Martes, Hulyo 26, 2011
15th GSG - RAMADAN PEACE SUMMIT 2011
The Final Schedule of the RAMADAN PEACE SUMMIT dubbed as the 15th GSG - Grand Summit Gathering 2011 will be on August 19, 2011 at 7AM - 1PM. Organizers is still working on the venue..
15th GSG - Grand Summit Gathering in Davao City
MNLF Davao City Info: In behalf of the Founding Leader & Central Committee Chairman H.E. Professor Dr. Nur P. Misuari, all MNLF in Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan and other Islands are enjoined to attend the 15th GSG-Grand Summit Gathering; Theme: Ramadan Peace Summit this forthcoming August 12, 2011 in Davao City at 7:00 AM, venue shall be determine later. Please bring your own prayer carpet and wear clean socks because we will perform our Juma'ah Prayer on the said occassion.
Sabado, Hulyo 23, 2011
NORWAY TERROR
Norway killer is anti-multiculturism
This is an undated image obtained from the Twitter page of Anders Behring Breivik, 32, who was arrested in connection to the twin attacks on a youth camp and a government building in Oslo, Norway. (AP)
Published: Jul 23, 2011 23:14 Updated: Jul 24, 2011 03:05
OSLO: The Norwegian charged with killing at least 92 people in a gun and bomb massacre had belonged to an anti-immigration party and wrote blogs attacking multiculturalism and Islam.Police said Anders Behring Breivik, detained by police after 85 people were gunned down at a youth camp and another 7 killed in a bomb attack on Friday, was unknown to them and his Internet activity traced so far included no calls to violence.
In comments from 2009-2010 to other people's articles on website www.document.no, which calls itself critical of Islam, Breivik criticized European policies of trying to accommodate the cultures of different ethnic groups.
"When did multiculturalism cease to be an ideology designed to deconstruct European culture, traditions, identity and nation-states?" said one of his entries, posted on Feb. 2, 2010.
Another entry dated Feb. 16 last year said: "According to two studies, 13 percent of young British Muslims aged between 15 and 25 support Al-Qaeda ideology."
Breivik wrote he was a backer of the "Vienna School of Thought", which was against multiculturalism and the spread of Islam.
He also wrote he admired Geert Wilders, the populist anti-Islam Dutch politician, for following that school.
Wilders said in a statement on Saturday: "I despise everything he stands for and everything he did."
Nina Hjerpset-Ostlie, a contributing journalist to the website, said she had met Breivik at a meeting in late 2009. He seemed keen to develop the website as a way to counter what he saw as prevailing trends of multiculturalism.
Oslo deputy police chief Roger Andresen would not speculate on the motives for what was believed to be the deadliest attack by a lone gunman anywhere in modern times.
Breivik bought six tons of fertilizer before the massacre, the supplier said Saturday as police investigated witness accounts of a second shooter.
Norway's royal family and prime minister led the nation in mourning, visiting grieving relatives of the scores of youth gunned down at an island retreat, as the shell-shocked Nordic nation was gripped by reports that the gunman may not have acted alone.
The queen and the prime minister hugged when they arrived at the hotel where families are waiting to identify the bodies. Both king and queen shook hands with mourners, while the prime minister, his voice trembling, told reporters of the harrowing stories survivors had recounted to him.
A man who said he was carrying a knife was detained by police officers outside the hotel. He told reporters as he was led away that he was carrying the weapon because he didn't feel safe.
In comments from 2009-2010 to other people's articles on website www.document.no, which calls itself critical of Islam, Breivik criticized European policies of trying to accommodate the cultures of different ethnic groups.
"When did multiculturalism cease to be an ideology designed to deconstruct European culture, traditions, identity and nation-states?" said one of his entries, posted on Feb. 2, 2010.
Another entry dated Feb. 16 last year said: "According to two studies, 13 percent of young British Muslims aged between 15 and 25 support Al-Qaeda ideology."
Breivik wrote he was a backer of the "Vienna School of Thought", which was against multiculturalism and the spread of Islam.
He also wrote he admired Geert Wilders, the populist anti-Islam Dutch politician, for following that school.
Wilders said in a statement on Saturday: "I despise everything he stands for and everything he did."
Nina Hjerpset-Ostlie, a contributing journalist to the website, said she had met Breivik at a meeting in late 2009. He seemed keen to develop the website as a way to counter what he saw as prevailing trends of multiculturalism.
Oslo deputy police chief Roger Andresen would not speculate on the motives for what was believed to be the deadliest attack by a lone gunman anywhere in modern times.
Breivik bought six tons of fertilizer before the massacre, the supplier said Saturday as police investigated witness accounts of a second shooter.
Norway's royal family and prime minister led the nation in mourning, visiting grieving relatives of the scores of youth gunned down at an island retreat, as the shell-shocked Nordic nation was gripped by reports that the gunman may not have acted alone.
The queen and the prime minister hugged when they arrived at the hotel where families are waiting to identify the bodies. Both king and queen shook hands with mourners, while the prime minister, his voice trembling, told reporters of the harrowing stories survivors had recounted to him.
A man who said he was carrying a knife was detained by police officers outside the hotel. He told reporters as he was led away that he was carrying the weapon because he didn't feel safe.
Miyerkules, Hulyo 20, 2011
MNLF has never link to coup attempts...
MNLF has never link to any coup attempts because of its focus to Peace Process and will never jump to another problem. While the OIC is still willing to help the Bangsamoro People, MNLF will remain on its position in dealing with the government for the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement until its success.
