Seized Letter Outlines Al Qaeda Goals in Iraq

By Susan B. Glasser and Walter Pincus

Al Qaeda's top deputy urged the leader of his Iraq branch in July to prepare for the inevitable U.S. withdrawal by carrying out political as well as military actions, and he lectured him that he risked being shunned by an Islamic world angered over his gruesome and not "palatable" killings of fellow Muslims, according to an intercepted letter released yesterday by the U.S. government.

The 6,000-word letter from Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, Ayman Zawahiri, to Iraqi insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi amounts to a detailed portrait of al Qaeda's long-term goals in Iraq and the Middle East, and includes a striking critique of how Zarqawi has gone about waging his war against not only U.S. troops but also Iraqi civilians. The letter was posted yesterday on the Web site of Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte -- http://www.dni.gov -- after senior intelligence officials released excerpts of it last week.

Invoking the specter of the United States abruptly abandoning Iraq as it did to Vietnam, Zawahiri counseled immediate political action: "We must take the initiative and impose a fait accompli upon our enemies, instead of the enemy imposing one on us."

The missive also suggests the degree to which al Qaeda's leadership remains eager to assert its prerogatives with Zarqawi, who has become the increasingly public face of the movement when Zawahiri and bin Laden are in hiding. Although the letter does not contain a direct reference to Zarqawi until a cryptic greeting to him at the end, a senior intelligence official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity said "it's absolutely certain" it was meant for Zarqawi, declining to elaborate on how U.S. officials made that conclusion. The letter was dated July 9, but the official would not say whether it had been sent. "We obtained it in the course of counterterrorism operations in Iraq," he said.

Throughout, Zawahiri -- the Egyptian doctor who fused his own Islamic movement with bin Laden's al Qaeda in the late 1990s and is believed to operate now as the group's top commander -- comes across as a strategist trying to rein in a guerrilla operating at odds with the movement's political goals. The official said that in its repeated criticism of Zarqawi, the letter also amounts to a reproof from "an al Qaeda elder to an occasionally hotheaded field commander."

"He comes down like a ton of bricks on what has happened tactically," the official said.

"This is not a rant. It is more chilling in a sense because it's so well-argued, clean and calm," the official added. "There's a high political content. Zawahiri calls for political action equivalent to military action."

Zarqawi has been high on the list of most wanted insurgents since last year after he pledged allegiance to bin Laden, but in recent months U.S. military commanders have given even greater urgency to disrupting his network of foreign fighters and Iraqi supporters. The network is still thought to constitute only a fraction of the Iraqi insurgency in numbers, but it is credited with carrying out a disproportionately large share of the violence, as a result of suicide bombings often aimed at Shiite civilians to foment sectarian strife.

But Zawahiri urged Zarqawi in the letter to change that formula and refocus on politics. When the United States leaves, al Qaeda must be ready to claim as much territory politically in the inevitable void that will arise, he writes. Zawahiri called that stage the setting up of an "emirate," in as much of Sunni-dominated Iraq as possible, to be followed by the longer-term goal of a "caliphate," reuniting the historical Islamic empire centered in modern-day Egypt, Lebanon and Israel.

Zawahiri also questions Zarqawi's targeting of Iraqi Shiites, telling him bluntly that the "majority of Muslims don't comprehend this" and wondering whether such targeting is a "wise decision" given the need to wage war against the United States and the current Iraqi government. And even if Shiite leaders should be targeted, Zawahiri asks, "why were there attacks on ordinary Shia?"

He also told Zarqawi that fellow Muslims "will never find palatable" the televised scenes of hostage beheadings that have earned Zarqawi the sobriquet "sheik of the slaughterers." among like-minded fighters. In the media battle "for the hearts and minds" of the Islamic world, Zawahiri said, such tactics will not work.

Zawahiri has spoken before about the broad plans of the al Qaeda movement. In a book smuggled out of Afghanistan in December 2001, Zawahiri said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks "would be nothing more than disturbing acts" if they "do not serve the ultimate goal of establishing the Muslim nation in the heart of the Islamic world." In the 2001 volume, he said the first goal should be to strike Americans and Jews "in our Muslim countries."

In the new letter, Zawahiri said the Muslim masses "do not rally except against an outside occupying enemy, especially if the enemy is firstly Jewish and secondly American."

In an unusual reverse, the letter asks Zarqawi to send money to al Qaeda, saying many of its "lines have been cut off," and that "we'll be very grateful to you" for financial help.

Staff writer Bradley Graham contributed to this report.




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Letter from al-Zawahiri to al-Zarqawi
October 11, 2005
ODNI News Release No. 2-05


Today the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a letter between two senior al Qa'ida leaders, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that was obtained during counterterrorism operations in Iraq. This lengthy document provides a comprehensive view of al Qa'ida's strategy in Iraq and globally.

The letter from al-Zawahiri to al-Zarqawi is dated July 9, 2005. The contents were released only after assurances that no ongoing intelligence or military operations would be affected by making this document public.

The document has not been edited in any way and is released in its entirety in both the Arabic and English translated forms. The United States Government has the highest confidence in the letter's authenticity.

Al-Zawahiri's letter offers a strategic vision for al Qa'ida's direction for Iraq and beyond, and portrays
al Qa'ida's senior leadership's isolation and dependence.

Among the letter's highlights are discussions indicating:

The centrality of the war in Iraq for the global jihad.


From al Qa'ida's point of view, the war does not end with an American departure.


An acknowledgment of the appeal of democracy to the Iraqis.


The strategic vision of inevitable conflict, with a tacit recognition of current political dynamics in Iraq; with a call by al-Zawahiri for political action equal to military action.


The need to maintain popular support at least until jihadist rule has been established.


