Headlines for 06-03-08

Rice Calls Dialogue With Iran Pointless


A Sensible Path on Iran By Zbigniew Brzezinski and William Odom


IAEA demands 'full disclosure' from Iran, sends team to Syria


US says Iran-trained militia leader held in Iraq It did not name the suspects but said the group's leader was the "top criminal" in Kut, 175 kilometres (109 miles) southeast of Baghdad, and was allegedly involved in murdering Iraqis and attacking US troops.


Iran 'not seeking' nuclear arms Iran's supreme leader has insisted it will continue its nuclear activities for civilian purposes only and will not manufacture nuclear weapons.


Reclaiming the American Right


McClellan's Warning on Iran by Ray McGovern White House spinners are at it again ? "fixing" the intelligence around the policy, this time on Iran. The fixing is obvious, but don't expect to hear about it from the FCM. Olmert is on his way to Washington to provide us with more 'evidence' of Iran's nuclear program, no doubt.


Iran Accusations Merit Skepticism by Philip Giraldi Israel is now playing the same game in an attempt to implicate Iran. An odd series of "leaks" to the media last week by Israeli security sources reporting anonymously seeks to demonstrate that Iran is supplying sophisticated weapons to both Hamas and Hezbollah and playing a major role with a number of militant groups......There is another sure sign that what the Israelis are putting out is disinformation. The Israel National News Service reported the same story and attributed it as "according to the Associate Press." In fact, the source is the Israeli government itself ? the Associated Press was only reporting the story. Using a planted bit of information to confirm the same information that has been planted elsewhere is a classic intelligence service technique.


Both McCain, Obama exaggerating Iran's nuclear program In a major speech Monday to a powerful Jewish American lobbying group, McCain asserted that Iran is actively developing nuclear weapons that threaten the security of Israel and could be passed to terrorist groups.


How Cheney Outfoxed His Foes on Iran and EFPs McCormack thus revealed that the State Department wasn't buying the accusation that Iran was manufacturing EFPs and sending them to the Shi'ite forces of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army fighting against U.S. forces.


McCain: Iraq troop pullout bad for Israel McCain also criticized Obama by name for his support of troop withdrawals from Iraq, arguing that would jeopardize Israel's security and lead to civil war and genocide. To applause, McCain declared, "We must not let this happen."


Olmert to leave for Washington Olmert is also expected to address several sensitive intelligence issues during his US visit, with Iran topping the list. Israel has been providing the US with intelligence regarding the Iranian nuclear program, in an effort to demonstrate that the Islamic Republic is making progress in its pursuit of a viable nuclear weapon. Read that again.


Israeli warning over nuclear Iran Speaking during a visit to Washington, he said Tehran must be made to see it would suffer devastating repercussions if it pursued atomic weapons. Washington and Israel's agents therein are being given their orders.


McClellan Was Right About Iraq The Bush administration's main motive for invading Iraq was to introduce "coercive democracy."
This, in turn, originated in a controversial 1996 White Paper titled "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," which referred to Israel. It advised then incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to repeal the Oslo agreements for a Palestinian solution, keep Gaza and the West Bank under Israeli control, and establish democracy in Iraq by overthrowing Saddam Hussein.




Ahmadinejad calls Israel "false regime" of Zionists Europe is bearing the economic and political costs of a "false regime" of Zionists, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday in his second verbal attack on Israel in as many days.


Iran nuclear bid must be stopped by all possible means: Olmert "The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means. International economic and political sanctions on Iran, as crucial as they may be, are only an initial step, and must be dramatically increased," Olmert said in a keynote speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.


Rice: U.S. will cooperate with Israel on missile defense system in face of Iranian threat


UN atomic watchdog to investigate claims of secret Syrian reactor Diplomats said it was unclear whether the inspectors would be allowed on the al-Kibar site. If they are, the IAEA is likely to shed new light on an episode that remains shrouded in mystery, with flat denials from Damascus, uncharacteristic silence from Israel and US insistence that the facility was being built by North Korea - which also denies any involvement.


Iran sanctions figure large in AIPAC lobbying


Can Barack Obama be a friend of Israel if he talks to Iran? The Republican National Committee is already circulating damaging quotations from Mr Obama. These include comments such as ?nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people?, an apparent failure to remember that Israel is among America?s closest allies, as well as a suggestion that the violence of Hezbollah and Hamas ?weakens their legitimate claims?.




New Qaeda release expected from No. 2 Zawahri Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri is expected to issue a new statement calling for an end to Israel's economic blockade of the Gaza Strip, U.S.-based Internet monitors said on Tuesday.


McCain to AIPAC: I'm committed to making certain Israel maintains military edge Republican presidential candidate John McCain told a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Monday that the US would not accept a nuclear Iran under his leadership.


AIPAC?s in Town, and the Line-Up is Hawkish


Syria says Israel should face nuclear checks Syria's official press lashed out at the United States and Israel on Tuesday over claims it was building a secret nuclear reactor, and said the Jewish state's own atomic facilities should be subject to international inspection.


Israel must quit all Syrian land for peace: Assad


Syria to allow UN probe of alleged nuclear site


Aipac Instructs Delegates To Stay 'Positive' Left out of the letter was the impetus for such a warning: At last year?s annual conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received scattered boos when she spoke about the problems created by the war in Iraq. Organizers appear determined to avoid such political statements at this year?s event, which will be attended by presidential candidates John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.......Obama is at odds with Aipac in his willingness to enter into talks with Iran.....A draft obtained by the Forward of the lobby's 2008 policy "Action Agenda" calls on the administration to designate Iran and North Korea as "major national security threats" and to take "all appropriate measures to halt Iran's pursuit of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them."
AIPAC's job: to make ISRAEL'S problems AMERICA'S problems.


And the winner is ... the Israel lobby AIPAC keeps a very close relationship with an array of influential think-tanks, like the American Enterprise Institute, the Center for Security Policy, the Hudson Institute, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, the Middle East Forum, the The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.