Aletho News

ΑΛΗΘΩΣ

Iran, Russia emphasize need to implement Annan plan in Syria

Press TV – July 7, 2012

The Iranian ambassador to Moscow and the Russian deputy foreign minister have underlined the need for the implementation of the peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to Syria for the settlement of the crisis in the country.

Reza Sajjadi and Mikhail Bogdanov met to discuss the situation in Syria.

During their meeting, they also called for the resolution of the Syrian crisis through solutions proposed in last week’s Geneva meeting, which aim to end the conflict, start national dialog and pave the way for a political resolution of the crisis.

They also stressed the necessity for the settlement of the Syrian crisis through political negotiations between Syrian sides and without any foreign interference.

Both sides also called on foreign players to avoid adopting unilateral measures against Syria and emphasized the need for respecting Damascus sovereignty as well as the Syrian people’s viewpoints in determining their fate.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. The violence has claimed the lives of many people, including security forces.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters, but Damascus blames ‘outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups’ for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

July 7, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , | Leave a comment

EU sanctions on Iran violate intl. law, French lawyer says

Press TV – July 4, 2012

A French international lawyer says the European Union sanctions agreed in early 2012 against Iran raise many specific issues regarding their lawfulness under international law.

Pierre-Emmanuel Dupont made the remarks in an article entitled “Countermeasures and Collective Security: The Case of the EU Sanctions against Iran,” which was published in the latest edition of Journal of Conflict and Security Law in June.

He said that the measures, “including an embargo on imports of Iranian oil and the freeze of assets of the Iranian Central Bank, go well beyond those mandated by the successive UN Security Council resolutions.”

He argued that “the EU measures cannot be characterized as measures of retorsion or as sanctions. Rather they are to be regarded as countermeasures. However, characterizing these measures as such raises the question whether it is open to States or regional organizations to take countermeasures in circumstances where the UN Security Council has already adopted measures under Chapter VII of the Charter.”

According to the International Law Commission, a retorsion is “unfriendly” conduct “which is not inconsistent with any international obligation of the State engaging in it.”

He added that the measures enacted by the EU in January 2012, restricting or impeding trade relations with the Islamic Republic, “go beyond mere expressions of disapproval and involve the suspension of the performance of international legal obligations otherwise owed to Iran.”

Dupont then mentioned bilateral investment treaties between Iran and Germany signed in 1965 and Iran and France signed in 2003 as instances showing that the EU measures actually imply non-performance of various international legal obligations owed to Iran.

He also said that the measures taken against the Central Bank of Iran may be deemed to conflict with rules governing immunities and privileges of foreign states under international law and the 2004 UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and their Property, adding that the measure also violates Article VIII(2)(a) of the IMF Agreement.

On July 1, under US pressure, the EU imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking sectors which had been approved by the bloc’s foreign ministers on January 23.

In March, the US administration approved new embargoes on Iranian crude that penalize other countries for buying or selling Iran’s oil. The sanctions took effect on June 28.

July 3, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , | Leave a comment

Israeli Occupation Forces arrest 50 citizens, block travel of 450 others at Karame crossing

Palestine Information Center – 30/06/2012

RAMALLAH — The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) arrested 50 Palestinians and blocked the travel of 450 others at the Karame crossing between occupied West Bank and Jordan since the start of 2012.

The Palestinian prisoner’s committee said in a statement on Friday that most of those arrested in the first half of this year were young men or university students.

It noted that students and sick and elderly people were among the 450 citizens banned from travel.

The committee charged that the measure ran contrary to laws and norms, noting, meanwhile, that those allowed to travel are almost always delayed for no justified reason while some of them are questioned by the IOA intelligence.

The committee asked world organizations and human rights groups to intervene and put an end to such practices that violate the freedom of movement.

June 30, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , | Leave a comment

Venezuela Decries Attempted Coup in Paraguay

UNASUR Requests President’s Defense Guarantees

AVN / Prensa Latina – June 22, 2012

The secretary general of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), Alí Rodríguez of Venezuela, said yesterday that guarantees ensuring a proper defense should be established in the proceedings against Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo.

