Convicted American spy not ready to speak about case

Missoula, May 15 (Al-Masakin)–Convicted American spy who pretended to be a journalist, in order to build international support for her case, Roxana Saberi turned down reporters request for comment this morning.

Speaking with CNN Saberi said that she “knows more about her case than anybody,” but was nevertheless “not prepared to speak about it at this time.”  She said that throught her incarceration she was aware of the international support generated by her alleged claim to be a journalist.

Saberi said that she hopes to have the opportunity to speak about her ordeal in the future, but she did not deny that there were grounds for her conviction.  Roxana Saberi is expected to exploit the events for political and monetary gain in the future.

EHC /EHC

Syria seeks to consolidate regional and international powers to combat terrorism

“Syria Seeks to Consolidate Cooperation in Combating Crime and Terrorism,” Interior Minister Says   May 14, 2009

Damascus,(SANA)-Minister of Interior Said Sammour has said that Syria incessantly seeks to consolidate mutual cooperation in combating crime and terrorism at all regional, Arab and International levels.   During his meeting Wednesday with heads and members of the delegations taking part in the 2nd meeting of combating terrorism officials, Minister Sammour pointed to the importance of terrorism-related security apparatuses meetings to reach an integrated approach towards combating and stemming terrorism through exerting concerted efforts, laying out common visions and exchanging expertise and information to attain that end.   For their part, delegation members expressed appreciation of Syria’s efforts and its role in reinforcing joint Arab security action through hosting a variety of meetings and symposia organized by General Secretariat of Arab Interior Ministers.   They also hailed the outcomes of the meeting, especially with regard to utilizing experiences and the exchange of expertise as well as laying out a transparent work strategy that prepares the groundwork for reaching the hoped-for goals towards a terrorism-free Arab society. Manal Ismael/Idelbi

Iran welcomes vist of high level Obama contact Vali Reza Nasr

No problem in a senior Obama advisor visit to Tehran: Mottaki Service: Foreign Policy 1388/02/23 05-13-2009 12:53:07 News Code :8802-15620

ISNA – Tehran Service: Foreign Policy TEHRAN (ISNA)-Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday that there is no problem in a senior Obama administration advisor visit to Tehran. There are reports that the US President’s advisor on Iran, Vali Reza Nasr, has stepped in Tehran. Mottaki told reporters on the sidelines of the weekly cabinet meeting “every Iranian, living in every part of the world, could travel to his country and there is no problem in this regard.” Yet, it has not been confirmed by Tehran that Nasr has arrived in the country. Nasr, is a senior advisor to the special US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, and the son of prominent Islamic philosopher and historian of science, Seyyed Hossein Nasr.   Meanwhile, regarding probable Iran-US talks in October he noted “as the Supreme Leader has declared, the issues between Iran and the US hinge on behaviors and judgments are formed on this basis.” End Item News Code: 8802-15620

Open letter to the RCFP on non-disclosure of detainee abuse photos

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/14/18594775.php

Open letter to the RCFP on White House decision not to reveal ‘shock and awe’ photographs of detainee abuse
By Edward Campbell

rcfp14may09.pdf
download PDF (13.0 KB)

MISSOULA, May 14 (Al-Masakin)—I strongly disagree with this position which I believes shows that the RCFP is incapable of viewing the release of these photos through the eyes of a Muslim.
This is not a question of secrecy, or ’secrecy files.’ It’s about not offending people at a time when such offending material will contribute to the recruiting efforts of terrorists and insurgents that responsible people within the Muslim community also seek to combat.
The Obama administration is wise in not handing over to the insurgency material which will hand them a powerful recruiting tool.
The RCFP should be reminded that under guidelines of editorial responsibility there are numerous photographs in the files of any police department that no responsible editor would ever publish, and the RCFP does not demand that they are published.
The question of the photos of the abuse of detainees, I suggest to you, is far more sensitive than any photograph you would find in police department files.
Nobody in the Muslim community aside from the enemies of America, and the friends of terror, want to see those photographs. No doubt there are those

within the American left who seek those images for the use as a propaganda weapon against the regime and they use these types of weapon not in the interest of defending us, but indeed at our expense.
We already know much of the content of these photos and to those who complain about so-called ‘censorship,’ ‘transparency,’ ‘openness, and alleged ‘promises’ made by the White House, who cannot be satisfied with forensic detailed written accounts of what happened during these interrogations, we in the Muslim community instead question the morality of those who believe they can only be satisfied by looking at sensitive graphic material.
I suggest that they are more concerned with satisfying their own thirst for ‘shock and awe.’ But satisfying their thirst for the profane does nothing to ‘protect,’ ‘help,’ or ‘defend’ our community. I suggest you satisfy you lust in private, away from us, and not in such a public way. Don’t exploit us for your private satisfaction, please.
EHC / EHC
—————————
Al-Masakin News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com

Iran: Roxana Saberi indeed a spy

News number: 8802240483 16:20 | 2009-05-14 Social

Iran Intelligence: Saberi Indeed a Spy TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced that despite being released, Iranian freelance Journalist Roxana Saberi was proven to be involved in acts of espionage.

Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Eje’i told reporters on Wednesday that the court had found Saberi guilty of espionage. When asked about the reasons behind Saberi’s release despite the confirmation of espionage, Eje’i explained that Saberi was in fact convicted and handed a jail sentence but the sentence had been suspended for five years at the discretion of the judge, Press tv reported. Saberi, a freelance journalist, was detained in late January as she continued working in Iran despite the earlier expiration of her press credentials. She was sentenced to an eight-year imprisonment on charges of spying for the government of the United States. Her jail sentence was then reduced to a two-year suspended sentence after a court of appeals reviewed her case and she was released from detention. One of her lawyers, Saleh Nikbakht, explained to BBC on Wednesday that his client’s conviction was a result of accidental espionage. Nikbakht said Saberi had been convicted because she had copied and kept a “confidential Iranian government document” about the US invasion of Iraq and because she had visited Israel, travel which is banned by the Iranian government. Saberi had confirmed in her May 10 appeal that she obtained the document and copied it out of “curiosity” while she was working as a freelance translator for the influential Expediency Council, according to Nikbakht. She also acknowledged visiting Israel in the hearing but said that she had carried out no activities against Iran there. The suspended sentence for Saberi will be automatically lifted if she undertakes no unlawful activities in the next five years.

Letter from Neturei Karta to Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to the Holy Land

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/13/18594641.php

NETUREI KARTA of THE ORTHODOX JEWRY of Palestine
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
nkp [at] neto.bezeqint.net
12/05/09

to_his_holiness__pope_benedict_xvi.pdf
download PDF (59.1 KB)

TO HIS HOLINESS, POPE
BENEDICT XVI
Peace and Greetings!

It has come to our attention that Zionist-appointed “rabbis” have again been offering
unsolicited insidious and malicious statements against you in the name of the entire
Jewish People and the Jewish religion. As anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews with a
conscience, we feel it is imperative for us to condemn and to express our disgust at
such statements.

The so-called “chief rabbis” of the Zionist State of Israel, who are not simply satisfied
with supporting the relentless persecution and terrorism against the indigenous
Palestinian People, have now issued demands to you to state that the Jewish People
worldwide belong in their State. Such statements reflect arrogance and contempt for
the principles of Judaism for thousands of years that teach us to live in brotherhood
in all countries wherever we live. On the other hand, such paid “religious” appointees
of the Zionist regime have no concern for desecrating the name of G-d and our Torah
with their support for this racist regime that operates in violation of all the principles
of Judaism.

We also condemn the despicable statements of Shmuel Eliyahu, the so-called chief
rabbi of the city of Safed, that have been publicized in the media in the State of
Israel. Such people may wear the mantle of a rabbi, but they are enemies of peace
and harmony, enemies of the values of the Torah.

On the contrary, we appeal to you and all leaders of goodwill to use all pressure at
their disposal to put an end to the vicious and brutal behavior of the Zionist state
against the Palestinian People, and to seek the peace of Jerusalem by restoring the
rights of all Palestinians, both those in historic Palestine and those living as refugees
outside of historic Palestine. Nothing else will ensure peace and justice.
Yours truly,
Rabbi Meir Hirsh
Neturei Karta, Palestine

U.S. State Department believes espionage related charges in Iran are “baseless”

Missoula, May 13 (Al-Masakin)–State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters at today’s daily press briefing that charges made against an American who stole a confidential document related to U.S. involvement in Iraq from Iran’s Expediency Council was a “baseless” charge.

Iran charged former freelance reporter Roxana Saberi who worked as a website translator at Iran’s Expediency Council with copying a classified report and removing it from the building.  Saberi was charged with espionage and sentenced to eight years in prison after she confessed at a closed trial.  She later apologized to the Iranian government and her sentence was reduced to two years suspended sentence, expelled from the country, and forbidden to work as a reporter in Iran for five years in a move the Iranian government called “Islamic mercy.”

In response to a reporter’s question this morning, Mr. Kelly acknowledged that Saberi had taken the document and then went on to say in response to a follow-up question that charges related to such activity were nevertheless “baseless.”
QUESTION: The lawyer – one of the lawyers for Roxana Saberi says that she – that the Iranian case against her was based on her having acquired a confidential Iranian Government report.
MR. KELLY: Mm-hmm.
QUESTION: That she acquired such a report, I am not suggesting in any way applies that she was guilty of espionage, but it may indeed have violated Iranian laws about – you know, covering the confidentiality of such reports. The Department was very consistent in saying that the charges against her were baseless. Do you stick with that, or does this change your view of the charges?
MR. KELLY: No, we haven’t changed our views. We continue to maintain that the charges against her are baseless. And our concern throughout, of course, has been Ms. Saberi’s well-being and her safe return to the United States.