Professor Dr. Nur P. Misuari is always on his travel abroad for the lasting PEACE in the Bangsamoro Homeland and has no knowledge of all such allegations.
Professor Dr. Nur P. Misuari is always on his travel abroad for the lasting PEACE in the Bangsamoro Homeland and has no knowledge of all such allegations.
AFP and MNLF?
Anti-Arroyo group tagged in efforts to oust Aquino
A CIVIL-SOCIETY group that campaigned against the Arroyo administration is also behind efforts to oust President Benigno Aquino III, a former military rebel said Tuesday.
Retired Marine Col. Ariel Querubin said it was the Solidarity for Sovereignty group led by Linda Montayre that had invited retired Marine Col. Generoso Mariano to a forum where he was tricked into issuing a statement urging people to “replace the government.”
Video clips of the statement were later posted on the Internet and sent to media organizations.
“The group is identified as disgruntled, and now they’re at it again this early,” Querubin said.
“They were anti-GMA [Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] and now they [want to oust] P-Noy [President Aquino].”
During the Arroyo presidency, Montayre served as the convenor of the Solidarity for Sovereignty, a civil society group that, according to military intelligence reports, had links with disgruntled members of the Armed Forces and even the Moro National Liberation Front.
The group questioned the legitimacy of Mrs. Arroyo’s presidency because of the allegations of election fraud in 2004.
On Monday, Querubin visited Mariano at the Marine Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, where he is confined to quarters pending an investigation.
He said Mariano was outraged on learning that the current administration was linking him to Arroyo.
“I’m alone in this,” he said in a text message sent through Querubin. “God bless us as a people and as a nation.”
The Justice Department on Tuesday said Mariano might be charged with inciting sedition.
“Colonel Mariano’s speech constitutes an overt act, which definitely tends to create sedition,” said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who sent an opinion to the Judge Advocate General’s Office of the Armed Forces.
“It is a contemptuous condemnation and wholesale attack on the present government, calling as it does for its replacement... impliedly through illegal means and therefore patently seditious,” she said.
Last week, before he was confined to quarters, Mariano told the Manila Standard he had been speaking generally and had never referred to the Aquino administration in his speech. With Rey E. Requejo
Coup Syndrome by Amado Doronila_Philippine Daily Inquirer
Military coups have been the sleeping giant of Philippine politics since the restoration of democracy in the 1986 People Power Revolution. It is dangerous to write off as dead the virus of military adventurism after the adoption of the democratic 1987 Constitution. More than 10 coup attempts took place between 1986 and 2006 under three administrations: nine during the term of President Corazon Aquino, once during the administration of President Joseph Estrada (a successful though a soft military-backed coup), and once during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The germ of military adventurism merely remained dormant, and the fact that it chronically flared up for more than two decades to reinfect the political blood stream of Philippine society underscores the fact that it is dangerous to wake up this sleeping giant of putschism in our political system.
This syndrome surfaced on July 3, when Marine Col. Generoso Mariano, a naval reserve deputy commander, appeared on YouTube to speak though a video tape calling on the people to replace President Benigno Aquino III, barely a year after he took office. Mariano said: “If the present administration has no intention or will do nothing to save lives of the majority, it is the duty, it is the right of every Filipino, including soldiers, to replace the government, I repeat, replace the government.”
Mariano did not appear on the Internet in military combat uniform, like his fellow soldiers who launched coup attempts of the past (for example, Lt. Col. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan and his cohorts in RAM during the Cory regime, or Navy Lt. Antonio Trillanes IV in the Oakwood mutiny during the Arroyo administration), but his statements were no less demagogic. They reiterated the assertion of previous military conspiracies that the soldiers were the ultimate saviors of the nation from corruption, incompetence and weakness and the failure of elected civilian leaders to provide strong leadership during times of crises and political instability.
The appearance of Mariano on YouTube was no less conspiratorial than those that surrounded the TV proclamations of previous coups. It is not known who put Mariano on the Internet. In fact, the military and the administration were stunned by it and they did not know how to handle Mariano—whether or not he uttered seditious statements or whether or not to take him seriously—but Mariano was confined to barracks after his appearance and investigated by military authorities. It is not also clear whether he was sacked on the day that he was to retire from the service, which would meant that he left military service in disgrace.
The reaction of the government and of the military to Mariano’s appearance spoke volumes about their confusion and concern that what he did could not be ignored. Trillanes, who is now a senator, said Mariano’s videotaped statement could be taken as a “wake-up call” in the sense that “supporters of former President Arroyo are regrouping.” He noted that “those who lost power want to regain power.”
This is not much of an explanation. Trillanes has been favored by President Aquino’s dispensation by not opposing his assumption of his Senate seat. The only sensible thing he said was that there was nothing new in the grievances aired by Mariano compared with those expressed by the Trillanes coup group when they held hostage the Makati Central Business District by seizing the Oakwood apartments. Trillanes and his cabal had hoped that through the uprising they would spark a street insurrection and bring multitudes and civilians to their aid. These calculations proved wrong and the disheartened rebels lifted the siege after negotiations with military authorities loyal to the Arroyo government. Trillanes and his group did not learn the lesson of the 1989 coup by Honasan and his group who believed that civilians would side with them in overthrowing the Cory government in the manner that the civilian masses rallied behind the rebellion against the Marcos government centered on Camp Crame and on Edsa in 1986.
