Noam Chomsky: The Gravest Threat to World Peace,

India approves plan to develop Iran's Chabahar port By AFP Published 3 days ago The port in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan. – File Photo/AFP The port in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan. – File Photo/AFP NEW DELHI: India will float a company to develop Iran's Chabahar Port, a government statement said on Saturday, as New Delhi aims to take advantage of a thaw in Tehran's relations with world powers. The port of Chabahar in southeast Iran is central to India's efforts to circumvent Pakistan and open up a route to landlocked Afghanistan where it has developed close security ties and economic interests. Iran and six world powers are engaged in talks to agree on a deal easing sanctions against Tehran before a late-November deadline. The powers want Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment programme to ensure it cannot produce nuclear bombs. Iran says the programme is for peaceful purposes. India plans to sign an agreement with Iran for the development of the port and New Delhi intends to lease two berths at Chabahar for 10 years, the statement said. The planned Indian company will invest $85.21 million in one year to convert the berths into a container terminal and a multi-purpose cargo terminal, the statement said, adding India would consider the participation of Iranian firms if needed. ============= Noam Chomsky: The Gravest Threat to World Peace Americans are kept in the dark about consequences of a possible nuclear-armed Mideast, and the US's potential role. January 4, 2013 | Reporting on the final U.S. presidential campaign debate, on foreign policy, The Wall Street Journal observed that "the only country mentioned more (than Israel) was Iran, which is seen by most nations in the Middle East as the gravest security threat to the region." The two candidates agreed that a nuclear Iran is the gravest threat to the region, if not the world, as Romney explicitly maintained, reiterating a conventional view. On Israel, the candidates vied in declaring their devotion to it, but Israeli officials were nevertheless unsatisfied. They had "hoped for more 'aggressive' language from Mr. Romney," according to the reporters. It was not enough that Romney demanded that Iran not be permitted to "reach a point of nuclear capability." Arabs were dissatisfied too, because Arab fears about Iran were "debated through the lens of Israeli security instead of the region's," while Arab concerns were largely ignored – again the conventional treatment. The Journal article, like countless others on Iran, leaves critical questions unanswered, among them: Who exactly sees Iran as the gravest security threat? And what do Arabs (and most of the world) think can be done about the threat, whatever they take it to be? The first question is easily answered. The "Iranian threat" is overwhelmingly a Western obsession, shared by Arab dictators, though not Arab populations. As numerous polls have shown, although citizens of Arab countries generally dislike Iran, they do not regard it as a very serious threat. Rather, they perceive the threat to be Israel and the United States; and many, sometimes considerable majorities, regard Iranian nuclear weapons as a counter to these threats. In high places in the U.S., some concur with the Arab populations' perception, among them Gen. Lee Butler, former head of the Strategic Command. In 1998 he said, "It is dangerous in the extreme that in the cauldron of animosities that we call the Middle East," one nation, Israel, should have a powerful nuclear weapons arsenal, which "inspires other nations to do so." Still more dangerous is the nuclear-deterrent strategy of which Butler was a leading designer for many years. Such a strategy, he wrote in 2002, is "a formula for unmitigated catastrophe," and he called on the United States and other nuclear powers to accept their commitment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to make "good faith" efforts to eliminate the plague of nuclear weapons. Nations have a legal obligation to pursue such efforts seriously, the World Court ruled in 1996: "There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control." In 2002, George W. Bush's administration declared that the United States is not bound by the obligation. A large majority of the world appears to share Arab views on the Iranian threat. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has vigorously supported Iran's right to enrich uranium, most recently at its summit meeting in Tehran last August. India, the most populous member of the NAM, has found ways to evade the onerous U.S. financial sanctions on Iran. Plans are proceeding to link Iran's Chabahar port, refurbished with Indian assistance, to Central Asia through Afghanistan. Trade relations are also reported to be increasing. Were it not for strong U.S. pressures, these natural relations would probably improve substantially. China, which has observer status at the NAM, is doing much the same. China is expanding development projects westward, including initiatives to reconstitute the old Silk Road from China to Europe. A high-speed rail line connects China to Kazakhstan and beyond. The line will presumably reach Turkmenistan, with its rich energy resources, and will probably link with Iran and extend to Turkey and Europe. China has also taken over the major Gwadar port in Pakistan, enabling it to obtain oil from the Middle East while avoiding the Hormuz and Malacca straits, which are clogged with traffic and U.S.