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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Islamic World News
13 Apr 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com
Headley, Rana likely to implicate ISI in 26/11 attacks'

Iraq bombs kill eight, 12 wounded in Baghdad

Al-Azhar's Grand Imam insists on Vatican’s apology

Egyptian Army sides with Radical Muslims who attack Three Churches

5 civilians killed, 8 injured in Kandahar blast

Pakistan-based LeT expanding: US general

Pak and India cannot afford another war: Yousaf Raza Gilani

Pakistan to set free 89 Indian prisoners

Pak, US discussing reduction in US operatives

People demand was to reopen Bhutto case: Sassui

Dual Voting Right can ensure equal right for Christian in Pakistan

Peace to be main condition for Afghan-US partnership: Karzai

France says NATO not doing enough in Libya

West wants Gaddafi gone, but divided over how

‘NATO must step up bombing’

New battles in Libya, strains in NATO campaign

Libyan opposition says Kadhafi forces killed 10,000 people

Libya’s Koussa to meet rebel leaders in Doha

Nato must do more on Libya, say France & UK

Young Gaddafi hated 'British, drank water from a finger bowl'

Libyan fighting goes on after peace bid fails

AU plan in tatters ahead of Qatar talks on Libya

Kussa not representing us in Qatar: Libya rebels

Libya rebels seek recognition as powers meet

Britain, France push NATO allies to step up in Libya

Obama to recognise Palestinian state with '67 borders

Istanbul's al-Qaeda chief reportedly detained

Yemen opposition rejects Gulf plan, Saleh accepts

Can Lebanon avoid another Civil War?

Palestinian Authority ready to govern: UN

Legal steps against Mubarak underway: Egyptian PM

Drone ‘friendly fire’ kills two US troops

Israel to Judaise 6000 Islamic and Christian Arab landmarks in Jerusalem

European Union hits 32 Iranian officials with sanctions over rights abuses

Mubarak in hospital after heart attack, son Gamal facing prison

Killer handed over in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp

Belarus police hunt for suspects after Minsk bombing kills 12

Outtara urges peace after Gbagbo arrest

Protesters take down barricades and reopen Tahrir Square

Israel urges Turkey to avert new aid convoy to Gaza

Fatah rejects Turkish mediation offer

Turkey seeks thaw in Iran-Azeri ties

'Heavy fighting' between Sudan army and Darfur rebels

Clashes in pro-Gbagbo parts of Abidjan: Witnesses

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

Photo: 26/11 attack on Taj hotel,Mumbai

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Headley, Rana likely to implicate ISI in 26/11 attacks'

April 13, 2011

Pakistani-born Canadian citizen Tahawwur Hussain Rana and his accomplice David Headley are likely to admit during their trial in the US next month that they masterminded the Mumbai terror attack at the behest of Pakistan's spy agency ISI, according to a report Monday.

The trial of Rana and Headley begins in Chicago May 16. It was postponed in February at the request of Rana's lawyer.

"India-Pakistan tensions will likely be inflamed by a trial that's slated to begin in the United States next month: New court documents reveal that two terrorist operatives accused in the 2008 Mumbai massacre conspiracy are preparing to say they believed themselves to be working for Pakistani spies,'' according to the Globe and Mail newspaper here.

Rana, 49, who runs immigration service in Chicago with offices New York and Toronto, was arrested Oct 3 for plotting to attack the Danish newspaper that published the controversial cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in 2005.

Investigators found that Rana was also involved in helping David Headley, whose real name is Daood Gilani, in plotting the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008 which left 160 people dead.

Headley had travelled to India for doing the surveillance work for the Lashkar-e-Toiba before the Mumbai terror attacks.

As India has all along suspected that Pakistan's ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) had a role in the terror attack, the report said, "Mr. Rana's trial threatens to lend an aura of credence to the suspicions of ISI complicity. According to court documents, the jury will hear the two Chicago conspirators say they believed themselves to be working for both LeT and the ISI.

"Previously secret testimony heard only by a grand jury is referred to in a decision published earlier this month.''

But Headley in his testimony to the grand jury has said, "I also told him (Mr Rana)... how I had been asked to perform espionage work for ISI,'' says the newspaper.

Having turned FBI informer to escape the death penalty, Headley will reveal the blow-by-blow of the Mumbai massacre surveillance scheme when he gives evidence against Rana, says the report.

Headley's testimony will reveal how he anglicized his Pakistani name, cultivated ties with LeT, videotaped sites in Mumbai, and briefed his handlers in Pakistan in the run-up to the carnage, according to the report.

About his entry into India under a "false flag" to scout targets, Headley has told the grand jury that "I told (Mr Rana) about my assignment to conduct surveillance in Mumbai. ... I explained to him that the immigration office would provide a cover story for why I was in Mumbai.''

To save himself, Rana has been struggling to explain away allegations that he gave Mr. Headley the papers that allowed him to pose as an immigration consultant.

But in his recent filings in his defence, Rana has argued "that he is a Pakistani patriot who was led to believe the ISI wanted his help - and therefore he should get the equivalent of diplomatic immunity.''

But Judge Harry Leinenweber ruled April 1 that Rana's defence is "objectively unreasonable."

"Defendant's proposed defence is that his alleged illegal acts of providing material support to terrorists - at least those related to the Mumbai attacks - were done at the behest of the Pakistani government and the ISI, not the Lashkar terrorist organization," reads the decision.

"He argues that he is entitled to a public-authority defence because he acted under the authority - whether actual or apparent - of the Pakistani government and the ISI.''

http://www.dailypioneer.com/331137/Headley-Rana-likely-to-implicate-ISI-in-26/11-attacks.html

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Iraq bombs kill eight, 12 wounded in Baghdad

April 13, 2011

Eight people were killed in bomb attacks around Iraq on Tuesday, security and hospital sources said.

