UPI International Intelligence articles from July 2009

UPI International Intelligence archives from July 2009

Atlantic Eye: Leadership springs from evil.
July 1, 2009... Byline: MARC S. ELLENBOGEN TEREZIN, Czech Republic, June 30 (UPI) -- Leadership comes in many forms. Often it springs from a crisis -- often from evil. Normal people become heroes. The collapse of communism and Nazism was an end. It was...

Israel takes flak over killer drones.
July 1, 2009... TEL AVIV, Israel, July 1 (UPI) -- In a scathing report that could affect the United States' highly controversial use of armed drone aircraft in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of indiscriminate use of these craft...

Fiji military confirms elections for 2014.
July 1, 2009... WELLINGTON, New Zealand, July 1 (UPI) -- Military leaders in Fiji said Monday that elections will be held in five years after a new constitution is laid out in 2012. "A new legal order exists, a new government exists and September 2014 has...

Political crisis continues in Honduras.
July 1, 2009... TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 1 (UPI) -- Elected President Manuel Zelaya said he will return to Honduras, despite having been removed from the country in a coup and threats that he will be arrested should he return. Zelaya has the support of...

Sadr reacts to U.S. troop deadline.
July 1, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 1 (UPI) -- Sadrist lawmakers called on Iraqi authorities to extend the U.S. withdrawal to all military units, including intelligence agencies and other security forces. U.S. combat forces left Iraqi cities and villages Tuesday...

Yemen, Morocco make security pledges.
July 1, 2009... SANAA, Yemen, July 1 (UPI) -- Yemeni and Moroccan officials met Wednesday in the capital Sanaa to discuss enhancing bilateral security cooperation, the government said. Yemeni Interior Minister Mutahar al-Masri met with the Moroccan envoy...

Outside View: Rule Britannia.
July 1, 2009... Byline: HARLAN ULLMAN LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- Late last month Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pointedly restated Great Britain's longstanding designation as Tehran's public enemy No. 1, surpassing the Great Satan America and...

Hariri confident on forming new government.
July 1, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 1 (UPI) -- Talks between lawmakers and parliamentary coalitions aimed at forming a national unity government in Lebanon are advancing, the prime minister designate said. Saad Hariri spoke with opposition lawmakers,...

U.S. questions Tehran's credibility.
July 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The credibility of the Iranian government is a concern in the wake of the disputed elections, but the issue is largely an internal one, U.S. officials say. Iran's Guardian Council, the 12-member clerical body...

Afghan surge focus misplaced, scholar says.
July 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. and international forces should concentrate their strength on areas in Afghanistan where the Taliban are weak or risk getting bogged down, analysts warn. Taliban militants operating in the southern and...

Iraqi peace in the hands of the people.
July 1, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 1 (UPI) -- The path toward peace in Iraq lies now with its people and its elected officials, said the departing U.N. envoy to Iraq, Staffan de Mistura. Iraq celebrated National Sovereignty Day on Tuesday, marking the day in...

Iran eyes increased trade with Afghanistan.
July 1, 2009... TEHRAN, July 1 (UPI) -- Iran plans to nearly double the amount of trade with its neighbors in Afghanistan, the Iranian minister of commerce said. Sayyed Masoud Mir Kazemi said during a meeting with his Afghan counterpart that trade between...

Iran lifts text message restrictions.
July 1, 2009... TEHRAN, July 1 (UPI) -- Restrictions on cellular services in Iran, including text messaging, should be lifted and communications should return to normal, officials say. Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, an Iranian interior minister, said the...

London praises Afghan achievements.
July 1, 2009... UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (UPI) -- The Afghan government deserves praise for its improvements in police reform, agriculture and its conduct in preparation for national elections, London said. John Sawers, the British envoy to the United...

Politics threaten Iraq, lawmaker says.
July 1, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 1 (UPI) -- Political confrontations trump concerns over an increase in terrorist activity in the wake of a U.S. military drawdown from Iraq, lawmakers say. U.S. combat forces withdrew from Iraqi cities Tuesday under the terms...

