be handed over to the judiciary
authorities," he said.
Radan added that some of those who entered the embassy during the
protest have been identified and measures are being taken to
arrest them.
"Gen Ahmadi-Moqaddam, the commander of the Law Enforcement Force,
has visited the embassy and said at a meeting with the ambassador
and embassy officials that their security will be ensured and
asked them not to worry about lack of security," Fars quoted Radan
as saying.
Source: Fars News Agency website, Tehran, in Persian 0619 gmt 30
Nov 11
BBC Mon Alert TCU ME1 MEPol 301111 sa/ek
UK to expel all Iranian diplomats
Foreign minister announces move after attack on Britain's embassy
in Tehran by a crowd of Iranian protesters.
Last Modified: 30 Nov 2011 14:20
Iran's embassy in London must close "immediately" and all Iranian
diplomats must leave the country, William Hague, the UK's foreign
minister, has announced.
The move came in response to the storming of the UK's embassy in
Tehran on Tuesday.
"The Iranian charge [d'affaires] in London is being informed now
that we require the immediate closure of the Iranian embassy in
London and that all Iranian diplomatic staff must leave the United
Kingdom within the next 48 hours," British Foreign Secretary
William Hague told parliament.
"We have now closed the British embassy in Tehran. We have decided
to evacuate all our staff and as of the last few minutes, the last
of our UK-based staff have now left Iran," he said.
He stopped short of severing diplomatic ties entirely.
UK warns of 'serious consequences' after Iran embassy raid
30 Nov 2011
The British Government was today considering what measures to take
against Iran after hundreds of protesters stormed the British
Embassy in Tehran.
David Cameron warned the country's leaders of "serious
consequences" following yesterday's breach of international law,
which saw attacker's smash windows, torch cars and burn Union
Flags in protest against the UK. The Prime Minister branded the
Iranian government a "disgrace" for failing to protect British
embassy staff from the demonstrators who ransacked two diplomatic
compounds in the capital.
And after chairing a meeting of the Cobra security committee, Mr
Cameron demanded the attackers faced prosecution. "The failure of
the Iranian government to defend British staff and property was a
disgrace," he said.
"We hold the Iranian government responsible for its unacceptable
failure to protect diplomats in line with international law." The
Prime Minster said the British ambassador and all his staff had
been accounted for, but "extensive damage" was caused to property.
"The Iranian government must recognise that there will be serious
consequences for failing to protect our staff," Mr Cameron added.
"We will consider what these measures should be in the coming
William Hague said Iran had "committed a grave breach" of the
Vienna Convention, which demands protection of diplomats and
diplomatic premises under all circumstances.
The Foreign Secretary, who spoke to his Iranian counterpart to
protest in "the strongest terms" about the attacks, added: "We
hold the Iranian government responsible for its failure to take
adequate measures to protect our embassy as it is required to do.
"I spoke to the Iranian foreign minister to protest in the
strongest terms about these events.
"While he said he was sorry for what had happened and that action
would be taken in response, this remains a very serious failure by
the Iranian government."
The U.N. Security Council condemned the attacks "in the strongest
terms", while US president Barack Obama called on Iran to hold
those responsible to account.
Speaking at the White House, he said: "For rioters to essentially
be able to overrun the embassy and set it on fire is an indication
that the Iranian government is not taking its international
obligations seriously. That kind of behaviour is unacceptable."
British nationals have been warned against "all but essential
travel" to Iran and the small number in the country were told to
stay indoors and await advice.
Around 24 embassy staff and their dependants are based at the
office and residential compounds in Tehran. All of those are
adults as the UK Government will not post families with young
children to the volatile state for security reasons, officials
Protesters tore down the Union Flag and burned an embassy vehicle
as they stormed the compounds, chanting: "The embassy of Britain
should be taken over," and "Death to England".
The attacks come two days after the Iranian parliament approved a
Bill reducing diplomatic relations with Britain following London's
support of recently-upgraded US sanctions on Tehran.
It requires Iran and Britain to withdraw their ambassadors from
each other's country and reduce representation to the level of
charge d'affaires.
It also calls for trade between the two countries to be reduced to
"minimum levels".
Last week the UK announced that it had severed all financial ties
with Iranian banks in response to mounting fears over the
country's nuclear ambitions.
