UPI International Intelligence articles from June 2009

UPI International Intelligence archives from June 2009

Germany won't take in Gitmo inmates yet.
June 5, 2009... DRESDEN, Germany, June 5 (UPI) -- Germany will not accept prisoners from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, anytime soon, according to leaders from both nations. "We have not asked (German Chancellor Angela Merkel) for hard...

Obama, Merkel call for Mideast peace.
June 5, 2009... DRESDEN, Germany, June 5 (UPI) -- A day after he tried to reset ties with the Arab world, U.S. President Barack Obama Friday called for greater efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. Speaking in a joint news conference with German...

Analysis: Baathists beat nationalist drum.
June 5, 2009... Byline: RICHARD TOMKINS BAQUBA, Iraq, June 5 (UPI) -- Disparate insurgency groups and cells in Iraq's restive Diyala province are being courted, coaxed or lured into a loose coalition to cooperate in attacks on withdrawing U.S. troops and...

Pillay calls for human rights protections.
June 5, 2009... GENEVA, Switzerland, June 5 (UPI) -- The top U.N. human rights official said in Switzerland Thursday more needs to be done to help protect civilians caught in armed conflicts around the world. Navi Pillay, U.N. high commissioner for human...

24th Air Force commander named.
June 5, 2009... PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., June 5 (UPI) -- U.S. Air Force officials announced the appointment of a commander for the department's new cyber operations. The 24th Air Force will be headed by the current assistant deputy chief for air,...

Transfer of mustard blister agent begins.
June 5, 2009... HERMISTON, Ore., June 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency announced it has begun the transfer of mustard blister agent to the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. The CMA says the delivery of blister agent HD...

FBI: gangs moving into suburbs.
June 5, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- Criminal gang activity, once primarily an urban issue, is increasingly spreading to suburban regions of the United States, according to the FBI. Crime data gathered by the FBI suggests a shift is taking place in...

Nuke incident training held in Singapore.
June 5, 2009... SINGAPORE, June 5 (UPI) -- Security authorities from the United States and Singapore recently conducted training designed to strengthen emergency response to a nuclear incident. The exercise, conducted by the U.S. National Nuclear Security...

Obama tours former Nazi concentration camp.
June 5, 2009... BUCHENWALD, Germany, June 5 (UPI) -- Buchenwald, the former Nazi concentration camp, "is the ultimate rebuke" to those who deny the Holocaust, U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday. "These sites have not lost their horror," Obama said...

Iraq/Afghan War News: Sadr reacts to Obama.
June 5, 2009... Byline: DANIEL GRAEBER Sadr reacts to Obama Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr spoke out against the calls for a new beginning with the Muslim world by U.S. President Barack Obama in a Cairo speech. Obama spoke Thursday at Cairo...

Standoff at Camp Ashraf.
June 5, 2009... CAMP ASHRAF, Iraq, June 5 (UPI) -- Iranian dissidents living in Iraq were involved in a dangerous standoff with Iraqi police Friday, according to representatives of the opposition group. Some 3,400 members of the opposition People's...

Syrian rail shipments head to Iraq.
June 5, 2009... LATTAKIA, Syria, June 5 (UPI) -- Syria shipped its first cargo of goods via a rail system from the port city of Lattakia to Iraq under the terms of a bilateral agreement. Damascus has moved to increase its regional trade presence recently...

Resolution on Kurdish issues slow.
June 5, 2009... ANKARA, Turkey, June 5 (UPI) -- Officials say resolving the so-called Kurdish question is closer than ever in Turkey, though some worry separatist efforts could undermine progress. Turkish President Abdullah Gul prioritized issues...

Lebanon needs respect regardless of victor.
June 5, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 5 (UPI) -- Whatever the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Lebanon, the international community should respect Beirut and push for a unity government, analysts say. The Lebanese head to the polls Sunday....

Analysis: Obama at Buchenwald.
June 5, 2009... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, June 5 (UPI) -- On April 11, 1945, at 3:15 p.m., the eldest inmate of the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald stepped in front of a loudspeaker, an instrument that until then had only broadcast orders of the...

Rafsanjani to sue Ahmadinejad for slander.
June 5, 2009... TEHRAN, June 5 (UPI) -- The family of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani announced Friday it will sue President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for slander. In a highly spirited debate on national television Wednesday between...

