Untitled

MIDDLE EAST BULLETIN
GÜNLÜK ORTADOĞU BÜLTENİ
29 SEPTEMBER / EYLÜL 2010
CONTENTS / İÇİNDEKİLER
1.
IRAQ / IRAK
2.
IRAN / İRAN
3.
ISRAEL - PALESTINE / İSRAİL – FİLİSTİN
4.
EGYPT / MISIR
5.
LEBANON / LÜBNAN
6.
SYRIA / SURİYE
7.
ARABIAN PENINSULA AND THE GULF OF BASRA / ARAP YARIMADASI VE BASRA
KÖRFEZİ
8.
SOUTH ASIA / GÜNEY ASYA
PAKISTAN / PAKİSTAN
INDIA / HINDISTAN
AFGHANISTAN / AFGANISTAN
Sayfa 1
1.

IRAQ / IRAK
Let’s call her Ann. Ann was alone and clearly confused. Her face was marred by acne, and
her short, blond hair was stiff at the ends. As the Skyline train sped towards the next
destination, she stood “at attention” in her military fatigues and boots, staring aimlessly
at the vastness of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Ann was not the only returnee from Iraq. The airport was bustling with men and women
in uniform. There seemed to be little festivity awaiting them. The scene was marked by
the same confusion and uncertainty that have accompanied this war from the start:
unclear goals that kept on changing while its own advocates - in the media, the
government and within right-wing think tanks - began slowly and shamelessly disowning
it. They all changed their tune, and many of them redirected their venom at Iran. In the
me?nwhile, the soldiers continued to fight, kill and fall in droves.
Following the recent reduction of troops in Iraq, thousands were expected to come
home, while others headed to Afghanistan to battle on, carrying with them their
inconceivably heavy gear and their continued bewilderment.
America’s poor have always carried the burden of wars undertaken by America’s rich
who barefacedly scurry for the spoils while soldiers give their lives or are otherwise left
with medals and untold physical and psychological scars.
By September 22, 2010, “at least 4,421 members of the US military had died in the Iraq
war since it began in March 2003”, reported the Associated Press.
“Since the start of US military operations in Iraq, 31,951 US service members have been
wounded in hostile action, according to the Defence Department's weekly tally,” it went
on.
As for the Iraqi body count, the number fluctuates from hundreds of thousands to well
over the one million mark. This doesn’t include those who perished in the first Iraq war
Sayfa 2
(1990-91) or as a result of the long-term sanctions that followed. But one cannot blame
the Associated Press for not spitting out exact numbers. The rate of death among that
shattered nation was happening at such an imaginable speed that the victims were lucky
to even get a proper burial.
The Skyline high-speed train came to a stop at Terminal A and quickly resumed its
circular journey. Passengers departed and newcomers embarked. Ann remained in her
place. She reminded me of Lynndie England, the army reservist famed for dragging a
poor, tortured Iraqi prisoner with a leash in Abu Ghraib. The prisoner’s face was
testament to all the pain an expression can possibly communicate. England’s face was
frozen, as she stared at her captive without a decipherable expression. She was later
convicted i? connection to the torture.
Abu Ghraib was only a microcosm of Iraq. No one was convicted for the much larger
crime that has decimated the part of the world that served as the cradle of civilisations.
Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush are enjoying retirement to the fullest.
Those who fabricated the “case for war” on Iraq are as busy as ever in their think tanks,
universities and media outlets. Now they are concocting a “case for war” against Iran.
Ann might not be the Lynndie England type at all. Maybe she did some clerical work in
the Green Zone. Maybe she developed an affinity to Iraq. Maybe she even befriended an
Iraqi family or two. Maybe she is currently carrying in her handbag some photos of an
Iraqi child named Hiyyat, meaning “life”.
It could be that Ann never committed a crime. She might have genuinely thought that
her deployment to Iraq was going to better the world, to protect the US from the
terrorists that she was misled to believe coordinated their attacks on America with
Saddam Hussein. She may be too young to understand how the world works. She has the
face of a teenager, because she is one. They gave her a gun and taught her how to shoot.
They told her things about democracy, and how the Arabs think. They promised her
tuition?and a variety of other perks. Is Ann at all responsible for what happened in Iraq?
Sayfa 3
Now at terminals B and C, Ann doesn’t seem to be paying the slightest attention to the
robotic voice in English and Spanish informing passengers about the upcoming stop and
when to get off the train.
When was Ann even sent to Iraq? Were the disasters created by the war as clear then as
they are now? Those who lead wars always promise that the world will be a better place
- once the guns are silenced, the dead are buried and the “collateral damage” is
conveniently justified and forgotten. But in the case of this war at least, the world has
certainly not emerged a better place. Neither the Middle East region nor the US are in
any way safer. In fact, the whole world is much more dangerous now.
The war was started on faulty premises, concocted evidence and forgery. It created
chaos, enlivened sectarian divisions, pitted governments and people against each other.
While the Iraqis, of course, have paid the heaviest price by far, the war is also a major
component of the current crisis engulfing the United States: political division at home,
loss of foreign policy direction (and leadership) abroad, economic recession, which struck
first nationally then internationally, among many other manifestations?
The war is not over, and an older war is being expediently reignited. Ann, once home,
will be told of how bad things have been. How difficult it is to find a job. Her chances of
making a dignified living in America have dwindled significantly since she joined the
army, regardless of when that was. The army, after all, might be her best chance at
making a living.
Where will it be now? Back to Iraq, maybe, but under a mission with a different title?
Operation New Dawn?
The writer (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally syndicated columnist and the
editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is “My Father Was a Freedom Fighter:
Gaza's Untold Story (Pluto Press, London)”. He contributed this article to The Jordan
Times (Al Arabiya News Channel)
Sayfa 4

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hosheyar Zebari urged the United States on Monday to take a
more active role in breaking the deadlock over forming the new government.
The nearly seven-month election stalemate has not only left the country in limbo but
hurt its economy, Zebari told the Associated Press.
The US has not taken "an active or pro-active engaging role" because it believes the
formation of the government should be done by the Iraqis themselves, Zebari said.
"Lack of efforts of government formation has been very negative on all aspects of life.
Everybody is holding back to see whether there would be a government, whether this
political, security stability can last and continue”, he added.
Zebari stressed however that “Iraqi leaders and the new Iraq, will not budge to foreign
pressures, not to Iran, not to the United States, not to Arab countries, not to Turkey”.
Iraq "needs a period of stability to rise up and become the powerhouse of the Middle
East”, Zebari said. (Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV)

The United States warned Syria against destabilizing Iraq and Lebanon, US State
Department said following a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and his
Syrian counterpart Walid Al Moallem in New York.
"The secretary was very direct and making clear, both in the context of Lebanon and Iraq
that we discourage any efforts to undermine the stability of either country," State
Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
Despite a gradual warming of relations between Washington and Damascus, Crowley
underlined "concerns about Syria's activities inside Lebanon and its relationship with
Hezbollah". (Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV)
Sayfa 5

State of Law Coalition senior official Hassan Al Sunaid announced that the National
Alliance has agreed on a new mechanism to choose its candidate for premiership.
Al Sunaid refused to elaborate on the new mechanism after the five days deadline failed
to reach an agreement, he said.
The new mechanism will be discussed in details during the alliance meeting; Al Sunaid
added affirming that the name of the candidate will be announced within the coming
hours. (Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV)

A member of the State of Law Coalition (SLC) said on Tuesday that the National Coalition
(NC) will go back to the arbitrators’ committee to select its candidate for the premiership
of the next government after Monday’s consensus The NC failed once more to name its
candidate for the prime minister's post on Monday, after the deadline that was set for
the consensus selection expired.
Due to disagreements within the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) some factions decided not
to attend the evening meeting which was held at the headquarters of the Sadrist
Current, one of the parties that make up the INA.
"The NC was unable to choose its candidate for the prime minister's post according to
the consensus mechanism, so it will resort to the “arbitrators’ committee” now," said
Haidar al-Suweidi.
"The next two days will be crucial in choosing the candidate of the NC for the PM post."
Some media sources have indicated that the dispute within the NC was because the
Sadrist Current refused to support the candidate of the INA, Adel Abdul Mahdi who is
standing against the SLC candidate, Nouri al-Maliki.
Sayfa 6
Participants in the meeting said at a press conference held afterwards that "The NC
agreed on continuing the meetings in the coming days to choose a candidate according
to a new mechanism ... The negotiations were positive and the results will be announced
soon."
Since last May, the two coalitions have failed to reach an agreement and name their
candidate for the PM post, thus prompting several blocs to call them the "fragile"
coalition due to the deep-rooted differences between them.
The INA and SLC, Shia-dominated groups, formed a super bloc in May known as the
National Coalition (NC) to gain the parliamentary majority necessary to form the next
government.
Fearing Maliki’s alleged tendency to act unilaterally and offer positions of authority to his
personal supporters, many INA members opposed the SLC leader, Maliki’s bid for a
second term in power.
The INA elected the current Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi as its own nominee
for the prime minister’s position and the NC must now choose between the two
candidates.
The NC formed a 14-member “arbitrators’ committee” which includes representatives
from both blocs to choose one candidate from the INA but so far it hasn’t succeeded in
doing so.
Meanwhile, A spokesman for the al-Iraqiya list who won by two seats the March 7
elections but were prevented form forming the cabinet by a Federal Court ruling in favor
of a parliamentary majority, said that the list would boycott a government led by the
SLC’s Nouri al-Maliki. (AK News)
Sayfa 7

A leading Kurdish official denied allegations that the President of the Kurdistan Region,
Massoud Barzani and the Turkish Interior Minister discussed the expulsion of Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) guerrillas from the mountainous areas in the Region during a
meeting on Sunday. barzani atalay
Bashir Atalay, the Turkish minister arrived in Erbil on Sunday to meet with Barzani and
other Kurdish senior officials in the Region.
Following his visit, the Turkish media reported that the leaders had discussed procedures
to crack down on PKK fighters and drive them out of their hideouts across the bordering
territories.
However, speaking to AKnews on Monday, Faysal Dabbagh, the media secretary of the
Kurdistan Region Presidency dismissed the reports, saying "in no way were the talks
shifted to the "expelling and suppressing" of the PKK”.
"There were no secret talks between Barzani and Attala concerning the PKK," he said.
To guarantee the national rights of the Kurdish population in Turkey, the PKK has been
engaged in an armed struggle against the Turkish State for almost four decades, leading
to bloody clashes which have claimed the lives of thousands so far.
Regarding the subjects under discussion, Dabbagh mentioned that the discourse was
confined to the prospects of improving the mutual relations between Erbil and Ankara,
the process of referendum in Turkey, and Turkey’s general elections due in 2011.
Barzani described the recently conducted polls on the Turkish constitution as a
"significant step forward" and hoped that the amendments will lead to "convincing"
results, according to Dabbagh.
A nation-wide referendum was held in Sept. 12 to sanction some changes in the Turkish
constitution proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Sayfa 8
The visit by the Turkish interior minister to the Region coincides with the initiation of the
peace talks between the Turkish government and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP)
which represents the Kurdish population in Turkey.
Atalay, the Turkish interior minister, is in charge of the dossier for "Turkey's peaceful
opening to the Kurdish issue" which was initiated by the Turkish government in June,
2009.
The newly amended Turkish constitution still does not recognize the Kurdish nation and
language.
The PKK was founded in 1978 by Abdullah Öcalan and has been engaged in an armed
struggle against the Turkish state for the rights of the 20 million Kurds living in Turkey
since 1984.
This year the party announced two successive unilateral ceasefires, hoping that Turkey
would step forward for peaceful negotiations. The second ceasefire was declared on
Aug.13.
On Aug. 13 the PKK held a press conference from Qandil Mountain close to the TurkishIraqi border announcing that for the sake of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan the
party would suspend attacks against the Turkish army until Sept. 20.
PKK leaders have stressed that the ceasefire would be extended if the Turkish state
released imprisoned Kurdish activists and politicians and halted military maneuvers
against the PKK but Turkey rejected this appeal.
The PKK is recognized by many countries as a terrorist organization. Öcalan, the founding
leader of the PKK was arrested in Nairobi on Feb. 25, 1999 and is currently imprisoned on
Turkey’s distant Imrali Island. (AK News)
Sayfa 9

A leader form the Al-Iraqiya bloc said on Tuesday that the leader of his bloc, Ayad Allawi,
is in Syria and on the sidelines of his visit he may meet with Muqtada Sadr, the leader of
the Sadr Current. iyad allawi, moqtada al-sadr, baghdad
Allawi's visit to Syria comes after a formal invitation by Bashar al-Asad, the president of
the Syrian Arab Republic.
To resolve the political impasse Iraqi leaders are currently locked in over the formation
of the new Iraqi government, negotiations are being held within the country and abroad.
Abdul-Satar Jumayli told AKnews that the leader of the al-Iraqiya bloc is in Syria to confer
with senior officials in the country and some Iraqi notables residing there in order to
discuss the latest political developments on the Iraqi arena.
Al-Iraqiya was the winner of the March parliamentary elections with 91 seats. The
outgoing PM Nouri al-Maliki's state of Law Coalition (SLC) obtained the second place with
89. The Iraqi National Alliance (INA) came third with 70 seats in Parliament.
"The delegation of al-Iraqiya may meet with the leader of the Sadrists," Jumayli noted.
The Sadr Current is a prominent faction in the predominantly Shia INA.
The leader of al-Iraqiya mentioned that the coalition terms of his bloc are "recognizing
al-Iraqiya's exclusive right to form the government and supporting Allawi as the only
candidate for the Prime Minister’s position."
Maliki from the SLC and Adel Abdul-Mahdi from the INA are the other two rivals for the
premiership. It is the allocation of the PM’s position which is mainly to be blamed for the
political crisis that has engulfed Iraq.
Last July Allawi was also in Syria after receiving an invitation from the Syrian president
and during his stay, he visited Sadr and held talks over setting up the government.
Sayfa 10
After the elections the two Shia blocs of Maliki and Hakim merged into a super bloc
called the National Coalition (NC). The NC had to choose between the two PM candidates
of the original blocs last Monday, but the decision was delayed as the disputes
continued.
The Sadrists have on different occasions made it clear that they do not support Maliki for
a second term at office and Abdul-Mahdi's nomination came as a response to Maliki's
persistence on his candidacy. (AK News)

The National Coalition (NC), which includes the State of Law and the National Alliance,
decided on Tuesday to postpone till Wednesday the meeting scheduled for tonight, in
order to discuss the mechanism of consensus over the candidate for prime minister post.
Maliki + Abdul-MahdiState of Law member, Abdul Hadi al-Hassani told AKnews that the
principle of consensus will be discussed on Wednesday, noting that the components of
the National Coalition were present at today's meeting with the representative of
Ammar Hakim’s Islamic Supreme Council, Hadi al-Amiri.
The National Coalition failed on Monday to select its candidate for the PM post in
accordance to the specified timeframe five days ago, due to disagreements within the
Coalition, after which Hakim’s coalition decided not to attend the meeting which was
held at night at the headquarters of the political board of the Sadrist Current in Baghdad.
Media sources had reported that the reasons of conflict within the coalition came after
Sadrist Current withdrew his support to Adel Abdul Mahdi, in favour of Maliki, the SLC
candidate.
Members of the NC said in a press conference that the parties of the coalition agreed to
continue its meetings in the forthcoming days to choose a candidate according to a new
mechanism that wasn’t revealed. They pointed out that negotiations were "positive"
Sayfa 11
and the results will be announced soon to agree on one candidate for the post of prime
minister. (AK News)

The General Secretary of the Arab League, Amr Moussa welcomed on Tuesday the return
of the diplomatic relations between Syria and Iraq after a rupture that lasted for more
than one year.
mosaMoussa said to the reporters, including AKnews correspondent, "I welcome this
great and required step, positive for the Arab relations," expressing his hope that Iraq
would stabilize, especially that the Arab summit will be held in Baghdad next year.
"The tension in relations between Arab countries is not in the interest of Arab States,
and the success of the Iraqi and Syrian diplomacies to reopen their embassies is a good
step,” he added.
The Iraqi-Syrian relations have deteriorated after Baghdad called its ambassador in
Damascus and demanded to hand over two senior leaders of the outlawed Baath party in
Iraq, as Baghdad accused it of planning the "Bloody Wednesday" bombings that took
place in Baghdad last August (AK News)

