SYRIA: CIA-MI6 Intel Ops and Sabotage

Global Research, February 7, 2012
“In order to facilitate the action of liberative (sic) forces, ...a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. ...[to] be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention, ... Once a political decision has been reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS (MI6) will attempt to mount minor sabotage and coup de main (sic) incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals. ...Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus … Further : a “necessary degree of fear .. frontier incidents and (staged) border clashes”, would “provide a pretext for intervention... the CIA and SIS [MI6 should use … capabilitites in both psychological and action fields to augment tension.” (Joint US-UK leaked Intelligence Document, London and Washington, 1957) “'The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history." (George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1950.) For anyone in two minds about what is really going on in Syria, and whether President Assad, hailed a decade ago as “A Modern Day Attaturk”, has become the latest megalomaniacal despot, to whose people a US-led posse of nations, must deliver “freedom”, with weapons of mass, home, people, nation and livelihood destruction, here is a salutary tale from modern history. Have the more recent sabre rattlings against Syria* been based on US-UK government papers, only discovered in 2003 - and since air brushed (or erroneously omitted) from even BBC timelines, on that country?(i) In late 2003, the year of the Iraq invasion, Matthew Jones, a Reader in International History, at London’s Royal Holloway College, discovered “frighteningly frank” documents:1957 plans between then UK Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, and then President, Dwight Eisenhower, endorsing: “a CIA-MI6 plan to stage fake border incidents as an excuse for an invasion (of Syria) by Syria’s pro-western neighbours.” (ii) At the heart of the plan was the assassination of the perceived power behind then President Shukri al-Quwatli. Those targeted were: Abd al-Hamid Sarraj, Head of Military Intelligence; Afif al-Bizri, Chief of Syrian General Staff: and Khalid Bakdash, who headed the Syrian Communist Party. The document was drawn up in Washington in the September of 1957: “In order to facilitate the action of liberative (sic) forces, reduce the capabilities of the regime to organize and direct its military actions … to bring about the desired results in the shortest possible time, a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. “Their removal should be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention, and in the light of circumstances existing at the time.” In the light of President Assad’s current allegations of foreign forces and interventions, cross border incursions (as Colonel Qadafi’s before him, so sneered at by Western governments and media – and, of course, ultimately proved so resoundingly correct.) there are some fascinating, salutary phrases: “Once a political decision has been reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS (MI6) will attempt to mount minor sabotage and coup de main (sic) incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals. “Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus … care should be taken to avoid causing key leaders of the Syrian regime to take additional personal protection measures.” Further : a “necessary degree of fear .. frontier incidents and (staged) border clashes”, would “provide a pretext for intervention”, by Iraq and Jordan - then still under British mandate. Syria was to be: “made to appear as sponsor of plots, sabotage and violence directed against neighbouring governments … the CIA and SIS [Her Majesty's Secret International Serivce, MI6] should use … capabilities in both psychological and action fields to augment tension.” Incursions in to Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, would involve: “sabotage, national conspiracies, and various strong arms activities”, were, advised the document, to be blamed on Damascus. In late December 2011 an opposition “Syria National Council” was announced, to “liberate the country”, representatives met with Hilary Clinton. There now seems to be a US – endorsed “Syrian Revolutionary Council.” The Eisenhower-Macmillan plan was for funding of the: “Free Syria Committee” and “arming of political factions with paramilitary or other actionist capabilities”, within Syria. CIA-MI6, planned fomenting internal uprisings and replacing the Ba’ath-Communist-leaning government, with a Western, user-friendly one. Expecting this to be met by public hostility, they planned to: “probably need to rely first on repressive measures and arbitrary exercise of power.” The document was signed off in both London and Washington. It was, wrote Macmillan in his diary: “a most formidable report.” A Report which was: “withheld even from British Chiefs of Staff …” Washington and Whitehall had become concerned at Syria’s increasingly pro-Soviet, rather than pro-Western sympathies - and the Ba’ath (Pan Arab) and Communist party alliance, also largely allied within the Syrian army. However, even political concerns, were trumped by Syria then controlling a main pipeline from the Western bonanza of Iraq’s oil fields, in those pre-Saddam Hussein days. Briefly put: in 1957, Syria allied with Moscow (which included an agreement for military and economic aid) also recognized China - and then as now, the then Soviet Union warned the West against intervening in Syria. Syria, is unchanged as an independent minded country, and the loyalties remain. It broadly remains the cradle of the Pan Arab ideal of Ba’athism, standing alone, since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. In 1957, this independent mindedness caused Loy Henderson, a Senior State Department official, to say that:“the present regime in Syria had to go …” Ultimately, the plan was not used, since, British mandate or not, neighbouring countries refused to play. However, the project, overtly, bears striking similarity to the reality of events over the last decade, in Syria – and the region. In a near 1957 re-run, Britain’s Foreign Minister, William Hague has said President Assad “will feel emboldened” by the UN Russia-China vote in Syria’s favour. Hilary (“We came, we saw, he died”) Clinton, has called for: “friends of a democratic Syria”, to unite and rally against the Assad government: “We need to work together to send them a clear message: you cannot hold back the future at the point of a gun”, said the women filmed purportedly watching the extrajudicial, illegal assassination of may be, or may be not, Osma Bin Laden and others – but certainly people were murdered - by US illegal invaders – at the point of lots of guns. Supremely ironically, she was speaking in Munich (5th February) historically: “The birth place of the Nazi party.” The Russia-China veto at the UN on actions against Syria, has been condemned by the US, varyingly, as: “Disgusting”, ‘shameful”, “deplorable”, “a travesty.” Eye opening, is the list of US vetoes to be found at (iii). Jaw dropping double standards can only be wondered at (again.). Perhaps the bottom line is: in 1957, Iraq’s oil was at the top of the agenda, of which Syria held an important key. Today, it is Iran’s - and as Michel Chossudovsky notes so succinctly: “The road to Tehran is through Damascus.”(iv) Notes i. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703995 ii. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/sep/27/uk.syria1 iii. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4237/us-on-un-veto_disgusting-shameful-deplorable-a-tra iv. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25955
Felicity Arbuthnot is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Felicity Arbuthnot