Admission that more than half the struggle is taking place "in the battlefield of the media."
Letter in Arabic Letter in English

Go to Link to obtain the letter





ODNI Home | Privacy and Security Notice

Rice expects more US aid for Pakistan Seattle Post Intelligencer
The top US diplomat said the United States will probably provide more financial aid to help Pakistan recover from a killer earthquake, and said she will break away from her scheduled trip to Central Asia and Afghanistan to visit Islamabad. "I do want to simply say to the Pakistani people and confirm with them that the international community and the United States and the people of the United States are with them in this terrible time," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.
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Storms block rescuers in Pakistan
Pakistani rescue volunteers clung to the back of a truck or ran along the road to help search for earthquake victims Tuesday. Pelting hail and rain prevented rescuers from reaching thousands of survivors still trapped in isolated villages.
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Many Germans see a lost opportunity
People believe that small reforms rather than big ones are probably the most that can be expected.
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The new Ramadan: It's beginning to look a lot like...
In Dubai, commercialism has taken on a life of its own for the month of Ramadan.
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Iraqi leaders reach last-minute deal on charter revision
Iraqi leaders agreed to a last-minute revision in the draft constitution in exchange for a promise by some prominent Sunni Arab leaders to support the document in this Saturday's nationwide referendum.
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Fight avian flu among birds first, UN expert urges
Far more money is needed to stem the spread of avian flu among birds, the best way to prevent the disease from jumping to people, the newly appointed UN official in charge of bird flu preparedness said Tuesday.
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18 officers are killed in ambush
Suspected Taliban fighters killed 18 police officers in the southern part of Afghanistan in one of the deadliest attacks so far on the country's rebuilt police force.
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5

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China's Communist Party leadership approved a new economic blueprint that it says will address the country's yawning wealth gap.
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Bolton bars UN briefing on Darfur
John Bolton has blocked a UN envoy from briefing the Security Council on possible human rights violations in Sudan's Darfur region, saying the council had to act against atrocities and not just talk about them.
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IPod sales help quadruple Apple profit
Apple Computer said Tuesday that fourth-quarter profit quadrupled as sales of iPod music players rose to a record and back-to-school demand drove Macintosh computer shipments.
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Microsoft and rival settle dispute, but EU holds firm
Microsoft said Tuesday that it would pay about $761 million to RealNetworks, one of its fiercest critics, as well as establish a partnership with the company.
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Let the Merkel era begin
Germany's economic plight should be sufficiently devastating for the members of the coalition to set aside their rivalries.
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China can't move further on the yuan
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China's Space Ambitions Potential Threat To US: Analysts
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Washington DC (AFP) Oct 11, 2005 - With China on the eve of launching its second manned spaceflight, Washington sees Beijing's space ambitions as an emerging security concern, with the potential for the Asian giant to boost its military capabilities and eventually challenge US dominance in space.

Pakistan, Indian Say Nukes Safe After Quake
http://www.spacewar.com/news/nuclear-india-pakistan-05k.html

Islamabad (AFP) Oct 11, 2005 - Rivals Pakistan and India said their nuclear warheads and installations were safe after the weekend's devastating earthquake which caused major casualties on both sides.

US Says Ball In Iran's Court Over Nuclear Talks
http://www.spacewar.com/news/iran-05zzzzj.html

Brussels (AFP) Oct 11, 2005 - A senior US official said Tuesday that the "ball is in Iran's court" over resuming talks with the European Union suspended in August after Tehran resumed controversial nuclear activities.


Japan urges Iran to make "wise judgement" in nuclear row
http://www.spacewar.com/2005/051011140028.2ibhfopp.html

------------
KOREAN NUKES

Analysis: What's The Next Step In N.Korea?
http://www.spacewar.com/news/korea-05zzzzr.html

Washington (UPI) Oct 12, 2005 - The Sept. 19 agreement that signaled North Korea's apparent intention of halting its nuclear program was widely hailed as a breakthrough, but three weeks later questions still remain about what happens next.

Fight And Rebuild: Squaring Iraq's Circle
http://www.spacewar.com/news/iraq-05zzzzc.html

Baghdad (UPI) Oct 11, 2005 - They almost made it home intact. Last month, nearly nine months after the 3rd Squadron 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment took over southern Baghdad and Salman Pak - a former Ba'athist resort town and insurgent playground until they arrived - they lost their first men.

Apple Introduces Video, TV Playing IPod BC News
Apple Computer Inc. Unveils IPod Capable of Playing Videos and Television Shows. Apple Computer Inc. unveiled an iPod on Wednesday that can play videos and television shows, the latest creation in its ever-evolving and hugely popular line of portable music players. Citing a groundbreaking deal with ABC Television Group, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said the online iTunes store will sell episodes of hit shows "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" for $1.99 apiece, making them available the day after they air on television. "It's never been done before, where you could buy hit TV shows and buy them online the day after they're shown," said Jobs whose other company, Pixar Animation Studios Inc. has a long relationship with The Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC.

Apple Computers Inc. CEO Steve Jobs smiles as he holds up the new iPod Nano during an announcement in San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005. Fueled by record sales of its iPod players and strong back-to-school computer sales, Apple Computer Inc. said Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005, its fourth-quarter net income surged more than 300 percent to $430 million, marking the company's highest ever earnings and sales for a quarter and year. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
"This is the first giant step to making more content available to more people online," said Robert Iger, Disney's chief executive. "It is the future as far as I'm concerned. It's a great marriage between content and technology and I'm thrilled about it." The new video iPod, available in black or white, will be able to play video and podcasts. A 30-gigabyte version will sell for $299 and a 60-gigabyte, $399. Extra features on both versions include a clock, a calendar that Jobs said never looked better, a stop watch and a screen lock. "It's really very beautiful and very thin," Jobs said at the much anticipated news conference.
Apple unveils new video iPod Reuters.uk
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US Says Letter Reveals Al-Qaida as Perverter of Islam
By David Gollust
State Department
13 October 2005



The United States Wednesday made public a letter from a senior al-Qaida figure to the group's chief operative in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that, among other things, questions his tactic of attacking Iraqi Shiite mosques. The State Department said the letter reveals al-Qaida as a confederacy of evil, and a perverter of Islam. .