-controlled. The Pakistani press reports that "Crude oil imports from Iran, the Arab Gulf states and Africa could be transported overland to northwest China through the port." At its Tehran summit in August, the NAM reiterated the long-standing proposal to mitigate or end the threat of nuclear weapons in the Middle East by establishing a zone free of weapons of mass destruction. Moves in that direction are clearly the most straightforward and least onerous way to overcome the threats. They are supported by almost the entire world. A fine opportunity to carry such measures forward arose last month, when an international conference was planned on the matter in Helsinki. A conference did take place, but not the one that was planned. Only nongovernmental organizations participated in the alternate conference, hosted by the Peace Union of Finland. The planned international conference was canceled by Washington in November, shortly after Iran agreed to attend. The Obama administration's official reason was "political turmoil in the region and Iran's defiant stance on nonproliferation," the Associated Press reported, along with lack of consensus "on how to approach the conference." That reason is the approved reference to the fact that the region's only nuclear power, Israel, refused to attend, calling the request to do so "coercion." Apparently, the Obama administration is keeping to its earlier position that "conditions are not right unless all members of the region participate." The United States will not allow measures to place Israel's nuclear facilities under international inspection. Nor will the U.S. release information on "the nature and scope of Israeli nuclear facilities and activities." The Kuwait news agency immediately reported that "the Arab group of states and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member states agreed to continue lobbying for a conference on establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction." Last month, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling on Israel to join the NPT, 174-6. Voting no was the usual contingent: Israel, the United States, Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. A few days later, the United States carried out a nuclear weapons test, again banning international inspectors from the test site in Nevada. Iran protested, as did the mayor of Hiroshima and some Japanese peace groups. Establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone of course requires the cooperation of the nuclear powers: In the Middle East, that would include the United States and Israel, which refuse. The same is true elsewhere. Such zones in Africa and the Pacific await implementation because the U.S. insists on maintaining and upgrading nuclear weapons bases on islands it controls. As the NGO meeting convened in Helsinki, a dinner took place in New York under the auspices of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, an offshoot of the Israeli lobby. According to an enthusiastic report on the "gala" in the Israeli press, Dennis Ross, Elliott Abrams and other "former top advisers to Obama and Bush" assured the audience that "the president will strike (Iran) next year if diplomacy doesn't succeed" – a most attractive holiday gift. Americans can hardly be aware of how diplomacy has once again failed, for a simple reason: Virtually nothing is reported in the United States about the fate of the most obvious way to address "the gravest threat" – Establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. © 2012 Noam Chomsky -- Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate ========================== Published on Jan 5, 2013 The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on Iranian media despite Washington's claims of respecting free speech. Sanctions have all been applied under the umbrella of concern for Iran's nuclear program becoming militarized. The CIA and IAEA have constantly reported that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons while mainstream American media have promoted that Iran has or is producing a nuclear bomb. Many observers though contend that the many sanctions on Iran are an act of war as part of Western colonialism and imperialism that also serves the Zionists of Israel. To further discuss the issue, Press TV's News Analysis has conducted an interview with Joe Iosbaker, Stop FBI Repression, from Chicago, Kevin Barrett, a founding member of the Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance, from Wisconsin, and Daniel Pipes, founder and director of the Middle East Forum, from Philadelphia. Follow our Facebook on: https://www.facebook.com/presstvchannel Follow our Twitter on: http://twitter.com/presstv Follow our Tumblr on: http://presstvchannel.tumblr.com

Malala discharged from hospital

By AFP / Web Desk Published: January 4, 2013 Malala Yousufzai (C) waves with nurses as she is discharged from The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in this handout photograph released on January 4, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS . LONDON: Schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education, has been discharged from the British hospital treating her, a hospital spokeswoman said on Friday. Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England, said 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai would continue her rehabilitation at her family’s temporary English home before undergoing major reconstructive surgery in a few weeks. Malala, was brought to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on October 15 after Taliban gunmen shot her in the head as she travelled on a school bus in Swat. Earlier, the Pakistani government had said that she would undergo skull surgery within weeks at the British hospital where she is recovering from her injuries. Her cranial reconstruction surgery will be carried out in late January or early February “as part of her long-term recovery”, said a statement released by the Pakistani High Commission in London. Dave Rosser, medical director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said Malala had “continued to make great progress in her treatment”, according to the statement. It emerged on Wednesday that Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, would become Pakistan’s education attache at its consulate in Birmingham. Yousafzai will initially undertake the role for three years, but could get a two-year extension as his daughter continues her recovery, the Pakistani government said. Malala first rose to prominence aged just 11 with a blog for the BBC Urdu service in 2009 in which she described life in Swat during the bloody rule of the Taliban. Her calls for improved education for girls attracted the attention of the Taliban, ultimately leading to the attempt on her life.

Suicide car bomber kills 27 Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq

أفاد مصدر في شرطة محافظة بابل، الخميس، بأن 60 شخصا على الاقل سقطوا بين قتيل وجريح في التفجير الذي استهدف زوار الأربعينية شمال المحافظة. وقال المصدر في حديث لـ"السومرية نيوز"، إن "حصيلة انفجار السيارة المفخخة التي استهدفت زوار الأربعينية وسط قضاء المسيب شمال بابل، بلغت مقتل 25 شخصا وإصابة 35 آخرين بجروح متفاوتة غالبيتهم زوار من أهالي العاصمة بغداد". وأضاف المصدر الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن اسمه أن "قوة أمنية طوقت مكان الحادث ومنعت الاقتراب منه، فيما هرعت سيارات الإسعاف لنقل الجرحى إلى مستشفى قريب لتلقي العلاج، وجثث القتلى إلى دائرة الطب العدلي". وكان مصدر في شرطة محافظة بابل أفاد، في وقت سابق من اليوم الخميس (3 كانون الثاني 2013)، بأن عدداً من الأشخاص سقطوا بين قتيل وجريح بتفجير سيارة مفخخة استهدفت الزوار العائدين من كربلاء قرب تقاطع مركز شرطة التحرير بقضاء المسيب شمال بابل. وتعد زيارة الأربعين واحدة من أهم المناسبات الدينية للمسلمين الشيعة، ويحرص الآلاف منهم على إحيائها من خلال الذهاب إلى كربلاء مشياً على الأقدام، في حين تنتشر آلاف المواكب والهيئات على الطرق المؤدية إلى المدينة لإيواء الزائرين وتقديم الطعام لهم، وقد استهدفت الجماعات المسلحة في الأعوام السابقة، الزوار في الطرق المؤدية إلى كربلاء بسيارات مفخخة وعبوات ناسفة. يذكر أن محافظة بابل، ومركزها مدينة الحلة 100 كم جنوب العاصمة بغداد، تتمتع باستقرار نسبي، إلا أن مناطق شمال المحافظة ما تزال تشهد حركة للمسلحين، الذين يقومون بين فترة وأخرى بأعمال عنف تستهدف المدنيين والقوات الأمنية. الخميس 03 ك2 2013 امن العراق 18:35 هيلاري كلينتون تامل في استئناف عملها الاسبوع المقبل 17:51 القبض على عصابة لتزوير العملة في صلاح الدين واعتقال ... 16:46 ميلان يغادر ارض الملعب بسبب هتافات عنصرية ضد بواتنغ 16:27 إصابة عشرة أشخاص على الأقل بتفجير عبوة ناسفة استهدفت ... 15:48 عرب كركوك: نؤيد حق التظاهر ومن يقف ضد إرادة الشعب خائن ... 15:07 العلاقات الإماراتية المصرية على حافة الهاوية على ... إصابة عشرة أشخاص على الأقل بتفجير عبوة ناسفة استهدفت حافلتين للزوار شرق بغداد المحرر: GS الخميس 03 ك2 2013 16:27 GMT السومرية نيوز/ بغداد أفاد مصدر في الشرطة العراقية، الخميس، بأن عشرة أشخاص على الأقل أصيبوا بتفجير عبوة ناسفة استهدفت حافلتين لنقل الزوار شرق بغداد. وقال المصدر في حديث لـ"السومرية نيوز"، إن "عبوة ناسفة كانت مزروعة على جانب طريق في منطقة بغداد الجديدة شرق بغداد انفجرت، مساء اليوم، لدى مرور حافلتين لنقل الزوار العائدين من كربلاء، مما أسفر عن إصابة عشرة منهم على الأقل بجروح". وأضاف المصدر الذي طلب عدم الكشف عن اسمه، أن "سيارات الإسعاف هرعت إلى مكان التفجير لنقل المصابين إلى مستشفى قريب لتلقي العلاج". يذكر أن العاصمة بغداد ومحافظات أخرى تشهد منذ شهر آذار الماضي، تصعيداً بأعمال العنف أودت بحياة المئات بينهم عدد من الضباط ومسؤولون حكوميون. Suicide car bomber kills 27 Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq Thu, Jan 03 12:29 PM EST HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 27 Shi'ite Muslims at a bus station in the Iraqi town of Mussayab on Thursday, police and medics said, as they were gathering to return home from a religious rite. The attack, which also wounded at least 60, underlines sectarian tensions that threaten to further destabilize the country a year after U.S. troops left. Police said the bomber drove into a busy bus station where pilgrims were catching buses back to Baghdad and the northern provinces after the Arbain rite in the holy city of Kerbala, where thousands make an annual pilgrimage. Mussayab is 60 km (40 miles) south of the capital Baghdad. "I was getting a sandwich when a very strong explosion rocked the place and the blast threw me away. When I regained my senses and stood up, I saw dozens of bodies," said Ali Sabbar, a pilgrim who witnessed the explosion. "Many cars were set on fire. I just left the place and didn't even participate in the evacuation of the victims." Arbain has been a frequent target for militants since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, who banned Shi'ite festivals. A roadside bomb targeting a minibus transporting Shi'ite pilgrims back from Kerbala also wounded 8 people in New Baghdad. The latest violence followed nearly two weeks of protests against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by thousands of people from the minority Sunni community in the western province of Anbar, which shares a border with Syria. The protesters accuse Maliki of being under the sway of non-Arab Shi'ite neighbor Iran and of marginalizing Sunnis, who dominated Iraq until the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. They want Maliki to abolish anti-terrorism laws they say are used to persecute them. The conflict in neighboring Syria, where a Sunni majority is fighting to topple government backed by Shi'ite Iran, is also whipping up sectarian sentiment in Iraq and the wider region. Although violence is far lower than during the sectarian slaughter of 2006-2007, a total of 4,471 civilians died last year in what one rights group described as a "low-level war" with insurgents. No group claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks, but Iraq is home to several Sunni insurgent groups including a local branch of al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq, which often targets Shi'ites, seeking to re-ignite sectarian strife. At least 23 people were killed and 87 wounded in attacks across Iraq on Monday. (Reporting by Ali al-Rubaie; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Louise Ireland) ============== Al Qaeda claims assassination of Sunni lawmaker in Iraq Mon, Jan 21 04:24 AM EST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate said it had carried out a suicide bomb attack that killed a Sunni Muslim lawmaker last week as he toured a construction site in the westerly Anbar province, where Sunnis have been protesting against the government for three weeks. Members of the Sunni minority accuse the Shi'ite-led government of marginalizing them, and the wave of protests has raised fears that the OPEC country could again slide into widespread sectarian conflict. The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), an umbrella group for al Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgents, said it was responsible for the assassination of Efan al-Esawi, describing him as the "dog of the Americans" and the "tail of the Shi'ites". Esawi was one of the architects of the Sahwa tribal resistance that helped to subdue al Qaeda-linked insurgents battling U.S. troops in the Sunni heartland of Anbar at the height of the conflict of the last decade. Posing as a worker, the attacker hugged Efan al-Esawi before detonating an explosive vest, killing them both on the spot. "He insisted on his disbelief, treachery and war against Muslims ... until he died at the hands of the mujahideen in his current state, to be an example and a lesson for those after him," the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group quoted ISI as saying in a statement on