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May 5, 2006 |
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KOFI ANNAN PRESENTS A NEW STRATEGY FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM. AN OPERATION TO SMUGGLE ARMS AND EXPLOSIONS TO THE KINGDOM IS FOILED AND BRITAIN FOLLOWS SAUDI ARABIA'S FOOTSTEPS IN ITS WAR AGAINST TERRORISM. THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY WARNS FROM THE RESULTS OF BLOCKING AID TO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. EXCHANGED THREATS BETWEEN IRAN, THE US AND ISRAEL BECAUSE OF IRAN'S NUCLEAR FILE. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable to Egyptian President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak. In his cable, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques condemned the terrorist attack which took place in Dahab in south Sinai and offered his condolences to the President on the victims and losses of the incident. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, has telephoned Egyptian President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, condemning the terrorist bombings, which took place in Dahab in south Sinai. During the call, Crown Prince Sultan also offered his condolences to the President, the Egyptian people and government and relatives of the deceased on the victims and losses of the incident. On his part, President Mubarak thanked Crown Prince Sultan for his noble feelings. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz sent a message to Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak pertaining bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt and the latest developments in the Middle East. The message was delivered to President Mubarak during his meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Hisham Mohieddin Nazir. In a statement following the meeting, Nazir said that there is a continual consultation between the two countries about the developments in the Middle East and enhancement of bilateral relations in all fields. Security forces have intensified the search for those behind the 24 April triple bombings in the Southern Sinai resort of Dahab and the twin suicide bomb attacks in north Sinai that occurred two days later. On 1 May, three terrorist suspects and an Egyptian police officer, major Abdel-Khaliq Nabil Abu Zeid, were killed in clashes between the security forces and militants in north Sinai. Two policemen were also wounded, one critically, in the confrontation that took place 60 kms south of Al-Arish city, in the Maghara Mountain area, said a Ministry of Interior statement. The three men are alleged to be members of the group that killed 18 people in bomb attacks on the beachfront promenade of the Red Sea resort of Dahab, one of the best wind surfing spots in the world, and then launched two suicide attacks on a multinational peace force and a police station in northern Sinai. The bombs in Dahab were the third terror strike to rock the Sinai Peninsula in less than two years. Officials say the bombings claimed 19 lives, and injured 90. Thirteen Egyptians were killed, one of whom died this week in hospital as a result of injuries, as well as two Russians, one German boy, one Swiss, a Yemeni and a Hungarian. But the Ministry of Health has warned that the death toll could be revised upwards since forensic teams are still in the process of identifying body parts. The Dahab bombings occurred a day before Sinai Liberation Day, a national holiday marking the 1982 Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula. The explosions came a day after Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden issued a call to Muslims to support Al-Qaeda in resisting what he described as "a war against Islam". The Egyptian government has repeatedly said that the bombings in Sinai were the work of locals without international connections. The People's Assembly on Sunday agreed to extend the mandate of the Emergency Law for two years or until the issuance of an anti-terror law. The decision was approved by a majority of 287 against 91 who voted against it out of 378 voting on the measure. On his part, Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils, Dr, Mufid Shehab has reiterated that the government vows not to use Emergency Law but to confront terrorism. The Egyptian security agencies on Sunday said they revealed the identity of the mastermind of Dahab and Goura blasts that took place last week. Fugitive terrorist Nasr Khamis al-Malahi is behind the two attacks, said a security official. According to information with the security agencies, al-Malahi was involved in Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh blasts, added the official. Anti-terror security forces managed to pinpoint his hideout together with two of his accomplices, while walking in an area between Gifgafa and Maghara in North Sinai. The security men cordoned off the scene and a shoot-out started leaving one of the three men dead. On another scale borders guards in Najran have foiled an operation to smuggle a large amount of arms and explosives into the Kingdom through Saudi-Yemeni borders. The Commander of the borders guards in Najran Major General Abdullah Ibn Said Abou Nab Al Ghamdi said the guards were monitoring the borders when they saw smugglers aiming at entering the Kingdom illegally. When the guards tried to stop them they fired at the guards who exchanged fire with them. They smugglers run back and left behind the arms and explosives, which included hand grenades, Kalashnikov bullets in addition to other explosives. Meanwhile British security chiefs are studying a novel Saudi approach to combating terror - using clerics to debate "jihad" with jailed militants and convert them to more moderate beliefs says "The Daily Telegraph." Seeking to fight Islamic extremism with Islamic theologians, the Saudi authorities say they successfully re-educated some 400 out of 700 extremists and released them from prison. The Islamic "counselling" programme is part of what British experts regard as Saudi Arabia's "model counter-terrorism campaign". Senior officials, including the MI5 chief, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, have visited the kingdom to devise a similar "counter-radicalisation" strategy for Britain. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries where the fight against terrorism has yielded real success with a softer approach. Al-Qa'eda's campaign in Saudi Arabia started spectacularly with suicide bombings against western compounds in Riyadh three years ago but has now abated. Saudi security forces have killed or captured 25 out of 26 people on their original 2003 list of "most wanted" terrorists, including successive local leaders of al-Qa'eda. Similarly, only four people on a follow-up list of 36 wanted militants are believed to be still at large in the kingdom. The rest have been killed, captured or fled. "Every day their numbers and capability and resources are less and less," said Gen Mansour al-Turki, spokesman for the Saudi ministry of interior, "We feel that terrorism in Saudi Arabia has been degraded. "We are helped by the fact that our response to attacks is very fast. Every cell that carries out a terrorist attack does not get to plan another." In New York United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan unveiled his recommendations for the world's first comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy to the 191 members of the General Assembly. In his address launching the 32-page report, entitled Uniting Against Terrorism: Recommendations for a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, Mr. Annan highlighted that the report stemmed from a fundamental conviction shared by all that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes, is unacceptable and can never be justified." "All States, in every region large or small, strong or weak are vulnerable to terrorism and its consequences. They all stand to benefit from a strategy to counter it. They all have a role to play in shaping such a strategy, in implementing it, and in ensuring that it is updated continuously to respond to challenges as they evolve." In compiling the report, Mr. Annan was assisted by a multi-agency counter-terrorism task force, and he said that throughout the document he had built on ideas outlined in Spain in 2005 on the one year anniversary of the train bombings that killed and maimed more than 1,600 innocent people. "In formulating my recommendations, I have built further on the 'five Ds' the fundamental components which I first outlined in Madrid last year. They are: Dissuading people from resorting to terrorism or supporting it; Denying terrorists the means to carry out an attack; Deterring States from supporting terrorism; Developing State capacity to defeat terrorism, and; Defending human rights." "I believe all five are interlinked conditions crucial to the success of any strategy against terrorism. To succeed, we will need to make progress on all these fronts," Mr. Annan said, adding that the Member States now had an "historic opportunity" in front of them to agree on such a strategy. "By rising to that challenge, you will demonstrate the resolve of the international community, and lay the foundations of a truly global response to this vicious global scourge. I hope my recommendations will help you in that vital mission." Under the five broad headlines, the report lays out certain specific recommendations, including urging Member States to consider a proposal to hold a global forum on biotechnology, as part of the strategy to prevent the use of biological weapons, which is described in the document as the "most important under-addressed threat relating to terrorism." The report also has specifics relating to "terrorist use of the Internet," including an offer to help Member States develop legislation and "other possible actions to counter" this. In his address to the Assembly, Mr. Annan also called for the conclusion "as soon as possible" of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, but said that even if consensus couldn't be reached on this, it was no reason for a delay in agreeing on a strategy. The General Assembly is scheduled to hold its first consultations on this strategy and other counter-terrorism issues on May 11. In Riyadh Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a telephone call from Jordanian King Abdullah II. During the call, they discussed the latest regional and international developments and reviewed Saudi-Jordanian relations. President Mubarak returned home after a flight visit to Jordan. Reports from Aqaba said the Egyptian Jordanian summit which was held at the Royal Palace between President Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan, stressed the importance of extending support for the Quartet efforts during its forthcoming meeting in Amman with the aim of resuming peace process leading to the establishment of the Palestinian state based on the international legitimacy resolutions. The two leaders stressed the need for securing assistance to the Palestinian people and maintaining the unity of the Palestinian people. The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the first indications of entente on Iraqi territories. The two leaders expressed their willingness to exert every possible effort for rendering Middle East region free of weapons of mass destruction. President Mubarak and King Abdullah expressed their support for the establishment of the independent Palestinian State, implementing the roadmap and furnishing a climate conducive to convening a summit between Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister designate Ehud Olmert, on the basis that negotiations are the only way for ending the conflict, establishing peace and avoiding unilateral steps and measures. During the summit, President Mubarak expressed confidence in the Jordanian Monarch's wisdom to contain the crisis which erupted recently between Jordan and the Hamas-led government Moreover, Egyptian Presidential spokesman said that "The summit meeting between President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II was important ". In statements to MENA after the meeting, Awwad said that talks came after a series of contacts over the phone between the two Arab leaders for consultations on Arab issues, especially means of pushing forward the Middle East peace process. The Mubarak-Abdullah talks dealt with the recent developments in the' 'region with emphasis on the situation in Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli state of affairs and Syrian- Lebanese relations, added Awwad. The talks also tackled the Iranian nuclear file and its impact on security in the Gulf and the Red Sea region, he pointed out. Presidential spokesman Ambassador Suliman Awwad said that the two