UPI International Intelligence articles from September 2008

UPI International Intelligence archives from September 2008

Atlantic Eye: Scenes from U.S. politics.
September 2, 2008... Byline: MARC S. ELLENBOGEN DENVER, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- It has been four years since I filed my first articles for UPI. "Come to Boston and write for us," Martin Walker, then editor in chief, now editor emeritus, had said to me. So I did. And...

Walker's World: The world's election.
September 2, 2008... Byline: MARTIN WALKER PARIS, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- More than any previous American election, this year's extraordinary presidential contest has caught the world's imagination. It is partly the novelty of the first woman and black candidates...

Analysis: NATO's new significant threats.
September 2, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- In a rapidly changing world where terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear weapons are replacing conventional enemies, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is finding that it needs to...

Commentary: Israel of the Caucasus.
September 2, 2008... Byline: ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- NATO guarantees that an attack against one member country is an attack against all are no longer what they used to be. Had Georgia been inside NATO, a number of European countries...

Analysis: Russia's second chance.
September 2, 2008... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- EU leaders condemned Russia's military moves in Georgia but decided against sanctions Monday at an emergency summit on the Caucasus crisis. Leaders did, however, postpone talks on a...

Iraq Press Roundup.
September 2, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED Negotiations over the long-term strategic agreement between Iraq and the United States are ongoing, but more important than the discussions themselves are the Iraqi parties involved. It is essential for the Iraqis...

Iraqi troops understaffed in Diyala.
September 2, 2008... BAQUBA, Iraq, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. military handed over security responsibility of western Anbar province to Iraqi forces while moving to shore up missions in eastern Diyala. Iraqi security forces have move to the foreground as U.S....

Kurds question Baghdad's rhetoric.
September 2, 2008... ERBIL, Iraq, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Kurdish President Massoud Barzani said he doubts the sincerity of Baghdad regarding a national partnership but supports broader security goals nonetheless. Barzani said in an interview with London's Ashraq...

Iraqi lawmakers trade barbs over Peshmerga.
September 2, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Iraqi lawmakers sparred Tuesday over the presence of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Mosul as a situation in the Kurdish areas of Diyala province grew tense. The deployment of Iraqi national troops in Khanaqin, a...

Negotiations mixed over Diyala crisis.
September 2, 2008... BAQUBA, Iraq, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Iraqi and Kurdish lawmakers are conflicted over a resolution to a crisis pitting Kurdish Peshmerga forces against Iraqi troops in areas of Diyala province. U.S. and Iraqi forces launched Operation Promise of...

Iran sees no need for U.N. mandate in Iraq.
September 2, 2008... TEHRAN, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Iranian officials emerged from a meeting in Tehran with a delegation from Baghdad saying Iraq should be removed from its U.N. Chapter VII mandate. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met with Iraqi Deputy...

PMOI fate determined by international law.
September 2, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government Tuesday said it would rely on international law to determine the fate of Iranian dissident group People's Mujahedin of Iran. The PMOI operates in Iraq under U.S. protection in Ashraf City in...

Interpol to assist Netherlands Antilles.
September 2, 2008... WILLEMSTAD, Netherlands Antilles, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Netherlands Antilles has partnered with Interpol to enhance border security in a move to prevent entry of transnational criminals and other threats. David Dick, Netherlands Antilles...

CTBTO, WMO launch detection collaboration.
September 2, 2008... VIENNA, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Austria-based Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization has partnered with the World Meteorological Organization on a nuclear detection capability. CTBTO and WMO announced the deployment of a new...

CTBTO on-site test exercise under way.
September 2, 2008... ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization has begun an exercise in Kazakhstan to test on-site nuclear explosion inspection capabilities. CTBTO officials have been working to fully test the...

Georgia-Russia conflict tops CrisisWatch.
September 2, 2008... BRUSSELS, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The war between Russia and Georgia was at the top of the International Crisis Group's monthly report on emerging and deteriorating conflicts around the world. Crisis Group's CrisisWatch report cited Georgia's...