Three of the dead were policemen, while 12 people, including six police, were wounded in the attacks.

Two of the police victims were killed by an improvised bomb that targetted their patrol overnight south of Baghdad. The third was killed in the town of Fallujah west of Baghdad by a "sticky" bomb that attaches to cars.

Six policemen were wounded in the two attacks, a security source said.

Sticky bombs in different regions outside Baghdad killed the leader of an anti-Al-Qaeda militia and wounded three other people, he said.

Two civilian contractors for the Iraqi army, both male cousins, were killed when their home west of Baghdad was targetted by dynamite. Three other family members, including a woman, were wounded, police and medical sources said.

Violence in Iraq is sharply down from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but bombings, shootings and kidnappings remain common.

The UN envoy to Iraq, Ad Melkert, said last week that violent incidents still occur on average 25 times per day, but acknowledged that the number was "a lot lower than what it used to be".

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/9862/World/Region/Iraq-bombs-kill-eight,--wounded.aspx

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Al-Azhar's Grand Imam insists on Vatican’s apology

April 13, 2011

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb, renewed his call to the Vatican’s head, Pope Benedict XVI, to officially apologise for insulting Islam, confirming that such an apology is a basic condition for the resumption of interfaith dialogue between the two religious authorities.

El-Tayeb who today unofficially received Michael Girard, the Vatican’s ambassador to Cairo, refused to resume relations between Al-Azhar and the Vatican unless the Pope gives a clear apology for insulting Islam and Muslims as well. The Grand Imam stressed that relations between the two faiths are normal but that official relations between Al-Azhar and the Vatican are currently frozen.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/9883/Egypt/Politics-/AlAzhars-Grand-Imam-insists-on-Vatican%E2%80%99s-apology.aspx

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Egyptian Army sides with Radical Muslims who attack Three Churches

April 13, 2011

Cairo: In the last two weeks three attacks on churches were undertaken by Salafis or Islamic Fundamentalists in Egypt. The Salafis demanded churches move to locations outside communities and be forbidden from making repairs, "even if they are so dilapidated that the roofs will collapse over the heads of the congregation," says Father Estephanos Shehata of Samalut Coptic Diocese.

The latest of these incidents took place in the village of Kamadeer, in Samalout, Minya province on April 5, which escalated to the point where it was feared the church would be torched and demolished, as was done in the case of St. George and St. Mina Church in village of Soul, Atfif, on March 5 (AINA 3-5-2011). For three days Muslims occupied the entrance to St. John the Beloved Church in the village of Kamadeer with their mats, praying and sleeping there while thousands of village Copts staged a sit-in for three continuous days in front of the Minya governorate building, vowing not to leave until they got their church back. "Even if it takes one year, we will still be here," said Fr. Youssab in the rally. The Coptic demonstrators demanded the reopening of their church and prosecution of the squatters (video of Coptic sit-in).

When the priest arrived at St. John the Beloved church on April 5 he found hundreds of Salafis, who told him and the parishioners that arrived for mass they are "not allowed" to pray at this church any longer.

The problem started when the heavy rain in January 2011 caused the church, which is built of clay bricks and has a timber roof, to suffer severe cracks. The Copts requested from the military permission for repairs. Last week inspectors from the local council visited the church and confirmed the church is dilapidated and poses a threat to the parishioners and must be repaired.

"This has angered the Muslims," said attorney Hani Labib from Kamadeer, "who saw the Copts were going to get permission for renovation because of the state of the church. They told us 'we allowed you to pray here, but there is no question of any building work to be done, this will have to be over our dead bodies.'" He added that police officers summoned a number of Copts from the Kamadeer village and ordered them to sign affidavits not to pray at the church in "deference to the wishes its Muslims." But the Copts refused to sign.

"Salafi Sheikh Mohamad Saleh, called on Muslims to prevent the restoration of the church," said Fr. Estephanos. He added the Muslims said we have to move the church to another location, which was refused. "Because they have built a mosque five meters away from the church, this means that of course the church, which has been there for twelve years, has to move." He said relationships between Copts and Muslims in the village are usually amicable but the Salafis stepped in and incited Muslims from other villages to besiege the church.

After several calls to the military governor and the governor of Minya and following several meetings, the problem was resolved "to the satisfaction of the Muslims, as usual," said Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub.

On April 7 an "unofficial reconciliation" meeting was held between the two parties, and according to the signed agreement, The Copts are to relocate the church about 200 meters away from the old church and the new mosque, by exchanging plots of land with one of the Coptic parishioners. Although the new plot of land is 550 meters, Copts are allowed to build on only 175 meters. The new church must be one story high and not two as the old one was, and must not have any manifestations of a church, i.e., a dome, a cross or a bell.

The military governor and the head of Minya security knew of the details of the agreement. "This will set a precedent in Egypt," said activist Nader Shoukry. "Now this will be used everywhere, since the law is never applied when it comes to Copts. Instead we get those Bedouin 'unofficial reconciliations.'"

In a second incident, on Sunday March 27 nearly 500 Salafis, armed with swords, batons and knives, stood in front of St. Mary's church in the Bashtil district of Imbaba, Giza demanding its closure because "this is a Muslim area and no church should be allowed here." They closed the church door and held a number of the parishioners inside, including children. The terrorized Copts called the army to get them out, especially the children, who were traumatized. The military police arrived, freed the congregation and dispersed the Muslim mob, who lurked nearby "to see if they need to attack again in case the Copts returned to the church," said a Coptic witness.

