A majority of Americans initially support a controversial National Security Agency program to collect information on telephone calls made in the United States in an effort to identify and investigate potential terrorist threats, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The new survey found that 63 percent of Americans said they found the NSA program to be an acceptable way to investigate terrorism, including 44 percent who strongly endorsed the effort. Another 35 percent said the program was unacceptable, which included 24 percent who strongly objected to it.
A slightly larger majority--66 percent--said they would not be bothered if NSA collected records of personal calls they had made, the poll found.
Underlying those views is the belief that the need to investigate terrorism outweighs privacy concerns. According to the poll, 65 percent of those interviewed said it was more important to investigate potential terrorist threats "even if it intrudes on privacy." Three in 10--31 percent--said it was more important for the federal government not to intrude on personal privacy, even if that limits its ability to investigate possible terrorist threats.
Half--51 percent--approved of the way President Bush was handling privacy matters.
For more on this story Listen to: Talk Show America 5/15/2006
Friday, May 12, 2006
NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls ?
The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.
The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans � most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.
The NSA's domestic program, as described by sources, is far more expansive than what the White House has acknowledged. Last year, Bush said he had authorized the NSA to eavesdrop � without warrants � on international calls and international e-mails of people suspected of having links to terrorists when one party to the communication is in the USA. Warrants have also not been used in the NSA's efforts to create a national call database.
In defending the previously disclosed program, Bush insisted that the NSA was focused exclusively on international calls. "In other words," Bush explained, "one end of the communication must be outside the United States."
As a result, domestic call records � those of calls that originate and terminate within U.S. borders � were believed to be private.
The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans � most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.
The NSA's domestic program, as described by sources, is far more expansive than what the White House has acknowledged. Last year, Bush said he had authorized the NSA to eavesdrop � without warrants � on international calls and international e-mails of people suspected of having links to terrorists when one party to the communication is in the USA. Warrants have also not been used in the NSA's efforts to create a national call database.
In defending the previously disclosed program, Bush insisted that the NSA was focused exclusively on international calls. "In other words," Bush explained, "one end of the communication must be outside the United States."
As a result, domestic call records � those of calls that originate and terminate within U.S. borders � were believed to be private.
Don Weber, a senior spokesman for the NSA, declined to discuss the agency's operations. "Given the nature of the work we do, it would be irresponsible to comment on actual or alleged operational issues; therefore, we have no information to provide," he said. "However, it is important to note that NSA takes its legal responsibilities seriously and operates within the law."
The White House would not discuss the domestic call-tracking program. "There is no domestic surveillance without court approval," said Dana Perino, deputy press secretary, referring to actual eavesdropping.
She added that all national intelligence activities undertaken by the federal government "are lawful, necessary and required for the pursuit of al-Qaeda and affiliated terrorists." All government-sponsored intelligence activities "are carefully reviewed and monitored," Perino said. She also noted that "all appropriate members of Congress have been briefed on the intelligence efforts of the United States."
The government is collecting "external" data on domestic phone calls but is not intercepting "internals," a term for the actual content of the communication, according to a U.S. intelligence official familiar with the program. This kind of data collection from phone companies is not uncommon; it's been done before, though never on this large a scale, the official said. The data are used for "social network analysis," the official said, meaning to study how terrorist networks contact each other and how they are tied together.
Dems Join Suit to Ban Terrorist Surveillance
Until now, Democrats had insisted that they didn't want to end President Bush's terrorist surveillance program, saying instead that the law merely needed to be changed to make terrorist surveillance inside the U.S. illegal.
On Wednesday, however - even before USA Today's bogus report about the NSA's phone number data collection program - 71 House Democrats signed up to sponsor a move that would make it illegal for the NSA to continue to monitor terrorist phone calls.
The liberal web site Raw Story reported Thursday:
"Both suits demand the program be stopped."
Predictably, Michigan Democrat John Conyers led the charge:
On Wednesday, however - even before USA Today's bogus report about the NSA's phone number data collection program - 71 House Democrats signed up to sponsor a move that would make it illegal for the NSA to continue to monitor terrorist phone calls.
The liberal web site Raw Story reported Thursday:
"The 71 Democrats and one independent filed an amicus brief in two federal courts reviewing challenges to the warrantless wiretapping program in Detroit and New York, joining the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights."
"Both suits demand the program be stopped."
Predictably, Michigan Democrat John Conyers led the charge:
"As our brief makes clear, this Congress dealt with this issue authoritatively almost 30 years ago - warrantless spying on American soil is flatly prohibited," he railed.
Bill barring 'mom,' 'dad' from texts passes
California Senate approves, state Assembly expected to OK
The California state Senate today passed a bill that removes sex-specific terms such as "mom" and "dad" from textbooks and requires students to learn about the contributions homosexuals have made to society.
The bill, approved 22-15, would prevent textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and "school-sponsored activities" from reflecting adversely on anyone based on sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender.
A companion bill has yet to go through the legislative process in the state Assembly, but observers believe it likely will pass. It's unclear whether or not Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
England said school districts also would likely have to do away with dress codes and "accommodate transsexuals on girl-specific or boy- specific sports teams."
Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Sheila Kuehl � a lesbian actress best known for playing Zelda in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" in the 1960s � the legislation would add "gender" (actual or perceived) and "sexual orientation" to the law that prohibits California public schools from having textbooks, teaching materials, instruction or "school-sponsored activities" that reflect adversely upon people based on characteristics like race, creed and handicap.
The California state Senate today passed a bill that removes sex-specific terms such as "mom" and "dad" from textbooks and requires students to learn about the contributions homosexuals have made to society.
The bill, approved 22-15, would prevent textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and "school-sponsored activities" from reflecting adversely on anyone based on sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender.
A companion bill has yet to go through the legislative process in the state Assembly, but observers believe it likely will pass. It's unclear whether or not Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Responding to an argument of the bill's defenders, Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, charged it isn't "about 'safety' or 'discrimination,' it's about leading children into sexual confusion and destroying their respect for the natural family."
Another opponent, Karen England of the Capitol Resource Institute, says the legislation "seeks to indoctrinate innocent children caught in the tug-of-war between traditional families and the outrageous homosexual agenda."
"The state Senate is so far out of touch with California families that it is beyond alarming," said England. "The traditional family is under attack and this is a latest � and most outrageous � attempt to corrupt the minds of our children."
England said school districts also would likely have to do away with dress codes and "accommodate transsexuals on girl-specific or boy- specific sports teams."
Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Sheila Kuehl � a lesbian actress best known for playing Zelda in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" in the 1960s � the legislation would add "gender" (actual or perceived) and "sexual orientation" to the law that prohibits California public schools from having textbooks, teaching materials, instruction or "school-sponsored activities" that reflect adversely upon people based on characteristics like race, creed and handicap.
"We've been working since 1995 to try to improve the climate in schools for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender kids, as well as those kids who are just thought to be gay, because there is an enormous amount of harassment and discrimination at stake," Kuehl explained. "Teaching materials mostly contain negative or adverse views of us, and that's when they mention us at all."
"In textbooks, it's as if there's no gay people in California at all, so forget about it," she added.
Muslims fear 'United 93' backlash
CAIR cites verbally abusive couple who had just seen film
A Washington-based Islamic lobby group is spreading word of an incident it says raises concerns of a backlash against Muslims prompted by the first-run film "United 93," which recounts the hijacked flight that crashed in Pennsylvania on 9-11.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said a middle-aged couple in Scottsdale, Ariz., who had just seen the movie approached three young Muslim women wearing head scarves Apr. 29, reported the California Aggie, the campus newspaper at the University of California, Davis.
The young women, at the Desert Ridge Marketplace, said the couple asked them if they were Muslim. The couple, indicating they had just seen the film, hurled abuse, the women said.
"Take off your f-----g burqas and get the f--- out of this country. We don't want you in this country. Go home," the couple allegedly said.
One of the women happened to be Bushra Khan, office manager for CAIR's Arizona chapter, who sent a message out to all 31 of the group's offices nationwide.
Khan told the campus paper she's concerned "United 93" -- which some critics say comes too soon after 9-11 -- is prompting the kind of anti-Muslim anger seen immediately after the attacks on New York City and Washington.
"People's emotions are getting flared again," Khan said. "The couple's verbal abuse had obviously been prompted by their associating all Muslims with those who took part in the 9-11 terror attacks."
The spokeswoman for CAIR's Sacramento Valley office, Dina El-Nakhal, says the incident in Arizona has affected Muslim communities nationwide.
"It certainly got us concerned," El-Nakhal told the UC Davis paper. "People feel a sense of fear. You feel like you are being painted by a general brush."
The images in the film of terrorists as devout Muslims misrepresents the majority of Islam's followers, she said.
However, CAIR itself, and some of its leaders, have known ties to terrorism. The group is a spin-off of the Islamic Association for Palestine, identified by two former FBI counterterrorism chiefs as a "front group" for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Several CAIR leaders have been convicted on terror-related charges.
CAIR's leaders also have provided evidence the group has aims beyond civil-rights advocacy.
As WorldNetDaily reported, CAIR's chairman of the board, Omar Ahmad, was cited by a California newspaper in 1998 declaring the Quran should be America's highest authority.
He also was reported to have said Islam is not in America to be equal to any other religion but to be dominant.
Hooper himself indicated in a 1993 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he wants to see the United States become a Muslim country.
"I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future," Hooper told the paper. "But I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education."
