Wednesday, April 27, 2011
RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY: The 2,400 kilometers or so separating Cairo from Tehran might have been enough to keep relations at arm's length. But for the past three decades, the realities of geography dividing Egypt and Iran have been stretched into a yawning chasm by the shadow of one Khalid Islambouli.The Islamist army officer who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981 in revenge for signing the Camp David Accords with Israel has long stood as a symbol of the political and ideological divide between the two countries. Executed along with three co-conspirators for the crime the following year, Islambouli acquired pariah status in Egypt -- an embodiment of the perils lurking behind Islamic radicalism.
In Iran, by contrast, he is renowned as a hero and a martyr, a privilege reflected in a massive mural painting in central Tehran. One of the capital's most prestigious streets also bears his name, in what Egyptian officials have regarded as a provocation and a block to restoring long-severed diplomatic ties.
Now, however, the ghost of Islambouli is close to being laid to rest.
'Expansion Of Ties'
In what may be a blow to the interests of Israel and the United States, Egypt has declared itself ready to re-establish links with Tehran in the wake of February's overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak, who saw Iran's Islamic regime as a bitter foe.
The new Egyptian foreign minister, Nabil Al-Arabi, signaled a thaw on March 30 when he voiced hopes for an "expansion of ties" with Iran. His comments came a month after Egypt -- in the wake of Mubarak's departure -- set Western alarm bells ringing by allowing Iranian naval ships to sail through the Suez Canal for the first time in 30 years.
Reasons to be wary were compounded this month by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Mehna Bakhoum, who declared: "We are prepared to take a different view of Iran. The former regime used to see Iran as an enemy, but we don't."
The warm words have been reciprocated by Tehran, where the Foreign Ministry has confirmed it is preparing to appoint its first ambassador to Cairo since links were cut in 1979.
The contrast could hardly be greater with the tone set by Mubarak who, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, told Senator John Kerry that the Iranians "are big fat liars and justify their lies because they believe it is for a higher purpose." » | Robert Tait | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chiefs or representatives of 61 Libyan tribes from across the country called for an end to Col Muammar Gaddafi's rule, in a joint statement released by French writer Bernard-Henri Levy."Faced with the threats weighing on the unity of our country, faced with the manoeuvres and propaganda of the dictator and his family, we solemnly declare: Nothing will divide us," said the text, drawn up in Benghazi on April 12.
"We share the same ideal of a free, democratic and united Libya," it said.
The African Union meanwhile urged an end to military actions targeting senior Libyan officials and key infrastructure, a statement said on Wednesday.
"Council urges all involved to refrain from actions, including military operations targeting Libyan senior officials and socio-economic infrastructure, that would further compound the situation and make it more difficult to achieve international consensus on the best way forward," the AU said.
The Pan-African body stressed the need for all the parties involved in the implementation of UN resolution 1973 on Libya "to act in a manner fully consistent with international legality and the resolution's provisions, whose objective is solely to ensure the protection of the civilian population." » | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The royal wedding is a “legitimate target” for a terrorist attack because of Britain’s foreign policy and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, a radical Islamic group has claimed.Muslims Against Crusades, which had its application to protest on Friday turned down by police, yesterday urged Muslims to stay away from central London when Prince William marries Kate Middleton and to avoid all means of public transport due to the heightened risk of an attack.
Assad Ullah, leader of the extremist campaign group, insisted that it had no “inside knowledge” but was simply repeating security fears that have already been widely reported.
“There is a legitimate Islam opinion that those who have been attacked have the right to retaliate,” he said.
“British foreign policy is causing this kind of feeling and increasing the instability in this country. We do not advocate violence but can see how they made themselves a legitimate target for others.”
Announcing that the group had abandoned its plans to protest against the wedding, group spokesman Abu Abbas said: “We urge all Muslims to stay away from the royal wedding, not only because of the drinking, drug taking and sexual promiscuity but because of the likelihood of an attack by the Mujahideen.
"We urge all Muslims to stay away from public places and all public transport, trains, buses and tubes around central London.” » | Victoria Ward | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
THE NEW YORK TIMES: TRIPOLI, Libya — Aisha el-Qaddafi, the daughter of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya, likes to tell her three young children bedtime stories about the afterlife. Now, she says, they are especially appropriate.“To make them ready,” she said, “because in a time of war you never know when a rocket or a bomb might hit you, and that will be the end.”
In a rare interview at her charitable foundation here, Ms. Qaddafi, 36, a Libyan-trained lawyer who once worked on Saddam Hussein’s legal defense team, offered a glimpse into the fatalistic mind-set of the increasingly isolated family at the core of the battle for Libya, the bloodiest arena in the democratic uprising that is sweeping the region.
