Poverty and hardship in Alahwaz : Maryam Abdulhamid

We can define poverty as the deficiency in the basic necessities of life. In fact, and to make it simple enough to understand, we can say that poverty is lack of food, shelter, and not having a good healthcare system. Poverty is the inability to attend school, and failure to get a job. Powerlessness and suppression also relates to poverty in a way or another. In Al-Ahwaz, where a large number of its population is struggling to survive, poverty is frightful, common, long-lasting and destructive. 

Under the Iranian occupation and since 1925, Iranian national strategies are not relevant to poverty reduction and they even stress the upsurge of poverty in the Arab neighborhoods of Al-Ahwaz. Currently, in Al-Ahwaz, poverty is affecting more than 90% of the citizens. The Ahwazi community is suffering from the extreme need of necessities of life, and it has been seen obvious in every corner of major streets of the capital city of Al-Ahwaz and the surrounding towns and villages. In every corner of the streets of Al-Ahwaz, the elderly is begging for money, the young generations are jobless, and children are selling cigarettes and gums. The sick person can’t afford seeing the doctor, and children can’t afford attending school, this is if there was a school in their district.

The condition of houses, buildings, schools, shopping centers etc., is not better than the standard of living in Alahwaz. All cities and villages in Al ahwaz are neglected, nothing is renovated.  Alahwaz is known for being the hottest area during the hot summer days, but usually winter is very short, and it would pass by without causing natural disasters.  Even though Alahwaz is not known as a land of disasters, little rain could cause floods in the streets affecting poor and rich areas.  Many of us have noticed the pictures of flooded streets in many areas in Alahwaz, even in richest areas, (let alone the damaged poor areas which became worse after the rain and flood) on Ahwazi websites, personal weblogs and social pages such as YouTube and Facebook, reflecting the flood that hit Alahwaz in November, 2012  . By all being said, I want to draw the attention of all individuals concerned about the health and wellness of citizens living in Alahwaz. I have pasted a picture of the flooded area, as well as the original source, where you can find more pictures.    

         Maryam Abdulhamid

Source:http://www5.rasht.irna.ir/fa/Photo/80430842/%DA%AF%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B4_%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C/%D8%A2%D8%A8%DA%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%DA%AF%DB%8C_%D8%AF%D8%B1_%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B2

Saudi Arabia calls for ‘strong and solid’ Gulf union

The meeting will be chaired by Bahrain foreign

 minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.

Courtesy: Bahrain News Agency

Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz attending a Gulf Cooperation Summit in Bahrain on Monday expressed the kingdom’s hope for the declaration of a Gulf union.
Prince Salman said the kingdom aspires for a strong and solid union with shared defense and security systems.
Monday's meeting was chaired by Bahrain foreign minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, and attended by his counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The two-day meeting, on Dec. 24-25, will cover areas including “military cooperation, environmental protection and accelerating the steps leading to the economic unity,” Sheikh Khalifa told Qatari daily Al-Sharq.
An integrated economic unit for the GCC would be the main focus of the talks, the minister added.
A preparatory session before the two-day summit, presented a number of recommendations which stress that GCC decisions on economic agreements should soon be implemented.
Last week, Bahrain said an announcement over a union of the six member states would not be made at the summit.
A Gulf Union would supersede the existing GCC and bring member states even closer.
At the two-day summit, the 22-month-old Syria conflict is expected to also top the agenda.
In November, the six Gulf states recognized a newly-formed opposition bloc as the Syrian people's legitimate representative.
The GCC members -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- were the first to recognize the opposition coalition.
"The states of the council announce recognizing the National Coalition... as the legitimate representative of the brotherly Syrian people," GCC chief Abdullatif al-Zayani said.

He said the oil-rich bloc would support the coalition in the hope that "this will be a step towards a quick political transfer of power."