The letter from second-ranking al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri to the Iraqi insurgency chief is said to have been acquired during U.S. operations in Iraq, and it reflects apparent apprehension among al-Qaida leaders about the public relations effect of Mr. al-Zarqawi's brutal tactics.

The document made public in English and Arabic by the office of U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte is said to have been written by Mr. al-Zawahri in July.

Among other things, it says the goal of al-Qaida goes beyond the expulsion of U.S. forces from Iraq to the establishment of radical Islamic rule across the Middle East.

But it cautions against repeating mistakes of the Taleban in Afghanistan, and questions some of the tactics of Mr. al-Zarkawi, a Jordanian-born militant and self-proclaimed al-Qaida leader in Iraq.

It says ordinary Muslims find tape footage of the al-Zarkawi group's slaughter of hostages in Iraq unpalatable, and also says they cannot accept its bomb attacks on Iraqi Shiite mosques, remarking that public aversion to the tactic will continue.


Adam Ereli
The letter further says that more than half the battle is taking place in the media, and that it is a race for the hearts and minds of the Islamic world.

At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said the letter shows the media-savvy of al-Qaida, but also clearly reveals the evil nature of the enemy being faced in Iraq:

"This isn't a question of hearts and minds, it's a question of bodies and gore, quite frankly. Meaning that this is a network and this is a confederacy of evil that will stop at nothing to advance its radical agenda. And that agenda was made very clear: it's a caliphate that will start in Iraq and move to take over Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and practice the kind of abuse and intolerance and perfidy that we saw under the Taleban in Afghanistan, which was in cahoots with these guys," Mr. Ereli says.

Mr. Ereli said the best evidence of what al-Qaida and its allies are all about is their own writing.

He said the United States released the letter so that those claiming to be speaking in the name of Islam can be seen by Muslims for what they are, in his words, perverters of that religion

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1590979,00.html


Revealed: Al-Qaida plan to seize control of Iraq

· Memo to Zarqawi calls for founding of Islamic state
· Clash with Israel seen as final stage of conflict

Brian Whitaker
Thursday October 13, 2005
The Guardian


Osama bin Laden's deputy has sent a letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the militant leader in Iraq, setting out a blueprint for taking control of the country when American troops leave, according to US intelligence officials.
The plans are set out in a 6,000-word letter dated July 9 this year from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian-born doctor who is regarded as al-Qaida's second-in-command.

The existence of the letter to Zarqawi was disclosed by the US last week but its full contents have only now been made public. The office of the director of national intelligence in Washington, which posted the letter on its website, has given no details of how it fell into American hands beyond saying it was "obtained during counterterrorism operations in Iraq".

"This lengthy document provides a comprehensive view of al-Qaida's strategy in Iraq and globally," the director's office said. "The document has not been edited in any way and is released in its entirety in both the Arabic and English translated forms. The United States government has the highest confidence in the letter's authenticity."

The letter sets out a four-step plan beginning with the expulsion of US forces from Iraq, followed by the establishment of "an Islamic authority or amirate" covering as much Iraqi territory as possible.

The third stage would "extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighbouring Iraq". Finally, would come "the clash with Israel, because Israel was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity," the letter says.

Although the tone of the letter is polite and respectful, it hints at disagreements on tactics between Zarqawi and the original al-Qaida leadership, and might be interpreted as a gentle reprimand.

The writer warns Zarqawi that he risks alienating Muslim opinion with gruesome killings of fellow-believers at a time when al-Qaida in Iraq should be seeking popular support for a new religious state.

"It is imperative that, in addition to force, there be an appeasement of Muslims and a sharing with them in governance," al-Zawahiri says.

He also argues that alongside armed struggle Zarqawi should establish a political movement capable of attracting not only Islamic fighters but tribal elders, scientists, merchants and "all the distinguished ones who are not sullied by appeasing the occupation".

"We don't want to repeat the mistake of the Taliban, who restricted participation in governance," the letter says. "They did not have any representation for the Afghan people in their ruling regime, so the result was that the Afghan people disengaged themselves from them."

Zawahiri is also highly critical of attacks on ordinary Shia Muslims in Iraq. His letter repeats the ultra-orthodox Sunni view that Shia Islam is based on "falsehood", but questions the need to pursue this conflict in Iraq.

Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, who has met bin Laden and Zawahiri, said the Arabic version of the letter is well-written and has "the same style" as Zawahiri.

"I think it is fairly authentic but I can't tell 100%," he said, adding that the ideas it contains are "typical Zawahiri".

Neil Quilliam, an analyst at security consultants Control Risks, thought the letter should be treated with caution. "It's a very interesting time for it to be released," he said, referring to concerns about Sunni participation in Iraq's constitutional referendum on Saturday. The letter seemed to be urging Sunni militants to engage politically with other elements in Iraq.

"At a time when people are trying to get the Sunnis to buy into the political process, the letter suggests a coincidence of interest between Zawahiri and the ongoing political process."

In continuing violence yesterday, a suicide bomber killed 30 Iraqis at an army recruiting centre in Tal Afar, the Iraqi army said. Three Iraqis were killed and 28 wounded in Baghdad and the north-western city of Baquba in suicide car bombs, two roadside blasts and two drive-by shootings, police said.

