By Christopher Torchia Parliament authorized the government Wednesday to carry out a cross-border attack on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, approving an offensive that would put Turkey at odds with the U.S. There was no sign of an imminent invasion. Washington and Iraq have pressured Ankara to show restraint and Turkish leaders signaled that they would not immediately give the order to send in the 60,000 troops, armor and attack
(PRESS-TV) – The US plans to build an air base in northern Lebanon, in an area which borders Syria and is hardly 140 km from Damascus, sources say. The American air base will also be located 22 air miles (40 km) from Tartous, Syria’s main naval base and the Russian Mediterranean fleet’s command center. “According to US plan six military bases will be set up, three in Iraq, one in
(RIA via DefenceTalk) India has signed a contract with Russia for the licensed assembly of 40 multi-role Su-30MKI (Flanker-H) fighter jets, news agencies reported last week. According to experts, the agreement will cost India more than $1.5 billion. It will be a follow-up to the contract concluded in 2000 to deliver 140 fighters of the same type to New Delhi. The contractor will be the Irkut Scientific Production Corporation in
By Neta Golan and Mohammed Khatib Next month the US plans to host a regional meeting to discuss peace in the Middle East, or at least peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The maneuvering, deal making and negotiating about what will be on the table has been going on for some time. But the details of the agreement being discussed have been a well-guarded secret but for the steady flow
By Webster Griffin Tarpley In the wake of the terrorist atrocity at a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, in the Russian Federation, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made remarks to the western press which expose the key role of the US and British governments in backing Chechen terrorism. Whatever Putin’s previous role in events regarding Chechnya, his current political posture is one which sharply undercuts the legitimacy of the supposed
By Paul Findley There is an open secret in Washington. I learned it well during my 22-year tenure as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. All members swear to serve the interests of the United States, but there is an unwritten and overwhelming exception: The interests of one small foreign country almost always trump U.S. interests. That nation of course is Israel. Both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue give
(Al-Manar TV) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in Ankara on Wednesday that Damascus would back a possible Turkish incursion into northern Iraq to crack down “against terrorist activities” there. “We support the decisions the Turkish government has put on its agenda against terrorism and terrorist activities,” Assad told reporters after talks with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. “We see this as Turkey’s legitimate right,” he said. He was speaking shortly
“A sovereign Iran is in the interest of Russia. At the same time, a powerful Russia is in the interest of Iran” Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei welcomed the Russian President’s declaration of Moscow resolve for expanding the bilateral relations with Tehran to unlimited levels adding that the expansion would prove beneficial to both nations. Ayatollah Khamenei told the visiting Vladimir Putin Tuesday night that the two nations
(PRESS TV) — Israeli War Minister Ehud Barak and his US counterpart Robert Gates have discussed Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West in the Pentagon. The talks, which took place on Tuesday, were mainly focused on the Iranian nuclear issue. Barak’s office confirmed that the minister had spoken with Gates about the necessity of a multilayered missile defense system for Israel. The two were joined by senior officials for the
Russia’s lower house of parliament has called on Turkey not to launch a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Issuing a resolution on Tuesday the Russian lawmakers have called the US invasion of Iraq “gross violation of international law. AP reported that in their resolution, lawmakers in the State Duma – which is dominated by the Kremlin-backed party United Russia – said the 2003 invasion had “inflicted irreparable
by Stuart Williams Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned against military action on Iran and backed its right to nuclear energy, during the first visit to the country by a Kremlin chief since World War II. Putin, attending a summit meeting of Caspian Sea states, arrived in the Iranian capital amid heavy security and secrecy over his travel plans after reports that a squad of suicide bombers planned to
Pravda reports that Russia, Iran and other countries of the Caspian Sea region warned foreign countries on Tuesday against using their territories for launching military action. However, the Caspian states failed to come to an agreement regarding the division of the sea’s enormous energy resources. The declaration at the end of the summit of leaders from the five nations bordering the inland sea, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian
Tehran — The summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states in Tehran ended on Tuesday with a final declaration which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad termed a “turning point”. “The summit was held in an extremely friendly atmosphere … and the results should be considered as a huge achievement and a turning point in the history of cooperation between the five Caspian Sea states,” Ahmadinejad said at the closing ceremony of
Israel, Hezbollah conduct first swap since 2006 war; report: Israel received info on Ron Arad Israel and Hezbollah carried out their first swap since the Second Lebanon War on Monday, a move Israel said was part of a larger negotiation process on the release of two of its soldiers abducted by the guerilla group in July 2006. The deal saw the release by Israel of a Hezbollah guerilla suffering a
BEIRUT — Hezbollah and Israeli occupation regime concluded a swap of three bodies and a war prisoner, Alalam TV correspondent in Beirut said Monday. The correspondent reported that Israel turned over to Hezbollah its fighter Hassan Naim Aqil who was captured during the 2006 confrontation. The Zionist regime also turned over to Hizbullah the bodies of two fighters were martyred in the 34-day war. They were identified as Ali Wazwaz
Sayyed Ammar al-Hakim Calls for Full US Pull-Out BAGHDAD, A key member of Iraq’s ruling coalition called Saturday for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from his country and rejected the possibility of permanent US bases. Ammar Hakim, a leading figure of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), also called on the US occupation troops to be more careful in their use of force after recent bombings killed civilians in
Leadership Void By Cindy Sheehan “They are advocates. We are leaders.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in regards to “Anti-war activists.” People of America, this is truly the problem with what was once a Representative Republic and now is a country run by “elected” officials who believe that they, individually and collectively, are above any accountability and are not answerable to their constituents. Our public servants erroneously believe that they are the
Dalia Karpel (shortened translation of article in Haaretz `Hamedovevet`) `We – Israeli Soldiers – were put there to punish the Palestinians`, says Ilan Vilenda, an Israeli soldier who served in Rafah during the first Intifada. Ilan is the only soldier of 21 who agreed to have his name published, after he was interviewed by psychologist Nofer Ishai-Karen. The soldiers spoke freely to Nofer, who served with them in the same
Washington’s Holocaust Deniers By Brendan Cooney In light of President Bush’s opposition to a resolution that would acknowledge the Armenian genocide, the question must be considered as to whether he is a madman who cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons. Should Armenian allies adopt a preemptive approach and bomb strategic North American sites? U.S. press reports of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denying the Nazi genocide have been a flashpoint of
After I finished writing my piece about my biggest fear about Ron Paul I felt that I should post this short video introducing him and his ideas. I truly believe that Ron Paul represents a unique and most important phenomenon in American politics and the best, and probably the only, chance to prevent the election of an openly Fascist president in 2008. While Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel the other