GÜNEY AZƏRBAYCANDA REFERENDUM KEÇIRILMƏSI TƏLƏBI ILƏ BMT BAŞ KATIBI CƏNAB BAN KI -MOONA GÜNEY AZƏRBAYCAN SIYASI QÜVVƏLƏRİ TƏRƏFINDƏN MÜRACİƏT

Hörmətli cənab Baş katib Ban Ki- Moon,

1813 və 1828-ci illərdə Qacar şahğılı (Məmalik məhrusə) və Çar

imperiyası arasında imzalanan Gülüstan və Türkmənçay müqavilələri nəticəsində zorla ikiyə bölünmüş Azərbaycanın böyük bir hissəsi (Güney Azərbaycan) iran adlanan ölkənin işğalı altındadır və  orada yaşayan 30 milyondan çox  azərbaycan türkü  illərdir ki, fars mərkəzli rejimlər tərəfindən asimilyasion və sömürgəçi siyasətə məruz qalmaqdadır.

1925-ci ildə Qacar şahlığının çevrilişi ilə hakilmiyyətə gələn, «vahid iran milləti» şüarı altında farslaşdırma siyasətinin bünövrəsini qoyan Pəhləvi hakimiyyətinin basqısı ilə Güney Azərbaycanda yaşayan azərbaycan türklərinin milli kimliyi danıldı, tarixi təhrif edildi, iqtisadiyyatı dağıdıldı, dili və kültürü yasaqlandı. Fars şovinizminə əsaslanan ayrıseçkilik siyasətinə qarşı mübarizə aparan azərbaycan türkləri şah rejiminin tətbiq etdiyi işgəncə və həbslərə baxmayaraq, Güney Azərbaycanda 12 dekabr 1945–ci ildə Seyid Cəfər Pişəvərinin başçılığı altında Azərbaycan Milli hökumətini qurmağa nail oldular. Azərbaycan Milli Hökumətinın fəaliyyət göstərdiyi 1 il ərzində azərbaycanlıların bir çox demokratik fərdi və ictimai hüquqları ilə yanaşı, ana dilində təhsilalma hüququ da təmin edildi, Pəhləvi rejimi tərəfindən farslaşdırılmış Azərbaycanın qədim tarixi yer adları bərpa olundu.

1946-cı il yanvarın 28-də Güney Azərbaycan Milli Hökumətinin banisi S.C.Pişəvəri  millətlərin öz müqəddəratını təyinetmə hüququna əsaslanaraq Azərbaycan Milli Hökumətinin BMT tərəfindən rəsmiyyətdə tanınması məqsədilə BMT Baş Assambleyasına müraciət etdi. Təəssüf ki, BMT Azərbaycan Milli Hökumətinin bu istəyini müzakirəyə çıxarmadan öncə Pəhləvi rejimi Güney Azərbaycan ərazisinə qoşun yürüdərək 10 minlərcə  azərbaycanlının ölümü ilə nəticələnən soyqırım törətdi, Azərbaycan Milli Hökumətini devirdi və Güney Azərbaycan ərazisini işğal etdi. Bununla kifayətlənməyən Pəhləvi sülaləsi iqtisadi, mədəni, elmi potensialı və coğrafi mövqeyinə görə aparıcı rola malik olan  Güney Azərbaycanı hərtərəfli tənəzzülə uğratdı.

Güney Azərbaycanda yaşayan azərbaycan türklərinə qarşı aparılan bu irqçi siyasət 1979–cu ildən hakimiyyətə gələn islami rejim tərəfindən də farsçılıq  əsasında  davam etdirilir. İranın Xarici İşlər naziri  Əli Əkbər Salehinin  Türkiyə səfəri zamanı etiraf etdiyi kimi, İranda əhalinin 40 % azərbaycan türkü olduğu halda, bu gün də orada Güney Azərbaycanın inzibati ərazi bölgüsünün  dəyişdirilməsi, süni ekoloji problemlər yaratmaqla azərbaycanlıların öz tarixi torpaqlarından  məqsədli şəkildə köçürülməsi planları (Urmu gölünün qurudulması), milli kimliyin inkar siyasəti ilə azərbaycan türklərinin assimilyasiona məruz qalmaları, ictimai-siyasi fəaliyyətlərə qarşı işgəncə və həbslər davam etdirilir.

