Thursday, February 15, 2007

RUSSIA: Putin Adress at Munich Conference

The Guardian: Unilateral force has nothing to do with global democracy
by Vladimir Putin

The US has overstepped its borders in every way. We must build a new world order to ensure security and prosperity for all

The universal, indivisible character of security can be expressed as the basic principle that "security for one is security for all". As Franklin D Roosevelt said at the onset of the second world war: "When peace has been broken anywhere, the peace of all countries is in danger."

"These words remain relevant today. Only two decades ago the world was ideologically and economically divided and it was the huge strategic potential of two superpowers that ensured global security. This global standoff pushed the sharpest economic and social problems to the margins of the world's agenda. And, just like any war, the cold war left behind live ammunition, figuratively speaking. It left ideological stereotypes, double standards and other remnants of cold war thinking."

ISN: Russia: New behavior for a great power

Putin's accusations that the West is plotting to become the world's 'single master' are a taste of what is to come as Moscow asserts itself as a great power that will not allow a bipolar order.

"Yuri Sharandin, head of the Federation Council's Constitutional Law Committee, said Putin's remarks reflected the true state of global affairs and offered the international community a chance to stand back and view its own reflection.
Kremlin-connected analyst Gleb Pavlovsky said that far from being confrontational, Putin's speech would likely be received at home as "diplomatic" due to increasing anti-Americanism in Russia. Putin suggested continued dialogue but made it clear that Russia was prepared for any eventuality, Pavlovsky said."


Iran: New Proposal

Asia Times: Iran, the EU and the Swiss way out
by Pepe Escobar

The United Nations Security Council deadline for Iran to stop uranium enrichment is only one week away. While for the White House escalation hysteria is the name of the game, Europe once again has nothing better to do than to demonstrate its paralysis over bottles of Bordeaux.

"Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, at the sidelines of the Munich security conference this past Sunday, told Javier Solana, the European Union's top foreign-policy diplomat, that "Tehran is ready to unite all its nuclear activities in a consortium with other countries". Larijani could only have made this offer under instructions by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Solana admitted publicly that the meeting was "constructive"."

Iran: US Propaganda Debunked

Asia Times: US's smoking gun on Iran misfires
By Gareth Porter

WASHINGTON - The first major effort by the administration of US President George W Bush to substantiate its case that the Iranian government has been providing weapons to Iraqi Shi'ites who oppose the occupation undermines the administration's political line by showing that it has been unable to find any real evidence of an Iranian government role.

"US intelligence had proof of Iranian government responsibility for the supply of such weapons, the unnamed officials who briefed the media on Sunday admitted that the claim is merely "an inference" rather than based on a trail of evidence. Although it was clearly not the intention, moreover, the briefing revealed for the first time that the Iranians and Iraqis detained by US forces in recent months did not provide any evidence implicating either the Iranian government or the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in the acquisition of armor-piercing explosive devices and other weapons by Iraqi Shi'ite groups."

Monday, February 12, 2007

IRAN: Propaganda Watch

AFP: Iranian bombs have killed 170 Iraq coalition troops: US

AGHDAD (AFP) - Sophisticated Iranian-built bombs smuggled into
Iraq have killed at least 170 US and allied soldiers since June 2004 and wounded 620 more, senior US defence officials have said.

The allegation, made Sunday at a background briefing in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, comes as Washington steps up its criticism of
Iran and will feed a fierce debate over relations with the Islamic republic.

"Iran is involved in supplying explosively formed projectiles or EFPs and other material to Iraqi extremist groups," a senior official from the US-led multinational coalition told journalists.

As the Shiites still do not kill U.S Soldiers en masse, Iran must be delivering his arch foe i.e the Sunni Guerilla Movement with those mean devices...c'mon get real.

IRAN: U.S Propaganda War in full Swing

AP: US: Iraq roadside bombs came from Iranian gov't

The US military has detected a significant increase in the number of sophisticated roadside bombs appearing in Iraq and believes that orders to send components for them came from the "highest levels" of the Iranian goverment, a senior intelligence officer said Sunday.

The officer, briefing reporters on condition he not be further identified, that that between June 2004 and last week, more than 170 Americans had been killed by the sophisticated bombs, referred to by the military as "explosively formed projectiles."

The officer said American intelligence analysts believe the EFPs are manufactured in Iran and smuggled into Iraq on orders from the top of the Iranian government. He did not elaborate.

Watch out for more Propaganda by unnamed intelligence/goverment officials in the next few weeks