Commentary: Waiting for al-Qaida's Godot.
July 2, 2009... Byline: ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- It's no longer a war on transnational terrorism? Before Dr. Emile Coue's method of psychotherapy, self-improvement based on the healing power of optimistic autosuggestion, becomes...

Berlusconi hosts G8 amid sex scandal.
July 2, 2009... ROME, July 2 (UPI) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, troubled by a sex scandal at home, is trying to boost his international profile with busy diplomacy ahead of next week's Group of Eight summit. Iran, climate change, the...

CIA 'dealing with Saddam's cronies'.
July 2, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 2 (UPI) -- As U.S. leaders worry whether Iraq's military forces can hold the line once the Americans pull out, U.S. agents are reported to be clandestinely seeking a truce with Saddam Hussein's old cronies in the once-mighty Baath...

India issues demands on Pakistani security.
July 2, 2009... NEW DELHI, July 2 (UPI) -- New Delhi demands concrete accounts of action taken by Islamabad to prosecute terrorists and control cross-border activity in time for a July summit. India has said it would like detailed records of steps taken by...

U.S. ambassador back in Venezuela.
July 2, 2009... CARACAS, Venezuela, July 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela has resumed his post in Caracas nine months after he was expelled. Ambassador Patrick Duddy flew to Venezuela Wednesday and was expected to be on hand for an...

OIC angered over new Israeli settlements.
July 2, 2009... JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, July 2 (UPI) -- A decision by Israel to extend its settlement activity into the West Bank raises new and serious concerns, the Organization of the Islamic Conference says. The Israeli government announced plans earlier...

Reforms for Lebanese drug culture?
July 2, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 2 (UPI) -- The hashish trade in southern Lebanon has been largely tolerated by authorities, but traffickers and growers alike say they are embracing reform. The Beqaa Valley in southern Lebanon has been home to hashish...

FBI releases transcripts of Saddam talks.
July 2, 2009... WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- Iraq had no ties to Osama bin Laden and shared a common enemy in the clerical regime in Iran, Saddam Hussein told FBI interrogators in newly released archives. The FBI released transcripts of interrogations and...

Iran, Syria push economic ties.
July 2, 2009... DAMASCUS, Syria, July 2 (UPI) -- Syria and Iran wrapped up meetings in Damascus to move forward with plans to develop bilateral economic ties further, officials say. Engineering companies active in Syria have set up 11 different economic...

Training, terror, focus of Afghan effort.
July 2, 2009... KABUL, Afghanistan, July 2 (UPI) -- The bulk of American forces operating in Afghanistan work toward training Afghan security forces and conducting counter-terrorism operations, the Pentagon said. "The focus of the International Security...

Illegal groups disarm in Afghanistan.
July 2, 2009... CHARIKAR, Afghanistan, July 2 (UPI) -- Six illegal armed groups surrendered their weapons to U.N.-supported authorities as part of a weapons-for-development program in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan New Beginnings Program gives disarmed...

U.N. concerned over Iraqi minefields.
July 2, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 2 (UPI) -- It is unlikely Iraq will meet its obligations under the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Treaty in part due to the sheer volume of the contamination, a U.N. report says. A report by UNICEF and the U.N. Development Program...

KRG trumpets safety for religious groups.
July 2, 2009... ERBIL, Iraq, July 2 (UPI) -- New provisions in the constitution for the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq that outline religious freedoms are a national benchmark, lawmakers say. Nimrud Baito Youkhana, the tourism minister in the KRG...

Iraqi lawmakers mixed on future.
July 2, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 2 (UPI) -- Iraqi lawmakers have mixed opinions on the U.S. troop withdrawal, with some hailing the end to foreign occupation and others worried about renewed violence. U.S. combat forces withdrew from Iraqi cities to their...

Walker's World: The G8 vs. the G20.
July 6, 2009... Byline: MARTIN WALKER PARIS, July 6 (UPI) -- This week's G8 summit looks like the last of its kind, as its role as a forum for world governance is overtaken by the newer G20 grouping, which claims greater legitimacy by including the main...