Sunday. The ISI also claimed responsibility for other attacks in Anbar province and across the country, without giving details. On Wednesday more than 35 people died in a suicide bomb attack and other bombings in northern Iraq and Baghdad. Al Qaeda's Iraqi branch also voiced support for the Sunni protests and said it was fighting to "cut off the vein that is extending the life of the criminal Nusayri regime to kill your brothers in the Levant". In neighboring Syria, mainly Sunni rebels are fighting President Bashar al-Assad, most of whose ruling establishment are members of the Shi'ite-derived Alawite or Nusayri sect, adding to the strain on Iraq's own delicate sectarian and ethnic balance. Sunni anti-government protests erupted in Iraq in late December after state officials arrested members of a Sunni finance minister's security team on terrorism charges. Authorities denied the arrests were political, but Sunni leaders saw them as a crackdown. Since the fall of Sunni strongman Saddam Hussein after the U.S.-led invasion, many Sunnis feel they have been marginalised by the Shi'ite leadership. Violence in Iraq is well down since the height of sectarian bloodletting in 2006-2007. But last year saw a rise in violent deaths for the first time in three years, with more than 4,400 people killed. (Reporting by Aseel Kami; Editing by Isabel Coles and Kevin Liffey) =============== Two blasts, suicide attack kill 17 in Baghdad Tue, Jan 22 06:03 AM EST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three blasts, including a suicide bomber attack near an army base, killed least 17 people across Baghdad on Tuesday, the latest violence as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki faces increasing pressure from a political crisis. The most deadly explosions took place in Taji, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives detonated his bomb near an army base, killing at least seven people and wounding 24. Another parked car bomb exploded in a crowded market in the Shi'ite neighborhood of Shula, northwestern Baghdad, killing 5 people and wounded 13, police and hospital sources said. In Mahmudiya, a town 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, a car bomb attack near an army checkpoint killed five people, including two soldiers and wounded 14 more, including four soldiers. Violence in Iraq has eased since the widespread sectarian carnage of 2006-2007, but Sunni Islamist insurgents still launch frequent attacks, seeking to reignite confrontation between the Shi'ite majority, Sunni Muslims and ethnic Kurds. Shi'ite premier Maliki's government is trying to ease mass Sunni protests that erupted a month ago and his central government is also locked in a dispute with the country's autonomous Kurdistan region over control of oilfields. (Reporting by Kareem Raheem and Ahmeed Rasheed; writing by Patrick Markey) ===============

New doctrine: Army identifies ‘homegrown militancy’ as biggest threat

New doctrine: Army identifies ‘homegrown militancy’ as biggest threat By Our Correspondent Published: January 3, 2013 New Army Doctrine now includes threats posed by sub-conventional warfare; it also blames ‘foreign proxies’ for creating unrest in some parts of the country. ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a paradigm shift in its decades-old policy, Pakistan Army has described homegrown militancy as the “biggest threat” to national security. According to the new Army Doctrine, ongoing activities of Taliban militants in the restive tribal regions and unabated terrorist attacks on government installations in major cities are posing a real threat to Pakistan’s security. The Army Doctrine deals with operational preparedness and is reviewed on and off. For decades, the army considered India as its No 1 enemy but growing extremism in the country compelled the military authorities to review its strategy. A senior military official confirmed to The Express Tribune that a new chapter has been added to the Army Doctrine that would now also include threats posed by sub-conventional warfare. “Pakistan’s armed forces were trained for conventional warfare but the current security situation necessitated the change,” said the official requesting anonymity. “Forces fighting on the front-line in the tribal regions are now being trained according to the requirements of sub-conventional warfare,” he added. Preparation of the new doctrine started a year ago and has been adopted recently, according to the official. When contacted, the chief military spokesperson confirmed the development but attempted to play down the hype. “Army prepares for all forms of threats. Sub-conventional threat is a reality and is a part of a threat matrix faced by our country. But it doesn’t mean that the conventional threat has receded,” Maj-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) told The Express Tribune. According to the BBC, the new Army Doctrine talks about unidentified militant groups and their role to create unrest in the country. It also mentions that Pakistani militants have found refuge across the Durand Line in Afghanistan. Quoting military officials, the new Army Doctrine blames “foreign proxies” for creating unrest in some parts of the country, although it does not name any country. It is widely believed, however, that the army might be referring to India’s alleged role in creating disturbances in Balochistan, which has been plagued by a deadly separatist insurrection since 2004. Military sources told the BBC that Pakistan could not preempt the US secret raid in Abbottabad in May 2011 because of a lack of threat perception from western borders (Afghanistan) and concentration of armed forces at eastern frontiers (India). “It’s a fact that before the new army doctrine, India was Pakistan’s No 1 enemy. All military resources were focused on India,” Defence analyst Lt Gen (retd) Talat Masood told the BBC. “For the first time it has been realised that Pakistan faces the real threat from within – a threat which is concentrated in areas along western borders.” The new strategy also stresses that the formulation of the defence policy was not the responsibility of the army alone. Other organs of the states will have to play their part. In an effort to elicit public support against violent extremism, the army is likely to make public its new doctrine. Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2013.