Al-Iraqiya List announced on Tuesday that former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi leader of
the list will head a delegation to meet the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to discuss
the next government formation.
Damascus invitation to Allawi came a week after the visit of Maliki's coalition delegation
headed by Abdel Halim al-Zuhairi. The latter met the Syrian President and handed him a
message from Maliki that confirmed the Iraqi government's insistence on strengthening
the relationship with the Syrian government and turn the page; the delegation presented
Sayfa 12
a detailed explanation of the program of State of Law coalition that calls for a
government of national unity involving all political components.
Iraqiya list member, Kamel al-Dulaimi told AKnews, "The details of the visit and the
topics that will be discussed are not known until now… the issue of forming the
government and bringing closer the views between the political parties will be proposed
for sure in the meeting.”
The List criticized Syria's supportive position of Maliki to take the post of prime minister
for the next phase, and was surprised of the changing attitudes of politicians in
Damascus towards Maliki who accused Syria repeatedly of being behind the violence in
Iraq.
The visit of Maliki's delegation to Syria was upon a telephone call between the Syrian
Prime Minister Muhammad al-Otari and the outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri alMaliki, in which they discussed the political and security situation and the stages of the
government formation.
Political observers believe that the Syrian Prime Minister's initiative by calling Maliki is a
change in the Syrian attitude towards the latter, in which his candidacy for the post of
prime minister was not accepted by the Syrian officials given that the relationship
between the Syrian government the Iraqi government over Maliki's presidency was a
tense one.
The dispute between Baghdad and Damascus has escalated after Wednesday's bloody
blasts on Aug. 19, 2009, in which hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded. Maliki
blamed publicly for the first time the Syrian government for being responsible of
providing support to the dissolved Baath Party’s Yunis al-Ahmad wing, the accused of
Wednesday bombings
Many Iraqi officials visited Syria during the past few months, including Muqtada al-Sadr,
the leader of Sadr Current, Ammar Hakim, the head of the Supreme Islamic Council, Ayad
Sayfa 13
Allawi, Adel Abdul Mahdi, the Iraqi Vice President and Ayad al-Samarrai, leader of the
Iraqi Accordance Front, as the importance of forming a new Iraqi government has been
emphasized to guarantee the participation of all segments of Iraqi people in the political
process. (AK News)

The Iraqiya list refuses to support new Iraqi government headed by the incumbent PM
Nuri Maliki.
Nuri al-maliki and Iyad AllawiIraqiya, a cross-sectarian alliance led by former Prime
Minister Iyad Allawi, was the bloc that won the most seats in the 325-seat Parliament,
heavily backed by minority Sunnis.
But Iraqiya, which has 91 seats, two more than Al-Maliki's State of Law bloc, has been
unable to win over others to form a majority.
On Tuesday, the Shiite-led National Alliance, a merger of Al-Maliki's coalition and the
Iranian-backed Iraqi National Alliance (INA), gave itself five days to pick a nominee for
prime minister in a move to end a six-month impasse since the vote.
Osama Al-Nujaifi, a senior member of Iraqiya, said his bloc would not recognize the
National Alliance or any decisions it makes, but would be willing to start negotiations to
form a national coalition government, particularly with the INA.
"Iraqiya will not take part in any government headed by Al-Maliki, this is definite," he
told Reuters. "Iraqiya is ready to open a serious dialogue with the winning blocs and
especially the Iraqi National Alliance, according to the earned election and constitutional
rights." Iraqiya later formally announced its position on Al-Maliki in a statement read by
party spokesman Haider Al-Mulla. "Iraqiya considers the current model to run the state
headed by Mr. Al-Maliki is not suitable to be repeated," Mulla said.
Sayfa 14
The State of Law party, which won 89 seats in the election, and the INA, which took 70,
announced their intention to merge in Parliament. The two blocs will be just four seats
short of a parliamentary majority.
But Al-Maliki's partners refused to support his bid for a new term and nominated
outgoing vice president Adel Abdul-Mahdi as a rival candidate. (AK News)
A source from Kurdistan Region’s Government assured that “The President of the Region
Masoud Barzani received a phone call from the leader of the Sadr Trend Muqtada al-Sadr
during which they discussed the current political situation as well as phases of forming
next government.”
“Barzani and Sadr discussed the latest political updates on the Iraqi arena as well as
exchanging views over the issue of forming next government which hurdle the total Iraqi
political process,” according to the source.
“Both sides emphasized necessity of continuing negotiations to relief the Iraqi political
crisis,” the source concluded. (NINA)

The leader within the State of Law’s Coalition, Khalid al-Asadi, expected the National
Coalition to settle the issue of nominating its nominee for the PM post on Monday.
He stated to the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) “The atmospheres within the NC are
positive,” noting that “We expect to settle the nomination of the NC candidate during
the meeting of the NC which will be held on Monday.”
“Nouri al-Maliki has better chance to occupy the Premier post,” he concluded.
The NC will hold a meeting on Monday over nominating its nominee for the PM post.
(NINA)
Sayfa 15

The Iraqi National Coalition (INC) meeting was postponed until tomorrow to guarantee
the participation of all members, including the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), a
member of the Dawlat al-Qanoon List said on Tuesday.
The INC had decided late Monday (Sept. 27) to extend its meetings to Tuesday (Sept. 28)
to announce its nominee to head the new government. (Aswat Al Iraq)

Iraqi Vice President and a leading figure of the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), Adel
Abdulmahdi, said on Tuesday that his bloc will not take part in a government that will
fail, underlining on the importance of al-Iraqiya and Dawlat al-Qanoon’s participation.
This came at a press conference he hled after the consultative meeting in the parliament,
attended by Aswat al-Iraq news agency correspondent.
“The INA will not take part in a government which will not be approved by all political
blocs. The new government will not succeed without the participation of State of Law
(Dawlat al-Qanoon) and al-Iraqiya List,” he said.
He underlined that he will not attend the National Coalition meeting, because no one
invited him to attend it.
Differences among political blocs reached their zenith between the main two blocs, alIraqiya of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the State of Law of incumbent Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki, with the first obtaining 91 out of the new parliament’s 325 seats
while the second obtained 89.
The State of Law formed a coalition with the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) to garner the
largest number of seats in the new parliament.
This claim was rejected by al-Iraqiya bloc, which argued that it had been the winner of
the largest number of seats in the parliament and that it has the right to form the new
government.
Sayfa 16
Iraq’s March 7 nationwide elections had ended with four main Iraqi political blocs
obtaining most seats, as Iraqiya won 91 seats, followed by Maliki’s State of Law with 89
seats, Ammar Al-Hakim’s INA with 70 seats and the Kurdistan Alliance of Iraqi Kurdistan
Region President Massoud Barazani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as well as a number
of Kurdish Islamic parties with 57 seats. (Aswat Al Iraq)

The Badr Organization stands with the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) in rejecting
the nomination of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a second term in office, a source
from the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) said on Tuesday.
“The SIIC will boycott a meeting today that will be attended by the Dawlat al-Qanoon
Alliance (Maliki’s party), the Sadr Movement, and the al-Fadheela Party,” Mohammed alBayiati told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
He stressed that the INA has withdrawn from the National Coalition (a group of Shiite
parties) as some of this bloc’s members “admitted to local and regional pressures.”
“Our dialogues with the Al-Iraqiya Alliance (Ayad Allawi’s party) is getting closer to
forming the new government, after the Kurds decide their position with which side
(Allawi or Maliki) they will form a coalition,” al-Bayiati added. (Aswat Al Iraq)

Eyad Allavi’nin Başkanlığındaki ElIrakiye Listesi ve Nuri Malıki Başkanlığındaki Hukuk
Devleti Listesi arasında Kürtleri hükümetin dışında bırakmak için imzalanan gizli bir
anlaşma ortaya çıktı.
ŞerkılEswet Gazetesi,Irakiye ve Hukuk Devleti arasında kurulacak olan Hükümet’te
Kürtleri devre dışı bırakmak için gizli bir anlaşma yapıldığını orataya çıkardı.
Sayfa 17
Irakiye ile Hukuk Devleti arasında hazırlanan anlaşma Mustafa ElHiti(Elıraye
parlementeri) tarafından imzalanmak üzere Hukuk Devleti Listesi yönetimine
gönderilmiş.
Anlaşmaya göre,Irak Devlet Başkanlığı, Parlemento Başkanlığı, Savunma ile İçişleri
Bakanlığı ve diğer 16 bakanlık El Irakiye Listesine verilecek, Irak Başbakanlığı ise Hukuk
Devleti Listesine yani Nuri Malıkiye verilecek.
Bu anlaşmanın ortaya çıkmasının ardından Elırakiye Parlementeri Mustafa Elhiti
yayınlanan belgeyle hiçbir ilgisi olmadığını açıklarken, Hukuk Devleti Listesi belgenin
Irakiye Listesi tarafından kendilerine gönderildiğini doğruluyor.Ancak böyle bir anlaşmayı
kabul etmedikleri yönünde açıklamada bulundular.
Belgeye göre Irak Devlet Başkanlığı yardımcılığı, Başbakanın Ekonomiden Sorumlu
Yardımlıcığı ve bazı Konsolosluklar Kürtlere verilecek.
Hukuk Devleti Listesi belgenin ortaya çıkmasının ardından yaptığı yazılı açıklamada,
kendilerinin bu anlaşmayı kabul etmediklerini, çünkü bu anlaşmada Kürtlere hükümet
bazında çok az yer verildiğine ve El Irakiye Listesi’nin kendi keyfine göre Hükümeti
şekillendirmesinin kabul edilmeceğine yer veriliyor.
Ortaya çıkan belge ile ilgili olarak Dr Mahmud Osman PNA’ya “ ortaya çıkarılan belgenin
hepsinin doğru olmadığını kabul etsek bile bu belgenin yarısından fazlası doğrudur ve
tarafların fikirlerini yansıtmaktadır. Çünkü Irakiye ile Hukuk Devleti arasında bir çok
görüşme gerçekleştirildi ve kafalarında hükümeti ortaklaşa kurup Kürtleri uzaklaştırmak
vardı”açıklamasında bulundu. (Peyamner)

İran Hükümetinin Hewler Büyükelçisi açıklamasında, Kürdistan ile İran Hükümetleri
arasında vizenin kaldırılması için ciddi bir çalışma yürüteceklerini söyledi.
Sayfa 18
İran'ın Hewler Büyükelçisi Seyid Ezém Huseyni, Kürdistan ile İran Hükümeti arasındaki
ilişkiler hakkında önemli açıklamalarda bulundu. Hüseyni, Irak ile İran arasındaki ekonomi
hacminin 6 milyar doları bulduğunu ve bu hacmin yüzde 70'inin Kürdistan Bölge
Hükümeti arasında olduğuna dikkat çekti.
Sınırdaki ekonomi ilişkilerin iyi olduğuna değinen Büyükelçi Huseyni, iki hükümet
arasındaki giriş çıkışlarda vizenin kaldırılması için ciddi bir çalışma yürüttüklerini bildirdi.
(Peyamner)

Kürdistan Bölge Hükümetinin Dışilişkiler sorumlusu Felah Mustafa, Türkiye Hükümetine
ait Hewler'de açacağı konsolosluğunun yıl başından önce açılacağını söyledi.
KBH'nin Dışilişkiler sorumlusu Felah Mustafa, başkent Hewler'de açılacak olan Türkiye
Konsolosluğu'nun yıl başından önce açılacağını bildirdi. Mustafa açıklamasında,
Konsolosluğun bu yılın altıncı ayında açılması yönünde daha açıklamaların yapıldığını
ancak Konsolosluk için inşa edilecek olan yeni bina nedeniyle açılış süresinin uzadığını
belirtti.
Felah Mustafa, inşa halinde olan binanın tamamlanmasının ardından Konsolosluğun
hizmete açılacağını bildirdi. (Peyamner)
2.

IRAN / İRAN
An Iranian court has banned two leading reformist parties which backed opposition
leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in last year's presidential poll, a judiciary spokesman said
Monday.
Sayfa 19
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie said that the Islamic Iran Participation Front and Islamic
Revolution Mujahedeen Organisation had been "dissolved."
"Their case was sent to the court which dissolved both parties and they are not allowed
to have any activities," said Ejeie, cited by the ILNA new agency.
He did not say whether the ruling could be appealed.
In April, a hardline political watchdog affiliated with the Interior Ministry accused the
two parties of undermining national security and suspended their activities.
The two political groups had strongly supported Mousavi, the main challenger to
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 2009 presidential election.
After the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad, several high-ranking members of both
parties were arrested and sentenced to long prison terms in a major crackdown on
reformists, political activists and journalists. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Iran on Tuesday offered the first official indication that Oman is playing a role in trying to
secure the release of two American men imprisoned for more than a year.
The remarks by foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast come after a
newspaper reported that an Omani delegation was expected to visit Iran and hoped to
take the detainees home with it.
When asked about the report, Mehmanparast said only that "delegations from various
countries travel to Iran" and vice versa.
He noted that such visits were generally signs of friendly relations between neighbors.
Oman helped secure the Sept. 14 release of American Sarah Shourd, who was arrested
along with Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal near the Iran-Iraq border.
That raised hopes the Gulf sultanate — an ally of both the United States and Tehran —
could help secure the two men's freedom as well.
Sayfa 20
Mehmanparast said the two men's cases were still under investigation by Iran's hard-line
judiciary.
The hard-line daily Jomhuri-e-Eslami, which is not state-run but is close to the ruling
establishment, reported the possible Omani visit, which was to occur as early as Sunday.
It said that if the Americans are released, they will be able to leave with the delegation
for the Omani capital Muscat.
Foreign Ministry officials in Oman could not be reached for comment. Masoud Shafiei,
the Iranian lawyer for the Americans, told The Associated Press he was not aware of the
Omani visit.
Shourd's release, which the Iranians said was on compassionate grounds because of
illness, was a bittersweet milestone in a saga that has become one of many irritants in
fraught U.S.-Iranian relations. She left behind her fiance Bauer and their friend Fattal —
both 28 — to possibly face trial on espionage charges.
Shourd, 32, was released after officials in Oman mediated a $500,000 bail that satisfied
Iranian authorities and apparently did not violate U.S. economic sanctions against
Tehran. The source of the bail payment has not been disclosed.
Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with Shourd while in New York
to attend the U.N. General Assembly. He told the AP that he hopes Bauer and Fattal
would be able to provide evidence "they had no ill intention in crossing the border" so
they can be released but that would be up to the judiciary.
The three Americans have said at the time of their detention, they were hiking in scenic
mountains of Iraq's largely peaceful northern Kurdish region. Iran initially accused them
of illegally crossing the border and later raised spying suspicions, which the U.S.
government and the families have called a false pretext for holding them. The families
say that if the three ever crossed the Iranian border at all, it was inadvertent.
Sayfa 21
Shourd grew up in Los Angeles; Bauer is a native of Onamia, Minnesota, and Fattal grew
up in Pennsylvania.
Shourd and Bauer had been living together in Damascus, Syria, where Bauer was working
as a freelance journalist and Shourd as an English teacher. Fattal, an environmental
activist, went to visit them last July shortly before their trip to northern Iraq. (Asharq Al
Awsat)

A Chinese top political figure, in a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad here on Tuesday, voiced his country's strong opposition to the West's
unilateral sanctions against Iran.
"China resolutely opposes the western and US unilateral sanctions against Iran," member
of the Chinese Central Leadership Council Li Chang said here in Tehran on Tuesday.
"China is against the adoption of sanctions and pressures to deal with Iran's nuclear case
and it has always recommended that the issue be resolved through talks and dialogue,"
Chang added.
He further voiced China's full support for Iran's right to use peaceful nuclear energy, and
added, "China supports Iran's legitimate right to make a peaceful use (of the nuclear
energy) as a member of the Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and it has always wanted a
solution to Iran's nuclear issue through talks and negotiations."
Chang also praised Iran for its remarkable role in the expansion of ties between the two
countries, and stated, "The Chinese government considers itself a close and conventional
friend of the Iranian nation and has always been committed to the policy of cooperation
with Iran."
After the UN Security Council ratified a sanctions resolution against Iran on June 9, the
United States and the European Union started approving their own unilateral sanctions
Sayfa 22
against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, mostly targeting the country's
energy and banking sectors.
Both Russia and China have voiced strong protest against the West's unilateral sanctions
against Iran, cautioning that such US-led measures undermine collective action and
policy on Iran.
The US-led West accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a
civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to
substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program
is for peaceful purposes only.
Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to
the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.
Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member
state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four
rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right
of uranium enrichment.
Tehran has dismissed West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that
sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue the
path.
Political observers believe that the United States has remained at loggerheads with Iran
mainly over the independent and home-grown nature of Tehran's nuclear technology,
which gives the Islamic Republic the potential to turn into a world power and a role
model for other third-world countries. (Fars News Agency / FNA)