Saad Naif al-Hardan, Iraq's minister of provincial affairs, escaped an apparent assassination attempt when a convoy of cars preparing to pick him up at his office was hit by a suicide car bomb. Police said five bodyguards and five bystanders were injured.

Syrian Official Found Dead

By Alia Ibrahim

BEIRUT, Oct. 12 -- Syria's interior minister was found dead Wednesday in his office in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in what the government described as a suicide. The death of Maj. Gen. Ghazi Kanaan came just days before the planned release of a U.N. report on suspected Syrian involvement in the car-bomb assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister.

Kanaan, 63, who for two decades was Syria's top intelligence official here in neighboring Lebanon, fatally shot himself, according to a statement issued by SANA, the official Syrian news agency. The statement gave no further details, saying only that an official investigation had been launched.

"The Syrian government was shocked by this death," Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha said in Washington.

A U.N. investigator is to release a report as early as next week on the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister whose slaying in Beirut on Feb. 14 touched off a series of unprecedented anti-Syrian street protests in Lebanon and eventually led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country after a 29-year presence.

Lebanese opposition leaders and several foreign governments accused Syria, which had maintained thousands of troops and intelligence agents in Lebanon since 1976, of involvement in the bombing, and the U.N. report is widely expected to find top Syrian officials culpable.

Kanaan was one of several Syrians questioned in the U.N. probe headed by Detlev Mehlis, the German investigator expected to report to the Security Council before the Oct. 25 deadline.

Less then two hours before his body was found, Kanaan was interviewed on Voice of Lebanon radio and denied reports that he had told investigators of corrupt dealings with Hariri. He ended the interview by saying, "I hope this statement will be passed to all media outlets, because I believe it could be the last one I make."

As head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon from 1982 to 2002, Kanaan orchestrated the myriad political and militant groups vying for control of the country amid the chaos of a lingering civil war. In 1983 he managed to scuttle a U.S.-brokered peace agreement between the Lebanese and Israeli governments, eventually forcing the pullout of a multinational force deployed in the wake of Israel's invasion of Lebanon. He also was known as the engineer of laws adopted in Lebanon's parliament that guaranteed seats for Syria's supporters.

Syrian officials and analysts said they believed Kanaan committed suicide because he had become frustrated by developments in Lebanon, including the public outcry that forced the Syrian troop withdrawal in April.

"Kanaan belonged to the category of egocentric political personalities who would rather commit suicide than see all that he has achieved falling apart," analyst Imad Shuaiby told al-Jazeera television. "I met him a couple of weeks ago, and he was depressed because of what's happening in Lebanon. He told me he felt Lebanon was heading toward partition and he was very bitter about it.

Former Syrian legislator Joe Jabour said in an interview with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. that Kanaan could not handle the pressure put on him lately by the news media.

Several Lebanese politicians, however, said they believed the Syrian government killed Kanaan to prevent him from implicating Syria in Hariri's assassination, even though he had already testified.

Gebran Tueni, a member of Lebanon's parliament, called Kanaan's death "proof of Syria's involvement in Hariri's murder."

"I can't believe that someone like Kanaan could commit suicide, and only days before Mehlis's report," Tueni said in a telephone interview from Paris. "I believe the Syrian regime is confused and felt it had to get rid of Kanaan because he might say more than what he already told the international committee."

Another Lebanese lawmaker, Fouad Saad, said that "what happened to Kanaan is definitely going to lead more people to accuse Syria of involvement in the murder of Hariri, as well as all the bombings and assassinations that have taken place in Lebanon over the last year. But I think it would be better to wait for Mehlis's report before we make any accusations."

Syria's government rejected accusations that it was responsible for Kanaan's death and repeated assertions that the U.N. report on Hariri's assassination would not point to involvement by Syria.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, in an interview with CNN before Kanaan's death was announced, rejected any possibility that Damascus had ordered Hariri's assassination. "This is against our principles and my principles, and I would never do such a thing in my life," Assad said. "What do we achieve? I think what happened targeted Syria."


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Background on Syria and the Rafiq Hariri Investigation

Compiled by Jefferson Morley

Why is Syria in the news?

U.N. investigator Detlef Mehlis is probing whether the Syrian government was behind the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri last February.

What happens next?

Mehlis is due to deliver his findings on Oct. 25, and people following the case think he may implicate senior Syrian officials in the government of President Bashir Assad. Syria's interior minister, who had been questioned by Mehlis, committed suicide on Oct. 12, according to the Syrian government.

Why would the Syrians kill a former Lebanese prime minister?

The Syrians had long dominated the political system of Lebanon. Assad's father, Hafez Assad, was a secular dictator who ruled Syria with an iron fist from 1971cq until his death in 2000cq. He intervened in Lebanon to end a vicious multisided civil war that killed thousands in the 1980s. Hariri, who had initially collaborated with the Syrians out of necessity, was leading his country to greater independence from Syrian when he was killed on a Beirut street by a sophisticated remote control bomb.

What was the reaction in Lebanon to Hariri's assassination?

The outraged Lebanese population suspected Syria was behind Hariri's death and staged massive demonstrations that ultimately forced the Syrians to withdraw their military forces from the country and to cooperate with the U.N. investigation.

What role is the United States playing?

The Bush administration has a complicated relationship with Syria. On the one hand, it has called for democratic reforms in the one-party governments of the Arab world and supported the Lebanese demonstrations that led to Syria's withdrawal from the country. On the other hand, the United States reportedly turned over suspected terrorists to the Syrian security forces for interrogation and torture after the Sept. 11 attacks. Meanwhile, the U.S. invasion of Iraq has little support in Syria and Washington has criticized Syria for not controlling its border with Iraq and for harboring anti-American insurgents.