She dismissed the rebels as “terrorists” but suggested that some former Qaddafi officials who are now in the opposition’s governing council still “keep in touch with us.” She pleaded for dialogue and talked about democratic reforms. But she dismissed the rebels as unfit for such talks because of their use of violence, hurled personal barbs at President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and, at one point, appeared to disparage the basic idea of electoral democracy.
After arranging the interview last week, Ms. Qaddafi spoke for more than an hour late Sunday afternoon, just hours before NATO escalated its airstrikes with an attack that disrupted state television and another on the Libyan leader’s compound in Tripoli. Ms. Qaddafi, one of the many unofficial and sometimes rivalrous Qaddafi family power brokers who dominate Libya’s economic and political life, said the crisis had pulled the family together “like one hand.” » | David D. Kirkpatrick | Tuesday, April 26, 2011
THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Obama on Wednesday posted online a copy of his “long-form” birth certificate from the state of Hawaii, hoping to finally end a long-simmering conspiracy theory among some conservatives who asserted that he was not born in the United States and was not a legitimate president.The birth certificate, which is posted on the White House Web site, shows that Mr. Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is signed by state officials and his mother.
“The President believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn’t good for the country,” Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, wrote on the Web site Wednesday morning. Mr. Pfeiffer said on the site that Mr. Obama had authorized officials in Hawaii to release the document broadly.
In a statement to the news media Wednesday morning, Mr. Obama said he decided to release the document in an effort to end the “silliness” about his birth that threatened to distract from the serious issues facing the country. » | Michael D. Shear | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Donald Trump 'proud' of Obama birth certificate publication: Businessman and potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump takes the credit for forcing Barack Obama to release a copy of his birth certificate. » | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, a former member of parliament for Wefaq, the country's leading opposition group, told Al Jazeera that the families of medical staff who have been providing treatment to injured protesters were being arrested.
Human rights groups have accused Bahrain of arresting patients and medical staff suspected of taking part in protests, and sacking hundreds of public workers. Bahrain says it targets only those who committed crimes during the unrest in March.
On Monday the Syrian army advanced into the southern city of Deraa. In a statement the government said troops had been deployed on the request of citizens who were worried about "armed extremists".
Inside Story presenter Dareen Abughaida discusses with guests: Najib Ghadbian, a professor of Political Science at the University of Arkinsas; Hassan Nafaa, a professor of Political Science at Cairo University; and Ian Black, Middle East editor of The Guardian newspaper.
This episode of Inside Story aired on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
Fury Erupts over Brown and Blair’s Wedding Invitation Snub »
THE INDEPENDENT: Rules on free movement within Europe in doubt after crisis caused by influx of refugees from North African unrest
The leaders of France and Italy yesterday called for an overhaul of the system of passport-free travel across 25 European nations following alarm in Paris over the effect of a wave of migrants fleeing conflict in North Africa.
The Italian premier, Silvio Berlusconi, and French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, said they wanted new border restrictions in a notable watering down of the aims of the 1995 Schengen deal for free movement of people across most of continental Europe.
The pair issued their demand at a summit in Rome designed to repair relations between the two countries that had been damaged by the dispute over the fate of many of the 28,000 people who have fled political turmoil in North Africa. Most of those landed first on the Italian island of Lampedusa, creating a humanitarian and political crisis that the Italian authorities attempted to solve by diverting many to France, prompting a furious response from its north-western neighbour. Mr Berlusconi yesterday acknowledged the greater burden faced by France after the exodus triggered by the revolt in Tunisia, the first nation to topple its leader in the wave of unrest sweeping the Arab world. In another sop to France, Italy hours earlier also agreed to play a role in bombing Gaddafi forces in the French-inspired Libyan campaign.
The leaders detailed their demands in a joint letter to the EU, and said they were working on proposals to change Schengen. Both Mr Berlusconi and Mr Sarkozy – who faces a presidential election in a year's time – are under pressure from right-wing parties to adopt a tough line on immigration.
"We want Schengen to survive, but to survive Schengen must be reformed," Mr Sarkozy told reporters after the meeting. "We believe in free circulation but we believe in a state of law and a certain number of rules." » | Michael Day | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: Brutal security forces move in as government refuses to be cowed by warning of international sanctionsSyria's feared secret police raided hundreds of homes yesterday as authorities stepped up attempts to crush the pro-reform movement amid tentative signs of coordinated action by world leaders against the regime.
Forces were reportedly massing outside the north-western city of Baniyas last night amid fears that the government was planning an assault on a second rebellious city, where two weeks ago soldiers tried to quell protests against President Bashar al-Assad.
Thousands of army troops and tanks stormed the southern city of Deraa on Monday, killing at least 20 people in what appeared to be pre-emptive action against opposition to Assad rather than a response to demonstrations.
