Atlas Jewellery Storms the Muscat Gold Market - Watch this space for a special report.
- Atlas Golden Drive 2002 Muscat Prize -a Mazda Car - goes to 13 year old Indian Girl
- Cyriac Varghese M.B.A., Administration Manager, Atlas Jewellery LLC demonstrates the winning coupon emerged from the first raffle draw held in Muscat on 9th November 2002 as part of the 24 Mazda car promotion scheme covering various Gulf countries. Ajina Hakki, a Malayali girl hailing from Thiruvananthapuram is the lucky winner of the first Mazda car (Coupon Number 8583). The winner is a student of Indian School Darsait.
- The raffle draw was held in the presence of Ali Mubarak Al Arimi representative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Ali Al Mujaini, Personal and Public Relations Manager, Amran Establishment and Atlas Oman Operations Manager Shashi Manjathat at the Atlas Showroom located near the Royal Oman Police Station, Ruwi in the presence of a large crowd of customers. Atlas Jewellery, the largest 22 carat gold jewellery chain in the Gulf with several outlets in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, is planning to storm the Omani gold market with more surprises. Already the company has given away 13 Mazda Cars in various Gulf countries. The next winner from Muscat will be selected on December 10, during the Christmas season - keralamonitor.com
- Headlines The Washington Post and the Killings in Yemen "Liberal" Press Extols CIA's Murder Inc. Change of British travel advise for the Gulf Region -Saddam faces the Choice of a his Lifetime, says British Foreign Secretary - Armed Saudi Citizen who Stormed the Central Bank building shot dead -Abu Dhabi to get Dedicated LG IT products Store -BSA Welcomes Bahraini Addition To Its Family- Oil Company's Ramadan gesture to customers
Dubai Robotics Roundtable From right to left: Mr. Mohammad Zameer, General Manager, Al-Rostamani Communications, and Mr. Yusuf Syed, Regional sales manager for the middle East, U.S.Robotics
New Mobile AMD Athlon™ XP Processor 2200+ delivers true performance for Notebook PC users on the go
Fujitsu Siemens, Epson Direct and Time Computers to unveil notebook PCs powered by new AMD mobile processor.
November 11, 2002, Sunnyvale, CA: AMD today introduced the high-performance mobile AMD Athlon™ XP processor 2200+. Featuring AMD PowerNow!™ technology, the new AMD mobile processor gives business and home consumers a balanced combination of performance and mobility to boost productivity for notebook PC users.Delivering true performance and extended battery life for an enhanced computing experience, the mobile AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ is immediately available in notebook PCs from Fujitsu Siemens Computers in Europe. Epson Direct and Time Computers are expected to offer notebook PCs featuring the mobile AMD Athlon XP processor later this month.
“AMD is relentless in its commitment to deliver what’s right for the customer,” said Ed Ellett, vice president of Client Business for AMD. “The mobile AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ is designed with notebook PC customers in mind to offer high levels of performance and productivity at home, on a flight or a client’s conference room. The new mobile processor also provides choice for customers, delivering an uncompromised notebook platform.”
The mobile AMD Athlon XP processor with 3DNow!™ Professional technology, combined with a notebook featuring DDR memory technology, delivers compelling performance gains on memory-intensive applications such as office productivity, gaming and Internet content creation. With QuantiSpeed™ architecture, the mobile AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ also enables extreme performance for the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system.
“Fujitsu Siemens’ consumer notebook PCs powered by AMD Athlon XP processors continue to showcase leading-edge technology,” said Peter Esser, executive vice president, Volume Products at Fujitsu Siemens Computers. “Mobile AMD Athlon XP processors offer high-performance notebook computing and are consistent with Fujitsu Siemens’ product offerings that provide our customers at work, home or school with the ultimate mobile experience.”
“Combining AMD processor technology with our feature-rich notebooks brings an exciting computing experience to today’s demanding customers,” said Brian Trevaskiss, marketing director for Time Group Ltd., the largest PC builder in the United Kingdom. “With the powerful mobile AMD Athlon XP processors, Time notebook users will get the performance and productivity they need anytime, anywhere.”
Notebook PCs based on the mobile AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ are immediately available in Europe from Fujitsu Siemens Computers in its AMILO A-x600 series. Additional computer manufacturers, including Epson Direct in Japan and Time Computers in the United Kingdom, are expected to feature systems based on the new mobile AMD Athlon XP processor later this month.
In the U.S., systems based on the mobile AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ are immediately available directly from HSN through www.hsn.com. Notebook PCs powered by the new AMD mobile processor also will be available for sale on HSN during live broadcasts scheduled later this month. The new mobile AMD Athlon XP processor 2200+ is priced at $186, in 1,000-unit quantities. The mobile AMD Athlon XP processor features QuantiSpeed architecture, which incorporates a nine-issue, fully pipelined superscalar microarchitecture, a superscalar floating point unit, hardware data pre-fetch, and exclusive and speculative Translation Look-aside Buffers (TLB). Other features of the mobile AMD Athlon XP processor include support for AMD’s 3DNow! Professional instruction set for enhanced multimedia capabilities, and AMD PowerNow! technology for extended battery life.
The mobile AMD Athlon XP processor is compatible with AMD’s Socket A infrastructure, and supports the advanced 200MHz and 266MHz AMD Athlon front-side bus options. Mobile AMD Athlon XP processors are manufactured using AMD’s 0.13 micron copper process technology in Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany.
Iran-India bilateral ties strengthened after Vajpayee visit
KM Correspondent
New Delhi - November 10, 2002 The first Vice President of Iran Mohammad Reza Aref says, political, economic, scientific and cultural ties with India have strengthened after the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee’s visit to Tehran last year. There is vast scope for furthering the mutually beneficial cooperation, said Dr. Aref when the Minister for Human Resource Development and Science and Technology, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi had a meeting with him in Tehran last night. Echoing the sentiments expressed by Dr. Aref, Dr. Joshi said India and Iran were part of the same family and it is important now to forge a multi-dimensional partnership, as this will contribute to further regional peace and progress. This was the first visit to Iran by an Indian Minister incharge of Science and Technology, since 1979.
Earlier, Dr. Joshi visited the Iran Research Organisation for Science and Technology as well as the University at Tehran. The Vice Chancellor of the University, Dr. Reza Faraji-Dana discussed the possibilities of tie-up between Indian and Iranian Universities with Dr. Joshi and was keen on consultancy services in areas such as Distance Education, E-learning, Exchange of students and faculty and Common academic projects on the historical and cultural relations between the two countries. During a visit to the University Library, Dr. Joshi saw some rare manuscripts relating to historical-academic links between India and Iran. Dr. Joshi also paid a visit to the University of Isfahan and saw some historical and cultural places.
A joint statement issued at the end of talks between Dr. Joshi and his Iranian counterpart Dr. Mostafa Moin expressing firm commitment to continue and expand Bilateral Scientific Cooperation, assumes greater significance in the light of a new environment created after Mr. Vajpayee’s visit.
Change of British travel advise for the Gulf Region
London - The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has changed the travel advice for Yemen, to advise against non-essential travel. It has also changed the travel advice for other countries in the Gulf region – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
'Given the heightened tension in the Middle East region and the increased threat from global terrorism, UK nationals in [Bahrain/ Kuwait/Oman/Qatar/Saudi Arabia/United Arab Emirates and Yemen] should be vigilant particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as hotels, restaurants and shopping malls'. Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice is kept under constant review and this change is based on assessment of the latest information available. This advice is in addition to the existing world-wide warning that: 'UK nationals world-wide should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places, including tourist sites. 422,600 infiltrators nabbed. -keralamonitor.com
Saudi Arabian Crackdown on Illegal infiltrators, Pilgrims with fake Visa
RIYADH, 10 November 2002 — Saudi border guards arrested some 422,600 infiltrators, mainly from Yemen, in the year ending August 2002, the force’s director said yesterday. The guards also arrested 3,566 smugglers and confiscated 1,600 kilos (3,520 pounds) of hashish, 451,000 pills and some 13,870 bottles of liquor, Lt.Gen. Talal Angawi told Okaz newspaper. Angawi said border guards also seized 3.38 million kilos (7.4 million pounds) of qat, a narcotic. According to Arab News, majority of the infiltrators are believed to have entered the country’s southwestern provinces from Yemen. Angawi said Saudi Arabia and Yemen have completed 50 percent of border demarcation on the ground.
Similarly, about 656 pilgrims have come to the Kingdom this Umrah season on visas and tickets bought from black markets in their countries, the Saudi newspapers reported. A supervising committee comprising representatives of six government departments disclosed the scandal after investigating pilgrims who have been squatting on the courtyard of the Grand Mosque, reported Arab News.
As per the new Umrah system, agents of Saudi Umrah companies in foreign countries have to arrange Umrah visas to pilgrims free of charge through Saudi missions abroad. According to the Haj Ministry, some 360 foreign agencies have been involved in the visa scandal. The ministry said the foreign agencies sold the visas in violation of the regulations to those who intend to enter the Kingdom to seek employment or engage in illegal activities under the guise of Umrah pilgrims.
The supervising committee, which includes representatives from the governorate, Haj Ministry, Passport Department, police, and anti-beggary agency, inspects the general condition of pilgrims and prevents them from squatting in the mosque’s courtyard.
Omar Maarouf, supervisor of follow-up panels, told Arab News that the pilgrims told the committee that they had purchased the visas and plane tickets from the black market and come to the Kingdom without reaching any agreement with Saudi Umrah companies.
The Haj Ministry has provided accommodation to the stranded pilgrims in a building located in Misfala near the mosque. The committee has instructed the Umrah firms whose names have been mentioned in the visas to provide the pilgrims with accommodation.
The committee is investigating the companies to see the extent of their involvement in the scandal. Maarouf said the cost of accommodation provided to the stranded pilgrims will be deducted from the money deposited by the companies in the bank in favor of the ministry. Umrah service companies are expected to earn a combined revenue of SR7 billion this Hijrah year (which ends on March 3, 2003).
In view of the growing number of Umrah pilgrims, the Haj Ministry expects the revenues from Umrah service to cross SR18 billion within 10 years. The ministry has licensed 229 Saudi Umrah companies to provide various services to pilgrims from the time of their arrival until departure, the Arab News report said.
These companies deal with 3,500 agents in foreign countries in addition to airlines, road transport and shipping companies, hotels and restaurants. The ministry estimated the revenue on the basis of average expenditure by an Umrah pilgrim, who stays for 11 days in the Kingdom. They include transport, accommodation and service charges.
An Umrah pilgrim will spend a maximum of SR4,508, a minimum of SR2,567 and median of SR3,537, the study pointed out. The ministry issued 1.9 million Umrah visas during this Hijrah year until Oct. 18, with Egyptians receiving the lion's share of 37.1 percent, followed by Iran (14.9 percent).keralamonitor.com
Saddam faces the Choice of a his Lifetime
Edited transcript of an interview given by the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw for BCC Radio 4, Sunday 10 November 2002
INTERVIEWER:
You can’t surely believe that Saddam Hussein is going to hold his hands up and say ‘I did have weapons of mass destruction, but now I’ve given them all up’?FOREIGN SECRETARY:
Well that would be a surprise, but what I do believe about Saddam Hussein is this: he is one of the most evil and unpleasant dictators in human history. At the same time I do not believe that he is irrational and he now understands that he faces the choice of his lifetime, literally. If he does comply with this United Nations Security Council resolution 1441, then the prospect and the justification for military action will recede. That’s the choice that the world has put before him with the Security Council resolution. And we’ve already seen some indications that he will meet the first, seven-day deadline, set for his acknowledgment that he accepts the Security Council resolution in principle. There’s a more important deadline on 7 December, the 30-day deadline. Under Operational Paragraph 3 he’s got thirty days in which to produce a complete disclosure of his weapons of mass destruction and the means for producing them. We will know therefore in the next thirty days whether he’s serious about complying.INTERVIEWER:
But how can we ever believe that the weapons’ inspectors under Dr Hans Blix will ever satisfactorily ensure that the conditions set down by the UN are met?FOREIGN SECRETARY:
Well, we will come to make a judgement about that. I understand what you’re saying - how can you prove that there are no weapons of mass destruction in a country the size of Iraq with all the inherent difficulties of inspecting what amounts to hostile terrain. That’s a problem inherent in the nature of weapons inspections, but the previous inspections which took place in the early 1990s did, over time, prove effective as long as the international community were behind the weapons inspectors. It was as a result of the work of the predecessor inspection teams that a huge amount of these weapons were identified and then destroyed. And that process only fell apart when the international community’s resolve started to dissolve.One of the reasons why we worked so hard and so long for a unanimous resolution, including one backed by Syria, the representative of the Arab states on the Security Council, was so that there could be no doubt in Saddam Hussein’s mind about the backing of the international community for this process and the consequences. I do part company with your suggestion that this resolution is open to a series of interpretations. It’s actually very clear. We spent a long time drafting the resolution so that the powers of the inspectors are actually wider and more comprehensive than those of the previous inspection regimes. So I’m optimistic about the process of inspection identifying the WMD holdings, provided there is cooperation within not only the seven days but the 30 days...
INTERVIEWER:
...this question of lack of cooperation, that is what some people say are the hidden triggers inside 1441 that would allow the United States or indeed the West generally to take action against Saddam Hussein. What constitutes lack of cooperation? There’s a disagreement. Dr Hans Blix thinks some forms of obfuscation or prevarication are move venal than others. The United States would seem to think that any sort of lack of cooperation is the trigger.FOREIGN SECRETARY:
No, and the United States, I’m certain, does not think that. Technically what constitutes a further material breach is false statements or omissions in the declarations which will have to be submitted within 30 days, or other failure by Iraq to comply with the terms of the resolution.Now there’s a procedure within the resolution by which these breaches are reported to the Security Council and it’s then for members of the Security Council to make their own assessment. But if there’s a technical breach, a lack of cooperation, Hans Blix’s cars given parking tickets, well of course that’s not going to be a trigger. On the other hand if it becomes clear that the Iraqi authorities are playing games with the inspectors and are trying to cover up holdings of weapons of mass destruction or otherwise failing fully to comply as they have to in a positive way, then that will be a material breach and it will mean that military action will become the only practical alternative.
INTERVIEWER:
Well is that the case? Because again, you deny that this is open to different interpretations, but it’s all couched in this diplomatic language. For example 1441 dropped the term ‘all necessary means’ which, as I understand it, is diplomatic code for war, and replaced it with the threat of ‘very serious consequences’.FOREIGN SECRETARY:
Well I think it’s pretty obvious what ‘serious consequences’ means. Of course there was some negotiation over the text, but the United States and the United Kingdom would not have voted for this text, indeed sponsored the text, had we not been satisfied that it spelt out a very clear set of ultimata to Saddam Hussein, gave the inspectors the best possible powers and also spelt out at the end of the resolution what would happen if Saddam Hussein did not cooperate. It’s all there. It’s very clear and, yes, military action is bound to follow if Saddam Hussein does not cooperate fully with the terms of this resolution.INTERVIEWER:
What happens if all the conditions appear to be met? What’s to stop Saddam Hussein biding his time, starting up his weapons programmes again? There’s a logic in the Washington position - regime change or permanent occupation - as the only guarantees?FOREIGN SECRETARY:
Well there is no time restriction put on the inspection regime, contrary to some misinterpretations of the resolution. If Saddam Hussein complies and he remains in office, it is certainly the case that with his holdings of weapons of mass destruction and his capacity to produce them both removed, then the nature of the regime is changed. In the words of Representative Pete King whom you just interviewed, Saddam Hussein would have been ‘defanged’, which is a rather colourful, but accurate way of putting it.INTERVIEWER:
Will there be a debate in the House of Commons? And if so, what will it be about? Will it be about this United Nations resolution 1441, or will it be about deploying troops?FOREIGN SECRETARY:
I told the House in a statement last Thursday that there would indeed be a debate in the House as soon as possible and that I hoped that it would be on a substantive motion. That remains the position. I can’t say exactly what the terms of the substantive motion will be because we haven’t yet drafted it, but it’ll be essentially to confirm and endorse the terms of the Security Council resolution 1441. And of course the debate will encompass the possibility of military action. That’s what many of the debates have been about up to now and it's quite right that the House of Commons should debate this critical issue and also take a position on it.-keralamonitor.comArmed Saudi Citizen storms Central Bank Building Shot dead
An armed Saudi, who stormed into Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency office here on Thursday, died of bullet wounds following a gun battle with police, according to Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Shahrani, director of police in the Riyadh region. He said Nasser Al-Murqi, 27, the Saudi gunman had injured a guard when he opened fire indiscriminately at the building. “Police opened fire at Murqi when he started firing at them,” he added.
The incident took place about 11 p.m. on Thursday. “During the exchange of fire, the man was injured and was taken to hospital where he died,” Shahrani said. Security authorities are investigating the incident. Police initially negotiated with Murqi, who was demanding an unspecified sum of money and safe passage out of the country, he said. Murqi introduced himself to negotiators as “Caliph Mahdi” before opening fire on the police.
The man first entered the building of the Ministry of Finance and National Economy on King Abdul Aziz Road. “He quickly moved to SAMA’s office on King Faisal Road and continued fire away, injuring a guard. Security officers then cordoned off the building,” the police director said in a statement.
SAMA office in Riyadh receives a large number of people on working days, especially representatives of government departments and banks. It employs about 300 people.
Four arrested: Police in Hafr Al-Baten arrested four persons and confiscated 24 kilo of hashish and several bottles of foreign liquor from them, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily reported. In Yanbu, police arrested two persons involved in stealing iqamas (residence permits) and selling them for SR1,500 per iqama, the paper said. Police are questioning the two expatriates. In Jizan, security officers have held 177 illegal foreign workers for violating iqama and labor regulations.
BSA Welcomes Bahraini Addition To Its Family
From the Left: Mr. Jawad Al Redha, regional director of the BSA and Mr. Bassel M. Al Salah, Chief Operating Office, Erad International
Dubai, United Arab Emirates 10 November 2002? - The Business Software Alliance today announced that Erad International, a Bahraini IT solution provider is the first Bahraini company to join its ranks. Erad International, which specializes in providing value-added services and software solutions for multi-channel delivery and complicated infrastructure integration, in addition to software methodology, project management consultancy, infrastructure and security consultancy, was selected by the BSA for best practice in software copyrights implementation and promotion. This is the latest in a series of similar announcements, where software developers and integrators from the region are joining the Business Software Alliance to voice their opinion against the trade in illegal software and to support governments in their fight against copyright infringement.
"Software copyright implementation is essential to the development of our industry," said Bassel M. Al Salah, Chief Operating Officer, Erad International, "It is the key to a truly healthy environment where we can be confident that our investments are protected and that our rights are looked after by governments. The BSA has played an essential role in advancing the state of the market where intellectual property is concerned and we want to contribute to their efforts in the period to come"
The BSA's new members will participate in the different activities conducted by the Alliance with regional governments, such as training, meetings and seminars. They will also be involved in public awareness campaigns, where their essential task would be to demonstrate to regional audiences that copyright protection primarily benefits local companies and software developers, because it allows them to be profitable, and therefore to employ and train more young people.
"When awareness about copyright was limited, we often faced challenges in proving to users that the software we offer is actually of great value. But today, more than ever, people appreciate the creative thinking, effort and investment that goes into developing or integrating any software solution, and they understand its true value" added Al Salah.
"We are proud to welcome Erad International as our newest regional member," said Jawad Al-Redha, BSA regional director in the Middle East. "regional companies have suffered a lot from the trade in illegal software in the past, and it is only now that awareness has advanced in this domain that their efforts are starting to be emunerated, we hope that this is the dawn of a new, prosperous era for software companies from our region"
Erad International is a Bahraini company established in 1999, specializing in providing IT solutions to the regional market and value-added services for multi-channel delivery and complicated infrastructure integration, in addition to software methodology, project management consultancy, infrastructure and security consultancy. -keralamonitor.com
Abu Dhabi to get Dedicated LG IT products Store
Dubai - November 10, 2002 PC International (PCI), distributor for LG Electronics' I.T. products in the UAE, is set to open a dedicated showroom in Abu Dhabi. The Dhs.3m investment will be the second PC Link Gate store in the Emirates to showcase the global and regional digital leader's I.T. range.
The new store, due to open first quarter 2003, will be on Hamdan Street in the heart of Abu Dhabi's 'computer quarter'. The two-storey outlet will take up a total of 2,400 square feet and comprise a display area, service centre, offices and storeroom.
"PC Link Gate will focus its product range towards the corporate and public sectors of the Abu Dhabi market," said Mohammed Katout, Managing Director, PCI.
"PCI's strategy for Abu Dhabi is to offer full system support when bidding for business. In certain circumstances, this will involve partnering with software specialists to provide synergy to LG's hardware backbone but PCI will be the facilitator for a complete systems solution."
Earlier this year, PCI launched the PC Link Gate branded store concept with an outlet focusing on the retail market, at Computer Plaza in Dubai. "We're expecting PC Link Gate to turn the market on its head in Abu Dhabi by offering a completely new experience in systems support," said Katout. "The success of the Abu Dhabi franchise will also mean a rollout to other Gulf states."