The wake-up call might have been more relevant in reference to the second Aquino administration, which Mariano implicitly took to task when he said, “Our problem is that the real causes of why we are poor are not being discussed. Why we are not talking about the causes of our country’s problems?” He said he merely suggested that there was a need to implement “real changes in government.” Replacing the government, he said, was not unconstitutional. But when he called on the people to replace government, without explicitly saying through force of arms, it was plain that Mariano engaged in double talk.
The military tried to reassure the public that the coup virus “is no longer in our blood.” AFP spokesperson Commodore Miguel Rodriguez said, “We had so many lessons learned about past coups and we know that this is not the way to do things.” Rodriguez said AFP investigation had not unearthed any link with supporters of Arroyo.
But why should some members of the military take part in an Arroyo-instigated conspiracy? What benefits can they gain from involvement with her? What rewards can she give them for their loyalty to her?
The thing that the Aquino administration should worry about is the political truism that a government falls from its own weight, not from the attacks of the opposition. What in effect was Mariano’s message to the administration is: show results in improving the lives of the poor, and not with slogans or by doing nothing.
Sabado, Hulyo 16, 2011
What is this?
Marine colonel calls for Aquino’s ouster By Katherine Evangelista INQUIRER.net
Colonel Generoso Mariano, deputy commander of the Naval Reserve Command, reads from a prepared statement which calls for the ouster of the Aquino government. Mariano, who will retire this Sunday, is confined to his quarters at the marine headquarters pending a formal investigation. CONTRIBUTED VIDEO
MANILA, Philippines —A marine colonel was restricted to quarters after he called in a video for President Benigno Aquino’s ouster.
Colonel Generoso Mariano, deputy commander of the Naval Reserve Command, will be confined to his quarters at the marine headquarters pending formal investigation, Vice Admiral Alexander Pama said.
In a video sent to members of the media, Mariano said the Aquino government “has no capability to save us from hunger and death.”
“We soldiers also feel the impact of unrelenting rise in prices of commodities, medicines and food,” he said in the 95-second tape.
“If this government has no intention or is not doing anything to save the life of the majority it is the right of every Filipino including soldiers to replace the government. I repeat replace the government,” he said.
“Let us once and for all build a nation based on truth for without it there can be justice, and without justice we shall have no peace and without peace there will be no development,” said Mariano, who is set to retire Sunday when he reaches the military retirement age of 56.
The video dated July 3 shows Mariano reading a statement while seated at a table with a microphone. The clip was sent to journalists and reportedly distributed in military camps.
The shared videos on Facebook come from the account of a group calling itself the “Oust Noynoy Movement!”. Noynoy is Aquino’s nickname.
Pama downplayed the Mariano’s video statement as he put the marine colonel under investigation.
“We will investigate to find out what his motive is,” Pama said, noting that Mariano did not raise issues against the military establishment.
But whether the move “is being orchestrated by somebody else, we do not know,” Pama said.
Vice commandant of the Philippine Marines General Eugenio Clemen has been tasked to head the investigating body, Pama said.
The 120,000-strong Philippine military, which has been battling Muslim and communist insurgencies for decades, has been wracked by restiveness since late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in 1986. More than a dozen coup attempts since then have undermined civilian rule.
Aquino, the son of late democracy icon and former president Corazon Aquino, has kept his approval ratings high — between 60 percent and 70 percent. His landslide election victory last year is credited to his clean image, family legacy and a program to uplift the poor through a vigorous anti-corruption drive in the bureaucracy and greater budget allocations for social services.
Colonel Generoso Mariano, deputy commander of the Naval Reserve Command, reads from a prepared statement which calls for the ouster of the Aquino government. Mariano, who will retire this Sunday, is confined to his quarters at the marine headquarters pending a formal investigation. CONTRIBUTED VIDEO
MANILA, Philippines —A marine colonel was restricted to quarters after he called in a video for President Benigno Aquino’s ouster.
Colonel Generoso Mariano, deputy commander of the Naval Reserve Command, will be confined to his quarters at the marine headquarters pending formal investigation, Vice Admiral Alexander Pama said.
In a video sent to members of the media, Mariano said the Aquino government “has no capability to save us from hunger and death.”
“We soldiers also feel the impact of unrelenting rise in prices of commodities, medicines and food,” he said in the 95-second tape.
“If this government has no intention or is not doing anything to save the life of the majority it is the right of every Filipino including soldiers to replace the government. I repeat replace the government,” he said.
“Let us once and for all build a nation based on truth for without it there can be justice, and without justice we shall have no peace and without peace there will be no development,” said Mariano, who is set to retire Sunday when he reaches the military retirement age of 56.
The video dated July 3 shows Mariano reading a statement while seated at a table with a microphone. The clip was sent to journalists and reportedly distributed in military camps.
The shared videos on Facebook come from the account of a group calling itself the “Oust Noynoy Movement!”. Noynoy is Aquino’s nickname.
Pama downplayed the Mariano’s video statement as he put the marine colonel under investigation.
“We will investigate to find out what his motive is,” Pama said, noting that Mariano did not raise issues against the military establishment.
But whether the move “is being orchestrated by somebody else, we do not know,” Pama said.
Vice commandant of the Philippine Marines General Eugenio Clemen has been tasked to head the investigating body, Pama said.
