Ain-Al-Yaqeen - February 2, 2007

		February 2, 2007

THE DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAQ ARE THE FOCUS OF DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN WORLD LEADERS
THE SENATE'S FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REFUSES THE INCREASE OF US FORCES IN IRAQ AND PRESIDENT BUSH URGES THE CONGRESS TO COOPERATE WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIS PLAN.
EU FOREIGN MINISTERS REVIEW THE MIDDLE EAST FILES.
FRANCE REFUSES MILITARY SOLUTIONS IN IRAQ AND BLAIR REFUSES THE WITHDRAWAL OF BRITISH FORCES.

Democrats and Republican senators rebuffed George Bush's state of the union appeal to be given more time on Iraq, and pressed ahead with a resolution condemning his proposed 21,500 US troop increase.

After a debate, the Senate foreign affairs committee gave the go-ahead to the resolution, saying the increase was "not in the national interest".

Mr Bush defended his new Iraq strategy. "Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq - and I ask you to give it a chance to work," he said.

The Senate foreign relations committee voted 12 to 9 in favour of adopting the anti-war resolution, which is scheduled to go before the whole Senate next week. At that time, at least nine Republican senators intend to back the resolution, though they will negotiate with Democrats over the next few days to change the language. The Democrats are likely to agree in an effort to win as many votes as possible.

Chuck Hagel, the only Republican to vote with the Democrats on the committee yesterday, said: "We better be damn sure we know what we're doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder."

The Democratic committee chairman, Joe Biden, said the resolution was designed "to save the president from making a significant mistake".

In his state of the union address President Bush said: We're carrying out a new strategy in Iraq -- a plan that demands more from Iraq's elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need to complete their mission. Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror.

In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do this on their own. So we're deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighbourhoods, and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in the lead, our forces will help secure the city by chasing down the terrorists, insurgents, and the roaming death squads. And in Anbar Province, where al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them, we're sending an additional 4,000 United States Marines, with orders to find the terrorists and clear them out. We didn't drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq.

The people of Iraq want to live in peace, and now it's time for their government to act. Iraq's leaders know that our commitment is not open-ended. They have promised to deploy more of their own troops to secure Baghdad -- and they must do so. They pledged that they will confront violent radicals of any faction or political party -- and they need to follow through, and lift needless restrictions on Iraqi and coalition forces, so these troops can achieve their mission of bringing security to all of the people of Baghdad. Iraq's leaders have committed themselves to a series of benchmarks -- to achieve reconciliation, to share oil revenues among all of Iraq's citizens, to put the wealth of Iraq into the rebuilding of Iraq, to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation's civic life, to hold local elections, and to take responsibility for security in every Iraqi province. But for all of this to happen, Baghdad must be secure. And our plan will help the Iraqi government take back its capital and make good on its commitments.

My fellow citizens, our military commanders and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach. In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance for success. Many in this chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq, because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far-reaching.

If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country -- and in time, the entire region could be drawn into the conflict.

For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the enemy, this is the objective. Chaos is the greatest ally -- their greatest ally in this struggle. And out of chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened enemy with new safe havens, new recruits, new resources, and an even greater determination to harm America. To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of September the 11th and invite tragedy. Ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more important at this moment in our history than for America to succeed in the Middle East, to succeed in Iraq and to spare the American people from this danger.

This is where matters stand tonight, in the here and now. I have spoken with many of you in person. I respect you and the arguments you've made. We went into this largely united, in our assumptions and in our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq, and I ask you to give it a chance to work. And I ask you to support our troops in the field, and those on their way.

The war on terror we fight today is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. And that's why it's important to work together so our nation can see this great effort through. Both parties and both branches should work in close consultation. It's why I propose to establish a special advisory council on the war on terror, made up of leaders in Congress from both political parties. We will share ideas for how to position America to meet every challenge that confronts us. We'll show our enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory.

The President said in recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East... Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat. Whatever slogans they chant, when they slaughter the innocent they have the same wicked purposes. They want to kill Americans, kill democracy in the Middle East, and gain the weapons to kill on an even more horrific scale.