Israeli official: Israel will hit Iran in the next few months
Israel will strike Iran�s nuclear facilities in the next �month or two or three,� an Israeli official has been quoted here as saying.
The unnamed official told Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-in-chief of the United Press International (UPI), at the recently held national day reception at the Israeli Embassy that he believed Israel would strike Iran first in the next two or three months and that fighter bombers would not be involved as they had been to take out Iraq�s Osirak nuclear reactor before it went critical in 1981. For Osirak, Israel had used 14 F-15s and F-16s. This time, the Israeli said, it would be missiles. Asked if Israel would employ Cruise missiles, he replied, �with a gesture of his hand that went up and down again�, which meant that it would be the weapon of choice.
Asked if tunnel entrances to widely scattered Iranian nuclear facilities would be targeted, he responded that Israel had its own geo-stationary spy-in-the-sky satellite taking constant pictures of Iran with a resolution down to 70 centimetres. �We know far more than anyone realises,� he added.
According to de Borchgrave, �Israel has developed some 100 Jericho-II medium-range ballistic missiles (which entered service in 1989). Jericho II�s range varies from 1,500 to 3,500 kilometres, depending on payload weight. They are deployed in underground caves and silos. Israel has several satellites in orbit - Ofeq-1 through Ofeq-5 - that were launched by Shavit space launch vehicles (SLV). The first two stages of the Shavit were Jericho II missiles. There are unconfirmed reports of an upgraded Jericho-3 missile with a range of over 3,000 kilometres.
The unnamed official told Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-in-chief of the United Press International (UPI), at the recently held national day reception at the Israeli Embassy that he believed Israel would strike Iran first in the next two or three months and that fighter bombers would not be involved as they had been to take out Iraq�s Osirak nuclear reactor before it went critical in 1981. For Osirak, Israel had used 14 F-15s and F-16s. This time, the Israeli said, it would be missiles. Asked if Israel would employ Cruise missiles, he replied, �with a gesture of his hand that went up and down again�, which meant that it would be the weapon of choice.
Asked if tunnel entrances to widely scattered Iranian nuclear facilities would be targeted, he responded that Israel had its own geo-stationary spy-in-the-sky satellite taking constant pictures of Iran with a resolution down to 70 centimetres. �We know far more than anyone realises,� he added.
De Borchgrave�s report quoted a poll of conservative Republicans by a conservative web-based news service, which showed overwhelmingly strong support for bombing Iran. Almost 60,000 people took part in the poll and 88 percent agreed that Iran poses a greater threat than Saddam Hussein did before the Iraq War. To the question, �Should the US undertake military action against Iran to stop their (nuclear) programme?� 77 percent replied yes, 23 percent said no. Forty-five percent said that military action should be taken by the United States, while 35 percent wanted Israel to do that. Twenty percent said neither. As for whether US efforts to contain Iran�s nuclear weapons are working, 93 percent said they were not, while 89 percent said the US should not rely solely on the UN.
According to de Borchgrave, �Israel has developed some 100 Jericho-II medium-range ballistic missiles (which entered service in 1989). Jericho II�s range varies from 1,500 to 3,500 kilometres, depending on payload weight. They are deployed in underground caves and silos. Israel has several satellites in orbit - Ofeq-1 through Ofeq-5 - that were launched by Shavit space launch vehicles (SLV). The first two stages of the Shavit were Jericho II missiles. There are unconfirmed reports of an upgraded Jericho-3 missile with a range of over 3,000 kilometres.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Migrating Birds Didn't Carry Flu
Defying the dire predictions of health officials, the flocks of migratory birds that flew south to Africa last fall, then back over Europe in recent weeks did not carry the deadly bird flu virus or spread it during their annual journey, scientists have concluded.
International health officials had feared that the disease was likely to spread to Africa during the southward migration and return to Europe with a vengeance during the reverse migration this spring. That has not happened � a significant finding for Europe, because it is far easier to monitor a virus that exists domestically on farms but not in the wild. "It is quiet now in terms of cases, which is contrary to what many people had expected," said Ward Hagemeijer, a bird flu specialist with Wetlands International, an environmental group based in the Netherlands that studies migratory birds.
In thousands of samples collected in Africa this winter, the bird flu virus, A(H5N1), was not detected in a single wild bird, health officials and scientists said. In Europe, only a few cases have been detected in wild birds since April 1, at the height of the migration north.
The number of cases in Europe has fallen off so steeply compared with February, when dozens of new cases were found daily, that specialists contend that the northward spring migration played no role. The flu was found in one grebe in Denmark on April 28 � the last case discovered � and a falcon in Germany and a few swans in France, said the World Organization for Animal Health, based in Paris.
In response to the good news, agriculture officials in many European countries are lifting restrictions intended to protect valuable poultry from infected wild birds.
Last week, the Netherlands and Switzerland rescinded mandates that poultry be kept indoors. Austria has loosened similar regulations, and France is considering doing so. The cases in Europe in February were attributed to infected wild birds that traveled west to avoid severe cold in Russia and Central Asia but apparently never carried the virus to Africa. The international scientists who had issued the earlier warnings are perplexed, unsure if their precautions � like intensive surveillance and eliminating contact between poultry and wild birds � helped defuse a time bomb or if nature simply granted a reprieve.
"Is it like Y2K, where also nothing happened?" asked Juan Lubroth, a senior veterinary official at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, referring to the expected computer failures that did not materialize as 1999 turned to 2000. "Perhaps it is because it was not as bad as we feared, or perhaps it is because people took the right measures."
Still, he and others say, the lack of wild bird cases in Europe only underscores how little is understood about the virus. And scientists warn that it could return to Europe.
"Maybe we will be lucky and this virus will just die out in the wild," Mr. Lubroth said. "But maybe it will come back strong next year. We just don't have the answers."
The feared A(H5N1) bird flu virus does not now spread among humans, although scientists are worried it may acquire that ability through natural processes, setting off a worldwide pandemic. The less bird flu is present in nature and domestically on farms, the less likely it is for such an evolution to occur, they say.
Worldwide, bird flu has killed about 200 humans, almost all of whom were in extremely close contact with sick birds.
Specialists from Wetlands International, who were deputized by the Food and Agriculture Organization, sampled 7,500 African wild birds last winter in a search for the disease. They found no A(H5N1), Mr. Hagemeijer said, so it is not surprising that it did not return to Europe with the spring migration.
While bird flu has become a huge problem in poultry on farms in a few African countries, including Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan, specialists increasingly suspect that it was introduced in those countries through imported infected poultry and poultry products. Mr. Hagemeijer said the strength of the virus among wild birds possibly weakened as the southward migration season progressed, a trait he said was common in less dangerous bird flu viruses. That probably limited its spread in Africa, he said.
A(H5N1) is the most deadly of a large family of bird flu viruses, most of which produce only minor illness in birds.
Many bird flu viruses are picked up by migratory birds in their nesting places in northern lakes during the summer and fall breeding season. As the months pass, the viruses show a decreasing pattern of spread and contamination.
"So it tends to be mostly a north-to-south spread, and then it wanes," Mr. Hagemeijer said.
Still, this means that the cycle could start again this summer, if the virus � which can live for long periods in water � has persisted in those breeding areas. Many bird specialists contend that a small number of wetland lakes in Central Asia and Russia may harbor the virus all the time, serving as the origin of European and Central Asian infections.
Scientists still do not know which birds carry the virus silently and which die from it quickly, or how it typically spreads from wild bird to wild bird, or between wild birds and poultry.
Farm-based outbreaks of bird flu still occur constantly in a number of countries, although not in Europe. Ivory Coast had its first outbreak of bird flu, on a farm, last week.
But other countries, like Turkey, have made substantial progress in containing the disease among poultry, Mr. Lubroth said. He added that he hoped that quick measures to limit outbreaks had reduced the virus's spread in Africa.
After the virus was found on farms in Nigeria in January, many specialists expected it to spread rapidly among farms and into wild birds in the region. Apparently, it did not.
"Why didn't it sweep up the coast from Niger, to Benin and Senegal and back up through Europe? Why didn't it hit Africa's big lakes?" Mr. Lubroth asked.
"All we have are a few snapshots of the virus. What we need is a movie of its life cycle."
International health officials had feared that the disease was likely to spread to Africa during the southward migration and return to Europe with a vengeance during the reverse migration this spring. That has not happened � a significant finding for Europe, because it is far easier to monitor a virus that exists domestically on farms but not in the wild. "It is quiet now in terms of cases, which is contrary to what many people had expected," said Ward Hagemeijer, a bird flu specialist with Wetlands International, an environmental group based in the Netherlands that studies migratory birds.
In thousands of samples collected in Africa this winter, the bird flu virus, A(H5N1), was not detected in a single wild bird, health officials and scientists said. In Europe, only a few cases have been detected in wild birds since April 1, at the height of the migration north.
The number of cases in Europe has fallen off so steeply compared with February, when dozens of new cases were found daily, that specialists contend that the northward spring migration played no role. The flu was found in one grebe in Denmark on April 28 � the last case discovered � and a falcon in Germany and a few swans in France, said the World Organization for Animal Health, based in Paris.
In response to the good news, agriculture officials in many European countries are lifting restrictions intended to protect valuable poultry from infected wild birds.
Last week, the Netherlands and Switzerland rescinded mandates that poultry be kept indoors. Austria has loosened similar regulations, and France is considering doing so. The cases in Europe in February were attributed to infected wild birds that traveled west to avoid severe cold in Russia and Central Asia but apparently never carried the virus to Africa. The international scientists who had issued the earlier warnings are perplexed, unsure if their precautions � like intensive surveillance and eliminating contact between poultry and wild birds � helped defuse a time bomb or if nature simply granted a reprieve.