St. Mary's church, which serves 800 Christian families, is a prayer hall inside a services center which includes a kindergarten and a free clinic. It had obtained the approval to operate by the disbanded State Security Intelligence (which operates now under the new name of National Security) in December 2010 and which was until the "January 25 Revolution" the only authority responsible for issuing approvals for churches, even if they had a Presidential decree.

Two Salafi imams, sheikh Gamal and sheikh Mohammad Farag (an auto mechanic by trade), incited Muslims to carry out this siege by claiming Copts wanted to turn the center into a Church without a proper license. The two priests of the church were taken to the Giza Security Directorate to forge an unofficial "reconciliation." According to Dr. Naguib Ghobrial, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights, the police told him they took the priests away because of concerns for their safety.

A few days before this incident, four Salafis from the neighborhood filed a complaint with the local police claiming "the sound of hymns during mass 'makes their ears ache,'" according to Coptic lawyer Peter el-Naggar. "Fact is the center, which used to be a clothing factory before being bought by the church in 1990, is in the middle of agricultural land."

After the reconciliation meeting at the Giza Security Directorate, services at the Bashtil center were halted until the church acquires a license to operate, according to Father Hermina, who is in charge of the center.

In the third incident, three days before the Bashtil center incident, St. George's Church in Beni Ahmad, 7 KM south of Minya was also subjected to Muslim intimidation. The 100 year-old church received three years ago an official permit from Minya governorate allowing for the expansion of its eastern side as well as the erection of a social services center within a small plot of land belonging to the church. Three Salafis together with a large crowd of village Muslims visited the church on Wednesday, March 23 and ordered the church officials to stop construction immediately and undo what they had completed, otherwise they would demolish the church after Friday prayers. They also demanded the church priest, Father Georgy Thabet, leave the village with his family.

Muslims were invited from all neighboring village to be ready for Friday's demolition if their demands were not met. It was reported the village Coptic youth stood guard inside the church to prevent any Muslim demolition, and Salafis were standing outside church calling for the priest to leave the village as well as hurling insults. Beni Ahmad village has a population of 8,000 Copts and 23,000 Muslims.

The Diocese stepped-in and contacted the authorities who in turn asked them to contact the military governor. A meeting was held between representatives from the church, the Salafis, the army and security in Minya. The Salafis requested the demolition of what was built and the departure of the priest and his family. In the end the military told the Copts they cannot interfere in this case. "In other words the authorities have sold the Copts to the Salafis, to do what they like with them and the church," commented local Coptic activist Mariam Ragy.

The expansion work has stopped but church services continue with the same priest. The Salafis asked for a "donation" from the church for a so-called kidney dialysis center, "which is not even suitable for animals to live in, let alone being a medical center," said Ragy.

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=2736

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5 civilians killed, 8 injured in Kandahar blast

April 13, 2011

KANDAHAR (INP): At least five civilian were killed and eight sustained injuries in Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Kandahar city on Tuesday. Police officer Shershah Yousafzai said that unidentified militants planted road-side explosive device nearby the International Security Force (ISAF) personnel station headquarter which went off with big sound when ISAF personnel patrol party crossed the blast spot. As a result five civilian were killed at the spot and eight other sustained injuries. Police personnel and locals rushed at the spot and retrieved all dead bodies and injured. The injured were shifted to Mir Wais Hospital for treatment. However, no group has claimed responsibility of the blast but such incidents were mostly claimed by the Taliban fighters who are engaged in fighting with the Nato and Afghan forces. On the other hand, fifty Taliban militants defected to the government in southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Monday. Kandahar, the birthplace of former Taliban regime, has been the scene of increasing insurgency since Taliban government was toppled in late 2001. More than 200 militants have defected to the government over the past month throughout the country. Meanwhile, unidentified armed men shot and injured three Norwegians in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan on Monday, an official said Tuesday. The Provincial Reconstruction Team workers were carrying on their duty in Maimana City yesterday when unknown gunmen conducted attack on them, the Faryab Police Chief Syed Ahmad Sami said.

Full report at:

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=an&nid=839

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Pakistan-based LeT expanding: US general

April 13, 2011

WASHINGTON: A top US general expressed concern to Congress on Tuesday about the expanding reach of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, warning it was no longer solely focused on India or even South Asia.

LeT, one of the largest and best-funded extremist militant organizations in the region, is blamed for the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which killed 166 people in India’s commercial capital.

The group was nurtured by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency to fight India in Kashmir, and analysts say it is still unofficially tolerated even though Islamabad banned the group nearly a decade ago.

Admiral Robert Willard, head of the US military’s Pacific Command, told a Senate hearing the United States was actively working with South Asian governments including Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India to contain LeT.

But he cautioned that the group was active elsewhere.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/13/pakistan-based-let-expanding-us-general.html

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Pak and India cannot afford another war: Yousaf Raza Gilani

April 13, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Asserting that Pakistan and India cannot afford another war, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh is a "sensible and sane" person who wants the two countries to resolve their important issues.

Gilani made the remarks during an interaction with senior government officials participating in the National Management Course.

Speaking highly of the Indian Prime Minister's intentions to have good relations with Pakistan, Gilani said Singh had said several times during their meetings that he wanted to do "something really positive" for both countries.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-and-India-cannot-afford-another-war-Yousaf-Raza-Gilani/articleshow/7964502.cms

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Pakistan to set free 89 Indian prisoners

April 13, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has announced that it was going to release 89 Indian prisoners including fishermen, as a goodwill gesture aiming at a boost of ties between two neighbouring countries, Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, the list of to-be-freed prisoners has some those jail inmates on it whom India wanted freed. A number of Indian fishermen imprisoned in Pakistan are also on that list.

In a statement released to media from Foreign Office (FO) today, it is said that the freed Indian prisoners would be handed over to Indian authorities on April 15.