The President spoke about the environment, energy and American domestic affairs. With regard to energy Bush said: Let us build on the work we've done and reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years. When we do that we will have cut our total imports by the equivalent of three-quarters of all the oil we now import from the Middle East.

To reach this goal, we must increase the supply of alternative fuels, by setting a mandatory fuels standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017 -- and that is nearly five times the current target. At the same time, we need to reform and modernize fuel economy standards for cars the way we did for light trucks -- and conserve up to 8.5 billion more gallons of gasoline by 2017.

Achieving these ambitious goals will dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but it's not going to eliminate it. And so as we continue to diversify our fuel supply, we must step up domestic oil production in environmentally sensitive ways. And to further protect America against severe disruptions to our oil supply, I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Democrats refused to allow President Bush to change the subject from Iraq, challenging him to redeem the nation's credibility -- and his own -- with an immediate shift toward a diplomatic end to the bloody conflict.

"We need a new direction," the Democrats' chosen messenger, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, said in response to Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday evening.

"Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos," said Webb. "But an immediate shift toward strong regionally based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq."

Nancy Pelosi the Senate House speaker responded saying: Unfortunately, tonight the president demonstrated he has not listened to Americans' single greatest concern: the war in Iraq. The overwhelming majority of Americans, military leaders, and a bipartisan coalition in Congress oppose the president's plan to escalate the war. Democrats, Republicans, and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group have offered the President a plan to end our open-ended commitment to Iraq, transition the US mission, and begin the phased redeployment of American troops. While the president continues to ignore the will of the country, Congress will not ignore this president's failed policy. His plan will receive an up-or-down vote in both the House and the Senate, and we will continue to hold him accountable for changing course in Iraq.

On the other hand President Bush can't guarantee that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of his presidency because "we don't set timetables," and said the war on terrorism will remain a "long struggle" for his successors, he told USA TODAY in an interview.

Bush believes Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can clamp down on sectarian violence, and he warned Iran not to aid Iraqi insurgents. Bush's comments came in a wide-ranging interview to preview his State of the Union speech, in which he'll argue "what happens in Iraq matters to your security here at home."

The president said he'll use the state of the union speech to assuage sceptics in both parties about his new Iraq plan, which includes a boost in U.S. troop levels by 21,500.

"The best way to convince them that this makes sense is to implement it and show them that it works," Bush said.

Asked if Iraq would be a problem after he leaves office in January 2009, Bush said: "The war on terror will be a problem for the next president. Presidents after me will be confronting an enemy that would like to strike the United States again."

Bush said the goal in Iraq is to have Iraqis take charge of their own security. Citing the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, Bush said, "We need to be in a position where the Iraqis are in the lead."

Bush said he supports al-Maliki because the Iraqi leader has followed through to provide Iraqi troops and crack down on violent militants in Baghdad. "Those are two areas, where he has said he's going to do something, and he's beginning to do it."

In his interview, the president also repeated his warning to Iran against interfering in Iraq. Asked if the United States is headed toward a military confrontation with Iraq's neighbour, Bush said, "If we catch the Iranians moving weapons into the country that harms our troops or Iraqi troops, we will deal with it."

In Brussels European Union (EU) foreign ministers adopted the following Council Conclusions on Iran:

"The Council discussed Iran's nuclear programme. The Council deplored Iran's failure to take the steps repeatedly required by the IAEA Board of Governors and the United Nations Security Council. It welcomed the unanimous adoption of Security Council Resolution 1737 on 23 December 2006. This decision represents a necessary and proportionate response to Iran's disregard for the concerns of the international community and for Security Council Resolution 1696.

The Council welcomed the measures in Resolution 1737, which are targeted against the most sensitive parts of the Iranian nuclear and missile programmes, and called on all countries to implement the measures in full and without delay.

To ensure effective implementation of measures in UNSCR 1737 while remaining consistent with EU policy, and recalling the EU policy not to sell arms to Iran, Ministers agreed that the EU should prevent the export to and import from Iran of the goods on the NSG and MTCR lists; ban transactions with and freeze the assets of individuals and entities covered by the criteria in UNSCR 1737; ban travel to the EU of the individuals covered by these criteria; and take measures to prevent Iranian nationals from studying proliferation sensitive subjects within the EU.