"Is it like Y2K, where also nothing happened?" asked Juan Lubroth, a senior veterinary official at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, referring to the expected computer failures that did not materialize as 1999 turned to 2000. "Perhaps it is because it was not as bad as we feared, or perhaps it is because people took the right measures."
Still, he and others say, the lack of wild bird cases in Europe only underscores how little is understood about the virus. And scientists warn that it could return to Europe.
"Maybe we will be lucky and this virus will just die out in the wild," Mr. Lubroth said. "But maybe it will come back strong next year. We just don't have the answers."
The feared A(H5N1) bird flu virus does not now spread among humans, although scientists are worried it may acquire that ability through natural processes, setting off a worldwide pandemic. The less bird flu is present in nature and domestically on farms, the less likely it is for such an evolution to occur, they say.
Worldwide, bird flu has killed about 200 humans, almost all of whom were in extremely close contact with sick birds.
Specialists from Wetlands International, who were deputized by the Food and Agriculture Organization, sampled 7,500 African wild birds last winter in a search for the disease. They found no A(H5N1), Mr. Hagemeijer said, so it is not surprising that it did not return to Europe with the spring migration.
While bird flu has become a huge problem in poultry on farms in a few African countries, including Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan, specialists increasingly suspect that it was introduced in those countries through imported infected poultry and poultry products. Mr. Hagemeijer said the strength of the virus among wild birds possibly weakened as the southward migration season progressed, a trait he said was common in less dangerous bird flu viruses. That probably limited its spread in Africa, he said.
A(H5N1) is the most deadly of a large family of bird flu viruses, most of which produce only minor illness in birds.
Many bird flu viruses are picked up by migratory birds in their nesting places in northern lakes during the summer and fall breeding season. As the months pass, the viruses show a decreasing pattern of spread and contamination.
"So it tends to be mostly a north-to-south spread, and then it wanes," Mr. Hagemeijer said.
Still, this means that the cycle could start again this summer, if the virus � which can live for long periods in water � has persisted in those breeding areas. Many bird specialists contend that a small number of wetland lakes in Central Asia and Russia may harbor the virus all the time, serving as the origin of European and Central Asian infections.
Scientists still do not know which birds carry the virus silently and which die from it quickly, or how it typically spreads from wild bird to wild bird, or between wild birds and poultry.
Farm-based outbreaks of bird flu still occur constantly in a number of countries, although not in Europe. Ivory Coast had its first outbreak of bird flu, on a farm, last week.
But other countries, like Turkey, have made substantial progress in containing the disease among poultry, Mr. Lubroth said. He added that he hoped that quick measures to limit outbreaks had reduced the virus's spread in Africa.
After the virus was found on farms in Nigeria in January, many specialists expected it to spread rapidly among farms and into wild birds in the region. Apparently, it did not.
"Why didn't it sweep up the coast from Niger, to Benin and Senegal and back up through Europe? Why didn't it hit Africa's big lakes?" Mr. Lubroth asked.
"All we have are a few snapshots of the virus. What we need is a movie of its life cycle."
Internet regulator rejects .xxx domain for adult sites
The Internet's regulatory body rejected a plan to adopt a new ".xxx" domain for sex-oriented websites after heated protests from the United States and elsewhere.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board voted 9-5 against the plan after "much public comment and detailed discussion," according to a statement issued late Wednesday.
The United States last year asked ICANN to postpone the new top-level domain, citing an "unprecedented" level of protests, including some 6,000 letters and e-mails.
ICANN a year ago opened technical and commercial negotiations for the new top-level domain with the .xxx extension, for what was billed as a self-regulated adult-themed area of cyberspace.
Backers of the site argue that use of the .xxx extension would be voluntary, but would create a clearly identifiable area of the Internet that could be blocked for certain users.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board voted 9-5 against the plan after "much public comment and detailed discussion," according to a statement issued late Wednesday.
The United States last year asked ICANN to postpone the new top-level domain, citing an "unprecedented" level of protests, including some 6,000 letters and e-mails.
ICANN a year ago opened technical and commercial negotiations for the new top-level domain with the .xxx extension, for what was billed as a self-regulated adult-themed area of cyberspace.
Backers of the site argue that use of the .xxx extension would be voluntary, but would create a clearly identifiable area of the Internet that could be blocked for certain users.
Iran letter precursor to war?
Analysts say it follows Muhammad's instructions for jihad
Some Middle East observers believe Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush could be a precursor to war, based on a traditional Muslim pattern of offering acceptance of Islam before establishing it by force.
Robert Spencer, editor of Jihad Watch, says Ahmadinejad appears to be following the teachings of Muhammad, who gave specific instructions to followers as they engage in "holy war" against "those who disbelieve in Allah."
In a Hadith, regarded by Muslims as sacred writings about Muhammad, the Islamic prophet says a series of offers should be made to "enemies" to embrace Islam, or at least accept Islamic rule, and if they are rejected, "seek Allah's help and fight them."
In his letter, Ahmadinejad argues only Islam can "overcome the present problems of the world" and asks Bush, "Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets? Mr President, History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive."
Another observer of Islam, journalist Stephen Adams, said the letter seems to parallel a missive from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden to Americans prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Interviewed on the Michael Medved radio show yesterday, Adams noted bin Laden stated his grievances against the United States and gave Americans the opportunity to "repent."
Based on precedent, Adams continued, he expects the next step will be for Iran to make the invitation public. Then the "crimes" of the U.S. will be published and the grievances will be cited at Friday prayers in mosques. Finally, comes a fatwa, amounting to a declaration of war.
Adams, associate editor of Citizen magazine, said it's possible this scenario could unfold in a matter of weeks.
In a column for WorldNetDaily, Middle East analyst Laura Mansfield said she believes the letter could be a "last warning."
Mansfield says the question must be asked: "Why deliver such a letter when there is little chance it will result in policy changes for either country?"
Like Spencer and Adams, she points out: "Islamic theology documents that no attack can be carried out in jihad without first offering the 'unbelievers' the opportunity to 'repent' and accept Islam. Only when that overture is rejected can an attack occur."
The Iranian president has made clear, at least to audiences at home, Tehran's ultimate intentions.
As WorldNetDaily reported in January, Ahmadinejad told a crowd of theological students in Iran's holy city of Qom that Islam must prepare to rule the world.
"We must believe in the fact that Islam is not confined to geographical borders, ethnic groups and nations. It's a universal ideology that leads the world to justice," Ahmadinejad said Jan. 5, according to Mehran Riazaty, a former Iran analyst for the Central Command of the Coalition Forces in Baghdad.
Ahmadinejad, who drew global attention for his contention the Holocaust was a "myth," said: "We don't shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world." Two months earlier, he threatened to "wipe Israel off the map"
Riazaty, in a post on the website Regime Change Iran, said the Iranian president emphasized his current theme that the return of the Shiite messiah, the Mahdi, is not far away, and Muslims must prepare for it.
According to Shiites, the 12th imam disappeared as a child in the year 941. When he returns, they believe, he will reign on earth for seven years, before bringing about a final judgment and the end of the world.
Ahmadinejad is urging Iranians to prepare for the coming of the Mahdi by turning the country into a mighty and advanced Islamic society and by avoiding the corruption and excesses of the West.
"We must prepare ourselves to rule the world and the only way to do that is to put forth views on the basis of the Expectation of the Return," Ahmadinejad said. "If we work on the basis of the Expectation of the Return [of the Mahdi], all the affairs of our nation will be streamlined and the administration of the country will become easier."
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Report: Don't blame storms on warming
Global warming by itself cannot be blamed for the increase in severe Atlantic hurricanes, University of Virginia climate researchers report.
Warm water fuels tropical cyclones. Some hurricane researchers have related warming in the Atlantic basin with greater hurricane severity, pointing to greenhouse-induced atmosphere warming as the cause for the ocean heating.
But hurricanes' ultimate strength is not directly linked to the underlying water temperatures, the Virginia scientists said.
Michaels is a leading skeptic of global warming's potential harm.
To fire off monster hurricanes of Category 3 or stronger, the brewing storm has to move over water with a temperature of at least 83 degrees.
Areas where the water is regularly hotter, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, won't see more intense storms than in the past, Michaels said.
The U.Va. climatologists found that increasing water temperatures account for only about half of the increase in strong hurricanes over the past 25 years.
Michaels believes the increase in hurricane activity beginning in the 1990s is related mainly to variation in the North Atlantic's temperature patterns, not temperature change itself.
While expanding the 83-degree zone ought to produce more severe hurricanes, Michaels said, that expansion would also place the storms farther north in the Atlantic, "where there are very few things to hit."
The Virginia study looked at the water temperatures along the paths of the 205 Atlantic tropical cyclones since 1982, providing a more precise picture of the tropical environment involved in each hurricane's development.
"It is too simplistic to only implicate sea-surface temperatures in the dramatic increase in the number of major hurricanes," said the study's lead author, Patrick J. Michaels.
Warm water fuels tropical cyclones. Some hurricane researchers have related warming in the Atlantic basin with greater hurricane severity, pointing to greenhouse-induced atmosphere warming as the cause for the ocean heating.
But hurricanes' ultimate strength is not directly linked to the underlying water temperatures, the Virginia scientists said.
"There are more severe hurricanes appearing than are explainable by the rise in sea-surface temperatures since the 1990s," said Michaels, a professor of environmental sciences and director of the Virginia Climatology Office.
