APS Diplomat Recorder articles from December 2009

APS Diplomat Recorder archives from December 2009

ARAB AFFAIRS - Dec 22 - Syria Will Eventually Move To Direct Talks With Israel.
December 31, 2009... Syrian President Bashar Assad says that his country will eventually embark on direct peace talks with Israel, but they must be based on UN Security Council resolutions. "Peace cannot be achieved through indirect negotiations alone. But if...

ARAB AFFAIRS - Dec 30 - GCC Denounces Massacre.
December 31, 2009... Leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) begin their two-day summit conference here denouncing Israel's brutal military aggression against Palestinians in Gaza and calling for a united stand on the blitz that has killed at least...

ARAB EUROPEAN RELATIONS - Dec 22 - Russia Denies Selling Missile System To Iran.
December 31, 2009... Russia is not selling Iran an advanced air-defense system, Russia's agency for monitoring international defense co-operation said in a statement, refuting claims by an Iranian official reported Sunday that the system was already being...

ARAB ISRAELI RELATIONS - Israel Issues An Appeal To Palestinians In Gaza.
December 31, 2009... The Israeli PM, Ehud Olmert issues a "last minute" appeal to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to reject the militant leadership of Hamas and stop firing rockets at Israel, warning that he would not hesitate to use force. Other Israeli officials...

ARAB ISRAELI RELATIONS - Dec 25 - Israel Showers Hamas With Barrage Of Warnings.
December 31, 2009... As tension around Gaza continues to escalate, Israeli leaders issue warnings to Hamas to stop firing rockets at Israel or pay a "heavy price". Israeli PM Ehud Olmert gave what was described as the clearest indication yet that Israel will resort...

ARAB ISRAELI RELATIONS - Dec 26 - Israel Opens Gaza Border For Humanitarian Aid.
December 31, 2009... Israel reopens its border with Gaza to allow deliveries of humanitarian aid, despite continued rocket and mortar fire from the coastal strip and growing expectations of a large-scale Israeli military campaign against Palestinian militants. One...

ARAB ISRAELI RELATIONS - Dec 29 - Israel Set For Ground Invasion.
December 31, 2009... Israeli warplanes continue pounding the Gaza Strip as the casualty toll in the two-day offensive reached 296 killed and over 900 injured. At least 180 of the injured were in critical condition, Palestinian medical sources said. The UN Security...

ARAB ISRAELI RELATIONS - Dec 29 - Gaza Toll Passes 350 In 3rd Day Of Israeli Strikes.
December 31, 2009... Israel is engaged in an "all-out war with Hamas", Defense Minister Ehud Barak tells Parliament as his air force struck at the organization's civic institutions - the Islamic University, Interior Ministry and presidential guesthouse. The death...

AFGHANISTAN - Dec 24 - Afghans And US Plan To Recruit Local Militias.
December 31, 2009... Taking a page from the successful experiment in Iraq, American commanders and Afghan leaders are preparing to arm local militias to help in the fight against a resurgent Taliban. B t along with hope, the move is raising fears here that the new...

EGYPT - Dec 29 - Opposition Says Mubarak Blessed Israeli Attacks.(Egyptian President Husni Mubarak)
December 31, 2009... Egyptian opposition has reacted furiously to Israel's deadly airstrikes on Gaza, and accused the government of President Hosni Mubarak of blessing the raids to weaken Hamas. "The decision to strike at Gaza was made in Cairo following talks...

IRAN - Dec 21 - Tehran Says It's Getting Missiles.
December 31, 2009... An Iranian official says Russia had started delivering an advanced air-defense system to Iran, despite earlier denials by Russia that a deal had been reached. The official, Esmail Kosari, the deputy head of Parliament's Commission for Foreign...

ISRAEL - Dec 26 - Palestinian MP Gets 30 Years Jail.
December 31, 2009... An Israeli military court sentences the secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ahmad Saadat, to 30 years in prison. Saadat, who is also a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was indicted on 19...

LEBANON - Dec 26 - Lebanese Army Dismantles Eight Rockets Aimed At Israel.
December 31, 2009... Lebanese Army soldiers find and dismantle eight Katyusha rockets that were pointed south toward Israel. The rockets were found near the southern town of Naqura, in the border region where an expanded UN peacekeeping force has been monitoring an...