The 120,000-strong Philippine military, which has been battling Muslim and communist insurgencies for decades, has been wracked by restiveness since late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in 1986. More than a dozen coup attempts since then have undermined civilian rule.
Aquino, the son of late democracy icon and former president Corazon Aquino, has kept his approval ratings high — between 60 percent and 70 percent. His landslide election victory last year is credited to his clean image, family legacy and a program to uplift the poor through a vigorous anti-corruption drive in the bureaucracy and greater budget allocations for social services.
Huwebes, Hulyo 14, 2011
Arab League to sponsor Palestine for UN recognition
RAMALLAH, West Bank: The Arab League will ask the United Nations to upgrade the Palestinians to full member status, a draft statement from a league meeting in Qatar said Thursday.
"It was decided to go to the United Nations to request the recognition of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and to move ahead and request a full membership," said the communique, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.
The statement did not provide a timeline but Palestinian officials have said they want application to be made in time for the UN General Assembly session in September. A Palestinian delegate said the Arab League had appointed a committee to determine dates.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech later on Thursday denounced such unilateral moves. "If they (the Palestinians) really wanted peace they would sit down for negotiations, without preconditions. There is no replacement for negotiations. Unilateral steps will not bring peace closer and will not bring any solution," Netanyahu said.
Full member status would require approval in the Security Council, where Israel's ally the United States has said it will veto any such resolution.
The Palestinians, who currently have UN "observer" status, had previously pledged to seek UN endorsement in September for their claim of sovereignty in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The move has gained momentum with the lack of progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The Arab League formally backed this plan in May.
But in the face of opposition from Israel and a number of world powers which say only negotiations can solve the conflict, the Palestinians had previously signaled they might opt for a more limited upgrade to "nonmember state" status, which requires only General Assembly approval.
Palestinian analyst Talal Okal said the Arab League and Palestinians were aware of the obstacles they faced, including a US veto, but had chosen to push forward because, with peace talks frozen, they saw no other diplomatic solution.
"The Arab consensus means that there is disappointment over the American position, that the negotiations have reached a dead end and that we have entered a stage of political battle," Okal said.
Meanwhile, Israeli jets bombed three sites in Gaza on Wednesday night in response to rocket fire from the coastal strip. Palestinian medical sources said five people were moderately wounded in the strikes and two were reported missing.
Israel said its aircraft targeted tunnels used for smuggling provisions into Gaza and an arms-manufacturing unit. Palestinians said it was a livestock shed that the Israelis bombed not an arms-manufacturing unit.
The statement did not provide a timeline but Palestinian officials have said they want application to be made in time for the UN General Assembly session in September. A Palestinian delegate said the Arab League had appointed a committee to determine dates.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech later on Thursday denounced such unilateral moves. "If they (the Palestinians) really wanted peace they would sit down for negotiations, without preconditions. There is no replacement for negotiations. Unilateral steps will not bring peace closer and will not bring any solution," Netanyahu said.
Full member status would require approval in the Security Council, where Israel's ally the United States has said it will veto any such resolution.
The Palestinians, who currently have UN "observer" status, had previously pledged to seek UN endorsement in September for their claim of sovereignty in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The move has gained momentum with the lack of progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The Arab League formally backed this plan in May.
But in the face of opposition from Israel and a number of world powers which say only negotiations can solve the conflict, the Palestinians had previously signaled they might opt for a more limited upgrade to "nonmember state" status, which requires only General Assembly approval.
Palestinian analyst Talal Okal said the Arab League and Palestinians were aware of the obstacles they faced, including a US veto, but had chosen to push forward because, with peace talks frozen, they saw no other diplomatic solution.
"The Arab consensus means that there is disappointment over the American position, that the negotiations have reached a dead end and that we have entered a stage of political battle," Okal said.
Meanwhile, Israeli jets bombed three sites in Gaza on Wednesday night in response to rocket fire from the coastal strip. Palestinian medical sources said five people were moderately wounded in the strikes and two were reported missing.
Israel said its aircraft targeted tunnels used for smuggling provisions into Gaza and an arms-manufacturing unit. Palestinians said it was a livestock shed that the Israelis bombed not an arms-manufacturing unit.
Miyerkules, Hulyo 13, 2011
FEAR YOUR FRIENDS MORE THAN YOUR ENEMIES
About-face in Libya?
Despite Washington’s commitment to aerial strikes and call on Qaddafi to leave, the alliance may be on its way to adopt a new approach
FRANCE’S latest about-face on Libya proves that sometimes you need to fear your friends more than your enemies! At least this is how the Transitional National Council (TNC) in Benghazi should feel now that Paris, the first capital to recognize the TNC as the legitimate representative of Libyans few months ago, is saying that NATO bombing of Col. Qaddafi’s forces must end and that diplomacy was the only solution.
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet’s statements on Monday signified a major turnaround in his country’s approach to the Libyan revolt which is now into its fifth month. President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain’s David Cameron were the main catalysts behind a Western backed bombing campaign of Libya. They convinced a reluctant President Barack Obama to join them and the military mission was later handed over to NATO.
Longuet’s remarks came as a surprise because they appear to reflect a unilateral stand. Washington was quick to respond by reaffirming its commitment to NATO’s military mission in Libya and reiterating that Qaddafi cannot remain in power. Longuet had said that Qaddafi could remain in Libya “in another room in the palace, with another title.”