SYRIA: CIA-MI6 Intel Ops and Sabotage

Political Prisoners in the North American Homeland

The legal systems of Canada and the U.S. make no separate recognition of "political prisoners." This encourages police malfeasance and a bending of the legal system to cope with political protest in the same manner as crimes of self-interest. Confused by the difference, society prefers to sort its members into "good" and "bad". As totalitarian controls by government increase, more people will probably assert their humanity and the numbers of political prisoners will grow, but in the process criminalize entire groups of people who have strong convictions, integrity, loyalty to community, and care deeply about what happens to their country, society, humanity. In Canada the concept of what is a political prisoner, varies by community. Native people have been political prisoners for generations, as have the poor, confined by prison or circumstance. Due to the Canadian government's Middle East policies which involve strong interface with Israel, media focus on political prisoners for the past ten years concerns Muslims as suspects in the 'war on terrorism.' The high profile political prisoners were arrested on Canadian Security Certificates which according to Canada's Supreme Court , ignored the victims' human rights and needed adjustment. The Conservative government's compliance was minimal and inadequate. Held on a Security Certificate for 12 years in detention and house arrest, without charge or knowing his accusers, Mohammad Mahjoub was released from several limitations of his freedom, February 3rd, by Federal Court in Toronto which found the intrusive surveillance unreasonable. Mahjoub had previously chosen to return to prison rather than inflict the government's surveillance on his family. With current trials of G20 protestors and an "Occupy" movement which may last, Canada begins to field the edge of its conscience. June 2010 in Toronto, thousands of Canadians protested the G20 conference of global leaders and were met with illegal police tactics, massive pre-planned detention, threats, and abuse of the peoples' human rights. With occasional possibly 'staged' exceptions, the protests were non-violent. According to The Dominion, of the more than eleven hundred arrested, 66 remain in legal battles while some still face charges. Seven are serving sentences for their participation: Ryan Rainville, Mandy Hiscocks, Alex Hundert, Leah Henderson, Peter Hopperton, Erik Lankin (released Jan. 26th), Adam Lewis, and Greg Noltie-Rowley. Mandy Hiscocks, convicted of "Counseling to Commit Mischief and Counseling to Obstruct Police," faced the judge before her sentencing and objected to his comparison of G20 protest tactics to the illegal and racist tactics of the Ku Klux Klan. She noted there's no comparison between G20 protest tactics and the K.K.K.'s, and that it was tactics the judge objected to rather than the Klan's insistence on White Supremacy. She is a credit to Canadians and was sentenced to from 20 months to 2 years. A historical note about the Klan: a White Supremacist group in the U.S. South the Ku Klux Klan was one result of the U.S. Civil War and Northern Occupation. While the K.K.K. claimed to protect Southern values its insistence on White Supremacy betrayed the people's tradition. In the old South insurrections of black slaves and poor whites joined forces and were an ongoing primary resistance to enslavement. This brought extreme control mechanisms to keep the groups apart. White Supremacy always serves the machinery of controls. The K.K.K. relied on lynching effected by mobs within a hierarchy of authority. By the 1960's the murders became more clandestine with overt burning of crosses and gatherings as symbolic shows of assent. During the 1960's the U.S. K.K.K. increasingly included FBI, Tobacco and Firearms, local law enforcement and other covert informants. These were implicated in the murders of civil rights workers and Blacks. The Klan's effect on white communities through its code of silence, the fact that it denied its victims the chance to answer any accusations against them (familiar in current U.S. law on detentions and Canadian Security Certificates), and exclusion of non-white enterprises, provides an unspoken more polished interface with contemporary neo-conservatives in the U.S. and Canada. In Canada the subliminal strain of White Supremacy is rarely addressed directly, in a culture increasingly formed by intellectual management. On the U.S. rolls of political prisoners the culture's areas of intolerance remain constant. In this century so far Muslim suspects in a "war on terrorism" have been primary targets within a framework that has brutally suppressed Blacks and all dissidents, an ongoing oppression with repeating patterns of targeting, entrapment, or selective application of the law in crimes unrelated to the moral crime the dissident is addressing. Revolutionaries whose crimes are a result of being trapped into direct confrontations with police could be considered prisoners of war and granted nominal rights at least under Geneva Conventions. Increasingly at risk are community leaders, "Occupy" activists, veterans, and any who subscribe to an internationally recognized code of human rights. Application of international laws, including the Geneva Conventions, is discouraged in the U.S., if permitted at all. Because application threatens the fabric of U.S. law, government targets are 'processed' with whatever grey area of crime can discredit them most effectively. On Feb. 3rd U.S. Federal Court in Syracuse forfeited a chance to correct its injustice, and Dr. Rafil Dhafir was re-sentenced to his original term of 22 years in prison, with close to a million dollars restitution required. Dr. Dhafir had supplied Iraqi children with medicines and food in an attempt to save those he could. His actions affirmed Islamic religious law and Judeo-Christianity . His efforts were effectively stopped by prosecution and imprisonment. He was charged and convicted on 59 counts for breaking "Sanctions," fraud, tax evasion, etc.. The thorough vetting of the case by all U.S. agencies involved, left out of the equation a genocide of the Iraqi people. Community leaders are taken out of community by charges intended to disgrace them, rather than by confronting the necessity of their moral stands. It's such a customary practice that in Boston, the incarceration of Charles Turner passed unnoticed by national media. A Harvard graduate in the days when Harvard accepted token people of colour, Turner was unpretentious, easy going but very careful. Years later, as a community leader in Boston representing Blacks and the poor he was elected to the Boston City Council. An effective outspoken Councillor he was provably targeted for disgrace by an FBI operation, then charged with extortion for accepting a campaign contribution from an informant applying for a liquor license, and then not telling FBI agents 'the truth.' Without guile and loyal to his constituency, Turner tried to explain the framing in court. He's serving a three year sentence in West Virginia and Boston is left with the message: if they can do that to Charles Turner they can to anyone. Mumia Abu-Jamal as a journalist was known as a "voice of the voiceless" covering the dispossessed of Philadelphia. He was taken out of paid work by a murder charge. After a corrupt trial and years on death row international pressure, community outrage, the U.S. court system and Philadelphia's D.A., managed to grant him a reprieve. No longer subject to the death penalty and freed from death row Abu-Jamal was transferred to Mahanoy State Correctional Institution's "Restrictive housing unit," ie. solitary confinement, with no access to the media. Finally on January 27th Prison Radio [access:< http://prisonradio.wordpress.com/ >] could report his release into the general prison population. Long-time political prisoner Dave Gilbert's Love and Struggle: My Life in the SDS, The Weather Underground, and Beyond was published by PM Press, 2011 and is currently being launched at 'alternative' venues throughout North America. Gilbert grew out of Boston and New York student anti-war resistance in the Sixties, worked the Weather Underground during the Seventies, was arrested in 1981 with a unit of the Black Liberation Army. He's serving a 75 year minimum sentence for involvement in the deaths of 2 police and a guard during a Brinks robbery to raise operating costs. His other published works include: AIDS Conspiracy? Tracking Down the Real Genocide. Gilbert was one of a few North-eastern U.S. whites who could work with a Black American resistance that lacked the option of non-violence. Marilyn Buck died August 3, 2010 in Brooklyn New York, shortly after her release on July 15, 2010, from federal prison. She was serving eighty years of sentences (accused of supplying arms to the Black Liberation Army, of complicity in Assata Shakur's escape from prison, of bombings in the U.S. and internationally). With most of her co-defendants released (Susan Rosenberg received pardon from President Clinton), Bush's Justice Department granted her an early release on presumptive parole. On Jan. 21, 2010 she wrote "...been battling since Oct. to be treated medically. Found out I have a sarcoma, just got out of hospit. post-surgery..." It was the last letter I received. She was transferred to a hospital prison, and dead less than seven months later. She was an American poet. Lynne Stewart, the U.S. court appointed attorney for Islamic Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, is over 71 and fighting cancer as well as diabetes in a U.S. prison. Her appeal challenging the length of her sentence goes to court February 29th in Manhattan: the government extended her prison time from 28 months to 10 years after she bravely joked about the initial sentence on the courthouse steps. Her conviction: communicating on behalf of her blind and imprisoned client. She never should have been sentenced to jail. Known through her life's work as an uncompromising lawyer for the disadvantaged of varying political beliefs, her case represents a clear public attempt to intimidate attorneys representing fundamental human rights. There are other political prisoners who were/are thinking of the people, and without self-interest. There are a lot of them. There will be more, of all ages. The paradox is that many are in no way "criminal" but simply the articulate and deeply caring people of their communities. Partial sources available online: "My statement to the court ," Mandy Hiscocks, Jan. 16, 2012, rabble.ca; "Mandy’s Blog," current [access:< http://boredbutnotbroken.tao.ca >]; "Mandy Hiscocks. given a 20-24 month sentence for Toronto 2010 G20 Conspiracy," anon., Jan 19, 2012, Infoshop News; "Girr Rowley sentenced to 9 Months for G20 Action," Jan. 26, 2012 & "Erik Lankin Released!" Feb. 3, 2012, Guelph Anarchist Black Cross; "G20 Fallout Continues," Shailagh Keaney, Jan. 13, 2012, The Dominion; "Dr. Dhafir was resentenced today to 22 years," Feb. 3rd, 2012, DhafirTrial; "Dhafir Ordered to Serve 264-Month Jail Term on Resentencing," FBI, Feb. 6, 2012, 7thSpace Interactive; "Court: Government fails to show that it is reasonable to keep Mahjoub under conditions," Press release, Feb. 3, 2012, People's Commission Network apprec. nowar-paix; "Political Prisoners Update," J.B.Gerald, Jan. 31, 2012, nightslantern.ca; "Chuck Civil Hearing @ Monday @ 9am," Admin., Feb. 3, 2012, Support Chuck Turner; "Support Chuck Turner," website, Feb. 3, 2012 [access:< http://supportchuckturner.com >]; Website, current, Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner [access":< http://www.chuckturner.us/ >]; "The Torture of Mumia Abu-Jamal Continues off Death Row," Hans Bennett, Jan. 23, 2012, The Bullet; "David Gilbert, Political Prisoner," current, Kersplebedeb; "Lynne Stewart Appeal Brief Filed," April 1, 2011, and "Lynne Stewart Reply Brief Filed," August 4, 2011, Justice for Lynne Stewart [access:< http://lynnestewart.org/ > ]. Posted on nightslantern.ca at http://nightslantern.ca/prisonupdate3.htm

