Op/Ed: Osama bin Laden must be a top priority for the White House

By Edward Campbell

Missoula, March 8 (Al-Masakin)–Killing or capturing Osama bin Laden must be a top priority for the White House, yet we have heard little or nothing from either the White House or the State Department in this regard. 

Considering the critical nature of the threat posed by al Qaeda, which committed the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington,  it appears to Al-Masakin that moving forward against that terrorist entity as quickly as possible is in the national security interest of the United States. 

The State Department has said barely anything on this issue and the American people are beginning to wonder whether America’s leadership has lost its resolve to bring the most dangerous criminal on Earth to justice as soon as possible. 

According to my sources, Osama bin Laden is in a ‘safe-zone’ in Western Pakistan.  

I have also seen a report that there has been a study by two geographers Thomas Gillespie and John Agnew of the UCLA who reportedly have exploited the genius of the American mind to pinpoint his location and from what I understand there are a number of NSEP projects moving forward and a great amount of untapped enthusiasm in this country to move forward more aggressively on this issue.

Considering the urgency of this matter it seems rather odd that we have not heard from the White House reports of any progress.

I think its important to move forward on this issue as quickly as possible and to investigate every lead.

I think the press can be helpful in this regard as well.  America is still a land of patriots who are ready, willing and able to defend American lives from transnational threats like al Qaeda to the best of our abilities and are at your service.

Yours truly,

EHC / EHC

Iran to host International Lingustics Seminar, 730 experts from 15 countries March 13-15

 

News Code: 388683

GMT: 3/8/2009 4:28:09 PM

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Fifteen countries at int’l linguistics, anthropology seminar

Tehran, March 8, IRNA — Some 730 experts from Iran and 15 other countries will take part at the International Seminar on Linguistics, Anthropology and Iranology of South and Persian Gulf to be held in Larestan, Fars province, from March 13-15.

Announcing this, head of Lar City Council, Abu Taleb Roeina told IRNA that some 67 instructors from Austria, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Sweden, Iraqi Kurdistan, the US, Canada, Germany and India are expected to attend the event.

He added that the event seeks to develop a principled knowledge about Lari language, promote Persian language and acquaint the present generation with indigenous culture.

UNESCO, Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, Iran’s Linguistics Association, Iran’s Anthropology Association and International Arya University are among the sponsors of the event.

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End News / IRNA / News Code 388683

Tehran nominated for World Book Capitol City of the year for 2011

View Rate : 250 #            News Code : TTime- 190722        Print Date : Sunday, March 8, 2009 Tehran nominated for World Book Capital City 2011 Tehran Times Culture Desk TEHRAN — The Tehran Municipality has recently been nominated as the city for the World Book Capital City for 2011, which is annually selected by UNESCO. “A special committee has been set up to provide the necessary documents and programs for Iran’s nomination,” deputy director of the Art and Cultural organization of Tehran Municipality Mohammad Moshari announced on Saturday. The committee includes four groups of experts on books and other cultural fields, he added. A UNESCO selection committee comprised of one representative each from the International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Booksellers’ Federation (IBF), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and UNESCO, all under the chairmanship of the President of IPA, will choose the next World Book Capital. “The candidate programs shall be aimed at promoting books and fostering reading during the period between one World Book Day and Copyright Day and the next. Previous World Book Capital Cities have been Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), and Antwerp (2004). Montreal was the World Book Capital City in 2005, succeeded by Turin (2006), Bogotá (2007), Amsterdam (2008), Beirut (2009) and Ljubljana (2010). Photo: An Iranian visits a pavilion at the 21st Tehran International Book Fair held in May 2008.

News number: 8712180986 15:17 | 2009-03-08 Nuclear

Iran to Open Bushehr N. Plant for Tourists TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran has decided to open its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr for Tourist in an effort to highlight Tehran’s peaceful nuclear drive.

“Tourists, interested in visiting the country’s nuclear site, are allowed to visit the facilities during the Nowrouz holidays,” Secretary of Southern Region at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Alireza Dejband said. Nowrouz marks the first day of spring in Iran and is the start of the Iranian New Year on March 21st. “The whole plan aims to further highlight the peaceful nature of Tehran’s atomic work,” Dejband noted, press tv reported. Iran’s nuclear power plant located in the southern port city of Bushehr was pre-commissioned in February in the presence of the Head of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, Sergei Kiriyenko. During the test-run, the facility was tested by virtual fuel. Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry. Meantime, International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Director General Mohammad ElBaradei, in his recent report for the agency’s Board of Governors, once again confirmed Iran’s non-diversion from peaceful to military nuclear activities.

Iran asks Interpol to Arrest 25 Israeli Criminals

News number: 8712181332 17:46 | 2009-03-08 Politics

Iran Asks Interpol to Arrest 25 Israeli Criminals TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran’s Prosecutor General Saeed Mortazavi Sunday asked the Islamic Republic international police department to request the Interpol to issue arrest warrants for 25 Israeli officials who had committed war crimes during the regime’s 22-day onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza.

The international department of the Iranian police (NAJA) is due to take appropriate measures for pursuing the Israeli criminals in accordance with the request filed by the prosecutor general. The Iranian police also issued a Red Notice in a request extended to the Interpol and asked the international police force to issue arrest warrants for the 25 Israeli officials. Iran, on Thursday, announced that it would present the Interpol with a list of names of over 100 Israeli commanders and officials who had committed war crimes in the recent 22-day onslaught against Gaza. “A fresh list of the Zionist criminals who played a role in the genocide of the Palestinian people has been compiled which will be gradually presented to the Interpol for legal action after each case is completed,” Tehran’s Prosecutor General Saeed Mortazavi told reporters on the sidelines of the 4th international conference on support for Palestine. Mortazavi was appointed by Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi to prepare the list in the midst of February after more than 5700 Iranian lawyers submitted an appeal to Shahroudi to indict Israeli Leaders for their war crimes and genocide in Gaza onslaught based on domestic and international laws. Israel’s recent military operation in Gaza killed some 1,400 Palestinians and wounded over 5,500 others. Over 50,000 people were also left homeless in the enclave of 1.5 million.