Bush finds the reason of failures of U.S. in Iraq August 29, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in Iran, Iraq, USA.add a comment
President Bush gave warning last night that Iran’s pursuit of the atomic bomb could lead to a nuclear holocaust in the Middle East, and promised to confront Tehran “before it is too late”.
Mr Bush’s remarks, the starkest warning that he has made about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, came hours after President Ahmadinejad of Iran said that a power vacuum was imminent in Iraq and that Tehran was ready to fill it.
Mr Bush also talked for the first time of “two strains” of Islamic radicalism causing chaos in Iraq and the region: not only Sunni jihadists, about whom he has spoken often, but also “Shia extremism, supported and embodied by Iran’s Government”.
The comments displayed a new aggression towards Tehran, a day after President Sarkozy of France raised the prospect of airstrikes on Iran if the crisis over its nuclear ambitions could not be solved through diplomacy.
Mr Bush said: “Iran’s pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust.
“Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere, and the United States is rallying friends and allies to isolate Iran’s regime to impose economic sanctions. We will confront this danger before it is too late,” he told war veterans in Nevada.
Mr Bush has said repeatedly that he wants the Iran nuclear standoff to be resolved diplomatically.
There is, however, still debate within his Administration over the possibility of launching airstrikes should Iran continue to develop its nuclear capability.
Mr Ahmadinejad, in a news conference in Tehran, again denied that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons, and dismissed any possibility of US military action against Iran. “Even if they were to decide to do so, they would be unable to carry it out,” he said.
He increased his provocation of Mr Bush, who accused Iran of arming insurgents with sophisticated roadside bombs that were killing US troops.
“The political power of the occupiers is collapsing rapidly,” Mr Ahmadinejad said. “Soon, we will see a huge power vacuum in the region. Of course, we are prepared to fill the gap.”
Although Mr Ahmadinejad revels in making provocative statements, his latest remarks will increase the fears in Washington and among its moderate Sunni allies in the region that an Iranian-dominated Iraq would trigger a regional war between Sunnis and Shias.
Mr Bush said that extremist forces would be emboldened if the US were driven out of Iraq, leaving Iran to pursue a nuclear weapon and set off an arms race.
“Iran could conclude that we were weak and could not stop them from gaining nuclear weapons,” Mr Bush said. On Iranian involvement in Iraq, he said: “I have authorised our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran’s murderous activities.”
Mr Bush’s speech was his second address on Iraq within a week and was part of a significant effort by the White House to prepare the ground for the progress report to Congress next month by General David Petraeus, the US ground commander.
Earlier, the American press reported that soon the White House will ask Congress for additional billions for the war in Iraq. Currently, US legislators are considering a bill to give for next fiscal year 7 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
AGENCIES
Ahmadinejad: French president’s anti-Iran statement for domestic consumption August 29, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in France, Iran.add a comment
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s anti-Iran statement has been for domestic consumption.
“He took office recently and wants to say something to attract attention of others. So, he does not know what he is saying,” Ahmadinejad said.
President Ahmadinejad said that such statements lack political value, adding that the differences should be resolved through dialogue.
Asked whether Iran-US talks on Iraq would help resolve the Iraqi crisis and whether there is possibility of a debate with US President George W. Bush, he said that he had made such a proposal, but, Bush’s advisors did not allow him to do so.
On Iraq, he said that the two ambassadors can help solve the Iraqi problem, but, if they (Americans) take it as a political game and want to use it for the US election campaign at the cost of lives of Iraqi people, it will remain unresolved.
He regretted that Washington’s international role is being affected by the US election campaign.
“They are ready to let their soldiers and Iraqi people get killed. it is the mismanagement of the world order,” he said.
Asked about completion of Bushehr power plant, the president answered that in his meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek, he said that the power plant will be completed according to the timetable.
“I think Mr. Putin and the Russian government are committed to the latest agreement and I’m not worried about that.”
Responding to a question about counsel assistance to Iranian expatriates through Iranian consulates, the president said that the government has decided to defend the rights of Iranian communities abroad.
“During my visits abroad, I always meet Iranians living there to listen to their problems. Last year in my visit to the US, the minister of justice accompanied me to study was of providing counsel service for the Iranian community in the United States.”
IRNA
Iran regrets france stance on iran’s nuclear case August 29, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in France, Iran, Nuclear.add a comment
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Hosseini has expressed regret over the stance France has taken on Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities. Hosseini told Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday: “Sarkozy’s stance was based on incorrect analyses and thoughts.” Hosseini emphasized that “Proliferation of atomic weapons is not among the principles or defensive and military doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran at all.” In further remarks Hosseini reiterated that Reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency have stated that Iran’s nuclear activities are peaceful.
The spokesman added, “Iran’s uranium enrichment and heavy water activities are carried out under regular supervision of the IAEA.”