India, during the secretary level talks early this month, provided Pakistan a list of its citizens detained across the border on several charges, FO statement stated further.

http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14053

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Pak, US discussing reduction in US operatives

April 13, 2011

WASHINGTON: United States on Tuesday said that it is negotiating a possible reduction in US intelligence operatives and special operations officers in Pakistan.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner in a briefing said that ISI Chief Shuja Pasha during his meeting with CIA Head Leon Panetta demanded immediate withdrawal of 345-member intelligence operatives.

US and Pakistani officials have cited different numbers for possible force level reductions, he said, adding that no decisions have been made so far in this regard.

He said that 300-member contingent is helping train the Pakistani military. The US wants to maintain the program and is having conversations with Pakistani authorities about requirements and force levels.

http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14072

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People demand was to reopen Bhutto case: Sassui

April 13, 2011

F.P. Report KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Culture Ms. Sassui Palijo has said that it was a cherished urge and lasting demand of million patriot Pakistani peoples to reopen the Bhutto case and rectify the historic wrong which had tarnished image of our Judiciary. This she said while talking to media men in Karachi today, prior to departure for Islamabad to attend the Shaheed Bhutto Reopen case hearing in Supreme Court of Pakistan. Ms. Palijo said that present elected Government especially President of Pakistan had taken this step in right direction and by sending a reference to the apex court, the President has fulfilled his constitutional obligation. She said that now all eyes are on the Judiciary that what represent the people’s case. Through this reference, the Supreme Court has got historical opportunity to rectify the historic wrong and keep the record straight for nation and posterity. Ms.

Full report at:

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=qn&nid=986

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Dual Voting Right can ensure equal right for Christian in Pakistan

April 13, 2011

Karachi: April 12, 2011. (PCP) The Central Council of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC Secretariat in Karachi issued statement of PCC Chief Dr. Nazir S Bhatti demanding election of Christian representation in parliament instead of Selection under Joint Electorate imposed by former military ruler General Parvez Musharraf.

Dr. Nazir S Bhatti, President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC said that violence against 20 million Pakistani Christian have risen after abolishment of Separate Electorate in Pakistan by General Parvez Musharraf in 2002.

The attack on Christian life and property on pretext to blasphemy was at peak on imposition of Joint Electorate on minorities in Pakistan. The hundreds of Christian homes were destroyed by Muslim mobs. There were broad day light killing of blasphemy accused Christians by hands of radical Muslims. The Christian children, women and elders were burnt alive by extremist Muslim after Joint Electorate system in Pakistan.

Dr. Nazir Bhatti said “ Joint Electorate which enables Muslim political groups to Select Christian parliamentarians is not democratic and turns them to be 3rd class citizens in Pakistan“

Full report at:

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=2739

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Peace to be main condition for Afghan-US partnership: Karzai

April 13, 2011

KABUL (NNI): Establishment of peace in Afghanistan is the first condition of Afghan-US strategic partnership, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said. Speaking at a news conference in Kabul, Mr Karzai pledged to negotiate a new relationship with the United States. Mr Karzai said all national interests will be taken into consideration in the new strategic partnership with the US. He stressed that Afghanistan will never sign any document that would contain articles against its own interests. The President said he is planning to hold a jirga (a traditional gathering) to consult elders from around the country on a final decision about Afghan-US long-term partnership. The jirga is expected to be held in about two or three months.

Full report at:

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=an&nid=840

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France says NATO not doing enough in Libya

April 13, 2011

PARIS — NATO should be doing more to take out heavy weaponry targeting civilians in Libya, France’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

Alain Juppe said NATO’s actions are “not enough” and that the alliance should be firing on the weapons being used by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces to target civilians in the rebel-held city of Misrata. Juppe spoke on France-Info radio, the day after Libyan rebels rejected a cease-fire proposal by African mediators because it did not insist that Gaddafi relinquish power.

“NATO has to play its role in full. NATO wanted to take the military command of the operations,” Juppe said. He also urged the EU to do more to get humanitarian aid to Misrata.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April544.xml&section=international

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West wants Gaddafi gone, but divided over how

April 13, 2011

LONDON - Most Britons, Americans, French and Italians think the West should aim to oust Muammar Gaddafi, but concerns over costs, aims and the possible outcomes of the NATO mission in Libya highlight divisions in the alliance.

A Reuters/Ipsos MORI poll found most people in Britain, Italy and the United States felt their country cannot afford military action, while a majority in all countries polled except France felt NATO action in Libya did not have clear objectives.

The alliance’s war planes have conducted more than 1,700 sorties over the north African country since taking over from a coalition led by France, the US and Britain to enact a United Nations resolution protecting civilians from Gaddafi’s forces.

Fighter jets and missiles launched from war ships have targeted Gaddafi’s military infrastructure and enforced a no-fly zone and an arms embargo, in an effort to halt Gaddafi’s attacks on regions opposed to his 41 years of oppressive rule.

Mass protests in mid-February wrested much of east Libya from his grip, but fighting between his forces and armed rebels since then has reached a stalemate despite Western intervention.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April545.xml&section=international

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‘NATO must step up bombing’

April 13, 2011

France, Britain urge alliance to do more as freedom fighters repel Misrata offensives

LUXEMBOURG/BENGHAZI: France and Britain, who first launched air attacks on Libya in coalition with the United States, on Tuesday criticized NATO’S bombing campaign, saying it must do more to stop Muammar Qaddafi bombarding civilians.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe shred NATO’s united front Tuesday, saying its actions were “not enough” to ease the pressure on Misrata, which has been subjected to weeks of bombardment by forces loyal to Qaddafi.