Hörmətli cənab Ban Ki-Moon,

Güney Azərbaycanda 30 milyondan çox azərbaycan türkü milli-demokratik haqlar uğrunda milli azadlıq mübarizəsini davam etdirməkdədirlər. Güney Azərbaycan siyasi qüvvələri  BMT Baş Məclisinin 16 dekabr 1966-cı il tarixli  2200 A ( XXİ) saylı Qətnaməsi ilə qəbul olunmuş “İqtisadi, sosial və mədəni hüquqlar haqqında” beynalxalq  pakta əsasən,  BMT-nin nəzarəti ilə Güney Azərbaycanın tarixi ərazisində azərbaycan türklərinin iştirakı ilə Referendumun keçirilməsini tələb edir və bu məsələnin  BMT-yə üvz dövlətlərin  gündəliyinə çıxarılacağına ümid edirlər.  İnanırıq ki,  təcavüzə məruz qalmış 30 milyondan çox bir millətin milli, siyasi, mədəni hüquqlarının tanınması və bəşəriyyətin tərəqqisinə xidmət edəcək bir milli-demokratik dövlətdə yaşamaq istəyi dünya dövlətləri tərəfindən dəstəklənəcək.

Sayğılarımızla

1-         Azərbaycan Milli  Demokartik  Birliyi (Birlik)

2-         Azərbaycan Milli Dirəniş Təşkilatı (AMDT)

3-         Azərbaycan Sosiyal Demokrat partisi(ASDP)

4-         Güney Azərbaycan Demokrat partisi (GADP)

5-         Güney  Azərbaycan İstiqlal partisi (GAİP)

6-         Güney azərbaycan Liberal Demokrat Partisi (GALDP)

7-         Güney Azərbaycan  Milli  Azadliq Cəbhəsi (GAMAC)

8-         Güney Azərbaycan  Milli Oyanış Hərəkatı(GAMOH)

9-         Güney Azərbaycan  Qurtuluş partisi

11 dekabr 2012 (21 azər 1391)

Müraciətə bir sıra fotoşəkillər əlavə olunub.

Women behind the scene by: maryam nazari

A friend of mine discussed the role of women in the history,

which made me think about this topic.

Women play a critical role in all aspects of our life. We notice the women’s significant role in shaping the society. With the changes which are taking place in the 20s century, we see women progress all around the world. Their role as successful housewives does not stop them from getting positions in the government, industry, politics, and education … As we have seen women hold higher positions in the political field, and they are known for their higher skills as political leaders.

How about women in Ahwaz, the Arabian oppressed nation? Do we see any equality, similar to the neighboring countries? The answer would be no, unfortunately women and men and children in Ahwaz are suffering from inequality, discrimination, and so much more. Women have fought for their right in many countries including the developed countries. Women in Ahwaz did not get the attention they deserve, as of the time our land got occupied until now; women have been the victims of local and national violence. As every woman in the history defended her territory, home, family and country; Ahwazian women did their best to support the revolution against the Iranian regime. As a mother, sister or wife they supported their sons, brothers, fathers to continue this process of liberation from the Iranian regime. They have also been the innocent prisoners that struggled to fight for their right for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, their rights to education, and rights to pursue a happy life.

My last words for all men and women in Ahwaz who endangered their life fight for recognition, to share an image, deliver information or spread news; and also for individuals who take from their precious time to do something for our country “my words would not be enough to appreciate your efforts”.

Iranian government attends to end the school year earlier to prevent protests during the election

Our reliable sources of ADPF’s media center from the inside of Ahwaz has reported that the Persian occupation authorities has dispatched urgent confidential orders to all the Ministry of

Supreme Education and all school organizations in the country,

especially in Ahwaz, for the preparation to conduct so-called presidential elections in Iran, that ends the school year earlier than usual.
 This procedure aims to control the tense situation in Iran because of the economic and political crises in the country. As a result of the racial governing policies of the fascist regime towards the non-Persian peoples in Iran, the government fears the protests of people might destabilize the security inside the country and its political situation.
The presidential elections held in 2009 and the protests that followed the fraud result of the election, and the arrival of Ahmadinejad to the presidency, are the reasons why they are attending strict procedures such as ending the school year earlier, to prevent any protests or demonstrations.