The Council welcomed the Security Council's decisions to request a report by the IAEA Director General within 60 days, and to review Iran's action in the light of that report; and that it shall suspend the implementation of measures if and for as long as Iran suspends all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development as verified by the IAEA, to allow for negotiations; and, in the absence of Iranian compliance, to adopt further measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, in order to persuade Iran to fully comply with the Security Council's Resolutions and the requirements of the IAEA Board of Governors. The Council, in this context, underlined its continued commitment to an incremental and proportionate approach.

The Council reiterated at the same time its continuing support for efforts to find a negotiated long-term solution. It reaffirmed its support for the far-reaching proposals presented to Iran by the EU High Representative on 6 June 2006 which would open the way for a new relationship with Iran based on mutual respect and expanded cooperation, and called upon Iran to seize the opportunity of reaching a negotiated solution."

With regard to the Middle East the Council adopted the following conclusions:

1. The Council expresses its full support for President Abbas and his continued efforts for national unity. It calls on all Palestinians to support these efforts and to end internal violence. The EU stands ready to work with a legitimate Palestinian government that adopts a platform reflecting the Quartet principles.

2. The Council welcomes the meeting between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas on 23 December 2006 and emphasises the need for prompt implementation of commitments made at this meeting. It takes note of the partial transfer by Israel of withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues. It calls for the early resumption of the 2005 Sharm-el-Sheikh understandings. The Council expresses the hope that this meeting will be the first in a series of meetings in the framework of a renewed political process, which should lead to meaningful negotiations on the final status. The ultimate goal should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967 and the creation of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state, living side-by-side with Israel and its other neighbours in peace and security.

3. The Council calls on the parties to consolidate the cease-fire in Gaza and to extend it to the West Bank. It condemns the continued firing of rockets into Israeli territory and urges the Palestinian leadership to do everything in its power to put an end to such acts. While commending Israel for its present restraint concerning Gaza, it calls for an end to Israeli military interventions in the West Bank.

4. The EU calls for the immediate release of the abducted Israeli soldier and commends efforts, including by partners in the region, to that effect. It also calls for the immediate release of Palestinian ministers and legislators detained in Israel.

5. The EU stresses the importance of strengthening the Palestinian institutions. It will continue to pursue practical and visible measures, including on access and movement, governance, the security sector and a functioning administration. It welcomes the extension of the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) for three months, which in coordination with the Office of the President is providing essential relief to a large part of the Palestinian population. It reiterates its call on Israel for the immediate transfer of all withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues. It encourages Israel to consider to do so through the TIM. The Council recalls the utmost importance of the full implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access and in this regard reiterates its continued commitment to the EU Border Assistance Mission in Rafah. It urges that Rafah and all other crossing points, notably Karni, be re-opened and remain open.

6. The EU is deeply concerned about the recent authorisation of settlement activities by the Israeli government, and the ongoing construction of the barrier on Palestinian land. These developments are contrary to international law and the Road Map. The Council calls on Israel to desist from any action that threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution. Settlement activities in and around East-Jerusalem as well as in the Jordan valley are of particular concern. The EU will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by both parties.

7. In this context, the EU emphasises its determination to play an active role in the framework of increased Quartet engagement, with a view to urgently put in place a political and diplomatic process offering a political perspective in the quest for a comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict, in line with the Road Map and the relevant UNSC resolutions, and also taking into account the Arab League Beirut Declaration. The Council underlines the need to work closely with the parties and regional partners. In accordance with the Road Map, the Quartet, in consultation with the parties, should in due course convene an international conference to realise these goals. At this critical moment, the Council looks forward to an early meeting of Quartet principals.

- LEBANON

1. The Council welcomes the international conference in support of Lebanon and the Lebanese people due to take place in Paris on 25th of January 2007 and stands ready to support it notably through the European Neighbourhood Policy. The EU is actively contributing, in close coordination with the Lebanese government, to the full success of the Conference. The Council commends the ambitious Programme on Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform adopted by the government of Lebanon on January 4th, 2007. The EU also welcomes the decision by the Lebanese Government to adopt the ENP action plan; this opens the path to further intensify cooperation in support of Lebanese national priorities. The Council recognises the need for international assistance, financial and otherwise, to complement the efforts of the Lebanese government to lay a sound foundation for a sustainable and equitable economic and social development in Lebanon.

