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Israel warns Iran, Hezbollah not to test it

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Nevermind, I thought Israel was the one saying that Saddam met Osama.
No it was Parisoula Lampsos, woman who claims that she was Saddams mistress:

parisoulalampsos.jpg
 
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I can't believe that American went to war on this kind of intelligence...

Crying shame.

Not sure if you saw this, but supposedly this was the main source,


Curveball could face jail for warmongering, says German MP

Life and times of Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, AKA Curveball. Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi's testimony was one of the key planks of the argument for the ousting of Saddam Hussein. Roll over the blue markers on the timeline below to follow the events that led to conflict ...


Curveball-the-Iraqi-agent-007.jpg




A German politician has warned that the CIA informant Curveball could go to jail after telling the Guardian that he lied about Saddam Hussein's bioweapons capability in order to "liberate" Iraq.

Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, who was given the name Curveball by his US and German handlers, told the German secret service that Iraq had a secret biological weapons programme.

The 43-year-old defector's evidence was then passed to the CIA and became the primary source used by the US to justify invading Iraq.

Politicians in Iraq called for Curveball's permanent exile following his admission and poured scorn on his claim to want to return to his motherland and build a political party. "He is a liar, he will not serve his country," said one Iraqi MP.

In his adopted home of Germany, MPs are demanding to know why the German secret service paid Curveball £2,500 a month for at least five years after they knew he had lied.

Hans-Christian Ströbele, a Green MP, said Janabi had arguably violated a German law which makes warmongering illegal. He added that Gerhard Schröder, German chancellor around the time of the second Iraq war, should also reveal what he knew about the quality of evidence Curveball gave to Germany's secret service, the BND.

Under German constitutional law, it is a criminal offence to do anything "with the intent to disturb the peaceful relations between nations, especially anything that leads to an aggressive war", said Ströbele. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment, he said, adding that he did not expect it would ever come to that.

The MP said he would table a question to the Bundestag demanding to know whether the German secret service knew that Curveball was lying before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Schröder famously refused to join the "coalition of the willing" who took part in the second Iraq war.

Curveball told the Guardian he was pleased to have finally told the truth but that he was scared of the consequences. He said he had given the Guardian's phone number to his wife and brother in Sweden "just in case something happens to me".

In the US, questions are being asked of the CIA's handling of Curveball and specifically why the then head of the intelligence agency, George Tenet, did not pass on German warnings about Curveball's reliability.

Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to the US secretary of state Colin Powell in the build-up to the invasion, said Curveball's lies raised questions about how the CIA had briefed Powell ahead of his crucial speech to the UN security council, where he presented the case for war.

Tyler Drumheller, head of the CIA's Europe division in the run-up to the 2003 invasion, said he welcomed Curveball's confession because he had always warned Tenet that Curveball may have been a fabricator. But the harshest criticism came from Iraq.

Jamal al-Battikh, the country's minister for tribes' affairs, said: "Honestly, this man led Iraq to a catastrophe and a disaster. Iraqis paid a heavy price for his lies – the invasion of 2003 destroyed Iraqi basic infrastructure and after eight years we cannot fix electricity. Plus thousands of Iraqis have died. This man is not welcome back. In fact, Iraqis should complain against him and sue him for his lies."

Others poured scorn on Curveball's plan to return to Iraq and enter politics.

Intefadh Qanber, spokesman for the Iraqi National Congress (INC), led by Ahmed Chalabi, said: "He is a liar, he will not serve his country. He fabricated the story about WMD and that story gave the USA a suitable pretext to lead the 2003 invasion, which hurt Iraq. For most Iraqis, it was obvious that Saddam was a dictator, but they wanted to see him ousted on the basis of his crimes against human rights, not a fabricated story about weapons of mass destruction."

In the US, a pressure group representing veterans of the Iraq war demanded the justice department open an investigation into the INC's relationship to Curveball.