Global Research Articles by J. B. Gerald

Political Prisoners in the North American Homeland

Demonstrations in over 80 cities and 6 countries say: NO WAR, NO SANCTIONS, NO INTERVENTION, NO ASSASSINATIONS ON IRAN!

Anti-war organizations from across the United States and 6 other countries came together on Saturday, Feb. 4, to protest the rising crescendo of threats against Iran. In more than 30 states and 80 cities, large and small, groups joined forces to raise four key demands. "No war, no sanctions, no intervention, no assassinations!" was the slogan on the lead banner of the New York demonstration, which was sponsored by an ad hoc committee of several groups. Many placards and hand-made signs also pointed to Wall Street and the banks as the real danger, not Iran. The corporate media have been reporting for weeks that the Israeli regime is weighing an attack on Iran aimed at dismantling its nuclear program. Yet even former U.S. intelligence officers point out that Iran's nuclear development is entirely peaceful; it is not building any nuclear weapons. (See "Divining the Truth About Iran" by Ray McGovern, published by commondreams.org.) Yet totally unsubstantiated claims to the contrary form the basis on which Israel, which itself has a large nuclear arsenal and has been armed and financed by the U.S., is now publicly claiming its right to launch a military attack on Iran. The process has already begun in the major corporate media to give credibility to Israel's charges and soften up public opinion to accept such a criminal act, which would unleash yet another devastating war in this oil-rich region so coveted by imperialism. A large crowd marched in New York from Times Square to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and then to the Israeli Consulate. The French press agency AFP estimated the protest at 500. Groups participating included the International Action Center, No War on Iran, American Iranian Friendship Committee, United National Anti-War Committee and Answer. An Iranian explained that the most important issue was the thousands of assassinations that have taken place of Iranian scientists, state representatives and even parliament ministers, for which the Iranian people blame Israel and the U.S. This has united the Iranian people, he said, against foreign intervention and war. The war has already started because sanctions are an act of war. Even many of those who have opposed the Iranian government are now seeing that their main enemy is U.S. imperialism, he added. In Los Angeles, some 200 rallied at the city's busiest intersection by the Wiltshire Federal Bldg. Speakers included representatives from the Union of Progressive Iranians, CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador), BAYAN-USA, ALBA-USA, Bail Out the People Movement, Workers World Party, Southern California Immigration Coalition and the International Action Center. Some people who had been at an Answer event several blocks away later joined the main rally. In Boston, over 300 rallied and marched through downtown and rallied at the beginning, the end and at the Israeli Consulate. It was initiated by the Occupy Boston Action for Peace Working Group and had participation and speakers from Boston UNAC, Vets for Peace, the International Action Center, the Boston School Bus union, the Women's Figthback Network, United for Justice with Peace, Dorcester Peace Action, and many others. Other major cities with protests included Albany, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Tampa, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle and Honolulu. The demonstrations were pulled together on only two weeks' notice, but they also inspired similar protests in Vancouver and Calgary, Canada, as well as in Bangladesh, India, Britain, Ireland and Norway

Global Research Articles by Sara Flounders

Demonstrations in over 80 cities and 6 countries say: NO WAR, NO SANCTIONS, NO INTERVENTION, NO ASSASSINATIONS ON IRAN!

BREAKING: Russia Points to "Armed Groups" in Syria, Vetoes UN Security Council Draft Resolution