Although Saberi was employed as an office worker at the Expediency Council, not as a journalist, she later sought to exploit earlier employment as a freelance journalist for NPR, Fox News, and the BBC to suggest that she had been imprisoned on charges related to journalism.  Saberi’s lawyer told the Associated Press May 12 that Saberi had in fact been arrested for stealing a document from the government office.

The Expediency Discernment Council is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran in 1988.

EHC / EHC

Al-Masakin: President Obama should not release photos of detainee abuse

Missoula, May 13 (Al-Masakin)–Release of photos of detainee abuse will not advance the investigation of detainee abuse and will contribute nothing to the outcome of those investigations.  The release of those photos will in fact do little more than contribute to enemy propaganda campaigns and boost their recruiting efforts.

In addition to that it will contribute to the wide spread belief that America is waging a war on Islam.  The detainee abuse that has occurred is one injury not only to the detainee who was abused, but is also perceived to be an injury to the Muslim people.  The release of the photographs of that abuse will be perceived by the Islamic world as a new injury added upon old injuries.

It is my educated opinion that the insurgency privately seeks the release of those photos to ‘fan the flames in the theater of war.’  Therefore, I believe the release of those photographs would not be in America’s national security interest and therefore unwise.

Photos of detainee abuse are instruments of a law enforcement investigation.  The argument to ‘openness’ in my opinion fails.

EHC / EHC

Interview with Khalida Jarrar of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/13/18594507.php

Source: Alternative Information Center

Khalida Jarrar is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Q. Let’s start with the PFLP opinion about the Obama administration and the new Israeli government. Do you think that the new US administration will bring any change to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

A. We do not think individuals can do a lot for the policy of a country. I believe that Obama will not bring any substantial change, at least with regard to the American foreign policy.

We are talking about institutional policies, not those of individuals. Of course, each President, each party has a different approach on how to implement foreign policy, and there will be no crazy policies anymore like Bush did, but Obama cannot change the system, and the contradictions are within the system itself: the capitalist economic system, the imperialist view that led to the military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Toward the Middle East and especially the Palestinian cause, they are still talking about the “peace process,” that does not mean anything for us, it is not a real peace process.

And I think the priority for the US now will be the financial crisis and the economic problems inside the capitalistic system itself.

Therefore, we are not optimistic, Obama will not alter the system and consequently for the Palestinians, the situation will not change a lot.

Q. What about the Israeli government? It seems they will not even be engaged to the two-state solution…

A. The Israeli government!? The elections show the Israeli government is going more and more to the far right-wing. The new thing is that Lieberman succeeded to gain more [consensuses] and a seat in the government as Foreign Minister.

He himself clearly represents, now at official level, the racism, the ethnic cleansing policies of the Israeli government towards the Palestinians. They are increasing the number of settlements, the house demolitions in Jerusalem; so, talk or not to talk with them?

I belong to a party that has been saying from the beginning that this peace process will not lead to any peace or justice for the Palestinians. We have been asking to stop any kind of negotiation with the Israeli governments, especially with this one. We do not believe in a peace process based on personal individual talks, without really implementing the international resolutions related to the Palestinian cause and recognizing the fundamental rights of the Palestinians.

I am not just talking about the right to create a fully independent Palestinian State, but also the right to self-determination and the right of return for the Palestinian refugees. There is no need to discuss or compromise on such fundamental inalienable rights; they should be just implemented through an international conference according to the international law and the relevant UN Resolutions.

Q. Cairo talks: do you think any kind of reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah will be realistic?

A. I am pessimistic about the possibility of a reunification. I do not think there are real talks between the two parties on national reunification, but individual talks. Each party will use its power to create mechanisms to gain more power and rule the area it already controls.

We think there should be an overall discussion without any external preconditions and interferences on how should be formed the new government. As Palestinian political parties, we share the situation of being under occupation: for that we should respect each other and use only democratic instruments to solve out problems, instead of controlling things through the use of force.

We need to hold elections, change the electoral law in order to give all the political parties the opportunity to participate. We should stop this terrible mechanism where Hamas-Fatah feud, also thanks to external interferences, controls everything.

Q. An increasing number of critics and dissidents of the PA leadership is becoming a target for the PA’s security apparatus in the West Bank. Do you think the PA are becoming increasingly authoritarian and the security forces militarized? What about the coordination between them and the Israelis?

A. This aspect is part of the Road Map agreement. We totally refuse the coordination between the Palestinian security forces and the Israelis and we think it should be immediately stopped.

Any security forces should help the Palestinians in their struggle and implement their citizens’ rights, instead of collaborate with the occupier. This is one of the issues now on the table of the dialogue. We are against any kind of security forces related to political parties, as it is now in the West Bank and Gaza.

I am really concerned about the violation of the human rights of the Palestinians: both in West Bank and Gaza there are political prisoners, assassinations, closure of institutions of the rival party. In Gaza Hamas does not allow Fatah to hold normal political activities, and vice versa in the Fatah-controlled West Bank. The first victims of these policies are the human rights of the Palestinians themselves.