Chancellor George Osborne said all British credit and financial
institutions had to cease trading with Iran's banks from the
afternoon of Monday November 21 - the first use of the power to
cut off an entire nation's banking sector.
The move was part of a wider international effort by the United
States and Canada to put pressure on the Islamic republic, which
western governments have accused of seeking to produce nuclear
weapons for almost a decade.
Diplomatic tensions were significantly raised earlier this month
after the latest assessment by the United Nations' nuclear
watchdog warned of Iran's "capacity creep" towards an atomic
Netherlands recalls its ambassador in Tehran
November 30, 2011 shar
The Dutch Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said it was recalling its
ambassador to Iran for "consultations," a day after Islamic
militants ransacked the British embassy.
Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal "recalled the Tehran ambassador for
consultations. The reason is the violent assault on the British
embassy and diplomatic compound yesterday in Tehran," the Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
The step was taken to show solidarity with Britain, the statement
said, noting that the ambassador would be brought back as quickly
as possible.
London decided Wednesday to close its Tehran embassy and demanded
Iran shutter its embassy in London within 48 hours.
Berlin and Paris have also recalled their ambassadors.
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France recalls ambassador to Iran
AP - 13 mins ago
PARIS (AP) - France's Foreign Ministry says the country is
recalling its ambassador to Iran for consultations after an attack
on the British Embassy in Tehran.
The ministry says in a statement that France was moved to act "in
the face of this flagrant and unacceptable violation of the Vienna
Convention on diplomatic relations and the gravity of the
A ministry spokesman said earlier Wednesday that France had
summoned Iran's ambassador to Paris to express French concerns
over the attack.
The French government's spokeswoman said earlier that President
Nicolas Sarkozy had told ministers that the international
community "must heavily sanction Iran" for the attack - such as
through a possible embargo on oil exports or the freeze of Iranian
central bank holdings.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further
information. AP's earlier story is below.
LONDON (AP) - Britain ordered Iran on Wednesday to remove all its
diplomats from the U.K. within 48 hours following attacks on its
embassy and a residential compound in Tehran - one of the most
significant diplomatic retaliations against Iran since the 1979
U.S. embassy crisis.
Foreign Secretary William Hague told the House of Commons that
Britain had also withdrawn its entire diplomatic staff from Iran
after angry mobs hauled down Union Jack flags, torched a vehicle
and tossed looted documents through windows.
The rare move to kick out a country's entire diplomatic corps
marks a significant souring of ties between Iran and the West,
amid deepening suspicions over Tehran's pursuit of nuclear
weapons. Tensions were heightened in October when U.S. officials
accused agents linked to Iran's Quds Force - an elite wing of the
powerful Revolutionary Guard - of a role in an alleged plot to
kill the Saudi ambassador to the U.S.
For many, the hours-long assault Tuesday on the British embassy in
Tehran was reminiscent of the chaotic seizure of the U.S. embassy
there in 1979. Protesters replaced the British flag with a banner
in the name of a 7th-century Shiite saint, Imam Hussein, and one
looter showed off a picture of Queen Elizabeth II apparently taken
off a wall.
"The idea that the Iranian authorities could not have protected
our embassy or that this assault could have taken place without
some degree of regime consent is fanciful," Hague told lawmakers.
Iran currently has 18 diplomats in Britain, according to a list
kept by Britain's foreign ministry.
Britain previously ordered Iran to remove its diplomats in 1989,
when the two nations broke off ties over a fatwa, or religious
edict, ordering Muslims to kill British author Salman Rushdie
because his novel "The Satanic Verses" allegedly insulted Islam.
Hague said France and Germany are considering their own action
against Iran, while the White House strongly condemned the attacks
and European Union foreign ministers prepared to meet Thursday to
consider possible new sanctions.
France's budget minister, Valerie Pecresse, said the EU should
consider a total embargo on oil exports, or a freeze on Iranian
central bank holdings. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle's
office said he had recalled Germany's ambassador from Iran for
Hague claimed those involved were members of a student group
allied with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's paramilitary Basij
organization, which recruits heavily on university campuses.
"We should be clear from the outset that this is an organization
controlled by elements of the Iranian regime," he said.