Juppe said NATO must do more to take out the heavy weaponry that Qaddafi’s forces are using to target civilians.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article356589.ece

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New battles in Libya, strains in NATO campaign

April 13, 2011

AJDABIYA, Libya: Moammar Gadhafi's forces fired rockets along the eastern front line and shelled the besieged city of Misrata as France and Britain urged their NATO allies, including the United States, to intensify the campaign against the Libyan regime.

But hopes for a rebel military victory have faded and diplomatic efforts to find a solution were picking up momentum. On Wednesday, diplomats will gather in the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar for a meeting of the Libya contact group, which aims to coordinate an international response to the conflict.

On Monday, African leaders tried to broker a cease-fire but were immediately shot down when the opposition insisted that Gadhafi give up power immediately.

For his part, Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim insisted Tuesday that any talk of Gadhafi stepping down, which has also been suggested by some European officials, was "imperialist" thinking and he lamented that the rebels had not followed suit in accepting the African proposal.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/Apr/13/New-battles-in-Libya-strains-in-NATO-campaign.ashx#axzz1JNv96fU2

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Libyan opposition says Kadhafi forces killed 10,000 people

April 13, 2011

LUXEMBOURG: Forces loyal to Moamer Kadhafi have killed 10,000 people during the fighting in Libya, with 20,000 missing and 30,000 wounded, a quarter of them seriously, a rebel official said Tuesday.

"We have now about 10,000 killed by Kadhafi soldiers, we have about 20,000 persons missing and about 30,000 injured -- 7,000 of them seriously injured with life endangered," Ali Al Isawi, a representative of Libya's National Transition Council (NTC), told reporters.

"We want more efforts regarding protection of civilians against this aggression," he added after attending talks with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Full report at:

http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14064

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Libya’s Koussa to meet rebel leaders in Doha

April 13, 2011

TRIPOLI: Moussa Koussa, a former Libyan foreign minister who fled to Britain last month, is on his way to meet Libyan rebels in Doha, the British government said Tuesday while Libyan rebels reported heavy fighting in the besieged city of Misrata.

Meanwhile, France said NATO must step up bombing to stop Moammar Gadhafi’s forces attacking civilians.

An international group is due to hold talks on the future of Libya in the Qatari capital Wednesday after an African Union attempt to broker a peace deal between rebel groups and Gadhafi collapsed.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Apr/13/Libyas-Koussa-to-meet-rebel-leaders-in-Doha.ashx#axzz1JNv96fU2

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Nato must do more on Libya, say France & UK

April 13, 2011

TRIPOLI: France and Britain, who first launched air attacks on Libya in coalition with the United States, on Tuesday criticized Nato's bombing campaign, saying it must do more to stop Muammar Gaddafi bombarding civilians.

But at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Dutch Brig Gen Mark Van Uhm responded that the alliance was successfully enforcing an arms embargo against Libya, patrolling a no-fly zone and protecting civilians in the North African nation.

Nato took over air operations from the three nations on March 31 but heavy government bombardment of the besieged western city of Misrata has continued unabated with hundreds of civilians reported killed.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Nato-must-do-more-on-Libya-say-France-UK/articleshow/7968191.cms

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Young Gaddafi hated 'British, drank water from a finger bowl'

April 13, 2011

Muammar Gaddafi hated the 'ugly British' since his youth and was so 'unworldly' that he drank water from a finger bowl during a state occasion as he did not know what it was for, according to a university dissertation. Former Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, who defected to Britain, wrote the

226-page dissertation -- 'The Political Leader And His Social Background, Muammar Gaddafi, The Libyan Leader' -- 30 years back when he was studying at Michigan State University in the US to earn a master's degree.

The study on Gaddafi, uncovered now, gives a crucial insight into the Libyan leader's mindset and reveals vital clues about the source of his hatred of the West and in particular the British, linking this animosity to a previously unknown visit to London at height of the swinging Sixties.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Young-Gaddafi-hated-British-drank-water-from-a-finger-bowl/H1-Article1-684611.aspx

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Libyan fighting goes on after peace bid fails

April 13, 2011

An African Union plan to halt Libya's civil war collapsed, and rebels said the increasingly bloody siege of the city of Misrata by Muammar Gaddafi's troops made talk of a ceasefire meaningless.

The Red Cross said it was opening a Tripoli office and would send a team to Misrata to help civilians trapped by fighting, but one of Gaddafi's ministers warned any aid operation involving foreign troops would be seen as a declaration of war.

Rebel leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said after talks with the AU delegation in Benghazi in the rebel-held east on Monday:

"The African Union initiative does not include the departure of Gaddafi and his sons from the Libyan political scene, therefore it is outdated." Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif quickly dismissed the idea of his father stepping down.

"We want new blood, that's what we want for Libya's future. But to talk of (Gaddafi) leaving, that's truly ridiculous," he told French news channel BFM TV.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/9830/World/Region/Libyan-fighting-goes-on-after-peace-bid-fails.aspx

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AU plan in tatters ahead of Qatar talks on Libya

April 13, 2011

An African Union peace plan for Libya was in tatters Tuesday after rebels stuck to their demand that Moammar Gadhafi step down, as NATO came under pressure to drop more bombs on the strongman's forces ahead of Libya talks in Qatar.

The British Foreign Office meanwhile said Libyan former Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa was leaving Britain on Tuesday to travel to Qatar for talks ahead of a meeting there of an international contact group on Libya.

Having managed to secure Gadhafi's agreement to a cease-fire, the African Union delegation encountered resistance from the rebel leadership in Benghazi, who argued that the initiative was obsolete and insisted Gadhafi be forced to quit.

"Due to a political demand set as a pre-condition by the Transitional National Council [TNC] to launching urgent talks on the implementation of a truce, it was not possible at this stage to reach an agreement on the key issue of a cessation of hostilities," an AU statement said.