A day earlier French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said negotiations would involve the transitional council, but also “all Libyan players” including those in Tripoli. The Libyan opposition has always said that there can be no negotiations with Qaddafi or his sons. And few days ago Seif Al-Islam said that negotiations can never take place with the opposition, adding that talks with France are already under way.
Since April, when French bombers began attacking Libyan targets in a bid to help the opposition fighters who had control of Benghazi and a handful of towns in the east, the political objective of the international community was clear: to protect civilians, under a UN Security Council resolution, and give indirect assistance to the armed uprising as it strove to march on the capital and topple Qaddafi.
The United States and its allies may have miscalculated, believing that sustained aerial strikes and the armed uprising will dethrone a notorious regime within weeks. But Qaddafi has proved tenacious as well as ruthless in his response. His militias, better armed and organized, drove the opposition fighters from key oil installations in the east while heavily bombing Misrata not far from Tripoli. As tribes in the Western Mountain joined the opposition fighters, Qaddafi’s forces shifted their attention from the east. The opposition made slow progress, helped no doubt by NATO strikes, but they were still far from the capital. A military stalemate dominated and even when the West began targeting Qaddafi in Tripoli, the regime remained defiant.
It is not clear yet if Paris is indeed in contact with the Libyan regime. Seif Al-Islam, the trusted and outspoken son, has said that everything is open for discussion, including the drafting of a new constitution, forming of political parties and holding parliamentary elections. But he vowed that his father will never be forced into exile. African and Turkish attempts to mediate between the transitional council and Qaddafi never took off. Summons for the arrest of Qaddafi and his son for human rights violations by the International Criminal Court has complicated the matter even more.
NATO’s military operation is costing the alliance hundreds of millions of dollars each month. And after weeks of bombings no exit strategy is visible. Now Longuet admits that a military solution is not possible and that instead all players must engage in negotiations.
Despite Washington’s commitment to aerial strikes and call on Qaddafi to leave, the alliance may be on its way to adopt a new approach. The opposition leadership cannot but yield in the end. They are in desperate need of money and international support. If the West is fed up and is now pushing for a political settlement, the opposition will have to tag along.
Qaddafi may also find this latest change of heart pleasing. To be allowed to stay in Libya as others engage in negotiations over the future of the country could be the best offer he can expect to get under the circumstances. But a political deal may prove harder to achieve than a military knock out which has escaped NATO and the opposition.
First, a cease-fire must be put in place, ending hostilities and allowing humanitarian aid to flow into the devastated areas. Previous declarations by Qaddafi of truce never materialized. Second, the combatants will have to adopt what Juppe called a road map for a democratic process. And third there is the fate of Qaddafi, now a wanted man, and his close aides.
Engaging parties in a political process that could stretch for years will relieve NATO of its responsibilities and save millions of dollars. But it is not a guarantee that a suitable settlement will be reached. The alternative will be a de facto partition of Libya. Qaddafi and his sons will be spared but the Libyan quest for freedom and democracy will be deferred indefinitely.
Of course the revolution could go on, and it will, but without NATO’s aerial support the situation on the ground will remain deadlocked. It’s not what Libyans and subscribers to the spirit of the Arab Spring had in mind. Victory celebrations will have to be put off!
— Osama Al Sharif is a political commentator based in Amman.
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet’s statements on Monday signified a major turnaround in his country’s approach to the Libyan revolt which is now into its fifth month. President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain’s David Cameron were the main catalysts behind a Western backed bombing campaign of Libya. They convinced a reluctant President Barack Obama to join them and the military mission was later handed over to NATO.
Longuet’s remarks came as a surprise because they appear to reflect a unilateral stand. Washington was quick to respond by reaffirming its commitment to NATO’s military mission in Libya and reiterating that Qaddafi cannot remain in power. Longuet had said that Qaddafi could remain in Libya “in another room in the palace, with another title.”
A day earlier French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said negotiations would involve the transitional council, but also “all Libyan players” including those in Tripoli. The Libyan opposition has always said that there can be no negotiations with Qaddafi or his sons. And few days ago Seif Al-Islam said that negotiations can never take place with the opposition, adding that talks with France are already under way.
Since April, when French bombers began attacking Libyan targets in a bid to help the opposition fighters who had control of Benghazi and a handful of towns in the east, the political objective of the international community was clear: to protect civilians, under a UN Security Council resolution, and give indirect assistance to the armed uprising as it strove to march on the capital and topple Qaddafi.
The United States and its allies may have miscalculated, believing that sustained aerial strikes and the armed uprising will dethrone a notorious regime within weeks. But Qaddafi has proved tenacious as well as ruthless in his response. His militias, better armed and organized, drove the opposition fighters from key oil installations in the east while heavily bombing Misrata not far from Tripoli. As tribes in the Western Mountain joined the opposition fighters, Qaddafi’s forces shifted their attention from the east. The opposition made slow progress, helped no doubt by NATO strikes, but they were still far from the capital. A military stalemate dominated and even when the West began targeting Qaddafi in Tripoli, the regime remained defiant.
It is not clear yet if Paris is indeed in contact with the Libyan regime. Seif Al-Islam, the trusted and outspoken son, has said that everything is open for discussion, including the drafting of a new constitution, forming of political parties and holding parliamentary elections. But he vowed that his father will never be forced into exile. African and Turkish attempts to mediate between the transitional council and Qaddafi never took off. Summons for the arrest of Qaddafi and his son for human rights violations by the International Criminal Court has complicated the matter even more.