Hague told Parliament that the private quarters of staff and
Britain's ambassador were trashed in the attack and that
diplomats' personal possessions were stolen.
"This is a breach of international responsibilities of which any
nation should be ashamed," he said.
Some were alarmed by Hague's tough tone.
David Miliband, Britain's former foreign secretary, said he hoped
the robust words would not become "part of the very unwelcome
drumbeat of war."
About 24 British embassy staff and dependents were based in
Tehran. They are all adults because Britain will not post
diplomats with small children to Iran for security reasons.
Iran's government has expressed regret about the "unacceptable
behavior" of protesters, whose attacks began after anti-British
demonstrations apparently authorized by authorities.
But Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the "wrath of
(students) resulted from several decades of domination-seeking
behavior of Britain."
Tensions with Britain date back to the 19th century when the
Persian monarchy gave huge industrial concessions to London, which
later included significant control over Iran's oil industry. In
1953, Britain and the U.S. helped organize a coup that overthrew a
nationalist prime minister and restored the pro-Western shah to
More recently, Iran was angered by Britain's decision to honor
Rushdie with a knighthood in 2007, and over its involvement in
Western scrutiny of Iran's nuclear program.
In March 2007, Iran detained 15 British sailors and marines for
allegedly entering the country's territorial waters in the Gulf -
a claim Britain denies. The 15 were released after nearly two
weeks in captivity.
On Sunday, Iran's parliament approved a bill to downgrade
relations with Britain, vowing to expel the country's ambassador.
Norway closes Tehran embassy, staff remain in city for now
By JPOST.COM STAFF
11/30/2011 11:23
Norway closed its embassy in Tehran Wednesday, a statement on the
mission's website said. The move comes after Britain closed its
embassy in the city and recalled "some of its staff" in response
to an attack by Iranian protesters Tuesday.
Angry over a new round of British sanctions against Iran, the
protesters broke into two British embassy compounds, destroying
property, throwing stones, and burning the British flag.
Norway's diplomatic staff are still in Tehran and no decision has
been taken to evacuate them, Norwegian Foreign ministry
spokeswoman Hilde Steinfeld told AFP.
"The embassy was closed yesterday (Tuesday) after the attack on
the British embassy," she said.
Norway reopens embassy in Iran
Published: 12.01.11, 16:41 / Israel News
Norway has reopened its embassy in Tehran after a 24-hour closure
due to security concerns following the attack by protesters on
Britain's diplomatic mission there.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hilde Steinfeld says the premises
opened as usual Thursday morning, after authorities had made a new
evaluation of the security situation. (AP)
Italy mulls closing Tehran embassy: foreign minister
ROME | Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:05am EST
(Reuters) - Italy is considering closing its embassy in Tehran and
will summon the Iranian ambassador to ask for guarantees for the
safety of the country's diplomats after the assault on the British
embassy, Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said on Wednesday.
"We're seeking firm guarantees," from the Iranians, Terzi told
reporters after testimony in parliament. "We're reflecting rapidly
on the presence of our ambassador and our diplomatic personnel (in
Tehran)," he said.
He also said Italy would decide together with its European allies
and the United States about a possible oil embargo against Iran.
(Reporting By Roberto Landucci, writing by Steve Scherer)
Iran: Italy recalls ambassador
Bradanini back for consultations amid renewed tension
01 December, 16:49
Brussels, December 1 - Italy has decided to recall its ambassador
in Tehran, Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi told reporters in
Brussels Thursday.
The ambassador, Alberto Bradanini, has been called home for
"consultations" amid renewed tension between Iran and the
international community over Tehran's nuclear programme and an
attack by protesters on the British embassy on Tuesday, Terzi
The European Union said Thursday it was weighing fresh sanctions
on Iran including energy restrictions but not a full-scale oil
embargo. The Italian embassy in Tehran on Thursday warned Italian
nationals to take greater care in their movements, avoiding
religious ceremoniess and other gatherings, as well as mosques.
*Probably not related to Iran, but another embassy incident
Young Man Throws Molotov Cocktail at US Embassy in ESTONIA
Published: 13:01
On November 30, a 19-year-old man threw a petrol bomb at the US
Embassy building in downtown Tallinn.