ICG calls for reform in Lebanon.
June 5, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 5 (UPI) -- Government and electoral reforms are needed in the Lebanese political system regardless of which camp emerges victorious in the Sunday elections, analysts say. Some analysts expect the March 8 coalition,...

Walker's World: Brazil revives.
June 8, 2009... Byline: MARTIN WALKER SAO PAULO, June 8 (UPI) -- Brazil has been hit hard by the global recession, with one in five of the workers at the emblematic Embraer aircraft manufacturing company laid off and gross domestic product shrinking by...

Analysis: Pro-West victory in Lebanon.
June 8, 2009... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- Lebanon's March 14 coalition, which enjoys the support and backing of the United States and Saudi Arabia, defeated its rival March 8 pro-Syrian, pro-Iranian political grouping in Sunday's...

Iraq/Afghan War News: Iraq is ready.
June 8, 2009... Byline: DANIEL GRAEBER Iraq ready for transition, Mullen says Insurgent activity in Iraq linked to al-Qaida has declined, paving the way for the withdrawal of American forces by the end of June, Adm. Mike Mullen said. U.S. combat...

Iran reacts to IAEA reports.
June 8, 2009... TEHRAN, June 8 (UPI) -- The latest report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog shows the Iranian nuclear program is intended only for civilian energy production, Iranian officials maintain. A report from the International Atomic Energy Agency...

Mousavi questions economic policies.
June 8, 2009... TEHRAN, June 8 (UPI) -- Iranian presidential contender Mir-Hossein Mousavi took a swipe at the economic policies of the current administration, pointing to double-digit inflation. Iranians head to the polls June 12 for presidential...

Analysis: Europe's elections.
June 8, 2009... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, June 8 (UPI) -- The European Parliament is becoming more conservative after the biggest elections in European history. Voters across 27 EU countries handed center-right parties 263 seats, the most in the...

What's at stake in Iran.
June 8, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 8 (UPI) -- The outcome of the Iranian elections is a chance to restart foreign relations as much as it is a referendum on the current administration, analysts say. Iranians head to the voting booth June 12 in a hotly...

Kurdish leaders doubt Ankara's will.
June 8, 2009... ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 8 (UPI) -- Finding a solution to the so-called Kurdish question in Turkey requires more than just political rhetoric, the leader of a pro-Kurdish party said in Istanbul. Ankara is dealing with growing pressure to find...

Hezbollah accepts election results.
June 8, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 8 (UPI) -- The opposition movement and Hezbollah accept the outcome of the Lebanese parliamentary elections, the secretary-general of Hezbollah said in a speech Monday. Lebanese voted in parliamentary elections during...

Iraq/Afghan War News: Airstrike 'problems'.
June 9, 2009... Byline: DANIEL GRAEBER 'Problems' in U.S. strike on Farah province A U.S. military investigation into a May 4 airstrike in the Afghan province of Farah found violations of the rules of engagement, officials say. U.S. military...

Mousavi defends 'dictator' comments.
June 9, 2009... TEHRAN, June 9 (UPI) -- Iranian presidential contender and former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi defended his comments that incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a dictator. Iranians head to the polls Friday in what is shaping up...

EU Parliament obstacle to Turkey?
June 9, 2009... ANKARA, Turkey, June 9 (UPI) -- A victory for conservative lawmakers in the European Parliament could create moderate obstacles to Turkish accession efforts, analysts say. Conservatives in the center-right People's Party took 267 of the...

NDI praises Lebanese voting process.
June 9, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- The U.S.-based National Democratic Institute praised the Lebanese people for successful elections, reminding the global community of Beirut's sovereignty. Lebanese took to the polls in a weekend parliamentary...

Post-election disarray haunts Beirut.
June 9, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- With the pro-Western slate securing the majority in the Lebanese government, observers are concerned political stalemates could push the country to civil war. The pro-Western March 14 slate beat the rival March 8...

Secular Turks face discrimination.
June 9, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Despite embracing Western reforms, conservative social ideals imposed by the Turkish government are creating a discriminatory social climate, analysts say. Turkey embraced secular ideals when it formed the...

Montenegro officials to sign memorandum.
June 9, 2009... PODGORICA, Montenegro, June 9 (UPI) -- Justice and law enforcement authorities from Montenegro are expected to sign a memorandum Wednesday establishing greater cooperation. The Organization for Security and Cooperation's mission in...