Chalabi, who was very close to the former US vice-president Dick Cheney in the decade leading up to the 2003 invasion, has often been accused of being the man behind Curveball. It has long been known that Chalabi provided the CIA with three other sources who lied about Saddam's WMD capability. But when asked by the Guardian, Janabi and Chalabi denied knowing each other.


link:

Curveball could face jail for warmongering, says German MP | World news | The Guardian
 
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Egypt says Iran ships can use Suez Canal: source
Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:26am GMT

Egypt says Iran ships can use Suez Canal: source | Top News | Reuters

By Marwa Awad

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has approved the passage of two Iranian navy ships through the Suez Canal, an army source said, a move that could annoy Israel, whose foreign minister has called Iran's actions a provocation.

"Egypt has agreed to the passage of two Iranian ships through the Suez Canal," the army source told Reuters.

State television and Egypt's official news agency subsequently reported the news, without giving sources.

Iran's request was an early diplomatic test for Egypt's interim military government, which has close ties to the United States and has been ruling since February 11 when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in the face of a popular revolt.

Egypt's Western allies are watching for hints of any shift in policy towards its Middle East neighbours, especially Israel with which it has a peace treaty.

The two ships would be the first Iranian military vessels to transit the canal since Iran's 1979 revolution.

To navigate the strategic waterway, naval vessels need the approval of Egypt's foreign and defence ministries.

It was not clear when the ships would enter the canal. They were not on the list of vessels scheduled to sail through on Saturday, a Suez Canal Authority official said.
 
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Egypt opens Gaza border crossing -- one way

(AFP) – 17 hours ago

RAFAH, Palestinian Territories — Egypt on Friday reopened its Rafah border crossing to Gaza, shut since anti-regime protests erupted on January 25, but only to allow Palestinians to enter the enclave.

One of the first to cross was Ramdan Abu Ghazal, 42, who had been visiting relatives in the Sinai town of El-Arish and became stranded by the closure.

"We were scared during the unrest in Egypt," Ghazal told AFP. "I ran to the border as soon as I heard it would be open again."

An Egyptian security official said the crossing would be open only until 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Friday and again on Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

"Palestinians who have been stranded in Egypt will be able to return to Gaza, but those in Gaza will not be allowed to enter Egypt," the official said.

"It will start to open up gradually," he added.

Gaza's Hamas rulers urged the Egyptians to allow traffic in both directions.

"We appeal to the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah crossing in both directions to allow patients to travel for treatment abroad," the Hamas health ministry said.

Ahmed el-Borshe, 28, said he had been in Cairo to get medical care for his two-year-old daughter.

"I came to El-Arish two days ago to wait for the border to open," he said. "It was dangerous in Cairo; I was afraid for my daughter. I'm so happy to get back."

The Rafah crossing, the only entrance into the Gaza Strip that bypasses Israel, has been closed since anti-government protests erupted in Egypt and led to the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak.

Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas official dealing with border crossings said negotiations were in progress to keep Rafah open.

"Consultations with the Egyptian authorities are underway to open the crossing permanently," he told AFP.
 
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I think one of the first moves of a democratic Egypt is going to be radically altering its position via Palestine and Israel.
 
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it's now confirmed, the ships passed through and Israel was just barking like a fool. Weren't these guys saying that they will sink the ships?
what happened?
 
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People on forum saying it should be sunk is not same as the Israeli Army actually being ordered to sink said ships, i hope you are intelligent enough to see the difference.
What happens happens, us talking about it doesn`t change a thing.
And sorry to disappoint, they have not gone through the canal just yet, they are set to arrive monday. And the Egyptian Army hasn`t OKed it yet, though they probably will.
 
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People on forum saying it should be sunk is not same as the Israeli Army actually being ordered to sink said ships, i hope you are intelligent enough to see the difference.
What happens happens, us talking about it doesn`t change a thing.
And sorry to disappoint, they have not gone through the canal just yet, they are set to arrive monday. And the Egyptian Army hasn`t OKed it yet, though they probably will.

Iranian warships pass through Suez Canal - Iran TV
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Two Iranian navy vessels have passed through the Suez Canal and are heading for Syria, Iran's Arabic language state television channel Al Alam reported on Sunday.
"Two Iranian warships have passed through the canal and are heading toward a Syrian port," Al Alam said. Israel has called their passage through the canal "provocative.
"http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110220/wl_nm/us_egypt_iran_canal;_ylt=AjrtD4ZE2nZAhghXIohnGa696Q8F;_ylu=X 3oDMTJwczZrOWJ1BGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTEwMjIwL3VzX2VneXB0X2lyYW5fY 2FuYWwEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX3BhZ2luYXRlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDa XJhbmlhbndhcnNo


keep barking Israel
 
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CAIRO (Reuters) – Two Iranian naval ships are due to sail through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean on Monday, Suez Canal officials said, denying a report from Iran that said the ships had already gone through the waterway.