The United Nations Security Council has voted on a draft resolution concerning the ongoing violence in Syria. The United Nations Security Council has just voted on a draft resolution concerning the ongoing violence in Syria. Russia and China were the only voting members to oppose the draft. And as permanent members of the UNSC, they had the option to use veto power to block the draft's passage. Beijing and Moscow have both taken issue with the draft's vague wording, which they say leaves the door open for possible international military intervention in Syria and creates a picture of the current situation that favors opposition forces over the Assad government. American Ambassador Susan Rice told the Security Council following the vote that the US was “disgusted” at Russia and China’s decision to go against the resolution. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also warned that more blood would be shed in Syria if a resolution was not reached soon. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin commented maintained that Russia’s suggestions were not considered in the draft resolution. “The Russian delegation was forced to vote against this draft resolution. We seriously regret this outcome of our joint work.” Churkin said that resolution's Western co-sponsors had not included key proposals such as isolating the Syrian opposition from violent extremist groups or a call to arms for other states to use their influence to prevent such alliances “Unfortunately, some of our colleagues choose to make rather bizarre interpretations of the Russian proposals,” the Russian UN Ambassador said. Churkin said the Russian delegation has been accused of rewriting the Arab League texts adopted months ago in the Security Council. “Indeed, they were adopted months ago and since that time the situation has evolved,” he said, pointing out that Syrian rebels used previous withdrawals of the Syrian troops to their benefit, occupying cities during cease-fires. “There is no rule that the Security Council should repeat verbatim all resolutions adopted by the original organizations. They are neither Koran nor Bible, and we can express our own views on texts adopted month ago.” Russia and China reminded others that it was not their place to intervene in another country's domestic affairs. The news follows days of heated political debate in the UNSC, with many members supporting a Western-backed draft calling for foreign nations to put an end to what some called the “Syrian killing machine.” And in a statement to the UN, US President Barack Obama urged the international community to protect the Syrian people from “abhorrent brutality.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told an audience at the Munich Security Conference that there are too few demands being placed on Syria's armed opposition, and that the resolution could affect the outcome of political dialogue between the conflicting sides. Lavrov is set to visit the Syrian capital next Tuesday to conduct talks with President Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, Syria Tribune editor Ali Mohamad told RT that he doesn't believe the Western backers of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria "are working for the best interests of the Syrian people.” Mohamad says “there was a very good chance this week to find a draft that could satisfy all sides – but it was not supported by Western countries.” ”The Arab league initiative, supported by the Security Council, wants to portray an image where the problem is between Assad and the Syrian people, but this is not the reality.” Instead, Mohamad says, the problem lies between opposing parts of Syrian society – and has nothing to do with Assad's removal. The vote came after the latest reports of government crackdowns on the western city of Homs on Friday in which an estimated 200 hundred people were killed, with eyewitness testimony of tanks and heavy artillery. The Syrian government denied involvement, dismissing the claims as an attempt to drum up international support for the draft resolution. Video: Churkin's statement

BREAKING: Russia Points to "Armed Groups" in Syria, Vetoes UN Security Council Draft Resolution

Hegemonic powers must not be allowed to weaken resistance: speaker Tehran, Feb 1, IRNA – Hegemonic powers must not be allowed to weaken regional resistance movement against the Zionist occupation forces, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Wednesday.