Michaels is a leading skeptic of global warming's potential harm.
To fire off monster hurricanes of Category 3 or stronger, the brewing storm has to move over water with a temperature of at least 83 degrees.
Areas where the water is regularly hotter, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, won't see more intense storms than in the past, Michaels said.
"At that point, other factors take over," he said, "such as the vertical wind profile, and atmospheric temperature and moisture gradients."
The U.Va. climatologists found that increasing water temperatures account for only about half of the increase in strong hurricanes over the past 25 years.
"We should have had 28 Category 3 storms from the warming" between 1995 and 2005, Michaels said. "Instead we had 42." By comparison, 16 such storms developed between 1982 and 1994.
Michaels believes the increase in hurricane activity beginning in the 1990s is related mainly to variation in the North Atlantic's temperature patterns, not temperature change itself.
"The pattern can appear whether it's cool or whether it's warm," he said.
While expanding the 83-degree zone ought to produce more severe hurricanes, Michaels said, that expansion would also place the storms farther north in the Atlantic, "where there are very few things to hit."
"In the future we may expect to see more major hurricanes," Michaels said, "but we don't expect the ones that do form to be any stronger than the ones that we have seen in the past."
The Virginia study looked at the water temperatures along the paths of the 205 Atlantic tropical cyclones since 1982, providing a more precise picture of the tropical environment involved in each hurricane's development.
Illegals employed to fight fires
Inexperienced, undocumented aliens hired by private contractors
As bright orange embers lofted through the forest, exploding into columns of smoke and flame, Mike Sulffridge and his crew of firefighters began to scramble. Their lives were in danger.
But the reaction of six Latino firefighters working near them could not have been more different. Despite the advancing flames, despite a volley of warning shouts, they did nothing.
Firefighting has always been dangerous. But today, with the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies hiring more private contractors to do the work, a different kind of firefighter is in harm's way: migrant workers who have minimal experience and training, speak little or no English and often are in the country illegally.
Public records offer a glimpse of what crew inspectors have documented: underage workers, counterfeit IDs, falsified training records, a van roll-over, broken and dangerous tools, even a firefighter with only one lung who "went into convulsions ... and was having difficulty breathing," as one federal inspector in Washington put it.
Fewer than a dozen contractors are responsible for most of the problems. Despite that, they are rehired year after year by the government - frustrating contractors with better safety records.
In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General sharply criticized the Forest Service for chronic mismanagement of Latino contract crews.
The audit said the Forest Service had failed to ensure that Latino firefighters are properly qualified and trained - or even that they are legal.
As bright orange embers lofted through the forest, exploding into columns of smoke and flame, Mike Sulffridge and his crew of firefighters began to scramble. Their lives were in danger.
But the reaction of six Latino firefighters working near them could not have been more different. Despite the advancing flames, despite a volley of warning shouts, they did nothing.
"They did not understand English," said Sulffridge, who was hired to battle the wildfire in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah in 2000. "They did not understand what the fire was doing."
Ultimately, the men were rescued. But the fire took a toll. One man was burned badly across his face. "In another few seconds, those guys would have been burned up," Sulffridge said. "They would have died."
Firefighting has always been dangerous. But today, with the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies hiring more private contractors to do the work, a different kind of firefighter is in harm's way: migrant workers who have minimal experience and training, speak little or no English and often are in the country illegally.
Public records offer a glimpse of what crew inspectors have documented: underage workers, counterfeit IDs, falsified training records, a van roll-over, broken and dangerous tools, even a firefighter with only one lung who "went into convulsions ... and was having difficulty breathing," as one federal inspector in Washington put it.
"There's got to be more checks, more accountability and more consequences," said Joe Ferguson, a former Forest Service incident commander who was shocked by problems he encountered involving Latino firefighting crews in 2002.
"The work force in the country is changing - and we have to change with it," Ferguson said. "But that doesn't mean we have to compromise safety in the process."
Fewer than a dozen contractors are responsible for most of the problems. Despite that, they are rehired year after year by the government - frustrating contractors with better safety records.
"There should have been a three strikes and you're out rule adopted 10 years ago," said Nelda Herman, president of GH Ranch L.L.C., an Oregon fire contractor. "We'd be better off today."
In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General sharply criticized the Forest Service for chronic mismanagement of Latino contract crews.
The audit said the Forest Service had failed to ensure that Latino firefighters are properly qualified and trained - or even that they are legal.
"Undocumented workers are a problem on contract firefighting crews," it said.
Immigrant-rights blocs push voter sign-ups
Trying to turn street protests into political power, immigrants rights groups say they are gearing up for a campaign to register 1 million new voters this spring and summer.
The groups, working together as the We Are America Alliance, plan a string of events around the country starting next week, including voter registration drives, citizenship workshops and street rallies.
Organizers also plan to lobby local, state and federal elected officials on immigration issues through phone calls, petitions and faxes. New York's action day will be May 20. A Wednesday news conference was scheduled to outline the local program.
Organizers also are aiming to get hundreds of thousands of people to rally for immigrants rights around the country over Labor Day weekend.
The alliance's members, such as the New York Immigration Coalition and the National Capital Immigration Coalition, have been working for years to reform immigration laws, said Germonique Jones of the Center for Community Change. Most did not support the May 1 work and school boycott and prefer more moderate measures to push for change.
The alliance is being announced this week in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington, D.C.
The immigrant rights movement has grown enormously in recent months, sparked in part by a proposed federal measure that would make it a felony to be in the country illegally.
The groups, working together as the We Are America Alliance, plan a string of events around the country starting next week, including voter registration drives, citizenship workshops and street rallies.
Organizers also plan to lobby local, state and federal elected officials on immigration issues through phone calls, petitions and faxes. New York's action day will be May 20. A Wednesday news conference was scheduled to outline the local program.
"We need to take the energy and the passion of immigrants and their allies and hold elected officials accountable," said Chris Wood, campaign manager for New American Opportunity Campaign, a leading organizer.
Organizers also are aiming to get hundreds of thousands of people to rally for immigrants rights around the country over Labor Day weekend.
The alliance's members, such as the New York Immigration Coalition and the National Capital Immigration Coalition, have been working for years to reform immigration laws, said Germonique Jones of the Center for Community Change. Most did not support the May 1 work and school boycott and prefer more moderate measures to push for change.
The alliance is being announced this week in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington, D.C.
The immigrant rights movement has grown enormously in recent months, sparked in part by a proposed federal measure that would make it a felony to be in the country illegally.
Arizona posse rounding up illegals
Four Mexican men sit in the dirt with their wrists bound, shoulders hunched and eyes lowered to avoid the glare of the rising sun.
The immigrants had been on their way to build a dairy farm in this town about an hour southwest of Phoenix. But after a traffic stop for a faulty brake light, members of a sheriff's task force targeting human and drug smugglers found they were not U.S. citizens. Now they were bound for federal custody.
Beginning Wednesday, more illegal immigrants coming through Maricopa County could meet the same fate as the sheriff's department beefs up its efforts to find illegal immigrants.
A 250-member posse that will operate similarly to the anti-smuggler task force will patrol the area for illegal immigrants who pay smugglers to cross through Arizona, the busiest illegal entry point along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
The posse will be made up of existing sheriff's deputies and members of the department's 3,000-member posse reserve of trained, unpaid volunteers.
The four illegal immigrants pulled over Monday will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sent back to Mexico. But those that are captured by the posse may end up in jail, charged under a state law that has been used against more than 100 illegal immigrants in Maricopa County this year.
The law made human smuggling a state crime in Arizona - it was already a federal crime - allowing local law enforcement agencies to arrest suspected smugglers. It was meant to crack down on smugglers, but under a disputed interpretation, County Attorney Andrew Thomas argues the law can be applied to the smuggled immigrants themselves.
Thomas maintains illegal immigrants who pay smugglers to enter the United States are committing conspiracy to smuggle and can therefore be prosecuted under the state law.
The sheriff's office began arresting illegal immigrants under that interpretation in March, and with the new posse, will continue doing so by patrolling desert areas and main roadways in the southwestern part of the county.
It remains to be seen whether a judge will uphold the smuggling law as applicable to illegal immigrants. Lawyers for some arrested illegal immigrants have filed motions to have the charges dismissed.
A Los Angeles attorney brought into the case by the Mexican Consul General's Office in Phoenix filed another motion claiming Thomas and Arpaio are violating state and federal law and are using the conspiracy charges to control illegal immigration, which is the federal government's job.
Arpaio said the motions don't worry him.
Alfredo Gutierrez, a Hispanic activist and former Democratic state senator, called Thomas' interpretation of the law and Arpaio's use of it "political pranks."
Elias Bermudez, president of the pro-immigrant group Inmigrantes Sin Fronteras, or Immigrants Without Borders, questions the legality of the immigration posse itself.
The immigrants had been on their way to build a dairy farm in this town about an hour southwest of Phoenix. But after a traffic stop for a faulty brake light, members of a sheriff's task force targeting human and drug smugglers found they were not U.S. citizens. Now they were bound for federal custody.
Beginning Wednesday, more illegal immigrants coming through Maricopa County could meet the same fate as the sheriff's department beefs up its efforts to find illegal immigrants.
A 250-member posse that will operate similarly to the anti-smuggler task force will patrol the area for illegal immigrants who pay smugglers to cross through Arizona, the busiest illegal entry point along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
The posse will be made up of existing sheriff's deputies and members of the department's 3,000-member posse reserve of trained, unpaid volunteers.
