APS Diplomat News Service articles from November 2008

APS Diplomat News Service archives from November 2008

Lebanon's Front Will Decide The Future Of The GME; The New US Ruler Will Be Affected.(Greater Middle East)
November 3, 2008... *** The IRGC Has Just Set Up A Big Naval Base At Bandar Jask,East Of Hormuz Strait Through Which 40% Of The World's Oil Is Passing, With One Of Its Top Commanders Saying This Will Check On Ships' Movements & Will Interdict The Entry Of Enemy...

Suleiman To Attend Inter-Faith Summit As Beirut Gets Strong Arab Support.(President Michel Suleiman)
November 3, 2008... President Michel Suleiman, who on Oct. 31 met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, will attend the Nov. 12-13 inter-faith summit at the UN General Assembly in New York. The summit is being organised at the initiative of Saudi King 'Abdullah...

Afghanistan Peace Plan Involves A New Approach Backed By Major Regional Powers.
November 10, 2008... *** Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Choice For Chief Of Staff At His White House, Is A Hawk When It Comes To US Policy Towards Radical Arabs And The Shi'ite Theocracy Of Iran. He Is Particularly Hawkish Towards The 'Alawite/Ba'thist Regime Of Assad, A...

India Shifting Away From Iran.
November 10, 2008... President Zardari's recent overtures to India and call of Pakistani militants in the disputed enclave of Kashmir "terrorists" have led to warmer relations between Islamabad and New Delhi. After its embassy in Kabul was recently hit by the...

'Israel Man' In Obama's White House.(Rahm Emanuel)
November 10, 2008... Barack Obama on Nov. 6 got down to facing a mountain of problems, not least the global economic crisis and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democrat dodged the limelight after being elected America's first black president, but...

More US Measures Against Iran's Finances.(Brief article)
November 10, 2008... The Bush administration on Nov. 6 moved to clamp down on Tehran by barring financial institutions from routing certain money transfers through the US on behalf of Iranian banks, Iran's government and others in the country. The US Treasury...

Moscow Warning.(Brief article)
November 10, 2008... In Russia, President Dmitri Medvedev on Nov. 5 warned that he would deploy missiles if Obama built Bush's planned missile defence system in Eastern Europe. But Russian analysts later said this was part of a bargaining position, as Moscow now...

The Syrian Regime Is Stuck With A Survival Game - Taking The Offensive On The US.
November 17, 2008... *** The Hot Rumour In Beirut Now Is That Assad Has Sent To Obama's Gate-Keeper - Chief Of Staff- Designate Rahm Emanuel - That His Special Forces Massed On The Lebanese Borders Will Disarm Hizbullah And All The Other Groups In Lebanon, If The...

The Saudi Peace Strategy Vs Iran-Led Axis.
November 17, 2008... The strategy behind Saudi Arabia's plan for peace between the Arabs and Israel embraces cultures which extend across the globe. Countering this is the Iran-led axis which wants to fight Israel and the US; but it contains conflicting strategies:...

Iran Is Preparing For Obama's Soft-Power Approach - Which Can Include A Trap:.
November 24, 2008... *** IAEA Says Iran By Early '09 Will Have 9,000 Centrifuges, By Nov. Having Amassed 630 Kg Of Low-Enriched U. Hexafluoride Which Means It Will Be Close To Reaching The Break-Out Point, One Step Away From Producing A Crude Nuclear Bomb, An Ex-US...

Iran Is Said To Have Enough For Nuke Bomb.
November 24, 2008... The New York Times on Nov. 20 quoted nuclear experts analysing a Nov. 19 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as saying Iran now had roughly enough material to make a single atomic bomb. The IAEA concluded that by early...

Syria's Uranium Traces Again Under The UN Microscope.(Brief article)
November 24, 2008... In another report, the IAEA said the Syrian complex bombed by Israel on Sept. 6, 2007, bore features resembling those of an undeclared nuclear reactor and that Syria must co-operate more with UN inspectors. It said "significant" amounts of...

Hamas Fires Longer Range Missile.
November 24, 2008... Iran/Syria-backed Hamas fighters have attacked the major city of Ashkelon in southern Israel with longer-range rockets, a serious escalation of a widening violence which has all but buried a five-month-old truce. The rocket barrages at...

UK Urges Syria To Resume Israel Peace Talks.
November 24, 2008... Visiting Damascus and after talks with President Assad, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Nov. 18 said Syria had an "essential role" to play in the stability of the Middle East and urged it to press ahead with peace talks with Israel. His...