Q. The Palestinian Authority still believes that the peace negotiations are the best way to achieve peace and justice for the Palestinians. Do you think the PNA represents the interest of the Palestinians people?

A. I am member of a party that has opposed the so called peace process from the beginning. We do not agree on the track of individual and continuous negotiations and we call on the PA to end this policy that leads nowhere. We see that Israel uses the peace negotiations as a tool and a cover for their actions on the ground, their constant aggression and attacks against Palestinians and their land.

Q. Is there the need for another form of representation for the Palestinians? Is not even the PLO behind the times?

A. We do not need to create another institution. We see the PLO as a political representation of the Palestinians both inside and outside Palestine and a symbol of their struggle.

PNA does not represent all the Palestinians, the majority of whom are the refugees outside, it should just be an institution to help the Palestinians surviving under occupation. So, we need a political representation: I think we should save the PLO by reforming it.

First of all a political review is needed: we have to learn the lesson from the past and stop the political approach of the futile peace negotiations and agreements. Second, there should be a democratic reform inside the PLO itself. Elections for a Palestinian Nation Conference should be held in order to give all the Palestinian people the opportunity to be adequately represented. From this election a Central Committee and an Executive Committee will be created.

You see, another aspect of the conflict between Hamas and Fatah is the issue of representation: Fatah does not want Hamas to enter the PLO in order to maintain the hegemony over it. On the contrary, Hamas wants to have an alternative form of representation because they won the elections. We see that PLO is the home of all the Palestinians and an instrument for their representation in the struggle for the self determination.

Q. Let’s turn the discussion on the Palestinian Left. Can a divided Left represent a realistic third way between Hamas and Fatah?

A. The criticism on the fragmentation of the leftist parties is right, that is a great weakness. We think the Left should be unified. I am not talking about a new party or an immediate unification, but a coalition of all the leftist and progressive groups, grassroots organizations and individuals around a minimum political platform. This could be the first step toward a process that might lead towards a unified Left. Otherwise this situation in which Hamas and Fatah control everything will guide us for a long time.

Only if the Palestinian democratic and leftist parties, along with individuals, unify in one coalition, the Left can represent a third way. We are working hard on that. In some student councils they have already held election together; the leftist women movements are discussing a paper to form a coalition…

Q. Which are the concrete obstacles against the unification of the Left?

A. The main obstacles are political. For examples we have different views on the peace process: some parties agree with the Oslo agreements, the Road Map, etc., others not. However, as I said before, this should not prevent us from agreeing on a minimum political agenda.

Q. It seems to me that the leftist groups in general, and the PFLP, are facing a crisis of consensus in the Palestinian society: Why? Where has the Left gone? What are you doing to be more present and visible in Palestinian civil society (NGOs, grassroots organizations, popular movements)?

A. This is the challenge: no leftist political party can do a lot by itself. Now the leftists are facing a difficult situation: we have no power, no money, no international support. Even in the Arab world, the Islamic groups are now getting the lion′s share. We are facing internal problems, like the economic one. We are poor parties, and if you want to raise social programs, you need money to do it. How can we compete against Hamas that has a lot of infrastructure and funds? People do not want just talks, but actions on social level.

We also need to rely on voluntarism. Here comes the question: how to encourage voluntarism when you have to face so many geographical obstacles?

At the international level, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we lost support, coverage, and any kind of protection. We feel vulnerable: if you say you are a member of the PFLP, you end up in prison the same day. But your criticism is right; we should review our policy, come back in the grassroots movements, be more present…like in the nonviolent popular resistance against the Wall…We already share the activities in Bil’in, Ni’lin, al-Ma’sara, we are in these popular committees.

Q. Have you got relations with the Israeli and international anti-occupation movement?

A. We think that our national struggle needs the active support of the international solidarity movement. With regard to the Israeli movements, we ask them for the full recognition of the Palestinian rights…

Q. Do not you think the time has come for the PFLP to put more efforts on the grassroots and popular struggle, and attach less importance on the military confrontation?

A. PFLP believes in all kinds of resistance, and of course the main resistance is the popular one (the boycott of goods, the cultural and academic boycott, the peaceful demonstrations against Wall and the settlements).

No party is supporting only the military resistance. The armed struggle can be shared just by individuals, and it changes according to the situation, but the popular struggle is the great part and can be joined by a lot of people.

I do not criticize in principle the armed resistance, because we are not facing a nice occupation at all, this is a military one. I agree we should increase our popular resistance against Wall, the settlements, etc. There is a linkage between the two kinds of resistance.

Maybe it is not the right time for a third Intifada, also seeing that the reaction in the West Bank during the Israeli attack on Gaza was not so strong as one could have expected…The reaction was not strong because of the role played by the Palestinian security forces and because, and this is the main reason, we are divided at the national level.