The Ahwazi beloved poet, Sattar Sayahi’s mysterious death

With great sadness and sorrow we received the news of the

death of the Ahwazi beloved poet Sattar Sayahi (Abu Surour) on Sunday November 11th 2012. 

Our sources indicated that before Sattar’s mysterious death the Iranian Intelligences has interrogated him a few times, threatening him that if he continues his activity for Ahwaz’s cause, he will end up dead.

Every person who knows poet “Abu Surour” was well aware of his patriotism which carried him to devote his life to Ahwaz’s cause and supporting it. Therefore there are accusations to the Iranian occupying authorities as of an orchestrated assassination of the deceased poet (Abu Surour), so we demand an investigation in this matter until the truth is revealed.
We in the Ahwazi Democratic Popular-Front, and on behalf of all the staff of the front, offer our condolences to the Arab people of Ahwaz and to the deceased Poet’s family and his relatives and friends, asking God Almighty to accept his innocent soul with mercy and place him where he belongs in the eternal lands of peace in heavens.

Ahwaz ranked first in unemployment and deprivation

The official news agency "Khaneh Mellat" subordinated by the

Iranian Parliament, in a public gathering held on Sunday 11th of November 2012 in Tehran,

Salehi Nasab, the Deputy of the occupying Persian Parliament in Alkhafajieh admitted that Iran income is 85 percent of extracting oil and gas from Ahwazi lands but still Ahwaz suffers from unemployment and deprivation.
He added that occupied Ahwaz has been ranked as the first in the Iranian chart of unemployment and deprivation although it produces 85 percent of the government income from extracting the oil, gas and more than 12 million tons of agricultural products annually. Salehi Nasab demanded the Iranian authorities to reconsider the situation of Ahwaz and attempt to find employment opportunities for young people there.
It is worth noting that every year a number of 12 million ton of agricultural products are extracted from Ahwazi lands, not to mention the oil and gas extraction from its territory, but the Iranian government is still enforces its colonial and aggressive policies over the Ahwazi Arab people displacing them into the Persian territories, pursuing the change of the demography of Ahwaz.

Iran: Nine Ahwazi Arab are at risk of execution in Iran

  Free Ahwazi Political Prisoners Campaign

         20th November 2012, 9.30 AM

                   Edited By Kamil Alboshoka

The aim of this briefing report is to highlight how the Free Ahwazi Political Prisoners Campaign can spread the voice of Ahwazi political, social, and cultural activities to the world. I did this brief report at Kingston university to make number of supporters for Ahwazi case against the policy of the regime.

Despite an abundance of natural resources like oil and gas, Ahwazi Arab people suffer from poverty in Iran. Over 80% of Iranian national income came from Ahwaz, but Ahwazi people receive poorly services from the Iranian authorities. These policies of Iranian regime often make people in Ahwaz to protest against the regime decisions. Therefore, many Ahwazi often arrested by services regarding to political, human rights, social, cultural activities. Number of activities killed under torture and massive number sentenced for death penalty and long life imprisonment. The Iranian authorities recently sentenced nine Ahwaz for death penalty and one for twenty years in imprisonment, and also killed one Ahwazi cultural activities in suspicious circumstances. Mr. Satar Sayahi (Abu Seror) in November 2012, so the Free Ahwazi Political Prisoners Campaign wants to take the responsibility to spread the prisoners’ voices to the world.

There are several articles which Amnesty International believed every human have rights to access equal rights.

Artilcle1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Article2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedom.

Article3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security.