Ban leaves Myanmar 'disappointed'.
July 6, 2009... YANGON, Myanmar, July 6 (UPI) -- A "deeply disappointed" U.N. secretary-general left Myanmar saying the military rulers had "lost a unique opportunity" to show they were serious about democracy and elections in 2010. Before departing the...

Israel: Iran speeds up missile production.
July 6, 2009... TEL AVIV, Israel, July 6 (UPI) -- Iran is driving to produce up to 1,000 long-range ballistic missiles with a range of 1,550 miles, as well as 500 mobile launchers, over the next six years, according to Israeli military experts. "The...

Khamenei blasts British 'meddling'.
July 6, 2009... TEHRAN, July 6 (UPI) -- Western countries, Britain in particular, should be ready for an Iranian reaction to the meddling in post-election internal affairs, the supreme leader said. Relations between London and Tehran soured notably in the...

Hizb ut-Tahrir set for coup in Pakistan.
July 6, 2009... LAHORE, Pakistan, July 6 (UPI) -- Loyalists of the Hizb ut-Tahrir political movement are calling for a coup in Islamabad to establish an Islamic caliphate, by force if necessary. Imran Yousafzai, a spokesman for the group, claims to have...

Al-Qaida 'has nothing to do' with Algeria.
July 6, 2009... ALGIERS, Algeria, July 6 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida is no longer directing the movements of its former affiliates in Algeria, who are moving to reconcile with the national government, leaders say. Hassan Hattab, the former leader of the Salafist...

EU condemns executions in Iran.
July 6, 2009... BRUSSELS, July 6 (UPI) -- Iranian authorities should put an end to capital punishment according to U.N. provisions following weekend executions, the EU presidency said. The government of Sweden on Wednesday took its position as the...

Allegations mount against Mousavi.
July 6, 2009... TEHRAN, July 6 (UPI) -- Conservative criticism is mounting in Iran, with opponents accusing former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi of crimes against the Iranian people. Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the conservative Kayhan newspaper...

JI blasts Western tilt in Islamabad.
July 6, 2009... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 6 (UPI) -- The current leadership in Pakistan has rivaled the former government in its acceptance of foreign meddling in internal affairs, Islamic leaders said. Liaqat Baloch, the secretary-general of the Islamic...

Kirkuk provincial elections set for 2010?
July 6, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 6 (UPI) -- Kirkuk should hold parliamentary elections at some point before greater Iraq holds national elections in January, said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Iraq held provincial elections in January in 14 of its 18...

Government Beirut's business, Hariri says.
July 6, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 6 (UPI) -- Forming the next government in Lebanon is strictly an internal affair to be held outside the din of the news media, said Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. "The Lebanese Cabinet is being formed in...

Troops needed to support Afghan doctrine.
July 6, 2009... LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, July 6 (UPI) -- The influx of U.S. troops into southern Afghanistan makes the new doctrines envisioned by the Pentagon possible, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Around 4,000 Marines and 650 Afghan...

Iraqi NGO measure faces opposition.
July 6, 2009... BAGHDAD, July 6 (UPI) -- Iraqi lawmakers are expected to vet a contested law later in July that governs the work of non-governmental organizations in the country, officials say. The draft version is facing stiff opposition from several...

Obama, Medvedev renew U.S.-Russian ties.
July 6, 2009... MOSCOW, July 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed Monday to reduce their countries' nuclear missile arsenals in a major step forward for U.S.-Russian relations. Both leaders signed an...

Missile launches show N. Korea's defiance.
July 7, 2009... PYONGYANG, North Korea, July 7 (UPI) -- North Korea demonstrated its utter disregard of the U.N. Security Council's strong resolution against its May 25 nuclear test by launching seven ballistic missiles during the weekend. As if to prove...

Commentary: Israeli know-how.
July 7, 2009... Byline: ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- He speaks like an American, looks like an American, and acts like an American -- because he is an American. He is Israel's new ambassador to the United States, a citizen of both...