Arab leaders held a tête-à-tête session of talks followed by a plenary meeting grouping the delegations on both sides. The talks dealt with means of boosting bilateral cooperation, especially in the trade and investment domains along with the conditions of the Egyptian community in Jordan. They further focused on Palestinian-Israeli relations in light of the outcome of both the Palestinian and Israeli elections, added the spokesman. President Mubarak, for his part, underlined the importance of keeping international assistance to the Palestinian forthcoming in a bid to improve living conditions of the Palestinians. President Mubarak posted the Jordanian Monarch on the outcome of the contacts with the Palestinian and Israeli sides to push up the Middle East peace process, added the spokesman. President Mubarak, according to the spokesman, underscored the necessity of putting the Palestinian house in order in a way that could serve the Palestinian national interests. All Palestinians, explained Awwad, should speak in one voice to prove that there is a Palestinian peace partner with the Israeli side to pave the way for a summit meeting grouping Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert similar in the one that had grouped Abbas and former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Sharm El Sheikh. Answering a question about a recent announcement by Jordan on finding weapons and ammunition, that were smuggled into Jordan via arrangements with Hamas, presidential spokesman Awwad quoted President Hosni Mubarak as having expressed confidence in the wisdom of King Abdullah in containing the repercussions of the situation. Responding to another query on the Iranian nuclear file, Awwad underlined the importance of handling the issue with caution in a bid to maintain dialogue with Iran via diplomatic channels. As for the situation in Iraq, Awwad added that President Mubarak expressed satisfaction at the success of the current political process there. The two Arab leaders, said the spokesman, also discussed the danger of terrorism to the region and means of pooling bilateral efforts to combat that danger. Following the summit talks, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit told a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Abdel Elah Al kllatib that security cooperation between Egypt and Jordan has been maintained for a long time in bilateral relations and mainly in means of combating terrorist operations. He said contacts were made in the past few days and messages were sent to many foreign ministers of Western countries in which they were urged to adopt the idea of convening a high level international conference in the framework of the United Nations' for reaching an agreement on ways of combating terrorism at the regional and international levels. Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Elah Al Khatib said the summit meeting between President Mubarak and King Abdullah II has called for taking measures that would ensure international support for an active peace process in the Middle East. Khateeb said talks focused on the need to hold successful negotiations and protect Palestinian unity. Egypt, Jordan, the Arab nation and the Palestinian people believe that such negotiations aim at reaching a peace agreement that would lead up to the establishment of an independent Palestinian State. Without holding negotiations, the conflict in the region would remain unabated and peace would never find its way to the area. The two leaders expressed their willingness to cooperate with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in order to push forward negotiations, he said, pointing out that the visit was important in terms of reiterating joint support for the Palestinian President's call for holding negotiations with the Israeli government. The summit between President Mubarak and King Abdullah covered a meeting of the Quartet to be held in New York, Khateeb said pointing out to invitations extended to the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan to take part in the meeting. The two leaders tackled the issue of Iraq and the formation of a national unit y government representative of all Iraqi factions, he said, adding that such government would lead Iraq to a way out of the whirlpool of violence and killing which were considered a dangerous threat to the country's unity. As for the Palestinian issue, Khateeb said it is necessary that aid reaches the Palestinian people. Minister Abul- Gheit said in conformity with the Palestinian law, President Mahmoud Abbas is the man who is in charge of foreign relations management and consequently negotiating with Israel with the aim of restoring land, ending occupation and establishing the Palestinian state, referring to Arab, Jordanian and international efforts for encouraging the upcoming Israeli government not to embark on unilateral steps, to return to negotiations table and to implement the roadmap. As for Iran's nuclear dossier, he said everyone is concerned over such issue, pointing out to Egypt's close follow- up of the situation. Regarding the situation in Iraq, he voiced hope that the Iraqi government would be formed soon so that the country could surpass its current conditions. Asked about the Quartet meeting, he said it is going to take place at a good timing prior to a visit to Washington by the Israeli Prime Minister. The meeting should probe several issues pertaining to the Palestinian people's aid and the call for accelerating the implementation of the roadmap, he added. In Ramallah PLO Executive Committee welcomed French President's initiative aimed at finding a swift solution to the PNA financial crisis. During a meeting in Ramallah city headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, the Committee called to continue dialogue with France to discuss the best mechanism of how such an initiative contributes in easing the siege imposed on the Palestinian people. . The Committee also discussed the Israeli ongoing escalation against the Palestinian people and the economic and financial siege internationally imposed on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the Palestinian people. It also examined Israeli construction of the Apartheid Wall, plans to turn Jerusalem and Palestinian cities into cantons, and daily artillery shelling of civil targets in different parts of the northern Gaza Strip (GS) cities and