G8 bloc urges resolutions to Syria, Iran, North Korea

At a critical time in international diplomacy, the world’s leading industrialized democracies on Thursday demanded that Syria comply with all portions of a U.N.-backed plan to end more than a year of deadly violence and warned Iran and North Korea not to engage in provocative behavior. With the situation in Syria still uncertain and North Korea launching a long-range missile Thursday ahead of crucial talks with Iran over its nuclear program, the Group of Eight bloc urged speedy resolutions to the trio of front-burner issues. The G-8 welcomed an apparent cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition forces but cautioned that the pause in hostilities is only a first step in ending the crisis. And it renewed threats to take North Korea to the U.N. Security Council if it carried out its satellite launch, while challenging Iran to prove it is serious in addressing concerns about its atomic intentions in weekend talks with the five permanent members of the council and Germany. The G-8 Foreign Ministers condemned the North Korean missile launch as a violation of U.N. resolutions and an act that “undermines regional peace and stability.” In a statement late Thursday, they called on North Korea “to abstain from further launches using ballistic missile technology or other actions which aggravate the situation on the Korean Peninsula.” The ministers said they were “ready to consider, with others, taking measures” responding to North Korean violations of U.N. mandates, and urged North Korean compliance with its obligations. Speaking for the G-8 after its foreign ministers met for two days in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that while the Syrian truce appeared to be holding “at least for the moment,” Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime was not complying with other parts of former U.N. chief Kofi Annan’s initiative aimed at ending more than a year of deadly violence that has killed more than 9,000 people. “If it holds, a cease-fire is an important step, but it represents just one element of the special envoy’s plan,” Clinton told reporters at the State Department, noting that the Assad government still has not withdrawn troops from cities and accepted a political transition. “The Annan plan is not a menu of options, it is a set of obligations,” she said. “The burden of fully and visibly meeting all of these obligations continues to rest with the regime. They cannot pick and choose. For it to be meaningful, this apparent halt in violence must lead to a credible political process and a peaceful, inclusive democratic transition.” “Our first imperative is to test the commitment” of the government to the Annan plan, she said. Clinton said the U.S. supports the deployment of a U.N. mission to monitor compliance with the plan and would not back down on sanctions designed to press the government to accept the terms. The Annan plan does not specifically call for Assad to leave power, but Clinton said that remained the Obama administration’s position. “We remain firmly resolved that the regime’s war against its own people must end for good and political transition must begin,” she said. “Assad will have to go and the Syrian people must be given the chance to chart their own future.” The G-8 includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, all of which signed on to the basics of Clinton’s comments. However, Russia, which along with China has blocked U.N. action on Syria, is opposed to demands for Assad to leave power. Clinton said she had separate talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the situation in Syria but did not reveal details of their conversation. The meetings that Clinton hosted on Wednesday and Thursday at Blair House were held to prepare a NATO summit in Chicago and a G-8 meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland next month. The meetings come at a particularly delicate time for international diplomacy. North Korea fired a missile Thursday in what the U.S. and others had said would be a blatant violation of not only its U.N. obligations but also a February pledge to the United States not to conduct ballistic missile exercises. The North claims the launch is part of its space program and does not violate any previous agreements. “We urge the North Korean leadership to honor its agreements and refrain from pursuing a cycle of provocation,” Clinton said on behalf of the G-8. “We all share an interest in fostering security and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and the best way to achieve that is for North Korea to live up to its word.” U.S. officials said late Thursday that the North Korean missile failed moments after being fired, but the White House still described the launch as a “provocative action” that threatens regional security and violates international law. Clinton and other U.S. officials have said they would cancel plans to send food aid to North Korea and will discuss next steps in the U.N. Security Council if the launch went ahead. At the same time, Clinton urged Iran’s leadership to demonstrate it is ready to come clean about it nuclear program at talks to be held Saturday in Turkey between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. The U.S. and its allies, including Israel, accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says it has no interest in an atomic bomb and insists its program is aimed at producing energy. “We are united in our resolve and expectation that Iran will come to the talks prepared, and we are receiving signals that they are bringing ideas to the table,” she said. “They assert that their program is purely peaceful. They point to a fatwa that the supreme leader has issued against the pursuit of nuclear weapons. We want them to demonstrate clearly in the actions they propose that they have truly abandoned any nuclear weapons ambition.”

Iran authorities continue to register more records in issuing executions and arbitrary arrests against the Arabs of Ahwaz

Iran authorities continue to register more records in issuing executions and arbitrary arrests against the Arabs of Ahwaz.