2. The EU stresses that a solution to the current political deadlock is of the utmost importance for the stability and development of Lebanon and in the interest of all Lebanese people. Such solution should be sought only through dialogue and with full respect for the democratic institutions of the country. In this respect, the Council expresses its appreciation for the mediation efforts by the Secretary General of the Arab League.

3. The Council reiterates its call for the immediate release of the two abducted Israeli soldiers.

4. The Council reaffirms its determination to reinforce Lebanon's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. It urges Israel to stop violation of Lebanese airspace by the Israeli Air Force. The Council calls on Syria and other countries in the region to refrain from interfering in the domestic affairs of Lebanon. They must actively engage in the stabilisation of Lebanon. The Council commends the assistance provided by UNIFIL to the Lebanese armed forces to extend control by the government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory, in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1701. It reconfirms its full support to the efforts of Prime Minister Siniora and the legitimate and democratically elected government, aimed at maintaining dialogue with all political actors in Lebanon and at tackling the important challenges it is facing, in particular fully implementing UNSC Resolution 1701 and the other relevant UNSC resolutions, establishing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1664 and reconstructing the country."

Meanwhile commenting on President's Bush decision on Iraq the French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said: "We think exactly the opposite," he added, urging that foreign troops withdraw from Iraq. Bush was widely criticized on Iraq, with critics saying he is sticking with a failed policy by send in more American troops.

On the other hand Tony Blair has rejected a call for an October pull-out of UK troops from Iraq - but ducked discussing the issue with MPs at a Commons debate on the conflict.

Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, was left to defend the government's position on Iraq while Downing Street insisted it was normal practice for prime ministers to ignore adjournment debates.

Mr Blair rejected a call from the Liberal Democrats to set an October deadline for pulling out of Iraq - the first time the anti-war Lib Dems have set a concrete timetable for withdrawal.

During the debate, Mrs Beckett denied that Iraq had reached a state of civil war - despite civilian casualties now running at more than 100 a day - and repeatedly warned Iran and Syria off intervening in the situation.

She stressed that Mr Blair would address MPs when the country reached "a political turning point" and insisted that no other PM had exposed themselves to more parliamentary scrutiny.

Mrs Beckett repeated assurances that British troops could be in a position to hand over Basra by the spring, and said it was hoped lead responsibility in all 18 of Iraq's provinces would be handed over to the country's security forces by November.

But she stressed that was "dependent on circumstances at the time".

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began his first overseas trip since becoming the world's top diplomat, meeting in Brussels with European Union (EU) leaders on global issues ranging from the Balkans and the crises in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, Somalia and Côte d'Ivoire, to climate change and human rights.

"The European Union and the United Nations have maintained a very strong partnership and I regard the European Union's contribution as vitally important for the work of the United Nations," Mr. Ban told reporters after the meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

"We share the same goals and principles: pursuing peace and prosperity and protecting human rights all around the world," he said, stressing EU financial and political support for UN work around the world, including development, fighting international terrorism and combating pandemic diseases like HIV/AIDS.

"Our positions are on the same page," he noted after an earlier meeting with EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana.

After a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, Mr. Ban said he was "very much assured and encouraged" by NATO's contribution to peace and security in Afghanistan and Kosovo with close coordination and under the mandate of the UN.

"We discussed with members of the Council, with Secretary-General Scheffer, how to increase overall cooperation at the organisational level," he added.

Mr. Ban, attended the donors' conference in Paris and stressed the need to help Iraq to restore political, social and economic stability.

From Paris he will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He will then go to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the African Union (AU) Summit where he said he would discuss the Darfur crisis with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, as well as conferring with African leaders on the conflicts in Chad, Somalia and Côte d'Ivoire. He will end his Africa tour with a stop in Nairobi, followed by a trip to the Netherlands, where he will visit the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

After that, he is to go to Washington for a meeting of the Middle East Quartet the UN, United States, Russian Federation and European Union which is seeking a two-State solution to the Middle East conflict, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace.