Archives: February 2003

Pakistan Will Back Second Un Security

*Pakistan will back a second UN Security Council resolution against Iraq, essentially authorizing war, according to the Los Angeles Times. The government is aware that the war will be hugely unpopular with…

Poster To One Of Lists I Am On Wrote Us

A poster to one of the lists I am on wrote:"US policy is to allow no sanctuaries anywhere on the globe for anti-American terror groups. No training camps. No organizations, no fronts.…

Pakistans President Pervez Musharraf

*Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf expressed reluctance to endorse war between the US and Iraq at the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Pakistan is on the Security Council at the moment and…

Pakistans Four Provincial Legislatures

*Pakistan's four provincial legislatures voted for 80 members of the Federal Senate, and the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) and its allies, who control the lower house, seem close to having a simple…

Dawn Reports That Senior Us State

*Dawn reports that a senior US State Department official has said, Pakistan's nuclear weapons are in safe hands and the United States is satisfied with the measures Islamabad has taken to secure…

Kurdish Civilians Are Scattering From

Kurdish civilians are scattering from their towns, fearful of being bombarded with poison Iraq by the Baath Party if war breaks out with the US. The Baathists hit the Kurds with poison…

In Interview On Arabic Television

*In an interview on an Arabic television program in Dubai, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that in the case of a war, there would be only a brief period of…

Iraq Is Denying Earlier Reports That It

*Iraq is denying earlier reports that it has closed its borders to Iranian pilgrims seeking to visit the holy shrines of Najaf and Karbala. Turning the tables, the Iraqi spokesman said it…

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

*Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, speaking in Berlin, expressed the view that Washington is unlikely to give Saddam Hussein more than two or three weeks to disarm. He said he himself agreed that…

Turkish Newspapers Report That That

*Turkish newspapers report that that country is prepared to send as many as 55,000 troops into Northern Iraq to establish a demilitarized zone in case war breaks out in Iraq. The Turkish…

Head Of French Intelligence Insists

*The head of French intelligence insists that there is no proven link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. Pierre Bousquet de Florian told Television Channel 2,"One thing is certain. There is no physical…

New 50 Minute Bin Laden Tape Aired On

*A new, 50-minute Bin Laden tape aired on al-Jazeerah, calling for Muslims to make a united stand against the looming US war in Iraq. Like Bush, Bin Laden insisted that Muslims are…

Pakistani Sucurity Forces Believe Us Is

* Pakistani sucurity forces believe the US is overestimating how many al-Qaeda members are in Pakistan's tribal belt. They complain that in 90 percent of cases, information supplied by the CIA and…

There Is Not Much Good News These Days

*There is not much good news these days, so the ruling of the Belgian supreme court that Ariel Sharon can be tried there for war crimes is most welcome. An Israeli commission…

Qazi Hussain Ahmad Leader Of Pakistans

*Qazi Hussain Ahmad, leader of Pakistan's fundamentalist Jama`at-i Islami, has warned that after Iraq, the US intends to take over Pakistan. This allegation is ridiculous, of course, but it will be widely…

Usama Bin Laden Has Resurfaced With 20

*Usama Bin Laden has resurfaced with a 20 minute tirade broadcast by al-Jazirah, calling on his followers to attack the United States and to carry out terrorism on its soil, and calling…

Asharq Al Awsat Has Gotten Hold Of

*Asharq al-Awsat has gotten hold of a confidential Iraqi memo that outlines Saddam's plan for a diplomatic blitz in the Arab world after the end of the Muslim holy day, the Eid…

Hosni Mubarak President Of Egypt Was

Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt, was asked at a mini-summit of Arab governments (Syria, Libya, Egypt and the head of the Muslim League) whether their deliberations could avert the looming war…

Dawn Karachi Reported That Council Of

*Dawn (Karachi) reported that the Council of Saudi Ulema (clergy) issued a fatwa that prohibits attacks by Muslims on non-Muslims. The ruling says that one could not just arbitrarily term persons "infidels"…

According To Ali Nurizadeh In Asharq Al

According to Ali Nurizadeh in Asharq al-Awsat, the British government has given Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi an undertaking that in the aftermath of the Anglo-American attack on Iraq, Iran would not…

Colin Powell Did Good Job At Un

*Colin Powell did a good job at the UN Security Council in making the case that Iraq has tried to thwart the weapons inspectors and is actively not cooperating with Resolution 1441.…

History News Network 2 04 03 Fact

History News Network 2-04-03: Fact & FictionDid Saddam Gas the Kurds?In a recent New York Times op-ed, Stephen Pelletiere argued that the March, 1988, gassing of Kurds during the waning months of…

Iranian Courts Get This Have According

*The Iranian courts--get this--have according to some sources sentenced two pollsters to 7-8 years in prison because their poll showed that a majority of Iranians favors a dialogue with the United States.…

Saudi Astronaut Sultan B

Saudi astronaut Sultan b. Salman b. Abdul-Aziz, the first Arab Muslim in space, said that the accident in which the shuttle Columbia was destroyed was regrettable, as is any incident in which…

Asharq Al Awsat Reports That In Private

*Asharq al-Awsat reports that in private, many Iraqi embassy staff abroad have begun thinking about a post-Saddam Iraq and what it will mean for their lives. They deny this concern is selfish,…