The four illegal immigrants pulled over Monday will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sent back to Mexico. But those that are captured by the posse may end up in jail, charged under a state law that has been used against more than 100 illegal immigrants in Maricopa County this year.
The law made human smuggling a state crime in Arizona - it was already a federal crime - allowing local law enforcement agencies to arrest suspected smugglers. It was meant to crack down on smugglers, but under a disputed interpretation, County Attorney Andrew Thomas argues the law can be applied to the smuggled immigrants themselves.
Thomas maintains illegal immigrants who pay smugglers to enter the United States are committing conspiracy to smuggle and can therefore be prosecuted under the state law.
The sheriff's office began arresting illegal immigrants under that interpretation in March, and with the new posse, will continue doing so by patrolling desert areas and main roadways in the southwestern part of the county.
"I'm going to catch as many as I can and throw them in my jail," said Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "And the jails are not that nice."
It remains to be seen whether a judge will uphold the smuggling law as applicable to illegal immigrants. Lawyers for some arrested illegal immigrants have filed motions to have the charges dismissed.
A Los Angeles attorney brought into the case by the Mexican Consul General's Office in Phoenix filed another motion claiming Thomas and Arpaio are violating state and federal law and are using the conspiracy charges to control illegal immigration, which is the federal government's job.
Arpaio said the motions don't worry him.
"I get sued when I go to the toilet. You think I'm worried about it?" he said. "If they think I'm going to slow down because of these threats, I've got news for them - I'm not going to slow down. I'll do more of it."
Alfredo Gutierrez, a Hispanic activist and former Democratic state senator, called Thomas' interpretation of the law and Arpaio's use of it "political pranks."
"Every act like this contributes to the angst and anger and desperation in our community," Gutierrez said.
Elias Bermudez, president of the pro-immigrant group Inmigrantes Sin Fronteras, or Immigrants Without Borders, questions the legality of the immigration posse itself.
"It is racial profiling," he said. "They don't follow guys that are blond and blue-eyed."
Bermudez said Arpaio is "a good criminal sheriff, but he needs to go out there and find criminals. He wants to go after the poor, undocumented immigrant who is hungry and thirsty in the desert. That is totally inhumane."
Al-Qaida in league with Mexican radicals
Al-Qaida in league with Mexican radicals in plot to penetrate U.S., says MI6 report
Britain's secret intelligence service, MI6, has established the first proof al-Qaida is playing a major role in the new Cold War between North and South America � with Osama bin Laden's terror network seeing itself in league with Mexican subversives in infiltrating the U.S. border.
The evidence emerged as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez swash-buckled into London after scoring a win in yet another venomous battle with Washington for influence and economic advantage across the Latin American continent.
In the words of a MI6 memo, the situation "is a new and dangerous threat to stability that is also being exploited by al-Qaida."
Details of al-Qaeda's penetration into Latin America emerged from documents discovered during recent anti-terrorist operations in Pakistan to try and locate Osama bin Laden.
The documents included evidence that al-Qaida has established links with the Colombian terror group, FARC, and the Shining Path, SL, in Peru. They also reveal al-Qaida's links with thousands of Muslim students in the Dominican Republic.
Another Pakistani document shows the links between al-Qaida and Mexico's Popular Revolutionary Army, EPR. The documents reveal that al-Qaida sees EPR as collaborators in attacks in Mexico on foreign targets � "especially those of the United States and Britain." It also says that EPR can play a key role in allowing al-Qaida operatives to enter the United States through the busiest land crossing in the world � Tijuana.
Another document reveals that along Peru's border with Chile "a large Arab community is providing substantial sums of money for al-Qaida."
But the closest links al-Qaida has are with Venezuela. Exploiting Chavez's latest tirade against the Bush administration, al-Qaida is firmly entrenched in the country.
The documents discovered in Pakistan have become of prime concern to MI6 � given Britain's substantial holdings in Latin America. These could be seriously damaged by what one MI6 officer called "Chavez and his rogue's gallery of sinister wannabees and corrupt opportunists."
Chavez has so far spectacularly avoided Washington's efforts to curb his ambitions. He has warned Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, "I sting those who rattle me."
It is over threats like that MI6 analysts try to decipher how far Chavez will allow al-Qaida to be his sting master.
Already MI6 say that Venezuela is now one of the main conduits for trafficking drugs to Europe � and al-Qaida is a major player.
Deep inside their headquarters overlooking the River Thames, the MI6 analysts work in a room that is accessed by a swipe card, the codes of which change regularly.
The room houses the Terrorist Attack Assessment Center. Inside its computer-lined walls and state-of-the-art communications, analysts sit at workstations around the clock. TAAC is directly linked to the Pentagon and the CIA. Both have their versions of TAAC.
The MI6 department regularly updates its director general, John Scarlett. He is the quintessential English spymaster. In his customized suits and hand-stitched cotton shirts, he has a touch of the James Bond about his sartorial elegance.
He is taking a close interest in the documents that indicate how al-Qaida sees Latin America as a continent where it can expand its activities.
MI6 analysts have established that the documents are the work of Ayman al-Zawahiri, a founder member of al-Qaida and accepted by Western intelligence services as its prime strategist next to bin Laden.
Al-Zawahiri studied in Paris and London to become a recognized authority in behavioral psychology. After graduating from Cairo University he traveled widely.
An MI6 file confirms a Mossad profile of the heavily bearded psychiatrist � that he is arrogant and takes an obsessive pleasure watching film of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 � when he first emerged from the shadows to sit alongside bin Laden.
Both MI6 and Mossad believe al-Zawahiri made several visits to Latin America during the last decade.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Key Obstacle in Forming Iraq Govt Resolved
Iraq's prime minister-designate said Tuesday the main stumbling blocks to forming a new Cabinet have been overcome and he expects to present his team to parliament for approval by the end of the week.
Nouri al-Maliki said representatives of the country's political parties had agreed on what factions would hold the "main posts" but were still discussing the distribution of "a few" of them. Those included the ministries of oil, trade and transportation, he said.
The incoming prime minister declined to spell out the distribution of ministries, including key posts of interior, which controls police, and defense, which runs the army. U.S. and British officials have insisted those posts go to people without ties to sectarian militias, believed responsible for many of the revenge killings of Sunnis and Shiites.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite, said he hoped to present the Cabinet to parliament by the end of the week. Parliament must approve each minister by a majority vote.
Since he was nominated prime minister last month, Al-Maliki has struggled to complete the final step in establishing the new Iraqi government.
U.S. officials hope the formation of a unity government will help calm sectarian tensions, lure Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency and eventually allow the withdrawal of some American forces.
"The direction we took, and which was agreed upon by the political groups, was that the two who will occupy these posts be independent and unaffiliated with a party or a militia," he said at a news conference.
Nouri al-Maliki said representatives of the country's political parties had agreed on what factions would hold the "main posts" but were still discussing the distribution of "a few" of them. Those included the ministries of oil, trade and transportation, he said.
The incoming prime minister declined to spell out the distribution of ministries, including key posts of interior, which controls police, and defense, which runs the army. U.S. and British officials have insisted those posts go to people without ties to sectarian militias, believed responsible for many of the revenge killings of Sunnis and Shiites.
Al-Maliki, a Shiite, said he hoped to present the Cabinet to parliament by the end of the week. Parliament must approve each minister by a majority vote.
Since he was nominated prime minister last month, Al-Maliki has struggled to complete the final step in establishing the new Iraqi government.
U.S. officials hope the formation of a unity government will help calm sectarian tensions, lure Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency and eventually allow the withdrawal of some American forces.
"The direction we took, and which was agreed upon by the political groups, was that the two who will occupy these posts be independent and unaffiliated with a party or a militia," he said at a news conference.
China Concerned U.N. Resolution Will Bring War With Iran
China expressed concern Monday that a proposed U.N. resolution to curb Iran's nuclear program could lead to a new war and it urged Britain and France to eliminate any reference to possible future sanctions or military action against Tehran.
Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya remained adamant in his opposition to putting the resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which sets out actions to respond to threats to international peace and security ranging from breaking diplomatic relations to arms embargoes, economic sanctions and the use of force.
Britain and France, who are sponsoring the resolution which is strongly backed by the United States, insist the resolution must be under Chapter 7 to make legally binding its demand that Tehran suspend uranium enrichment.
But Wang disagreed, saying China takes the view that all Security Council resolutions are legally binding and there is no need for a reference to Chapter 7 "because Chapter 7 is about enforcement measures."
Did Wang believe that a Chapter 7 resolution could lead the Security Council further down a path that led to the Iraq war?
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared in 2002 that Iran had been conducting secret nuclear activities for decades, though it has never said Tehran has a weapons program.
Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya remained adamant in his opposition to putting the resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which sets out actions to respond to threats to international peace and security ranging from breaking diplomatic relations to arms embargoes, economic sanctions and the use of force.
Britain and France, who are sponsoring the resolution which is strongly backed by the United States, insist the resolution must be under Chapter 7 to make legally binding its demand that Tehran suspend uranium enrichment.
But Wang disagreed, saying China takes the view that all Security Council resolutions are legally binding and there is no need for a reference to Chapter 7 "because Chapter 7 is about enforcement measures."
"I believe it is time since the Iranians have not cooperated, have not complied, have not responded positively - so I think a Security Council resolution is needed," he said. "But I think that the resolution has to be (an) appropriate resolution."