AGENCIES
US troops release detained Iranians August 29, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in Iran, Iraq, USA.add a comment
US forces have released seven Iranians hours after arresting them at a central Baghdad hotel, Iraq’s state television said.
Radio Sawa, a US-financed Arabic language station, and Iran’s official IRNA news agency said the delegation was in Baghdad to negotiate contracts on electric power stations with the Iraqi government.
The Associated Press filmed US troops late on Tuesday leading about 10 men out of the Sheraton Ishtar hotel, where Iran’s embassy confirmed six electricity ministry officials and an embassy employee were staying.
An embassy official said they had been released to Iraqi authorities on Wednesday.
AGENCIES
US soldiers arrests Iranian delegates in Iraq August 29, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in Iran, Iraq, USA.add a comment
US soldiers arrested members of an Iranian electricity ministry delegation in Baghdad on Tuesday.
Radio Sawa, a US-financed Arabic language station, said the group included six members of an Iranian delegation in Baghdad to negotiate contracts on electric power stations.
The Iranian embassy said the six from Iran’s electricity ministry and an embassy employee were staying at the Sheraton Ishtar hotel in central Baghdad, which American forces entered late on Tuesday.
The Associated Press filmed the American soldiers leading about 10 blindfolded men who had their hands cuffed.
The US military declined to comment on the raid, saying the action was part of an ongoing operation.
Tensions between the US and Iran have been running high since the US in January arrested five Iranians they say are members of Iran’s elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi fighters.
Tehran said the five are diplomats and has demanded their release.
AGENCIES
Ahmadinejad: Iranian nuclear dossier closed August 28, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in Iran, Nuclear.add a comment
Iran’s nuclear dossier is a closed matter, the U.S. is in no position to launch a pre-emptive strike to halt the country’s nuclear progress, and the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be completed as promised, the country’s president said Tuesday.
“I am officially declaring that the Iranian ‘nuclear dossier’ is, from our point of view, closed,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. He added that President Vladimir Putin assured him at a recent meeting of the Shanghai security organization that the Bushehr facility being built by Russia will be completed as contracted.
He said that despite repeated threats from Washington, U.S. forces are over-stretched and the country’s political will flagging, making an attack unlikely.
“Washington’s threats of a military solution [of the Iranian nuclear question] are largely propaganda,” he said.
He said Iran has weathered Western criticism of the country’s nuclear program, and will continue its research regardless of international pressure.
“All of Iran’s nuclear activities conform to norms set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and international legal standards,” he said. “Iran seeks nothing more than its due under international law.”
He repeated Iran’s long-standing position that Tehran does not seek nuclear weapons, despite Western suspicions.
The UN nuclear watchdog corroborated the Iranian announcement, stating on its Web site Tuesday that it was satisfied with Iran’s compliance.
The document, entitled “Understandings of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IAEA on the Modalities of Resolution of the Outstanding Issues,” said that during a meeting in Iran with IAEA representatives, “Iran provided clarifications to the agency that helped to explain the remaining questions.”
It also said that “earlier statements made by Iran are consistent with the agency’s findings, and thus this matter is resolved.”
The IAEA said it would resolve all outstanding questions by August 31, and that the two sides would hold talks in Iran September 24-25 to clarify any questions, to be followed up by a further meeting in mid-October.
AGENCIES
Ahmadinejad: Iran to give crushing response to any possible hostile actions August 28, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in Iran, USA.add a comment
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Tuesday that any action against the Iranian nation will be given proper response.
“I consider it unlikely if the US takes any such illogical and illegal action because the measure would turn into a joke worldwide.
I have not heard any such claim raised officially by the US administration,” said President Ahmadinejad.
The president pointed to rift in the US administration concerning Iran’s case and said, “We think there is a rift in the US: Some wish to solve problem logically and some others, whose arms manufacturing plants have gone bankrupt, want to escalate tension worldwide. The second group wants to foil efforts of the first one.” On Iran’s relations with the neighboring states, President Ahmadinejad said Tehran’s ties with the Persian Gulf littoral states are friendly.
“Today, our volume of commercial transactions with the UAE is more than 11 billion dollars. Our relationship with officials of the country is cordial and friendly. Moreover, we have good relations with Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.”
He went on to say that Iraqi occupiers do not favor unity among regional nations and want to pit them against one another so as to continue their presence in Iraq. “Fortunately, the course of events is in favor of unity and fraternity among Iraqi people.”
About claims that Iran interferes in Iraq affairs, Ahmadinejad said, “That’s also among their mistakes. Whenever they face difficulty, they start to hold others accountable rather than trying to identify and compensate for their mistake.”
He said the Iranian nation has a geographical proximity and close relations with Iraq and insecurity in the country would be against the Iranians too.
