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Banned
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Originally Posted by ottopilot
host, it's all possible. I understand your position and I believe there's something to what you're saying. I know you hate the Bush administration, but I don't stop my critique at the administration or political lines. I'm quite certain that there's dirty dealing going on all over the place by our highest leaders from all parties and offices. I find it hard to believe otherwise and ranting on about the evil democrats or republicans is just silly (IMO).
The questions I originally asked are regarding the timing and intent of the Chinese government, not the legitimacy of the article or which Bush conspiracy you want to report on.
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OK, here's another article talking about China handing over intelligence about Iran to the IEAI. Hopefully the source is acceptable and the author not perceived as a tool in one of your Bush/Cheney conspiracies.
www.breitbart.com
I pray that one did the trick. If not, try these:
AP: China gave IAEA intel on Iran's nuclear activities
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2...ear-iran_N.htm
Nuclear Watchdog Gets China's Iran Intel
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0408/508290.html
China assists nuclear-arms probe of Iran - Intelligence sent to U.N. as international concern grows, diplomats say
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23918701/
If you don't like those ... then too bad. |
Sigh.....Ottopilot, I've looked into the source of this report, and this is the earliest version that I can find....it appeared at the same time, 10:00 am edt and 7:00 am pdt, on April 2nd. The Telegraph's Mcelroy apparently simply embellished the original report. Here is the version, before it was "spiked" with quotes from John Bolton, and before the report lost it's "balance":
Quote:
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...nk&cd=11&gl=us
and....
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...nk&cd=19&gl=us
Nuclear Watchdog Gets China's Iran Intel
By GEORGE JAHN | Associated Press Writer
10:00 AM EDT, April 2, 2008
VIENNA, Austria - China has recently given the International Atomic Energy Agency intelligence about Iran's nuclear program despite Beijing's opposition to harsh U.N. Security Council sanctions on Tehran, according to diplomats familiar with the matter.
China and Russia have acted as a brake within the Security Council, consistently watering down a U.S.-led push to impose severe penalties on Tehran for its nuclear defiance since the first set of sanctions was passed in late 2006.
A Chinese decision to provide information for use in the agency's attempts to probe Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program would appear to reflect growing international unease about how honest the Islamic republic has been in denying it ever tried to make such arms.
The new development was revealed to The Associated Press by two senior diplomats who closely follow the IAEA probe of Iran's nuclear program.
The IAEA declined comment and no one answered the phone Wednesday at either the Chinese or Iranian missions to the IAEA.
The diplomats said Beijing was the most surprising entry in a substantial list of nations that have recently forwarded information that could be relevant in attempts to probe past or present nuclear weapons research by Iran.
The diplomats -- who demanded anonymity because their information was confidential -- attributed a generally increased flow of information to the U.N. nuclear watchdog to concern sparked by a February multimedia presentation by the agency to its 35 IAEA board members, which described intelligence previously forwarded by member states on Iran's alleged clandestine nuclear arms program.
<h3>One of the diplomats said the agency was on the lookout for misleading information provided it, either inadvertently or in attempts to falsely implicate Iran. One example, he said was a document showing experiments with implosion technology that can be used to detonate a nuclear device.
While the document appeared genuine, it was unclear whether it originated from Iran, said the diplomat.</h3>
Suspected weapons-related work outlined in the February presentation and IAEA reports preceding it include:
_ Uranium conversion linked to high explosives testing and designs of a missile re-entry vehicle, all apparently interconnected through involvement of officials and institutions
_ Procurement of so-called "dual use" equipment and experiments that also could be used in both civilian and military nuclear programs, and
_ Iran's possession of a 15-page document outlining how to form uranium metal into the shape of a warhead.
A U.S. intelligence estimate late last year said Tehran worked on nuclear weapons programs until 2003, while Israel and other nations say such work continued past that date.
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I suspect that this is part of a new campaign by Bush/Cheney to justify a preemptive military attack against Iran, possibly coordinated with an Israeli attack against Syria:
Quote:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/971398.html
Last update - 10:40 03/04/2008 (Date is April 3rd....)
Israel fears Syrian army moves may signal Hezbollah attack
By Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, Yuval Azoulay and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel, Syria, IDF, Hezbollah
Israel is concerned that recent actions by the Syrian armed forces are a possible preamble for a Hezbollah operation against the northern border and a broader conflagration.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Major-General Dan Harel, warned Wednesday that Israel will respond with a heavy hand against anyone trying to target Israel.
In a further sign that tensions are mounting along the Israel-Syrian border, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has canceled a scheduled visit to Germany.
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The London-published daily Al-Quds al-Arabi reported Wednesday that the Syrians have recently deployed three armored divisions because Damascus is concerned about an Israeli attack.
Sources in the defense establishment say the report in the Arabic-language paper are exaggerated, but note that Syria has taken some unusual steps recently.
One of the possible explanations for the Syrian actions is that Damascus is aware of Hezbollah's plans to carry out a revenge attack against Israel for what it claims is Jerusalem's responsibility in the assassination of terrorist mastermind Imad Mughniyah in February.
According to defense sources in Israel, the Syrians are preparing for the likelihood that Israel's response to a Hezbollah attack will be severe and may result in a regional confrontation.
Senior political sources told Haaretz that Syria and Hezbollah are in close and constant coordination. They say that Hezbollah will not carry out an offensive operation against Israel without Syria being fully updated on the group's plans.
In recent months the Syrian army has held a defensive posture on a fairly broad level. This posture has been bolstered after the Mughniyah's assassination, and are reminiscent of the preparations made by the Syrian armed forces in the summer of 2007, before the Israel Air Force attack in northeast Syria.