Report: Gonzales mishandled documents.
September 2, 2008... WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales mishandled classified documents, according to a report released Tuesday by the Office of the Inspector General. Glenn Fine, inspector general of the U.S. Justice...

Iraq Press Roundup.
September 3, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED Some of the causes of violence in Iraq were due to the sectarian policies that Saddam Hussein applied in the past. The former Baath Party government advocated divisive mottoes as part of its operations against other...

Iraqi lawmakers to vet key laws next week.
September 3, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The Iraqi Parliament will have a heavy schedule when it reconvenes next Tuesday to review the U.S. security deal and provincial elections law, officials warned. Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi, a Shiite,...

Analysis: Germans targeted in Afghanistan.
September 3, 2008... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA BERLIN, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The security situation in Afghanistan's northern provinces and around Kabul has deteriorated, which means trouble for the roughly 3,500 German soldiers stationed there. The situation in...

Iraqi troops raid Sunni leader's offices.
September 3, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq Wednesday condemned a raid on the offices of its secretary-general by Iraqi national troops. The politically influential association said in a statement on its Web...

Deal made in Diyala, but disputes remain.
September 3, 2008... KHANAQIN, Iraq, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Kurdish and Iraqi officials Wednesday brokered a joint formula regarding security responsibility in areas in the north of restive Diyala province. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched Operation...

U.S. uncovers Mosul bomb plot.
September 3, 2008... MOSUL, Iraq, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials in northern Iraq claim to have uncovered an al-Qaida plot to bomb Ninawa provincial headquarters in Mosul using an underground tunnel. Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling with Multi-National...

PMOI tied to al-Qaida, Iraqi official says.
September 3, 2008... TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Iranian state-run media Wednesday carried a statement from a senior Shiite Iraqi lawmaker saying the dissident People's Mujahedin of Iran has links to al-Qaida. Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council...

Mine removal expert killed in Lebanon.
September 3, 2008... BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A U.N. official was killed Wednesday while working to clear landmines in the Blue Line zone between Lebanon and Israel when a bomb exploded. A de-mining unit with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon has been...

IED kills soldier, magistrate lives.
September 3, 2008... JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Terrorists allegedly detonated a bomb targeting a magistrate conducting an investigation in northern Sri Lanka Wednesday. The magistrate was investigating a murder in the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri...

Abul-Gheit meets with new Darfur mediator.
September 3, 2008... CAIRO, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Egyptian officials met Wednesday with the new head of the U.N.-African Union envoy to the Darfur region of Sudan in a move to restart a stalled peace process. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit met with...

EU terror assets freeze overturned.
September 3, 2008... BRUSSELS, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The European Court of Justice has overturned a 2001 ruling by the European Union that froze the assets of alleged al-Qaida financing operations. Saudi businessman Yassin al-Kadi and Sweden-based charity Al...

International policing focus of meeting.
September 3, 2008... LYON, France, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Interpol officials say the approaching October general assembly in Russia will focus on how to further develop national law enforcement capacities. Interpol's 77th annual general assembly, scheduled to start...

U.N., Haitian police bust drug network.
September 3, 2008... PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- More than two tons of drugs have been confiscated in Haiti as a result of an increased U.N. presence to reinforce the country's security. The United Nations announced at the beginning of August plans...

Iraq Press Roundup.
September 4, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED History portrays the presence of foreign troops in a land as a bitter experience that creates unending harm and problems. Since Iraq is under foreign occupation, the Iraqi newspapers are buzzing with the matter. ...

Agreement reached on Diyala security.
September 4, 2008... KHANAQIN, Iraq, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government brokered a deal with Kurdish representatives Thursday to allow the Peshmerga forces to control parts of Diyala province. Mahmoud Sankawi with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party said...

Iraqi economy strong, IMF says.
September 4, 2008... WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The International Monetary Fund said the economy in Iraq has improved and inflation has declined, though fiscal management remains a concern. "After several very difficult years, economic prospects for Iraq are...