Chatham House to host new defense forum.
June 9, 2009... LONDON, June 9 (UPI) -- The London-based Chatham House has launched a new forum designed to address issues concerning the policies and strategies of European security and defense. Chatham House, a non-governmental current-affairs analysis...

Indonesia to ratify CTBT if U.S. does.
June 9, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Indonesia's foreign minister Monday said that if the United States ratifies the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Indonesia would follow suit. Hassan Wirajuda, Indonesia foreign minister, addressed the Carnegie...

U.N. official praises Sierra Leone.
June 9, 2009... FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, June 9 (UPI) -- A recent move by political leaders in Sierra Leone to avert an escalation in violence is drawing praise from a top U.N. official. Michael von der Schulenburg, the executive representative for the...

U.N., Congo army to strengthen cooperation.
June 9, 2009... KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 9 (UPI) -- In a move to stem the ongoing violence in the eastern regions of the Congo, the country's armed forces and the United Nations will strengthen cooperation. Alan Doss, the U.N....

German defense minister tours Baltics.
June 9, 2009... TALLINN, Estonia, June 9 (UPI) -- German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung is touring the Baltics this week to boost security cooperation with the region. The four-day trip is aimed at "discussing pressing issues within NATO and the...

Berlin's far-left groups stage chaos days.
June 9, 2009... BERLIN, June 9 (UPI) -- Berlin's far-left groups have vowed to stage numerous potentially violent protest events during the month of June. Over the weekend, the groups announced the "autonomous action weeks," vowing to stage a series of...

Al-Qaida targets Germans ahead of election.
June 9, 2009... BERLIN, June 9 (UPI) -- German security experts believe al-Qaida is planning to attack Germans ahead of the country's national elections on Sept. 27. An attack would be aimed at protesting and ending Berlin's military contribution to the...

Outside View: Wars of necessity and choice.
June 10, 2009... Byline: HARLAN ULLMAN WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) -- During the Cold War, the phrase "war-winning strategy" was promoted at one time by Americans who asserted that a thermonuclear conflict with the Soviet Union was winnable. A Russian...

Iraq/Afghan War News: Afghan elections.
June 10, 2009... Byline: DANIEL GRAEBER Candidates disqualified from Afghan elections Afghan elections officials disqualified three presidential candidates and 54 provincial council candidates from running in the August contest. The Afghan...

Hezbollah claims it won popular vote.
June 10, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 10 (UPI) -- Hezbollah said it won the majority of the popular vote in the weekend parliamentary election that secured a ruling majority for a pro-Western coalition. Lebanese held parliamentary elections Sunday, pitting...

Rafsanjani appeals to supreme leader.
June 10, 2009... TEHRAN, June 10 (UPI) -- Cleric and former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed his concerns over the presidential campaign in an open letter to Iran's supreme leader. In what is turning out to be one of the most hotly...

Iran regional superpower, Mottaki says.
June 10, 2009... TEHRAN, June 10 (UPI) -- Iran is emerging as a regional superpower given the increased role Tehran plays in international affairs, notably in Afghanistan, the foreign minister said. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki highlighted an...

Kurdish groups hope for Ankara talks.
June 10, 2009... ANKARA, Turkey, June 10 (UPI) -- Pro-Kurdish leaders in Turkey said they hope to reschedule government negotiations after initial meetings were canceled because of separatist activity. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused a...

Analysis: U.S. pulls back troops in Iraq.
June 11, 2009... Byline: RICHARD TOMKINS BAGHDAD, June 11 (UPI) -- U.S. forces are steadily closing or transitioning bases around the country and repositioning manpower to meet a pullback deadline set by the new Strategic Framework Agreement governing...

Iraq/Afghan War News: Iraqi tensions mount.
June 11, 2009... Byline: DANIEL GRAEBER Kurdish, Arab tensions high in Mosul Tensions between Kurdish and Iraqi forces are mounting in Mosul ahead of a June 30 deadline for U.S. combat troops to pull out of Iraqi cities. U.S. combat forces are...

Analysis: Steinmeier in Russia.
June 11, 2009... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, June 11 (UPI) -- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on a visit to Moscow urged the Kremlin to accept a U.S. offer to cooperate on nuclear disarmament. "With the entry into office of President...

Fraud concerns ahead of Iranian vote.
June 11, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 11 (UPI) -- Though Iranian elections are relatively democratic, the process of tallying the official vote count opens the system to manipulation, analysts say. Iranians head to the polls Friday in a heated contest between...