The vessels, the first Iranian naval ships to sail through the canal since 1979, are due to arrive at the southern entrance to the canal in the Gulf of Suez later on Sunday, the officials said.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran's Arabic language state television channel Al Alam TV reported that the ships had passed through the Suez Canal.

The military, which has been running Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled on February 11, approved Iran's request to send the ships through the canal, an Egyptian army source said on Friday.

The request was a difficult one for Egypt's interim government. Cairo is an ally of the United States and has a peace treaty with Israel, and its relations with Iran have been strained since Iran's 1979 revolution.

The prospect of Iranian warships sailing through the canal into the Mediterranean for the first time since 1979 alarmed Israel whose foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, described it as a provocation.

(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Peter Millership)
 
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CAIRO (Reuters) – Two Iranian naval ships are due to sail through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean on Monday, Suez Canal officials said, denying a report from Iran that said the ships had already gone through the waterway.

The vessels, the first Iranian naval ships to sail through the canal since 1979, are due to arrive at the southern entrance to the canal in the Gulf of Suez later on Sunday, the officials said.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran's Arabic language state television channel Al Alam TV reported that the ships had passed through the Suez Canal.

The military, which has been running Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled on February 11, approved Iran's request to send the ships through the canal, an Egyptian army source said on Friday.

The request was a difficult one for Egypt's interim government. Cairo is an ally of the United States and has a peace treaty with Israel, and its relations with Iran have been strained since Iran's 1979 revolution.

The prospect of Iranian warships sailing through the canal into the Mediterranean for the first time since 1979 alarmed Israel whose foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, described it as a provocation.

(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Peter Millership)

Sending subs to the Persian Gulf isn't a provocation though! Neither is their 200 or so nukes.

lol
gotta love Israeli logic
 
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Egypt says Iran ships can use Suez Canal: source
Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:26am GMT

Egypt says Iran ships can use Suez Canal: source | Top News | Reuters

By Marwa Awad

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has approved the passage of two Iranian navy ships through the Suez Canal, an army source said, a move that could annoy Israel, whose foreign minister has called Iran's actions a provocation.

"Egypt has agreed to the passage of two Iranian ships through the Suez Canal," the army source told Reuters.

State television and Egypt's official news agency subsequently reported the news, without giving sources.

Iran's request was an early diplomatic test for Egypt's interim military government, which has close ties to the United States and has been ruling since February 11 when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in the face of a popular revolt.

Egypt's Western allies are watching for hints of any shift in policy towards its Middle East neighbours, especially Israel with which it has a peace treaty.

The two ships would be the first Iranian military vessels to transit the canal since Iran's 1979 revolution.
To navigate the strategic waterway, naval vessels need the approval of Egypt's foreign and defence ministries.

It was not clear when the ships would enter the canal. They were not on the list of vessels scheduled to sail through on Saturday, a Suez Canal Authority official said.

The time line is very interesting, no Iranian military ship has been allowed transit for 30 years, yet


A senior Iranian naval commander told an Iranian news agency already several days before the Jan. 25 start of the revolt in Egypt that Iran planned to dispatch warships to the Mediterranean, via the Suez Canal. The commander said candidly at the time that the mission was to gather intelligence on the region and train Navy cadets to protect Iranian cargo ships and oil tankers against attacks by Somali pirates.

So no ship has bee allowed through for 30 years but the Iranian navy sets sail before the revolt starts in Egypt. It makes you wonder what Iran knew that made them think two weeks later there would be a regiem that would allow them passage?

The Associated Press: Israel eyes Suez trip of Iran warships with worry
 
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what up jewtopia? you guys gonna take these out or what?

Two Iranian naval ships have entered Egypt's Suez Canal and are heading towards the Mediterranean, a canal official said.


"They entered the canal at 5:45am," the official told Reuters news agency on Tuesday.

AJE - Al Jazeera English
 
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