85 people injured in Serb protests against Kosovo independence

21 Feb 2008 – Spasena Baramova

At least 51 police officers and 34 civilians have been injured in Serb protests that have followed the proclamation of Kosovo’s independence over the past 2 days, the Serbian interior ministry said, as quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA and Dnevnik daily on February 20.

The Serbian interior ministry called upon all citizens to express their discontent with Kosovo’s self-proclaimed independence “in a peaceful and dignified manner”, sending a special appeal to sports clubs and their fans, notorious for their violent outbursts, to cooperate with the police in keeping order and protecting private property.

The Serb demonstrations damaged several buildings, including the diplomatic and consular representations of the USA, Canada, Slovenia, Turkey and Iran, but also 10 McDonald’s restaurants, 52 shops and four party headquarters. Dozens of cars have also been vandalised, Dnevnik daily reported.

Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica and President Boris Tadić have both called for an end to street violence, which they say is detrimental to the country, Serbian radio station B92 reported.

http://sofiaecho.com/article/85-people-injured-in-serb-protests-against-kosovo-independence/id_27668/catid_66

Serbs mass in huge rally for Kosovo

Thu, 21 Feb 2008

Belgrade – A massive crowd gathered in Belgrade Thursday as Serbs rallied against independence of Kosovo and behind their leaders’ hard confrontation with the West supportive of the breakaway province. More than 200,000 people packed the large plateau, eight-lane boulevard and a park in front of the national assembly even before the rally started, with columns of people still converging.

It was by far the largest gathering since the October 2000 protest which toppled the late strongman leader Slobodan Milosevic.

The “Kosovo is Serbia” rally was called to back Serbia’s claim of property on Kosovo, in which the majority Albanian leaders declared independence on Sunday with the blessing of Western powers.

Serbia’s largest parties – the ruling Democratic Party (DS) and Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) of President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, and the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in opposition – called the protest.

“Kosovo belongs to Serbia. Kosovo belongs to Serbian people. It was so since ever and it will be so forever,” the normally reserved Kostunica virtually screamed into the microphone.

“No force, no threats or promises can change that,” he said. Kostunica had frozen Serbia’s approach to EU membership in protest at Western support of Kosovo, branding the presumed exchange of Kosovo for membership of EU an “indecent proposal.”

The SRS leader Nikolic, a former high-ranking member of Milosevic’s regime was appointed to speak on behalf of all parliamentary parties. Tadic was absent, on a visit to Romania.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic was expected to address the rally over a phone. The two-times Cannes laureate film director Emir Kusturica and retired basketball star Dejan Bodiroga were to speak from the stage along with politicians, scholars and communal leaders.

Serbian authorities organized and financed free transport by busses and trains from throughout Serbia for people wanting to take part. Factories were closed and schools dismissed for the day and cheerful high-school students made up a major part of the crowd.

Following riots of hooligans targeting Western embassies and businesses in the wake of Kosovo’s declaration of independence on Sunday, authorities appealed for a “dignified” rally and warned that police would move swiftly against anybody causing disorder.

Leaflets calling for the boycott of products and businesses from countries that have recognized Kosovo – which would in the end be most of the West – were handed out to the crowd.

After the speeches, the crowd was to march two kilometres to the St. Sava temple to take part in a public prayer for Serbs remaining in Kosovo, dominated by a 90-per-cent Albanian majority.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/187365,serbs-mass-in-huge-rally-for-kosovo–update.html

“Two vehicles were destroyed in the blasts by unknown explosive devices and the investigation is ongoing,” HINA quoted investigative judge Svetislav Vujic as saying.

Nobody was injured in the attacks, which occurred a minute apart in front of a bakery and a house in the coastal town of Pula owned by two ethnic Albanians of Croatian and Macedonian nationality.

The brother of one of them said their family had received a threatening mobile telephone text message on Thursday.

“Bow your head down because the same thing that happened to your relative in Pula could happen to you too. Kosovo is forever the heart of Serbia,” said the message Muhamed Senaj showed to national television.

An association grouping Albanian minority in Croatia condemned the attack and said it was triggered by the proclamation of independence by Kosovo, according to HINA.

“We condemn such terrorist acts and hope that it was an isolated case,” said Idriz Sulejmani, head of the Albanian Minority Council.

According to the 2001 census, Serbs are the biggest minority in Croatia accounting to 4.5% of its population of 4.4 million. There are 15,000 Albanians living in Croatia.

Link

Belgrade’s US Embassy Set on Fire

By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serb rioters broke into the U.S. Embassy Thursday and set fire to an office after a large protest against Kosovo’s independence that drew an estimated 150,000 people.

Masked attackers broke into the building, which has been closed this week, and tried to throw furniture from an office. A blaze broke out but firefighters swiftly put out the flames.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – Serb rioters broke into the U.S. Embassy Thursday and set fire to an office after a massive protest against Kosovo’s independence that drew an estimated 150,000 people.

Masked attackers broke into the building, which has been closed this week, and tried to throw furniture from an office. A blaze broke out inside one of the offices and parts of the facade also caught fire.

Authorities drove armored jeeps down the street and fired tear gas to clear the crowd. The protesters dispersed into side streets where they continued clashing with authorities.

The neighboring Croatian Embassy also was attacked by the same group of protesters.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack strongly urged the Serbian government to protect the U.S. Embassy. He said the U.S. ambassador was at his home and was in contact with U.S. officials.

More than a dozen nations have recognized Kosovo’s declaration of independence on Sunday, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

But the declaration by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leadership has been rejected by Serbia’s government and the ethnic Serbians who populate northern Kosovo. Russia, China and numerous other nations have also condemned the declaration, saying it sets a precedent that separatist groups around the world will seek to emulate.

Kosovo, which is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, has not been under Belgrade’s control since 1999, when NATO launched airstrikes to halt a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. A U.N. mission has governed Kosovo since, with more than 16,000 NATO troops and KFOR, a multiethnic force, policing the province.

But Serbia – and Kosovo’s Serbs, who make up less than 10 percent of Kosovo’s population – refuse to give up Kosovo, a territory considered the ancient cradle of Serbs’ state and religion.

Earlier Thursday, police estimated that about 150,000 people had attended a rally in the Serbian capital. The crowd waved Serbian flags and carried signs reading “Stop USA terror.” One group set fire to a red-and-black Albanian flag.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SERBIA_KOSOVO_INDEPENDENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-02-21-13-53-19

US embassy in Belgrade attacked

Police were not guarding the embassy at the time

Several hundred protesters have attacked and broken into the US embassy in the Serbian capital Belgrade, setting fire to part of it.
The embassy was closed and unprotected at the time. Reports say the Croatian embassy was also attacked.