Listen, an Intifada needs leaders, but we do not have leaders. And it needs us to be united, but there is no unity at all. I think the moment for a third Intifada will come, the people will not wait the situation to worsen forever, but now the priority is to be united as Palestinians.

Q. The PFLP is a secular and Marxist party, but you have political positions much closer to a religious party like Hamas than to other secular parties. How do you explain that contradiction?

A. I do not think politically we are so close to Hamas. For example, we criticize its political approach and its belief on a long-term ceasefire as a way to put an end to the occupation.

There are similarities, of course: we are both against the Oslo agreements, the Road Map, the trap of the peace negotiations. And like other revolutionary movements, for instances in Latin America, there can be in certain historical moments some kinds of relations between Marxism and religion. We should define the stage in which we find ourselves, in order to set priorities: as Palestinians, we are facing a national and democratic struggle.

You should look at the political agenda related to the occupation: now our national united struggle must be the priority, other times the social and democratic issues will be at the top of the political agenda. First of all, I think we should work to create a united national front among all the parties to immediately end the occupation.

AIC / EHC

Al-Masakin News Agency

Photo: Pope Benedict XVI meets Muslim clergy at Dome of the Rock

Tue May 12, 7:52 AM ET

In this photo released by the Israeli Government Press Office, Pope Benedict XVI, centre, walks in front of the Dome of the Rock as he visits the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem’s Old City, Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Pope Benedict XVI took his message of peace to the most contentious site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday, urging the sides to embark upon ‘a sincere dialogue aimed at building a world of justice and peace.’ (AP Photo/ GPO,Ziv Koren, HO)

Tue May 12, 7:52 AM ET

Pope Benedict XVI (C) enters the Dome of the Rock during a visit to the compound, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City May 12, 2009, in this picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). Pope Benedict visited holy sites in Jerusalem at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday as part of a pilgrimage beset by Jewish disappointment over his remarks on the Holocaust. REUTERS/Atta Awissat/GPO/Handout (JERUSALEM RELIGION POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL

Tue May 12, 6:40 AM ET

Pope Benedict XVI (2nd R) walks in front of the Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City May 12, 2009, in this picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). Pope Benedict visited holy sites in Jerusalem at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday as part of a pilgrimage beset by Jewish disappointment over his remarks on the Holocaust. REUTERS/Atta Awissat/GPO/Handout (JERUSALEM RELIGION POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL

Mon May 11, 3:00 PM ET

Pope Benedict XVI (C) shakes hands with senior Palestinian Muslim cleric Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi during a meeting with representatives of the organizations for the inter-religious dialogue in the Our Lady of Jerusalem Centre in Jerusalem May 11, 2009. al-Tamimi fiercely denounced Israeli policy in Jerusalem in the presence of Pope Benedict on Monday and appealed to the pope to help end what he called the “crimes” of the Jewish state.  REUTERS/Tony Gentile (ISRAEL RELIGION POLITICS)

View of Jerusalem’s Old City with the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the Western Wall. The ‘Ir Amim’ rights group has warned that the Israeli government has secret plans to surround Jerusalem’s Old City with sites under its control to strengthen its hold on the divided city.(AFP/File/Gali Tibbon)

United States elected to serve on UN Human Rights Council for the first time

Missoula, May 12 (Al-Masakin)–The United States has been elected to serve a three-year term on the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva the U.S. State Department said in a press release today.  The United States will be one of 18 states to serve on the council.  U.S. tenure on the council will begin June 19. 

“The United States sought a seat on the UN Human Rights Council at this time to underscore our commitment to human rights and to join the efforts of all those nations seeking to make the Council a body that fulfills its promise,” the statement said.

Belgium, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Norway and the United States will sever on the council for the first time.  Thriteen  states relected to the Council were Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Jordan, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Uruguay the United Nations said today.

The Human Rights Council was created by the General Assembly in May 2006 as the United Nations principal political human rights body.  It replaced the much-criticized Commission on Human Rights which was abolished in June 2006, and is composed of 47 elected Member States that must uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.

Based on equitable geographical distribution, seats are allocated to the five regional groups as follows:  African Group, 13 seats; Asian Group, 13 seats; Eastern European Group, 6 seats; Latin American and Caribbean Group, 8 seats; and Western and Others Group, 7 seats.

The United States had been boycotting the body until shortly after the inauguration of President Obama.  The human rights record of the United States will not be up for review by the Human Rights Council until the Council’s ninth session in 2010.

EHC / EHC

Roxana Saberi owes media an apology

Missoula, May 12 (Al-Masakin)–Roxana Saberi owes the media, particularly the Iranian media, an apology for lying about her journalistic activities and trying to use her former association with the media as a sheild to cover for her illegal activities.  Ms. Saberi we now learn copied a confidential document on the U.S. war in Iraq from a government office where she was working, not as a reporter but as a webpage translator.

Ms. Saberi was not working as a journalist and she was not imprisoned for journalistic activity.  She was arrested for spying.  The CPJ, NPR and others lied about this case and turned the issue into an anti-Iranian, anti-Muslim propaganda tirade.