towns. Referring to the financial crisis that the PNA is witnessing, the Committee said that this crisis is the worst since the establishment of PNA in 1994 and more than 160 thousands employees have not got their salaries for the second consecutive month, adding that such circumstances threatens the existence of the PNA. It decided to immediately contact the Quartet committee to reactivate the peace process and to start negotiation on final status issues, condemning the Israeli latest crime in Nablus city, demanding an international investigation about it. The Committee welcomed initiatives to launch a national dialogue purposed to end the recent crisis. Palestinian premier Ismail Haniya has slammed US pressure on banks not to transfer aid collected from Arab and Muslim states that he said was enough to pay employees of his Hamas government. "The Palestinian government has managed to collect the necessary money from Arab and Islamic countries. This money is largely enough to pay salaries but we have had problems in terms of getting the money," he said. "The problem is the result of the Israeli occupation, the American administration and Europe's weakness as well as banks refusing to fulfil their tasks," he told a news conference in Gaza City. He accused the US administration of exerting "pressure so that the money we have collected does not reach citizens or civil servants" in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank. Haniya urged Arab leaders to "counter American pressure and end the economic siege and political blackmail brought to bear on the Palestinian people and its government". Despite recently tense relations between his government and moderate Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, Haniya said he would not oppose any transfer of international aid via Abbas's office. "What is important is that the money gets to the finance ministry," he said. Haniya denounced a "financial siege" that he accused "world, European and regional powers" of imposing on his government "in starving its sources and terrorising banks". "This financial siege and attempts to isolate us politically have a clear aim: to force us to make political concessions," he said. "These pressures will strengthen the Palestinian people's support of a government which defends their dignity and resistance," Haniya said. Haniya also suggested that the Palestinian Investment Fund, controlled by the presidency as a holding company to manage the Authority's commercial operations, intervene to alleviate the government's fiscal crisis. He promised that the first salary to be paid would go to the family of an eight-year-old Palestinian girl killed in the Gaza Strip on April 10 when Israeli artillery opened fire in response to militant rocket attacks. On the other hand Ghazi Hamad the official spokesman of the Palestinian government has condemned the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decision to continue building the separation wall. In Abu Dhabi the President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan received at his Al Bateen Palace Iran's national security chief Ali Larijani, who is on a visit to the UAE. Larijani briefed the President on his government's views as regards Iran's nuclear dossier and the international developments in this respect. Sheikh Khalifa reiterated his country's commitment to help restore just, comprehensive and everlasting stability, security and peace and eliminate tension in the Middle East and particularly the Arab Gulf region. He underscored the need for consolidating the development processes that could bring about prosperity and affluence. "The course of events in the region underline proves that there is dire need for as much level of coordination and cooperation as possible to make this part of the world an oasis of security and stability as everyone without exception so aspires and wishes," the President told the Iranian official. The US and European officials pushed for a tough, binding UN resolution against Iran in key talks here on Tehran's nuclear program, which the West fears could be hiding a drive for the atomic bomb. "The Security Council has no option but to proceed with Chapter 7," US State Department No. 3 Nicholas Burns said, referring to an article in the UN charter that could lead to sanctions or even military action. The talks in Paris involved top political directors of the five permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany. They were called to lay the groundwork for a meeting of foreign ministers of the world body in New York next Tuesday. A French Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed that the EU three, which had held months of ultimately fruitless negotiations with Iran, backed a resolution that would give "binding force" to the international community's demands. But while the Western countries put out a hard line, Russia and China have signalled opposition and are seeking a more diplomatic approach. Meantime Iran threatened to attack Israel in response to any "evil" act by the United States and said it had enriched uranium to a level close to the maximum compatible with civilian use in power stations. The defiant statements were issued shortly before world powers meet in Paris to discuss the next steps after Tehran rejected a UN call to halt uranium enrichment. Iran denies the charge and refuses to back down from what it calls its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. The United States, Britain and France asked the U.N. Security Council to demand that Iran halt uranium enrichment. The West says it is aimed at nuclear weapons production, while Tehran insists it is only to make energy. If Russia and China could be persuaded to back this resolution, some Europeans see the prospect that the United States could join them, Russia and China in talks with Iran. "Our ideal is that the EU3 (Britain, France and Germany) plus the United States, Russia and China would come together and present Iran with a package of options," with two paths -- isolation or integration, a European diplomat told Reuters. "The administration has deep, deep reservations about this but hasn't absolutely ruled it out," the diplomat said. White House spokesman Scott McClellan publicly played down the idea of nuclear talks with Iran and stressed the need for increasing pressure on the government. |
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