The incident took place at around 18:00 and the culprit was
apprehended at the scene of the crime, according to the North
The Northern District Prosecutor's Office has initiated criminal
proceedings against the man for a serious public order violation.
The US Embassy told uudised.err.ee that the Molotov cocktail was
thrown at the headquarters' exterior wall. As a result, a small
fire broke out, which embassy security guards managed to
The embassy said it does not consider the incident an act of
Swiss police: Iran embassy attacked
BERN, Switzerland (AP) - Police in the Swiss capital Bern have
arrested two young men for throwing incendiary devices and stones
at Iran's embassy.
A police statement says the attack happened shortly after 3 p.m.
(1400 GMT) Wednesday and the embassy suffered no damage.
The unidentified men were detained by security guards and police
and their motives are being investigated.
Switzerland has traditionally played the role of neutral mediator
between Iran and western countries such as the United States.
Britain on Wednesday ordered Iran to remove all its diplomats from
the U.K. within 48 hours following attacks on its embassy and a
residential compound in Tehran.
The Germany threat, Marko's discussion and OS
o Bild reported on Dec 1 that the Federal Prosecutor's Office of
Germany was investigating a still-not-named businessman who
was having "conspiratorial contact" with Iranian embassy
personnel, on "suspicion of foreign agent activity for the
purposes of sabotage";
o Bild alleged that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime
may be planning to strike US military air bases in
Germany to destroy military supplies and disrupt
logistics if the US attacked Iran
o Bild reported that Harald Range, the head of the federal
prosecutor's office, said that "We have an investigation
on this issue," referring to the investigation of a
German businessman who allegedly met with Iranian Embassy
officials. But the head of the Federal Criminal Police
Office, Jo:rg Ziercke said: "We do not see any immediate
danger right now;"
o Spiegel followed up on things, and a spokesperson for the
Federal Prosecutor's Office said that "There is absolutely no
indication that any such actions against US facilities have
been prepared"
o No arrest warrant was issued for the man, however his house
was searched on Nov 2
o Iranian ambassador to Germany Ali Reza Sheykh-Attar in
response to the whole affair said: "The recent claim by Bild
newspaper against Iran on planning an operation against the US
bases in Germany, in case of an attack launched by Washington
against our country [Iran], is the continuation of the untrue
serial of assassination attempt against the Saudi envoy to
o "This claim, made by a newspaper associated with the
Zionist current in Germany, is a continuation of the
previous claims on a plan for assassination of the Saudi
envoy to Washington and the new claims on our country's
nuclear activities."
o "They want to put Iran under pressure and difficult
circumstances so that our country would adopt the stances
they favour when holding talks [on Iran's nuclear
So, in a nutshell, an investigation was carried out and nothing
concrete has been proven so far.
Bild is just being Bild - a tabloid; Iranians screaming the usual
Articles below
'No Indication' of Any Iranian Action Against US Installations
The Ramstein Air Base is located near Kaiserslautern, Germany.
After reporting they are investigating possible plans by Iran to
attack US military installations in Germany, federal prosecutors
backed away from the claim later Thursday, stating there was "no
indication action against US facilities have been prepared."
Following a report earlier in the day that Iran may have been
planning attacks on key American military installations in Germany
if the United States were to strike Tehran in response to its
nuclear program, German prosecutors said later in the day there
was no information suggesting any such attacks had been prepared.
"There is absolutely no indication that any such actions against
US facilities have been prepared," a spokesperson for the Federal
Prosecutor's Office told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Their lack of suspicion
is further evidenced by the fact that no warrant was issued for
the arrest of the German involved, although the man's home was
Earlier, German authorities confirmed they were investigating
possible plans by Iran to attack United States military forces
based within Germany, the Federal Prosecutor's Office announced on
Thursday in Karlsruhe. Officials initially suspected that, in the
event of a US military action in Iran, Tehran might have plans to
retaliate at the key American logistical facilities.
"We have begun an investigation and are conducting operative
measures," Prosecutor General Harald Range said on Thursday
morning, declining to provide further details. But Jo:rg Ziercke,
the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), stressed
that the situation presented no immediate danger.