What does the Syrian government say?

They deny involvement in Hariri's assassination. President Assad says that the liberalization of Syria's secular political system would empower Islamic fundamentalists.

What will be the impact of the U.N. report?

If Mehlis implicates senior Syrian government officials in Hariri's assassination, it is unclear what effect it would have on the Assad regime. Some believe such a finding could call into question Assad's legitimacy and his grip on power.


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http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B28...BB3EA0CA11A.htm

Syria leader denies link to assassination

Thursday 13 October 2005, 0:28 Makka Time, 21:28 GMT

Bashar al-Assad declined to speculate on a US invasion

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said his government did not order the assassination of ex-Lebanese premier Rafiq al-Hariri.


But the president on Wednesday vowed severe punishment if any national was found to have been involved.



In a rare interview with CNN, al-Assad called on America to stop blaming Syria for being unable to lock down its borders to insurgents entering Iraq.



He said the real problem was the "chaos" resulting from the resistance to the US-led occupation of that country.



Al-Assad, who spoke in English and Arabic in his first major interview in three years, said he did not order al-Hariri's killing or believe such a crime could have been carried out by a Syrian without his knowledge.



"We are more confident ... that Syria has nothing to do with this crime," al-Assad said days before the release of a UN report on a investigation into al-Hariri's 14 February assassination.



"So far there is no material evidence of Syrian involvement," al-Assad said in the interview conducted hours before Syrian authorities announced the suicide of Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan.



Suicide shock



Kanaan's death, which Syrian opponents suggested could be murder to cover up high-level involvement in the assassination, shocked Syrians, and the government felt compelled to stress that his death would not affect the country's political stability.



Asked whether he would hand over any Syrians implicated in the killing to an international tribunal, Assad said: "Yes. If implicated, they should be punished. International, or Syrian, whatever. If they're not punished internationally, they will be punished in Syria.

"If indeed there is a Syrian national implicated in it, he would be considered as a traitor and most severely punished"

Bashar al-Assad,
Syrian president




"If indeed there is a Syrian national implicated in it, he would be considered as a traitor and most severely punished," he added.



Principles



Syria had nothing to gain from killing al-Hariri, Assad said, and would instead put itself under great pressure if it did order his death.



"This is against our principles and my principles and I would never do such a thing in my life," al-Assad said. "What do we achieve? I think what happened targeted Syria ... I would never do it. It's impossible."



Al-Assad said Syria is cooperating with the UN investigation into the killing but was concerned the inquiry would be politicised.



UN investigator Detlev Mehlis began investigating al-Hariri's killing two months after the bombing.



Four Lebanese generals have been arrested and charged with murder. Mehlis has said he has no Syrian suspects, though his team has questioned at least seven Syrians as witnesses.



Syrian cooperation



The Syrian leader said he was ready to resume military and intelligence cooperation with the United States on Iraq
provided it goes through a third party.


Syria, under increased US pressure over Iraq, ended military and intelligence cooperation with Washington in May due
to "unfair" US accusations that Damascus was doing too little
to stop foreign fighters from entering neighbouring Iraq.


"There has been an attempt to resume cooperation, basically,
through mediation by some Arab and European states," al-Assad said.



"We said we have no objection, as long as it goes through a
third party. Now, those Arab and non-Arab parties went to say that to the US side, to say: 'What do you want from Syria'. So far, no response," al-Assad added.



He declined to speculate on whether the US military might attack Syria and whether Damascus would retaliate.



"We will deal with every situation if and when it happens," he said. "I cannot really go into hypothesis at this point. However there is no such safe haven or camp of the kind to be bombed."



The United States and Iraq argue that Syria could do more to close its borders to foreign fighters wanting to battle US-led forces in Iraq, but al-Assad says it is impossible for any country to fully safeguard its borders.


Agencies

--------------------
Making Room for Muslim Educators
--------------------

By Jeffrey Fleishman
Times Staff Writer

October 12 2005

MUENSTER, Germany -- The son of an immigrant coal miner, Musa Bagrac was raised in a city of steam and smoke, a place where men walked with crumpled lunch bags in calloused hands and Muslims felt adrift in makeshift mosques shadowed by church steeples.

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While the world wasn't watching, Russia did it again.
Posted: Tuesday, October 11, 2005



This past January President Bush obtained a guarantee from President Putin that he would not sell Syria the Iskander SS-26 missiles. Again this past May Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a trip to Moscow to get the same promise and walked away with Putin’s word that he would not sell Assad the missiles, that they were far to dangerous in the hands of Bashar Assad who would threaten Israel with them. The Iskander SS-26 also known as the “Stone” has a 400-km range putting over 75% of the Israeli population in range. They are very accurate able to hit a target within 20-meter carrying a 480 Kilo warhead with satellite controlled accuracy, along with other guidance system to make them unstoppable with the arsenal now in the hands of Israel Defense Forces. In September Syria paid cash, no one knows the total amount for 26 of these missiles. This sale shifts the balance of power between Syria and Israel putting Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem and everything north to the Lebanon border in danger of attack from Syria and the Hizbullah who are backed by Iran and Syria.



It seemed that the only thing Putin was waiting on was the right time to break his word to both Bush and Sharon. Nothing has changed Russia has always armed the Islamic enemies of Israel, and today Russia is arming Iran with nuclear and conventional weapons to destroy Israel with. They are now once again arming Syria, in 1982 Syria lost 86 Russia Mig Jets over Lebanon in dog fights while Israel never lost a fight, at the same time they lost over half of the Russian T-72 Tanks to the smaller and faster tanks of Israel. Then the USSR fell and Syria lost its backer to destroy Israel, but it now seems that backer is back with a vengeance. We all know the day is coming when the armies of the north (Russian with its Arab allies) will come against Israel and it is then we will all know that God’s Word is to be taken seriously for He will destroy them Himself. In the mean time we are seeing this battle take shape as Russia draws closer to the Arab world and against Israel.



Assad is in serous political trouble in his own country and faces an overthrow from his own generals. And he finds himself suffering from the threats from the US of an attack on his country for harboring and training Islamic terrorists and sending them into Iraq. Those facts coupled with the fact he is unstable and capable of launching an attack on Israel at any time to save his own neck is a very real possibility. Not that Putin isn’t aware of these reality on the ground in Syria.



The Sinai and Gaza becoming al-Qaida strongholds.



IDF Generals are once again warning Sharon that al-Qaida is building its forces in Gaza and the Sinai while Egypt does nothing to stop them. Terrorists are moving back and forth from Gaza to Egypt at will. What the world hasn’t woken up to yet is these Palestinian and al-Qaida terrorists who now have freedom of movement are not only moving into Egypt but from there they have access to the entire world. Gaza as predicted by so many is now turning into a very stronghold for international terrorist. There first target is of course Israel but the US is sitting there making deals with Moslems around the world as if they can trust them, there are some really terrible days coming to the US and there doesn’t seem to be any possibility of stopping them at this point in time.



Egypt is just starting to understand the danger al-Qaida poses to them, for they hate Mubarak and his government and want to overthrow him. We are bound to see fireworks in that area soon.

Moscow Arms Assad with a Top-Flight Surface Missile

From DEBKA-Net-Weekly Sept 30 Updated by DEBKAfile

October 10, 2005, 12:29 PM (GMT+02:00)


Iskander SS-26: Too fast and flexible for known electronic defenses to stop


You too can read DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s Exclusives when they are first published

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Two generals were in Moscow on the same day, September 26: the head of Israel’s National Security Council Maj.-Gen (Res.) Giora Eiland and the Syrian chief of staff General Ali Habib. Both also called on the Russian chief of staff, Gen. Yuri Baluyevski. The Syrian general came out of his meeting with a brilliant contract for the sale of the advanced Iskander SS-26 surface missile. The Israeli general ran into a blank wall when he tried to persuade the Russian to withhold the missile from the Assad regime. Last January, when the deal was first broached, the Bush administration stepped in and obtained a promise from president Vladimir Putin to call off the sale, as did Israel’s Ariel Sharon during the Russian president’s visit in May.

Putin has broken those pledges.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly 224 revealed in its detailed report on September 30 -

For a speedy delivery in the first quarter of 2006, the Syrians paid cash.

The value of the transaction is unknown but it certainly runs into hundreds of million dollars, given that Syria has purchased 26 of the most advanced missile of its kind in use anywhere in the world.

The United States and NATO have code-named the Iskander SS-26 “Stone.” They have nothing in their missile arsenal to match its unique attributes.

With a 400-km range and a 480-kilo warhead composed of 54 elements, the missile hits a target within a 20-meter radius. Two missiles with a range of 280km are mounted on each launch pad. The system can be used against small and large targets alike, easily overcoming air defenses. It is almost impossible for existing electronic weapons systems to prevent the Iskander’s launch because of its speed and high flexibility. Its targets are found in mid-flight by satellites, accompanying airplanes, conventional intelligence centers or a lone soldier directing artillery fire. Targets may also be found by feeding photos into the missile’s computer by means of a scanner.

The self-direction device functions even in fog, darkness or storms. The name Iskander is Alexander (the Great) in the Turkoman language. Weighing 3,800 kilos it is operated by a crew of three. It comes in two versions: the 500-kilo version provided the Russian Army and the 280-kilo missile sold to Syria.

So impressive is the Russian “Stone”, that in 2004, the Americans sought to include it in various treaties signed with Russia for precluding the manufacture and sale of certain weapons. Moscow balked. A Western missile expert says: “Even a small quantity of these missiles is capable of radically changing the balance of strength in local conflicts.” It is a strategic weapon for countries with a small area like Syria.

Nine months ago, on January 12, 2005, Moscow “leaked” the news of a big new arms deal with Syria that included the following missiles: the Iskander SS-26, SA-10 Grumble ground-to-air, and SA-18 Grouse (Igla 9K38) shoulder-launched anti-air missiles capable of hitting objects at an altitude of 3,600 meters and range of 5,200 meters.

Israeli raised the ceiling over this transaction as radically shifting the balance of strength between the Jewish state and Syria. Washington embarked on a quiet diplomatic dialogue to deter Damascus from acquiring the new hardware, maintaining it posed a threat to the US army in Iraq.

After weeks of palaver and pressure, president Vladimir Putin and defense minister Sergei Ivanov relented and promised Washington and Jerusalem to withhold the Iskander SS-26 from Syria. The other items would have their aggressive options “neutered” and rendered fit for defensive use alone.

It is now clear that Putin’s promise to the Americans and Israelis to withhold the missile’s sale was no more than a time-winning ploy until an opportunity presented itself to go through with the transaction.

DEBKAfile’s military experts add four points:

1. Assad had need of a sop to his armed forces if he intends to go through with the exercise DEBKA revealed earlier, to follow in Muammar Qaddafi’s footsteps and make his peace with Washington. The Syrian ruler will demonstrated that he is the only Middle East leader capable of providing his army with a weapons system as sophisticated Iskander SS-22. This may divert the generals from plotting to overthrow him if he throws some of his top security officers to the wolves over the Hariri assassination.

2. Putin’s motivation in breaking his promises to Bush and Sharon is his fundamental urge to show Washington and Paris they are not the only players in the Middle East and Syrian-Lebanese arena. He hopes by the missile sale to prevent the Assad regime from collapsing.