U.S. examines Aug. 26 Diyala attack.
September 4, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials traveled to Jalawlah in the north of the Iraqi province of Diyala to investigate an Aug. 26 bombing of a police recruiting station. A suicide bomber attacked a group of police recruits at...

Anbar transfer exposes sectarian rift.
September 4, 2008... RAMADI, Iraq, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The security transfer in Iraq's Anbar province from U.S. to Iraqi forces has exposed a growing rift between Sunni tribal leaders and the central government. The Iraqi military assumed control over Anbar...

Sons of Iraq role examined.
September 4, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Baghdad has no plans to protect the Sunni force, Sons of Iraq, and shuns any decision to merge the bulk of the force into the Iraqi army, officials said. The U.S. military said Thursday it would hand over...

Food riot erupts after supplies cut short.
September 4, 2008... KHARTOUM, Sudan, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A riot over food at a refugee camp in the volatile Darfur region of Sudan has resulted in the death of one person while several others were injured. U.N. officials report a shortage of food at a refugee...

Costa calls on NATO to target drug network.
September 4, 2008... BRUSSELS, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A top U.N. official is calling on NATO to expand its counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan to maintain a downward trend in opium cultivation. Antonio Maria Costa, U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime executive...

Ongoing turmoil in Haiti threatens peace.
September 4, 2008... PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The ongoing instability in Haiti has prompted a recommendation that the U.N. mission in the country be extended. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a recent report that escalating food prices...

Kansas City gets new security director.
September 4, 2008... KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration announced the appointment of a new head of federal security at the Kansas City International Airport. TSA officials named 30-year Army veteran John Della...

Anti-terror unit concludes ID workshop.
September 4, 2008... BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The OSCE's anti-terrorism unit concluded a workshop Thursday in Kyrgyzstan on border security identification checking. The three-day workshop, held in Kyrgyzstan's capital of Bishkek, is part of an...

DHS launches passport information campaign.
September 4, 2008... WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- An information campaign addressing new security policies set for implementation at U.S. entry checkpoints began a new phase Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Thursday launched an initiative...

Walker's World: Britain's recession.
September 5, 2008... Byline: MARTIN WALKER LONDON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Now the recession watch in Britain is getting really serious. Punch Taverns, the country's largest operator of pubs, a classic symbol of English life, has decided to scrap its dividend to...

Analysis: U.S. ponders Afghan militia move.
September 5, 2008... Byline: SHAUN WATERMAN WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Experts are warning that it might prove counterproductive to extend to Afghanistan the U.S. strategy of forming and paying tribal militias to improve security -- though it has been...

Dogs of War: The Contract Rules.
September 5, 2008... Byline: DAVID ISENBERG WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- One of the most common criticisms about private security contractors is that there are insufficient rules governing their actions. But the truth is, there is and always has been a way...

Iraq Press Roundup.
September 5, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED The people of Iraq become more optimistic when the Iraqi government is strict and offers no chance to the outlaws to create chaos. They become more hopeful when they sense crime is in decline. The Iraqi people...

Iraqi army and police join forces in Basra.
September 5, 2008... BASRA, Iraq, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Working with the British and U.S. militaries, the Iraqi police and army have established two joint security bases in southern Basra, officials said. The joint patrol stations will be a communal point of...

Claims over Diyala resolution disputed.
September 5, 2008... BAQUBA, Iraq, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A Shiite lawmaker Friday denied the Iraqi central government had brokered a deal with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces over the city of Khanaqin in Diyala province. Kurdish lawmaker Khaled Shiwani had said the...

Internally displaced status in Iraq mixed.
September 5, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A review of internally displaced Iraqis found that while security gains have brought returnees to Baghdad and Diyala province, northern Iraq is problematic. A review released Friday by the International...

Anbar transfer exposes sectarian strife.
September 5, 2008... RAMADI, Iraq, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. military handover of the Sunni Anbar province was hailed as a milestone, but the underlying sectarian conflict in Iraq could erase those gains. Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie and...

