Daily Summary - Wednesday, December 7, 2005

[Airbornelawyer]

A somewhat truncated summary, while my various deals percolate. We are trying to close about 7 transactions by the end of the year.

Iraq: Security incidents in Iraq, Dec 7 (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LON737829.htm) (Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Iraq: Ongoing operations (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/releases.htm) – Miscellaneous releases from Multi-National Force Iraq (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/).
Middle East/South Asia: Ongoing operations (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/releases.htm) – Miscellaneous releases from U.S. Central Command (http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/release_list.asp).
Middle East: Qaeda will find oil targets tough to hit-analysts (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07695002.htm) "Al Qaeda will find it hard to deal a deadly blow to heavily-fortified oil facilities in Gulf states that supply a fifth of global energy needs, security experts and analysts said on Wednesday.…" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Sri Lanka: Security Situation Report (http://www.army.lk/news/index.html). (Sri Lanka Army (http://www.army.lk))
South Asia: South Asia Terrorism Update (http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=12/07/2005) (South Asia Terrorism Portal (http://www.satp.org))
Afghanistan: U.S. says 22 Taliban killed in Afghanistan (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/ISL292289.htm) "Twenty-two Taliban guerrillas have been killed in two clashes with U.S. and local troops in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. Thirteen militants were killed in an operation at the weekend in the southern province of Kandahar, it said in a statement. Three American, three Afghan and two other soldiers from the U.S.-led foreign force were wounded in the attack aimed at a cell responsible for carrying out attacks with improvised explosive devices, the statement said. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Pakistan: Pakistani militants clash with bandits, 15 dead (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP298040.htm) "Islamic militants in Pakistan strung up bodies of bandits and displayed the head of one on a pole on Wednesday after clashes in a troubled region bordering Afghanistan in which 15 people were killed. The bloodshed began on Tuesday when militants attacked bandits extorting money on a road near Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan region, said a government official in the northwestern city of Peshawar, who declined to be identified. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Afghanistan/Europe: European Security Group approves Afghan deployment (http://www.eucom.mil/english/FullStory.asp?art=783) "A regional European security organization agreed Dec. 6 to deploy its forces to Afghanistan for a six-month peacekeeping mission, according to a statement released by the group. ... NATO had asked SEDM if it would provide troops to assume the mission as the headquarters of the Kabul Multinational Brigade of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The brigade is now slated to begin a six-month tour in Afghanistan in February. Earlier in the day, Ukraine was formally admitted into SEDM, joining Italy, Greece, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Slovenia and Croatia. The United States helped develop SEDM, established in 1996, to promote peace and stability and enhance regional security cooperation in southeastern Europe. Some SEDM members, like Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, as well as the United States, also are NATO members. …" (U.S. European Command (http://www.eucom.mil/))
The Philippines: U.S. to reopen Manila embassy after bomb threat (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN251730.htm) "The U.S. embassy in Manila will resume public services on Thursday, two days after closing its doors due to a bomb threat, with Philippine officials pointing to communist rebels as the main suspects in the security scare. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Indonesia: Indonesia police boost security for holiday season (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK292769.htm) "Indonesian police are boosting security in the capital ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve to avoid a repeat of past terrorist attacks during the holiday season, Jakarta's police chief said on Wednesday. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Ethiopia-Eritrea: Eritrea threatens to expel some members of UNMEE (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/aa2bba1ae408f43cd7ed9e3ad28d4934.htm) "United Nations officials say Eritrea is expelling United States, European and Russian staff working for the UN's peacekeeping mission which monitors the increasingly tense border between Eritrea and Ethiopia.…" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
The Americas: USSOUTHCOM Headline News (http://www.southcom.mil/pa/News/AOR%20News/Today's%20News.doc) (Microsoft Word format)
Colombia: Tres terroristas de las Farc abatidos por el Ejercito en Antioquia (http://www.ejercito.mil.co/?idcategoria=89535&PHPSESSID=7ffe6dd10cae8e55260450f6ce1048da) "En reacción al secuestro que se presento en Angostura tropas de la Cuarta Brigada entraron en combate con las Farc donde fue abatido en terrorista, dos más murieron en operaciones militares adelantadas por soldados para brindar seguridad ciudadana en Antioquia. …" (Ejército Nacional de Colombia (http://www.ejercito.mil.co))
Colombia: Presidente de Colombia ascenderá a once altos oficiales del Ejército (http://www.ejercito.mil.co/?idcategoria=89533&PHPSESSID=7ffe6dd10cae8e55260450f6ce1048da) "En la mañana de hoy el señor presidente de la República ascenderá a los grados de General, Mayor General y Brigadier General a once oficiales del Ejército de Colombia, ..." (Ejército Nacional de Colombia (http://www.ejercito.mil.co))
Ecuador: Ministro de Defensa Oficializó Adquisición de Lanchas Guardacostas (http://www.portal.fuerzasarmadasecuador.org/espanol/mostrarcontenido.php?id=185&contenidoid=1156) "El Ministro de Defensa Nacional, General (r) Oswaldo Jarrín, oficializó la adquisición de tres lanchas guardacostas a España. La ceremonia de bendición de las lanchas se cumplirá en Bilbao. ..." (Fuerzas Armadas Ecuatoriana (http://www.fuerzasarmadasecuador.org/))
Mexico: La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional Continúa Obteniendo Satisfactorios Resultados en el Combate el Narcotráfico (http://www.sedena.gob.mx/comunicados/2005/dic/c3082005.html) "En esta ocasión aseguró y destruyó más de 12 toneladas de mariguana y se erradicaron 143 hectáreas 3,948 metros cuadrados de sembradíos de enervantes; asimismo, se pusieron a disposición de las autoridades correspondientes a 20 civiles nacionales y un extranjero. ..." (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (http://www.sedena.gob.mx/))