Another gem of 2013: A Compendium of Games

Author: scaramouche Thursday 08:03, Jan 4th/ 2013 A Compendium of Games.... Good morning everyone and Happy New Year Year. I hope you all enjoyed the festive break. How things have changed! I had the pleasure of watching some of the younger members of the family enjoying their X-boxes and merrily killing off a seemingly endless array of monsters and mutants. ((Mutant 1. An individual, organism, or new genetic character arising or resulting from mutation. 2.Slang. One that is suggestive of a genetic mutant, as in bizarre appearance or inaptitude.)) It was odd – when they were doing so, I couldn’t help imagining Rex, Eric, and those parasitic creatures sitting behind them in those virtual guises; and I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps Todd would simultaneously be doing much the same…. as he contemplated “successfully removing the uncertainty created by Excalibur”. In the old days of course, many of us had no particular desire for an X-box and would have been perfectly happy with a ‘compendium of games’ – including perhaps chess, draughts, snakes and ladders, backgammon and tiddlywinks… plus of course a couple of packs of playing cards. Hmmm…Given the ‘games’ that are often so apparent where GKP are concerned, I sometimes wonder whether some of those listed are perhaps strangely pertinent to our investment, or whether we are often gripped by a kind of X-box ‘virtual’ reality. Anyway, one observation from the posts of recent days is how many on here seem to be working themselves up into something of a frenzy where the imminent ‘Field Development Plan’ is concerned. I must admit that it bothered me a bit too, but then I started considering how both Todd and John G had apparently reacted in the last few days of the pre-Christmas phase of the court case – their ‘body language’ so to speak. Both had apparently been pretty relaxed, and by all accounts John G had even been cracking a few amusing one-liners, despite the very close proximity of the deadline for the submission of the FDP…. End of January 2013. So, if our two most senior Directors are NOT especially concerned, why I wondered is it that so many of the people on this board are? Perhaps, I mused, it is that some people just like the idea of stirring it a little when deadlines loom, and we have not been made aware of the exact current state of play. Indeed, I came to the conclusion that, if TK and JG were not concerned, it meant that they regarded meeting the FDP deadline as something which was totally under control and:- 1.They had complete confidence in those involved in preparing the plans and were happy to maintain a watching brief (Note: why wouldn’t they have, bearing in mind that they have had many months and a substantial team of people working on it, as far as I understand?) 2.The court case timetable (and possible wait until June until Judge Clarke’s verdict is delivered in full), although undoubtedly extremely annoying, was unlikely to have any significant detrimental effect on GKP’s operational activities (or possible deals under discussion). 3.The plan(s) due to be submitted are sufficiently ‘adaptable’ to be able to cater for whatever scenario might arise over the coming months. Of course, it is always possible that both TK and JG are just very accomplished actors and are really extremely worried about how things are panning out… but I will leave some of the GKP detractors to make the case for that. IMHO, that will be rather like trying to make the case for Excalibur having a realistic claim for 30% of GKP’s assets! So, if I am right, and neither TK nor JG are worried about the imminence of the FDP (and Jonathan Gaisman does not appear to have been working himself up into a frenzy about it either) can we deduce anything else regarding time-frames? Well, I was looking back at some of the presentations earlier in the year and trying to piece the ‘key dates’ together, to see if this might throw some light on the situation. 1. According to the 28 May 2012 ‘Results and forward strategy presentation, GKP will “Upgrade of the existing Shaikan EWT facility and a new Shaikan-2 EWT facility to increase test production in 2nd half 2012 and 1st half 2013 to up to 40,000 bopd”. http://www.gulfkeystone.com/uploads/2011_results_presentation_28may2012.pdf Then, on p.7 of the half-yearly report presentation of 12 September 2012, we learned that “Construction of two new early production facilities (PF-1 and -2, formerly known as EWT-1 and -2) is nearing completion, with the first unit due to become operational in January 2013 and the second by the end of the first quarter 2013.”, and on p.10 that “Two new Shaikan early production facilities (PF-1 and -2) to increase production in 1st half 2013 to up to 40,000 bopd” offered the potential for an important revenue stream. http://www.gulfkeystone.com/uploads/2012halfyearreportpresentation.pdf So, it seems to me that GKP will be busy with EXISTING PLANS up to 30 June 2013, and a court case verdict in June 2013 would have no serious impact on those plans . 2. After the FDP has been submitted by the end of January 2013, there is supposed to be some input from the KRG, perhaps in the person of Adnan Samarrai (who has been wearing a different hat since March 2012, but knows both GKP and Kurdistan inside out), and therefore no doubt some time for amendments to be made to the plan. Given the highly charged political arena that we are invested in, there is also presumably some scope to delay any ‘major’ announcements until all the I’s have been dotted and t’s crossed in relation to such a hugely important undertaking as the large-scale development of Shaikan ... allowing the OPTIMUM time to be selected. Again, I therefore see no particular reason why a June verdict on the Excalibur case should seriously impact those timescales. 