U.N. urges support for Somali government.
June 11, 2009... ROME, June 11 (UPI) -- A U.N.-backed group working with the transitional government in Somalia called for international support to help prop up the new regime. Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed enjoys only fragile control over the...

Ban sees will for nuclear disarmament.
June 11, 2009... VIENNA, June 11 (UPI) -- There are signs the international community may embrace nuclear disarmament despite the recent activity by North Korea, the U.N. secretary-general said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there was a noted...

Violence threatens lives, harvest in Congo.
June 12, 2009... KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, June 12 (UPI) -- A surge in violence in eastern Congo is preventing civilians from tending their crop fields, elevating concerns about the fragility of the situation. The Switzerland-based...

San Francisco gets funding for screening.
June 12, 2009... SAN FRANCISCO, June 12 (UPI) -- The Homeland Security Department announced the San Francisco International Airport will receive new funding to increase explosives detection capabilities. Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of...

HMS Gloucester deploys to South Atlantic.
June 12, 2009... PORTSMOUTH, England, June 12 (UPI) -- The British Royal Navy announced the deployment of the HMS Gloucester to the South Atlantic Ocean region to support counter-narcotic operations. The Royal Navy's HMS Gloucester, a Type 42 destroyer,...

U.N.-AU: military option not the answer.
June 12, 2009... KHARTOUM, Sudan, June 12 (UPI) -- The lead representative of the U.N.-African Union mission in Darfur has called on Sudanese government and rebel leaders to end the ongoing violence. Rodolphe Adada, joint special representative of the...

Cutter Bertholf conducts decoy test.
June 12, 2009... KAUAI, Hawaii, June 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard announced the successful launch of a missile decoy technology during a recent test at the Pacific Missile Range operational area. The Coast Guard, along with the Naval Surface Warfare...

Iraq/Afghan War News: Taliban threats.
June 12, 2009... Byline: DANIEL GRAEBER Taliban threatening Afghan vote The growing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan may endanger the prospects of holding transparent and effective elections in many provinces, officials say. As the Iraq war...

Damascus postures ahead of Mitchell visit.
June 12, 2009... DAMASCUS, Syria, June 12 (UPI) -- Damascus remains tied to a land-for-peace initiative on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the Syrian president said ahead of meetings with a top U.S. envoy. Washington hopes to secure commitments from Damascus...

Student militia eyed on Iranian vote.
June 12, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 12 (UPI) -- With unprecedented numbers of Iranians voting in the Friday presidential contest, the role of the military establishment may corrupt the tally, a study shows. Iranians lined up hours before official voting began...

Post-election challenges in Lebanon.
June 12, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 12 (UPI) -- The victory for the Western-backed March 14 slate in the Lebanese parliamentary election brings much needed stability and legitimacy to Beirut, an analyst says. The March 14 slate of Saad Hariri, son of...

Rule of law key to Damascus talks.
June 12, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 12 (UPI) -- Linking the rule of law to general reforms in Damascus could go a long way to bring Syria in step with more moderate trends in the region, analysts say. Washington dispatched former Sen. George Mitchell to...

Iran plans air force maneuvers.
June 12, 2009... TEHRAN, June 12 (UPI) -- The Iranian air force plans to hold a weeklong test on interceptor and bombing runs in the Persian Gulf within the next few weeks, military officials say. Iranian commanders said the mission will involve interceptor...

Walker's World: Where Iran goes now.
June 15, 2009... Byline: MARTIN WALKER PARIS, June 15 (UPI) -- The re-election of Iran's firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is grim news for U.S. President Barack Obama. Little now remains of his hopes that diplomacy, respect and the offer of a new...

N. Korea threatens nuclear escalation.
June 15, 2009... PYONGYANG, North Korea, June 15 (UPI) -- North Korea has vowed to develop its nuclear program and build more nuclear bombs in response to a U.N. vote for tough new sanctions against it. The announcement, which was carried in the official...

Swine flu virus spreads, kills in Europe.
June 15, 2009... BERLIN, June 15 (UPI) -- Scotland became the first country in Europe to report a swine flu death, as the H1N1 virus is spreading quickly across the continent. "With regret, we can confirm that one of the patients who had been in hospital,...

Iranian media shut down.
June 15, 2009... TEHRAN, June 15 (UPI) -- Iranian authorities Monday blocked reports from international correspondents as demonstrations continue following a contested presidential election. Iranians voted in record numbers Friday for their next president....