[Airbornelawyer]

From the RFE/RL Newsline (http://www.rferl.org/newsline/):

Russia
FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS MOSCOW CLOSELY WATCHES REPOSITIONING OF U.S. FORCES IN EUROPE
Sergei Lavrov said on 7 December that Russia is paying close attention to the repositioning of American military forces in Europe following an agreement to base U.S. troops in Romania, Interfax reported the same day. "We are closely following the changes taking place with the American military presence in Europe," Lavrov told a news conference in Brussels, where he is on an official visit. "It is important to have a clear idea about the objectives of the changes, it is important to know how they conform with the restrictions coordinated in the adapted CFE treaty," he said, referring to the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty. The United States and Romania signed a deal on bases on 6 December during a visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, international news agencies reported the same day.
DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA WILL COMPLETE MISSILE DEAL WITH IRAN DESPITE OBJECTIONS
Sergei Ivanov said on 7 December that Moscow will follow through with its deal to supply Iran with anti-aircraft missiles despite objections from the United States and Israel, Interfax reported. "Whether someone likes it or not, the contract will be carried out in accordance with all international rules," Ivanov said. On 5 December, Ivanov confirmed press reports that Russia and Iran have signed a deal in which Moscow will supply Tehran with TOR-M1 antiaircraft missiles. Also on 7 December, Ivanov said Moscow will offer a more detailed reaction to the base deal with Romania when it learns more details, Interfax reported the same day. "We are aware of such plans. The American government has informed us. But we still do not know how many bases may be established and the number of units they may house. We will probably give our response after these aspects are clarified," Ivanov said.
ACTING CHECHEN PREMIER CALLS FOR REVERTING TO 'OLD' BORDERS
First Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, who is serving as prime minister while Sergei Abramov recuperates from an automobile accident, said on 5 December that Chechnya's newly elected parliament should address as a priority the question of restoring Chechnya's earlier borders to incorporate territory it has lost, "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 6 December. He did not specify precisely which regions he has in mind, but said a solution to the problem has been delayed for the past 15 years. The Aukh district in the east of the Checheno-Ingush ASSR was transferred to Daghestan in the wake of the deportation of the Chechen people to Central Asia in 1944. The current border between Chechnya and Ingushetia was formalized by the two republics' presidents when the Checheno-Ingush ASSR split in the summer of 1992, leaving the districts of Sunzha and Malgobek, which belonged to Chechnya before the merger of the Chechen and Ingush autonomous oblasts in 1934, as part of Ingushetia. Pro-Kremlin Chechen administration head Alu Alkhanov requested Moscow's help six months ago in expediting a formal delimitation of the Chechen-Ingush border that would restore Sunzha and Malgobek to Chechnya. Ingush opposition leader Musa Ozdoev was quoted by regnum.ru on 6 December as characterizing Kadyrov's statement as "an alarming sign" that "will not lead to anything good."