He made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Ramadan Abdollah.
Declaring support for reform in Syria, Larijani added that the West has plans to make problem for the resistance.
“The ongoing regional Islamic Awakening has weakened the Zionist regime’s position and any kind of negotiation with this occupier regime is a big mistake; resistance is the only way for Palestinians to enjoy their rights; Islamic Republic's support for the freedom of Palestine is for good,” the Parliament speaker noted.
Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, for his part emphasized on continuation of fight for the freedom of the enite soil of Palestine's occupied lands, adding that the resistance movement is against any plan which may undermine the freedom of the Palestinian territories.
“The ousted regional dictators, as the advocates of Tel-Aviv, were big obstacles in the way of the Palestinians' victory; the ongoing revolutions in the Islamic world are big steps forward in the fight against occupation,” he underlined.
The Islamic Awakening is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Islamic world. Since December 18th, 2010, there have been revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt; a civil war in Libya resulting in the fall of its regime; civil uprisings in Bahrain and Yemen; major protests in occupied Palestine against the Zionist regime, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco and Oman, and minor protests in Kuwait, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Western Sahara.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.
Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.
The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.
In October, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Bashar al-Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but the US and Zionist regime plots could spark some new unrest in certain parts of the country.
9191**2329

Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30793478

 

Giving Voice to US/Israeli Threats Against Iran

Iran/Persia

Giving Voice to US/Israeli Threats Against Iran ( 3)

By Ari Rusila (Balkan Blog). Axis of Logic Commentary

Balkan Blog. Axis of Logic.

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012

Editorial

See: The New York Times and the drive to war against Iran by Barry Grey, WSWS

As most readers know, the drumbeat for war on Iran has been building over the last several years in both, the imperial and alternative media. Our question is: if the US/Israeli regime plans to attack, why threaten and not simply do it. The writer of the article below tries to explain that the US and Israel have been building a case against Iran and "that the Americans and Israelis are preparing the public for war." This makes sense but how much time is required to build that case and to "prepare the public" - 5 years? Possibly.
Alternatively, the US and Israel may only have been ramping up the threat to wage war on Iran with no real intention of doing so or at least not in the near future. But to what end? Threats of war can serve a number of purposes. One may be to position themselves for global domination sometime in the future and to establish their "right and might" for waging war. The corporate media has worked hard to terrorize the world of US and Israel's ability and will to conduct pre-emptive attacks and assassinations anywhere in the world at any time. The media does so while covering their behinds with weak objections to the same US/Israeli aggression. A second tactical threat may be to force their perceived enemies to invest huge amounts of money into national defense, weakening or bankrupting their national treasury as some think they did to the Soviets during the cold war.
A more current example of the second tactic is the US military threats against Venezuela (US Southern Command bases surrounding Venezuela in Colombia and the Caribbean, violating Venezuelan air space, cross-border incursions by Colombian paramilitaries, the US 4th fleet in the Caribbean, accusing Venezuela of state-sponsored terrorism, direct verbal threats by the US State Department and members of congress) - forcing the socialist government to divert funds from popular social programs into defense spending - followed by the western media accusing Venezuela of a military buildup and posing a threat to its neighbors and the United States.
A third alternative reason for bullying and threatening may be to build fear among the Iranian people in this case, for the purpose of destabilizing the Iranian government. This would fit with their failed attempt to overthrow the goverment by initiating and fomenting the failed coup in 2009 with full support of the imperial media.
Of course it can be argued that all these tactics may eventually lead to actual military aggression against Iran in the future. Whether the US and Israel plan to actually assault Iran in the near future is an open question. The imperial/capitalist media has been depicting Iran's nuclear energy program as a clear and present danger to the world for at least 5 years. Many well-meaning leftist websites have inadvertently joined this mission by warning everyone about the march toward war with Iran but to what end? Are we to believe that those warnings are going to somehow prevent war?
There are still other media who with slight of hand, pretend to be objective or even to object-to an attack on Iran while purposefully serving the interests of the US and Israel. In the 2009 article republished below, Ari Rusila may (or may not) be doing just that. While he claims that, "Iran has the same right to develop its nuclear program for civil and military purposes as all the other states," the weight of his analysis reflects a dangerous Iran (examine carefully his wording and images) and an all-powerful Israel, albeit with a few caveats.
At Axis of Logic we have been careful to avoid these types of collaboration with Iran's enemies by refusing to repeat and reinforce their sabre-rattling propaganda. At the same time, knowing the history of US/Israeli aggression over the last 6 decades and their pre-war preparations for the destruction of Iraq, we monitor their threats and movements of their military (e.g. warships in the Persian Gulf) and do what we can to critique the media's role and to build public opposition to war against the people of Iran.