(http://www.amnesty.org/ )

INTRODUCTION

Nine Ahwazi Arabs human rights activities are at risk of execution after unfair trail in Ahwaz. A source from their family inside of AL.Ahwaz informed the information to the Free Ahwazi Political Prisoners Campaign.

Ahwaz is Arab land which is located in South West of Iran and has border with the Arabian Gulf in South Iran. The population of Arabs in Iran is variable between 8 to 10 million populations. Arabs in Iran have been suffering politically, culturally, socially and economically by the Iranian authorities since 1925. Many face long life imprisonment and many Arabs executed. These ten Ahwazi Arabs have also arrested because of their human rights activities.

Therefore, the Free Ahwazi Political Prisoners Campaign directly contacted some other sources from Ahwaz- Khalafia and Falahia. So, the resources confirmed that all Ahwazi Arabs from Khalafia and Falahia City are at risk of execution and also are in terrified situation since the barbaric torture by Iranian intelligence services. The prisoners are Mr. Mohammad Ali Omori 34 year-old, Hashem Shabani 32 year-old and Rahman Asakereh 34 year old who arrested on 16th February 2011, and Mr. Hadi Rashedi 39 year-old who arrested on 28th February 2011, and also Jabber Alboshoka 28 year-old and his younger brother Mokhtar Alboshoka 26 year-old who arrested on 13th March 2011 in Khalafia, and AbdulReza Amir Khanafera 25 year-old, Ghazi Abbasi (Khanafra) 30 year-old, Shahab Abbasi 26 year-old and Abdul Amir Mojadami 32 year-old  who arrested in 2009 in charge of dangerous for the Regime security and enmity of God.

The sources also informed that the six Arab prisoners from Khalafia hold in the Iranian intelligence services detention between 4 to 7 months. And the fourth prisoners from Falahia also over 4 months. They faced badly torture and some of them are suffering from poor health because of torture, all the prisoners are from educated group of people in Ahwaz and all of them post-graduated from high universities in Iran. Mr. Hadi Rashedi who spent 7 months in detention is suffering from heart and liver disorder, mental stress and also his leg broken in detention because of torture.

Mr. Rahman Asakereh who also spent 7 months in detention is suffering mental stress towards his son Mr. Hammed who killed by services in September 2011 by hitting him by car in suspicious circumstances. Mr. Mohammad Ali Amoori who fled to Iraq in December 2007 and arrested by Iraqi authorities and sent to prison for over 3 years also suffered mental stress because of torture in both Iran and Iraq. UNHCR offered Mohammad Ali refugee statement while he was in prison in Iraq, but Iraqi authorities ignored the action of Amnesty international and UNHCR regarding Mohammad Ali situation when UNHCR asked Iraq not deporting him back to Iran.

Both brother Jabber and Mokhtar spent 4 month in detention and suffered from depress and stress due to terrified torture. Jabber lost 10 kilos of his weight, his teeth and jaw broken, Mokhtar also lost his memory. All six prisoners currently held in Karon prison in Ahwaz capital city.

In addition, the fourth other prisoners also tortured badly. All of them suffer mental stress due to hard torture which they faced in detention

Statement by Mr Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights situation in Iran Press Conference – Oslo – 22 November 2012

Statement by Mr Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights situation in Iran Press Conference – Oslo – 22 November 2012

Good afternoon.

I would like to first of all offer my thanks to the governments of Germany, Sweden, and Norway for unconditionally accepting my request to conduct my latest fact-finding mission in their countries. The mission has been very successful, as I was able to collect a wealth of valuable information on subjects relevant to my mandate in Berlin, Stockholm, and Oslo.

Over the past twelve days, I have met and spoken with several dozen individuals of Iranian origin, human rights workers, government officials, and academic experts. I would like to thank everyone who took time to share information with me, particularly those who were able and willing to offer first-hand witness testimony related to the situation of human rights in Iran.
I have and will continue to apply rigorous standards in assessing the credibility of every individual account and piece of testimony I encounter. With that said, the credible testimonies I did receive on this trip have largely confirmed patterns I had previously encountered, and paint a very concerning picture of the human rights situation in Iran.