NATO’s military operation is costing the alliance hundreds of millions of dollars each month. And after weeks of bombings no exit strategy is visible. Now Longuet admits that a military solution is not possible and that instead all players must engage in negotiations.
Despite Washington’s commitment to aerial strikes and call on Qaddafi to leave, the alliance may be on its way to adopt a new approach. The opposition leadership cannot but yield in the end. They are in desperate need of money and international support. If the West is fed up and is now pushing for a political settlement, the opposition will have to tag along.
Qaddafi may also find this latest change of heart pleasing. To be allowed to stay in Libya as others engage in negotiations over the future of the country could be the best offer he can expect to get under the circumstances. But a political deal may prove harder to achieve than a military knock out which has escaped NATO and the opposition.
First, a cease-fire must be put in place, ending hostilities and allowing humanitarian aid to flow into the devastated areas. Previous declarations by Qaddafi of truce never materialized. Second, the combatants will have to adopt what Juppe called a road map for a democratic process. And third there is the fate of Qaddafi, now a wanted man, and his close aides.
Engaging parties in a political process that could stretch for years will relieve NATO of its responsibilities and save millions of dollars. But it is not a guarantee that a suitable settlement will be reached. The alternative will be a de facto partition of Libya. Qaddafi and his sons will be spared but the Libyan quest for freedom and democracy will be deferred indefinitely.
Of course the revolution could go on, and it will, but without NATO’s aerial support the situation on the ground will remain deadlocked. It’s not what Libyans and subscribers to the spirit of the Arab Spring had in mind. Victory celebrations will have to be put off!
— Osama Al Sharif is a political commentator based in Amman.
Lunes, Hulyo 11, 2011
OIC Secretary General Welcomes the Birth of the Republic of South Sudan
OIC Secretary General Welcomes the Birth of the Republic of South Sudan
Date: 09/07/2011 - View in: Arabic | French -
Print
Date: 09/07/2011 - View in: Arabic | French -
PrintThe Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (formerly Organisation of the Islamic Conference), Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, welcomed today, 9 July 2011, the birth of the Republic of South Sudan in implementation of the results of the referendum on self-determination of South Sudan which took place on 9 January 2011.
The Secretary General commended the Government of Sudan for recognising the new State of South Sudan, stressing the need to maintain peaceful relations between the two States and to consolidate the strong ties between Khartoum and Juba in order to establish peace and support socio-economic development in both countries. He called upon the two States to reach soonest a negotiated settlement of all pending issues within the framework of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The Secretary General commended the Government of Sudan for recognising the new State of South Sudan, stressing the need to maintain peaceful relations between the two States and to consolidate the strong ties between Khartoum and Juba in order to establish peace and support socio-economic development in both countries. He called upon the two States to reach soonest a negotiated settlement of all pending issues within the framework of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Linggo, Hulyo 10, 2011
Portion of the OIC Sec. General's address...
Address Of H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, OIC Secretary General, To The 38Th Session Of The Council Of Foreign Ministers
Date: 30/06/2011 - View in: Arabic | French -Print
Astana, Republic Of Kazakhstan
28-30 June 2011
(26-28 Rajab 1432H)
بسم الله الرØمن الرØيم
Your Excellency
Honorable Ministers,
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am deeply honored to address the opening session of the 38th session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers taking place in this beautiful and modern city of Astana. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the government and people of Kazakhstan on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the independence of Kazakhstan and thank them for the warm welcome and hospitality. With its peacefully active policy on international scene, Kazakhstan was able to maintain its Muslim identity yet remain on track forward modernization. This is yet another sign of Kazakhstan’s preparedness to lead the Ummah in this difficult time of our history. I wish to commend Kazakhstan under the able leadership of H.E President Nursultan Nazarbayev for hosting and successfully organizing this conference.
The OIC has deployed dedicated efforts to set the ground for an eventual and peaceful resolution to the political conflict between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), just as we have strived to build greater momentum to enhance coordination and unity of purpose between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front MILF for the sake of peace and development of the Bangsamoro people.
Date: 30/06/2011 - View in: Arabic | French -
Print28-30 June 2011
(26-28 Rajab 1432H)
بسم الله الرØمن الرØيم
Your Excellency
Honorable Ministers,
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am deeply honored to address the opening session of the 38th session of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers taking place in this beautiful and modern city of Astana. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the government and people of Kazakhstan on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the independence of Kazakhstan and thank them for the warm welcome and hospitality. With its peacefully active policy on international scene, Kazakhstan was able to maintain its Muslim identity yet remain on track forward modernization. This is yet another sign of Kazakhstan’s preparedness to lead the Ummah in this difficult time of our history. I wish to commend Kazakhstan under the able leadership of H.E President Nursultan Nazarbayev for hosting and successfully organizing this conference.
The OIC has deployed dedicated efforts to set the ground for an eventual and peaceful resolution to the political conflict between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), just as we have strived to build greater momentum to enhance coordination and unity of purpose between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front MILF for the sake of peace and development of the Bangsamoro people.
MNLF as OIC Observer
Observers
| | STATES | Date of Joining |
| 1 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1994 |
| 2 | Central African Republic | 1996 |
| 3 | Kingdom of Thailand | 1998 |
| 4 | The Russian Federation | 2005 |
| 5 | Turkish Cypriot State | 1979 |
| | Muslim Communities/Organization | |
| 1 | Moro National Liberation Front | 1977 |
| | Islamic Institutions | |
| 1 | Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUOICM) | 2000 |
| | International Organizations | |
| 1 | United Nations (UN) | 1976 |
| 2 | Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) | 1977 |
| 3 | League of Arab States (LAS) | 1975 |
| 4 | African Union (AU) | 1977 |
| 5 | Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) | 1995 |
South Sudan is the newest nation...How about the Bangsamoro Nation?