The incidents came as at least 150,000 people rallied in protest at Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

Protesters with flags and flares filled the main square. PM Vojislav Kostunica said Kosovo would always be Serbian.

Earlier, on Serbia’s de facto border with Kosovo, Serb army reservists attacked Kosovan police with stones and set fire to tyres.

Most Serbs consider Kosovo their religious and cultural heartland.

Prayers

US state department spokesman Sean McCormack said a number of Serbians had penetrated the embassy compound, and urged the authorities to take control of the situation.

There is a great feeling of sadness, not anger – we want it to be a peaceful protest, we want to show the world that Kosovo belongs to Serbia

Jelena Subin

In pictures: Belgrade rally

A blaze broke out in several rooms inside the compound.

One protester is reported to have climbed onto the first floor and ripped the US flag from its pole.

Riot police backed by armoured cars fired tear gas at the protesters.

The incidents came towards the end of the main demonstration, outside the parliament.

Protester Jelena Subin told the BBC it felt as if there were a million people at the Belgrade rally.

“There is a great feeling of sadness, not anger. We want it to be a peaceful protest. We want to show the world that Kosovo belongs to Serbia,” she said.

Mr Kostunica addressed the crowds from a large stage, draped in two huge Serbian flags and with a banner reading “Kosovo is Serbia” at the back.

The main rally outside parliament was peaceful

“As long as we live, Kosovo is Serbia,” he said to cheers and applause. “Kosovo belongs to the Serbian people.”

“We’ll never give up Kosovo, never!” the crowd responded.

“Is there any other nation on Earth from whom the great powers are demanding that they give up their identity, to give up our brothers in Kosovo?” he added.

Ultra-nationalist leader Tomislav Nikolic accused the US and EU of trying to steal Kosovo.

“We will not rest until Kosovo is again under Serbia’s control,” he said.

“Hitler could not take it away from us, and neither will today’s Western powers.”

Other speakers included Australian Open tennis champion Novak Djokovic, who addressed the crowd by video link.

After the speeches, the crowd marched to the city’s biggest church, the Temple of Saint Sava.

Border protest

There was thick, black smoke billowing from the crossing point at Merdare, 50km (30 miles) north-east of Kosovo’s capital Pristina.

KOSOVO PROFILE
Population about two million
Majority ethnic Albanian; 10% Serb
Under UN control since Nato drove out Serb forces in 1999
2,000-strong EU staff to take over from UN after independence
Recognised by US, UK, Germany, Italy and France
Not recognised by Russia, Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus
Nato to stay to provide security

Country profile: Kosovo
Tense confusion on border

Serbs waved large tricolour Serbian flags, chanted “Kosovo is Serbia” and tried to cross the border.

“We are here in support of the Serbs who still live in Kosovo,” Dejan Milosevic, one of the organisers, told the Associated Press news agency.

The Kosovo police, backed by Czech troops from the Nato-led peacekeeping force, put a steel barrier across the road and were able to hold their line.

The Serbs have now pulled back and ended their protest.

Protest rallies were also held in the Bosnian Serb republic (Republika Srpska). There were unconfirmed reports of injuries as several hundred protesters clashed with police outside the US consulate in Banja Luka.

The US, the UK, Germany and Italy have all recognised Kosovo.

In the coming weeks, an almost 2,000-strong EU mission will be deployed to help the country develop its police force and judiciary.

« Hystérie préventive » en Israël

Les tiraillements politiques et les polémiques entourant le prochain sommet arabe, prévu fin mars à Damas, ont fait la « Une » de la presse libanaise et arabe.

Les analystes estiment que le sort de ce sommet est désormais lié à l’íssue de la crise libanaise, dont le règlement permettrait l’élection d’un président de la République qui représenterait le Liban lors de cette réunion.

C’est dans ce contexte que le secrétaire général de la Ligue arabe, Amr Moussa, doit débarquer à Beyrouth pour tenter de trouver un compromis, encore incertain, entre le 14-mars pro-US et l’opposition nationale.

Jeudi 21 Février 2008

Tendances et événements au Proche-Orient

« Hystérie préventive » en Israël

Les mesures préventives se poursuivent en Israël dans une ambiance hystérique après les propos du chef de la Résistance libanaise, sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, lors des funérailles du chef militaire du Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyé, tué le 12 février dans un attentat à Damas. Des réservistes ont été partiellement mobilisés et des mesures, habituellement prises en temps de guerre, ont été mises en œuvre à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur du pays. Cet état d’alerte exceptionnel s’accompagne de supputations sur la nature de la riposte du Hezbollah.

Les experts redoutent l’enlèvement ou l’assassinat de hauts responsables israéliens ou l’organisation d’opérations militaires spectaculaires et douloureuses dans les territoires palestiniens. Dans ce contexte, on peut noter les observations suivantes :

 1. L’ attitude d’Israël après l’assassinat d’Imad Mughniyé ne laisse aucun doute sur sa responsabilité, en dépit du démenti officiel de tout lien avec l’attentat de Damas. De toute façon, Israël n’a jamais officiellement reconnu l’implication de ses services de renseignement dans ce genre d’actions.

De toute vraisemblance, l’assassinat est l’œuvre d’une équipe internationale et régionale coordonnée par le responsable du Moyen-Orient au Conseil sécurité nationale états-unien, Elliot Abrams.

Le groupe qui a exécuté l’attentat pourrait comprendre des ressortissants de pays arabes, dirigés par des États-uniens.

Dans ce contexte, il faut se souvenir des réunions des chefs des services de renseignement des États arabes dits « modérés », présidées par la secrétaire d’État Condoleezza Rice, en 2007, en présence d’Abrams.

Selon certaines informations, des dirigeants des SR israéliens auraient pris part à quelques-unes de ces réunions.

 2. Dans le débat sur les conséquences de l’assassinat de Mughniyé, certains analystes israéliens n’hésitent à dire qu’Israël à commis une « stupidité » au vu du prix exorbitants qu’il pourrait payer.

Ces experts adressent notamment leurs critiques au Premier ministre Ehud Olmert et à son ministre de la Défense, Ehud Barak, qui ont donné l’ordre de l’opération. D’autres spécialistes pensent que la riposte du Hezbollah va se limiter à une recrudescence des opérations anti-israéliennes dans les territoires palestiniens et ne va pas comprendre des attaques contre des ressortissants ou des responsables de l’État hébreu à travers le monde.

Les menaces de certains responsables israéliens de lancer une « guerre destructrice » dans la région en cas d’attaque du Hezbollah ont été sévèrement dénoncées. Surtout que la puissance de feu du Hezbollah dans le domaine des roquettes est restée intacte, comme l’a récemment reconnu Ehud Barak.

Le projet de ce dernier de construire un dôme de fer pour protéger Israël des missiles du Hezbollah continue de faire sourire les spécialistes.

 3. Les probabilités d’une attaque terrestre d’envergure contre la Bande de Gaza augmentent, bien que certains milieux israéliens continuent de s’interroger sur la pertinence d’une telle opération au regard des expériences du passé.

Presse et agences internationales

AL KHALEEJ (QUOTIDIEN EMIRATI)
Si on ajoute les tensions dans la rue, au vide institutionnel, au sabotage des institutions, à l’éclatement politique, aux accusations réciproques qui ont atteint les appels au divorce ou au départ, quelle image obtiendra-t-on du Liban qui a souffert, ces dernières décennies, d’une guerre civile et de deux invasions israéliennes dont une a dépassé la capitale Beyrouth ?

AL WATAN (QUOTIDIEN SAOUDIEN)
En décidant de revenir à Beyrouth pour exposer aux loyalistes et à l’opposition son initiative visant à élire à la présidence le général Michel Sleimane, former un gouvernement d’union nationale et élaborer une nouvelle loi électorale plus représentative du peuple libanais, il semble que le secrétaire général de la Ligue arabe, Amr Moussa, rame à contre-courant.

EUROPOLITIQUE (AGENCE DE PRESSE DE L’UNION EUROPEENNE)
Le Conseil de l’Union européenne a adopté, le 18 février, les versions révisées des partenariats d’adhésion de la Turquie et de l’ancienne république yougoslave de Macédoine (ARYM) ainsi que les mises à jour des partenariats avec l’Albanie, la Bosnie-Herzégovine et la Serbie.

LE FIGARO (QUOTIDIEN FRANÇAIS, MAJORITE PARLEMENTAIRE)
L’ancien ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Philippe Douste-Blazy, a été nommé hier par Ban Ki-Moon secrétaire général adjoint de l’Onu chargé des financements innovants ; un poste taillé sur mesure. Douste-Blazy avait été chargé en son temps par Jacques Chirac de mettre en place le fonds Unitaid, de lutte contre les grandes pandémies dans le tiers-monde, en le finançant par une taxe sur les billets d’avion. Au Quai d’Orsay, où Douste-Blazy n’a pas laissé un bon souvenir, on ne cachait pas ce matin son irritation.

24 HEURES (QUOTIDIEN SUISSE)
Le Parti socialiste suisse s’inquiète des nouveaux contrats d’armement signés avec les Émirats arabes unis pour 6,5 millions de francs suisses. En effet, en 2005 les Émirats avaient acheté des chars M109, puis les avaient illégalement revendus au Maroc, alors que la Suisse s’y opposait en raison du conflit du Sahara.

THE TIMES (QUOTIDIEN BRITANNIQUE, GROUPE MURDOCH)
Selon des documents rendus publics hier, le général israélien Doron Almog se trouvait à bord d’un avion d’El-Al ayant fait escale le 11 septembre 2005 à l’aéroport d’Heathrow. Accusé, d’avoir détruit illégalement 59 habitations à Gaza en 2002, il fait l’objet d’un mandat d’arrêt pour crimes de guerre. Cependant, à l’issue d’une confrontation de 2 heures, les autorités britanniques ont renoncé à l’arrêter de peur d’une fusillade avec les officiers de sécurité israéliens embarqués dans l’appareil.

THE AUSTRALIAN (QUOTIDIEN AUSTRALIEN, GROUPE MURDOCH)
Le chef d’état-major des armées australiennes, le général Marshal Houston, a déclaré hier devant une commission d’évaluation du Sénat que le moment été venu pour l’Australie de se retirer d’Irak. Selon lui, l’amélioration de la situation et les progrès accomplis par les forces locales font que la présence australienne n’est plus indispensable.
De son côté, le ministre de la Défense, Joel Fitzgibbon, a indiqué que l’Australie pouvait maintenant s’impliquer plus en Afghanistan.

RIA-NOVOSTI (AGENCE DE PRESSE RUSSE)
• Un porte-parole de la Commission européenne a annoncé que l’Union envisageait d’octroyer 1 milliard d’euros en quatre ans au Kosovo. Le nouvel État a été reconnu par 18 membres de l’Union sur 27.
Alors que le gouvernement grec n’a pas reconnu le Kosovo, il a accepté de participer à la mission de l’Union sur place, suscitant la colère de l’opposition grecque qui l’accuse de duplicité.
Le gouvernement russe maintient sa proposition au Conseil de sécurité à propos du Kosovo. A ses yeux, seule une solution négociée dans le respect des deux parties (serbe et albanophone) peut garantir une paix durable. Le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères russe a souligné que le déploiement de la mission de l’UE au Kosovo n’a pas de base juridique et contourne le Conseil de sécurité, bref qu’il est « illégal ».
• Ruhama Avraham, ministre israélienne des Relations avec le Parlement, a indiqué avoir entrepris des démarches auprès de la Douma russe pour demander l’aide de Moscou dans la libération de ses trois soldats capturés dans la bande de Gaza et au Liban en 2006.

THE WASHINGTON POST (QUOTIDIEN ÉTATS-UNIEN)
Le gouvernement irakien a donné instruction à sa police de nettoyer les rues des mendiants, des handicapés et des déficients mentaux. Il craint en effet que ceux-ci ne soient utilisés par Al-Qaeda « comme kamikazes à leur insu » (sic).

THE NEW YORK TIMES (QUOTIDIEN ÉTATS-UNIEN)
Intervenant dimanche devant la Conférence des présidents des organisations juives américaines, le Premier ministre israélien Ehud Olmert a affirmé que, d’un commun accord avec la délégation palestinienne, la question de Jérusalem ne serait abordée qu’à la fin des négociations. Interrogé par le journal, le négociateur en chef palestinien, Saëb Erekat, a nié qu’un tel accord ait été conclu entre les deux parties.

TODAY’S ZAMAN (QUOTIDIEN TURC ANGLOPHONE)
L’option d’une opération militaire terrestre de l’armée turque contre les séparatistes kurdes retranchés dans le nord de l’Irak est « sur la table », a déclaré le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Ali Babacan. En général, les opérations militaires contre le PKK dans les régions montagneuses de l’est de la Turquie sont lancées au printemps, après la fonte des neiges. « Le calendrier et les conditions météo sont (des déterminants) importants », a souligné le chef de la diplomatie.

GRANMA (QUOTIDIEN CUBAIN)
 Fidel Castro, leader de la Révolution cubaine
« Je n’aspirerai ni n’accepterai –je répète– je n’aspirerai ni n’accepterai la charge de président du Conseil d’État et de commandant en chef. Ma première obligation après tant d’années de lutte était de préparer le peuple à mon absence, psychologiquement et politiquement. Jamais je n’ai cessé de signaler qu’il s’agissait d’un rétablissement qui n’était pas exempt de risques. Heureusement, notre processus compte encore avec des cadres de la vieille garde, unis à d’autres qui étaient plus jeunes quand a commencé la première étape de la révolution. Le chemin sera difficile et requerra l’effort intelligent de tous. Je ne vous fais pas mes adieux. Je souhaite combattre comme un soldat des idées. »

• Le mouvement de Moqtada Sadr a tempéré les déclarations faites dimanche sur l’annulation d’un accord avec son grand rival au sein de la communauté chiite irakienne, le Conseil suprême islamique d’Irak (CSII), affirmant qu’il s’agissait d’un « avertissement ». « Les déclarations du mouvement sadriste ne signifient pas l’annulation de l’accord entre les deux parties, mais c’est un avertissement au Conseil suprême », a affirmé Salah al-Obeidi, le porte-parole du bureau de Moqtada Sadr à Najaf. « Si le CSII ne fait rien pour régler les problèmes entre les deux parties, nous les mettons en garde contre les conséquences », a ajouté M. Obeidi.

• En Irak, deux Saoudiens et un Algérien, membres d’el-Qaëda, ont été tués mardi avant l’aube par les forces spéciales irakiennes près de Samarra, dans le nord de l’Irak, a indiqué un officier de ces forces. Les forces spéciales ont arrêté un chef local d’el-Qaëda, Mahmoud al-Rahmani, lors d’une opération contre la cache de l’organisation dans le quartier industriel de Samarra, d’après le lieutenant Mouthanna Chakir Mahmoud. Son interrogatoire a mené les forces spéciales à une deuxième cache, dans les faubourgs de Samarra, où les forces spéciales ont engagé des combats avec les deux Saoudiens et l’Algérien, qui ont été tués, a ajouté le lieutenant. D’importantes quantités d’armes – dont des roquettes et des bombes– ont été découvertes dans les deux caches, a-t-il précisé. En outre, un père de famille, sa femme, son fils ainsi qu’une voisine, participant à la lutte contre les affiliés d’el-Qaëda, ont été tués par l’organisation extrémiste près de Baaqouba. Selon des membres du village et de la famille, la famille avait rejoint récemment les « comités populaires », appelés également les « Forces du réveil ».

• Le chef de la diplomatie égyptienne Ahmad Aboul Gheit a chargé l’un de ses adjoints de convoquer l’ambassadeur du Danemark au Caire pour lui affirmer que l’Égypte jugeait inacceptables les tentatives des médias danois de répéter l’offense portée aux sentiments et aux symboles sacrés des musulmans dans le monde entier, selon le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères, Hossam Zaki.

• Le Conseil des gardiens de la Constitution iranienne, chargé de superviser les élections, a repêché 251 nouveaux candidats qui avaient été disqualifiés pour les législatives du 14 mars, a rapporté le site officiel du ministère de l’Intérieur. Le 22 février « est le dernier délai pour le Conseil des gardiens pour publier la liste des candidats approuvés », a déclaré Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaie, porte-parole du Conseil, cité sur le site Internet du ministère de l’Intérieur. « Nous sommes en train d’examiner les plaintes et nous allons publier les résultats le 3 du mois iranien d’esfand », qui correspond au 22 février.
Ensuite, les candidats disqualifiés disposeront d’un dernier recours devant le même Conseil. Le Conseil des gardiens, contrôlé par les conservateurs et chargé d’approuver la liste définitive des candidats, a repêché à ce jour 831 candidats sur un total de 2200 disqualifiés par les instances subalternes. « Sur les 251 candidats repêchés, il y a une dizaine de réformateurs approuvés », a déclaré Hossein Marashi, vice-président de l’état-major de la coalition des réformateurs, qui regroupe 30 partis et mouvements politiques.

Tendances et événements au Liban

Amr Moussa réussira-t-il une percée entre le 14-mars et l’opposition ?

À la veille de la nouvelle phase de l’initiative arabe, que devait inaugurer ce mercredi Hicham Youssef, l’adjoint du secrétaire général de la Ligue arabe Amr Moussa, des indices contradictoires sont apparus quant à l’orientation que pourrait prendre la crise libanaise :
 1. Des informations ont indiqué que lors de sa tournée dans certaines capitales arabes et occidentales, le chef de la diplomatie saoudienne, le prince Saoud al-Fayçal, a plaidé en faveur de l’ínternationalisation de la présidentielle libanaise en transférant le dossier de la Ligue arabe au Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies. Mais les pays européens participants à la Finul ainsi que la Russie ont informé le ministre des Affaires étrangères wahhabite de leur refus d’une telle option. Moscou aurait même informé al-Fayçal qu’íl est peu probable qu’une nouvelle résolution soit votée en Conseil de sécurité dans le but d’accroitre les pressions sur la Syrie.

 2. Amr Moussa et le président de la Chambre, Nabih Berry, sont en contact permanent pour coordonner leurs efforts afin de faire réussir la réunion, annoncée par Moussa, entre le général Michel Aoun et Saad HaririSaad-Hariri-Profile Sep-07 , dimanche prochain. Un projet de solution à la crise serait en gestation et reste entouré de secret, afin d’éviter qu’il ne soit torpillé par les faucons du 14-mars.

 3. Les efforts déployés par des parties étrangères pour tenter de régler la crise se heurtent à l’intransigeance des Etats-Unis et de l’Arabie saoudite. Une source dirigeante de l’opposition a estimé que les déclarations du diplomate US David Satterfield, qui a tournée en dérision l’initiative arabe, l’appel de Riyad à ses ressortissants à éviter le Liban, ainsi que la décision de la France de fermer deux de ses centres culturels à Tripoli (Liban-Nord) et Saïda (Liban-Sud), constituent des messages à connotation sécuritaire et politique. Leur résultat est d’amplifier les craintes des Libanais sur l’existence d’un plan arabe orchestré par Washington pour provoquer une explosion de la situation au Liban et empêcher toute entente entre le 14-mars et l’opposition.

 4. Des informations de presse en provenance de Paris évoquent un prochain retour de l’ambassadeur Jean-Claude Cousseran au Liban et dans d’autres capitales, en sa qualité d’émissaire présidentiel, cette fois-ci. Dans ce cadre, des divergences semblent exister sur l’approche à adopter dans la crise libanaise entre le Quai d’Orsay et l’Élysée.

 5. Face à la gravité de la situation sur le terrain, l’Armée libanaise a procédé à un déploiement massif dans quelque 30 points chauds de la capitale. Mais le commandement de l’armée ne se fait pas d’illusion sur les limites de ses capacités à faire face à des débordements de grande ampleur, consciente du fait que la sécurité est avant tout une question politique.

 6. Autre grand rendez-vous de cette semaine, le discours que doit prononcer le chef du Hezbollah, sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, vendredi, à l’occasion d’une cérémonie organisée pour les grands martyrs de la Résistance, tous assassinés par les Israéliens (Ragheb Harb, Abbas Moussaoui et Imad Mughniyé). Dans ce cadre, des informations font état de progrès dans l’enquête sur l’assassinat de Mughniyé et les analystes estiment que cet attentat pourrait constituer le prélude à une guerre régionale lancée contre le Liban, la Syrie et Gaza, avec une couverture des arabes dits « modérés ».

 7. La campagne médiatique saoudienne contre la Syrie et le Hezbollah se poursuit à travers des journaux et des chaines satellitaires financés par le royaume wahhabite.

Déclarations

 FOUAD SINIORA, PREMIER MINISTRE (14-MARS)
« Les Libanais ont une nouvelle fois plébiscité le 14 Mars, exprimant leur refus de la guerre et des conflits internes, et soutenant l’initiative arabe. Nos concitoyens veulent vivre dans un État qui respecte la dignité humaine et non pas dans une myriade de mini-États où l’on brûle des pneus et où l’on exploite les questions sociales pour d’autres fins. Lors de la dernière guerre israélienne contre le Liban, toutes les parties, notamment sayyed Hassan Nasrallah et le président Berry, ont soutenu le plan en sept points du gouvernement qui réclame la libération des fermes de Chebaa et stipule clairement que le Liban sera le dernier pays à conclure un accord de paix avec Israël. Mais il est inadmissible que les Libanais soient astreints à payer le prix de l’ensemble du conflit israélo-arabe, d’autant qu’ils ont subi sept invasions israéliennes au cours des trente dernières années (…) Certaines parties exigent que le prochain cabinet soit formé selon la règle des 10+10+10. Mais l’un des principaux acquis de Taëf est le principe de l’égalité. Il ne faudrait donc pas introduire de nouveaux éléments qui pourraient mener à l’anéantissement du principe de l’équité et à l’instauration de la règle des trois-tiers que refusent les Libanais. »

 CHEIKH ABDEL AMIR KABALAN, HAUT DIGNITAIRE RELIGIEUX CHIITE
« O Imad (Mughniyé, ndlr), toi et tes camarades nous avez relevé la tête. Imad, tu n’es pas mort. Ceux qui ont comploté contre toi sont morts. Israël est dans une situation de panique. Son armée est en état d’alerte et il vit l’angoisse des conséquences néfastes de l’assassinat sur ses ambassades à l’étranger et ses soldats à l’intérieur. Ils ont voulu faire la guerre et nous, nous ne commençons pas les guerres. Si vous voulez la guerre, nous vous disons bienvenue, nous serons tous des Imad Mughniyé. Nous, au Liban, portons les armes uniquement contre Israël. Mais avec nos frères libanais, nous agirons selon le précepte de Issa fils de Marie (Jésus-Christ) : “Qui vous frappe sur la joue droite, tendez-lui la joue gauche” ». Nous tous, avec mes frères du Hezbollah et d’Amal, nous resterons libanais avant tout. Nous sommes fiers de notre identité libanaise. »

 OMAR KARAME, ANCIEN PREMIER MINISTRE (OPPOSITION)
« L’opposition est attachée à la paix civile et les derniers propos de David Satterfield, la semaine dernière, révèlent d’une manière flagrante la volonté des loyalistes de ne pas parvenir à un règlement de la crise. »

 AMINE GEMAYEL, ANCIEN PRESIDNT DE LA REPUBLIQUE (14-MARS)
« La crispation politique qui a précédé le retour de Amr Moussa n’est pas un signe encourageant quant au dénouement de la crise. L’opposition n’est pas prête à conclure un accord lors de la dernière visite de l’émissaire de la Ligue, vu qu’elle a refusé toutes les offres qui lui ont été présentées, insistant sur un panier complet. Ceci démontre que l’opposition s’est retournée contre la Constitution, contre Taëf pour instaurer de nouvelles coutumes sur la scène politique. Les propos de sayyed Hassan Nasrallah sur la guerre ouverte contre Israël marquent l’avènement d’une nouvelle phase. À quel point un chef de parti peut-il imposer des orientations stratégiques au pays sans revenir aux institutions constitutionnelles ? ».

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Collapsing Cities

The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

Below table lists the world’s cities that are likely to collapse completely or partially by or before 2012¹ in the first wave of collapse.

The collapse would be caused by a combination of failing ecosystems, human-enhanced environmental catastrophes; failing infrastructure; food, water and fuel shortages; infectious disease; war, civil conflict and other dynamics.

Following the first phase of collapse, massive waves of human migration from the affected areas create a domino effect that causes the collapse of the remaining population centers shortly after.

Is your city safe?

To prevent misuse of data, commercial exploitation, or property speculation, the project coordinators are withholding names and specific details of the first phase of world’s collapsing cities until further notice.

See table below for general information.

Table C.1. No. of world cities that could collapse completely or partially by 2012, the corresponding regions/countries and number of people that would be affected initially, according to the worst case future scenario. (Sources: MSRB, CASF)

Important Notice:

1. The date “2012” is based on the dynamic model simulations analyzing the environmental impact of excessive energy consumption. The CASF Committee and Members do NOT endorse Mayan Calendar or any New Age, ancient, or bible prophecies whatever.

The Dynamics of Collapse

The following exhibit lists the most probable [leading] causes that would drive the first wave of the world cities to collapse. [Note: The data is listed in random order]

*DCs: Developed Countries

http://edro.wordpress.com/collapsing-cities/

What would it take to launch a war with Iran?

By Bruce RamseySeattle Times editorial columnist

Iraq should have cured President George W. Bush of any further itch for starting a war. And yet there comes a rumble for an attack on Iran. Opposing this, the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation sends out emissaries, several of whom visited The Seattle Times.

Among them was Brig. Gen. John H. Johns (ret.), who was assistant commander of the 1st Infantry Division and a lecturer at the Army War College. Like other generals, Johns opposed the invasion of Iraq, and he now opposes an attack on Iran.

Is such an attack possible? It is Bush’s last year in office. There is no time for a land war, and anyway, says Johns, “We don’t have the ground troops to do it.” But an air war is possible. Johns says it might destroy 1,200 to 1,600 targets.

Johns is not a spokesman for the government. Whether that makes him less credible will depend on your point of view. He lives near Washington, D.C., and socializes with retired generals and CIA officers and others from the security world. He speaks on behalf of a peace group. Take that for what it is worth.

Here is what he says: Last year, there was a push in the administration for an air war against Iran. The given reason was Iran’s plan to build an A-bomb. Then came the National Intelligence Estimate that said Iran had given up on it five years ago.

Says Johns, “The intelligence community intended that to be public to lessen the president’s chance of going to war. They wanted to avoid being complicit in another war. That’s the story I get.”

Johns says a struggle is under way in Washington, D.C. Those opposed to an attack include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff. Those wanting an attack, he says, are the deputy national-security adviser for global democracy strategy, Elliott Abrams; Vice President Dick Cheney, “and the hard-line Israel lobby.”

Bombing Iraq is how Israel scotched Saddam Hussein’s A-bomb, in 1981. Israel is much admired for that, but preventive air attack is a high-risk strategy. It stirs hatred, and it has a large downside if it fails.

Diplomacy is lower-risk, especially if there is time for it. Johns goes further, arguing against an attack even if diplomacy fails. “Even if Iran got nuclear weapons,” he says, “they’re not going to commit suicide by using them.”

There may be other pretexts for war. On Jan. 6 came an incident of Iranian speedboats zipping around U.S. Navy ships in a provocative way. It could have been another Gulf of Tonkin incident.

What would it take to have a war with Iran? Stephen Kinzer, a former New York Times correspondent and author of “All the Shah’s Men” (2003), was also part of the peace delegation here. He says it might just take a decision. “The possibility of an attack is real,” he says, and notes that President Bush would not need a vote of Congress.

Air attack is an act of war. At least, Americans thought so in 1941. But despite the Constitution granting the war power to Congress, in Vietnam (1964), Kuwait (1990) and Iraq (2002) our presidents have asked Congress for permission to make war only when they expected major fighting on the ground. Even to invade Iraq, George W. Bush said he did not need permission and asked for it only after Congress, and the public, raised an outcry.

In 1999, President Clinton conducted a 78-day air war against Serbia even though the House deadlocked 213-213 on a resolution supporting it, and the Senate never voted at all. Clinton didn’t care; his position was that he didn’t need permission for an air war.

What matters is not only the Constitution; it is the outcry. Government does what it can get away with — and in the last year of the Bush presidency, it is still an open question how much that is.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/bruceramsey/2004190453_rams20.html

Navy scores pinpoint hit on wayward satellite

China expresses concern about fallout after spacecraft struck over Pacific

U.S. Navy via AP - Feb. 21, 2008

WASHINGTON – A U.S. Navy cruiser blasted a disabled spy satellite with a pinpoint missile strike that achieved the main mission of exploding a tank of toxic fuel 130 miles above the Pacific Ocean, defense officials said.Destroying the satellite’s onboard tank of about 1,000 pounds of hydrazine fuel was the primary goal, and a U.S. official told NBC News that it “looks like the tank was hit.”

“It is still going to take some more analysis” to determine what happened to the fuel, but early indications were positive, the official said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the shootdown, which came late Wednesday as he began an eight-day, around-the-world trip on which he likely will face questions about the mission.

The elaborate intercept may trigger worries from some international leaders, who could see it as a thinly disguised attempt to test an anti-satellite weapon — one that could take out other nation’s orbiting communications and spy spacecraft.

China expresses concern
Within hours of the reported success, China said it was on the alert for possible harmful fallout from the shootdown and urged Washington to promptly release data on the action.

“China is continuously following closely the possible harm caused by the U.S. action to outer space security and relevant countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a news conference in Beijing. “China requests the U.S. to fulfill its international obligations in real earnest and provide to the international community necessary information and relevant data in a timely and prompt way so that relevant countries can take precautions.”

While Pentagon officials stressed that the satellite strike was a one-time incident, it certainly will spin off massive amounts of data and research that can be studied by the military as it works to improve its missile defense technologies.

The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles — not orbiting satellites — launched the attack at 10:26 p.m. ET (0326 GMT Thursday), according to the Pentagon. It hit the satellite as the spacecraft traveled at more than 17,000 mph (27,000 kilometers per hour).

The shootdown, which was approved by President Bush, is seen by some as blurring the lines between defending against a hostile long-range missile and targeting satellites in orbit.

Because the satellite was orbiting at a relatively low altitude at the time it was hit by the missile, debris will begin to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere immediately, a Pentagon statement said.

Burn before re-entry?
“Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days,” it said.

The use of the Navy missile amounted to an unprecedented use of components of the Pentagon’s missile defense system, designed to shoot down hostile ballistic missiles in flight — not kill satellites.

The goal in this first-of-its-kind mission for the Navy was not just to hit the satellite but to obliterate the fuel tank.

U.S. officials have said the fuel would pose a potential health hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area. Although the odds of that were small even if the Pentagon had chosen not to try to shoot down the satellite, it was determined that it was worth trying to eliminate even that small chance.

Officials said it might take a day or longer to know for sure if the toxic fuel was blown up.

The government has organized hazardous materials teams to be flown to the site of any dangerous or otherwise sensitive debris that might land in the United States or elsewhere. The operation was so extraordinary, with such intense international publicity and political ramifications, that Gates — not a military commander — made the final decision to pull the trigger.

Gates had arrived in Hawaii less than two hours before the missile was launched. His press secretary, Geoff Morrell, said Gates had a conference call during his flight with Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of Strategic Command, and Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They told him that “the conditions were ripe for an attempt, and that is when the secretary gave the go-ahead to take the shot, and wished them good luck,” Morrell said.

At 10:35 p.m. EST, Gates spoke to both generals again and “was informed that the mission was a success, that the missile had intercepted the decaying satellite, and the secretary was obviously very pleased to learn that,” said Morrell.

Adm. Timothy J. Keating, chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters shortly before the strike that he made calls to a number of international leaders to alert them to the mission. He said none said they had concerns, but he acknowledged he did not speak to the Chinese.

China and Russia both expressed concerns about the shootdown in advance, saying it could harm security in outer space.

Delicate operation
The U.S. government organized hazardous materials teams, under the code name “Burnt Frost,” to be flown to the site of any dangerous or otherwise sensitive debris that might land in the United States or elsewhere.

High seas in the north Pacific had threatened to postpone the launch as the USS Lake Erie prepared a three-stage missile. Beyond a certain point, rough seas can interfere with the cruiser’s launch procedures.