3. The Bush administration refrained from interceding in the deal this because, as DEBKA revealed before, the White House has not yet decided finally whether to finally topple Assad or let him survive. Washington’s silence on the missile sale points to the latter option.

4. Israel’s failure to stop the delivery even after the kudos Sharon collected over the pullout from Gaza means that the country’s basic security situation and international influence remain unchanged by the sacrifice of its strategic presence in Gaza

Assad in CNN interview: US should rethink Iraq

October 12, 2005, 5:25 PM (GMT+02:00)

He is also convinced that the chaos in Iraq is the consequence of a situation created there by the Americans, not anything happening in Syria or on the Syrian-Iraqi border. He stressed that nothing was achieved by the war in Iraq. What did they achieve economically, politically, fighting terrorism? When the interviewer suggested that Saddam Hussein has been removed, Assad replied: “Yes, but what did you lose as a return? The hope of the people, the stability, no better democracy, no better economy, no services, no stability in the region, more terrorism – so is that the prize you’ve won for getting rid of a dictator? That’s not a goal.”

From the portions aired in advance of the full interview, DEBKAfile’s sources see no sign of a new attitude on key issues at issue with Washington.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources reveal a background event: Assad’s uncle Rifat Assad was a much-honored guest of Saudi King Abdallah in Riyadh this week. Banished to Paris by his brother, former president Hafez Assad, for scheming against him, Rifat now offered to return to Damascus to save his nephew, overhaul his government and security and patch up his relations with Washington. He proposed creating a pan-Arab observer force to police Syria’s border with Iraq and stem the flow of anti-US guerrillas and terrorists across.

Syrian vice president Farouq a Shara arrived in Riyadh at the same time, but the Saudis were not able to arrange for the two to meet.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4336810.stm
Syria probes minister's 'suicide'

Syrian authorities have begun investigating the death of Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan who reportedly committed suicide on Wednesday.
His death comes a week before the UN is to publish a report into the killing of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which has been blamed on Syria.

Damascus has condemned any suggestion of foul play in the death of Kanaan, its former security chief in Lebanon.

Kanaan is said to have shot himself at his Damascus office.

Washington described Kanaan as a "central figure in Syria's occupation of Lebanon for many years" but declined to comment on the circumstances of his death.

'Extraordinary timing'

"I don't believe it was a suicide," Dennis Ross, a former US Mid-East mediator, told the Associated Press news agency.


I wanted to exclusively give you this statement... for I believe this is the last statement I might make
Kanaan to Voice of Lebanon


If the UN report pointed to Syrian involvement in Hariri's death, he said, Kanaan was likely to be implicated because of his seniority and prominence.

"The timing is extraordinarily coincidental," Mr Ross added.

"It certainly would look as if someone was trying to create the impression the person responsible [for the Hariri murder] is dead."

Syrian lawmaker Mohammed Habash said Kanaan had looked relaxed at a cabinet session on Tuesday night and did not appear tense.

"Everything seemed normal," Mr Habash told Al-Arabiya TV.

"Certainly, the indications that came before it did not show he was under pressure here, or that his political situation was shaky."

'Upset and angry'

However, Syrian analyst Samir Taki suggested Hariri's murder, Syria's subsequent troop withdrawal from Lebanon and the UN probe might have "weighed heavily on his state of mind".


"The Lebanese situation was linked to his name personally," he told Reuters news agency.

Information Minister Mahdi Dakhlallah told Al-Jazeera TV that Kanaan had appeared "very upset and angry" over the anti-Syrian campaign in Lebanon following Hariri's assassination.

He said Kanaan's death would not destabilise the country and dismissed theories surrounding his death.

"Of course, the timing is sensitive," he said. "But I'm talking about facts and not suspicion and speculation."

Report looms

Kanaan, 63, was Syria's top security official in Beirut from 1982. He returned to Damascus in 2002 as political intelligence chief and went on to join the cabinet in 2004.

Correspondents say there has been little sympathy for the dead man in Lebanon which long felt the hand of his intelligence agents.

"This is a happy ending after he oppressed so many Lebanese," housewife Leila Ahmadieh told Reuters.

The UN report on Hariri's assassination is expected to be published before the end of October.

Correspondents say it is likely to implicate Syria's intelligence regime and its allies in Lebanon in the bombing, that killed 20 people in central Beirut in February.

Damascus has denied any involvement in the Hariri bombing, but it immediately came under heavy international pressure to relinquish its political and military control on Lebanon.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/midd...ast/4336810.stm

Published: 2005/10/13 03:38:10 GMT

© BBC MMV

Former NATO Chiefs Warn Of Europe Military Weakness
http://www.spacewar.com/news/europe-05zb.html

Brussels (AFP) Oct 12, 2005 - Europe risks being unable to meet mounting security risks like international terrorism unless it reverses a failure to pool its defenses, two retired NATO commanders warned Wednesday.

Iran's Influence Growing In Iraq
http://www.spacewar.com/news/iraq-05zzzzd.html

Washington (UPI) Oct 12, 2005 - Suddenly, Iran's growing influence in Iraq is top of the national security agenda again in Britain and America. The influence is real, massive and growing. More than that, following the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the empowerment of Iraq's Shiite majority, it became inevitable. The question is, what to do about it?

Russian Urges Speedy Resumption Of Iranian Nuclear Talks
http://www.spacewar.com/news/iran-05zzzzk.html

Moscow (AFP) Oct 12, 2005 - Russia Wednesday urged Iran to resume talks with the Europeans to resolve a dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, saying Moscow was willing to take an active part in seeking solutions.

EU keeps up pressure on Iran in nuclear standoff
http://www.spacewar.com/2005/051012163124.bgso92e3.html

Seoul Wants Talks With US On Troop Control
http://www.spacewar.com/news/korea-05zzzzs.html

Seoul (AFP) Oct 12, 2005 - South Korea has called for talks with the United States to regain control over its troops in wartime, a sensitive topic that could erode security ties between the allies, officials said Wedneday.

EU ministers look to boost arms industry competition
http://www.spacewar.com/2005/051013020108.x48ht37y.html

Lyneham, England (AFP) Oct 13, 2005 - European Union defence ministers gather in southern England on Thursday to examine a plan to inject competition into Europe's arms industry, amid warnings the bloc is failing to address its security needs.

Rumsfeld urges Central American nations to coordinate security efforts
http://www.spacewar.com/2005/051013001504.95b8td29.html

NATO rules out strong role in Middle East
http://www.spacewar.com/2005/051012200736.gpr6x36s.html

Indian Troopers Cross Kashmir Border To Offer Help
http://www.terradaily.com/news/nuclear-ind...kistan-05l.html

Srinagar, India (AFP) Oct 12, 2005 - Indian soldiers Wednesday crossed the de facto border dividing the Indian and Pakistani zones of disputed Kashmir to rebuild a quake-destroyed bunker, an Indian army spokesman said.

October 13, 2005
ABC News

Iraq's al Qaeda denounces Zawahri letter as fake-Web
Ayman al-Zawahri , Al Qaeda's second in command, speaks in a video aired by Al Jazeera on August 4 2005. Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq on Thursday rejected as a fake a letter by top group leader Zawahri which was issued by U.S. officials this week, according to an Internet posting. REUTERS/Al Jazeera
Reuters

Oct 13, 2005 — DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq on Thursday rejected as a fake a letter by top group leader Ayman al-Zawahri which was issued by U.S. officials this week, according to an Internet posting.

"We in Al Qaeda Organization announce that there is no truth to these claims, which are only based on the imagination of the politicians of the Black (White) House and their slaves," the group said in a statement posted on an Islamist Web site about the letter.

According to the letter released this week by U.S. intelligence officials, al Qaeda's second in command Zawahri urged the group's leader in Iraq to prepare for an Islamic government to take over the country when U.S. forces leave. He also said brutal tactics risked alienating Muslims.

Copyright 2005 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

EU Says Deadly Asia Bird Flu Found in Turkey

By Daniela Deane

A strain of bird flu that can kill humans has spread from Asia to Turkey and probably Romania, the European Commission said today, warning member countries to prepare against a possible outbreak. Turkey's health minister moved quickly to assuage fears, saying the Turkish outbreak had been contained.

"We have received now confirmation that the virus found in Turkey is an avian flu H5N1 virus," said EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, news services reported. "There is a direct relationship with viruses found in Russia, Mongolia and China." Experts are afraid that that strain of bird flu could mutate into a virus that could spread easily among humans.

Turkey detected bird flu last Saturday after 2,000 birds died on a poultry farm near the Aegean Sea. The birds were discovered dead in a village in western Turkey, which has been under a two-mile quarantine ever since. Only authorities are allowed to enter and exit the remote village.

Romania also reported bird flu last week in its Danube delta region, which attracts migratory birds from Russia, Scandinavia, Poland and Germany.

Kyprianou, speaking at a news conference in Brussels, said he assumed the bird flu found in Romania was also the same strain as the one found in Turkey, although further tests were needed to confirm it.

A statement by the commission posted on its Web site said the European body was moving today to ban imports of live birds, poultry, meat and other poultry products from Romania. Imports of live birds and feathers from Turkey have been banned since Monday.

An emergency meeting of experts on avian flu will be held Friday in Brussels, the commission announced. The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate the risk that migratory birds pose for European countries.

Kyprianou said authorities were assessing precautionary measures to warn people traveling to countries where the disease has been diagnosed to avoid "going to farms, coming in contact with wild birds and so on."

He said the commission was proposing to set aside $1.2 billion to help make and distribute antivirals and vaccines "in case of a pandemic."

Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag urged the country to stay calm, saying the Turkish outbreak had been contained.

"Bird flu is totally under control," Akdag said. "The outbreak in winged animals occurred in one area and has been contained."

Strains of the bird flu virus have been spreading in wild and domestic birds across Southeast Asia and China since 1996. Now it has spread to the fringes of Europe.

Since late 2003, more than 140 million domesticated birds -- mostly chickens and ducks -- either have died of the virus or have been intentionally killed to keep the viruses from spreading.

But what has experts worried is that 60 people of the 112 people who have been infected with the virus have died. That fatality rate of 55 percent outstrips any human flu epidemic on record, including the epochal Spanish flu of 1918 and 1919 that killed at least 50 million people.

Avian flu is transmitted to humans only if they eat or live in close contact with affected birds. But scientists warn the strain is mutating toward a form that could pass easily from human to human.

President Bush said recently that he would consider using the military to effect a quarantine in the event of an outbreak of pandemic bird flu in the United States.

The government is stockpiling antiviral medications and an experimental bird flu vaccine as a defense against the virus, should it develop the capacity to spread easily and quickly in human beings.

Staff writer David Brown contributed to this report.


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Chechen rebel attack fuels growing unrest Christian Science Monitor
President Vladimir Putin ordered a total security blockade of a key North Caucasus city Thursday as Russian security forces struggled to contain a coordinated guerrilla attack, the latest in a growing wave of unrest that threatens to destabilize Russia's entire southern flank.
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Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan's body has been moved to his hometown for a low-key funeral, a day after he killed himself with a bullet to the brain.
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Election officials are seen as they work on election results in Monrovia, Liberia on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2005. Vote counting was underway in Liberia Wednesday, a day after a presidential election that saw heavy turnout - and great expectations for a better future after decades of coups, despotic rule and war.
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