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei praised the
Iranian nation for its resistance against the expansionist powers, and underlined that
Sayfa 23
Iranians will continue support for the oppressed nations against the bullying powers.
"A nation, with all its power, is standing against this expansionist thought that seeks
hegemony over the world and (this nation) does never succumb to force," Ayatollah
Khamenei said, addressing a group of Friday Prayers leaders here in Tehran on Tuesday.
The Leader reminded Iran's clear stance in defending the oppressed people of Palestine,
and stated that the current pressures and sanctions imposed on Iran by the West is an
anticipated and normal reaction by angry powers which cannot stand Iran's resistance
and support for the oppressed and Muslim nations.
Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that the Iranian nation will definitely continue resistance
and support for the Muslim and oppressed people, specially the Palestinians, despite all
sanctions and pressures.
"Resistance and persistence is what Islam and Quran have called for," Ayatollah
Khamenei stated.
Elsewhere, the Leader called on the Iranian nation and officials to maintain vigilance
against the enemies' moves, and said, "We should always keep vigilant about enemy's
movement and find the method to confront it."
Ayatollah Khamenei cautioned that the enemy has targeted the country's youths since
they constitute the major part of the Iranian population.
The Leader further stressed the important role of the Friday Prayers Leaders in
confronting enemies' plots against the Iranian youths. (FNA)

İran Atom Enerjisi Kurumu Başkanı Ali Ekber Salihi, UAEK Genel Müdürü Yokio
Amano’nun meşruiyetini kaybetmemeye özen göstermesi gerektiğini vurguladı.
Sayfa 24
Der Spiegel dergisine demeç veren Salihi, UAEK Genel Müdürü Amano, tek yanlı olarak
özel bir politikaya destek verme uğruna meşruiyetini kaybetmemek için dikkat etmesi
gerektiğini kaydetti.
Açıklamasını dostane ama aynı zamanda ciddi uyarı niteleyen Salihi, İran'ın kendisinden
bir malzeme şeklinde yararlanılmasına asla izin vermeyeceğini vurguladı.
Acaba Amano İran aleyhinde bir savaş mı başlatmak istiyor, diyen Salihi sözlerini, acaba
Amano adını bir savaşla birleştirmek mi istiyor, acaba bir facia peşinde mi, şeklinde
sürdürdü. (FNA)

İslami İran Dışişleri Bakanlığı Sözcüsü Ramin Mihmanperest, dost ülkelere Amerika
sahasında oynamanın hiç bir yararının olmayacağını hatırlatmak istediklerini belirtti.
Rusya Devlet Başkanı Medvedev’in İran aleyhinde imzaladığı yaptırım kararını
değerlendiren dışişleri bakanlığı sözcüsü Mihmanperest, Amerika ve diğer bazı batılı
devletler İran’a baskı uygularken siyasi amaçlar peşinde olduklarını, ancak komşu ve dost
ülkelerden farklı beklentileri olduğunu kaydetti.
Sözcü, dost ve komşu ülkelere Amerika sahasında onyamanın onlar için hiç bir yararının
olmayacağını hatırlatmak istediklerini belirterek, bir kez daha 1929 sayılı yaptırım
kararnamesinin asla kabul edilemez olduğunu vurguladı.
Sözcü ayrıca S-300 füzelerinin savunma amaçlı olduğunu ve bu kararnamenin kapsamına
girmediğini sözlerine ekledi. (FNA)

İran Almanya ticaret odası başkanı Mihail Tukas, Alman firmaların batının tek yanlı
yaptırımlarına aldırış etmeden İran ile ticari ilişkilerini sürdürdüğünü belirtti.
Sayfa 25
Alman firmaların Amerika ve AB’nin tek yanlı yaptırımlarını kaale almaksızın İran ile ticari
ilişkilerini sürdürdüğünü kaydeden İran Almanya ticaret odası başkanı Mihail Tukas,
ancak bazı konularda ticaret yönünün, büyük firmalardan orta ölçekteki firmalara doğru
kaydırıldığını kaydetti.
Bundan önce de bazı batılı uzmanlar, Amerika ve Avrupa’nın İran’a yönelik tek yanlı
yaptırımlarının sonuç vermeyeceği üzerinde durduğunu savunurken, sadece bazı Avrupalı
büyük firmaların Amerika’daki çıkarlarını korumak için İran ile ticari işbirliği
yapmayacağını dile getiriyordu.
İran ile Almanya arasındaki ticaret hacmi geçen yıl 3.7 milyar avro düzeyinde gerçekleşti.
(FNA)

A new squadron of flying boats was delivered to the Naval Force of the Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps on Tuesday.
Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the boats of the Baver 2 squadron were designed by
Iran’s naval and aviation industry organizations and Malek Ashtar University.
The flying boats can carry out reconnaissance and surveillance missions on the sea, he
noted.
Each boat is equipped with a machine gun, regular and night-vision binoculars, and video
cameras that can transmit images, he explained.
Iran plans to manufacture the next generation of flying boats in the near future, Vahidi
stated. (Mehr News Agency / MNA)

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has rejected claims that the Bushehr
power plant has come under cyber attacks.
Sayfa 26
“This is also a new game and soft warfare (against Iran),” Mehmanparast said during his
weekly press briefing on Tuesday.
He said the Busher plant will be connected to the main electricity supply of the country
within one to two months.
Iranian information technology officials have confirmed that some of the country’s
industrial systems have been targeted by a cyber attack, but they said engineers are
capable of countering the problem.
According to the Associated Press, a complex computer worm dubbed Stuxnet has
infected many industrial sites in Iran and is capable of taking over power plants.
German cyber expert Ralph Lanner wrote in a blog post last week that Iran’s Busher
Nuclear power plant may have been the target of the Stuxnet malware virus.
Official advises Russia not to play ball with U.S.
President Dmitry Medvedev on September 22 signed a decree that bans deliveries of S300 missile systems to Iran. The United States and Israel have welcomed the move by
Russia.
Mehmanparast said the missile contract was signed between Iran and Russia in 2005 and
that the two sides should abide by the deal.
The Foreign Ministry official advised Russia not to play ball with the U.S. because
Moscow’s long term interests would not be served.
The Russian side has claimed the decision falls within the UN Resolution 1929 sanctions
resolution against Iran.
Mehmanparast said if such decree was issued based on the 1929 Resolution, the
resolution itself is illegal. He added the UN resolution does not include defensive
weapons.
Sayfa 27
Nuclear talks
Asked about Iran’s talks with the West, Mehmanparast said the talks with the West are
being pursued with three different groups in three different ways.
On the issue of fuel swap, he said Iran has voiced its readiness to hold talks with the
Vienna group (the U.S., France and Russia) on fuel exchange and the two sides are
negotiating on the time and place of the talks.
The second issue is talks between EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iran’s
national security chief Saeed Jalili, he said, adding Jalili is pursuing the case to determine
the time and place of the talks.
And the talks between Iran and the 5+1 group (the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China
and Germany) is the third issue and Iran and is making efforts that its right to nuclear
technology is officially respected by the West, he stated. (MNA)

İran İslam Cumhuriyeti İstihbarat Bakanı Haydar Muslihi, İran'da geçen yıl
cumhurbaşkanlığı seçimlerinden sonra yaşanan karışıklıklarla ilgili olarak yaptığı
açıklamada, Batılı ülkelerin casusluk kuruluşlarının sözkonusu hadiselerde fitne çıkarmak
için milyarlarca dolar harcadıklarını söyledi.
İran İslami Şura Meclisi Ulusal Güvenlik ve Dış Politika Komisyonu'nda konuşan Muslihi,
sözkonusu mali desteklerle ilgili ayrıntıları yakın bir zamanda ifşa edeceklerini bildirdi.
Muslihi, düşmanın İran'da ılımlı savaş için 17 milyar 700 milyon dolar harcadığını ve bu
rakamın İran İslam inkılabı karşıtı terör örgütlerine verilen yardımın dışında olduğunu
söyledi.
İran İstihbarat Bakanı, ABD casusluk teşkilatı CIA'nin, seçim döneminde bazı şahsiyetlere
çok fazla miktarda mali yardımda bulunduklarını söyledi. (MNA)
Sayfa 28

İslami Şura Meclisi Başkanı, Irak’taki Amerikan üssünde geniş çaplı yeni yapılandırılmaya
gidildiğini ifade ederek, Amerika'nın Irak’tan çıkması iddiası yalan olduğunu söyledi.
Mehr haber ajansının bildirdiğine göre, önceki gün Salı Tahran’da düzenlenen 21.Cuma
İmamları Toplantısında konuşma yapan İslami Şura Meclisi Başkanı Ali Laricani, 11
Eylül’den sonra bütün gücüyle bölgeye gelen düşmanın terörism ve Afganistan’daki
uyuşturucu maddeyi kontrol edmediği gibi oranın sorunları Pakistan’a sıçramasına neden
olduğunu söyledi.
İslami Şura Meclisi Başkanı, Irak’taki Amerikan üssünde geniş çaplı yeni yapılandırılmaya
gidildiğini ifade ederek, Amerika'nın Irak’tan çıkması iddiası yalan olduğunu söyledi.
Konuşmasının devamında Filistin meselesine işaret eden Ali Laricani, Filistin meselesinde
oyunculuk yapan Amerika’nın, şom emellerine ulaşması için Netanyahu’ya yardım ettiğini
hatırlattı. (MNA)

İran İslam Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı, Tahran ile Pekin arasındaki işbirliğinin
emperyalist nizamların gücünün sona ermesi için bağımsız ülkelerin işbirliğinde yeni bir
ortamın oluşmasını sağladığını söyledi.
İran İslam Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı Dr. Mahmud Ahmedinejad, Tahran’da temaslarda
bulunan Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti Liderlik Konseyi üyesi Lee Çang Çu'yi kabulünde, Tahran ile
Pekin arasındaki işbirliğinin emperyalist nizamların gücünün sona ermesi için bağımsız
ülkelerin işbirliğinde yeni bir ortamın oluşmasını sağladığını söyledi.
Cumhurbaşkanı Ahmedinejad, Tahran ile Pekin arasında uluslararası ve ikili ilişkilerin
geliştirilmesi için tarihi bir fırsatın olduğunu hatırlatarak, “dikkatli ve bilinçli hareket
etmek gerekir” dedi.
Sayfa 29
Dünya’da adil bir sistemin oluşması için Tahran ve Pekin’in ortak hareket edebileceğini
belirten Cumhurbaşkanı Mahmud Ahmedinejad, bu gün, kapitalist sistemin Çin ve İran'ın
ortak düşmanları olduğunu ve düşmanların Çin ve İran'ın gelişmesine karşı çıktıklarını
söyledi.
Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti liderlik konseyi üyesi Lee Çang Çu da bu görüşmede, İran
hükümetinin, dünya birlikteliğindeki tutumunda olduğunu ve bunu da saygıya değer
olduğunu belirterek, 'İran İslam Cumhuriyeti'nin Çin ile ilişkilerini geliştirmesi
memnuniyet verici bir durumdur, Çin hükümet de sürekli olarak, İran halkı ve kültürüyle
yakın dost olarak, Tahranla işbirliği siyasetlerini de korumak, ve güçlendirmek
istemektedir' diye konuştu.
Lee Çang Çu açıklamasında, “ Pekin sürekli, nükleer enerjinin kullanılmasının Tahran’ın
hakkı olduğuna inanmaktadır' hatırlatması yaparak, “ Çin, İran İslam Cumhuriyetine
yaptırımlara ve baskılara karşı olduğunu belirtti. (MNA)

İran Petrol Ulusal Şirketi Dış İlişkiler Genel Müdürü, İran’ın ilk benzin ihracatını
gerçekleştirdiğini ilan etti.
Mehr haber ajansının bildirdiğine göre, yapılan ilk benzin ihracatı için detay vermeyen
Aliasger Arşi, İran’ın, benzin üretiminde kendi yeterlilik konumuna ulaştığını, ayrıca,
ihracatını da devam edeceğini söyledi.
Aarşi, “Amerika tarafından benzi yaptırımı uygulandıktan sonra bir kaç ülke İran’a benzin
ihraç etmeye hazır olduklarını ilan etmişlerdi”şeklinde konuştu.
İran Petrol Ulusal Şirketi Dış İlişkiler Genel Müdürü, İran’ın, benzin üretiminde kendi
yeterlilik konumuna ulaştığı günden itibaren benzin üretmi günlük 44 milyon litreden
günlük 66.5 milyon litreye yükseldiğini ilan etti. (MNA)
Sayfa 30

ABD’nin İslam Ulusu hareketi temsilcisi ve hükümeti eleştiren Louis Farrakhan, Beyaz
Saray’ın İran’ın nükleer programını durdurmak için operasyon tehdidine işaret ederek,
ABD’nin İran’a saldırması durumunda asla yanında yer almayacaklarını belirtti.
New York’ta İRNA muhabirinin sorularını yanıtlayan Farrakhan, “Amerikan yetkililerinin
İran’ın nükleer programlarından bahsedildiğinde tüm seçeneklerin masada olduğunu
belirtiyorlar.Washington’un saldırısına karşılık Amerika’nın Müslüman toplumunun buna
tepkisi ne olacak?” şeklindeki soruya şu yanıtı verdi: “öncelikle İran’ın uluslar arası yasalar
gereğince barışçıl amaçlı nükleer bilgisini geliştirme hakkına sahip olduğunu söylemek
gerek. İran, İsrail’in Filistin’deki işgalciliğine karşı ve İsrail de nükleer silahlara sahip ve
İran’ın enerji üretimi ve barışçıl amaçlarla da olsa nükleer bilgisine sahip olmasını
istemiyor. İsrailliler, Müslüman bir ülke nükleer güce ulaştığında bölgede güç dengesinin
değişeceğini biliyorlar.” (IRNA)
3.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE / İSRAİL – FİLİSTİN
Many American Jewish leaders fumed Wednesday when Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman proposed "an exchange of populated territory" as part of a Mideast peace
deal in a speech before the UN General Assembly in New York.
Lieberman suggested ceding parts of Israel with large Arab populations to a future
Palestinian state in exchange for Israel keeping large settlement blocs in the West Bank,
a proposal which has been part of his party's platform.
Lieberman also raised the possibility of aiming for a long-term interim agreement with
the Palestinians, rather than a final-status one, but warned that this "could take a few
decades."
Many Israelis and U.S. Jews were outraged by the foreign minister's speech, and several
American Jewish leaders demanded Lieberman's resignation.
Sayfa 31
"If Lieberman can't keep his personal opinions to himself, he ought to resign from the
cabinet," said Seymour Reich, a former president of the Conference of Presidents of
Major Jewish Organizations.
"Every time Foreign Minister Lieberman voices his skepticism about achieving peace, he
undermines Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's credibility," agreed another New York
Jewish leader. "Lieberman gives Abu Mazen [Abbas] and the Arab League an opportunity
to reinforce their claim that Netanyahu isn't serious."
But Abraham Foxman, the long-time head of the Anti-Defamation League, told Haaretz
that Lieberman's positions were not completely at odds with Netanyahu's policy, given
the prime minister's stated view that implementation of any peace agreement would
have to be spread out over a number of years.
"Lieberman explained that the conflict will not be solved within a year and that
implementation of the peace agreement will take generations," Foxman said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had not seen Lieberman's speech in advance
but did not reject his land swap proposal.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on Wednesday stating that "Lieberman's
address was not coordinated with the prime minister," adding that "Netanyahu is the
one handling the negotiations on Israel's behalf. The various issues surrounding a peace
agreement will be discussed and decided only at the negotiating table, and nowhere
else."
But sources close to Netanyahu have privately said he doesn't consider Lieberman's
views to be illegitimate and does not intend to chastise him for the speech.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is due to meet with U.S. envoy George Mitchell Wednesday
morning in an effort to break the impasse over whether to extend the moratorium on
settlement construction, which officially expired Sunday. The Obama administration
wants Netanyahu to extend the freeze. (Hareetz)
Sayfa 32