Did Wang believe that a Chapter 7 resolution could lead the Security Council further down a path that led to the Iraq war?
"Yes, this is a concern," the Chinese ambassador replied.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said after an informal council meeting Saturday that the United States isn't prepared "to extend these negotiations endlessly" and wants a vote this week, with or without Chinese and Russian support.
"We are still working to achieve unanimity ... but we're prepared to go to a vote without it," he said.
Wang said China hopes "that the co-sponsors can redraft their resolution and come up with a draft that could have the support of the whole council."
"I hope that in the next two or three days we can come up with the language with the intention of the resolution that could unify the whole council," he said.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, declared in 2002 that Iran had been conducting secret nuclear activities for decades, though it has never said Tehran has a weapons program.
'Iran can also be wiped off the map'
Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Monday that
Peres's vehement expressions came the same day that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote to US President George W. Bush proposing "new solutions" to their differences in the first letter from an Iranian leader to an American president in 27 years, Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said Monday.
Peres did not say who should act against Iran if it continues with its nuclear program, but implied military action should be led by the United States, pointing to the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Israeli officials have indicated that Israel would join any international operation against Iran.
Peres urged China and Russia to join Western efforts to impose sanctions on Iran. The two countries have been reluctant to back such proposals in the UN Security Council. If all world powers are united against Iran, military action can be avoided, Peres said.
"the president of Iran should remember that Iran can also be wiped off the map."
"Teheran is making a mockery of the international community's efforts to solve the crisis surrounding Iran's nuclear program," Peres told Reuters, adding that "Iran presents a danger to the entire world, not just to us."
Peres's vehement expressions came the same day that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote to US President George W. Bush proposing "new solutions" to their differences in the first letter from an Iranian leader to an American president in 27 years, Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said Monday.
Peres did not say who should act against Iran if it continues with its nuclear program, but implied military action should be led by the United States, pointing to the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Israeli officials have indicated that Israel would join any international operation against Iran.
Peres urged China and Russia to join Western efforts to impose sanctions on Iran. The two countries have been reluctant to back such proposals in the UN Security Council. If all world powers are united against Iran, military action can be avoided, Peres said.
"We can prevent all of this threat, without weapons, if there will be unity," Peres said, adding that the Security Council had to act on the matter. "If the crucial moment comes and they are incapable of taking [action] or making a policy...then they endanger their existence as an important world body," he said.
Reaction to Announcement of CIA Nominee
Statements in response to President Bush's nomination of Gen. Michael Hayden to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency:
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"Mike knows our intelligence community from the ground up. He has been both a provider and a consumer of intelligence. He's overseen the development of both human and technological intelligence. He has demonstrated an ability to adapt our intelligence services to the new challenges in the war on terror. He's the right man to lead the CIA at this critical moment in our nation's history." - President Bush.
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"In the confirmation process, I look forward to meeting with the leaders of the Congress, better understanding their concerns and working with them to move the American intelligence community forward. This is simply too important not to get absolutely right." - Gen. Michael Hayden.
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"I believe that the president has selected the best person, civilian or military, to lead the CIA during this critical period ... I simply cannot imagine anyone better, today and into the future." - John Negroponte, national intelligence director.
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"Gen. Hayden is a very qualified nominee with a long history of service to his country. He's run one of the most important programs in the war on terror, a key effort to try and make America safer. I look forward to his prompt confirmation by the Senate." - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.
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"Gen. Hayden is smart and well-qualified, with a lot of good experience. I look forward to the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings, but my inclination is to support him." - Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
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"During his time as director of the National Security Agency, Michael V. Hayden implemented an illegal domestic spying program in clear violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. ... The Senate must not confirm anyone to this important post who would break the law to spy on American citizens." - Ralph G. Neas, president of the liberal People for the American Way.
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"He understands intelligence and he's a good leader that can guide a large organization through change. We have to rebuild our human intelligence capabilities and I believe Mike can help us continue on that path. It shouldn't surprise anyone that some of our nation's finest leaders come from the United States military." - Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who chairs the House Intelligence panel that oversees the NSA.
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"The CIA is the nation's premier, all-source civilian intelligence agency and that is what it should remain. There is no question that General Hayden is an outstanding military officer and a strong leader with a proven history in the Intelligence Community leading to his current position in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence." - Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
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"Despite the presidents statements that he wants to bring fresh ideas and better management to the administration, the president just keeps the same crowd around him and switches their job titles." - Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
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"To send a signal of independence from the Pentagon, Gen. Hayden may want to consider retiring from the Air Force. That would put to rest questions about whether an active duty military officer should lead the CIA at this time." - Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Hayden Unafraid to Confront Controversy
Michael Hayden doesn't run from a fight, which is just what seemingly awaits the 61-year-old Air Force general, who was nominated Monday as new CIA chief.
Weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the then-head of the National Security Agency was telling intelligence-gathering teams how they would fight back: White House-approved electronic monitoring, without court orders, of the international calls and e-mails of people in the United States when terrorism was suspected.
When the New York Times disclosed the program in December, triggering an uproar over its legality, Hayden plunged right in, defending the surveillance in a speech at the National Press Club.
Hayden ran the super-secretive NSA from 1999 until last year, when he became the top deputy to the new national intelligence director, John Negroponte, who oversees the CIA and 15 other intelligence agencies.
It could prove a contentious battle to switch to the CIA, given the reaction from lawmakers on the Sunday talk shows. They said the CIA is a civilian agency and putting Hayden atop it would concentrate too much power in the military for intelligence matters.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the Judiciary Committee chairman, also spoke of using the Senate's role in the nomination process as "leverage" in finding out more than the Bush administration has provided so far about the warrantless monitoring.
But Hayden has shown he is not one to shy away from difficult situations.
Matthew Aid, a historian who is writing a book on the NSA, said when a deputy director resisted change at the agency, Hayden sent her to London to fill a liaison job with the British.
Hayden's public defense of the warrantless surveillance program showed his aggressiveness and his ability to dispense with a general's jargon.
Even critics of the surveillance praise his clarity. For them, the problem is in the message.
Harman said Hayden loves Shakespeare and, with their spouses, attended a play at Washington's Shakespeare Theater.
Hayden had a blue-collar upbringing in Pittsburgh. There was his father's work at a manufacturing company; his brother's employment as a truck driver; Hayden's part-time job as a cabbie to make ends meet after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Duquesne University.
He had Air Force assignments in Bulgaria, South Korea and Germany.
In his defense of the surveillance program at the National Press Club. Hayden sounded like he was speaking to ordinary Americans, not official Washington.
James Bamford, who has written two books on the NSA, said if Hayden gets the CIA job, he once would again have to overhaul an intelligence agency that has low morale and is trying to find its place in the fight against terrorism.
Weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the then-head of the National Security Agency was telling intelligence-gathering teams how they would fight back: White House-approved electronic monitoring, without court orders, of the international calls and e-mails of people in the United States when terrorism was suspected.
When the New York Times disclosed the program in December, triggering an uproar over its legality, Hayden plunged right in, defending the surveillance in a speech at the National Press Club.
"Frankly, people in my line of work generally don't like to talk about what they've done until it becomes a subject on the History Channel," Hayden said. "But let me make one thing very clear. As challenging as this morning might be, this is the speech I want to give."
Hayden ran the super-secretive NSA from 1999 until last year, when he became the top deputy to the new national intelligence director, John Negroponte, who oversees the CIA and 15 other intelligence agencies.
It could prove a contentious battle to switch to the CIA, given the reaction from lawmakers on the Sunday talk shows. They said the CIA is a civilian agency and putting Hayden atop it would concentrate too much power in the military for intelligence matters.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the Judiciary Committee chairman, also spoke of using the Senate's role in the nomination process as "leverage" in finding out more than the Bush administration has provided so far about the warrantless monitoring.
But Hayden has shown he is not one to shy away from difficult situations.
Matthew Aid, a historian who is writing a book on the NSA, said when a deputy director resisted change at the agency, Hayden sent her to London to fill a liaison job with the British.
Hayden's public defense of the warrantless surveillance program showed his aggressiveness and his ability to dispense with a general's jargon.
Even critics of the surveillance praise his clarity. For them, the problem is in the message.
"I think he is part of the White House spin machine on the NSA program," said California Rep. Jane Harman, who has known Hayden for years and is the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. But, she said, he does an excellent job in his briefings.
Harman said Hayden loves Shakespeare and, with their spouses, attended a play at Washington's Shakespeare Theater.
Hayden had a blue-collar upbringing in Pittsburgh. There was his father's work at a manufacturing company; his brother's employment as a truck driver; Hayden's part-time job as a cabbie to make ends meet after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Duquesne University.
He had Air Force assignments in Bulgaria, South Korea and Germany.
In his defense of the surveillance program at the National Press Club. Hayden sounded like he was speaking to ordinary Americans, not official Washington.
"These are communications that we have reason to believe are al-Qaida communications, a judgment made by American intelligence professionals, not folks like me or political appointees," he said.
"So let me make this clear. When you're talking to your daughter at state college, this program cannot intercept your conversations. And when she takes a semester abroad to complete her Arabic studies, this program will not intercept your communications," Hayden said.
James Bamford, who has written two books on the NSA, said if Hayden gets the CIA job, he once would again have to overhaul an intelligence agency that has low morale and is trying to find its place in the fight against terrorism.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Five Witnesses Say Joe Wilson Outed Valerie Plame
In a development that got no media play over the weekend, Lewis 'Scooter' Libby's defense lawyer announced on Friday that he has located five witnesses who will testify that Joe Wilson outed his wife Valerie Plame as a CIA employee before Robert Novak did so in his July 2003 column.