I think she owes the media and apology.

EHC / EHC

Haaretz reporter Amira Hass arrested by Israeli authorities

Last update - 19:37 12/05/2009 Haaretz reporter Amira Hass arrested upon leaving Gaza By Haaretz Service Israel Police on Tuesday detained Haaretz correspondent Amira Hass upon her exit from the Gaza Strip, where she had been living and reporting over the last few months. Hass was arrested and taken in for questioning immediately after crossing the border, for violating a law which forbids residence in an enemy state. She was released on bail after promising not to enter the Gaza Strip over the next 30 days. Hass is the first Israeli journalist to enter the Gaza Strip in more than two years, since the Israel Defense Forces issued an entry ban following the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in a 2006 cross-border raid by Palestinian militants. Last December, Hass was arrested by soldiers at the Erez Checkpoint as she tried to cross into Israel after having entered the Gaza Strip aboard a ship run by peace activists from Europe. Upon discovering that she had no permit to be in Gaza, the soldiers transferred her to the Sderot police. When questioned, Hass pointed out that no one had stopped her from entering the Strip, which she did for work purposes. Hass was released then under restriction, and Nahmani said her case would be sent to court. Israel Press Council chairwoman Dalia Dorner, a former Supreme Court justice, commented then that even journalists are subject to the law and the council cannot defend a reporter who breaks the law. Instead, she said, local journalists ought to petition the High Court of Justice against the army’s order.

Morocco busts terrorist cell group

Terrorist ring under formation broken up in Morocco

Rabat – Security services have recently broken up a terrorist ring under formation, security sources announced on Tuesday.

 

    The ring, which is composed of eight Islamists, was operating in various cities across the kingdom and was plotting attacks, according to the same sources.

    The alleged members of the ring will be brought to justice, the same source added.

Roxana Saberi stole confidential document on U.S. war in Iraq from Iranian President’s office, trip to Israel was in evidence against her

Saberi Joyful, Grateful to be Out of Iranian Jail American journalist Roxana Saberi said Tuesday she was very happy to be free and thanked those who helped win her release after four months in an Iranian prison, as new details emerged about the evidence presented against her at her spying trial. One of Saberi’s lawyers said she was originally convicted in part because she had visited Israel and because she kept a confidential Iranian government document about the U.S. war in Iraq, which she obtained while working as a freelance Web translator for a powerful body connected to Iran’s ruling clerics. Speaking to reporters in Tehran for the first time since her release Monday, a smiling Saberi said she did not have any specific plans but wanted to spend time with her family. She looked thin but energetic, dressed in a bright blue headscarf, black pants and a black dress. “I am very happy that I have been released and reunited with my father and mother. I am very grateful to all the people who knew me or didn’t know me and helped for my release,” she said in brief remarks outside her home in north Tehran. “I don’t have any specific plans for the time being. I want to stay with my parents. “ Her Iranian-born father Reza Saberi said his daughter “was not tortured at all” while in custody but that she made incriminating statements about herself under pressure. He said his daughter initially pleaded guilty to the charges under pressure but retracted her statements later and the appeals court accepted that. He did not elaborate on the sort of pressure. He told reporters the family was making plans to return home to the United States but probably would not be ready to leave on Tuesday or Wednesday. “She has lost a lot of weight,” he said, adding that now “she is eating well. She is recovering.” The younger Saberi was freed after an appeals court reduced her original eight-year prison sentence to a two-year suspended sentence. The 32-year-old journalist, who has dual Iranian and American citizenship, was convicted of spying for the United States in mid-April in a swift, secret trial before a security court that her father said lasted only 15 minutes. One of Saberi’s lawyers, Saleh Nikbakht, revealed new details of the case on Tuesday. He said Saberi had copied and kept a “confidential document” about the U.S. war in Iraq that was issued by a research center connected to the Iranian president’s office, and that this was used against her in her original conviction. Saberi obtained the document while she was working as a freelance translator for the Expediency Council, a powerful body in Iran’s ruling clerical hierarchy, Nikbakht said. The council’s role is to mediate between the legislature, presidency and ruling clerics over constitutional disputes. The lawyer said Saberi was occasionally working as translator for council’s Web site two years ago. During her trial, prosecutors also cited a trip to Israel that Saberi made in 2006 as evidence against her, the lawyer said. The Iranian government bars its citizens from visiting Israel. In her appeal court session on Sunday, Saberi admitted to the court that she possessed the document. She said she copied it out of “curiosity,” but she said she didn’t share it with American officials, Nikbakht said. She apologized for doing so, and the court reduced the charge against her from espionage to possessing confidential documents. She also acknowledged visiting Israel but said her activities there were not directed against Iran, he said. Her original conviction was also on charges of working with a “hostile country” referring to the United States. But Nikbakht said the appeals court dropped that charge, ruling that the U.S. is not a hostile country because it and Iran are not at war. Washington had called the espionage charges against Saberi “baseless” and repeatedly demanded her release. The case was an irritant in U.S.-Iran relations at a time when President Barack Obama was offering to restart a dialogue with Tehran after decades of shunning the country. But Saberi’s release cleared one obstacle to closer contacts. It could also help hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win some domestic political points a month before he faces a re-election challenge from reformers who seek to ease Iran’s bitter rivalry with the United States. Saberi, who was crowned the 1997 Miss North Dakota, moved to Iran six years ago and had worked as a freelance journalist for several organizations, including NPR and the British Broadcasting Corp. She was arrested in late January. (AP)