The law officials' comments came after the mass-circulation daily
Bild reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime may be
planning to strike US military air bases in Germany to destroy
military supplies and disrupt logistics in the event the Americans
attack Iran. According to the paper, the Federal Prosecutor's
Office is investigating a German businessman on "suspicion of
foreign agent activity for the purposes of sabotage." The man
allegedly conducted "conspirational contact" with the Iranian
Embassy in Berlin. His home was searched by authorities on Nov. 2,
the paper added.
Prosecutors are still investigating the man on the belief he may
be operating as an agent.
More Sanctions Brewing
The US operates a number of military facilities in Germany,
including the Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern, one of the
largest US military bases abroad, and an important hub for
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Landstuhl Regional Medical
Center, where wounded soldiers from these conflicts receive
treatment, is also located nearby. Both facilities are heavily
News of the German investigation comes amid rising tensions
between Iran and the West after demonstrators stormed the British
Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday. The United Kingdom has since
withdrawn its diplomats from the country. Berlin called its
ambassador back to Berlin for consultations.
On Thursday, the European Union increased pressure on Tehran with
further sanctions that included freezing the assets of 143
companies and banning 37 Iranian nationals described as being
"directly involved in Iran's nuclear activities" from entering the
EU. The measures, planned before this week's incident in Tehran,
are intended to pressure Iran to halt its efforts to develop
nuclear weapons.
The EU is also preparing a ban on oil imports from Iran in
addition to sanctions on the country's financial system, French
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Thursday. "We have decided to
work on much tougher sanctions," he stated after a meeting of EU
foreign ministers.
Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
released an alarming report stating that it had "serious concerns
regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program."
Iran rejected the IAEA's findings, claiming the program was for
civil purposes alone.
Iran 'planning attacks on US bases in Germany'
Published: 1 Dec 11 10:47 CET
Tehran may be planning attacks on US bases in Germany in the event
of an American military strike against targets in Iran, German
investigators have reportedly said.
The Bild newspaper reported on Thursday that experts with the
Federal Criminal Police Office believe in the event of a US
military action against Iran, the Iranians would attack US
military airfields in order to disrupt supply and logistics
Federal prosecutors have launched an espionage investigation
against a German businessman possibly connected to the plot who
they believe has maintained conspirational contact with the
Iranian embassy in Berlin, Bild reported.
"We have an investigation on this issue," the head of the federal
prosecutors' office, Harald Range, confirmed to reporters on
However, the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Jo:rg
Ziercke, stressed: "We do not see any immediate danger right now."
The report comes as tensions between Iran and the West have
ratcheted up dramatically in recent days. A report on November 8
by the United Nation's International Atomic Energy Agency charged
that Iran was likely trying to covertly develop its nuclear
weapons program.
And on Wednesday Berlin temporarily recalled its ambassador to
Tehran following the storming of the British embassy there by
hard-line protestors.
Western diplomats have said that Iranian authorities could have
prevented the overrunning of the embassy but failed to do so.
A series of mysterious explosions has also recently bedevilled
Iran's weapons facilities, although they have all been attributed
to accidents.
The Local/AFP/mdm
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Update: Lead in German Terror Probe
As tensions mount between Iran and the West, German officials are
investigating whether Iran is targeting US bases in Germany
By Gavriel Queenann
First Publish: 12/1/2011, 7:54 PM
The German newspaper Bild reported Thursday that prosecutors are
investigating suspicions Iran might be planning attacks on
American targets in the country.
Der Spiegel magazine cited head federal prosecutor Harald Range as
saying prosecutors are investigating whether Iran may be planning
attacks on US military facilities in the event of an American
attack on Iran.
Range confirmed the Bild report saying authorities were
investiating a German businessman suspected of espionage for the
purpose of sabotage. The businessman was alleged to have secretly
met with Iranian diplomats
Bild speculated that Iranian agents were preparing to attack US
airbases in Germany to disrupt airborne logistics operations if
the United States took part in any kind of attack on Iran, which
the West suspects of making nuclear weapons.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, in Brussels for talks,
called the revelations "grave."
"It's necessary that our authorities for this investigate it
thoroughly," he said.
Federal police head Joerg Ziercke, however, sought to assure the
public there is no immediate danger.
Neither Range nor Ziercke's office would comment further on their
inquiries. US Embassy and military officials said they are aware
of the German investigation but would not comment on it as a
matter of policy.