Wells said that he expects Leakgate Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to call Wilson to testify in a bid to salvage his case.
Reacting to the news on Friday, Wilson declined to deny the allegation, suggesting instead that it no longer mattered who first outed his wife.
According to the NationalReviewOnline's Byron York, Libby's lawyer Ted Wells told the court that his witnesses "will say under oath that Mr. Wilson told them his wife worked for the CIA."
Wells said that he expects Leakgate Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to call Wilson to testify in a bid to salvage his case.
Reacting to the news on Friday, Wilson declined to deny the allegation, suggesting instead that it no longer mattered who first outed his wife.
"The last I heard, this is case is about allegations Mr. Libby lied, perjured himself before the FBI, special prosecutor and grand jury and obstructed justice," he told CNN in a statement. "None of those charges of which he's been indicted has anything to do with me."
Oil falls over $1 on Iran letter to Bush
Oil fell over $1 on Monday on hopes tension over Iran's nuclear ambition will ease after Tehran made an unprecedented move to contact Washington.
U.S. light crude for June delivery was down $1.10 to $69.10 a barrel by 1330 GMT. London Brent crude fell $1.06 to $69.89 a barrel.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to President Bush, Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said.
The letter is the first publicly announced personal communication from an Iranian Premier to a U.S. President since ties between the two countries were broken after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The price of oil has risen over $8 to date this year as investors worry the Iran dispute may eventually lead to disruption to oil output from OPEC's second largest producer.
But the oil price has fallen $5 from record highs touched two weeks ago after concerns about U.S. gasoline supplies eased last week when motor fuel inventories rose.
U.S. light crude for June delivery was down $1.10 to $69.10 a barrel by 1330 GMT. London Brent
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to President Bush, Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said.
"In this letter, he has given an analysis of the current world situation, of the root of existing problems and of new ways of getting out of the current vulnerable situation in the world," he said.
The letter is the first publicly announced personal communication from an Iranian Premier to a U.S. President since ties between the two countries were broken after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"The news from Iran is certainly bearish, at least immediately anyway. But the extent of how bearish it is going to be depends on the content of the letter, which no one knows as yet," said Tetsu Emori, the chief commodities strategist at Mitsui Bussan Futures.
The price of oil has risen over $8 to date this year as investors worry the Iran dispute may eventually lead to disruption to oil output from OPEC's second largest producer.
But the oil price has fallen $5 from record highs touched two weeks ago after concerns about U.S. gasoline supplies eased last week when motor fuel inventories rose.
North Korea trying to weaponize bird flu
Bio-warfare experts call it potentially 'greatest threat al-Qaida could unleash'
The pariah state of North Korea is trying to weaponize the bird flu virus, making it the ideal threat for al-Qaida, the British intelligence agency MI6 has learned.
The Bush administration has given briefings classified "Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information" to members of Congress and the Senate on the threat.
In aerosol form it would be undetectable at all border crossings and virologists at Porton Down � Britain's research center responsible for developing antidotes against biological attacks � fear that a genetically engineered version of the virus would be far more lethal than any current threat from the virus.
The decision to keep the briefing secret has led to fierce criticism from public health officials in the United States.
Scientists in America have recently recreated the Spanish flu virus that killed 50 million people in 1918. The full genetic sequence was published in specialist magazines earlier this year and is available via the Internet.
North Korea's biological warfare program is now the largest in the world. Among its 300,000 scientists, technicians and laboratory assistants are some 800 scientists who worked on the Russian bio-warfare program, Biopreperat. Some of them had been trying to exploit the 1918 Spanish flu virus as a potential weapon.
When Biopreperat collapsed with the end of the Soviet Union, a number of its staff were recruited by North Korea. In return for huge salaries they were given a comfortable lifestyle and unlimited research facilities to continue their work.
A high-ranking defector from North Korea's Academy of Sciences has told intelligence officers that the research to weaponize the virus is now a priority. The project is under the control of the country's top geneticist and head of its biological warfare program.
Dr. Yi Yong Su, 54, is known to have a close relationship with Kim Jong II, the country's supreme leader. A CIA profile describes her as conducting terminal experiments with anthrax on prisoners.
She has assigned eight research centers to work on various aspects of successfully weaponizing the bird flu virus.
One center is concerned with researching cereal rust spores, a disease which attacks crops. The spores are dusted on to the feathers of homing pigeons. When they return to their coops, they are checked to see how long the spores remain on their feathers.
But the sophisticated research on bird flu is being conducted at Institute 398 at Singam-Ri, south of the capital Pyongyang.
U.S. satellite images show the area is ring-fenced by three battalions of soldiers. Only visible above ground are a cluster of concrete-block buildings and fuel storage tanks.
The defector has said the laboratories, including two dealing with the latest molecular biological technology, are hidden far below ground.
The pariah state of North Korea is trying to weaponize the bird flu virus, making it the ideal threat for al-Qaida, the British intelligence agency MI6 has learned.
The Bush administration has given briefings classified "Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information" to members of Congress and the Senate on the threat.
In aerosol form it would be undetectable at all border crossings and virologists at Porton Down � Britain's research center responsible for developing antidotes against biological attacks � fear that a genetically engineered version of the virus would be far more lethal than any current threat from the virus.
World ranking experts have said that it would be "the greatest threat al-Qaida could unleash."
In an exclusive interview, Dr. Ken Allibek, the former director of the Soviet Union's biowarfare program, Biopreperat, who is now a senior adviser to the Bush administration on bio-defense, said: "The threat of a weaponized bird flu virus cannot be over emphasised. It would be the most terrible weapon in the hands of a terrorist. The advantage for al-Qaida is that an aerosolized weapon would be impossible to detect from one spread naturally by birds. But a lab-produced virus would be far more lethal."
Professor Peter Openshaw, a leading virologist at Imperial College, London, called it: "more terrifying than engineered smallpox. That would be relatively easy to contain because there is a vaccine. But with improvements in laboratory technology, it's becoming much easier to engineer these viruses. It's becoming a terrible concern."
A CIA document presented by Goss showed that the World Health Organization has warned the virus would affect one-fifth of the world's population "with 30 million requiring hospitalisation and at least 2 million people could die."
The decision to keep the briefing secret has led to fierce criticism from public health officials in the United States.
Dr. Irwin Redlener, a director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness in Washington, said: "This is Cold War secrecy being applied to a public health issue. The truth is that the United States is seriously unprepared to cope with an avian flu outbreak � the more so if it is terrorist inspired."
Professor Hugh Pennington, a leading microbiologist at Aberdeen University, Scotland, said: "A clever molecular biologist could also try to mix the virus with other viruses so that it could spread person to person, which would be the greatest threat."
Scientists in America have recently recreated the Spanish flu virus that killed 50 million people in 1918. The full genetic sequence was published in specialist magazines earlier this year and is available via the Internet.
Openshaw said: "The sequence of the 1918 strain has just been published and there are obvious security concerns. There are many labs around the world that would be capable of recreating the same virus."
North Korea's biological warfare program is now the largest in the world. Among its 300,000 scientists, technicians and laboratory assistants are some 800 scientists who worked on the Russian bio-warfare program, Biopreperat. Some of them had been trying to exploit the 1918 Spanish flu virus as a potential weapon.
When Biopreperat collapsed with the end of the Soviet Union, a number of its staff were recruited by North Korea. In return for huge salaries they were given a comfortable lifestyle and unlimited research facilities to continue their work.
A high-ranking defector from North Korea's Academy of Sciences has told intelligence officers that the research to weaponize the virus is now a priority. The project is under the control of the country's top geneticist and head of its biological warfare program.
Dr. Yi Yong Su, 54, is known to have a close relationship with Kim Jong II, the country's supreme leader. A CIA profile describes her as conducting terminal experiments with anthrax on prisoners.
She has assigned eight research centers to work on various aspects of successfully weaponizing the bird flu virus.
One center is concerned with researching cereal rust spores, a disease which attacks crops. The spores are dusted on to the feathers of homing pigeons. When they return to their coops, they are checked to see how long the spores remain on their feathers.
But the sophisticated research on bird flu is being conducted at Institute 398 at Singam-Ri, south of the capital Pyongyang.
U.S. satellite images show the area is ring-fenced by three battalions of soldiers. Only visible above ground are a cluster of concrete-block buildings and fuel storage tanks.
The defector has said the laboratories, including two dealing with the latest molecular biological technology, are hidden far below ground.
Brit MI6 confirms bin Laden nukes
Pakistani scientists reportedly advising al-Qaida on weaponization of uranium it has obtained
MI6, Britain's secret intelligence service, has identified six Pakistani scientists working in Iran's nuclear bomb program who have been "advising al-Qaida on how to weaponize fissionable materials it has now obtained."
MI6 and the International Atomic Energy Agency believe the scientists have played a major role in enabling Iran to be "well advanced in providing uranium enriched materials for nuclear bombs," said Alexander Cirilovic, a nuclear terrorism expert in Paris.
Both high-level MI6 and CIA sources have confirmed the scientists would only have been allowed to assist al-Qaida with the authority of Iran's unpredictable President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The revelation comes at a time when Washington has increased pressure on Tehran to give up its nuclear weapons program.
The scientists worked for Dr. A.Q. Khan, the "father of the Islamic bomb," who is now under house arrest in Pakistan after confessing he had provided both Iran and North Korea with details of how to make their own nuclear bombs.
