Al-Masakin: Azeri Press Agency (APA) could be fabricating news

 

By Edward Campbell

 

Missoula, Feb. 3 (Al-Masakin)—Al-Masakin News Agency has noted that the Azeri Press Agency (APA) has published a number of dubious uncooroborated news stories in the recent weeks since the flap over Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks reported in the Turkish Weekly Jan. 6: “Israel will be cursed for the children and the defenseless women who died under bombs,” including unsubstantiated reports that Hezbollah cell groups were planning attacks on Israeli institutions abroad had been foiled. 

 

In related news, the Turkish Weekly reported Feb. 3 that Haaretz fabricated a story that a synagogue in northwestern Turkey had been set ablaze on Sunday.  A statement by the Office of the Chief Rabbi, Rav Izak Haleva, said no such incident took place in the city and no synagogue had been torched by vandals as was claimed by an article in Haaretz written by Yoav Stern the Turkish Weekly reported on Tuesday. (link)

 

The APA claimed today that based on foreign reports it had learned that the Turkish Consulate General in Düsseldorf, Germany had been attacked by arsonists, although to the knowledge of Al-Masakin News Agency no other media has reported this incident.  That report remains uncorroborated.

 

“APA reports quoting foreign media that the façade of the building was damaged, but no casualties were reported. Düsseldorf police are investigating the incident.”

 

On Jan. 26 the APA claimed that there was a Hezbollah plot to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan and that they had learned this from a Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan.  In yet another uncorroborated report the APA stated:

 

“Citing the well-informed Russian sources the newspaper reports that the plot was retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah.”

 

That report remains uncorroborated and it appears to Al-Masakin that either the APA is grossly misinformed or is in fact fabricating news.

 

EHC/EHC

 

Al-Masakin News Agency

http://almasakinnewsagency.wordpress.com/

 

Amr Moussa: Arab ship of state badly listing, King Abdullah pledges $1 billion to rebuild Gaza

 

Arab ship is sinking: Amr Moussa
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN – Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said on Monday the main reason for the Gaza crisis is chaos and division among Arab countries, warning that the “Arab ship is sinking”.

Addressing a meeting of Arab leaders in Kuwait, Moussa said resolving conflicts between Arabs and Israel requires Arab countries to “adopt a proper stance and resolve their own differences because we are at the moment at the stage of the drowning of the Arab ship.”

He said Arab countries should look into the Gaza crisis which was caused by division among Arab countries. Moussa added that protecting the Arab League from division is among his priorities.

Arab leaders in Kuwait pledged aid to the war-battered Gaza Strip.

The Saudi king Abdullah said Monday his country will donate $1 billion to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after the devastating Israeli offensive, Associated Press reported.

The king said his country’s $1 billion donation for Gaza would go to a proposed fund Arabs are setting up to rebuild the seaside territory.

“I know that one drop of Palestinian blood is more valuable than the treasures of the world,” said Abdullah.

A reconciliation has been achieved between Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Syria, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani told the Doha-based satellite television Al-Jazeera.

Leaders of the four states and host country Kuwait held a meeting at the residence of Saudi King Abdullah following the opening session of the Arab summit in Kuwait City.

The efforts to heal a rift shown up by Israel’s offensive in Gaza were launched by Kuwait with the help of other Arab nations in the Persian Gulf region, a Kuwaiti source said.

The apparent reconciliation also came after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak expressed contradictory stands at the opening session of the two-day summit.

Assad called on the summit to brand Israel a terrorist state for its assault on the Gaza Strip and urged Arab countries to “declare an unequivocal support for the Palestinian resistance.”

Mubarak, however, warned that regional powers were trying to exploit Arab differences for the purpose of domination and reiterated that a peaceful settlement remained the only option.

“We proposed the Arab peace initiative seven years ago,” he said.

“It is time it receives a positive response. It should be taken seriously by Israel and international big powers … Middle East peace is an urgent necessity.”

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah opened the summit with a call for collective Arab measures setting out “practical steps to stabilize the ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.

Sharp disagreements have hampered the Arab response to Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, with some nations calling for strong action while others prefer a more moderate approach.

Sheikh Sabah voiced support for the Arab peace initiative, which King Abdullah warned would “not remain on the table forever.”

Arabs pledge $2 billion for Gaza reconstruction at Kuwait Summit

Two billion in pledges expected for Gaza at Kuwait Summit on Arab World economy

Date: 19 / 01 / 2009  Time:  15:00

Bethlehem – Ma’an – Two billion in pledges from the Arab world is expected at the Kuwait Summit of the Arab Leave, which begins Monday. Leaders from 22 Arab countries, including acting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, will attend the meeting, hosted by Kuwaiti Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad. The summit is working to take the most recent developments in the region into account, and a great deal of time is expected to be spent on the crisis in Gaza. Speaking about the war on Gaza, Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Mousa called it a “sinking boat that the summit can save.” The official agenda for the meeting is Economic, Social and Development issues in the Arab world. It will examine the impact of the global financial crisis and its effect on the area, as well as the current situation in Gaza. The idea of an economic summit, however, was long in the making, as the issues was raised two and a half years ago, then proposed at the Riyadh summit in 2007. Egypt and Kuwait made a joint proposal to hold meetings focusing on the economic needs and issues facing the Arab world. Participants will discuss ways to re-attract Arab capital invested outside the region and increase the number of environmental projects and investments. Materials for the summit detail the current economic situation, and focus on labor in the Arab world. There have also been several meetings in Kuwait in advance of the summit, to prepare a detailed agenda for participants. Economic ministers from participating states met last week, along with central bank managers, to compile and compare recent experiences and issues facing nations at the summit. Financial experts also met with Arab Foreign Ministers. Some of the statistics central to the discussions at the summit will be the 20 million unemployed, and the 100 million illiterate in an Arab world estimated at over 300 million people. According to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohammad As-Sabah at least 60% of the planned infrastructure and development projects in the Gulf were postponed due to the economic crisis; a staggering statistic for the oil rich area. Abbas had arrived Sunday night to Kuwait, where he was greeted by Kuwait’s Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, and a delegation of officials including Amr Mousa. The Palestinian delegation accompanying the acting president includes: Head of Negotiations Dr Sa’eb Ereikat, Foreign and Information Minister Dr Riyad Al-Maliki, Minister of Planning and Labor Dr Sameer Abd Allah, Minister of Public Works and National Economy Dr Mohammad Kamal Hassouneh, Spokesperson for the office of the President Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Palestine investment fund president Mohammad Mustafa, Ambassador of Palestine to Egypt and its permanent delegate in the Arab league Nabil Amr.