Outside View: Obama's bold game.
July 7, 2009... Byline: M.D. NALAPAT MANIPAL, India, July 7 (UPI) -- With the same confidence that allowed the junior senator from Illinois to launch a campaign for the presidency of the United States, Barack Obama has decided to "reset" U.S.-Russian...

Pakistan seeks re-arrest for LeT's Saeed.
July 7, 2009... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 7 (UPI) -- Islamabad lawyers plan to challenge a decision by the Supreme Court to free Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who is suspected of ties to the November attacks in Mumbai. The Supreme Court in Pakistan rejected calls...

Intelligence failures in India's LeT cell.
July 7, 2009... PATNA, India, July 7 (UPI) -- The state government of Bihar in India complained local officials ignored warnings from the intelligence community of Lashkar-e-Toiba activity. Chandra Mohan Rai of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the major...

Mossad chief Dagan stirs the pot.
July 7, 2009... TEL AVIV, Israel, July 7 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's decision to extend the tenure of former army Gen. Meir Dagan as head of the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, by a year has got the nation wondering what...

Afghan directive civilian sensitive.
July 7, 2009... KABUL, Afghanistan, July 7 (UPI) -- Directives from top military leaders in Afghanistan may give rise to prolonged battles but will ultimately win over the civilian minds, officials say. U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of...

Mousavi vows to wage legal opposition.
July 7, 2009... TEHRAN, July 7 (UPI) -- Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi pledged to continue his government protests through legal channels as his dissent wages onward. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed a disputed victory in the...

Israeli warnings troublesome, Beirut says.
July 7, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 7 (UPI) -- Israel is sending a dangerous message in its continuous belligerence toward Lebanon as the country moves to form a new government, Beirut said. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Beirut that...

Northern routes open for Afghan surge.
July 7, 2009... MOSCOW, July 7 (UPI) -- American forces secured key military transit routes into Afghanistan as U.S. President Barack Obama pushes for detente with Russia. Obama arrived in Moscow on Monday to meet with his Russian counterpart Dmitry...

Report: Europe misplaces Afghan concerns.
July 7, 2009... WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- German officials raise key insights into the challenges posed by the Afghan insurgent, though sound inquiry -- not criticism -- is what is needed, analysts say. German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to raise the...

Cairo's women's rights issues miss mark.
July 7, 2009... CAIRO, July 7 (UPI) -- Cairo has moved to counter rising incidents of sexual harassment, but critics worry the blame-the-victim approach may only exacerbate the problem. Salem Abdel Galil, deputy minister of religious affairs, in a 36-page...

GSPC facing financial collapse.
July 7, 2009... ALGIERS, Algeria, July 7 (UPI) -- The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat is in the midst of a financial collapse due to pressure from Algerian security forces, sources say. The Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, GSPC,...

Low expectations for Italy's G8 summit.
July 7, 2009... ROME, July 7 (UPI) -- Marred by chaotic preparations, this week's Group of Eight summit in the Italian town of L'Aquila is not expected to produce any diplomacy breakthroughs. In fact, some diplomats have been so frustrated by the Italian...

'Biden Plan' for Iraq out of touch.
July 7, 2009... OSLO, Norway, July 7 (UPI) -- The notion that Iraqi problems lie simply in the divisions between the three dominant ethnic communities shows U.S. perceptions remain stagnant, analysts say. U.S. President Barack Obama has appointed his vice...

Japanese diplomat set to run IAEA.
July 7, 2009... TOKYO, July 7 (UPI) -- A general meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency is set for Sept. 14 to confirm the recently elected veteran Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano as director general. Amano, 62, was elected by a two-thirds...

Outside View: NATO -- relevant or relic?
July 8, 2009... Byline: HARLAN ULLMAN BRUSSELS, July 8 (UPI) -- Yesterday in Brussels, NATO kicked off a yearlong process to draft a new strategic concept. The last strategic concept was adopted a decade ago at the Washington Summit marking the alliance's...