The delegation "makes an urgent call on the TNC to fully cooperate, for the sake of Libya's higher interests, and assist in the quest for and implementation of a fair and lasting political solution," the statement added. In Benghazi, rebel leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil said the African initiative did not go far enough.

Full report at:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=au-plan-in-tatters-ahead-of-qatar-talks-on-libya-2011-04-12

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Kussa not representing us in Qatar: Libya rebels

April 13, 2011

Libya’s former Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa will not be representing rebels in any way at talks in Qatar being held ahead of an international meeting there on Libya, an official for the insurgents said on Tuesday.

“He’s not connected to (the rebel) Transitional National Council in any way or shape,” media liaison official Mustafa Gheriani told AFP.

Gheriani added that he was personally surprised to learn that Kussa was leaving Britain to attend the Qatar talks, and suggested that British officials should explain why he was going and in what capacity.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/331200/Kussa-not-representing-us-in-Qatar-Libya-rebels.html

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Libya rebels seek recognition as powers meet

13 April 2011

DOHA - Libyan rebels seeking international recognition are to tell world powers at a meeting in Doha on Wednesday that Moamer Gaddafi’s departure is the only way out of Libya’s crisis.

On the eve of the first meeting of an international contact group, a spokesman for the rebel Transitional National Council said it will accept nothing short of the removal of Gaddafi and his sons from the country.

Mahmud Shammam, whose group seeks international recognition as the legitimate government of Libya, also stressed: “We want to move from the de facto recognition of the council to an internationally-recognised legitimacy.”

Such recognition would pave the way for the TNC to receive billions of dollars of desperately needed Libyan funds frozen in the United States and Britain, and the right to obtain credit at sovereign rates.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/April/international_April573.xml&section=international

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Britain, France push NATO allies to step up in Libya

April 13, 2011

LUXEMBOURG: Britain and France pressed NATO allies Tuesday to step up air raids in Libya by deploying more combat jets to protect civilians, as rebels claimed Moamer Kadhafi's regime killed 10,000 people.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, complaining that NATO was not doing enough, said it was unacceptable for the rebel-held city of Misrata "to continue to come under fire from bombs" launched by Kadhafi loyalists.

"I hope other countries will come to relieve us," said Juppe, whose country had been reluctant to hand command of the campaign to NATO, after a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

After talks with the EU ministers, Ali Al Isawi, a representative of Libya's rebel National Transition Council, said that Kadhafi forces have killed 10,000 people, while 20,000 were missing and 30,000 wounded.

Full report at:

http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=14068

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Obama to recognise Palestinian state with '67 borders

April 13, 2011

US President Barack Obama announced a decision to recognise the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, adding that the US will vote as such in the United Nations, reported the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot.

One of the newspaper’s head commentators, Nahum Barnea, stated that “senior” US officials attribute the president’s latest stance to “the revolutions storming the Arab world.” This coupled with resentment at Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu for failing to take genuine steps towards a settlement with the Palestinians reportedly inspired the president to adopt his latest position.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/2/8/9879/World/Region/Obama-to-recognise-Palestinian-state-with--borders.aspx

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Istanbul's al-Qaeda chief reportedly detained

April 13, 2011

Al-Qaeda's leader in Istanbul was among a group of around 40 people detained by police Tuesday in a series of raids targeting Islamists in Turkey's largest city, media reports said.

The security forces made the arrests in raids on some 50 locations in Istanbul, private news channel NTV reported, adding that the suspects included the leader of al-Qaeda in the city, although he was not named.

There were raids in other cities as well that saw followers of Turkish Hizbullah detained, according to the Anatolia news agency.

Full report at:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-arrests-istanbuls-al-qaeda-chief-report-2011-04-12

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Yemen opposition rejects Gulf plan, Saleh accepts

April 13, 2011

Yemen's opposition rejected on Monday a Gulf Arab initiative for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, because it appeared to offer him immunity from prosecution, while Saleh himself welcomed the plan.

Gulf Arab foreign ministers meeting in Riyadh late on Sunday said publicly for the first time that the framework of their mediation effort involved Saleh standing down, though it did not say when that would occur.

The ministers called for a meeting of parties to the Yemeni conflict in Saudi Arabia but set no date.

"Who would be a fool to offer guarantees to a regime that kills peaceful protesters? Our principal demand is that Saleh leaves first," opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabry said.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/9840/World/Region/Yemen-opposition-rejects-Gulf-plan,-Saleh-accepts.aspx

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Can Lebanon avoid another Civil War?

April 13, 2011

Hussein Dakroub

Lebanon marks the 36th anniversary of its devastating 1975-90 Civil War Wednesday amid deep divisions in the country’s political leadership, complete Cabinet paralysis and mounting public concern over repercussions of popular uprisings currently sweeping the Arab world on the country’s security and stability.

Unfortunately, this year’s anniversary of a war that killed more than 150,000 people and left the country’s infrastructure in ruins, comes at a time when Lebanon is still under threat with renewed sectarian strife over the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Worse still, another divisive and more explosive issue that threatens to destabilize the country is Hezbollah’s arsenal, currently the target of a fierce verbal campaign by caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his allies in the March 14 coalition.

The STL and Hezbollah’s weapons have sharply divided the Lebanese into two rival camps: The March 8 camp led by Hezbollah and the March 14 camp led by Hariri.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/Apr/13/Can-Lebanon-avoid-another-Civil-War.ashx#axzz1JNv96fU2

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Palestinian Authority ready to govern: UN

April 13, 2011

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is now largely ready to govern a state, the office of the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said in a report yesterday.

"In six areas where the UN is most engaged, governmental functions are now sufficient for a functioning government of a state," said the report, which will be submitted to Palestinian donor nations meeting in Brussels on Wednesday (today).