EU deplores Iraqi capital punishment.
June 15, 2009... BRUSSELS, June 15 (UPI) -- The European Union expressed concerns over the number of reports of capital punishment coming from Iraq, saying it undermined national reconciliation efforts. The EU said it was "deeply disturbed" over reports...

Yemeni reform tactics questioned.
June 15, 2009... SANAA, Yemen, June 15 (UPI) -- The government of Yemen claims modest success in terrorist reform initiatives, but human-rights groups question their tactics. With Yemen struggling to overcome its radical image, government officials are...

Eye of the storm? Red Sea on the boil.
June 15, 2009... SANAA, Yemen, June 15 (UPI) -- The strategically important Red Sea region, a key route for global oil supplies, is showing signs of becoming a new front in the U.S.-led war against terrorism and the smoldering conflict between Iran and Israel....

Israel fears Ahmadinejad, officials say.
June 15, 2009... TEHRAN, June 15 (UPI) -- The successful re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a blow to Israeli, which fears Iranian military power, Iran's defense minister said. Iranians voted in a hotly contested presidential election...

Karzai greets new commander, McChrystal.
June 15, 2009... KABUL, Afghanistan, June 15 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to Kabul during a ceremony for the new American operations commander. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in a hasty news conference in...

SOFA rejection difficult for Iraq.
June 15, 2009... BAGHDAD, June 15 (UPI) -- Voter rejection of the referendum for the bilateral Iraq-U.S. security pact could create major problems for American forces, scholars say. Iraqi voters are tentatively set for a July 30 vote on a Status of Forces...

Kurdish parliamentary slate takes shape.
June 15, 2009... ERBIL, Iraq, June 15 (UPI) -- Registration forms in Iraqi Kurdistan were finalized by the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq for the July 25 vote in the Kurdish Parliament. Iraq voted in January for councils for 14 of the 18...

Dhi Qar suspects face trial in Iraq.
June 15, 2009... NASIRIYAH, Iraq, June 15 (UPI) -- Iraqi police in the Shiite province of Dhi Qar uncovered a weapons cache near the provincial capital as a trial for last week's bombing suspects gets under way. A suicide operation hit the al-Bathaa...

Iraq braced for sectarian conflict.
June 15, 2009... BAGHAD, Iraq, June 15 (UPI) -- Iraqi government officials worry the assassination of an influential Sunni leader may stoke sectarian violence as U.S. combat forces diminish their presence. A gunman hid himself inside al-Shawaf mosque in...

What's next for Iran?
June 15, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 15 (UPI) -- As Iranians sort out the political ramifications of a possible revolution, Washington should remain quiet lest it risk undermining the opposition, experts say. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed...

McChrystal considers shift in Afghanistan.
June 16, 2009... KABUL, Afghanistan, June 16 (UPI) -- The strategy for Afghanistan may shift away from the remote regions of the country to protecting populated areas where the government has some control. Washington is looking to change direction in...

Peshmerga denies Iranian intervention.
June 16, 2009... ERBIL, Iraq, June 16 (UPI) -- Kurdish military commanders denied reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp had established checkpoints inside Iraqi territory. Reports in various news outlets circulated Monday suggesting the Iranian...

U.S. overpaid Blackwater, audit shows.
June 16, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- An audit by the U.S. government found the Department of State overpaid security contractors with the company formerly known as Blackwater by about $55 million. A joint audit by the inspector general for the U.S....

Medvedev welcomes Zardari, Karzai.
June 16, 2009... YEKATERINBURG, Russia, June 16 (UPI) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev welcomed the leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan on Tuesday to discuss trilateral counter-terrorism efforts. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani...

Hezbollah reacts to Netanyahu speech.
June 16, 2009... BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 16 (UPI) -- The speech by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on a demilitarized Palestinian state put the entire region at risk, Hezbollah's leader said. Netanyahu in his first foreign policy speech since taking...

Washington should engage Iran -- expert.
June 16, 2009... WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- Washington may need to push ahead with engagement with Iran despite the sense that the clerical leadership in Tehran does not need legitimacy to stay in power. Iran's Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei...

Russia blocks mandate for UNOMIG.
June 16, 2009... UNITED NATIONS, June 16 (UPI) -- A Russian veto on the U.N. Security Council blocked the renewal for a U.N. observer mission in Georgia. "The secretary-general regrets that the Security Council has been unable to reach agreement on the...