- Les Blough, Editor

---

Original publication, October 16, 2009
Iran’s nuclear program at the crossroads
by Ari Rusila


The way ahead with the dispute between Iran’s nuclear programme and the possible response of western powers is foggy. News from last weeks give some base for optimism (peaceful solution) while others are increasing the use of military option. What’s clear to me is that the stakes are now higher than before. From my point of view following aspects may have influence for one or the other solutions:

• Confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran is able to design and produce a workable atom bomb now
  
  
• Recent massive missile exercises implemented by Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Air Force
  
  
• Information leaks about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s secret visit to Moscow on Sept. 7
  
  
• Iran has agreed to have the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspect a previously secret nuclear facility near Qom as well transport of low-enriched uranium to France and Russia for reprocessing
  
  
• Iran’s right to develop its nuclear program for civil and military purposes
  
  
• Nobel peace prize won by U.S. President Obama

“Secret” IAEA report

Not so long time ago US and UN officials claimed that Iran was five years away from making nuclear weapons. Two years ago, American intelligence agencies published a detailed report concluding that Tehran halted its efforts to design a nuclear weapon in 2003. But in recent months, Britain has joined France, Germany and Israel in disputing that conclusion, saying the work has been resumed. The United States is now re-evaluating its 2007 conclusions. One reason for re-evaluation is still “secret” IAEA report, titled “Possible Military Dimensions of Iran’s Nuclear Program”. It draws a picture of a complex program, run by Iran’s Ministry of Defense, “aimed at the development of a nuclear payload to be delivered using the Shahab 3 missile system,” Iran’s medium-range missile, which can strike the Middle East and parts of Europe. The program, according to the report, apparently began in early 2002. Senior staff members of the United Nations nuclear agency have concluded in a confidential analysis that Iran has acquired “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” atom bomb. If Iran is designing a warhead, that would represent only part of the complex process of making nuclear arms. Experts say Iran has already mastered the hardest part, enriching the uranium that can be used as nuclear fuel. Most dramatically, the report says the agency “assesses that Iran has sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable implosion nuclear device” based on highly enriched uranium. (My source: The New York Times, 4rd Oct. 2009)
Netanyahu’s secret visit to Moscow
Nearly one month there has been rumours about secret visit of Binyamin Netanyahu – Israel’s prime minister – to Moscow on September 7th; a visit which long has been denied. However an article in The London Times, which I next refer, gives quite comprehensive description about it.

Netanyahu flew to the Russian capital with Uzi Arad, his national security adviser, last month in a private jet. His office claimed he was in Israel , visiting a secret military establishment at the time. It later emerged that he was holding talks with Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, and President Dmitry Medvedev. “We have heard that Netanyahu came with a list and concrete evidence showing that Russians are helping the Iranians to develop a bomb,” said a source close to the Russian defence minister last week.
New agreements

Iran has agreed in principle to allow international inspectors at a previously secret nuclear facility near Qom – the first round is scheduled for Oct. 25. IHS Jane’s interactive image analysis – published in The New York Times on 29. Sep. – about Iran’s hidden nuclear facility can be found from here.
Same time Iran has agreed to turn over most of its previously low-enriched uranium to the Russians and French for reprocessing to a higher concentration, and it will eventually be returned to them as fuel rods for a medical research reactor in Tehran.
However there is also opinions that Iran’s motivation for agreement is the quality-problem of its uranium. The impurities, certain metallic fluoride compounds, would interfere with centrifuge enrichment. The contaminated fuel it has produced so far would be all but useless for nuclear weapons. To make enough fuel for a bomb, Iran might have to start over — this time avoiding the impurities.
Iran’s insurance
The Israelis believe the Iranians have “cold-tested” a nuclear warhead, without fissile material, for its Shahab-3B and Sejjil-2 rockets at Parchin, a top-secret military complex southeast of Tehran. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Air Force on last Sunday launched massive missile exercises during which it tested different types of modern missiles.

