The UN Security Council kicked off emergency talks today on the deadly clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters in Burma.
The session called by European members of the 15-state council began shortly after 3pm (5am AEST) to hear a closed-door briefing by the UN's pointman on Burma, special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.
Earlier today, UN chief Ban Ki-moon decided to send Mr Gambari to the region and urged Burma's military rulers "to cooperate fully" with his mission to assist "in the process of national reconciliation through dialogue".
Marie Okabe, a UN spokeswoman, said Mr Gambari would head to Southeast Asia immediately after his briefing today and would await permission from Burma's leaders to enter the country.
At least four people were killed and 100 injured as Burma's security forces clamped down on anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks in Rangoon, according to officials and witnesses.
Up to 100,000 people defied heavy security to take to the streets, despite warnings from the ruling generals who are facing the most serious challenge to their rule in nearly two decades.
Let's hope this can be resolved quickly from this point.
The U.S. military on Saturday confirmed the arrests of 25 people linked to the assassination of the leader of the U.S.-backed revolt by Sunni Arab tribesmen in the western Anbar province against al-Qaida in Iraq.
The suspects, who include the head of the security detail that was supposed to protect Sheik Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, killed in a bombing Sept. 13, were detained by Iraqi police, Lt. Col. Jubeir Rashid said, an Iraqi police officer in Anbar.
Rashid said Friday that Abu Risha's security chief, Capt. Karim al-Barghothi, confessed al-Qaida in Iraq had offered him $1.5 million for the slaying but that he was arrested before he could collect the money.
Two other bodyguards as well as some of Abu Risha's neighbors were also detained, Iraqi police said. The arrests took place two days after the bombing. Al-Qaida front group the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the assassination.
Statement of Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.
Vote Counts: YEAs 72 NAYs 25 Not Voting 3
The YEAs, well a no-brainer.. Who doesn't support the troops? I mean, they all say it.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Thursday an ad criticizing the United States' top commander in Iraq was "disgusting" and added that Democrats should have spoken out against it.
The liberal anti-war group MoveOn.org has drawn widespread criticism from Republicans for its ad in the New York Times last week that labeled Army Gen. David Petraeus as "General Betray Us" as he testified to Congress that Bush's troop build-up in Iraq was making progress.
"I thought the ad was disgusting," Bush said at a press conference. "I felt like the ad was an attack not only on Gen. Petraeus but on the U.S. military, and I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democrat party spoke out strongly against that ad."
"And that leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org, or more afraid of irritating them, then they are of irritating the United States military," Bush added. "That was a sorry deal."
On July 17th, I blogged on the al Anbar awakening:
The al Anbar Awakening is the call to all of Iraq to stand up with people from all tribes, and all religions to stop insurgents from causing fear throughout their land. The speeches asked for everyone to join together and bring peace and prosperity to all of Iraq.
Lt. Col. Salah Arak al Alwani, the al Jameah police station commander, cited the present as the moment for all Iraqi’s to come together. He said, “Catholics, Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites act as one, work as one to rid the country of terror and fear.”
The day was filled with live music, dancing and food. Iraqi police were holding hands and dancing with Marine and Army generals. Col. Ahmed Hamed Sharqi, the Shaheed Salam, police station commander, was carried around the field as the crowd chanted and yelled in celebration of their new beginning, and out of thanks for the security the police provided.
“To all the attendees and by the name of God, the merciful God, it’s an honor and gives me great pride to have the sons of al Anbar gather here today,” said Ma’Mun Sami Rashid, al Anbar provincial governor. “We’re here to defend ourselves against insurgents and bring back the honor and pride of the Iraqi people. Anbarians have established this with God’s blessing and have been defending themselves from the insurgents, who wanted to bring shame to our nation.”
One of the tribal leaders that made this happen was Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who was assassinated this past week by Al-Qaeda. How do we know it was Al-Qaeda? Well, I tend to err on the side of caution in these types of situations:
BAGHDAD — An Al Qaeda front group warns it will hunt down and kill Sunni Arab tribal leaders who cooperate with the U.S. and its Iraqi partners in the wake of the assassination of the leader of the revolt against the terror movement.