Southeastern Europe
RUSSIA BLOCKS FINAL OSCE DECLARATION IN SLOVENIAN CAPITAL
The 13th conference of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) foreign ministers ended in Ljubljana on 6 December without a formal declaration, primarily because of Russian objections to a statement in the draft calling on it to pull its troops out of Moldova's breakaway province of Transdniester, RFE/RL reported. The 1999 OSCE Istanbul summit hailed a previous Russian pledge to withdraw those forces, but Russia has not done so. U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters in Ljubljana that Washington regrets "the continued lack of movement in 2005 on the withdrawal of Russian military forces from Moldova, and we call upon the Russian Federation to use its vast influence in the region to resume and complete that important work. This would also send an important signal to the separatist regime in Tiraspol that a status quo which they may find convenient will not last forever." Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the outgoing OSCE chairman in office, said that "it is unfortunate that after six years we are still debating the 1999 Istanbul commitments on the withdrawal of Russian forces from Moldova." He also stressed the importance of a continuing OSCE role in Serbia and elsewhere in the western Balkans.

Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
AL-ZARQAWI CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR BOMBING OF IRAQI POLICE ACADEMY
Jordanian terrorist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility for the 6 December bombing of the Baghdad Police Academy in a same-day statement posted to the Internet. The attack left more than 40 dead and 67 wounded. The statement claimed that two men, not two women, were responsible for the attack. "Two noble brothers of the Al-Bara' Ibn Malik Brigades [targeted] the police academy, which still graduates dogs that bite Muslims [an insulting reference to Iraq's Shi'a] and attack and violate the honor of the Sunni people," the statement said. It further claimed that the bombers targeted members of the Shi'ite Badr Organization "who have prepared to torture the Sunni people in the perimeter of Baghdad." Many former members of the Badr Corps militia have joined the ranks of security forces.
U.K. AMBASSADOR SAYS GOVERNMENT WILL LISTEN TO IRAQI CAPTORS
William Patey, reiterating an earlier statement by U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, said on 6 December that the British government is ready to talk to the abductors of four hostages held captive in Iraq, international media reported. Speaking at a press briefing in Baghdad, Patey said: "I think that our position is clear and firm in this regard. We are ready to talk to the abductors. But this does not mean that we are ready to make significant concessions or pay a ransom." The Brigades of the Swords of Right issued a statement on 2 December saying the group will kill the hostages on 8 December unless all prisoners held in the Interior Ministry and "occupation" prisons are freed. Meanwhile, AP obtained a videotape showing two of the four kidnap victims on 6 December. The tape shows one hostage, Norman Kember, calling on U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair to withdraw British forces from Iraq.
KURDISH PARTY'S OFFICE ATTACKED IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Four people were killed in Dahuk on 6 December when a "mob of youths" attacked the Kurdistan Islamic Union's office in the city, Reuters reported on 7 December. A senior party member was among those killed. An unidentified senior official told the news agency that angry youths threw stones and set fire to party buildings in six towns, including Irbil and Zakho. Ten people were reportedly injured in the attacks. Reuters reported that youths stood on the roof of a building in Dahuk holding flags of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Kurdish President Mas'ud Barzani condemned the attack, saying: "Everyone and all political parties are free in Kurdistan. No one should restrict the political activities of parties as long as they are free," Kurdistan Satellite Television reported on 6 December. The Kurdistan Islamic Union pulled out of the Kurdistan Coalition last month, choosing to run its own list in the 15 December elections. The union criticized the dominance of the two leading Kurdish parties over political life in Kurdistan and corruption in the Kurdistan Regional Government.
GUNMEN ATTACK HOSPITAL IN IRAQ TO FREE DETAINEE
Some 20 gunmen stormed a hospital in Kirkuk on 7 December to free a wounded man who was detained for his alleged involvement in planning the assassination of Iraqi Special Tribunal Judge Ra'id al-Juhi. Three policemen were killed and six others wounded in the attack, Al-Sharqiyah television reported, citing hospital security chief Captain Salam Abd al-Qadir. An unidentified doctor at the hospital said the gunman was receiving treatment in a guarded room on the second floor of the building for wounds sustained during his arrest.
IRAQI INTERIOR MINISTER ASKS U.A.E. TO HAND OVER SUSPECTS
Interior Minister Bayan Jabr has asked his United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) counterpart Sayf bin Zayid al-Nuhayan to hand over 42 people suspected of committing crimes against Iraq, Al-Sharqiyah television reported on 7 December. No former Hussein regime members are on the list, the news channel reported, without providing any further details. During a press conference in Abu Dhabi, Jabr also reportedly criticized the German government's commitment to training Iraqi troops. He told the German ambassador there that Iraq is not satisfied with the level of training Germany is offering the Iraqi police, adding that the Germans are not serious about their commitment. Germany refused to join an EU-sponsored training program for Iraqi security forces inside Iraq, and instead said it would set up its own training programs in the U.A.E.