Iran Missile Test

Iran missile test
The western powers see military dimensions of Iran’s Nuclear Program as thread. One could sometimes consider Iran’s weaponisation activities also from Iranian point of view. In 1953 the Americans toppled their democratically-elected, pro-western government to gain control of their oil reserves. USA re-instated the Shah on his throne, then kept order via the dreaded Savak (security police) with ruthless repression for over a quarter-century. After the Islamic Revolution, during the 80′s, USA gave aid to Iraq and armed Saddam Hussein e.g with chemical weapons to use them on Iranians. After 1980, the USA has been trying to find a means to get Iran back under its thumb, to control their resources, and install a puppet government. Hated by some its neighbours and some superpowers, isolated and weak, it is easy to understand that Nuclear Weapons can be considered as necessary insurance policy in hostile environment.
My view
From my point of view Iran has the same right to develop its nuclear program for civil and military purposes as all the other states. Iran isn’t doing anything else than USA, Soviet Union/Russia, UK, France, China, Israel, Pakistan, India, South Africa and North Korea haven’t already done. Sure Iran’s programs have been implemented clandestine, but so is the case with all others too.
Now “new” information pieces (Iran has already bomb, tests of modern missiles, secret Qom nuclear facility, Ahmadinejad still in power) are indicating that the Americans and Israelis are preparing the public for war. Even some polls now indicate that more than 60 percent of the U.S. public now favours military action against Iran. USA were aware of Russia’s cooperation on military hardware and its involvement in Iran ’s civilian nuclear program. The extent of the Iranian program with military dimension and the role of Russian and Pakistan experts underlined the growing urgency of action.

The new information can serve also efforts for peaceful solution. The purpose of PM Netanyahu’s secret visit in Russia maybe was to show to Russia and Iran that USA and Israel are updated about Iran’s situation and they are considering to use fast military option against Iran ’s nuclear facilities. Nobel peace prize won by U.S. President Obama can now have real peace building effect – bombing Iran before Nobel ceremony would give bad image. On the other hand situation gives him the opportunity to move one step further with his initiatives. Indeed last negotiations about Iran’s nuclear programme showed some progress as well direct USA/Iran dialogue for long time.
Iran finally may be ready to make a deal. Iran’s leadership may have achieved much of what it set out to accomplish when it stepped up its clandestine nuclear program in 1999. In contentious, high-stakes negotiations, deals are possible when both sides have a chance to declare victory, and that point may have been reached.

Source: Balkan Blog

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Destination Persian Gulf? US nuclear sub and destroyer enter Red Sea

Destination Persian Gulf? US nuclear sub and destroyer enter Red Sea Global Research, February 1, 2012 Russia Today Two ships of the US Navy, the nuclear submarine USS Annapolis and the destroyer USS Momsen have passed through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. Although their destination is confidential, they are now getting dangerously close to the Persian Gulf. ­The ships’ passage was a major operation for the Suez administration as due to safety reasons they had to close off the canal to all other traffic and even shut down the bridge, disrupting the link between the banks for some four hours. The traffic on the roadways alongside the canal was also restricted, Interfax news agency reports. There are no reports regarding the destination of the vessels, but the news come amid the ongoing crisis in the relationship between the US and Iran. There is mounting speculation that the Annapolis and the Momsen are heading to the Persian Gulf to reinforce the US naval forces already present in the region. Currently the US has two aircraft carrier groups in the region headed by USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Carl Vinson. It is expected that another aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, will join the strike force in March. Since the EU placed a new round of sanctions on Iran by putting an embargo on Iranian oil, Iran is once again threatening to use military force to close the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti maritime official said on Monday that the Gulf Cooperation Council group of Arab countries have contingency plans for coastguards and naval forces should there be an attempt by Iran to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. ­‘US imperial agenda is now concentrating on Iran’ ­Tehran has offered IAEA officials the chance to extend their mission and says it is ready to prove its atomic ambitions are peaceful. But Ralph Sсhoenman, the host of radio program ‘Taking Aim,’ told RT that IAEA’s quest in Iran is hopeless. “I say hopeless because the United States and the European capitalist spouse will always up the ante,” Sсhoenman explained. “You can be absolutely sure that the reports back from one or more of these inspectors functioning as intelligence operatives will say: ‘Well, there is evidence that they may be doing this and they may be doing that.’” Sсhoenman believes that the US “imperial agenda, which makes countries their targets in sequence, is now concentrating on Iran.” “The very idea that Iran is somehow obliged to open its frontiers to inspectors who are essentially penetrated and permeated by the Central Intelligence Agency and Mossad expresses what I am attempting to say to you,” he explained. “This is outrageous, this has no legitimacy and it should be repudiated and exposed for what it is.”

Destination Persian Gulf? US nuclear sub and destroyer enter Red Sea