I speak at a time when the execution rate in Iran seems to have accelerated to an alarming pace in recent weeks and months. There are credible reports, in many cases corroborated by the government itself, that the number of executions carried out in just the past two weeks is at least 32, and possibly as high as 81. In October, the government executed 10 individuals, including Mr. Saeed Sedighi, despite impassioned calls from the international community to halt the executions in light of serious concerns regarding due process. I am extremely alarmed by this apparent spike in executions, and I reiterate my call on the government of Iran to adhere to its own international legal obligations in guaranteeing due process and ceasing the use of the capital punishment, except in cases narrowly defined as acceptable by the UN Human Rights Committee for the ICCPR.

NATO to consider Turkey missile request on Syria border as ‘urgent’

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday said the alliance would consider a request from Turkey to deploy Patriot anti-missile batteries along its border border with Syria “as a matter of urgency.”
Rasmussen, arriving for a meeting of European Union defense ministers, said NATO had received no formal request from NATO-member Turkey to date but added that if one was made, “we will consider that as a matter of urgency.”
German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere said earlier that he expected a request on Monday from Turkey, whose border villages have been hit by artillery fire as forces loyal to Damascus battle rebels seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
“The situation on the Syria-Turkey border is of great concern,” said Rasmussen.
“We have all the plans ready to defend and protect Turkey if needed. The plans will be adjusted if necessary to ensure effective protection of Turkey.”
Rasmussen said there was no question currently of imposing a no-fly zone with the back-up of the Patriot missiles.
“The Patriot missiles would be a purely defensive measure to defend Turkey.”
He also said it was “premature” to comment on German reports that Berlin planned to send 170 soldiers to Turkey to man the missiles.
But he added: “Turkey can count on allied solidarity”.
Earlier it was reported that the Netherlands and Germany may send Patriot missiles to NATO ally Turkey to help defend the country’s border with Syria, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Sunday, citing the Dutch defense minister.
Turkey said earlier this week it had intensified talks with NATO allies on how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) frontier with Syria after mortar rounds fired from Syria landed inside its territory.
“NATO does not exist for nothing,” ANP quoted Dutch Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert as saying.
A Dutch Defense Ministry spokesman said: “There is no request but the Netherlands and Germany are the only countries in Europe with Patriots.”
The Dutch minister spoke to her German counterpart last week about a possible deployment, ANP said.

Turkey to request NATO missile defense on Syria border

Turkey is to make an imminent official request to NATO to station Patriot missiles along its border with Syria, a senior Turkish foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.
NATO-member Turkey has already bolstered its own military presence along the 910-km (560-mile) border and has been responding in kind to gunfire and mortar shells hitting its territory from fighting between Syrian rebels and Syrian government forces.
“This issue (Patriots) is also coming up on the agenda within the framework of deliberations, preparations and contingency planning on the security of Turkey and NATO territories,” foreign ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal told AFP.
The official said there was a potential missile threat to Turkey from Syria and that Turkey had a right to take steps to counter such a threat. He gave no further details.
“The deployment of these type of missiles as a step to counter threats is routine under NATO regulations,” an official said, adding that they had been deployed in Turkey during the second Gulf War.

A NATO spokeswoman in Brussels said: “We haven’t received a request. As the Secretary-General said on Monday, the allies will consider any request that is brought to the North Atlantic Council.”

Ankara tells Moscow that patriots are ‘strictly for defense’

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday that Moscow has no reason to worry about the Patriot missiles Ankara has asked NATO to deploy on its troubled border with Syria.
“Patriots are strictly a measure of defense, as Russia and other countries already know,” Davutoglu told reporters after a meeting with Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, the head of the newly-formed Syrian National Coalition.
“There is absolutely no reason for any country, particularly Russia, to worry about,” the foreign minister said.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen rejected Russian criticism on Thursday of the alliance’s possible deployment of Patriot missiles near Turkey’s border with Syria.
Russia said earlier it opposed the deployment of the surface-to-air missiles, which Ankara has asked NATO for because it fears spillover from the civil war in its neighbor.
“This would not foster stability in the region,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.