While the number of convicts sentenced to death in the cells of the Iranian security forces during the second and third months of 2012 to the current reached a number of approximately 20 young people of Ahwaz, the random arrests in those two months, was about more than 100 detainees.

As in the current month (April 2012), while the world has been accustomed to hear about the many Ahwazi uprisings and demonstrations in every year and especially after the Ahwazi Arabs have logged a remarkable unrest in 2005 where their mass uprising brook up the massive blackout on the Ahwazi issue which was forgotten by human rights organizations, as well as the Arab and global media, the Iranian authorities increased the brutality against Ahwazis since the early days of this month.

Deliberately Iranian security forces and other authorities have adopted a proactive plan to arrest a large group of young people of Ahwaz, who are increasing concern of the Iranian regime by their revolutionary activities for liberation, and this was in order to prevent them from commemorating the occupation of Ahwaz (Arabistan, 1925) and the commemoration of the uprising in April 2005.

Another list of names of Arab detainees spaces, which came to Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights as follows:
1 - Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Sayed Bashir, 28years and his brother.
2 - Seyed Ali Mousavi, Sayed Bashir 25 years - working in a shop on the trajectory of Ahwaz- Mohammara (Khoramshahr) in the revolution neighbourhood(Hay El-thawra) and were taken to the notorious Sepidar prison immediately
3 - Fadel Abed Sawari, 30 years the owner of a shop on a street corner Farahani Ershad, is married, has been wound in a confrontation with security forces before he was captured and later was transferred to an unknown place (he was together with his friends Seyed Mohammed and Seyed Ali)
4 – Shahab Bet- Sayah from Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city
5 - Seyed Mohammad Moussawi, 16 years, son of Qassim from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.
6 – Nabi Sawari, 40 years old, son of Hassan, is married and has four children from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.
7 – Ahmed Sawari, 25years old, son of Abdel Wahid, from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.
8 – Sadegh Sharhani 30 years old, son of Ebadi 25years old from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.
9 – Hammoud Sayahi 30 years old, from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.
10 – Seyed Nabi Musawi, 26years old, son of Jassim from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.
11 – Hammoud Sawari, 25years old, son of Rahim from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.
12 - Agheel Sawari 30 years old, son of Rahim from the Revolution Neighbourhood- Ahwaz city.

Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights
15/04/2012

Bahrain unrest: King Hamad says foreign plot foiled

The king of Bahrain says a foreign-backed plot against his country has been foiled following a month of anti-government protests.

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa thanked troops from nearby countries, mostly Saudi Arabian, who were brought in last week to put down the unrest.

He did not give any details of who was behind the alleged plot.

But in recent days Bahrain's Sunni leadership has accused Iran of interfering in its affairs.

Amid rising tensions, the two countries have engaged in tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions - both recalling their ambassadors last week, and each expelling another diplomat on Sunday.

Iran, which has a Shia majority, has condemned Bahrain for the deaths of Shia protesters in the pro-democracy demonstrations.

"An external plot has been fomented for 20 to 30 years for the ground to be ripe for subversive designs. I here announce the failure of the fomented subversive plot," King Hamad said, according to a report by the state Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

He was speaking to officers of a Saudi-led Gulf Co-operation Council force that entered Bahrain last week ahead of a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, which was criticised by Washington, an ally of Bahrain, and by the United Nations.

King Hamad thanked GCC members who had supplied troops, saying their presence "gives us strength and bolsters our status. Bahrain is bigger and stronger today than ever".

The king did not specify who was responsible for the plot but correspondents say his accusation was a swipe at Iran - which Bahrain fears is gaining regional sway from the unrest.

Bahrain has complained to satellite operator Arabsat over "abuse and incitement" on Iran's Arabic-language al-Alam TV and other Shia-controlled channels carried by the broadcaster, a report said.

Missing
An uneasy calm had returned to the Bahraini capital Manama on Monday, though some 2,000 people joined a funeral procession in the Shia town of Buri - the fourth in as many days, reported Reuters news agency.

Mourners gathered to bury a 38-year-old father of three, Abdulrusul Hajair, who went missing in recent days and whose beaten body was found on Sunday, Reuters said.

Bahrain's Shia opposition Wefaq group said police had told Mr Hajair's family to collect the body from hospital.

A Wefaq politician said nearly 100 people had gone missing in the crackdown, Reuters said.

The source from: BBC