Outside View: Japan's Aso renaissance.
September 5, 2008... Byline: M.D. NALAPAT MANIPAL, India, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Although Germany shed its "historical guilt" for the 1939-45 war by the 1980s, most Japanese leaders have yet to abandon the cringing tone that they employ in the presence of those...

Albania sends additional troops to Iraq.
September 5, 2008... TIRANA, Albania, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha attended a ceremony marking the deployment of an additional 120 peacekeepers and soldiers to Iraq. The deployment brings the total number of Albanian forces in Iraq to...

Call for more troops in Italy.
September 5, 2008... ROME, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Italian officials are trying to boost the number of soldiers in major cities as part of an ongoing campaign to increase security around the country. Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni announced a plan to...

Countering terrorism requires cooperation.
September 5, 2008... UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The head of the U.N. General Assembly called on the international community in New York Thursday to increase cooperation to better counter global terrorism. During a meeting Thursday to review the U.N....

Iran open to talks with U.S. over Iraq.
September 5, 2008... TEHRAN, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The Iranian ambassador to Iraq said on state-run television Friday that Tehran would hold talks on Iraq with Washington if requested to do so by Baghdad. Hassan Qummi said Tehran would hold its fifth round of talks...

Philippine peace negotiations to refocus.
September 5, 2008... TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The president of the Philippines is trying to make good on her promise to implement a new strategy for peace in ongoing negotiations with rebel leaders. Philippine President Gloria...

OSCE committed to countering terrorism.
September 5, 2008... NEW YORK, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- An official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe told the United Nations Thursday that the OSCE is committed to countering terrorism. Raphael Perl, the head of the OSCE action against...

Singapore launches new combat training.
September 5, 2008... SINGAPORE, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Singapore defense officials announced the launch of a new urban combat training facility designed to simulate realistic training exercises. Singapore Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean on Friday presided over the...

Walker's World: Asia's new nuclear map.
September 8, 2008... Byline: MARTIN WALKER WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- It is not quite over yet, but the most important strategic development in Asia in this century so far is on the verge of completion. The weekend decision of the 45-nation Nuclear...

Analysis: U.S. losing ground, sway to Iran.
September 8, 2008... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Iran seems to be gaining ground and influence in the Levant, much to the detriment of the United States, its European allies and pro-democracy movements in the region. Indeed, recent...

Iraq Press Roundup.
September 8, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED Members of the Iraqi government have had an unpredictable position toward the presence of the occupation forces since the 2003 invasion. While the Iraqi government refused to discuss any timetable for withdrawal in the...

Iraq-Iran trade booming.
September 8, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Iraqi traders are buying up cheap, low-quality Iranian goods, taking advantage of open transport routes and newly established ties, Iraqi businessmen said. Despite budget increases for the Iraqi government, most...

U.S. behind Chalabi attack, lawmaker says.
September 8, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- An Iraqi lawmaker close to Iranian intelligence agencies said U.S. officials were behind an attempt to assassinate former Iraqi Deputy Premier Ahmed Chalabi. A suicide bomber rammed his sports utility vehicle into...

Local police patrol Khanaqin in Diyala.
September 8, 2008... KHANAQIN, Iraq, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Police units from the city of Khanaqin in the Iraqi province of Diyala will be charged with security as part of a deal with Kurdish officials and Baghdad. A Kurdish delegation brokered a deal with officials...

Iraqi officials warn of cholera outbreak.
September 8, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials with the Health Ministry expressed concern over the growing number of cholera cases being diagnosed in Baghdad and other areas. Ihssan Jaafar with the Iraqi Health Ministry told the U.N....

Concessions needed for Iraqi elections.
September 8, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- An Iraqi lawmaker Monday called for a spirit of accommodation when Parliament convenes Tuesday to consider the provincial elections law. Hisham al-Ta'i, a Sunni lawmaker serving as chairman of a committee on...

Economic reforms help combat terrorism.
September 8, 2008... UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A top official from the Philippine government has called economic development and the protection of human rights powerful tools to counter terrorism. Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Hilario...