3.And on p10 of the Erbil presentation from last month, we see a rather loose reference to other activities planned sometime in 2013: a. Explore Shaikan deep undrilled horizons with Shaikan-7 b. Start development drilling c. Construction of a pipeline to export Shaikan crude http://www.gulfkeystone.com/uploads/gulfkeystonepetroleum--kurdistan-iraqog--3december2012.pdf So, once again, although sooner is obviously better, there are no obvious indications that a possible court case verdict in June 2013 will adversely impact GKP’s operational activities or those of any possible suitor. My conclusion, FWIW, is therefore that the fact that the FDP is due for submission at the end of this month is NOTcausing GKP any great degree of concern, so it should not worry us unduly either. Moreover, while we would all like to know its contents (as it might offer some clues as to what TK’s latest thinking is and whether it has been designed exclusively for GKP or with a super-major in mind), it is perfectly conceivable that 2 options are being put forward (or one that could easily morph into an alternative after the earliest phase of development has taken place, or a super-major comes on board).... and that it is not a simple case of Plan A or Plan B as is commonly portrayed. Yes, the FDP is a very important milestone - but the reaction of JG and Todd only a few weeks before it is due for submission, well aware it seems that the conclusion of the trial might take a little longer than originally envisaged, is also very telling IMHO. The share price is of course a huge source of frustration for us all but, as seems always to have been the case with this share, patience it seems is key. The ‘games’ will of course shortly recommence, and I have no doubt to witness the normal charade of ‘snakes and ladders’ while it all plays out. But for me, all that really matters, is the next move in this most strategic game of chess, and who, when the cards are on the table… will be set to play the KING. (Some will of course tell you that it is pure guesswork... and little more than a matter of rolling the dice. Not surprisingly, I would have to disagree. Have you seriously proposed that TK, JG and the legal team are confident about the FDP because JG cracked a few jokes at court?!!! That's one almighty leap.) ------------------------------------------- No bonobo77, I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that 'games' are played here every day, and that perhaps it is better to focus on the bigger picture and how the Board of Directors appear to be seeing the current situation.... rather than worrying about every movement up (ladder) or down (snake). Not that I'm calling anyone here a snake. I see where you are coming from... LOL But I think you missed out Darcy's comments.... DB: Bruno-bo - but I think you have missed the point entirely. Scara, there was plenty of content, the interpretation was obviously entirely your own, it flowed, the transitions were good, with plenty of heel-turns. I like to see that. But, perhaps to some the real 'message' might have been lost ..... I sensed that it was to focus on the bigger picture, the potential transformation, what was really happening... and not to allow yourself to get distracted by the constant noise emanating from various dark corners of the floor. Despite your name, I don't think you are really cut out for the Fandango. Perhaps instead, it should be the last Tango..... in Paris! - Hi Sicilian_Kan, I very much appreciate you taking the time to respond in some detail to my post. I will try to respond more fully at the weekend but, until then, just a few points.... I see this 'trial' as having originally had 3 possible objectives for Excalibur and their funders - I won't call them 'backers' as I now suspect that we will never know who might really have been behind them: 1) A clear WIN for Excalibur - I believe that the UBS email trail has put an end to that possibility, having been extremely damning to the Excalibur case. 2) An early SETTLEMENT at a very substantial level (your 'up to 5%' sounds about right) - the fact that we have now reached the original deadline for the conclusion of the trial, and that there have been no signs of GKP or TKI conceding anything to Excalibur tells me that this possibility has long since passed. 3) To DRAG the case out for as long as possible, with the aim of damaging GKP in its other activities, possibly allow someone to increase their stake in GKP at very low levels, or enable the SP to be played like a fiddle. Around £350 million knocked off the market cap since the start of the court case suggests that option 3 has already succeeded to a large extent, and a great deal of damage will have been done to honest shareholders in the process, let alone the possibility of a seriously impacting upon potential negotiations with suitors over asset sales, T/O etc. So, I'm sorry but I cannot abide the notion of 'blackmail' succeeding, and IMHO that is what option 3 amounts to. The fact that Excalibur have not already conceded after failing with options 1 and 2 suggests to me that they always intended to damage GKP. I am very glad that GKP shows no sign of backing down to such appalling abuse of the Justice system. To me, to 'settle' now would be the equivalent of giving in to this black-mail and prevent Judge Clarke from issuing a verdict that might send would the Wempens and their parasitic funders skulking off into some dark corner where they belong. NO, settlement is not for me, and IMHO should not be for those who regard JUSTICE as sacrosanct either. Finally, if RW and EW wanted a finder's fee they should have thought about this when they started an action claiming 30% of GKP's assets and damaging our company for the last 2 years. Or when apparently offered one several years ago. While I agree with much of what you say, my stance on this issue remains exactly the same as it always was, and many investing friends of mine hold exactly the same view. To settle would, quite simply, be wrong! GLA, scaramouche AIMHO and please DYOR. GLA, scaramouche ========== =============== was obscured within this masterpost from Gramacho: http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn%3AGKP.L&display=discussion&threshold=0&action=detail&id=9009903 Q. Has there been any evidence to date in the production history that the matrix will not be able to feed the fracture system adequately and sustain the high initial rates seen on tests? A. Firstly we have not seen a single bit of depletion yet from any of our production testing. We have produced intermittently over a period of a year, not a single psi of depletion and that tends to indicate that there might be some contribution from the matrix. If you were just bleeding a fracture system you tend to see depletion quickly. Ahem, 'over a period of a year, not a single psi of depletion' and you expect me to believe that this has nothing to do with the aquifer? If I can think in a certain way, then others can too. Who will blink first - CJ's evaluation experts - those currently in the vicinity of GKP's blocks - or those in the vicinity of Kurdistan? The last referenced may be quite important with regard to the aquifer. IMO. GLA, BBBS P.S. Another minor piece of 'that' =========== Well BBB's CJ just passes onto investers information that he considers in PI's interests to to know. Of course it dose not imply