Rodríguez said that due process must be respected in the case against the head of state, including providing the necessary time to prepare his defense.

The head of UNASUR and the foreign ministers of member states met Thursday night with President Lugo to analyze the destabilization attempts against his government.

The Paraguayan parliament, controlled by right-wing parties, approved a political trial against the head of state, a measure Lugo has called “unconstitutional.”

In declarations reported on by the news agency IP, UNASUR chief Rodríguez said that “UNASUR’s greatest concern is the legitimate exercise of democracy, and within that, that there be a guiding principal of the administration of justice and conditions, [which is] absolutely indispensable.”

Rodríguez explained that UNASUR member states respect the sovereignty of Paraguay but that the problems concerning democracy in that country affect all of South America.

He said he will meet with diverse political sectors in Paraguay to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Paraguay’s congress requested yesterday, with 76 votes in favor and 1 against, a political trial against the president to attempt to link him to clashes last week in Curuguatay in which 11 farmers and six police officers were killed.

President Lugo will present his defense before Parliament at noon today. Afterward, evidence will be brought forward at 2:30 in the afternoon, allegations will be heard an hour later and sentencing will take place at 4:30.

Venezuelan Government Reaction

Vice-president Elias Jaua described the attempt by the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay to topple President Fernando Lugo as a new attack sourcing from the bourgeoisie and the United States. During a ceremony to deliver resources to the state of Miranda, Jaua denounced the sectors trying to weaken the South American revolutionary process.

“The battle of the Paraguayan people is that of the Venezuelans, and we are committed to thwart this new attempt by the oligarchies and imperialism as we did in Venezuela in 2002, and also when they tried to topple Evo Morales (Bolivia) and Rafael Correa (Ecuador),” he said.

In Jaua’s opinion, it is all about the struggle of the peoples and governments so that the will of the peoples of the region is respected and about “letting imperialism know that our Latin America is no longer their backyard,” he said.

“Here we have a people and a government ready to defend the sovereignty and independence of all the countries in the region,” stressed Jaua.

June 22, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , | Leave a comment

Clashes after Paraguay president ousted

Press TV – June 22, 2012

Paraguayans have clashed with police outside the Congress building in Asuncion, shortly after it was announced that the Senate had voted to remove President Fernando Lugo from office.

The lower house of the Paraguayan Congress impeached Lugo on Thursday, and the Senate opened his trial on Friday and quickly reached a guilty verdict, ousting Lugo.

Lugo was immediately replaced by Vice President Federico Franco, a ferocious opponent of the leftist leader. Franco was sworn in as the new president of Paraguay on Friday evening.

“Although the law’s been twisted like a fragile branch in the wind, I accept Congress’ decision,” Lugo said in a speech on national television after lawmakers found him guilty of performing his duties badly during a land dispute that left 17 people dead.

He added that “the history of Paraguay and its democracy have been deeply wounded.”

“Today I retire as president, but not as a Paraguayan citizen,” he said. “May the blood of the just not be spilled.”

After a five-hour trial, 39 senators voted to oust Lugo, while four senators voted against the motion, and two were absent. He was accused of mishandling an armed clash over a land dispute in which seven police officers and ten landless farmers were killed on June 15.

Earlier, Lugo had said the entire impeachment process was equivalent to a coup.

“It is more than a coup d’etat, it’s a parliamentary coup dressed up as a legal procedure,” an angry Lugo said on Paraguayan radio.

After the Senate announced the decision, several thousand Lugo supporters took to the streets to condemn the move and express support for the man they still view as the president of the country. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets and used water cannon to disperse the protesters.

The breakneck speed of the impeachment process raised concerns in other South American capitals, and a few dispatched their foreign ministers to Asuncion. Some countries even warned of the possibility of imposing sanctions on Paraguay.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa announced that his government would not recognize Franco as president.

“The government of Ecuador will not recognize any president of Paraguay other than Fernando Lugo,” said Correa, adding “true democracy is based on legality and legitimacy.”

June 22, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Paraguayan president vows to fight impeachment effort

Press TV – June 22, 2012

Paraguayan leftist President Fernando Lugo has said he would not resign after the opposition-controlled lower house of Congress voted for his impeachment over last week’s land clashes with farmers.

President Lugo pledged on Thursday to stand and fight the impeachment proceedings led by his congressional rivals over a land eviction in which 17 people died.

“This president announces that he is not going to present his resignation and that he will fully respect the constitution and the law to face the impeachment trial and its full consequences,” he said in a televised speech right after the vote.

However, he also said that “this is an ‘express’ coup because (lawmakers) have done this in the wee hours of the night. They have gotten together, and we believe this is even unconstitutional because it doesn’t respect due process.”

After the lower house overwhelmingly approved the move, the Senate, which is also controlled by the opposition, followed suit, announcing the impeachment hearing will begin on Friday.

Seven police officers and nine landless farmers died in a clash on last Friday, when police attempted to forcibly remove peasants from the farm, which is owned by a Colorado Party politician opposed to President Lugo.

Right after the incident Lugo replaced his interior minister and national police chief. He also said on Wednesday that he would set up a committee to investigate the deadly clashes.

Lugo, who took power on pledges to champion the poor, accused his rivals of planning to “rob the people of their supreme decision” when they elected him in 2008 to put an end to six decades of ruling by the right-wing Colorado Party.

Under Paraguay’s constitution, if Lugo is booted from presidency, his vice president Federico Franco will replace him. Franco is the leader of Authentic Radical Liberal Party that formed a coalition with Lugo after the elections.

The next presidential election will be in April 2013. Lugo, who was under cancer treatment, earlier said that he would not seek another term.

June 22, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , | Leave a comment

Hamas militants say targeting Israeli army sites

Ma’an – 21/06/2012

BETHLEHEM – Hamas’ armed wing said it fired a barrage of rockets, missiles and mortars at Israeli military targets on Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said it fired 24 rockets, 10 missiles and nine mortars at Israeli army bases since dawn Wednesday.

“These operations are part of the repelling operations against the (Israeli) occupation assaults on Gaza Strip and West Bank, and as a response for the ongoing aggression against Palestinian people,” the brigades said in a statement.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said at least 20 rockets were fired into southern Israel on Wednesday, without causing injuries.

A border policeman was wounded by a rocket on Tuesday night, she said. A rocket fired from Gaza had exploded inside a border police base in south Israel.

Israel has killed eight Palestinians in airstrikes and tank shelling on the Gaza Strip since Monday, including two Hamas militants.

Hamas joined in the hostilities on Tuesday, for the first time in over a year. The Al-Qassam Brigades usually holds its fire under an unofficial truce and Hamas in the past has discouraged smaller militant groups from firing at Israel.

Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks from the Gaza Strip.

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said Tuesday that Israel’s attacks prompted the group’s military wing “to take a firm stance” and launch rockets.

The Al-Mujahedin Brigades, the armed wing of the Al-Mujahedin movement, said in a statement that it fired 12 rockets at Israeli targets on Wednesday.

The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades — the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — said it fired two rockets across the border in a joint operation with the Shuhada Al-Aqsa – Karama army.

The Popular Resistance Committees’ Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades said it launched seven rockets into Israel and the Abdul Qader Husseini Brigades said it fired a grad rocket toward Ashkelon.

The Al-Ansar brigades, the armed wing of the Al-Ahrar movement, said it fired 11 rockets into Israel on Wednesday afternoon in response to Israeli aggression.

June 21, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , | Leave a comment

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over US medical experiments in Guatemala

By Rebecca DiLeonardo | JURIST | June 14, 2012

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website] on Wednesday dismissed [opinion, PDF] a lawsuit filed by seven Guatemalans who alleged that they had been the subject of non-consensual human medical experimentation by the US Public Health Service (PHS) [official websites]. In its decision, the court found that under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) [text] the US government is specifically exempt from liability for torts that occur outside of the US. Because the plaintiffs sued government officials who were acting in the capacity of their positions, the claim is automatically converted to a claim against the US government, and the court is bound by the FTCA. In his decision, Judge Reggie Walton acknowledged that “the Guatemala Study is a deeply troubling chapter in our Nation’s history,” but concluded that the court had no authority to provide relief. He suggested that the victims seek a remedy through political means. The Guatemalan government had reportedly requested that the US government provide out-of-court settlements [AP report] before the lawsuit was filed, but the US did not respond.

The victims filed a class action lawsuit [JURIST report] in March 2011. The suit was brought on behalf of all individuals who were subjected to experimentation in Guatemala or were infected to be used as vehicles to infect test subjects for the venereal disease experiments. The complaint alleges that the PHS conducted the human medical experiments in Guatemala to test whether penicillin could also be used as a prophylaxis immediately following exposure to the syphilis bacteria. The plaintiffs sought relief under the Alien Tort Statute [28 USC § 1350], the Fifth Amendment and the Eighth Amendment [materials]. Evidence of the PHS program [report] was discovered by Professor Susan Reverby [academic profile]. US President Barack Obama apologized [BBC report] to Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom for the testing. Reverby’s study shows that the PHS infected more than 700 people in Guatemala with syphilis and gonorrhea. The patients were prisoners and people suffering from mental health problems and were unaware they were being tested.

June 19, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , | Leave a comment

16 die in Paraguay as police, farmers clash

Press TV – June 16, 2012

Paraguay has deployed troops in a remote northern forest reserve, where at least sixteen people have been killed in a clash between police and landless farmers over a land dispute.

Paraguayan Interior Minister Carlos Filizzola said on Friday that seven police officers and at least nine landless farmers died in the clash in Curuguaty, which is 250 kilometers northeast of Asuncion, earlier in the day, AFP reported.

Another government official said about 80 people had also been injured in the incident, some of them critically.

The clash began when police attempted to forcibly remove peasants from the farm, which is owned by a Colorado Party politician opposed to leftist President Fernando Lugo.

According to some reports, farmers shot at the police trying to oust them from the 4,900-acre (2,000-hectare) reserve.

“The peasants have high-caliber weapons like M16 rifles,” a local police official claimed, adding that some of the farmers “handled weapons very well.”

“They shot cleanly to kill us. This is a critical situation,” the police official said.

The farmers later disappeared into the jungle and police took over the reserve, Interior Ministry official Gregorio Almada said.

The troops, who have been deployed to resolve the contentious issue, have the Interior Ministry’s backing, Almada added.

June 15, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , | Leave a comment

’Syria Not in Civil War but Fighting Terrorists’

Al-Manar | June 13, 2012

Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday the country was not in civil war, but was fighting terrorist.syria flag

“Talk of civil war in Syria is not consistent with reality… what is happening in Syria is a war against armed terrorist groups plotting against the future of the Syrian people,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also expressed surprise at statements made the day before by UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous.
It criticized Ladsous for saying on Tuesday that Syria was now in a civil war and said UN officials should remain “neutral, objective and precise.”

“It is the duty of the Syrian authorities to address these crimes and assert control throughout the country,” the ministry said.

Syria “has not descended into civil war, but rather is witnessing a struggle to eradicate… murders, kidnappings and bombings against state institutions and the destruction of public and private property,” it added.

The ministry also reaffirmed Syria’s respect for UN envoy Kofi Annan plan and “its readiness for its implementation.”

June 13, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | | Leave a comment

Malawi gives up AU summit over pressure to host Sudan’s President

Sudan Tribune | June 8, 2012

KHARTOUM – Malawi has been forced to cancel hosting of an African Union (AU) summit next month after the continental body insisted that the South African nation allows Sudan’s President Omer Al-Bashir to attend.

Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide he allegedly masterminded in his country’s western region of Darfur.

Malawi, which is a member state of the Hague-based tribunal, asked the AU in May not to invite Al-Bashir to the summit, citing fears of economic consequences after the country was denied $350 million in US aid money over reasons including its decision to host the Sudanese leader at a regional summit in the capital Lilongwe last year.

Kachali Khumbo, Malawi’s Vice-President, said on Friday that his country had received a letter from the AU saying that it had no right to dictate who can attend the summit.

According to Khumbo, the letter stated that the summit would be moved to the AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa if Lilongwe insists on barring Al-Bashir.

As a result, “the [Malawian] cabinet has decided not to host the summit” he declared.

Khumbo contended that “much as Malawi has obligations to the AU, it has also other obligations.”

Sudan has already protested Malawi’s refusal to host Al-Bashir and on Thursday demanded that the summit be moved to Addis Ababa.

The AU has issued several resolutions ordering its members not to cooperate with the ICC regarding Bashir’s warrant.

Already countries such as Malawi, Kenya, Chad and Djibouti have allowed Bashir to visit without arresting him though the first two later refused to receive him again.

June 9, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , | Leave a comment

Expelling Diplomats undermines Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, needlessly endangering Americans

By Franklin Lamb | Uprooted Palestinians | June 8, 2012

Beirut – The recent massacre has whipped up a new wave of outrage at the claimed brutality of Syria’s government. Syrian envoys were kicked out of some western capitals, more financial sanctions slapped on the regime in Damascus, and more furious demands are being made for a regime change toppling Bashar al-Assad and more calls for military intervention issued.

The civilized world kicking out Syrian diplomats was to be the thin reed of straw that would certainly break the camel’s back in Damascus’ Presidential Palace.

However, expelling Syrian diplomats, who no one is even suggesting had anything to do with the massacre at Houla, constitutes a politically cheap feel good knee jerk reaction to the horrific images from the slaughter at Houla. Certainly the images of chopped bodies and that of a precious baby with a pacifier in its mouth and a bullet hole in its temple reminded many of us of the My Lai, Sabra-Shatila, Srebrenica, and Rwanda massacres to note just a few. Encouraging a global reaction, some in Washington vowed that the Obama doctrine and the right to protect (R2P) could not allow the Syrian regime to remain in power and Houla was to be the game changer.

The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 signed by 186 countries constructed a frame for diplomatic relations between independent countries. It specifies the privileges of a diplomatic mission that enables diplomats to perform their function without fear of coercion, harassment or politically motivated expulsions by the host country. Its articles are a cornerstone of modern international relations.

While Article 9 does grant the host nation the right to declare a particular member of the diplomatic staff to be persona non grata, the understanding of the drafters of the Vienna Convention and the trauvaux preparatoire make plain that the provision is to be used solely for high crimes and under no circumstances to embarrass or trivialize the sending government or its diplomatic mission. The US action with respect to expelling Syrian diplomats does both.

As diplomacy is the practice of conducting international relations, as in negotiating alliances, treaties, and agreements, it is difficult to take seriously White House and NATO claims of a preference for diplomacy rather than war with Syria, while they lead the campaign to expel the very Syrian diplomats necessary for dialogue and negotiations.

The premises of the US diplomatic mission in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, came under attack during the night of 6/5/12. The US embassy is Damascus had been closed earlier in the crisis, and the US Embassy in Beirut is on near lock down status with plans to close and evacuate staff on one hours’ notice if deemed prudent. These events highlight the importance of respecting the 1961 Vienna Convention and not expelling diplomats as political gamesmanship because the rash expulsions may not only generate unintended consequences, but inevitably invite retaliatory expulsions. Hence the Syrian government declared 17 US and Western diplomats, persona non grata earlier this week. Syria’s much respected Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Makdad told the media in Damascus that, “We waited for so long for the other side to correct their policies and offer the needed support to Annan’s plan and the observers’ mission. But we regret that we had to take this measure because they do not want this mission to succeed.”

The gratuitous chest thumping political theatre led by Washington also undermines international treaty law while eroding respect for the nearly universally agreed to protections of diplomats, envoys, embassies and consulates.

Hopefully the White House and its allies will act immediately to contain this latest provocation and lift their diplomatic expulsion edicts against Syria. The Obama administration ought also to engage in dialogue to resolve its differences with the Syrian government mindful of Kofi Annan’s just announced revised 6 point peace proposal and on a basis of “principles of equality and mutual respect.

Franklin Lamb is doing research in Lebanon and can be contacted c/o fplamb@gmail.com

June 8, 2012 Posted by | Aletho News | , , | Leave a comment