Plan to neutralize ammunition proposed.
September 8, 2008... KIEV, Ukraine, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A recent fire at an ammunition depot in Ukraine has prompted renewed concerns over the dangers of outdated Soviet-era ammunition facilities. Monday, Volodymyr Shandra, Ukraine's minister for emergency...

Exercise testing IED removal readiness.
September 8, 2008... HAGATNA, Guam, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Explosives experts from three countries are taking part in a deepwater training initiative in Guam aimed at testing post-conflict demining capabilities. The demining training exercise, called Tricrab 08, has...

Upgraded BATUS readies units for combat.
September 8, 2008... MEDICINE HAT, Alberta, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- British troops have been training in the rugged spaces of Alberta, Canada, at a refurbished facility designed to ready units for harsh Afghanistan conditions. The British Army Training Unit Suffield...

U.N. peacekeeper training under way.
September 8, 2008... GABORONE, Botswana, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A U.N. stability and peacekeeping training program is under way in Botswana in a move to develop new leadership for security campaigns in Africa. The U.N. training initiative is designed to help future...

Serbian minister to address OSCE meeting.
September 8, 2008... VIENNA, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A Serbian government official is scheduled to address the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Wednesday to discuss concerns over Kosovo. Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic will address the OSCE...

Iraq Press Roundup.
September 9, 2008... Byline: ALAA MAJEED The Iraqi public accuses some political parties of advertising for the sectarian strife that reached its high point in 2006. Iraqis currently are wary of any project that could bring another wave of violence "caused by"...

FBI names assistant director at cyber unit.
September 9, 2008... WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the appointment of a new assistant director at the agency's cyber investigation unit. FBI Director Robert Mueller named Shawn Henry as the new FBI Cyber...

Al-Qaida No. 2 finds Iran-U.S. synergy.
September 9, 2008... PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No. 2 leader of al-Qaida, in a two-hour video blamed Iran for collaborating with the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a video obtained Monday by Qatari satellite...

Report: Escalating tensions in Aceh.
September 9, 2008... BRUSSELS, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Tensions between the Indonesian government and separatists threaten stability, an International Crisis Group report says. The report, released Tuesday by the independent non-governmental organization, says...

Bill to mandate review of war on terror.
September 9, 2008... WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., introduced legislation Tuesday requiring a semiannual administrative review of the war on terror. The measure, an amendment to the Department of Defense...

Iran calls for more regional U.N. action.
September 9, 2008... TEHRAN, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Iran supports the work of the United Nations toward safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty but calls for a more active role, the Iranian foreign minister said Tuesday. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said,...

Mukasey hails work on human trafficking.
September 9, 2008... ATLANTA, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney Gen. Michael Mukasey addressed the National Conference on Human Trafficking Tuesday in Atlanta, praising the increase in convictions since 2000. Mukasey, who addressed the conference via video...

Iraqi deepwater port reopens.
September 9, 2008... UMM QASR, Iraq, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- In a sign of improved security, the British Royal Navy entered Iraq's only deepwater port in Umm Qasr for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The Umm Qasr port is the reception point for...

Survey: Terrorist threat perception down.
September 9, 2008... WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- An informal survey of top foreign policy experts in the United States suggests though terrorism is in decline, Pakistan is emerging as a new al-Qaida front. The bipartisan 2008 Terrorism Index, conducted by...

Kurds concerned over possible F-16 deal.
September 9, 2008... ERBIL, Iraq, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Kurdish lawmakers said they wanted reassurance from the United States that F-16s slated for sale to the Iraqi government would not be used against Iraqis. The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous officials in...

Shiite lawmaker uneasy over Baathist roles.
September 9, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A Shiite lawmaker in the Iraqi government expressed concern over decisions by Baghdad to place ex-Baath Party officials in the national army. Abdul Karim al-Enzi with the ruling United Iraqi Alliance coalition...

Iraqi communists discuss security pact.
September 9, 2008... BAGHDAD, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Officials with the Iraqi Communist Party met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad to discuss the long-term security deal with Washington. Party Secretary Hamid Majeed Mousa, a Shiite, led a...