Early in the day, a senior military officer said it did not look as if the weather would be good enough. That was shortly after the space shuttle Atlantis landed, removing the last safety issue for the military to begin determining the best moment for launch.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health bulletin saying that the health risk from satellite debris was considered to be low. “However, CDC is encouraging health officials and clinicians to review information about the health effects related to hydrazine to prepare in case their communities are affected by satellite debris.”

The government issued notices to aviators and mariners to remain clear of a section of the Pacific Ocean beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday

U.S. loses control of spy satellite

Jan. 28: A U.S. intelligence agency loses control of a spy satellite after it loses power.Much of the equipment used in the satellite shootdown was part of the Pentagon’s missile defense system, a far-flung network of interceptors, radars and communications systems designed primarily to hit an incoming hostile ballistic missile fired at the United States by North Korea. The equipment, including the Navy missile, has never been used against a satellite or other such target.

The three-stage Navy missile has chalked up a high rate of success in tests since 2002 — in each case targeting a short- or medium-range missile. A hurry-up program to adapt the missile for this anti-satellite mission was completed in a matter of weeks; Navy officials say the changes will be reversed once this satellite is down.

Left alone, the satellite would have been expected to hit Earth during the first week of March. About half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft would be expected to survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and would scatter debris over several hundred miles.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23265613/page/2/

Kyrgyzstan will demand U.S. close airbase – eventually

21/ 02/ 2008

MOSCOW, (RIA Novosti) -

Kyrgyzstan is to eventually demand that the United States close down its airbase in the country, the Central Asian republic’s president said on Wednesday, without giving a firm date.

The U.S. Ganci airbase at Manas airport, located 30 kilometers (17 miles) east of Bishkek, accommodates 1,000 U.S. troops along with nine refueling and cargo planes supporting antiterrorism operations in Afghanistan.

“We will eventually raise the issue of its closure. That’s for certain,” Kurmanbek Bakiyev said in an interview with RIA Novosti and Russia Today.

Kyrgyz Finance Minister Tazhikan Kalimbetova disclosed earlier this month that Washington pays $17.5 million each year in rent.

Although Russia has encouraged Bishkek to demand the withdrawal of American troops, the impoverished nation of five million needs U.S. support and the military base has generated jobs and is a strong contributor to the Kyrgyz economy.

Russia established in October 2003 its own airbase in Kant, about 20 miles west of the Kyrgyz capital. The Russian base currently deploys about 400 troops, as well as 20 combat and transport planes, helicopters, and L-39 trainers.

Kalimbetova said Kyrgyzstan has not charged Russia, and has no plans to impose charges for the use of the Kant airbase, because the Russian troops are stationed at Kant under an agreement in the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a regional security bloc in Central Asia, which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Furthermore, Kyrgyzstan’s debt to Russia totals $184 million, and in these circumstances, it would be rather “inappropriate” to demand rent, the minister said.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080220/99718840.html
 

Norway’s biggest quake hits Svalbard archipelago

OSLO (Reuters) – An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude — the biggest in Norwegian history — jolted the thinly populated Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic on Wednesday night, the Norsar seismic research institute said on Thursday.

Norwegian media reported no one was hurt by the quake and no damaged had been reported in the islands, about 1,000 km (600 miles) from the North Pole.

“This is the biggest earthquake on Norwegian territory in history,” the institute said in a statement.

“The earthquake happened at sea about 10 km below the surface, and was felt strongly in (the town of) Longyearbyen.”

Norsar said it registered several aftershocks, and predicted there would be more.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and other leaders will be in Svalbard next week for the official opening of a seed vault which will store frozen crop seeds from round the world in case crops are wiped out by a future disaster.

The quake was reported at 9:46 p.m. EST on Wednesday and its epicenter was about 140 km (85 miles) southeast of Longyearbyen.

The last big earthquake struck the archipelago, which is roughly the size of Ireland, on January 18, 1976, and measured 5.5 on the Richter scale, the research institute said.

Norway has sovereignty over Svalbard, which lies north of mainland Europe and east of Greenland, in the Arctic Ocean.

US dismisses bird flu claims

Mark Forbes Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
February 21, 2008

The United States has rejected the Indonesian Health Minister’s claims that it is using bird flu samples to produce biological weapons and World Health Organisation officials have condemned allegations of conspiring to profit from bird flu vaccines. The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is understood to have ordered the minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, to recall copies of her book on avian influenza, which alleges the US and the WHO are conspiring against developing countries by seizing control of bird flu samples.

WHO officials said they were dismayed by some of the claims and urged Dr Supari to do more to control bird flu’s spread and end her refusal to share virus samples – which is hampering attempts to find a cure.

At a news conference yesterday Dr Yudhoyono said Indonesia was willing to resume sharing bird flu virus samples if a fair and equitable agreement was reached.

“There is a misunderstanding among foreign nations that Indonesia won’t co-operate, as if Indonesia won’t share … but concrete co-operation has to be based on fairness.”

A US State Department spokeswoman, Susan Stahl, denied Dr Supari’s claim that Indonesian virus samples had been sent to a biological weapons laboratory in Los Alamos. The laboratory possessed no bird flu viruses from Indonesia or elsewhere, she said.

The facility’s only involvement was hosting a database of publicly available genetic-sequencing data to help track the evolution of the virus, she said.

Dr Supari yesterday continued to say that virus samples had been sent via the WHO to the laboratory in Los Alamos. “Whether they use it to make vaccine or develop chemical weapons would depend on the need and interest of the US Government. It is indeed a very dangerous situation for the destiny of humanity.”

The WHO’s assistant director-general for Health Security, David Heymann, said he was puzzled by the claims.

“I don’t understand why they would take this virus to make a biological weapon; it doesn’t transmit from human to human. Indonesia needs to spend more time on dealing with infections with chickens and stopping humans from being infected.”

He said Dr Supari had opened up the important issue of improving access to vaccines.

The director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza in Melbourne, Anne Kelso, said she was saddened by the accusations and the organisation monitored how the virus was changing. “We don’t personally profit in any way from that work,” she said.

 http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/us-dismisses-bird-flu-claims/2008/02/20/1203467183624.html

___________________________________________

 Indonesia accuses US of bird flu plot

THE Indonesian Health Minister has said the United States and the World Health Organisation are part of a global conspiracy to profit from the spread of bird flu and the US may use samples to produce biological weapons.

The views of Dr Siti Fadilah Supari, outlined in her new book, threaten to undermine efforts to control the spread of avian influenza. With 104 deaths, nearly half the world total, Indonesia is the new hotspot for the virus.