Israel showed the international community on Tuesday that the country is ruled by a
circus, not a responsible government with a policy. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
told the representatives of the world's nations from the UN podium that Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is spreading illusions and silly talk about peace. There is no chance
for a permanent settlement for a generation, Lieberman said, and it is necessary to
"exchange" populated areas and adjust the state to its correct size. Or, in less diplomatic
English, the Arab citizens of Israel must be expelled to the Palestinian side of the border.
During the past few weeks, Netanyahu invested a great deal of effort in trying to
convince the leaders of the world that he is serious about peace with the Palestinians. He
asked them to ignore the resumption of settlement construction, and convinced
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to quit the negotiations.
Now comes Lieberman, Israel's most senior diplomat, and tells all those leaders that it's
all crap, that Netanyahu is faking. Even worse: the foreign minister is implying that
Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state is merely
cover for the expulsion of Arab citizens. A speech by the foreign minister of a country
that is given before the United Nations is supposed to reflect the official policy of the
government, not just the private views of the chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party.
Netanyahu heard the speech and behaved like a weakling. He should have rid the
Foreign Ministry of Lieberman a long time ago because of the damage he has caused to
Israel's international standing. Netanyahu got the chance Tuesday; Lieberman challenged
him and made him out to be a liar, in front of the whole world.
Lieberman was asking to be fired, and what did Netanyahu do? He issued a statement to
the press saying he hadn't been shown the speech in advance but failing to criticize its
content or style. As such, Netanyahu has suggested that ministers can say whatever they
want, and that he does not oppose Lieberman's position.
Sayfa 33
Ariel Sharon would have immediately dismissed Lieberman and would make him choose
whether he is for or against the government. Sharon would have created a political crisis
from an advantageous position and forced Lieberman to crawl back and beg for his
position, or get out of the coalition. But Netanyahu is not built for such courageous
decisions.
The foreign minister made it clear Tuesday that his political partnership with Netanyahu
is coming to an end. Lieberman will not back the peace process, which he considers
unnecessary and damaging.
If Netanyahu is going to be negotiating with Abbas, he will have to replace Lieberman
with Tzipi Livni, and Yisrael Beiteinu with Kadima. There is no longer any logic in her
staying in opposition now that negotiations with the Palestinians have resumed. Until
that happens, the circus continues. (Hareetz)

I needed to hear it. Even though I knew that when I did, I'd be livid.
The freeze still had eight hours to run, but in a small settlement outside the shinbone-inthe-throat settler city of Ariel, it was time to humiliate the president of the United States.
I needed to hear it. I turned up the car radio. A drainage ditch of a voice.
"From this stage I turn to Hussein Obama and tell him, 'The Land of Israel belongs to the
people of Israel.'"
It was Gershon Mesika, head of the regional council of the settlers of the northern West
Bank, laying a cornerstone for new construction, and he wasn't through with the
president yet.
"Throughout history, leaders have conspired against the people of Israel, but [the people
of Israel] live on, while [the leaders] have disappeared off the history pages," Mesika
announced.
Sayfa 34
"So we will continue to build and develop the communities, in spite of the opposition of
all the oppressors, inside and outside."
They say the first step in dealing with rage is acknowledging it. So here it is: I have
become a bigot where it comes to the settlement movement.
I believe that the officials, the activists, and the Diaspora bankrollers and rooting section
of this movement have ruined my life. They ruin it a little more every single day.
The extent to which they have embittered the lives of millions of Palestinians is
incalculable. I won't pretend to know what they go through or how it feels. For the
moment, I just want to talk about what the settlement movement does to its fellow
Israelis, and why so many of us are so fed up.
We struck a bargain years ago. This was how it worked for me: I would donate a month a
year away from home to keep them safe, and the movement would do everything it
could to antagonize the Palestinians, to make it impossible for them to have a state of
their own, to make it impossible for Israel to make peace with them.
I wanted to make peace with the Palestinians. I wanted them to have a state. I wanted
the occupation to end. Some bargain. I lost.
I struck another deal. Year after year I would pay high taxes to subsidize settlement
houses, their private highways, their utilities, their yeshivas, the bottomless cost of
safeguarding remote and illegal outposts. A theater in Ariel.
In return, settler leaders and activists spearheaded civil and military policies that
trampled Palestinian rights to water, highway use, personal security, and housing, and to
medical, educational and vocational opportunity. Rabbis and yeshiva directors whose
salaries I paid, turned a blind eye to, or actively encouraged attacks against Palestinians,
their livestock and property. Rabbis and yeshiva directors whose salaries I paid incited
their students in uniform to refuse government orders to evict settlers, and stood up for
their students in outlaw enclaves who branded IDF soldiers as Nazis.
Sayfa 35
Some bargain.
I kept trying. I watched from the sidelines as vast resources were diverted from decaying
and depressed towns and villages within Israel, to support ever-expanding settlements,
many of them receiving official permission only years after they were built.
In return for my acquiescence, the settlement movement blackened Israel's democracy
and its very name. We gave them Yitzhak Rabin and they gave us Avigdor Lieberman.
Settlement has long been, and remains, the fuel for the fire of de-legitimization of Israel,
the basis of charges of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. It undermines the foundation of
the idea of a Jewish state. It turns the very word settlement into an obscenity.
The movement blackmails and terrorizes and intimidates fellow Israelis into fearing the
price of evacuating settlers more deeply than they fear the diplomatic isolation, the
wars, the loss of majority rule that leaving settlements in place entails. To make its
members feel better, it declares that anyone who says Jews can’t live wherever they
want is a racist. Even though in the real world, no one simply gets to live where they
want, no matter whose land it is, no matter where, and certainly not just because God
told them to.
Now they are set to ruin Jerusalem. A toxic cocktail of shady foreign donors, government
backing for cockamamie tourism projects, and bottom-feeder activists in the volatile
Palestinian quarters of Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah, threatens to set a new definition of
chaos. New evictions. Fresh violence. New bargains, new casualties.
Every morning the settlements expand, the democratic and Jewish character of Israel is
undermined, Israel's standing as a member of the community of nations is called further
into question, and the support of this country's indispensible American ally is clouded,
casting a shadow over the security of everyone here.
Like many a bigot, I truly have no quarrel with the vast majority of the Jewish residents of
the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But I do not want them to force the majority of
Sayfa 36
Israelis, myself included, to live in a new Arab country which retains the name of Israel. I
have no problem at all with Arab countries. But I didn't come here to live in one.
The majority here wants a state of Israel alongside a sovereign and separate state of
Palestine. The majority is fed up. The majority sees the settlements as a bad bargain for
Israel. The majority is tired of being pushed around. The majority loves Israel and wants
it to continue to exist.
We need a new bargain, this time with the Palestinians. And we need more courage than
we know. In a Yom Kippur sermon on the meaning of courage, Rabbi Keith Stern of
Newton, Mass., said "If we are afraid to fail, then we are useless. If we are afraid of
criticism, we are useless. If we are afraid to stand up and speak the truth because the
truth is not a popular commodity, then we are useless."
The majority must make a choice.
I've made mine. The actions of Ariel in rushing out bulldozers to break the freeze this
week made the decision for me. I support the boycott of Ariel. My taxes and my betrayed
votes for Labor and my army service built that place. As far as I'm concerned, the deal's
done. The bargain's over. The settlers are not my enemy, but the settlements are. I want
my country back. (Hareetz)

Israel Defense Forces soldiers used excessive force while taking over a Gaza-bound aid
ship organized by Jewish and Israeli activists, the boat's passengers said Tuesday,
countering the military's official version claiming that the takeover had been uneventful.
Earlier Tuesday the IDF reported that Israeli naval commandos peacefully boarded the
Jewish aid boat attempting to break a naval blockade on Gaza, saying "IDF naval forces
recently boarded the yacht 'Irene', and it is currently being led to the Ashdod seaport
along with its passengers."
Sayfa 37
However, testimonies by passengers who were released from police questioning later in
the day seemed to counter the IDF's claims, with Israeli activist and former Israel Air
Force pilot Yonatan Shapira saying that there were "no words to describe what we went
through during the takeover."
Shapira said the activists, who he said displayed no violence, were met with extreme IDF
brutality, adding that the soldiers "just jumped us, and hit us. I was hit with a taser gun."
"Some of the soldiers treated us atrociously," Shapira said, adding that he felt there was
a "huge gap between what the IDF spokesman is saying happened and what really
happened."
The former IAF pilot said he and his fellow activists were "proud of the mission," saying it
was organized "for the sake of a statement – that the siege on Gaza is a crime, that it's
immoral, un-Jewish, and we have a moral obligation to speak out. Anyone who stays
silent as this crime is being committed is an accessory to a crime."
Eli Usharov, a reporter for Israel's Channel 10 affirmed Shapira's version of the events,
telling Haaretz that the takeover was executed with unnecessary brutality.
"They used a taser gun against Yonatan. He screamed and was dragged to the military
boat," Usharov said, adding that both Yonatan and his brother Itamar were handcuffed.
The Channel 10 reporter also said that the activists managed to have a serious heart-toheart conversation with the troops once they were all placed on board the military
vessel, and that "overall the atmosphere was good."
Reuben Moscowitz, a Holocaust survivor who took part in the mission, expressed his
disbelief that "Israeli soldiers would treat nine Jews this way. They just hit people."
"I as a Holocaust survivor cannot live with the fact that the State of Israel is imprisoning
an entire people behind fences," Moscowitz said, adding that "it's just immoral."
Sayfa 38
"What happened to me in the Holocaust wakes me up every night and I hope we don't
do the same thing to our neighbors," Moscowitz said, adding that he was comparing
"what I went through during the Holocaust to what the besieged Palestinian children are
going through." (Hareetz)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered a controversial United Nations address
by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday, rejecting Lieberman's views on a
possible land swap and asserting his belief that Israel and Palestinians could reach a
peace deal within a year.
Referring to recent talks with French President Nikolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel, a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu told the
two leaders he hoped "the positive talks with Abu Mazen [Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas] would continue."
"It is vital, and I wholeheartedly believe that it is within our power to reach a framework
agreement within a year and change Middle East history," the PM reportedly said.
The Prime Minister's Office added that the premier also accepted Sarkozy's invitation to
a peace summit to be held in Paris during the coming October, which would also be
attended by Abbas.
Earlier Tuesday, Lieberman presented the UN General Assembly with his draft for a
population and territory swap, as part of an eventual peace deal between Israel and the
Palestinians.
Under Lieberman's controversial scheme, part of Israel's Arab population would be
moved to a newly created Palestinian state, in return for evacuation of Israeli
settlements in the West Bank.
Sayfa 39
"A final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians has to be based on a program of
exchange of territory and populations," Lieberman told the UN General Assembly in New
York.
An earlier statement by the Prime Minister's Office stated that "Lieberman's address was
not coordinated with the prime minister," adding that "Netanyahu is the one handling
the negotiations on Israel's behalf. The various issues surrounding a peace agreement
will be discussed and decided only at the negotiating table, and nowhere else."
The PMO's statement Tuesday essentially put Netanyahu and Lieberman on a public
collision course, after the foreign minister effectively expressed his disagreement with
Netanyahu's peace-talks policies. While aides to the prime minister admitted that
Lieberman's scheme has come up during internal discussions, no official decision as to
his stance have been made, they said.
State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley, referring to the possibility the Israeli
prime minister and defense minister are at odds concerning the ongoing direct peace
talks with the PA, said: "Maybe there are divergent vision between the Prime Minister
and the Foreign minister, I'll defer to the Israeli government to explain the difference. I
will let the Israeli government comment on whether it reflects the views of the Israeli
government."
Asked by Haaretz whether PM Netanyahu can still deliver an agreement if his foreign
minister does not coordinate a major speech with him, Crowley said: "We are not
surprised. We knew Prime Minister Netanyahu faces some tough domestic politics
issues."
Asked whether the U.S. administration officials are frustrated with the current stalemate
and what was depicted as “scrambling” to keep both sides at the table:
“I wouldn’t characterize what we are doing in that way. We understood when both
parties agreed to get into negotiations - September 26 - we saw it was coming, our
Sayfa 40
position [on settlements moratorium] is clear, it was announced by the president and
secretary of state."
"Are we frustrated? Of course we are frustrated but we understand these are very
difficult… we’ve been at it for some time and the issues are not yet resolved because
they’ve been very complex," Crowley said.
"We take some comfort in the fact that the people involved in the process, we know
them well, we know the issues and the parameters of the solution. That’s why we
believe we can solve an issue within a year," the State Department spokesman said,
adding that the U.S. understands the parties "are in intense period of time and need to
help both sides to resolve the immediate situation and to stay in the negotiations."
"It’s important for both Israel and the Palestinians to remain in direct negotiations,"
Crowley said, adding "both sides showed restraint, and we hope we have (time) to work
these issues through."
In his address, the foreign minister stressed that his proposals did not represent a
scheme for "populations transfer," a phrase that evokes historical proposals by Israel's
extreme right to evict Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza altogether.
"We are not talking about population transfer but about defining borders so as best to
reflect the demographic reality," said.
But the ideas are nevertheless likely to provoke an angry response, especially from Israeli
Arabs, who make up some 20 percent of the country's population.
This is not the first time that Lieberman, whose ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party is
the second-largest in Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, has put forward the controversial
proposals.
A latest round of peace talks, which kicked off in Washington in early September, hit a
deadlock at midnight on Sunday when Israel's self-imposed freeze on settlement building
Sayfa 41
expired. It remains uncertain if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will carry out
threats to walk out of negotiations unless the freeze is renewed. (Hareetz)

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded to criticism leveled against him following
the controversial speech he gave to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday,
stating that as long as there is no breakthrough in negotiations with the Palestinians,
nothing prevents him from giving his opinion. Lieberman's comments came in an
interview with Israel Radio on Wednesday.
Lieberman responded specifically to Defense Minister Ehud Barak's contention that the
foreign minister's comments to the General Assembly did not reflect the stance of the
Israeli government. Lieberman said that Barak stated last week that Jerusalem should be
divided in a potential peace agreement with the Palestinians, yet he heard no one
protest the fact that the defense minister's views did not echo those of the government.
The foreign minister said that his own views are clear, consistent and known to all and
they do not contradict the government's fundamental position.
Barak said Tuesday night that Lieberman's comments do not reflect the Israeli
government's stance and certainly not the Labor party's attitude.
It's essential to make peace with the Palestinians and not to play into the hands of
Israel's enemies, Barak said.
Labor Minister for Minority Affairs Avishay Braverman called on Netanyahu to fire the
foreign minister.
"Lieberman undermined the prime minister and Netanyahu should fire him for it.
Lieberman's delusional speech was well-planned and was intended to heat up the
atmosphere and harm the peace process. This adds to a long list of incidents in which
Lieberman tried to undermine the prime minister."
Sayfa 42
Earlier on Tuesday evening, Lieberman spoke to Channel 2 news and said that the
Palestinians are not interested in peace, and the time has come for Israel to stop blaming
itself for failing to achieve peace.
The foreign minister also defended comments he made on Tuesday afternoon at the UN
General Assembly.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, Lieberman spoke to Channel 2 news and said that the
Palestinians are not interested in peace, and the time has come for Israel to stop blaming
itself for failing to achieve peace.
The foreign minister also defended comments he made on Tuesday afternoon at the UN
General Assembly.
In his speech before the General Assembly, Lieberman told international leaders that he
believed that Israel must arrive at an interim agreement with the Palestinians, that peace
would only be possible after a number of decades, and that an ultimate agreement
would require population and territorial exchanges.
The foreign minister said during the Channel 2 interview that at the UN he talked about
the facts and expressed the opinions of "the majority of the Israeli public" on the issue of
peace negotiations.
He said that everyone wants peace and "maybe the time has come to change the
direction of negotiations."
"Peace needs to come naturally, its like a premature birth - if it comes to early then it can
be dangerous," Lieberman said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's office distanced itself almost immediately from the remarks
by informing the media that his speech had not been coordinated with Netanyahu.
Sayfa 43
Despite Netanyahu’s speedy disassociation from the controversial statements made by
Lieberman, Kadima jumped to the bit, accusing the prime minister of failing to maintain a
united coalition on issues of foreign policy.
“The “A” Prime Minister Netanyahu talks about a final agreement and two states, Prime
Minister “B” Lieberman speaks about an interim agreement and population exchange,
while Prime Minister “C” Yishai does not believe in an agreement,” mocked MK Yoel
Hasson (Kadima). “The Netanyahu government speaks with a number of voices and it
seems as though Prime Minister Netanyahu represents only his own perspective. This
shows Netanyahu’s weakness, as he is unable to advance his stance among his ministers
and his coalition partners. This is a government without a head, without a leader, and
without a direction.”
MK Nahman Shai (Kadima) echoed Hasson’s statements, saying that “the Prime Minister
needs to decide if he is running a country or conducting a choir. The foreign minister’s
statements are in complete opposition to the declared policies of the government, both
regarding the connection between the Iranian problem and the peace process, as well as
in his reference to the process as a gesture to the world community rather than as a vital
Israeli interest.”
MK Majalee Whbee (Kadima) took his criticism a step further, blasting not simply
Lieberman’s comments, but also describing Netanyahu’s response as “flaccid”, saying
that it was an “additional proof that Netanyahu prefers coalitional peace over regional
peace.”
Kadima was not the only party in the coalition to take the opportunity to attack
Lieberman’s statements. “It is known that he who places the mission of peace on the
next generation strives for war and not for peace,” complained Meretz Faction Chairman
MK Ilan Gilon.
Gilon said that Israel must reach a holistic solution with the Palestinians, but that
Lieberman is trying to do harm to any future agreement, leaving Israel as a policy of
Sayfa 44
eternal warfare. “It is clear that the fundamentalist forces are the enemy of democracy,
and they must be addressed through a strategic alliance with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi
Arabia, alongside an agreement with the Palestinians while strengthening the Palestinian
Authority against its enemies at home.” (Jerusalem Post)