Beirut, 12 May 09, 16:40

13 Arab countries to participate in 82nd Damascus conference to Boycott Israel

Conference of Regional Liaison Officers for the Boycott of Israel Starts in Damascus

 

May 12, 2009

 

Damascus,(SANA)- With the participation of 13 Arab countries, including Syria, the 82nd Conference of Regional Liaison Officers for Boycott of Israel started today in Damascus. The conference is due to last for 3 days.

General Commissioner of the Central Boycott Office Mohammad al-Tayyeb bou Salaa said that holding on to boycotting Israel as a weapon as well as invigorating its role as a legitimate peaceful means of self-defense would make it a pillar of support for the Palestinian people against incessant Israeli aggressions and violations of international laws.

 
He also underlined the need for sustainable support of Syria’s right and just demand for regaining the Occupied Syrian Golan into June 4th, 1967 line in accordance with the peace process and UN resolutions, as well as the rejection of the US sanctions.

He also stressed the need to condemn pushing ahead with building settlements in the Occupied Syrian Golan and grabbing its natural and water resources.

Assistant Arab League Secretary General Mohammad Sbeih underlined the importance of activating the boycott’s mechanisms as a legitimate means of self-defense and support of the Palestinian struggle to restore its legitimate rights.

 
For his part, General Commissioner of the Islamic Office for the boycott Israel Salem al-Oujaili al-Hawni made clear that the reality generated by the aggressive and terrorist Israeli policy made it a necessity for the Arab countries to adopt the policy of boycott, underscoring the need for activating its mechanisms and continually emphasizing the importance of sticking to its laws.

He also noted that the boycott previously yielded magnificent results when it was embraced by all the Arab countries and that it inflicted heavy losses on Israel’s economy.

Director of the Syrian Office for the Boycott of Israel Gen. Giath Bader, for his part, stressed that boycotting the Zionist entity and all the economic and cultural circles propping up its economy, in addition to refraining from buying its products is an important tool that could be made use of by the Arabs inside and outside the Arab world against the ferocious campaign confronting the Arab nation .

Manal Ismael/Mazen

Photos: Ahmed Jibril, Khaled Meshaal, Bassam al-Shakkah Damascus May 9, 2009

Sat May 9, 6:46 AM ET

Ahmed Jibril, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), speaks during a news conference after a meeting with the other Palestinian factions, for the follow-up committee of the conference of Palestinian organizations opposed to peace talks with Israel, in Damascus May 9, 2009. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (L) and the president of the conference Bassam al-Shakkah also attend. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA POLITICS)

 

Sat May 9, 6:45 AM ET

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal speaks during a news conference after a meeting with the other Palestinian factions for the follow-up committee of the conference of Palestinian organizations opposed to peace talks with Israel, in Damascus May 9, 2009. The president of the conference Bassam al-Shakkah is on the right. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA POLITICS)

NCTC has integrated daily intelligence reports from all federal and some local agencies

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/08/18593765.php

 National Counterterrorism Center has integrated daily intelligence reports from all federal agencies

By Edward Campbell

MISSOULA, May 8 (Al-Masakin)—The National Counterterrorism Center’s (NCTC) Director Michael E. Leiters, said today in a report made available by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), in sharp contrast to operational procedures of before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, in a speech to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) “national security section” in Washington D.C. May 6 that at the national level there is no longer a distinction made between foreign and domestic terrorist surveillance.

“[The] distinction between foreign and domestic, in almost every way, does not exist at this National Counterterrorism Center, working with our partners at the CIA, FBI, and DHS, there is no distinction. When we see a threat today emanating from Peshawar, I simply assume that that threat, in one way or another, may affect Phoenix, or may affect anywhere else in the United States. And what we try to do is take that information and uncover any possible links, anywhere in the world, to understand where that threat may ultimately manifest itself,” the Director of the NCTC told the ABA on Wednesday.

In the report Mr. Leiter went on to say that officers at the NCTC are detailed to the center from out of the many federal law enforcement agencies and that intelligence held by any agency is now shared with all agencies.

“The vast majority of my staff are detailed to me from other organizations, so I have sitting side by side CIA, FBI, Department of Defense and every other acronym-laden agency you can imagine. And the CIA people are not simply looking at CIA information, the FBI people are not simply looking at FBI information. They are looking at each other’s information, and I am looking at all of that information. And we are trying to ensure that that information is crossing those traditional boundaries,” Leiter told the audience.