Despite claims by the minister that she has agreed to share virus samples and allow all nations access to resulting vaccines, Indonesia is still blocking sharing samples from human victims.

Applications to send more than 200 samples from chickens to an Australian laboratory had also been refused, inquiries by the Herald have revealed.

In the book, Dr Supari writes that WHO laboratories forwarded influenza viruses to Western companies so they could profit by selling vaccines back to developing countries: “The system of world health management has been very exploitative. It has been controlled by inhumanly desires, based on the greediness to raise capital and to control the world.”

Some Indonesian samples had been sent to a US Defence Department laboratory, Dr Supari says, adding that “some of our seed viruses had been in a laboratory known as a facility developing biological weapons in a superpower country”.

Privately, officials said Dr Supari’s belief that she was engaged on a God-driven crusade against an evil and “neo-colonialist” world health system – on the book’s cover she describes herself as the “divine hand behind avian influenza” – had caused her to lose touch with reality.

The President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, appears to have endorsed the book, having written its introduction.

Dr Yudhoyono supports Dr Supari’s claim that the virus is under control in Indonesia, stating the “occurrence rate and the number of affected areas are decreasing”.

smh.com

Navy Research Paper:

‘Disrupt Economies’

with Man-Made ‘Floods,’

‘Droughts’

21-02-08

A recently-unearthed U.S. Navy research project calls for creating mad-made floods and droughts to “disrupt [the] economy” of an enemy state. 

“Weather modification was used successfully in Viet Nam to (among other things) hinder and impede the movement of personnel and material from North Viet Nam to South Viet Nam,” notes a Naval Air Warfare Weapons Division – China Lake research proposal, released last month through the Freedom of Information Act.  But “since that time military research on Weather Modification has dwindled in the United States.”

The proposal suggests a study of the latest weather manipulation techniques, to “give the U.S. military a viable, state-of-the-art weather modification capability again.”  With that in hand, American forces would be able…

To impede or deny the movement of personnel and material because of rains-floods, snow-blizzards, etc.(2) To disrupt economy due to the effect of floods, droughts, etc.

Today, Chinese officials are trying to figure out ways to keep it from raining over Beiing, during this summer’s Olympics.

_____________________________________________________________ 

Related link :

The U.S. government routinely conducts experiments on weather modification

Chemtrails-Chemtrails-Chemtrails-Chemtrails

FBI Says Barbara Olsen Did Not Call Ted Olsen.

Bush Solicitor General LIED

21.02.2008

Nationally syndicated talk show host Charles Goyette uncovered blockbuster information in his drive-time interview with author David Ray Griffin.

A center piece of the increasingly apparent BULLSH*T story our government and corporate media have fed us for six long years was a complete fabrication!

We were fed a lie by Ted Olsen who served as Solictor General for the Bush Administration, when on 9/11 he held a press conference to tell America and the world that his dead wife had called him before her demise from the jet she was on that had just been hijacked.

Personally, I thought it was odd at the time that a man would decide to hold a press conference minutes after hearing of his own wife’s death, when it happened on 9/11. If my own wife had just died, the last thing I’d want to do would be to talk to anyone, let alone call a press conference. It didn’t “smell” right.

Now we know why it didn’t smell right. It was a lie. The FBI has reported that no such call between Barbara Olsen and Ted Olsen ever took place on 9/11/2001.

It was part of the rapidly unraveling scam that is the official story of 9/11.

In fact, Griffin went on to explain that there is zero evidence that any hijackers had commandeered a plane at all. True Bush believers will say, whao, wait a minute, we all know they did. How do you know? Because Bush told you.

But, as Griffin rightly points out, in this interview, there is no “EVIDENCE” of their existence.

Which also reveals that mis-information shill, Popular Mechanics, in their 9/11 interview on the Charles Goyette Show months ago, lied when they told us there was DNA evidence of the so-called Muslim hijackers. LIES, all lies.

Find links to the entire interviews of February 19, 2008, at:

http://www.911blogger.com/node/13946

When will corporate media stop their participation in a criminal cover up? If the former Solicitor General lying to America by creating a complete fabrication he spread around the world through corporate media, is not a story worthy of CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, Democracy Now, The Nation, Rolling Stone, PBS, NPR, and all the other fourth estate . . . then they have no right to refer to themselves as media.

They should forever in the future refer to themselves as “The Propaganda Ministry.”

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bill_dou_080219_breaking_9_2f11_news_3a_.htm

________________________________________________________________ 

 The 9/11 Solution: The Big Clue Everyone Missed

 Video linked below

Two major 9/11 anomalies have been thoroughly documented, specifically:

1) The stand down of US air defense on the morning of 9/11 that permitted commercial jet aircraft to fly erratically and in restricted air space without challenge

2) Overwhelming physical evidence that World Trade Center buildings #1, #2, and #7 were brought down by controlled demolition

A third significant anomaly has not been discussed, let alone acknowledged: the reporting by the major US TV news networks in the first hours few hours immediately after the attacks.

Specifically:

1. MSNBC presented an elaborately detailed story about the lifestyle and anti-US philosophy of Osama bin Laden – while both towers were still burning and long before Bin Laden had been accused by anyone.

2. Fox News featured a “man in the street” eye witness who explained in strangely formal language the science behind why the towers collapsed when most engineers and firemen were utterly baffled and in shock by what had just taken place.

3. CBS featured a Bush administration insider (and not identified as such) as a guest who actively worked to dissuade Dan Rather (and viewers) from speculating that there must have been explosive charges placed in the buildings for them to have collapsed the way they did.

How was it that these stories – based on no fact, no research and no inquirry – appeared in full blown form so quickly on US news networks and then became part of the core myths of what happened on 9/11?

Were these stories prepared in advance?

There’s an old intelligence saying that “once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action.”

Because most of these clips ran only once and were not repeated after they’d done their job, it made it difficult, if not impossible, for viewers to analyze them critically.

Now, thanks to the magic of video tape and a few people who immediately started taping the news after the attacks, we have this important evidence that at the very least these attacks appear to have been anticipated and prepared for by forces that have the ability to exert strong influence over the output of the newsrooms of major US news networks.

Now watch this essential video here.

Source: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/80.html

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 Comment :

Because there were no record of phone call; she did not travel with her celular and she never used credit car! ALSO HIS WIFE WAS SPOTTED IN USA SWEEDEN EMBASSY!But it laso probes that the people on the plane were taken to the air force base – changed to a new plane ANS SHIPPED TO THE ATLANTIC!

 You cannot call from 5 miles from a plane today. Much less 7 yrs ago.“Hi, Mom, this is Mark Bingham!…you believe me don’t you?”