In a separate statement, the Islamic State of Iraq announced a new offensive during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting that began this week. The statement said the offensive was in honor of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in June 2006.
The statements were posted Friday and Saturday on Islamist Web sites, and among other things claimed responsibility for the assassination of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who spearheaded the uprising against Al Qaeda in Anbar province west of the capital.
In claiming responsibility for Abu Risha's death Thursday, the Islamic State said it had formed "special security committees" to track down and "assassinate the tribal figures, the traitors, who stained the reputations of the real tribes by submitting to the soldiers of the Crusade" and the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Not only do we have Islamic State of Iraq AQ front group announcing they murdered this peaceful man, they also promise more of the same for those who attempt to do as he was doing, which was bring peace and reconciliation and security to the al-Anbar region. Oh, and:
In a second statement posted Saturday, the purported head of the Islamic State, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, said he was "honored to announce" the new offensive in memory of the "martyr Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the beginning of Ramadan," which started for Iraqi Sunnis on Thursday and for Shiites the following day.
Happy Holidays even.
To see just how dedicated Abu Risha was to what he was doing, check out this uplifting interview WaPo did with him on July 30, 2007, but didn't see fit to print until after he was dead.
"We thank everyone [in the United States] who is sending their sons here." -Abu Risha July 30, 2007
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2007 – The nation’s top military advisers were “unanimous” in backing the recommendations made to the president by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on the way forward in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. ...
“The dialogue right now in our country some people misunderstand for whether or not we can vote our way in or out of this war. That’s not the point,” Pace said. “The point is that we have an enemy who has declared they want to destroy and kill us, and as long as we have that enemy, we are in a war. So the dialogue is about where are we going to stand and fight.”
Pace said he is proud of the U.S. forces that have fought in Afghanistan and are fighting in Iraq.
“I’m proud of the fact that we stood and fought,” Pace said. “Did we make mistakes? Yes. But are we on the right path? Yes. Is providing additional freedom for Iraqis and Afghanis providing additional freedom for us here at home? You bet. The more free people in the world, the stronger our democracy is and the safer our democracy is.”
The President spoke to the nation tonight about Iraq. A portion of what he said is below. Anyone who says we're losing needs a refresher course in math:
Our troops in Iraq are performing brilliantly. Along with Iraqi forces, they have captured or killed an average of more than 1,500 enemy fighters per month since January. Yet ultimately, the way forward depends on the ability of Iraqis to maintain security gains. According to General Petraeus and a panel chaired by retired General Jim Jones, the Iraqi army is becoming more capable -- although there is still a great deal of work to be done to improve the national police. Iraqi forces are receiving increased cooperation from local populations. And this is improving their ability to hold areas that have been cleared.
Because of this success, General Petraeus believes we have now reached the point where we can maintain our security gains with fewer American forces. He has recommended that we not replace about 2,200 Marines scheduled to leave Anbar province later this month. In addition, he says it will soon be possible to bring home an Army combat brigade, for a total force reduction of 5,700 troops by Christmas. And he expects that by July, we will be able to reduce our troop levels in Iraq from 20 combat brigades to 15.
General Petraeus also recommends that in December we begin transitioning to the next phase of our strategy in Iraq. As terrorists are defeated, civil society takes root, and the Iraqis assume more control over their own security, our mission in Iraq will evolve. Over time, our troops will shift from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces. As this transition in our mission takes place, our troops will focus on a more limited set of tasks, including counterterrorism operations and training, equipping, and supporting Iraqi forces.
I have consulted with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, other members of my national security team, Iraqi officials, and leaders of both parties in Congress. I have benefited from their advice, and I have accepted General Petraeus's recommendations. I have directed General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker to update their joint campaign plan for Iraq, so we can adjust our military and civilian resources accordingly. I have also directed them to deliver another report to Congress in March. At that time, they will provide a fresh assessment of the situation in Iraq and of the troop levels and resources we need to meet our national security objectives.