Germany is home to many US military installations, including the
Ramstein and Spangdahlem air bases.
Following an attack by Iranian protesters on the UK embassy in
Tehran, German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle pulled the
country's ambassador out of Iran. France and the Netherlands also
recalled their envoy's to Iran, while Italy called on Tehran's
envoy in Rome to explain his country's actions.
British foreign minister William Hague openly accused the Iranian
regime of giving "some degree of consent" to Tuesday's protests,
when demonstrators stormed the British embassy in Tehran and
burned the Union Jack and looted diplomatic documents.
Iran's relations with the West have also been in a tailspin since
the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) published a
report warning Tehran was actively seeking nuclear weapons.
Tensions between Tehran, its Arab rivals, and the United States
increased in the wake US prosecutors indicting two members of
Iran's covert Quds foreign operations cadre for plotting to
assassinate the Saudi envoy to Washington
Iran envoy rejects reports on plans for operation against US bases
in Germany
Commenting on a recent report by Germany's mass circulation daily
Bild, Iranian ambassador to Germany Ali Reza Sheykh-Attar has
said: "The recent claim by Bild newspaper against Iran on planning
an operation against the US bases in Germany, in case of an attack
launched by Washington against our country [Iran], is the
continuation of the untrue serial of assassination attempt against
the Saudi envoy to Washington," Islamic Republic News Agency
(IRNA) reported on 1 December.
According to IRNA, Sheykh-Attar made the remarks in an interview
with IRNA's correspondent on 1 December.
The envoy added: "This claim, made by a newspaper associated with
the Zionist current in Germany, is a continuation of the previous
claims on a plan for assassination of the Saudi envoy to
Washington and the new claims on our country's nuclear
Saying that such measures aimed at initiating a psychological
warfare and imposing pressures on Iran with regards to talks on
nuclear issue, the envoy said: "They want to put Iran under
pressure and difficult circumstances so that our country would
adopt the stances they favour when holding talks [on Iran's
nuclear issue]."
Referring to the article published by the Bild, Sheykh-Attar said:
"We strongly reject it and we have warned that we will file a
complaint if it does not publish a denial statement."
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency, Tehran, in Persian 1853 gmt
1 Dec 11
BBC Mon alert ME1 MEPol EU1 EuroPol MD1 Media sr
German Officials Back Away from Iran Plot Allegations
'No Indication' of Any Iranian Action Against US Installations
After reporting they are investigating possible plans by Iran to
attack US military installations in Germany, federal prosecutors
backed away from the claim later Thursday, stating there was "no
indication action against US facilities have been prepared."
Following a report earlier in the day that Iran may have been
planning attacks on key American military installations in Germany
if the United States were to strike Tehran in response to its
nuclear program, German prosecutors said later in the day there
was no information suggesting any such attacks had been prepared.
"There is absolutely no indication that any such actions against
US facilities have been prepared," a spokesperson for the Federal
Prosecutor's Office told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Their lack of suspicion
is further evidenced by the fact that no warrant was issued for
the arrest of the German involved, although the man's home was
Earlier, German authorities confirmed they were investigating
possible plans by Iran to attack United States military forces
based within Germany, the Federal Prosecutor's Office announced on
Thursday in Karlsruhe. Officials initially suspected that, in the
event of a US military action in Iran, Tehran might have plans to
retaliate at the key American logistical facilities.
"We have begun an investigation and are conducting operative
measures," Prosecutor General Harald Range said on Thursday
morning, declining to provide further details. But Jo:rg Ziercke,
the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), stressed
that the situation presented no immediate danger.
The law officials' comments came after the mass-circulation daily
Bild reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime may be
planning to strike US military air bases in Germany to destroy
military supplies and disrupt logistics in the event the Americans
attack Iran. According to the paper, the Federal Prosecutor's
Office is investigating a German businessman on "suspicion of
foreign agent activity for the purposes of sabotage." The man
allegedly conducted "conspirational contact" with the Iranian
Embassy in Berlin. His home was searched by authorities on Nov. 2,
the paper added.
Prosecutors are still investigating the man on the belief he may
be operating as an agent.