Mr. Leiter went on to say in the process of this intelligence sharing that the NCTC teleconferences with 19 different federal agencies 365 days per year which includes the U.S. State Department, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), Health and Human Service (HHS), and the United States Secret Service to name a few.

He went on to say that the NCTC aims to integrate state and local law enforcement agencies into this system as well and that any person contacted by the police for any reason related to criminal activity, including speeding, is cross-referenced with the NCTC database for possible ties to terrorism.

“Not only do I have individuals from every different department and agency in the national-security community, I am the proud, quote, unquote, “owner” of more than 10 state and state and local, tribal, officials from across the United States government.
“I have police officers from Clark County, Las Vegas; I have a firefighter from Seattle, New Jersey State Police, Boston Police Department. The list goes on and on.

“I have a representative from one of the Iroquois Nations. And the reason for this is because, believe it or not, they look at information differently than I do. And they certainly look at information differently from the way the CIA does, and others.

“And their job is to live in this sea of federal classified information and get that information back down, with the assistance of FBI and DHS, to state and local partners so they can do their part…regardless of whether you are applying for a visa overseas or regardless of whether or not you are coming to an airport in the United States or you get pulled over when you drive away from here because you are going too fast, when that official legitimately enters your name into whatever database they have, that information will be screened against the U.S.
Government’s repository of known and suspected terrorists.” the Director said.

The Director also spoke about the National Implementation Plan which seeks to consolidate the elements of national power: diplomacy, intelligence, covert action, law enforcement, economic policy, foreign aid, public diplomacy and homeland defense.

According to the NCTC’s Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) fact sheet released in March 2009, the NCTC maintains a database of 564,000 names. The agency claims that fewer than 5% of those identities are American citizens or permanent legal residents.
He went on to claim that the NCTC is not merely interested in apprehending suspected terrorists, but is also engaged in combating the root causes of terrorism and “whole-of-government” solutions.

ODNI / EHC
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Al-Masakin News Agency
http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/

Al-Masakin receives threat from Al Qaeda

Missoula, May 7 (Al-Masakin)  Al-Masakin News Agency has received what appears to be a threat from an individual claiming to speak on behalf of Al Qaeda and Asif Ali Zardari and Osama bin Laden.

 The message in part read:  “A message from bin laden, and Asif Ali ZARDARI, death to infidels, we have been enriched by their might and made strong by their weakness,  this is a proclaimation from the taliban and al queda, and Asif Ali ZARDARI and Syed Yousuf Raza GILANI DEATH TO THE UNITED STATES BY FIRE AND BRIMSTONE.”

The message also contained a link to a file which purports to show how America could be defeated.

EHC / EHC

Talk-show host Dr. Michael Savage on list of 22 personas non gratas in U.K.

Profile: Michael Savage

Michael Savage is a popular US radio “shock jock”

US radio presenter Michael Savage, who has been placed on a list of people banned from entering the UK, describes himself as an “explosive conservative radio talk show host”.

A so-called “shock jock”, Savage hosts a nationally-syndicated right-wing talk show, The Savage Nation, reaching an estimated eight million US listeners a week.

That makes Savage – real name Michael Alan Weiner – the third most popular radio host in the US.

Savage’s self-described “brash commentary and unapologetic solutions” are carried across US airwaves by hundreds of radio channels from his home station, KNEW in San Francisco.

Brash commentary

In his 10 years at the helm of The Savage Nation show, he has offended groups including gays, Muslims, women and immigrants – to name a few.

The 67-year-old has urged Americans to “burn the Mexican flag on your street corner” and attacked autistic children as “brats” in need of discipline.

He has also described the Islamic holy book the Koran as “a book of hate” and told Muslims: “Take your religion and shove it up your behind.”

He later defended the remarks on autism and Muslims as having been taken out of context.

He was fired in 2003 after a brief stint at US cable TV channel MSNBC for saying on air to a caller: “You should only get Aids and die, you pig!” He later apologised.

The remarks have sparked angry protests from rights groups on several occasions, and even prompted some advertisers and radio stations to pull out of his shows.

Hitting back

The conservative political commentator has lashed out at his critics in the past, setting his lawyers on the US-based Islamic advocacy group the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and suing the University of California for rejecting a job application. Both cases were later dropped.

Now that he has been included in a list of 22 people banned from the UK for fostering extremism and hate, he has threatened to sue the British government for defamation.

A scientist by training, Savage holds two Masters degrees in botany and anthropology. He also got a doctorate in nutritional ethno-medicine from the University of California at Berkeley in 1978.

Savage has authored some 18 books – both as Michael Weiner and Michael Savage – on topics that range from nutrition and alternative medicine to beer and politics.

His political book, The Savage Nation: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Borders, Language and Culture, reached the top of the New York Times best-seller list.

Savage, who grew up in the Bronx in New York, now lives in San Francisco with his second wife. They have two children.