But the report warned that it would be difficult for the PA to make any additional progress while the Israeli occupation continued and peace talks remained stalled.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=181529

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Legal steps against Mubarak underway: Egyptian PM

April 13, 2011

CAIRO: Declaring that no one is above law, Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Tuesday said that legal steps were underway to probe veracity of charges of corruption and excesses against toppled president Hosni Mubarak.

Responding to the statement by Mubarak that he and his family were not guilty of corruption, Sharaf said, "no one is above law" and anyway the legal steps are "underway".

In his maiden address to the people, live on TV, the new prime minister apologised for a violent military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters on Saturday.

Sharaf's comments came as authorities widened a crackdown on former key officials of the Mubarak regime clamour for which is growing in the country, triggering a re-occupation of the iconic Tahrir Square by pro-democracy protesters demanding that the ousted president be put on trial.

Two people were killed and scores wounded on Saturday when the protesters raising the demands had a showdown with the military for the first time.

Authorities detained Safwat Al-Sherif, the former Secretary General of the country's largest National Democratic Party, in signs that the noose may be tightening against ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Legal-steps-against-Mubarak-underway-Egyptian-PM/articleshow/7963342.cms

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Drone ‘friendly fire’ kills two US troops

April 13, 2011

WASHINGTON: A drone missile strike killed a US marine and a Navy corpsman last week by mistake, in what appeared to be the first instance US troops had been killed in a “friendly fire” incident involving an unmanned aircraft, US defence officials said on Monday. The strike claimed the lives of Navy Seaman Benjamin Rast, 23, of Niles, Michigan, and Staff Sergeant Jeremy Smith, 26, of Arlington, Texas, the officials said. The military has launched a probe into the incident, which appeared to stem from confusion on the battlefield in the southern province of Helmand, US officials said.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\04\13\story_13-4-2011_pg1_6

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Israel to Judaise 6000 Islamic and Christian Arab landmarks in Jerusalem

April 13, 2011

The Islamic-Christian Commission, a Palestinian institution, has exposed an Israeli project to Judaise 6,000 Islamic and Christian-Arab landmarks in Jerusalem’s old city.

Hassan Khater, secretary-general of the institution, said that Israeli authorities have started the implementation of a project which would see Islamic and Christian landmarks refashioned and presented to the world as Jewish ones.

This would be done, states Khater, by creating an image of Jerusalem where traces of Jewish history abound, threatening the city’s historical and cultural identity.

Khater said that the commission gave many Arab leaders copies of the Israel’s plans, among them the head of the Jerusalem Committee, King Mohammad VI of Morocco, and Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/9876/World/Region/Israel-to-Judaise--Islamic-and-Christian-Arab-land.aspx

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European Union hits 32 Iranian officials with sanctions over rights abuses

April 13, 2011

LUXEMBOURG: The European Union imposed assets freezes and travel bans on 32 Iranian officials Tuesday, saying they had been involved in human rights violations.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers that the bloc wanted to hit back at the “appalling human rights record of Iran.”

He denounced the jailing of Iranian opposition leaders, the detention of more journalists “than any other country in the world,” and an “excessive use of the death penalty, often on vague charges.”

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Apr/13/EU-hits-32-Iranian-officials-with-sanctions-over-rights-abuses.ashx#axzz1JNv96fU2

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Mubarak in hospital after heart attack, son Gamal facing prison

April 13, 2011

A source at the office of the minister of health told Ahram Online that ousted president Hosni Mubarak might need about a week in hospital to recover from a minor heart attack during investigations.

The source said that the former president was rushed to hospital, and is in intensive care. He was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak and his daughters in law.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/9894/Egypt/Politics-/Mubarak-in-hospital-after-heart-attack,-son-Gamal-.aspx

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Killer handed over in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp

April 13, 2011

BEIRUT: The Follow-up Committee of Palestinian factions at the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh handed over the killer of a Palestinian man. Ahmad Haniyah, 30, was killed Sunday by a bullet in Ain al-Hilweh during gunfire exchange between members from the Awad and Hussein families.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/Apr/13/Killer-handed-over-in-Ain-al-Hilweh-refugee-camp.ashx#axzz1JNv96fU2

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Belarus police hunt for suspects after Minsk bombing kills 12

April 13, 2011

MINSK: Police in Belarus carried out spot checks on roads and at stations and airports Tuesday after a bomb blast tore through a crowded metro station in the capital Minsk Monday evening, killing at least 12 people.

As police hunted those responsible for what appeared to have been a bomb activated by remote control, a top official from the prosecutor general’s office described the attack as an act of “terrorism,” unprecedented in Belarus.

The ex-Soviet state of 10 million people is heavily policed and, though the bombing resembled similar attacks in Russia, it has no Islamic insurgency problem and no real history of political violence.

President Alexander Lukashenko, the autocratic leader who has led Belarus since 1994, said the blast was an attempt to destabilize the country.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Apr/13/Belarus-police-hunt-for-suspects-after-Minsk-bombing-kills-12.ashx#axzz1JNv96fU2

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Outtara urges peace after Gbagbo arrest

April 13, 2011

Hanan Nasser

ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast’s internationally recognized president, Alassane Ouattara, called for peace after his rival was arrested with the help of French forces, but he faces a huge task reuniting a country shattered by civil war.

Ouattara, who won a November presidential election according to U.N.-certified results, can finally begin asserting his authority over the West African country after his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo was captured Monday, ending more than four months of stand-off that descended into all-out conflict.

Gbagbo, who had refused to step down after 10 years in power, was arrested after French forces in the former colony closed in on the bunker where he had been holed up for the past week, and placed under the control of Ouattara’s forces.