Israel accepted France’s invitation to hold direct talks with the Palestinians in Paris next
month, even as the Palestinians continued to threaten Tuesday to pull out of the
fledgling negotiations unless Israel halted West Bank settlement construction.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s office said that no decision had been
made regarding an invitation French President Nicolas Sarkozy had extended to both
sides.
At the request of the PA, the Arab League ministers are scheduled to meet in Cairo on
October 4 to decide whether the Palestinians should pursue or suspend the peace talks
with Israel, given that Netanyahu allowed the 10-month moratorium on new
construction in the settlements to expire at midnight Sunday.
Although the Palestinians initially threatened to stop the peace process at that point,
they have delayed any decision on the matter until next Monday.
On Tuesday, the Palestinians continued to give Israel mixed messages when it came to
the future of direct talks, which were resumed early this month for the first time since
they were suspended in December 2008.
In an interview with a radio station in Paris, Abbas said at one moment that he would
give Israel one week before he decided on his future steps, and at another that he would
pull out of the talks due to settlement construction.
Sayfa 45

“If the building continues, we will have to put a stop to the talks,” Abbas was quoted by
Agence France Press as saying. “Netanyahu must know that peace is more important
than settlements.”
The Bethlehem-based Maan news agency quoted Abbas as saying that he would take
“historic decisions” on October 4. The PA president did not elaborate.
Some understood the statement as a new threat to resign from his post or quit the talks
if Israel insisted on building in the settlements.
As part of the United States’s frenzied effort to broker a compromise between the
deadlocked positions of the two parties, US special envoy George Mitchell arrived in
Israel to hold meetings on Wednesday and Thursday with leaders from both sides.
State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said that Mitchel would remain the region
to hold talks with other regional leaders in advance of the October 4 meeting.
"There is a multilevel conversation going on. The Israelis, the Palestinians, others in the
region, the United States, everyone is advancing ideas and formulas that we hope will
convince the parties to stay in the negotiation and will convince countries in the region
to continue to support this negotiation," Crowley said.
"We want the Palestinians to stay in the direct negotiations and we want the Israelis to
demonstrate that it is in the Palestinian interest to stay in these negotiations," said
Crowley.
Although the US has publicly called on Israel to extend the moratorium, Crowley on
Tuesday said that the issue of settlements can best be solved through direct
negotiations.
On Tuesday night, Mitchell held a private meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak in
Tel Aviv, and on Wednesday morning he plans to meet with Netanyahu.
Sayfa 46
Over the last few days, Netanyahu has spoken over the phone with Sarkozy and US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Netanyahu, who, since talking office in the spring of 2009, has always stated his desire to
hold direct talks with the Palestinians, said on Tuesday, “I hope that my good
conversations with Abbas will continue. It is essential.”
He told both Sarkozy and Clinton, “I believe with a full heart that it is within our power to
reach a framework agreement within a year and to change the history of the Middle
East.”
In his conversation with Sarkozy, Netanyahu agreed to travel to Paris next month to
meet with Abbas.
A government source added that Netanyahu was happy to meet Abbas at any time and
in any place.
“Ultimately we believe that the direct dialogue between the two leaders has to be
routine and regular for the process to succeed,” said the source.
But Nabil Sha’ath, a member of the Palestinian delegation to the peace talks, told
reporters Tuesday that “settlements and peace are two parallels that do not meet. Israel
must chose between the two.”
Sha’ath said that the resumption of the new construction work in West Bank settlements
on Monday aimed not only to “demolish Palestinian houses and deepen the occupation,
but also to sabotage the peace process.”
He reiterated the PA’s strong opposition to conducting negotiations with Israel while the
construction was under way in the settlements.
Sha’ath also said that the Palestinians would make a final decision on the future of the
talks after hearing what the Arab League had to say on October 4.
Sayfa 47
Dani Dayan, who heads the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza,
said Tuesday he was “cautiously optimistic” that Netanyahu would hold firm to his
stance that the moratorium was over.
“The situation today is completely different than it was two days ago, when there was a
big question mark if the freeze would be extended,” he said.
The council has continued to lobby ministers to oppose any initiative by Netanyahu to
reinstate it, but to date, Dayan said, there is no sign that the prime minister is attempting
to drum up support for such a measure.
Meanwhile, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the UN General Assembly in
New York that “in Israel, there is much talk about peace, yet the drums of war continue
to sound.”
He warned that Israel’s continued settlement activities were about to make a two-state
solution, in which Israel and Palestine would live side by side in peace, a “dead letter that
stands no chance of survival.”
Nonetheless, Muallem said, Syria wants peace and “is ready to resume peace
negotiations from the point where they stopped through the Turkish mediator.”
He reiterated that a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which was
captured in the 1967 war, “is not negotiable, nor is it a bargaining chip.”
Netanyahu has not said he is willing to cede the territory Syria wants.
Turkey mediated four rounds of indirect peace negotiations between the two countries
in 2008, but Syria suspended the talks in December of that year over Israel’s military
offensive in Gaza. (Jerusalem Post)
Sayfa 48

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni’s rival for the Kadima leadership, MK Shaul Mofaz,
suggested on Tuesday that his party could join Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s
government under the right circumstances.
Mofaz’s comments were very different than those of Livni and Kadima MKs loyal to her,
who said the best Kadima could offer Netanyahu was a parliamentary safety net.
“I think it’s clear to everyone today that if the prime minister will embark on a real,
significant diplomatic process that is practical and calls for a national-unity government,
with real cooperation and a proper coalition, we can go together and advance Israel,”
Mofaz told Army Radio.
Mofaz said he believed a national-unity government with Likud and Kadima could
advance the diplomatic process with both the Palestinians and the Syrians.
He said he still thought Kadima should have joined the coalition when it was formed and
that now Netanyahu needed to adopt a diplomatic plan for the party to join, ideally
Mofaz’s own plan.
“The consensus in Kadima is that if he takes real and practical steps toward peace and
there is the right kind of coalition, then there is what to talk about and Kadima can be a
new partner in this government,” he said.
Mofaz later told Channel 2 that “if the Netanyahu government adopts a plan, I think
Kadima could join the government.”
Following Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s controversial speech at the United
Nations General Assembly, he hinted that Lieberman’s Israel Beiteinu party would have
to leave for Kadima to join.
“The makeup of the coalition would have to be acceptable to us,” Mofaz said.
Asked whether he still believed he would unseat Livni, he said he still believed “there will
be primaries in Kadima sooner than people think.” (Jerusalem Post)
Sayfa 49

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday responded to the criticism direct at
him following his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, in which
he stated that it could "take decades" to reach a comprehensive peace deal with the
Palestinians.
After Defense Minister Ehud Barak accused the foreign minister of "playing into the
enemy's hands," a senior member in Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party said that Barak
was "dragging the government to left," adding that it was time "to replace the Labor
Party with Kadima."
Netanyahu, Barak shake connection to foreign minister's UN speech, which ministers say
was meant to stymie peace process. Minister Herzog: Lieberman shames his country in
public. US clarifies that only prime minister leading peace talks
Barak had said that Lieberman's remarks did not reflect the government's stand. The
Yisrael Beiteinu official responded by saying that the defense minister "is turning the
government into a Peace Now government. Labor must be replaced with Kadima, in
order to allow the government to focus on internal affairs, as it promised before the
elections."
According to the Yisrael Beiteinu official, Labor – the Likud's second senior partner in the
Netanyahu government – "has 13 members on paper and theoretically, as it has failed to
produce more than eight members for any significant Knesset vote."
One of the Labor Party ministers, Avishay Braverman, has called on the prime minister to
fire Lieberman immediately. He referred to the foreign minister as "subversive" and said
that "his hallucinatory remarks were preplanned and timed and were aimed at heating
the atmosphere and sabotaging the peace process. They join a long list of incidents in
which he has undermined the prime minister."
Sayfa 50
In an interview to Israel Radio on Wednesday morning, Lieberman said that last week
Barak had spoken about dividing Jerusalem, adding that "I did not see any protests,
although this is definitely not in line with the government's stand and basic guidelines.
He slammed Braverman, saying that "he should go to synagogue every morning and
evening and pray for my health, because if he doesn't attack me no one will know he
even exists or is a minister."
Lieberman went on to blast media commentators, who called for his dismissal. "All the
journalists trying to create this crisis are miserable and I can only feel sorry for them," he
said.
Washington officials clarified Tuesday night that Netanyahu, not Lieberman, was heading
Israel's negotiations with the Palestinians.
Asked about Lieberman's speech, State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley told
reporters to turn to Israel for explanations on whether the foreign minister's comments
reflected the position of Netanyahu's government.
"I’m not questioning that there may be divergent views between the prime minister and
the foreign minister, but I’ll defer to the Israeli government to explain the difference. The
prime minister told us that there are difficult politics on his side, and this is perhaps a
manifestation of that,” Crowley said at a press briefing.
The Prime Minister's Office clarified on Tuesday that the content of Lieberman's UN
address was not coordinated with Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the statement, the
prime minister "believes wholeheartedly that we will be able to reach a framework
agreement within one year and change history in the Middle East." (Yedioth Ahranot)
4.
EGYPT / MISIR
Sayfa 51

According to experts recent statements by the Egyptian Interior minister Habib Al-Adly,
regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections indicate that, the ruling regime is
intending to hinder any effort made by the Muslim Brotherhood to participate in the
elections.
The comments indicate that MB nominees may very well face electoral obstacles and a
number of ruling party officials recently declared that the group would fail to win a
significant number of parliamentary seats. Al-Adly warned the group from using the
motto "Islam is the solution" as a campaign slogan after Egypt 's parliament approved an
amendment in 2008, prohibiting the use of religious slogans highlighting that the popular
MB is specifically targeted by the regime.
It appears that the government is likely to resort to harassing the popular MB candidates
in an effort to erode the gains achieved by the group during the 2005 parliamentary
elections. The MB's large success had not been met with lightly where the group secured
20% of the overall number of seats.
As yet the group is to announce its stance regarding the upcoming elections. Meanwhile,
the MB has yet to announce its official position regarding its participation in the
parliamentary races. Experts believe that recent statements by some group members
hint that the brotherhood plans to field 250 candidates to compete for 518
parliamentary seats. (Ikhwan Web)

Fixed-line provider Telecom Egypt (TE) "squandered public funds" by providing its
executives with extravagant bonuses in 2009 despite chalking up a significant profit
shortfall for the year, according to a report issued this week by the Central Auditing
Organization.
The report notes that TE's 2009 net profits stood at LE2.3 billion compared to LE2.8
billion the previous year, representing a 7-percent decrease. Nevertheless, the company
Sayfa 52
chairman and board members received a total of LE9.3 million in bonuses for the year,
compared to LE4.1 million in 2008.
TE Chairman Akil Beshir alone received LE4.2 million in bonuses for 2009, the report
states, compared to LE1.1 million the year before.
The report goes on to criticize the company's apparent inability to safeguard its
inventory from theft, noting that company warehouses in Giza had been subject to theft
several times, despite the company's expenditure of more than LE30 million on security
systems. (Al Masry Al Youm)

President Hosni Mubarak held talks on Tuesday morning with the chief of US Central
Command James Mattis. Mattis is responsible for military affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Defense and Military Production Mohamed
Hussein Tantawy, and the US ambassador in Cairo Margaret Scobey.
Last August, Mattis assumed leadership of the command, succeeding General David
Petraeus, who moved to head the US military forces in Afghanistan last June. Petraeus
replaced General Stanley McCrystal.
Celebrating his new post, Mattis promised US regional allies to work toward maintaining
peace and stability in the region. (Al Masry Al Youm)
5.

LEBANON / LÜBNAN
President Michel Sleiman stressed Monday that Lebanon would not accept any
resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at its expense with regard to the settlement
of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Sayfa 53
“Lebanon will not accept any solution to the Mideast issue if it conflicts with the
country’s higher national interests particularly the right of rejecting the settlement of
Palestinian refugees,” Sleiman said during a dinner banquet in his honor held by the
Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
The Lebanese president said a comprehensive and just peace resolution was a necessity
to guarantee peace and international security.
“And this solution can only be based on international resolutions, the Madrid peace
conference and the Arab Peace Initiative,” Sleiman added.
Sleiman underscored Lebanon’s need for the support of the international community
and friendly states to promote peace and stability and spread its sovereignty throughout
its territories by pressuring Israel into implementing UN Security Council Resolution
1701, which put an end to the 2006 summer war with Israel.
He said his visit to Mexico aimed to develop bilateral ties and promote commercial,
cultural and economic exchange between both countries.
Sleiman’s visit to Mexico comes as part of a tour by the Lebanese president to countries
hosting a large number of Lebanese expatriates and people of Lebanese origins urging
them to reconnect with their home land and invest in Lebanon.
Prior to the dinner held by the Mexican president at the National Palace in Mexico City,
Sleiman met with delegations of Mexican-Lebanese, calling on them to visit Lebanon
once a year to re-connect with their fellow citizens and explore investment
opportunities.
Sleiman has reiterated on several recent occasions the need to pass laws granting people
of Lebanese origins the right to retrieve their nationality and set a framework to allow
them to vote from abroad.
Sayfa 54
The electoral law passed by Parliament in 2008 endorsed both lowering the voting age to
18 and producing the regulations required to allow expatriates vote abroad during the
2013 parliamentary polls.
However, legislators have yet to actually pass the constitutional amendment needed to
lower the voting age and set an executive framework to allow voters to cast ballots
abroad.
But the constitutional amendment to lower the voting age and allow people of Lebanese
origin to retrieve their nationality was delayed given fears the move would alter the
confessional demographic balance in a country based on confessional power sharing.
It is believed that lowering the voting age would increase the number of Muslim voters
while granting people of Lebanese origin the right to retrieve their nationality would
favor the Christian community.
For his part, Calderon praised Sleiman’s efforts on the political scene to promote national
unity in Lebanon as well as stability in the region.
Calderon said people of Lebanese origin have contributed to Mexico’s development, as
well as laid the foundations for cultural exchange between both countries.
“We have to strengthen bilateral ties to grow relations similarly to the cedars in
Lebanon,” he said. (The Daily Star)

American Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly stressed that her country would
continue supporting the Lebanese Army.
Connelly said that her country “trusts the role of the Lebanese Army and its
determination to continue to support it and enhance cooperation with it in all fields.”
Sayfa 55
A statement issued by the Lebanese Army guidance directorate said Connelly’s remarks
came during a meeting Monday evening between a delegation from the US Embassy and
the Lebanese Army to evaluate the completed phases of the US military aid program
assigned to the Lebanese Army, especially in the field of training and logistics.
Connelly thanked the Lebanese officers who participated in “following up and
implementing the aid program.”
According to the statement, the meeting took place in the military complex in the city of
Jounieh, north of Beirut, and saw the participation of Connelly, who headed the
delegation that included the US Defense Attache Brigadier Joseph Rank.
The Lebanese delegation included army Chief of Staff Major General Shawqi al-Masri on
behalf of army commander General Jean Kahwaji.
Masri thanked the US authorities for their “continuous support of the Lebanese Army.”
“This army that hasn’t hesitated for one second in fulfilling its defense and security
duties, whether in confronting the Israeli enemy or terrorism, has never assaulted others
at any time,” he said.
“But it was always in the defense position and protecting its country from dangers. Thus,
any military aid it receives is a right step in line of international laws, a moral and
humanitarian step that serves international peace and security,” added Masri.
US military assistance to Lebanon has reached around $600 million since 2006.
However, concerns over halting this American aid arose after the chairman of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman placed a hold on $100 million worth of
military assistance to Lebanon.
His move came on August 2, a day before two Lebanese soldiers, a Lebanese journalist
and a senior Israeli soldier were killed during armed clashes that erupted between
Lebanese and Israeli army troops along the Blue Line.
Sayfa 56
Following the incident, other members of Congress called for halting US assistance to the
Lebanese Army due to its alleged links to Hizbullah.
Defense Minister Elias Murr rejected outright accepting any conditional military aid and
responded to the block by setting up a separate fund for arming the military.
Earlier this month, media reports said that Berman had agreed to withdraw his
objections to the military assistance. (The Daily Star)

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Prosecutor’s office issued a statement on Tuesday
that it “regrets the departure of Ms. Henrietta Aswad as its spokesperson due to
unforeseen personal reasons.”
STL Prosecutor Judge Daniel Bellamare appointed Aswad—a Middle East and North
Africa as well as development expert—earlier in September, the National News Agency
(NNA) reported.
Aswad’s predecessor, Radiya Ashouri, resigned from her post in May.
While the STL Prosecutor’s office had to deal with the departure of its newly-appointed
spokesperson, MPs argued about the September 16 session of the Parliamentary Finance
and Budget Commission.
Lebanon First bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat said on Tuesday that what happened during the
September 16 commission session after the March 14 alliance MPs walked out of the
meeting is invalid, because the quorum was illegal.
The March 14 MPs left when March 8 MPs insisted that the commission vote on a
controversial 2010 state budget clause related to Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)
funding.
Sayfa 57
Later that day, NBN television quoted an anonymous March 8 source as saying that the
commission still had a quorum despite the March 14 MPs’ withdrawal.
Fatfat also said that Development and Liberation bloc MP Ali Hassan Khalil apologized for
what Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Ali Ammar said, adding that the latter’s
statement serves Israel.
Ammar said earlier on Tuesday during the commission session that “*March 14+
destroyed the country and established a US-Israeli court that was approved in an
illegitimate way.”
Also, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Tuesday that Tawhid Movement
leader Wiam Wahhab called on the March 8 coalition ministers to resign and overthrow
the government as soon as possible, “because the government cannot continue to work
in the current situation.”
Tension is currently high in Lebanon as some March 8 coalition politicians are calling for
the abolition of STL, while Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and former
head of General Security Jamil as-Sayyed publicly attacked the government.
Wahhab called on President Michel Sleiman to take action in order to face worst
situations that might occur. If the STL aims to sabotage Lebanon, we will overthrow it
and prevent those who cooperate with it from doing so, said Wahhab.
The Tawhid leader also called on Interior Minister Ziad Baroud to adjust the work of the
security institutions.
In regional news, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's UN General Assembly
speech, which outlined controversial proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, did
not reflect the official Israeli position, the Israeli premier's office said Tuesday.
Sayfa 58
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to be distancing himself from Lieberman's
more controversial proposals, including making mostly Arab regions of Israel part of a
future Palestinian state and striving for an interim agreement instead of a full peace deal.
"Netanyahu is the one who handles the diplomatic negotiations. The various
arrangements for peace will be determined only around the negotiating table and
nowhere else,” the statement said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Lieberman told the UN General Assembly that Iran is at the heart of
the Middle East conflict and that a settlement with the Palestinians could take decades.
However, Netanyahu is to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris next
month and sees their continued peace talks as "essential," the PM’s office said. (Now
Lebanon)

Minister of State Adnan As-Sayyed Hussein told the Voice of Lebanon (VOL) radio station
on Wednesday that the cabinet is bound to reach solutions to all matters through
consensus.
“We are working to ensure that the cabinet sessions are taking place under a calm
atmosphere,” he added.
Sayyed Hussein also said that he suggested postponing discussing the issue of Lebanon’s
share of funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) until President Michel
Sleiman—who is currently in Mexico—returns to Beirut.
“I am with reaching consensus on the STL funding issue,” the minister added.
March 14 MPs withdrew from the September 16 evening session of the Parliamentary
Budget and Finance Commission to prevent quorum when March 8 coalition MPs called
for voting on a 2010 state budget clause pertaining to Lebanon’s funding of the STL.
Sayfa 59
Tension ran high in Lebanon after reports said that the STL would soon issue its
indictment in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. (Now
Lebanon)

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal newspaper published on Wednesday, Syrian
Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said that “the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has
become politicized,” adding that indicting Hezbollah members for the 2005 assassination
of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri “will sink Lebanon in sectarian violence.”
Mouallem met with his US counterpart, Hillary Clinton, on Monday, after which the latter
said Syria should not take destabilizing measures in either Lebanon or Iraq.
“Damascus was informed that certain Hezbollah members will be officially indicted by
the tribunal soon,” Mouallem said, adding, “We are convinced that such an indictment
will be a factor that will destabilize Lebanon.”
He called for “replacing the *STL’s investigation+ with a pure Lebanese probe into the
Rafik Hariri murder.”
Tension ran high in Lebanon after reports said that the STL would soon issue its
indictment for the Rafik Hariri murder. There are fears that should the court indict
Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events.
(Now Lebanon)

The feeling of being stepped on as a citizen or humiliated to the core is one that cannot
be underestimated in today’s Lebanon. It is difficult to overcome the challenges facing
those of us who live in this accursed region without the protection of state institutions.
But any semblance of the state, again in a region where the notion of the state is so
often a moveable feast, has been systematically crushed, the latest example being
Sayfa 60
Hezbollah’s total disregard for national security when it broke into Rafik Hariri
International Airport last Saturday to pick up the former head of General Security, Jamil
as-Sayyed, when he returned from Paris.
What is left to hold onto in a country controlled by an arrogant and sectarian militia that
protects itself with Iranian arms, deludes itself that it has the unyielding support of the
Shia community and believes that it can thrive on the past glories of its war of resistance
against Israel?
Indeed, the Resistance was supposed to solely resist the Israeli occupying forces in South
Lebanon, and despite the reservations many people had regarding the ideology and
evolution of Hezbollah, the Party of God fulfilled its mandate in 2000 and won the thanks
of a grateful nation.
So what has happened since then? When Hezbollah inherited the Lebanese political
scene from the Syrians in 2005, it focused its efforts on fighting the Lebanese
government, its institutions and its people.
Its “divine victory” against Israel in 2006 could not be questioned, and Hezbollah became
greedier and more arrogant. It wanted everything, and the power game got ugly. Today,
it has exceeded itself, even by its own outrageous standards.
To be fair, the mask of the Resistance fell away over two years ago on May 7 on the
streets of Beirut and days later in the Druze Mountains. We’ve been trying to resist it
ever since, but the tools we made in 2005 have been taken from us one by one. The May
7 attempted coup, an imposed government of so-called national unity and the SaudiSyrian “deal” are just a few of the events that have slowly eroded the gains of March 14,
2005, and today all we have to cling to is the hope that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
(STL) ensures that justice prevails.
However, this last hope is under attack every day by Hezbollah because the party wants
to put an end to the court, and when Hezbollah demands something from the Lebanese,
Sayfa 61
it is not enough to say no. “No” is tantamount to treason because it is “no” to the Divine
Resistance. “No” means a long fight that will more often than not unfold into lethal
mayhem.
Because of its resistance activities, Hezbollah feels it has the right to hijack the country
and force its agenda on all Lebanese, because we are nothing more than its mignons.
Because the Resistance insists it is cut from more honorable cloth, the rest of us have to
endure the wounds – physical and mental – that have been inflicted upon us and give up
our right to try to know who has been killing our leaders since February 14, 2005. Simply,
Hezbollah does not want the STL to find out the truth.
Because of the Resistance, Lebanon has to bury its potential to grow as a hub of
freedom, development, co-existence and culture in the region. Hezbollah prefers
Lebanon to be a battlefield for regional confrontation. Without conflict it is nothing.
Because of the Resistance, the government and state institutions cannot make or
implement sovereign decisions. It cannot even issue an arrest warrant for Sayyed when
he defames the prime minister. Hezbollah wants Sayyed to say what he said and wants
to send a message to the Lebanese authorities that Hezbollah is the final decision maker
on everything.
Hezbollah won’t stop repeating the phrase forced into the ministerial statement that the
defense of Lebanon consists of the army, the Resistance and the people, although more
than half of the Lebanese (as it was established in the parliamentary elections in 2009)
do not want to resist. As for the rest, they are merely expected to applaud and blindly
follow instructions.
Today Hezbollah wants to put an end to the course of justice, but the party’s ego stops it
from seeing that the urge for revenge can easily replace justice. Revenge does not need
evidence and does not differentiate between the killer and the community he comes
from.
Sayfa 62
If the STL is abandoned at the barrel of a gun, the Shia, all of the Shia, will be punished
for a crime no one knows who committed. Does Hezbollah really want this to happen to
those who have already sacrificed enough for their so-called party? Who will then save
the Lebanese from the poisoning hatred that expresses itself every day in Sunni-Shia
neighborhoods of Beirut?
Hezbollah has convinced everyone that the Shia stand behind it no matter what happens,
and now the human shield it has been protecting itself with for years will have to once
again pay the price for the party’s arrogance, with more blood and more tears.
The fault is not only Hezbollah’s, as nobody has tried to understand the Shia
community’s dynamics, which are more complicated than what Hezbollah is trying to
convey. This misconception can make the urge for revenge that much more aggressive
and primitive.
The only tool we are left with in order to avoid revenge is the STL. We need to hold on to
it, stand up for it and trust it. The fear we feel today should push us to break the
stereotypes we have of each other instead of adopting them as an excuse for vengeance.
Civil wars can start because of preconceived ideas, and we know better than most how
brutal and long civil wars can be. Have we learned nothing from our past?
Saadallah Wannous, a Syrian playwright and intellectual, said before he died in 1997:
“We are dominated by hope.” In Lebanon, we have no choice but to stay hopeful,
because if we don’t, we will lose ourselves. (Now Lebanon)
6.

SYRIA / SURİYE
President Bashar al-Assad on Monday received the British member of Parliament of the
Conservative Party, Brooks Newmark.
Sayfa 63
Talks during the meeting dealt with bilateral relations and means of developing them
and the latest regional and international developments. (SANA)

Dışişleri Bakanı Velid el-Muallim Suriye'nin uluslararası ilişkiler ve dış işlerinde, Suriye ve
Arap çıkarlarını korumakla birlikte yeniden düzenleme önceliğinin temeline dayalı bir
vizyona sahip olduğunu belirtti.
Dışişleri Bakanı Muallim BM 65. Dönem Toplantılarında Suriye adına yaptığı konuşmada
dolayısıyla Suriye'nin, başkalarıyla anlaşmazlık konularında üstünde yapılanmanın
olabileceği buluşma noktalarına ulaşmak için derin diyalog kapılarını açık tuttuğuna vurgu
yaptı.
Kendisine karşı yıllar süren yaptırım ve ambargo süresince bunu belirten Suriye'nin, şimdi
ise Ortadoğu'nun güvenlik ve istikrarında kilit bir role sahip olmasıyla yine bunu
belirtmekte olduğunun altını çizen Muallim, medeni uluslararası ilişkilerin kapalılık,
azletme, çarpışma ve düşmanlık üzerine değil de açılım ve diyalog üzerine kurulması
gerektiğini belirtti. Bunlara ek olarak Suriye'nin, günümüz dünyasında uluslararası
ilişkilerin açılım ve diyalog üzerine kurulu olmasını temenni ettiğine işaret etti.
Barış süreci konusunda ise Dışişleri Bakanı Muallim, İsrail'de barıştan söz ettiklerini fakat
aynı zamanda savaş çanlarını çaldıklarını, yahudi yerleşimlerle Arapların arazilerine el
koyduklarını, Kudüs’ü yahudileştirme ve müzakerelerin var olması yada olmamasından
uzak bir şekilde İsrail'in kendini emri vaki bir durum olarak kabul ettirmeye çalıştığına
işaret etti.
Muallim barışın; barışı sağlama isteğinin şemsiyesi altında müzakereler ve politik
manevralarla değil, onu sağlamada sergilenen pratik ve iradenin gerçekliğinde olduğunu
belirterek, Suriye'nin barışı sağlama iradesine kesinlikle sahip olduğunun altını çizdi.
Bununla birlikte, işgal altındaki Golan topraklarının kesinlikle pazarlık konusu
Sayfa 64
olamayacağını, bir karış toprağı eksilmeden eksiksiz ve tam olarak iade alınmasına dayalı
ilkeli ve sabit bir karara sahip olduğuna vurgu yaptı.
Dışişleri Bakanı, yukarıdaki koşullar temelinde Suriye'nin, Türkiye'nin oynayacağı aracı rol
vasıtasıyla İsrail ile dolaylı müzakereleri yeniden başlatmaya hazır olduğunu sözlerine
ekledi.
Irak Konusunda ise Muallim, Irak’ın toprak ve halk bütünlüğü, güvenlik ve istikrarı, Arap
kimliğini koruması ve egemenliğine kavuşmasına Suriye'nin büyük bir özen gösterdiğini
yineledi.
Muallim, ABD güçlerinin çekilmesini Irak’ın egemenliğini geri kazanması yönünde olumlu
bir adım olarak nitelendirdi.
Dışişleri Bakanı doğal felaketler konusuna da değinerek, bu yıl yaşanan doğal felaketlerin
daha büyük felaketlerin başlangıcını teşkil ettiğine işaret ederken, bu konuyu büyük bir
duyarlılık ve sorumlulukla ele alma ve gereğinin yapılması gereğine vurgu yaptı.
Pakistan’a yaşanan sel felaketinde büyük maddi hasarların meydana geldiğine işaret eden
Dışişleri Bakanı, bu ülkeye daha fazla yardımların sunulması önemine vurgu yaptı.
Nükller silahların yayılmasını önleme anlaşmasına katılması ve nükleer tesislerinin
uluslararası denetçilere açılması yönünde İsrail'in zorlanması gereğine vurgu yapan
Dışişleri Bakanı, bu konuda çifte standartlı politika izlemenin yanlış olduğunu belirtti. Aynı
zamanda her ülkenin barışçıl amaçlı nükleer teknolojiden faydalanma hakkına dikkat
çekti.
Muallim tarih boyunca Ortadoğu'nun gerginlik ve savaşlara tanık olduğunu, coğrafi
konumu nedeniyle çevresinde bulunan Asya, Avrupa ve Afrika ülkelerinden büyük
derecede etkilendiğini ve bu ülkeleri etkilediğine değinirken, bu bölgenin ortasında düşen
Suriye'nin tüm bu gelişmelerin politikasından etkilendiğini ve uyum sağladığını söyledi.
Sayfa 65
Dışişleri Bakanı tüm dünyanın olduğu gibi, Ortadoğu'da adil ve kapsamlı barışın
sağlanması çağrısında bulunduğunu, bunun da bölgeyle birlikte tüm dünyanın güvenlik ve
istikrarı için gereklilik olduğunu belirttiğine dikkat çekerken İsrail'in işgal altındaki
topraklarda barışa karşı politikalarını sürdürdüğüne işaret etti.
Suriye'nin uluslararası güvenlik konseyinin 242 ve 338 sayılı kararlarıyla birlikte Arap barış
Girişimi doğrultusunda adil kapsamlı barıştan yana tutumunun uzun yıllardan beri bilinen
bir tutum olduğunu belirterek, bu tutumun sabit ve değişmez ilkelere dayalı olduğuna
vurgu yaptı.
İsrail'in Gazze'ye yönelik uyguladığı katı ablukayı kırmak ve oradaki Filistinlilere insani
yardım taşıyan Özgürlük Filosuna karşı İsrail saldırısını soruşturan uluslararası komitenin
raporuna değinen Muallim, Suriye'nin rahatlılığını dile getirdi.
Muallim Sudan konusunda ise Suriye'nin, bu kardeş Arap ülkesinin güvenlik ve istikrarına
verdiği önem kapsamında orada gelişen olayları yakından takip ettiğini dile getirerek,
Katar, Arap Birliği ve Afrika Birliğinin bu konuda harcadıkları çabaları takdirle karşıladığını
kaydetti.
Dışişleri Bakanı Muallim, konuşmasında uzun yıllardan beri Küba’ya uygulanan
yaptırımların kaldırılması yönünde Suriye'nin çağrısını yineledi.
Konuşmasının bitiminde Dışişleri Bakanı; “ Daha güvenli, daha adaletli, daha güzel bir
dünya istiyoruz. BM rolünün aktifleştirilmesini talep ediyor, uluslararası yasalara saygı ve
bağlılığın gereğini belirtiyoruz. Fakat aynı zamanda kurmak ve güçlendirmek istediğimiz
dünyanın, başlangıcına bu yıl tanık olduğumuz doğal felaketlerle karşı karşıya olduğunu,
ve bu felaketlerin önüne geçilmesi gerektiğini unutmamamız gerekiyor.” Sözleriyle bitirdi.
BM Genel Sekreteri ile Bölge Gündemini Gözden Geçirdi
Sayfa 66
Diğer yandan Dışişleri Bakanı Muallim, BM genel Sekreteri Ban Ki Mun ile başta barış
süreci olmak üzere Ortadoğu'nun gündemini gözden geçirdi.
Muallim görüşmede, barış gereksinimlerinden yana Suriye'nin meşru tutumunu
açıklarken, İsrail'in barışın sağlanması için politik iradeye sahip olmadığını kaydetti.
Ki Mun ile görüşmesinde Lübnan’daki duruma değinen Muallim, sükunetle birlikte
Lübnan'ın güvenlik ve istikrarına Suriye'nin büyük bir özen gösterdiğini yineledi.
Irak’taki durumun da ele alındığı görüşmede Dışişleri Bakanı, Irak halkının tüm kesimlerini
temsil edecek ulusal birlik hükümetinin kurulmasından yana Suriye tutumunu ifade etti.
BM Genel Sekreteri Ki Mun görüşmede, bölge sorunlarının çözümünde Suriye'nin
oynadığı kilit rolün önemini vurguladı. (SANA)