those figures worked on and re-rated will follow, they are just figuers worked on by people who actually know what oil in one location is worth to a Soveriegn Nation, and they are in my opinion a dam site more switched on than any broker or financial Institution who put out reports /ratings on share prices, like hold, upgrade to buy or sell. Its my opinion after having contact with these people over a number of years, they actually are so far ahead of others, I would choose to accept there figuers, as they dont look 3 years or 5 years they look long term. They work out what resources will be needed in the future to drive world economies over say 10 to 25 years, what those resources actually help manafacture and run economy wise. My other observation would be no existing PSC terms are set in stone and always open for negotiation, as to the price a Major or Sovereing Nation will pay is upto to them, and then it maybe a Sovereign Nation may have Majors it hopes will secure an assset such as oil in one location. Hope all had a Good Christmas Regards CJ The above are observations only, and as I hold no shares , should not be considered as ramp or de-ramp, I hope thats clear . =========================== Kurdistan starts independent crude oil exports Link this Stocks Genel Energy PLC GENL.L 771.02p +5.00+0.66% 01/07/2013 Tue Jan 8, 2013 12:42am IST * First crude from Taq Taq oilfield reaches Turkish port * Fresh tender for Kurdish condensate imminent * KRG oil exports via Baghdad-controlled pipeline halted By Julia Payne and Peg Mackey LONDON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Kurdistan has begun to export crude oil directly to world oil markets through Turkey, industry sources said on Monday, which poses the biggest challenge yet to Baghdad's claim to full control over Iraqi oil. The export of crude, in addition to small volumes of niche condensate, demonstrates the semi-autonomous region's growing frustration with Baghdad as it moves towards ever greater economic independence, the sources said. The volume of oil involved is small, but industry sources said the direct export is highly symbolic as the KRG seeks more financial independence from Baghdad. The first crude has been delivered by truck to the Turkish port of Mersin on the Mediterranean, shipping and industry sources said. "The KRG gave us permission to start crude exports from the Taq Taq oilfield," Genel Energy President Mehmet Sepil said in an interview. Control of oil is at the heart of a dispute between Iraq's Arab-led central government and the autonomous region run by ethnic Kurds in the north. Baghdad insists the central government has the sole constitutional right to export oil. In an apparent renewed dispute over payment, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) halted shipments through the Baghdad-controlled Iraq-Turkey pipeline last month. The KRG began exporting its own very light oil, or condensate, independently to world markets in October by truck to a Turkish port, where it was sold via an intermediary. Now the Kurdish region is adding crude from the Taq Taq oilfield, where London-listed explorer Genel Energy has a stake, to its slate of exports. A fresh cargo of condensate is also ready to sell through an imminent tender, said a shipping source. Industry sources reckon around 15,000 barrels per day (bpd)of condensate from the Khor Mor gas field are reaching the Toros terminal in Turkey. Crude oil exports from Taq Taq, for now, are also small. In exchange, Turkey is sending back refined products to the Kurdish region, which is short of fuel. Over the past year and a half, Kurdistan has upset Baghdad by signing deals directly with oil majors such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, providing lucrative production-sharing contracts and better operating conditions than in Iraq's south. The KRG says its right to grant contracts to foreign oil firms is enshrined in the Iraqi constitution, which was drawn up following the 2003 invasion that ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. But payments to foreign operators in Kurdistan are getting caught up in the long-running spat over land and petroleum rights. Baghdad said last month it would not pay oil firms operating in Kurdistan because the region had failed to export the volume of crude it pledged under a deal struck in September. That agreement stipulated that Kurdistan would pump crude through the Baghdad-controlled Iraq-Turkey pipeline in return for payment. An export target of 200,000 bpd was set for the last two months of 2012, and Kurdish authorities pledged to raise exports to 250,000 bpd in 2013. But exports of Kurdish oil have been halted since around mid-December, after nearing the 200,000 target early in the month. Baghdad transferred an initial sum of 650 billion Iraqi dinars ($560 million) to the KRG. But a second payment is still pending for the foreign companies in Kurdistan. ===============

Gunmen in Pakistan shoot dead seven aid workers near capital

Gunmen in Pakistan shoot dead seven aid workers near capital Tue, Jan 01 10:42 AM EST 1 of 2 By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Gunmen ambushed and shot dead six Pakistani women aid workers and a male doctor on Tuesday, police said, and the charity they worked for said it suspected the attacks were linked to recent murders of polio vaccination workers. Their vehicle was raked with gunfire as they returned home from work at a children's community center run by Pakistani charity Ujala, or Light, said district police officer Abdur Rashid Khan. Their driver was seriously wounded in the attack. The shooting in Swabi district, about 75 km (45 miles) northwest of the capital of Islamabad, was the first attack on aid workers in the area. The victims worked at the center for aid agency Support With Working Solutions, whose head Javed Akhtar said they had told their other 160 staff to suspend work following the killings. The organization is involved in health education in underdeveloped parts of the country, Akhtar said. It had run a school and dispensary in Swabi and helped vaccinate children against polio, a disease that can cripple or kill within hours of infection. He suspected the shootings might be linked to a string of attacks on polio vaccinators last month. "This seemed to be part of the campaign against the polio drive by certain anti-polio elements," he said. Two weeks ago, gunmen killed nine health workers taking part in a national polio vaccination drive in a series of attacks. Most of the victims were young women earning about $2 a day. The Taliban said they did not carry out those attacks although its leaders have repeatedly denounced the vaccination program as a plot to sterilize people or spy on Muslims. Aid workers have frequently been kidnapped or killed in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 180 million that is struggling to contain a Taliban insurgency and plagued by endemic corruption and violent crime. (Additional reporting by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Louise Ireland and Giles Elgood)