That has left Ouattara as the sole leader in charge of the country, although many analysts say it may not be enough to end the fighting that has bloodied the world’s top cocoa grower.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Apr/13/Outtara-urges-peace-after-Gbagbo-arrest.ashx#axzz1JNv96fU2

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Protesters take down barricades and reopen Tahrir Square

April 13, 2011

The barricades and barbed wire which have cordoned off Tahrir Square for the past few days have finally been taken down against the will of a hard core of protesters who pushed for a continuous sit-in. The wired fences were removed and loaded onto a damaged army vehicle that was later pushed aside to allow for the flow of traffic.

Tens of protesters approached the streets surrounding the square in the early afternoon chanting, "The people demand the evacuation of the square." Clashes between both sides soon followed until military police arrived in the square, arresting tens of people whom they called "thugs." The roundabout of the square was then completely sealed off by soldiers as armoured cars began to station themselves around the central garden.

The Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) released a statement Monday night on Facebook welcoming activists’ efforts to reopen the Tahrir Square and help life get back to normal.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/1/64/9881/Egypt/Politics-/Protesters-take-down-barricades-and-reopen-Tahrir-.aspx

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Israel urges Turkey to avert new aid convoy to Gaza

April 13, 2011

Israel has urged Turkey not to allow a human-rights organization to dispatch a new aid convoy to Gaza, in a move to avert a repetition of last year’s crisis on the Mavi Marmara aid ship.

“We have explained our views [on the new convoy campaign] to the Turkish government,” Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gaby Levy told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday.

Levy gave this message verbally to Halit Çevik, deputy undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry, the Daily News has learned.

The ambassador emphasized that Israel has no problem with transporting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through legal means, praising the work that Türk Kizilay, the Turkish Red Crescent, is doing there.

“The passages to Gaza are open. There is a greater flexibility on the Israeli side. The quota for 220 trucks cannot even be filled as there is no need for more aid. Under these conditions, such an aid campaign could only be seen as provocation,” Levy said.

Activists plan to send a new flotilla to break the blockade on Gaza by mid-June to commemorate the people who died in last year’s mission and to give a sign to the Palestinians that they have not been forgotten.

Full report at:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=israel-urges-turkey-on-new-aid-convoy-to-gaza-2011-04-12

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Fatah rejects Turkish mediation offer

April 13, 2011

RAMALLAH: A senior Fatah official on Tuesday said that his movement rejected a Turkish offer to hold partial elections in a bid to end the internal Palestinian split.

Azzam Al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah Central Committee and the chief of its delegation to the reconciliation talks with Hamas, said in a press statement that Turkey offered to hold a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in Istanbul to discuss a reconciliation agreement between their movements.

Al-Ahmed added that Turkey “proposed holding elections of the Palestine National Council and postponing the parliamentary and presidential elections.”

The Fatah official said his movement rejected the offer “since the elections have to be comprehensive.”

The Fatah official said the meeting with Meshaal will be considered a move which nullifies the Egyptian document of understanding between Hamas and Fatah formed during former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.

Hamas suggested postponing the presidential elections to a later date. Palestinian sources said that Abbas rejected Hamas’ proposal explaining he believes postponing presidential elections will cause those opposing a national reconciliation dialogue to declare him an illegal president, thereby compromising his ability to represent the Palestinian Authority in reconciliation talks.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article356611.ece

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Turkey seeks thaw in Iran-Azeri ties

April 13, 2011

Turkey is bringing together the foreign ministers of Iran and Azerbaijan on Saturday to try and thaw the rivals’ icy relations in a new attempt at regional mediation.

“If this [Saturday] meeting can contribute to bilateral ties and open the way for the two countries to make peace and engage in dialogue, we would be pleased,” one Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran will hold trilateral talks on Saturday in Urmia, a city in northwestern Iran and the capital of the West Azerbaijan Province. Turkish Foreign Ministry diplomats told the Daily News that the developments in the Caucasus region would be discussed at the weekend meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who has so far undertaken a number of peace initiatives, will seek ways to thaw the ice in the Iranian-Azerbaijani relationship, something that was also revealed in the latest WikiLeaks cable, it has been learned.

Full report at:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-seeks-thaw-in-iran-azerbaycan-ties-2011-04-12

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'Heavy fighting' between Sudan army and Darfur rebels

April 13, 2011

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Heavy clashes between the Sudanese army and a coalition of armed groups in north Darfur caused a number of casualties on both sides, the army and rebels said on Tuesday.

"An SAF (northern army) patrol was attacked on Sunday by joint forces of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and (Minni) Minnawi's branch of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) in north Darfur," army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad told AFP.

"The fighting resulted in a number of casualties and people injured from both sides, but we don't have the details yet. SAF destroyed 10 of their vehicles." JEM, the most heavily-armed of the Darfur rebel groups, said in a statement late Monday that the army had attacked the Sagor area, northwest of El-Fasher, with Antonov aircraft, MiG fighter planes and around 180 land vehicles.

Full report at:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=heavy-fighting-between-sudan-army-and-darfur-rebels-2011-04-12

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Clashes in pro-Gbagbo parts of Abidjan: Witnesses

April 13, 2011

Clashes involving heavy weapons erupted in two districts of Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan loyal to former President Laurent Gbagbo one day after he was captured, witnesses told AFP. The weapons were heard in the central Plateau district and in the northern Cocody area as forces loyal to Gbabo’s rival, President Alassane Ouattara, struggled to return security to the city after 10 days of fighting. “There were clashes using heavy weapons,” around midday, said a resident of Plateau, largely deserted since fighting erupted and home to the presidential palace.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/331202/Clashes-in-pro-Gbagbo-parts-of-Abidjan-Witnesses.html

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