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Tuesday discussed with UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon issues of the region, on top, peace process, situations in Lebanon
and Iraq.
During the meeting held in New York, al-Moallem briefed Ki-moon on the requirements
of just and comprehensive peace, saying that Israel has no political will to make peace.
Minister al-Moallem pointed out to the situation in Lebanon, underlining Syria's interest
in easing the Lebanese situations, preserving its security and stability.
On Iraq, the Foreign Minister expressed Syria's big interest in forming an Iraqi national
unity government that brings together all representing powers at the parliament,
underscoring the need for keeping Iraq unity, sovereignty and independence.
Ki-moon, for his part, stressed the importance of the Syrian role in finding solutions to
problems of the region, preserving its security and stability. (SANA)
Sayfa 67

The Arab Parliament called for the full Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Syrian Golan
till the line of June 4, 1967, and considering the decision of annexing the Golan to the
Zionist entity as void.
During its second regular session for 2010 held in Damascus on Tuesday, the Parliament
decided to keep considering the issue of the occupied Syrian Golan a permanent topic on
its work agenda.
The Parliament called on Arab leaders to speed up establishing the Arab union out of the
extraordinary Arab Summit set to be held in Libya next month as to face all challenges of
the Arab nation and protect its interests and national security.
The report of the Foreign and Political Affairs and National Security committee affirmed
that the Palestinian reconciliation is the core of the Palestinian cause and the peace
process in the Middle East.
It called on all parliaments, Arab countries and the Arab League to continue efforts
exerted to ending the Palestinian-Palestinian disagreement.
Concerning the current direct negotiations with Israel, the Parliament reiterated its
emphasis that negotiations will not continue if the Zionist entity continued building
settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The Parliament stressed that the issue of Jerusalem is the essence of the peace process
and that Israel's continuation of building settlements and Judaizing the city threaten the
whole peace process.
It highlighted commitment to establishing the independent Palestinian state with
Jerusalem as its capital.
The report of the Economic and Financial Affairs committee underscored the necessity of
boosting coordination with the Arab League to protect Arab water security, combat
drought and realize Arab food security.
Sayfa 68
It also underlined the importance of intensifying communication with the Arab Tourism
Organization to develop and activate tourism in the Arab World. (Champress)
7.
ARABIAN PENINSULA AND THE GULF OF BASRA / ARAP YARIMADASI VE BASRA
KÖRFEZİ

Kuwait's information ministry on Tuesday dismissed criticism from liberal MPs for
banning books from a fair due next month while Islamists praised the move.
The ministry said in a statement that its censorship committee has banned only 25 titles
out of 24,000 books for abusing God, prophets and other religious figures, books on
pornography and others undermining Kuwait.
It provided no other details on the books or the authors banned from displaying their
works at the book fair which will run from October 13 to 23.
" Banning books that abuse God, prophets and Kuwait is mandatory for the government
and it will be held accountable if it fails to do so "
Liberal MPs and civil society groups charged that the government was attempting to
stifle freedom of speech and thought.
"Barring books from the Kuwait book fair is a breach of the constitution," which does not
apply restrictions on the freedom of speech, liberal MP Saleh al-Mulla said in a
statement.
Liberal MP Aseel al-Awadhi has urged Information Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah alSabah to explain what were the parameters used by the censorship committee to ban
books from the fair.
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But Islamist MPs praised the measure saying it is obligatory for the information ministry
to ban books that abuse God and other religious figures.
Salafi Islamist MP Waleed al-Tabtabai warned the information ministry of accountability
if it fails to ban abusive books.
"Banning books that abuse God, prophets and Kuwait is mandatory for the government
and it will be held accountable if it fails to do so," Tabtabai said in a statement.
The ministry's statement came as several Kuwaiti and Egyptian newspapers carried
reports in recent days saying that works by prominent Egyptian authors have been
banned from the Kuwait book fair.
Among those banned were books by Alaa al-Aswany, author of the acclaimed novel "The
Yacoubian Building" which has been translated into several languages and made into a
film.
Books by author Gamal al-Gitani, regarded as the best student of the late Naguib
Mahfouz, who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature, have also been banned.
Egyptian publisher Fatima al-Bodi, however, dismissed Kuwait's ban as a routine act.
"Some books are always banned from participating in the book fair and this is not the
first time," Bodi told AFP.
"I see the attempt of some to link this ban to the position taken by (organizers of)
Algeria's book fair as wrong," she said.
Several Algerian writers and intellectuals signed a petition last month denouncing
organizers of Algeria's international book fair for banning books from Egypt in a dispute
over football.
Bad feeling has lingered between Algeria and Egypt after their national teams clashed
last year in 2010 World Cup football qualifying matches that triggered off-field violence.
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak paid a "friendly" visit to Algiers on June 4 in an effort
to solve the dispute. (Al Arabiya News Channel)

A source affiliated with the British Defense Secretary Liam Fox’s visit to Saudi Arabia, told
Asharq Al-Awsat that Britain has provided assurances regarding the safety of the
Eurofighter Typhoon jets, recently received by the Royal Saudi Air Force, within the
context of a military deal between the two countries.
Doubts had surfaced about the safety of the Typhoon jets, in the wake of the death of a
Saudi pilot, as a result of a plane crash involving a similar type of aircraft during a training
flight in Spanish airspace.
Informed sources quoted the British Defense Secretary, who yesterday concluded his
two-day visit, as saying that the Typhoon jet which crashed “contained a simple design
error”, stressing that Britain had amended the error in all aircraft of this type. Sources
accompanying the British minister confirmed that he had yesterday visited an air base in
Taif, where the Typhoon jets will be based.
Unverified reports over the past two weeks, speculated that Saudi Arabia, and other
countries, have decided to suspend Eurofighter Typhoon jet drills, as a result of the
death of the Saudi pilot.
However, according to information confirmed by sources close to the British Defense
Secretary, Saudi pilots are continuing with the Typhoon drills.
Liam Fox, besides his main talks in Saudi Arabia, touched upon the subject of Typhoon
jets. However – according to sources – this topic was not at the center of the talks he
held with the Saudi Arabian political leadership, where subjects relating to the Middle
East came at the top of the discussion agenda.
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The day before yesterday, Mr. Fox met with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, as well as Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Interior, in separate meetings.
Nicholas Heath, a political official and spokesperson for the British Embassy in Saudi
Arabia, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the British Defense Secretary had focused on
Middle Eastern issues, in addition to the situation in Afghanistan, during his meetings in
Saudi Arabia. He indicated that one topic discussed was ways to encourage Iran to show
greater transparency, amidst the backdrop of uncertainty that surrounds its nuclear
program.
Nicholas Heath described the talks between Liam Fox and Saudi officials as “very good”,
highlighting that they reflected the depth of the relationship between Riyadh and
London. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Human Rights Watch says civil rights are vulnerable to political change in Saudi Arabia
though Saudis are freer now, the AFP reported.
In its annual report on Saudi Arabia, the New York-based rights watchdog underscored
the "looser reign" of the 86-year-old Abdullah, but warned that reform gains could
disappear in the future.
"Should his enthusiasm for reform wane, or successors tread more conservative paths,
his legacy would be one of a brief respite of fresh air, but not one of institutional
reform," the report said of Abdullah.
The king's reforms have loosened some restrictions on women, boosted a sense of
fairness in the Islamic sharia-based judicial system, and increased freedom of expression
in the ultra-conservative Gulf monarchy, HRW said.
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However, non-Muslims still cannot practice their religion openly and minority Shiites are
actively discriminated against in the majority-Sunni country, despite Abdullah's own
interfaith relations initiative, it said.
It added that more than eight million migrant workers and their families in the country
continue to be denied basic rights.
"The king is laying down markers but not going the one step further to build institutions
for this," said Christoph Wilcke, the principal author of the report.
"There is a growing awareness... that this is a king with a reform agenda," he told
reporters in Riyadh in a conference call.
However, he added: "The deeper I dug the less concrete reform I found."
Wilcke said Abdullah has set an atmosphere for less restrictions on women, including
allowing them to move about with less concern of being hassled by the fearsome
religious police.
Nevertheless, women are still not allowed to drive and must obtain the written
permission of their male guardians in order to travel.
The report noted that Abdullah launched important structural reforms of the judiciary,
with more training, and specialised courts, but said "implementation of these proposals
has been halting at best." (AK News)

Oman has called on the United Nations to be more effective in its global political and
peace negotiations.
Saeed Badr Bin Hamad Bin Hamood Al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, during his address on Tuesday at the 65th session of the United Nations
Sayfa 73
General Assembly, urged the permanent members of the Security Council to reorganise
the role of the UN, in terms of expanding its administrative base.
“In the heart of this new role, there is a need for a fair management of interests in world
trade, in a way which will make member states feel that it is an organisation for all,” Al
Busaidi was quoted by Oman News Agency as saying.
Oman’s representative to the UN session wants to see the international community
conduct a comprehensive review of the requirements for international peace and
security, in view of all the lessons learned both from past wars and those that are
happening today.
He touched upon the recent natural catastrophe in Pakistan, the volcano in Iceland and
the H1N1 epidemic. “These are recent phenomena that have highlighted just how
interconnected we truly are. They demonstrate the important need for international
cooperation. What affects one corner of the world can truly have sweeping impacts
across the globe.”
On the problems being faced by the people of Palestine, Al Busaidi said, “We wish to
point out our strong belief in the absolute necessity of finding a solution to the conflict in
the Middle East. Although we support the direct negotiations between the Palestinians
and Israelis, facilitated and sponsored by the United States of America, we still feel that
the Israeli policy is vague, in accepting her responsibility towards the requirements of
peace, and that is the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian
state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the withdrawal of Israel from all Arab land to
the borders of June 4, 1967.”
Referring to the social development and economic resurgence experienced by Oman in
the last 40 years, Al Busaidi said the role of the Omani citizen is central to the country’s
development.
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He added that this socio-economic scenario stems from the conviction of His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who is largely credited with transforming Oman. He believes in
the right to freedom and that free expression is the seed of creativity, which in turn fuels
development.
This clear vision of His Majesty means that the Sultanate of Oman is moving towards the
future with firm determination, he said, stressing the importance of discussion between
governments.
“We believe dialogue between governments, which differ in their perspectives on issues,
will lead to a clearer system of global partnership and co-existence, embraced by
development and prosperity.” (Gulf News)

Iran’s foreign minister is to attend an international security conference in Bahrain in
December.
The Manama Dialogue, co-organised by Bahrain's foreign ministry and the London-based
International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), will bring together senior political and
security officials from several countries, including the US, Britain and Iran.
"I thank the foreign ministry for his invitation to attend the Manama Dialogue in
December and I am delighted to be present at this significant meeting that discusses
several important issues related to broadening dialogue and understanding between the
countries of the region and the rest of the world," Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's top
diplomat, said following a meeting with his Bahraini counterpart Shaikh Khalid Bin
Ahmad Al Khalifa in New York.
The forum this year will be held from December 3 to 5. Mottaki also attended the 2006
and 2009 Gulf Dialogue conferences.
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In the past he has criticised Western countries. "The presence and function of western
forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have deteriorated the situation, which resulted in the
massacre of innocent people, intensification of violence and destruction of the
infrastructures in this country," he said.
He decided, at the last moment, not to attend the forum in 2007 after Iran and IISS
disagreed over extending an invitation to an Iranian think tank that had organised a
conference of Holocaust deniers in Tehran, attended by participants from 30 countries,
including Jews from the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta sect, who argued that the Holocaust
had been either fabricated or exaggerated.
In his speech in 2009, Mottaki said the serious challenges facing the Middle East and the
Gulf included underground activities by terrorist networks and drug trafficking in the
region, as well as religious and racial conflict.
This year's Manama Dialogue agenda topics will include the role of the US in regional
security, regional security cooperation, Asia, strategic reassurance and deterrence in the
region, the changing international framework and regional security, as well as the
changing nature of regional security issues.
There will also be debates on Yemen’s future, maritime security operations and
international cooperation, Iraq and regional and military cooperation.
However, there will be no special debate over Iran and its perceived role in the region, a
theme that has previously dominated regional security discussions. (Gulf News)
8.
SOUTH ASIA / GÜNEY ASYA
PAKISTAN / PAKİSTAN
Sayfa 76

The United States implied to Pakistan it would have had no choice but to hit terrorist
havens in the country, had a New York car bomb plot succeeded in May, according to a
new book published Monday.
Obama's national security advisor James Jones delivered a warning in person to Pakistani
President Asif Al Zardari just after the failed Times Square attack on May 1, according to
journalist Bob Woodward in his new book.
" The president wants everyone in Pakistan to understand if such an attack connected to
a Pakistani group is successful, there are some things even he would not be able to stop "
Jones left Zardari in no doubt that Obama would have been forced to strike back had the
bomb gone off, despite the anti-terror alliance between the new nations, Woodward
said, in the book "Obama's Wars."
Obama sent Jones, Douglas Lute, his top White House aide on Pakistan and Afghanistan
and CIA chief Leon Panetta to Islamabad after the failed attack for frank talks with
Zardari and top Pakistani officials.
"The president wants everyone in Pakistan to understand if such an attack connected to
a Pakistani group is successful, there are some things even he would not be able to stop,"
Jones was quoted as telling Zardari.
"Just as there are political realities in Pakistan, there are political realities in the United
States.
"No one will be able to stop the response and consequences. This is not a threat, just a
statement of political fact," Woodward quoted Jones as saying, adding that the U.S.
official warned "we are living on borrowed time."
No longer a la carte
Woodward wrote that Zardari was told the United States could no longer accept
Pakistan's "a la carte" approach to going after some terror groups and not others, and
Sayfa 77
said that Obama could be forced to do things that Pakistan would not like should an
attack be successful.
The veteran Washington Post reporter did not say whether Zardari was told of any
specific U.S. actions that might have taken place.
And he wrote that Jones did not reveal that one specific U.S. response to a successful
strike could have included a "retribution" campaign of bombing of up to 150 "known
terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan."
At the time of the meeting, the United States and Pakistan released a joint statement,
saying Jones and Panetta "provided an update on the ongoing investigation into the
Times Square terrorist incident."
Jones praised Pakistan's "excellent cooperation" and "tremendous sacrifice" in
combating extremists, and both sides promised to intensify efforts to increase
cooperation, the statement said.
In June, Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen pleaded guilty to the foiled attack on
one of New York's busiest landmarks, and warned the United States would face similar
attacks in the future.
U.S. officials believe Shahzad had help from others within Pakistan and the Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP) group claimed responsibility for the plot.
The TTP is based in Pakistan's lawless tribal lands along the Afghan border and has been
blamed for some of the deadliest suicide attacks in the nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Pakistan acknowledged on July 26 that Shahzad had met the country's Taliban
commander and several other people.
Woodward wrote that Obama wanted four things from Pakistan after the attack: full
intelligence sharing, more cooperation on counterterrorism, fast approval of visas for
U.S. personnel and the sharing of airline passenger data. (Al Arabiya News Cahnnel)
Sayfa 78