The MI6 report to other intelligence services followed bin Laden's recent threats to unleash a new wave of terror � with Britain and the United States his prime targets.
Recently, from his lair in north Pakistan, bin Laden boasted that "al-Qaida did not find it difficult to obtain the weapons grade material. We have contacts in Russia with other militant groups. Enough material to make a tactical nuke is available for �15 million."
Former CIA operative David Dastych, a G2B contributor from Poland and one of the agency's experts on nuclear terrorism, said: "The traffic in nuclear materials is ongoing and growing."
Bin Laden's material is hidden somewhere in the mountain fastness between Iran and Afghanistan.
Its proximity to Iran's own nuclear facilities has made it easy for the Pakistani scientists to assist al-Qaida.
Like Khan, all are strong al-Qaida supporters. One, Bashiruddin Mahmood, was briefly arrested in 2004 by the Pakistan intelligence service.
He said he had met the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar and a high-ranking al-Qaida operative.
Despite a CIA request to have him transferred to the United States for further questioning, Mahmood was set free. Shortly afterward he fled from Pakistan to Iran.
With him went five other senior scientists at the Khan laboratories. They were Muhammad Zubair, Saeed Akhhter, Murad Qasim, Imtaz Baig and Waheed Nasir.
MI6, Britain's secret intelligence service, has identified six Pakistani scientists working in Iran's nuclear bomb program who have been "advising al-Qaida on how to weaponize fissionable materials it has now obtained."
MI6 and the International Atomic Energy Agency believe the scientists have played a major role in enabling Iran to be "well advanced in providing uranium enriched materials for nuclear bombs," said Alexander Cirilovic, a nuclear terrorism expert in Paris.
Both high-level MI6 and CIA sources have confirmed the scientists would only have been allowed to assist al-Qaida with the authority of Iran's unpredictable President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The revelation comes at a time when Washington has increased pressure on Tehran to give up its nuclear weapons program.
The scientists worked for Dr. A.Q. Khan, the "father of the Islamic bomb," who is now under house arrest in Pakistan after confessing he had provided both Iran and North Korea with details of how to make their own nuclear bombs.
The MI6 report to other intelligence services followed bin Laden's recent threats to unleash a new wave of terror � with Britain and the United States his prime targets.
Recently, from his lair in north Pakistan, bin Laden boasted that "al-Qaida did not find it difficult to obtain the weapons grade material. We have contacts in Russia with other militant groups. Enough material to make a tactical nuke is available for �15 million."
Former CIA operative David Dastych, a G2B contributor from Poland and one of the agency's experts on nuclear terrorism, said: "The traffic in nuclear materials is ongoing and growing."
Bin Laden's material is hidden somewhere in the mountain fastness between Iran and Afghanistan.
Its proximity to Iran's own nuclear facilities has made it easy for the Pakistani scientists to assist al-Qaida.
Like Khan, all are strong al-Qaida supporters. One, Bashiruddin Mahmood, was briefly arrested in 2004 by the Pakistan intelligence service.
He said he had met the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar and a high-ranking al-Qaida operative.
In his statement Mahmood admitted: "They had asked me to devise a radiological bomb. It would be constructed from nuclear material wrapped in conventional high explosive which bin Laden had obtained from a nuclear storage site in Uzbekistan. I refused to do so."
Despite a CIA request to have him transferred to the United States for further questioning, Mahmood was set free. Shortly afterward he fled from Pakistan to Iran.
With him went five other senior scientists at the Khan laboratories. They were Muhammad Zubair, Saeed Akhhter, Murad Qasim, Imtaz Baig and Waheed Nasir.
"Depending on the quality of the fissionable material bin Laden has obtained, the combined scientific skills would be able to create considerably more than a "dirty bomb," said Cirilovic.
Tehran threatens to quit nuke treaty
Iran renewed its threats to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty on Sunday, with its president saying sanctions would be "meaningless" and its parliament seeking to put a final end to unannounced inspections of its nuclear facilities.
The comments recalled the case of North Korea, which left the treaty in 2003. Last year Pyongyang declared it had nuclear weapons _ unlike Tehran, which says its nuclear program is only for generating electricity.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would not hesitate to reconsider NPT membership, speaking as Washington and its allies pressed for a U.N. Security Council vote to suspend Tehran's uranium enrichment program.
Iran's parliament made similar threats in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan read on state-run radio, saying the dispute over Iran's nuclear program must be resolved "peacefully, (or) there will be no option for the parliament but to ask the government to withdraw its signature" from a protocol to the NPT allowing for intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities.
The Iranian letter also said parliament might order Ahmadinejad's government to review procedures for pulling out of the nuclear treaty, which signatories may do if they decide extraordinary events have jeopardized their "supreme interests."
The comments recalled the case of North Korea, which left the treaty in 2003. Last year Pyongyang declared it had nuclear weapons _ unlike Tehran, which says its nuclear program is only for generating electricity.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would not hesitate to reconsider NPT membership, speaking as Washington and its allies pressed for a U.N. Security Council vote to suspend Tehran's uranium enrichment program.
"If a signature on an international treaty causes the rights of a nation be violated, that nation will reconsider its decision and that treaty will be invalid," he told the official news agency IRNA.
Iran's parliament made similar threats in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan read on state-run radio, saying the dispute over Iran's nuclear program must be resolved "peacefully, (or) there will be no option for the parliament but to ask the government to withdraw its signature" from a protocol to the NPT allowing for intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities.
The Iranian letter also said parliament might order Ahmadinejad's government to review procedures for pulling out of the nuclear treaty, which signatories may do if they decide extraordinary events have jeopardized their "supreme interests."
President Bush, in an interview with ARD German television, said "an armed Iran will be a threat to peace. It will be a threat to peace in the Middle East, it will create a sense of blackmail, it will encourage other nations to feel like they need to have a nuclear weapon. And so it's essential that we succeed diplomatically."
Iran's leader writes to President Bush
Proposes 'new solutions for getting out of international problems'
Iran's leader has written to President Bush proposing "new solutions" to their differences in the first letter from an Iranian head of state to an American president in 27 years, a government spokesman said Monday.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki delivered the letter to the Swiss ambassador on Monday, ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told The Associated Press. The Swiss Embassy in Tehran houses a U.S. interests section.
In the letter, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposes "new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation of the world," spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham told a news conference.
Elham declined to reveal more, stressing "it is not an open letter." Asked whether the letter could lead to direct U.S.-Iranian negotiations, he replied: "For the time being, it's just a letter."
Elham did not mention the nuclear dispute - the main obstacle between Washington and Tehran. The United States is leading Western efforts to pass a U.N. Security Council motion censuring Iran for refusing to cease enrichment of uranium.
In Turkey, Iran's top nuclear negotiator said the letter "could lead to a new diplomatic opening," but also warned that it did not reflect a softening in Tehran's position.
The letter is the first time that an Iranian president has written to his U.S. counterpart since 1979, when the two countries broke off relations after Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy and held the occupants hostage for more than a year.
In Washington, Bush's National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, said Monday that he was not aware of any such letter, and he reiterated the administration's position on Iran's nuclear program.
Before the announcement by Iran, Bush said he was paying close attention to threats made against Israel by Ahmadinejad, who recently questioned Israel's right to exist and said the country should be wiped off the map.
Earlier Monday, Larijani said Tehran would like to see a peaceful solution to growing tensions with the United States. He was in Turkey as part of efforts to rally support for Iran's nuclear program ahead of possible Security Council action.
Iran's leader has written to President Bush proposing "new solutions" to their differences in the first letter from an Iranian head of state to an American president in 27 years, a government spokesman said Monday.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki delivered the letter to the Swiss ambassador on Monday, ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told The Associated Press. The Swiss Embassy in Tehran houses a U.S. interests section.
In the letter, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposes "new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation of the world," spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham told a news conference.
Elham declined to reveal more, stressing "it is not an open letter." Asked whether the letter could lead to direct U.S.-Iranian negotiations, he replied: "For the time being, it's just a letter."
Elham did not mention the nuclear dispute - the main obstacle between Washington and Tehran. The United States is leading Western efforts to pass a U.N. Security Council motion censuring Iran for refusing to cease enrichment of uranium.
In Turkey, Iran's top nuclear negotiator said the letter "could lead to a new diplomatic opening," but also warned that it did not reflect a softening in Tehran's position.
Ali Larijani also refused to give details of the letter's content, adding: "Perhaps, it could lead to a new diplomatic opening, it needs to be given some time."
The letter is the first time that an Iranian president has written to his U.S. counterpart since 1979, when the two countries broke off relations after Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy and held the occupants hostage for more than a year.
In Washington, Bush's National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, said Monday that he was not aware of any such letter, and he reiterated the administration's position on Iran's nuclear program.
"The international community has been very clear to Iran what it needs to do," Hadley said on NBC's "Today" show. "It needs to return to the suspension of its nuclear activities in order to open the door for a diplomatic resolution."
Before the announcement by Iran, Bush said he was paying close attention to threats made against Israel by Ahmadinejad, who recently questioned Israel's right to exist and said the country should be wiped off the map.
"I think that it's very important for us to take his words very seriously," he told the German newspaper Bild on Friday, according to a transcript released Sunday. "When people speak, it is important that we listen carefully to what they say and take them seriously."
Earlier Monday, Larijani said Tehran would like to see a peaceful solution to growing tensions with the United States. He was in Turkey as part of efforts to rally support for Iran's nuclear program ahead of possible Security Council action.
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