The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is "return on success." The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home. And in all we do, I will ensure that our commanders on the ground have the troops and flexibility they need to defeat the enemy.
There is no denying the division in America. There is also no denying the problems in Iraq. Americans used to look to the national media to keep us informed of things that were happening so we could make informed decisions. Those days are gone.
The opponents of the current strategy in Iraq probably didn't see or hear about the following, as it was buried in a story about death and destruction in Iraq. Did you know:
Meanwhile, a small Sunni Arab bloc ended its parliamentary boycott Saturday, returning to the legislature as it considers key benchmark legislation demanded by Washington amid increasing pressure to end the political deadlock.
The return of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front ends the last boycott of parliament, which had contributed to the political paralysis.
The party returned in part because parliament granted its demand that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki be summoned for questioning by lawmakers about the security situation in Iraq.
"We need a liberal government, we need a secular government. Without such a government the violence will continue," party head Saleh al-Mutlaq said from Jordan on Al-Jazeera television.
Al-Mutlaq said he considered a recent decrease in violence a "temporary improvement."
"The violence will grow again, as people will lose hope if nothing changes on the political side," he said. "There was a big failure on the political side ... without reconciliation the violence will not stop." ... Though sectarian violence has been down in recent weeks, the attacks reinforced the obstacles to U.S. goals ahead of a report to Congress by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. The two are to attending hearings starting Monday on progress in Iraq since the introduction of 30,000 more American troops, including whether advances are being made toward national reconciliation.
Parliament reconvened Tuesday after a monthlong summer break but has not yet taken up any of the key benchmark legislation because competing factions have still not been able to hash out compromises.
Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders agreed in principle on some of the 18 issues that the U.S. has set as benchmarks for progress. Among them were holding provincial elections, releasing prisoners held without charge and changing the law preventing many former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from holding government jobs and elected office.
The so-called de-Baathification draft law appears to be the closest to being ready.
"We will receive it today or tomorrow and then it will be put forward in parliament for discussion this week," deputy parliament speaker Khaled al-Attiyah told The Associated Press by telephone.
Al-Attiyah did not say how long he expects the discussion to last or whether it will be approved.
But he has previously said he did not expect to parliament to begin discussing another key draft law — on oil revenue sharing — before mid-September.
The headline of this wonderful news (buried in the chaos of Iraq story) is "Bombing in Baghdad's Sadr City kills 12".
From the 1961 Operation Coffee Cup Campaign against Socialized Medicine as proposed by the Democrats, then private citizen Ronald Reagan Speaks out against socialized medicine. There is no video because this was an LP sent out by the American Medical Association.
President George W. Bush held a "council of war" with his security team at a desert air base in western Iraq on Monday, a week before testimony to Congress that could influence policy on the war.
Bush, heading for a showdown with congressional critics pressing him to begin withdrawing troops, flew secretly to the al Asad Air Base in Anbar province, once a Sunni Arab insurgent stronghold but now a success story for the U.S. military.
He was also due to meet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose inability to use the "breathing space" provided by extra U.S. troops to foster national reconciliation has prompted some opposition Democrats to call for the Shi'ite leader's ouster.
The president was accompanied by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and national security adviser Steven Hadley. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived separately.
Karl Rove's departure from the White House staff has his critics giddy, but it gives him the freedom to say whatever he wants. Those who support him are glad, those who don't, not so much.
He will be judged as a man of moral clarity who put America on wartime footing in the dangerous struggle against radical Islamic terrorism.
Following the horrors of 9/11, this president changed American foreign policy by declaring terror sponsors responsible for the deeds of those they shelter, train, and fund. America, he said, will not wait until dangers fully materialize with attacks on our homeland before confronting those threats.
The president gave the nation new tools to defeat terrorism abroad and protect our citizens at home with the Patriot Act, foreign surveillance that works in the wireless age, a transformed intelligence community, and the Department of Homeland Security.
And this president saw the wisdom of removing terrorism’s cause by advocating the spread of democracy, especially in the Muslim world, where authoritarianism and repression have provided a potent growth medium for despair and anger aimed at the West. He recognized that democracy there makes us safer here.