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday approved in principle the reforms in
the energy sector in order to improve its performance and establish it on a sustainable
base.
The country, he said, cannot afford to allow public sector enterprises to keep
bleeding.The Prime Minister accorded the approval in principle during a special meeting
held here in the Prime Minister House on Tuesday to examine the proposed power
sector reforms.
Earlier, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission explained the salient features
of the proposed reforms and their possible impact. The presentation was prepared after
broad consultation with energy experts, concerned ministries, business groups as well as
donor agencies’ experts.
It was recognized that the energy sector reforms are of central importance for the
revival of economy and for maintaining fiscal discipline. It was observed that if a
comprehensive reform plan is not pursued, the burden of PEPCO subsidies may surpass
Rs. 225 billion during the financial year 2010-11, which would be grater than the budget
of the entire civilian government.
The Prime Minister directed that besides structural reforms, such as un-bundling of
PEPCO, independence to DISCOs (Distribution Companies) and improvement in
management efficiency, the fuel mix should also be altered to provide more gas to the
energy sector in order to lower the cost of electricity.
He directed that the provinces should also be taken on board regarding the Energy
Reform Plan after its approval by the Cabinet. He also emphasized that the people be
apprised of the facts through interaction to explain the logic of the reforms.
The meeting was attended by the Finance Minister, Minister for Water and Power and
other members of the economic team.
Sayfa 79
Of Modern Techniques
According to another report, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that
all ministries and departments needed to adopt modern governance techniques to
achieve operational efficiency.
Talking to Minister for Youth Affairs Shahid Hussain Bhutto and Minister of State for
Industries Ayatullah Durrani, who called on him at his Chamber in Parliament House,
Gilani urged them to monitor the functioning of their respective ministries and ensure
efficient delivery of public service.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan had the highest ratio of youth as compared to other
countries and said it was an asset for the country. He urged the Minister for Youth Affairs
to design policies and programmes to utilize their potential for nation building.
The Prime Minister asked the ministers to focus on the development works undertaken
by their ministries. The relief phase, he said, was over and next phase of reconstruction
and rehabilitation of the flood affected people was about to start.
He stressed active participation of the ministers for the successful completion of the
upcoming phases.
The ministers apprised the Prime Minister of development schemes of their ministries in
the flood ravaged areas and also told him about the steps for the upcoming phases of
reconstruction and rehabilitation. (Pakistan Time)

The situation arising out of the recent massive floods in Pakistan, plans for early recovery
and rehabilitation and reconstruction in the affected areas will be discussed in the third
ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) being held in Brussels
on October 15.
Sayfa 80
A special meeting of FoDP was held at the Foreign Office Tuesday under the
chairmanship of Additional Foreign Secretary/Spokesman Abdul Basit to review
preparations for the 3rd Ministerial meeting.
The meeting discussed in detail the agenda for the Ministerial meeting which would,
among other things, include the situation arising out of the recent massive floods in
Pakistan and plans for early recovery rehabilitation and reconstruction.
The Brussels Ministerial meeting, which will be preceded by a Senior Officials’ meeting
on 14 October, would also carry forward work being done on Energy, Malakand
Development Strategy, Institution-capacity Building and Public-Private Partnership.
According to Foreign Office, the meeting held here on Tuesday agreed, the FoDP, which
was established in September 2008, should continue to have long-term perspective of
Pakistan’s socio-economic development.
In this regard, FoDP partners reiterated their continued support to Pakistan. The FoDP
partners also welcomed Egypt as a new member of the group today. (Pakistan Time)
INDIA / HINDISTAN

As the countdown begins for the Ayodhya title suit verdict, Mohammad Habib of a
nondescript village in Jaunpur district is reciting the Ramayan while locals in a village in
Maharajganj district have decided to build a temple and mazaar on a small piece of land
to send out a message of social harmony.
“The high court will be pronouncing its verdict tomorrow. I am reading the Ramayan to
give a message of peace. India is mother of both Hindus and Muslims”, Habib, who lives
in Umri Khurdh village, said.
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Interesting, at a function organised by Habib, people from all walks of life actively
participated showing they were united, a local of Jaunpur Ajay Pandey said.
Similarly, people of Duswakalan, Mahrajganj have set an example by agreeing to
construct a mazaar and temple on a small piece of land.
Tension prevailed in the village when statues of Lord Shiva were found during renovation
of the ‘Malang Baba’ mazaar but villagers held a panchayat and decided to construct a
temple on some part of the land and a mazaar on the rest.
Muslims clerics in Lucknow have also made a fervent appeal for peace in the aftermath
of the verdict on the Ayodhya title suit, asking members of both the communities to
exercise restraint.
“Patience is the virtue of humans and it would be put to test on the day the verdict is
pronounced. It’s a quality of humans and will be put to test on September 30 when
people will have to behave like humans and not like animals which is very dangerous for
society”, noted Shia cleric and member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana
Kalbe Jawwad said.
Niab Imam of Idgah and member of the AIMPLB, Khalid Rasheed Firagimahli said the
almighty cannot be pleased through bloodshed and appealed that “regrettable”
incidents such as December 6, 1992 and Gujarat riots should not be repeated in the
country.
“We are awaiting the verdict of the court and whatever it be, it would be as per the
wishes of the almighty but we want peace”, Mahant Bhaskar Das of the Nirmohi Akhara
of Ayodhya said
The option to approaching the apex court is always open for any of the parties which is
not happy with the verdict. “I can say for sure that the twin temple towns of Faizabad
and Ayodhya would remain peaceful,” Mahant Bhaskar Das said. (The Hindu)
Sayfa 82

Two amendments moved by a US Senator on restricted hiring of foreign workers and
another aimed at preventing fraud and abuse of H1-1B and L1 visa could not pass the
Senate floor as it was blocked by the Democratic Party.
The two amendments moved along with the Creating American Jobs and End Off-shoring
Act, was blocked by the Democratic Party, Senator Chuck Grassley, its author said
yesterday.
Incidentally, the off shoring act in itself was blocked by the opposition Republican Party.
“Despite the number of Americans without a job, companies are still allowed to import
thousands of foreign workers with little or no strings attached. My amendments would
make it possible for qualified Americans to fill the vacant positions first,” Grassley said.
His first amendment would have prevented any company engaged in a mass lay-off of
American workers from importing cheaper labour from abroad through temporary guest
worker programs.
The second would have taken aim at fraud and abuse of the H—1B and L Visa programs,
while making sure Americans have the first chance at high-skilled jobs in the United
States.
Both amendments were being blocked by the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, the
Senator said in a statement.
The ‘H—1B and L—1 Visa Reform Act of 2009’ would improve two key visa programs by
rooting out abuse while making sure Americans have the first chance of obtaining highskilled jobs in this country, Mr. Grassley said in the Senate floor.
“Many Americans are unemployed, yet we still allow companies to import thousands of
foreign workers. These businesses should be asked to look first at Americans to fill
Sayfa 83
vacancies, and they should be held accountable for displacing Americans to hire cheap
foreign labour,” he said.
“These two amendments go directly to the concerns about job creation and prevention
of off-shoring of US jobs. Both amendments are bipartisan. Yet, if cloture is invoked,
these amendments would fall on the Senate cutting room floor,” he added.
Mr. Grassley said the H—1B program is well—known for encouraging companies to take
their work offshore.
The New York Times had reported in 2007 that the H—1B Visa is a critical tool for Indian
outsourcing vendors to gain expertise and win contracts from western companies to
transfer critical operations like Bangalore.
As Indian outsourcing companies have become the leading consumers of the visa, they
have used it to further their primary mission, which is to gain the expertise necessary to
take on critical tasks performed by Western companies, and perform them in India at a
fraction of the costs, NY Times said.
The H—1B and L1 Visa amendment would have required employers to try and recruit US
workers before hiring H—1B visa holders, require employers to pay a better wage to visa
holders who take these jobs and expand the powers of the federal government to go
after abusers.
The amendment would have created new rules regarding the outsourcing and
outplacement of H—1B and L—1 workers by their employers to secondary employers in
the United States and establish a new database that employers can use to advertise
positions for which they intend to hire an H—1B worker. (The Hindu)

Since street battles broke out in Kashmir this summer and took on an ominous character
of a full scale agitation, New Delhi has finally laid out a plan for political action. After an
Sayfa 84
all-party delegation of members of Parliament visited Jammu and Kashmir earlier this
month which he led, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has promised that New Delhi
will appoint a group of interlocutors to engage with the State's people. The Union
government has also signalled that it will respond to the youth rage driving the current
flare-up by addressing key issues like the chronic unemployment engendered by the
State's dysfunctional economy. It has also made clear that it expects the State
government to apply a healing touch to the inflamed situation. None of these ideas is
new. Ever since 1996, successive governments have wanted to remove the obtrusive
bunkers set up to combat a massive urban insurgency that no longer exists. But they
failed to evolve creative solutions that could meet community needs and address
counter-terrorism imperatives. However, the appointment of interlocutors to take the
dialogue with the Kashmiris forward is a positive step. It will work — but only if key
actors in New Delhi and Srinagar have the will to make it work.
New Delhi's interlocutors will have the unenviable task of negotiating a way through the
maze that has claimed so many peace efforts. Various Prime Ministers from Atal Behari
Vajpayee to Manmohan Singh have launched serious efforts at making peace. Both Mr.
Vajpayee and Dr. Singh have held direct meetings with key secessionist leaders. Dr.
Singh's latest efforts included two round tables which threw up key recommendations to
institutionalise the peace process in the troubled State. In essence, the idea was to build
a consensus around a future where Jammu and Kashmir would have significant federal
autonomy, while protecting India's concerns about sovereignty. The problem, though,
was that the secessionist leaders were unwilling to sign on to a deal that did not have
Pakistan's backing. Prime Minister Singh and President Pervez Musharraf came close to
such a deal in 2006. Since then, crisis-ridden Pakistan has shown little interest in moving
forward. New Delhi can unilaterally arrive at an arrangement with some key actors who
have salience in the Valley. But such understandings may not prove durable unless
backed by a real consensus. Each past failed peace effort has left behind a trail of
betrayed hopes, engendering frustration and cynicism. But the overwhelming sense of
Sayfa 85
national solidarity with Kashmir's suffering as demonstrated by the visit of the all-party
delegation should ensure that this time, the peace process does not fail. (The Hindu)
AFGHANISTAN / AFGANİSTAN

Afghan police say a suicide bomber has killed a top provincial official and at least five
other people in eastern Afghanistan.
Tuesday's attack killed the deputy governor of Ghazni province, Mohammad Kazim
Allahyar, as well as his adult son, nephew, and a guard. Two nearby civilians also were
killed.
Police say the bomber, on a motorized rickshaw, struck the deputy governor's vehicle as
it traveled toward Allahyar's office in Ghazni city. The explosion also wounded at least
eight people.
In an emotional speech in Kabul, President Hamid Karzai decried such violence and said
he worries it will force young Afghans to leave the country.
He broke into tears at one point, and said he does not want his son, Mirwais, to become
a foreigner.
The speech was about education in Afghanistan, and Mr. Karzai said children cannot go
to school because of the threat of bombs and suicide attacks.
Ghazni is on the main road between Kabul and Kandahar, and is regularly hit by
insurgent attacks. (Afghan Online Press)

Describing Afghanistan as victim of world's challenges, President Karzai Tuesday accused
NATO and neighbouring countries of provoking anarchy within the country
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While voicing concern over the condition of literacy and improvement in Afghanistan, in
a conference held to mark World Literacy Day, Mr President remarked that the country is
130 years behind regarding literacy and improvement.
Mr President criticised actions taken by NATO troops, neighbouring countries and former
Soviet Union in destruction of Afghanistan. He called these countries the only factor
behind the backwardness of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, World Literacy Day was marked in Afghanistan at a time the country with
26% of literacy rate suffers from bulk of its illiterate people who are oftentimes misused
by different factions even in targeting their own people and homeland.
"Once Soviet Union came to Afghanistan to bring communism in the country, they failed
and they made us suffer. Next our neighbouring countries came and took the control,
but they couldn't and they see that we still suffer," said Mr President.
"Now NATO has come to fight against insurgents and however it has been around ten
years that it continues, the result is still unclear," he added.
He urged all the Afghan people to take part in improvement and advancement of
Afghanistan.
"The level of education, improvement and maturity of our people is 130 years behind,"
he said.
The remarks came at a time as analysts see Karzai government's poor management
behind all Afghan miseries. (Afghan Online Press)

The Afghan government has revealed the names of nearly 70 members that it says will sit
on a new peace council tasked with engaging the Taliban.
Sayfa 87
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the new High Council
for Peace will handle all future contact between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Karzai directly addressed the Taliban in a plea for peace while speaking at a Literacy Day
event in Kabul on September 28.
"I again call on the Taliban to not destroy your country for the sake of others' interest,"
Karzai said. "Do not kill your people for the interest of the others, and do not close your
school for the interest of the others."
The new council is made up of jihadi leaders, former Taliban, former members of the
communist regime, and representatives of women and ethnic groups from across the
country.
The list also includes former president and warlord Burhanuddin Rabbani, and warlords
Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayaf and Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, all of whom are known for their
resistance of the Taliban when they ran the country from 1996-2001. (Afghan Online
Press)

Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul cautions about the rising terrorist threats
in the region despite the deployment of 150,000 foreign troops across Afghanistan.
"Terrorism in our region is a growing threat to world peace and security. The audacity
and geographic scope of extremist and terrorist groups harbored in our region continues
to expand," Rassoul told the UN General Assembly on Monday.
According to the Afghan official, greater international cooperation is needed to defeat
terrorism in the region.
"Terrorism remains a global challenge which can be defeated only through a concerted
international effort," he went on to say.
Sayfa 88
"If our international partners and allies wish to win the global war on terrorism, they
must look beyond villages in Afghanistan, and engage in a strategy that will effectively
and decisively dismantle organizations and networks that continue with immunity to
support terrorist and radical militants," Reuters quoted Rassoul as saying.
Violence has risen to its highest level across Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted
by US-led forces in 2001.
Military and civilian casualties have also reached a record high in the war-torn country
this year.
Rassoul also hinted that the foreign troops in his country have been making numerous
mistakes.
He also called on the international community to help the war-ravaged country in the
fight against narcotics.
"To complement our efforts towards eliminating poppy production, we wish to see
greater action to counter smuggling of precursors into our country and to reduce
demand and consumption of drugs in other countries," he stated.
Afghanistan accounts for 90 percent of the world's illicit opium and heroin production,
the UN drug monitoring body said in its 2010 report.
According to UN statistics, Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under
the Taliban. Since the US-led invasion, drug production has surged to 3,400 tons
annually. In 2007, the opium trade reached an estimated all-time production high of
8,200 tons.
Afghan and Western officials have blamed Washington and NATO for the drastic surge,
saying the allies have 'overlooked' the drug problem since they have invaded
Afghanistan. (Afghan Online Press)
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*This media summary is prepared by ORSAM Middle East Research Assistants Sercan Doğan and Nebahat
Tanrıverdi O. It covers news and commentaries as reported by the national media sources publishing in the
Middle Eastern countries. The views expressed are not those of ORSAM and their inclusion does not imply
factual accuracy.
*Bu bülten Kasım 2009’dan beri ORSAM Ortadoğu Uzman Yardımcıları Sercan Doğan ve Nebahat Tanrıverdi O
tarafından hazırlanmaktadır. Bülten Ortadoğu ülkelerinin yerel haber kaynaklarından derlenmektedir. Belirtilen
görüşler bölge ülkelerinin haber kaynaklarına ve ismi geçen yazarlara ait olup ORSAM’ın görüşünü
yansıtmamaktadır.
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