South Sudan is the newest nation
1 of 3
Published: Jul 9, 2011 18:00 Updated: Jul 10, 2011 02:18
JUBA: Tens of thousands of South Sudanese danced and cheered as their new country formally declared its independence on Saturday, a hard-won separation from the north that also plunged the fractured region into a new period of uncertainty.The president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, stood next to his old civil war foe the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, who now leads just the north, at a ceremony to mark the birth of the new nation.
Under-developed, oil-producing South Sudan won its independence in a January referendum — the climax of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of fighting with the north.
Security forces at first tried to control the streets in the south’s dusty capital Juba, but retreated as jubilant crowds moved in overnight and through the day, waving flags, dancing and chanting “South Sudan o-yei, freedom o-yei.”
Some revellers fainted in the blistering heat as South Sudan’s parliamentary speaker, James Wani Igga, read out the formal declaration of independence.
“We, the democratically elected representatives of the people ... hereby declare Southern Sudan to be an independent and sovereign state,” said Igga before Sudan’s flag was lowered, the South Sudan flag was raised and the new anthem sung. Kiir took the oath of office.
People threw their hands in the air, embraced and wept. “We got it. We got it,” one man said as he hugged a woman.
The presence of Bashir, who campaigned to keep Africa’s largest state united, was a key gesture of goodwill.
It will also be an embarrassment to some Western diplomats at the event. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of war crimes in Darfur.
Bashir gave a speech congratulating the new country. “The will of the people of the south has to be respected,” he said, ading that both states had to maintain peace.
North Sudan’s government was the first to recognize South Sudan on Friday, hours before the split took place, a move that smoothed the way to the division.
The United States, China and Britain signalled their recognition of the state on Saturday, according to official statements and government media reports.
“After so much struggle by the people of South Sudan, the United States of America welcomes the birth of a new nation,” said US President Barack Obama, stopping short of announcing any immediate changes in longstanding US sanctions on Sudan that Khartoum has been hoping will be lifted.
Dignitaries including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the leaders of about 30 African nations attended.
In a possible sign of the South’s new allegiances, the crowd included about 200 supporters of Darfur rebel leader Abdel Wahed Al-Nur, fighting Khartoum in an eight-year insurgency just over South Sudan’s border in the north.
Earlier, the supporters of Nur’s rebel Sudan Liberation Army faction stood in a line chanting “Welcome, welcome new state,” wearing T-shirts bearing their leader’s image. One carried a banner reading “El Bashir is wanted dead or alive.”
Traditional dance groups drummed and waved shields and staffs in a carnival atmosphere.
The crowd cheered as Kiir unveiled a giant statue of civil war hero John Garang, who signed the peace deal with the north.
Kiir offered an amnesty to armed groups fighting his government and promised to bring peace to troubled border areas.
“I would like to take this opportunity to declare amnesty for all those who have taken up arms against Sudan,” he said.
“I want to assure the people of Abyei, Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan that we have not forgotten you. When you cry, we cry. When you bleed, we bleed. I pledge to you today that we will find a just peace for all,” he said, adding that he would work with Bashir to achieve those goals.
“Today we raise the flag of South Sudan to join the nations of the world. A day of victory and celebration,” Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the South’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), told Reuters.
Seeds of future tension
Khartoum’s recognition of the South did not dispel fears of future tensions.
Northern and southern leaders have still not agreed on a list of issues, most importantly the line of the border, the ownership of the disputed Abyei region and how they will handle oil revenues, the lifeblood of both economies.
At the stroke of midnight the Republic of Sudan lost almost a third of its territory and about three quarters of its oil reserves, which are sited in the south. It faced the future with insurgencies in its Darfur and Southern Kordofan regions.
Sudan now shrinks to being the third largest state in Africa, with about 1.86 million sq km of territory.
In Khartoum on Saturday, one sign of the new national order was the disappearance of some English-language and SPLM-linked newspapers. The north said it suspended them on Friday as they were published or owned by southerners — an ominous signal for more than 1 million southerners left in the north.
Many northerners see the separation as a loss of face.
Analysts have long feared a return to war if north/south disputes are not resolved.
The United Nations Security Council voted on Friday to establish a force of up to 7,000 peacekeepers for South Sudan.
Mostly Muslim Sudan fought rebels in the south, where most follow Christianity and traditional beliefs, for all but a few years from the 1950s in civil wars fueled by ethnicity, religion, oil and ideology.
Under-developed, oil-producing South Sudan won its independence in a January referendum — the climax of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of fighting with the north.
Security forces at first tried to control the streets in the south’s dusty capital Juba, but retreated as jubilant crowds moved in overnight and through the day, waving flags, dancing and chanting “South Sudan o-yei, freedom o-yei.”
Some revellers fainted in the blistering heat as South Sudan’s parliamentary speaker, James Wani Igga, read out the formal declaration of independence.
“We, the democratically elected representatives of the people ... hereby declare Southern Sudan to be an independent and sovereign state,” said Igga before Sudan’s flag was lowered, the South Sudan flag was raised and the new anthem sung. Kiir took the oath of office.