The development swiftly follows LG's recent launch of new monitors at the Middle East's largest IT exhibition. "We launched 17 new monitors at Gitex this year to give LG the broadest product range in the market," said Mr P. C. Choi, Managing Director, LG Electronics Gulf FZE. "LG is continually looking for ways to improve its product range to give customers greater choice, value for money and leading edge designs, and we will continue to introduce products ahead of the technology curve, enhancing our market leading status."
ENOC & EPPCO CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF RAMADAN WITH TRADITIONAL DATES AND WATER IFTAR BREAK
Dubai -10th November, 2002
Dates and water will be served at Iftar at 147 ENOC and EPPCO service stations across Dubai and the Northern Emirates throughout Ramadan. For the first hour of Iftar during the Holy Month, ENOC/EPPCO customer service agents will welcome motorists with Jeema mineral water and fresh dates, courtesy of Federal Foods Company. The company has ordered 400,000 date packs and as many water bottles to ensure nobody drives away empty-handed. "We introduced this custom many years ago as it goes hand-in-hand with the Holy Month's spirit of generosity and caring and our own values of convenience and hospitality," said Hussain Sultan, ENOC Group Chief Executive & Board Member."Most people consider dates as a meal for beginning their Iftar, providing them with energy and nutrition.
The Washington Post and the Killings in Yemen "Liberal" Press Extols CIA's Murder Inc.
Saturday, 9 November 2002by BILL VANN
The CIA assassination of six men in Yemen, carried out November 3
[2002], has drawn widespread praise from the U.S. news media. The
strike, by a missile fired from an unmanned Predator drone, was
hailed by most media outlets as "payback" for anti-American
terrorism. Among the most significant comments was a November 6
editorial published by The Washington Post, responding to criticism
of the attack in the Arab world and elsewhere."Bush administration officials described the missile strike on a car
carrying six Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen on Sunday as a battlefield
operation in the war on terrorism, even though it occurred far from
Afghanistan and in a country where no conventional military conflict
is under way," the editorial began. "Other observers called it a
targeted assassination, or even an extrajudicial killing--terms
usually reserved for violations of human rights or international law.
Such condemnation is not justified."With this bald declaration, the Post forfeits any lingering claim to
uphold basic democratic and human rights, and casts its lot wholly
and completely with the exponents of imperialist war and neocolonial
conquest in the Bush administration. It is a devastating self-
indictment that underscores the degradation of American liberalism.Why is condemnation of the CIA's assassination of six men
unwarranted? The Post asserts that those killed were not "political
or criminal figures, but trained combatants of an organization that
has declared war against the United States."The newspaper does not attempt to buttress its case by citing
international treaties or human rights agreements that make it
acceptable for one country to covertly enter the territory of another
and kill its citizens when no state of war exists between them. Of
course, no such documents exist.On the contrary, there are clear and internationally recognized
statutes that make the CIA's action a war crime. If Washington
launched the attack without Yemen's permission--the Yemeni regime has
remained silent on this question--then it is an unauthorized use of
force and a gross violation of Yemeni sovereignty. If the government
of Yemen collaborated in the operation, then both governments are
guilty of a summary execution, precisely the kind of extra-judicial
killings that are barred by human rights conventions.The Post does not bother to provide any facts to substantiate its
position. It merely cites unnamed U.S. government sources speaking
after the CIA has already acted as judge, jury and executioner. World
public opinion is expected to accept on face value the U.S. claim
that those killed were guilty as charged.Only one of the dead men--Qaed Sinan Harithi--has been identified.
U.S. sources claim he is "suspected" of involvement in the 2000
attack on the U.S. destroyer Cole, which claimed the lives of 17
American sailors.According to media reports, one of those killed was an American
citizen. Thus the American government, with the support of the
supposedly liberal press, claims the right to assassinate its own
citizens. All it has to do is brand a targeted victim as a terrorist.How does the public know these men deserved to die? The executioner
says so. The same method applied domestically would eliminate any
need for courts, judges, juries, prosecutors and defense lawyers.