More Sanctions Brewing
The US operates a number of military facilities in Germany,
including the Ramstein Air Base near Kaiserslautern, one of the
largest US military bases abroad, and an important hub for
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Landstuhl Regional Medical
Center, where wounded soldiers from these conflicts receive
treatment, is also located nearby. Both facilities are heavily
News of the German investigation comes amid rising tensions
between Iran and the West after demonstrators stormed the British
Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday. The United Kingdom has since
withdrawn its diplomats from the country. Berlin called its
ambassador back to Berlin for consultations.
On Thursday, the European Union increased pressure on Tehran with
further sanctions that included freezing the assets of 143
companies and banning 37 Iranian nationals described as being
"directly involved in Iran's nuclear activities" from entering the
EU. The measures, planned before this week's incident in Tehran,
are intended to pressure Iran to halt its efforts to develop
nuclear weapons.
The EU is also preparing a ban on oil imports from Iran in
addition to sanctions on the country's financial system, French
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Thursday. "We have decided to
work on much tougher sanctions," he stated after a meeting of EU
foreign ministers.
Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
released an alarming report stating that it had "serious concerns
regarding possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program."
Iran rejected the IAEA's findings, claiming the program was for
civil purposes alone.
-- kla, with wires
German FM slated to propose Iran oil embargo for EU
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
11/30/2011 07:51
BERLIN - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle plans to
advocate a ban on Iranian crude oil to the European Union as part
of a new round of December EU sanctions targeting the Islamic
The Munich-based Su:ddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) first reported on
Monday about Germany's concrete sanctions plans. The left-liberal
SZ wrote that a foreign ministry spokesman said Westerwelle seeks
"a fast and robust sharpening of the EU sanctions against Iran."
>From Westerwelle's perspective "it is regrettable, but [sanctions
are] the logical consequence of the continued Iranian attitude of
rejection." Germany's top diplomat said it is now time to dry up
the financial sources of Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian oil exports to the EU amounted to 18 percent of Europe's
Iranian goods during the first six months of 2011. The vast
majority of Iranian crude oil is supplied to Italy, Spain and
The SZ reported that Germany's government will seek additional
sanctions to sever bank contacts between the EU and Iran. An EU
Foreign Ministers' meeting is slated for December 1. The SZ noted
that Germany wants the French to shut down the operation of Iran's
Bank Tejarat, which continues to conduct transactions in France.
The Munich paper wrote that the proposed closure of Tejarat "is an
indirect answer to [Nicolas] Sarkozy" and the French president's
call to freeze all foreign assets of the Central Bank of Iran.
Germany's list of sanctions affecting Iran would involve European
and French companies involved in the automobile and transportation
and logistical sectors, noted the SZ.
The paper cited a ban of technology which would allow Iran to
monitor communications.
Germany's large engineering giant Siemens - along with its Finnish
partner Nokia - sold high-tech surveillance equipment to Iran's
government in 2008. The German-Finnish equipment was used by
Iran's leaders to stifle internet communications and block mobile
calls among the pro-democracy activists challenging the alleged
fraudulent 2009 election.
If the first eight months of 2011, Germany exported sophisticated
technology and equipment valued at $2.75 billion.
The Federal Republic has remained Iran's most important high-tech
goods partner over the years within the EU.
The SZ wrote that as part of the sanctions, only export credits
will be allowed for EU-Iranian trade when dealing with food
products. Many European governments insure bi-lateral trade with
Tehran with public tax monies. Meanwhile, the Netherlands is
pushing that the 27-member EU join England's tough financial
sanctions against Iran. The United Kingdom severed its bank system
from Iran's financial system, including a ban with the Central
Bank of Iran.
France: Paralyze the Iranian regime through sanctions
By REUTERS
11/30/2011 10:39
France is pressing for international sanctions strong enough to
paralyze Iran over its nuclear policy, French Foreign Minister
Alain Juppe said in an interview with l'expresse magazine.
"France is advocating sanctions on a scale that would paralyze the
regime: freezing of central bank assets and an embargo on
hydrocarbon (oil) exports," he said.
Sanctions that hit Iran's central bank and oil exports, as the
United States and Britain were starting to implement, were the way
to go, said the minister, who acknowledged that things were moving
less rapidly at wider international level.