Rasmussen, who was greeted by 100 anti-NATO protesters when he arrived to give a speech at the University of Zurich, said Russia’s criticism was “not justified.”
“We have made clear from the outset we will do what it takes to defend our ally Turkey,” he said in answer to a question.
Rasmussen said the deployment of the Patriot missiles, which can be used to intercept missiles or planes, would “serve as a deterrent to possible enemies even thinking of attacks” and help “preserve stability along our southern borders.” The move would be “purely defensive”, he said.
Rasmussen, making the first visit to neutral Switzerland by a NATO secretary-general since 2004, voiced great concern about the situation on the Turkish-Syrian border and said “the Turks are increasingly worried about the situation.”
NATO ambassadors met on Nov.21 to consider Turkey’s request, which followed weeks of talks between Ankara and NATO allies about how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria.
The ambassadors reached no decision but the three countries that could supply the Patriots, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, all said they viewed Turkey’s request positively, according to one NATO diplomat, who said a final decision to deploy missiles was unlikely before next week.

France backs request

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in Paris on Nov.22 that France backed Turkey’s request. “There is no reason to object, it is purely defensive,” he told BFM TV.
Turkey has repeatedly scrambled fighter jets along the frontier and responded in kind to stray shells flying into its territory during the conflict in Syria, where an estimated 38,000 people have been killed since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s government began in March 2011.
“The militarization of the Syrian-Turkish border is an alarming signal,” Russia’s Lukashevich told a weekly briefing.
“Our advice to our Turkish colleagues consists of something else entirely: to use its potential influence on the Syrian opposition to seek the start of an inter-Syrian dialogue as swiftly as possible, and not to flex muscles and move the situation in such a dangerous direction,” he said.
Russia has vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at putting pressure on Assad and accuses the West of encouraging militants fighting his government.
Russia denies trying to prop up Assad, whose nation has been an avid buyer of its weapons and hosts a naval supply facility that is Moscow’s only military base outside the ex-Soviet Union.
It says the crisis in Syria must be resolved without foreign interference, particularly military intervention, and that Assad’s exit from power should not be imposed as a precondition for a political solution.
NATO was Moscow’s Cold War opponent and Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about deployments relatively close to its borders by the Western alliance, which has expanded to include several former Soviet satellites and republics.

Turkey PM to visit Egypt for talks on boosting ties

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due in Egypt on November 17 for talks on boosting ties between the two Muslim countries, foreign ministry spokesman Amr Roshdi said on Saturday.He said details of the trip were agreed during talks in Ankara on Friday between Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu. Erdogan is to be accompanied by a delegation of 12 ministers, “the largest in the history of diplomatic relations between the two countries,” the spokesman said in a statement received by AFP. Egypt’s Finance Minister Mumtaz al-Said said last month the two countries had reached agreement on a Turkish loan of $1 billion (787 million) as part of an aid package of $2 billion to support the troubled Egyptian economy. Political instability since last year’s overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak has damaged Egypt’s major revenue earner, tourism, and led to a drop in foreign investments and deepened the budget deficit.

Khamenei delegate of the Revolutionary Guards: We are about to open Moawiya’s tent

Khamenei delegate of the Revolutionary Guards: We are about to open Moawiya’s tent
According to the Iranian news agency “khabargozarie Daneshjoo”, Ali Saeedi

  ( Khamenei’s delegate of the Iranian Forces) during the third exhibition of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran said; after more than three decades of resistance and defiance against the hostile policies adopted by the enemies against the Iranian government, I can say that we are about to open” Moawiya’s tent” but we need to double resistance, patience and steadfastness.
It is worth mentioning here that Ali Saeedi, and for the second time in this year, repeats these words and precisely this vocabulary that stems from hatred towards the Arab society. It is indeed the proof of what they are really planning to do with the Arab society by getting through it and by destroying Arab’s unity.