People threw their hands in the air, embraced and wept. “We got it. We got it,” one man said as he hugged a woman.
The presence of Bashir, who campaigned to keep Africa’s largest state united, was a key gesture of goodwill.
It will also be an embarrassment to some Western diplomats at the event. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of war crimes in Darfur.
Bashir gave a speech congratulating the new country. “The will of the people of the south has to be respected,” he said, ading that both states had to maintain peace.
North Sudan’s government was the first to recognize South Sudan on Friday, hours before the split took place, a move that smoothed the way to the division.
The United States, China and Britain signalled their recognition of the state on Saturday, according to official statements and government media reports.
“After so much struggle by the people of South Sudan, the United States of America welcomes the birth of a new nation,” said US President Barack Obama, stopping short of announcing any immediate changes in longstanding US sanctions on Sudan that Khartoum has been hoping will be lifted.
Dignitaries including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the leaders of about 30 African nations attended.
In a possible sign of the South’s new allegiances, the crowd included about 200 supporters of Darfur rebel leader Abdel Wahed Al-Nur, fighting Khartoum in an eight-year insurgency just over South Sudan’s border in the north.
Earlier, the supporters of Nur’s rebel Sudan Liberation Army faction stood in a line chanting “Welcome, welcome new state,” wearing T-shirts bearing their leader’s image. One carried a banner reading “El Bashir is wanted dead or alive.”
Traditional dance groups drummed and waved shields and staffs in a carnival atmosphere.
The crowd cheered as Kiir unveiled a giant statue of civil war hero John Garang, who signed the peace deal with the north.
Kiir offered an amnesty to armed groups fighting his government and promised to bring peace to troubled border areas.
“I would like to take this opportunity to declare amnesty for all those who have taken up arms against Sudan,” he said.
“I want to assure the people of Abyei, Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan that we have not forgotten you. When you cry, we cry. When you bleed, we bleed. I pledge to you today that we will find a just peace for all,” he said, adding that he would work with Bashir to achieve those goals.
“Today we raise the flag of South Sudan to join the nations of the world. A day of victory and celebration,” Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the South’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), told Reuters.
Seeds of future tension
Khartoum’s recognition of the South did not dispel fears of future tensions.
Northern and southern leaders have still not agreed on a list of issues, most importantly the line of the border, the ownership of the disputed Abyei region and how they will handle oil revenues, the lifeblood of both economies.
At the stroke of midnight the Republic of Sudan lost almost a third of its territory and about three quarters of its oil reserves, which are sited in the south. It faced the future with insurgencies in its Darfur and Southern Kordofan regions.
Sudan now shrinks to being the third largest state in Africa, with about 1.86 million sq km of territory.
In Khartoum on Saturday, one sign of the new national order was the disappearance of some English-language and SPLM-linked newspapers. The north said it suspended them on Friday as they were published or owned by southerners — an ominous signal for more than 1 million southerners left in the north.
Many northerners see the separation as a loss of face.
Analysts have long feared a return to war if north/south disputes are not resolved.
The United Nations Security Council voted on Friday to establish a force of up to 7,000 peacekeepers for South Sudan.
Mostly Muslim Sudan fought rebels in the south, where most follow Christianity and traditional beliefs, for all but a few years from the 1950s in civil wars fueled by ethnicity, religion, oil and ideology.
Sabado, Hulyo 9, 2011
RESULT OF THE 38TH SESSION OF ICFM IN KASAKHSTAN
Hindi available ang buod na ito.
Mag-click dito para tingnan ang post.
Biyernes, Hulyo 8, 2011
MNLF Davao City Joins Solidarity Rally
Thousands of supporters of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte joins the Solidarity Rally yesterday at Rizal Park, July 8, 2011 including the MNLF Davao City led by its City State Chairman Abdul Aziz "Monk" Olamit. Vice Mayor Rody Duterte speak with strong words that rocks the crowd.
The elder Duterte said what the mayor did was an act of protecting the rights of the poor as they were threatened by the forces of the state.
He was referring to his daughter's punching of court sheriff Abe Andres last July 1 for hastily implementing a Writ of Demolition at a contested property in Soliman, Agdao district despite the chief executive's appeal for a two-hour delay.
"Kung dili ka kabalo magsulbad ug problema, ayaw na lang pag-mayor (If you don't know how to solve a problem, don't even dare becoming a mayor)," the vice mayor said in defense of his daughter.
He criticized newspaper columnists and news commentators who are accusing the mayor of abuse of authority, and challenged them to stand up for the poor as the mayor did.
He also swiped at those criticizing him for flashing a dirty finger, saying that was a sign of his disgust over those who were already cursing his daughter.
The elder Duterte said what the mayor did was an act of protecting the rights of the poor as they were threatened by the forces of the state.
He was referring to his daughter's punching of court sheriff Abe Andres last July 1 for hastily implementing a Writ of Demolition at a contested property in Soliman, Agdao district despite the chief executive's appeal for a two-hour delay.
"Kung dili ka kabalo magsulbad ug problema, ayaw na lang pag-mayor (If you don't know how to solve a problem, don't even dare becoming a mayor)," the vice mayor said in defense of his daughter.
He criticized newspaper columnists and news commentators who are accusing the mayor of abuse of authority, and challenged them to stand up for the poor as the mayor did.
He also swiped at those criticizing him for flashing a dirty finger, saying that was a sign of his disgust over those who were already cursing his daughter.
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