Britain imposes new financial sanctions on Iran
LONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Britain imposed new financial sanctions
on Iran on Monday, ordering all UK financial institutions to stop
doing business with their Iranian counterparts, as well as with
the central bank of Iran, Britain's finance ministry said.
It said the sanctions were in response to the International Atomic
Energy Agency's (IAEA) latest report on Iran, which highlighted
fresh concerns about the possible military dimensions of Iran's
nuclear programme.
Finance minister George Osborne said Iran's actions posed a
serious threat to national security and that the action was being
taken in coordination with other countries.
"This follows the International Atomic Energy Agency's report
uncovering evidence of Iran's development of nuclear weapons
technology. It is also a response to calls from the Financial
Action Task Force for countries to strengthen safeguards to
protect their financial sectors from money laundering and
financing of terrorism risks emanating from Iran."
"We believe that the Iranian regime's actions pose a significant
threat to the UK's national security and the international
community. Today's announcement is a further step to preventing
the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons." (Reporting by
Fiona Shaikh)
Canada joins US and Britain on new Iran sanctions
TORONTO-Canada is announcing additional sanctions against Iran in
tandem with the U.S. and Britain to pressure Tehran to halt its
suspected nuclear weapons program.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement Monday
that the expanded sanctions prohibit almost all financial
transactions with the Iranian government. They also add
individuals and entities to the list of designated persons and
expand the list of prohibited goods.
Baird says Canada is deeply disturbed by the information contained
in the most recent International Atomic Energy Agency report
suggesting Iranian work toward the development of atomic weapons.
Baird says the regime in Tehran poses the most significant threats
to global peace and security today.
EU at odds on whether to punish Serbia for Kosovo violence
Brussels - European Union foreign ministers sent discordant signals
Thursday on whether Serbia should be denied the status of official
candidate to the bloc due to violence by ethnic Serbs in the north
of Kosovo.
'The European perspective of Serbia has not become more concrete
through the events of the last days, weeks and months,' German
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Brussels, after a meeting
with EU counterparts.
But other EU ministers were less harsh, and stressed the strategic
importance of strengthening Serbian President Boris Tadic's
pro-European side ahead of elections next year.
'We need to send positive signals, and therefore France supports
granting Serbia the status of candidate' to the EU, French Foreign
Minister Alain Juppe said. The question is on the agenda for a
December 9 EU summit.
His Italian counterpart, Giulio Terzi, said Tadic's reaction to the
violence had been 'laudable,' and indicated that the debate among EU
ministers revealed 'few, but very firm' opinions against letting
Serbia advance towards EU membership.
Serbs in northern Kosovo have put up barricades to prevent the
Kosovo government from assuming control over two border crossings to
Serbia proper. The two sides had agreed in European Union-brokered
talks in July that Kosovo would assume control of those crossings.
NATO soldiers from Germany, Austria and Hungary have launched
initiatives to tear down the barricades. The latest of these
operations led to 30 of them being injured Monday by small arms
fire, improvised bombs and petrol bombs.
'I am particularly saddened because I am among those who repeatedly
pointed to the European perspective of Serbia,' Westerwelle said.
After Monday's incident, Serbian President Boris Tadic urged Kosovo
Serbs to abandon the roadblocks. 'This way we cannot solve any
problems,' he said.
'It is absolutely necessary that President Tadic doesn't just say
something about it, but that actions follow so that the involved
culprits are investigated and convicted,' Austrian Foreign Minister
Michael Spindelegger protested on Thursday.
NATO took a similar stance, as it released a statement welcoming
Tadic's remarks, but warning that they 'must be followed by concrete
A positive EU summit decision on Serbia would need unanimous
support, giving Germany and other hard-line countries veto powers.
Last week, Belgrade was told that, to win over their scepticism, it
needed to strike new agreements in the EU-brokered talks with
On Wednesday, the two sides met in Brussels for 12 hours, but no
results were announced. Negotiations resumed on Thursday at 11 am
(1000 GMT) and were still ongoing nearly eight hours later, EU
diplomats said.
Michael Wilson
Director of Watch Officer Group
221 W. 6th Street, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78701
T: +1 512 744 4300 ex 4112
Michael Wilson
Director of Watch Officer Group
221 W. 6th Street, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78701
T: +1 512 744 4300 ex 4112
Sean Noonan
Tactical Analyst
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