Police could merely identify "suspected" criminals and send out death
squads to eliminate them.The words chosen by the Post editorialists are significant. Because
the six were "combatants," it was not a crime to kill them. "Enemy
combatant" is the term of art devised by the Bush administration's
Justice Department to define those U.S. citizens who are deemed
terrorists based on the unchallengeable say-so of the President. Once
so designated, they are denied the right to hearings, trials, or
legal counsel. They can be held incommunicado indefinitely without a
shred of evidence presented against them.The same political interests and dictatorial methods that have ripped
up democratic rights at home have led, on the world arena, to the
CIA's open return to the methods of Murder Incorporated.The Bush administration made no attempt to hide its responsibility
for the assassinations. On the eve of the midterm elections, White
House officials boasted that the action was carried out under an
edict issued by Bush last year loosening restrictions on CIA
participation in assassinations. Clearly, the administration felt
that news of the bloodletting would "energize" the Republican Party's
right-wing base.The professed job of the media, however, is to remain skeptical and
demand evidence, rather than act as cheerleaders for government
killings and covert operations. The Post --like the media as a whole--
has abandoned that role, acting more and more as a semi-official
propaganda arm of U.S. imperialism.For a quarter of a century, the stated policy of the U.S. government
was to ban the participation of its intelligence agency in such
killings. A presidential order barring the practice followed the
revelations in 1975 of CIA plots to assassinate foreign leaders, from
Cuba's Fidel Castro to Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba
and Chile's President, Salvador Allende.The reason for the official ban on CIA assassinations was self-
interest. More astute members of the U.S. establishment recognized
that assassination was an act of terrorism that discredited
Washington throughout the world. At the same time, they knew that
carrying out such actions only legitimized terrorist actions against
the U.S. itself.The Post glosses over such concerns, insisting that the attack on the
alleged Al Qaeda members in Yemen is unique. It argues that the
presence of the men in Yemen made any attempt to capture them
impossible.Yet this was not the first time that the CIA has used missile-armed
drones to deadly effect, and it certainly will not be the last. The
new policy of assassination is far more wide-ranging than the Post
cares to admit.In Afghanistan, similar devices were used in unsuccessful
assassination attempts against the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, and
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan Prime Minister and head of the
Islamic fundamentalist Hezb-e-Islami. Neither of the two have been
directly implicated in September 11 or any other act of terrorism
against the U.S. In fact, both men had in the past carried out
extensive dealings with Washington. In both cases, the only ones
killed were innocent bystanders.In another incident, the U.S. reported that it had tracked down a
group of "terrorists" and killed them with a Hellfire missile fired
from one of the CIA drones. It later emerged, however, that those who
died were impoverished Afghan villagers, killed while trying to eke
out a living by collecting scrap metal.In addition to the CIA, the Pentagon has its own fleet of missile-
carrying drones, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has made it
known that he intends to carry out his own death squad operations.The chief concern of the Post's editorialists is that other nations
might use the U.S. action to justify their own assassinations: "If
the United States can fire a missile at an Al Qaeda leader in Yemen,
some ask, shouldn't Israel aim one at Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, or
Russia target exiled Chechen leaders in Turkey and Azerbaijan?" The
newspaper gently chides the Bush administration for failing to spell
out the "fundamental" differences between when Washington kills and
when anyone else does. It makes no attempt to accomplish this feat on
its own.In point of fact, the attack in Yemen underscores American support
for "targeted" assassinations carried out by the Israeli regime,
which has murdered scores of Palestinian leaders, together with
family members and civilians caught in the missile blasts. As for the
Russians, the U.S. gave its tacit support to the recent operation in
Moscow in which defenseless and drugged hostage takers were
systematically executed by special forces troops.The Post's sophistry cannot conceal a basic fact: it agrees that
Washington has the right to do whatever it pleases anywhere in the
world. International law is something that applies only to lesser
countries, not the world's "sole super power."Enthusiastically calling the killings in Yemen a "clean shot," the
Post concludes: "The success of Sunday's operation, which seems to
have eliminated one senior Al Qaeda figure and avoided innocent
casualties, is therefore cheering."Thus, the editors of one of the most influential newspapers in the
country adopt not only the outlook, but also the language of the hit-
man. This type of journalistic vomit is the expression of a deluded
ruling elite that has embarked on a policy of international
criminality--one that holds grave dangers for the people of the U.S.
and the entire globe.The policy of state assassinations carries with it an immense
potential for catastrophe. Israeli use of the same methods against
Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza provoked a wave of
suicide bombings that have claimed hundreds of lives. Will the result
of the U.S. Hellfire attacks be any different?The CIA's drones allow the agency's assassins to kill from hundreds
of miles away with the stroke of a computer key and without fear of
retribution. Those most likely to pay the price for this reckless and
criminal policy, however, will be innocent American civilians. They
will be the ones targeted by enraged and misguided people who will be
recruited for terrorist attacks, carried out in the name of avenging
Washington's acts of murder.