“Iran will suffer the most in case of insecurity in Iraq because it shares longest borders with the country. Many Iraqis are of Iranian origin and many Iranians are of Iraqi origin. Anybody from any group who gets hurt in Iraq will make the Iranian nation unhappy.
Iran has no need for such interferences. The government, parliament, president and prime minister of Iraq all love Iran. Today formation of government in Iraq is in favor of all and Iran.”
He said that occupiers have come to Iraq under the pretext of insecurity while they are the source of insecurity there. “They shipped arms and put them at the disposal of different groups and took provocative acts and hatched plots. Charging Iran is not a solution to their problems. We do not insist on taking them out of the quagmire. We have already said we are ready to help them get out the swamp but now that they emphasize to remain in it, so let it be so.”
IRNA
Sarkozy calls for Iraq troop exit August 28, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in France, Iraq, USA, War.add a comment
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has called for a clear timetable for the pullout of foreign troops, as he outlined an assertive direction for French foreign diplomacy.
“A clear horizon must be defined concerning the withdrawal of foreign troops,” Sarkozy said in an address to French ambassadors from 180 countries in Paris on Monday.
In his first major foreign policy speech since taking office in May, Sarkozy recalled that France had opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but that it was now ready to help find a political solution.
“It is the expected decision on this issue that will force the players to weigh their responsibility and organise themselves accordingly,” he said.
Sarkozy stressed that “Iraqi extremists must be marginalised,” that a “true process of national reconciliation” must be launched and a timetable for the military withdrawal spelled out in Iraq before France could play a useful role.
The address came after Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, was forced to make an apology for suggesting that Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, should stand down for failing to quell the violence in Iraq.
Kouchner, who visited Baghdad last week, apologised on French radio for his remarks.
“If the prime minister wants me to excuse myself for having interfered in Iraqi affairs in such a direct way, then I do so willingly,” Kouchner told French radio RTL.
“I believe that he [al-Maliki] did not understand, or that I did not stress enough, that these had been remarks that I had heard from my Iraqi interlocutors,” Kouchner said.
But at the conference of ambassadors on Monday, he appeared to backpedal when he told attendees that al-Maliki “may be leaving us soon”.
AGENCIES
Resistance: 14 US Occupation Troops Die in Copter Crash in Iraq August 23, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in Iraq, Resistance, USA, War.add a comment
US helicopter crashed in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing all 14 US occupation soldiers aboard. If the US military is to be believed the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem and the cause was still under investigation. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was part of a pair on a nighttime operation when the crash occurred.
According to a statement, the four crew and 10 passengers aboard the aircraft perished in the crash, which was probably due to the fire of resistance forces.
The military said: The 14 soldiers killed were assigned to Task Force Lightning. It did not release identities pending notification of relatives.
It was the deadliest helicopter crash since January 20, when a Black Hawk was downed in Diyala, province northeast of Baghdad, killing 12 soldiers aboard.
The military said that helicopter might have been shot down by a shoulder-fired weapon.
AGENCIES
Letter from U.S. commanders: ‘We need to get out Iraq’ August 21, 2007
Posted by محمد الحسن in Iraq, USA.add a comment
The opinion in Washington on the possibility to win the war in Iraq is “far from reality”. This view was expressed in a letter from a group of American middle-level commanders, who were participated in military actions in Iraq. The letter has been published in some US newspapers.
According to the field commanders, for years the occupation of Iraq, “failed to honour any promises.”
“We are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable”, said the seven commanders of the 82nd Airborne Division.
They complained that the publication of the media “ignored the growing social and political unrest in the country, witnessed by the U.S. soldiers are every day.
“Reports that a majority of Iraqi Army commanders are now reliable partners can be considered only misleading rhetoric”, consider commanders.
According to their words, US forces in Iraq are deal with “determined enemies and questionable allies.
“Majority of Iraqis feel increasingly insecure and view us as an occupation force that has failed to produce normalcy after four years and is increasingly unlikely to do so in the future”, the authors write
“Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise, while we have substituted Baath Party tyranny with a tyranny of criminal violence”, said authors of the letter, who not forgetting to mention the “Islamists” who are, in their view, also do tyranny
“It is true that our presence has robbed Iraqis of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are - an army of occupation - and force our withdrawal.”
Before that happens, “it would give the Iraqis the opportunity to take a map of all the problems and to pursue prudent policies : helping to provide them the opportunity to settle their differences, called warlords, advising management to support the U.S. war vnutriiraksuyu by.
Until that happens, “it would be prudent for us to increasingly let Iraqis take center stage in all matters, to come up with a nuanced policy in which we assist them from the margins but let them resolve their differences as they see fit”, the commanders suggest.
They stressed that they are guided by “not to be defeatist, but rather to highlight our pursuit of incompatible policies.”
Kavkaz Center