Targeting The Mqm: Four killed, 40 injured in blast

Targeting The Mqm: Four killed, 40 injured in blast By Faraz Khan Published: January 2, 2013 Officials of bomb disposal squad collecting evidence from the site of the blast. PHOTO: APP KARACHI: At least four people were killed and over 40 injured on Tuesday evening when a powerful bomb went off in Karachi’s Federal B Area, less than half a kilometre from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarters Nine-Zero. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the blast that took place soon after the conclusion of a rally organised by the MQM and Minhaj-ul-Quran International at Jinnah Ground in Azizabad. The MQM announced a day of mourning today (Wednesday). The bomb attack occurred around 7pm, when participants of the “Safar-e-Inqilab-e-Pakistan” rally were boarding their buses to go back home. It damaged over half a dozen buses and coaches and smashed the windows of dozens of vehicles. Several vehicles driving past the nearby Shara-e-Pakistan thoroughfare bumped into each other due to the panic caused by the explosion. Scores of MQM workers reached the site after the blast, and shouted slogans against extremism. Most of the victims belonged to MQM’s Orangi Town Sector. A witness, who was also an MQM activist on security duty at the time, told The Express Tribune that there was no police or Rangers around for protection. “As usual, we were handling the security ourselves, but our focus is normally on making sure the buses get parked and traffic control,” Abdul Aleem said. The explosives were planted in a motorcycle near the buses parked for the pick and drop service. A Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) official told The Express Tribune that around two kilogrammes of explosives were used in the bomb planted on a motorcycle. “Ball bearings were also used to maximise casualties – fortunately, the motorcycle was parked between two buses … if they weren’t parked there the damage would have been far more extensive,” he added. The BDS member also said that the evidence collected from the blast site suggested that it was remotely-triggered bomb and that the person who detonated it was present within a 100 metres distance. TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility for the attack. In a phone call to Peshawar-based journalists, he warned that it was “only the start” and that “more attacks will follow”. No case had been registered till the filing of this report. Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2013. ============================ بدھ, 2 جنوری 2013 اسٹاف رپورٹ کراچی: ایم کیوایم اورتحریک منہاج القرآن کے مشترکہ جلسے کے بعد دہشت گردوں نے عائشہ منزل کے قریب واپس جانے والے کارکنوں کی بس کو موٹرسائیکل میں نصب بم سے نشانہ بنایا۔۔۔۔ جس سے چارافراد موت کی نیند سوگئے۔۔۔۔۔ جبکہ پچاس سے زائد زخمی ہیں۔ سماء کو دھماکے کی سی سی ٹی وی فوٹیج مل گئی ہے۔ کراچی میں نئے سال کے پہلے دن ہی دہشت گردوں نے بیگناہوں کے خون سے اپنے ہاتھ رنگ لئے۔ قاتلوں نے جناح گراؤنڈ عزیزآباد میں ایم کیوایم اورتحریک منہاج القرآن کے مشترکہ جلسے کے بعد واپس جانے والے لوگوں کی بس کو شاہراہ پاکستان پرعائشہ منزل کی فرنیچرمارکیٹ کے قریب نشانہ بنایا۔ دہشت گردوں نے موٹرسائیکل میں نصب بم ۔۔۔۔ اس وقت زورداردھماکے سے اڑا دیا جب جلسے سے واپس جانے والے وہاں بس میں سوار ہورہے تھے۔ سماء کو دھماکے کی سی سی ٹی وی فوٹیج مل گئی ہے جس میں دیکھا جاسکتا ہے کہ دھماکے بعد وہاں افراتفری مچ گئی۔۔۔ اورلوگ فوخ زدہ ہوکر محفوظ مقام کی تلاش میں قریبی واقع سی این جی اسٹیشن میں داخل ہورہے ہیں۔۔ جبکہ کچھ لوگ اپنی گاڑیوں اورموٹرسائیکلوں سمیت مجمع کو چیرتے ہوئے اندرآرہے ہیں۔ دھماکا جس موٹر سائیکل میں نصب تھا اس کے پرخچے اڑ گئے ۔۔۔۔ جبکہ قریب کھڑی موٹرسائیکل اور8 بسوں کو بھی نقصان پہنچا۔ پولیس اورقانون نافذ کرنے والے اداروں نے دھماکے کی تحقیقات شروع کردی ہے۔ =================== Sidelined?: Altaf-Qadri friendship irks PPP By Hafeez Tunio Published: January 2, 2013 Soon after MQM-MQI rally addressed by Qadri, Altaf Hussain, PPP leaders held meeting with President Zardari. PHOTO: FILE KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) support for the “million-man march” being organised by Minhajul Quran International (MQI) seems to have had a direct impact on the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Signs of anger and frustration surfaced on Tuesday as PPP leaders suggested to party co-chairman President Asif Ali Zardari to revisit the controversial Sindh Peoples Local Government System 2012. Sources in the Pakistan Peoples Party told The Express Tribune that soon after the MQM-MQI rally, which was addressed by Tahirul Qadri and Altaf Hussain, PPP leaders held a meeting with President Zardari. The meeting was followed by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s visit to Bilawal House where the president and co-PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also present. Sources revealed that the president asked PPP leaders to go ahead with the amendments and pursue the enraged Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F)leadership, Sindhi nationalists and other groups. All Sindhi nationalist parties have already announced that they will not participate in Qadri’s long march. Sources said that soon after the meeting, the Sindh chief minister directed law and local government departments to look into the matter and start “homework” on the local government system again. However, sources said that the final decision will be made after the long march. A senior official in the law department said that they had been given directives to revisit the local government law following the Supreme Court’s remarks in the case. Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2013. Read more: TahirulQadri ====================== ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has strongly condemned the killing of Javed Memon, a cousin of Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, who was shot dead in SITE Town area of Karachi by unknown assailants on Wednesday. Expressing his deep shock and sorrow over the incident, the President and PM directed the concerned authorities to take the culprits to task at the earliest. They prayed for the departed soul and the bereaved family. -- SAMAA ===================