People braved sniper fire yesterday to pull the bullet-riddled bodies of the dead from the streets. More than 400 people have died during the uprising against the 11-year rule of Assad. » | Khalid Ali in Damascus and Rupert Cornwell in Washington | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
THE INDEPENDENT: If the dead soldiers are victims of revenge killings, it means the opposition is prepared to use force
Every night, Syrian state television is a horror show. Naked corpses with multiple bullet wounds, backs of heads sliced off. All Syrian soldiers, the television insists, murdered by "the treacherous armed criminal gangs" near Deraa.
One of the bodies – of a young officer in his twenties – has had his eyes gouged out. "Knives and sharp tools" appear to have been used on the soldiers, the commentary tells us. There seems no doubt that the bodies are real and little doubt that they are indeed members of the Syrian "security" forces – the word security needs to be placed in inverted commas these days – nor that the weeping, distraught parents in the background are indeed their families. » | Robert Fisk | Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Bahrain's authorities have cancelled the scholarships of several students who have demonstrated against the government in Britain.
Students in the UK now face the prospect of having to return home at the end of the summer, once they are unable to pay tuition fees for the next academic year.
The Bahraini Embassy in London says the decisions are not final and affect a relatively small number of students, but Bahraini opposition groups in the UK say they know of at least 35 students who have been affected and expect many more to come forward.
Charlie Angela reports
Preparations for the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton are in their final stages.
The couple tie the knot on Friday, and it is expected to attract the biggest television audience of any royal wedding to date.
Some 600,000 people are also expected to descend on London, the capital, for the big day.
Emma Hayward reports.
Observers do not believe Morocco will be another Egypt, Tunisia or Libya. But demonstrations are growing, and the next few months could be crucial for the country's future.
Inside Story presenter Emike Umolu discusses with guests: Lahcen Haddad, professor at Mohamed the Fifth University in Rabat; Stefan Sie-manowitz, a journalist specialising on North Africa; and Hilana Rizki, a member of the February 20 protest movement.
This episode of Inside Story aired on Monday, April 25, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: This week's disclosures from WikiLeaks confirm that Britain was a breeding ground for Islamist terrorism. But, 10 years after 9/11, we still pander to extremism, says Andrew Gilligan
The East London Mosque, the largest in Britain, hosted a "live telephone Q&A" with the world's most dangerous al-Qaeda preacher, advertised with a poster showing Manhattan in flames. At the North London Mosque, equally important and well-known, one of the trustees is a supporter, and former leader, of a terrorist organisation. According to the BBC, he "is said to have masterminded much of [its] political and military strategy" from his perch in London.
Over the last few days, the Guantanamo Bay files leaked to this newspaper have shown in compelling detail how Britain became a global hub of terror, with at least 35 inmates of the detention camp radicalised here in the years before 9/11. Yet the two examples I give do not come from the leaked files. They are much more recent. The people who run those two mosques have been in no way troubled by the authorities. In fact, they have been helped by them. At the North London Mosque, the radical activist was actually installed by the police – and remains a trustee. And in the financial year to 2010, the year after it hosted that session with the fundamentalist preacher, the East London Mosque received £660,000 of taxpayers' money – some of it from a Home Office fund for "preventing violent extremism".
There is a reason why Britain, in the words of one French official, is and remains the "Pakistan of the West", an incubator, entrepot and exporter of Islamic radicalism. There is a reason why, according to MI6, we face a "unique" threat from home-grown extremists. There is a reason why Britain is the only country in the Western world to have been subjected to a successful suicide terror attack by its own citizens. These things have happened, in part, because the last government, and Britain's security establishment, got its policy just about as wrong as it was possible to get. We were harsh where we should have been liberal – and liberal where we should have been harsh.
Control orders, the push for three months' detention without charge, random and blanket stop-and-search, and Britain's complicity in torture did little or nothing to restrain terrorism. But they undermined the rule of law for which we are fighting, angered middle-of-the-road Muslims and gave the extremists priceless fuel for their favourite narrative, "Islam under attack". » | Andrew Gilligan | Tuesday, April 16, 2011
TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN (AU): WHILE the Obamas, Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni and Sarah Ferguson will not be there, there will be places of honour for some interesting invitees.
Prince William, as an active member of a charity caring for the homeless, has set aside seats for homeless people from the greater London area.
He has also made seats available for soldiers injured during service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Of course if you're the local publican, postie or butcher in the village of Bucklebury - the village where Prince William's soon-to-be wife Catherine Middleton's family live - you already have your invitations.
While thousands will attend the formal ceremony, only 600 chosen guests will attend a lunchtime buffet at Buckingham Palace.
The lunch extravaganza will be replete with champagne, canapes, and heavy hors d'oeuvres - including smoked salmon, pate, mini-sausage rolls - followed by petit[s] fours, mini-eclairs, trifle, and chocolate and lemon mousse.
An evening "event" will finish the day in a more intimate manner with 300 invited guests. » | Sue-Belinda Meehan | Monday, April 25, 2011
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