Israel sees the Syrians' readiness mostly in their missile units, as well as in artillery and rocket battalions. There is also a bolstering of forces along the border with Lebanon, which seems to follow growing domestic tensions there as a result of a deadlock in the process for selecting a new president.
Smaller units have also been deployed in other areas, and an effort is evident to raise the level of preparedness of reserve units.
In recent months, the Syrian army has been carrying out more training than in earlier periods, a process that coincides with a bolstering of the armed forces with the procurement of sophisticated arms, much of it paid for by Iran.
The visit by Defense Minister Barak to the northern border on Tuesday was not coincidental and was directly linked to the growing tensions.
Barak said that Israel is the most powerful country in the Middle East and warned against challenging it.
At the same time, Israel sent messages to Damascus along secret channels that it has no offensive intentions, but warned that it would not hold back if attacked, even if Hezbollah and Syria argue that the attack was a retaliation for Mughniyah's assassination.
Israeli security sources said there is no intelligence that shows Syria is planning offensive action against Israel, but it pointed out that the Syrian deployment is troubling and requires a high level of readiness by the IDF.
At Northern Command, the readiness is at high level, especially to counter possible Hezbollah attacks seeking to avenge the killing of Mughniyah.
Intelligence concerned by assassination possibility
According to intelligence assessments, Hezbollah may - in coordination with Syria and Iran - try to assassinate senior Israeli public figures.
The defense establishment is particularly worried about attacks against Israeli targets in the developing world, where Hezbollah may use local terrorist infrastructure affiliated with extremist Islamic organizations.
In its report, Al-Quds al-Arabi noted that the Syrians are preparing not only for an Israeli offensive against Syria, but also in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
The newspaper reported that Syria is following IDF movements very closely as well as the statements by Israeli leaders in the media. Here they see incitement and an attempt to ready Israeli and international public opinion toward war against Syria.
The report noted that the Syrian army is carrying out extensive exercises and that it has called up some reserves for a possible confrontation.
Syria also deployed three armored divisions, special forces and nine infantry brigades near the border in an area near Lebanon's Beka'a Valley, because of concerns that Israel may attack through its flanks, the newspaper reported.
Deputy Chief of Staff Harel discussed the reports in the Arab press on the elevated state of readiness in the Syrian army during a briefing with reporters yesterday.
"I see no reason at all for unusual tension in the North and I do not think that any side is interested in a military confrontation," he said.
But Harel also struck a threatening note when he reiterated what has lately become a favorite statement among the top IDF brass and Defense Minister Barak: "Anyone who tries to harm Israel needs to keep in mind that Israel is the most powerful country in the region and its response will be hard and painful. We are constantly vigilant and ready for action."
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Syria is reported to be taking defensive steps, as it fears an impending Israeli attack:
Quote:
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/20..._calls_res.php
Syria calls reserve troops over fear of Israeli attack
Wednesday, 2 April, 2008 @ 7:11 PM
Beirut / Damascus - Syria's military has called up part of its reserve troops over fears of an Israel Defense Forces offensive, the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper reported on Wednesday.
assad - olmer front.JPG
Syria is also conducting wide-scale military exercises in preparation for an Israeli strike which might be combined with an attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Syrian army is closely monitoring the movement of Israeli forces along the northern border, al-Quds al-Arabi also reported.
In addition to the military preparations, the sources said on the condition on anonymity, that Damascus has raised its security alert level over the concerns that Israeli forces would infiltrate its territories through the Bekaa Valley area of Eastern Lebanon , regarded as a 'soft spot' on the border.
The newspaper reported that Damascus viewed the Israeli media reports and statements made by senior Israeli officials as attempts to prepare the Israeli and global public opinion for a war against Syria.
Over the past few weeks, the Syrians have stationed three armored divisions, special forces and nine mechanized infantry divisions opposite Lebanon's western valley, as the Syrians estimate that a ground Israeli invasion may take place in that area.
Israel has been on high alert following the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imad Mugniyah, who was killed in a Feb.12 bombing in Damascus.
Israel threatened to wage another war against Lebanon if Hezbollah retaliates for the killing of Mugniayah.
Following the threat an Israeli warship violated Lebanon's waters last month, but was intercepted by an Italian ship operating under UNIFIL.
Iranian listening stations
In a related development, Israeli security officials have said that Iran has set up sophisticated listening stations in Syria in recent months to intercept Israeli military communications.
The officials offered no details on how many stations had been set up. They spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because they were not authorized to disclose information about defense operations.
"Israel is taking new precautions because of the listening stations," the
officials said.
Israeli military officials say Iran helped Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas pick up Israeli radio communications during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Several months ago, all radio communications were ordered to be encrypted, security officials said.
On Tuesday, Israeli intelligence officers told a parliamentary committee that Hezbollah was replenishing its arsenal with medium- and long-range missiles, and improving its systems.
They said there were intelligence assessments that Hezbollah might carry out an operation against northern Israel through another organization, the Haaretz newspaper reported Wednesday, without naming the other organization.
Syria denies reports
Syria on Wednesday denied the Al-Quds Al-Arabi report : "The report, which was published in Al-Quds Al-Arabi is totally false," Col. Ahmad Munir Muhammad, a member of the Syrian parliament's National Security Committee, told The Media Line on Wednesday. Muhammad said that "President [Bashar Al-Assad's] message is clear: we are for a just and comprehensive peace and for the implementation of the United Nations' resolutions."
"Hezbollah has proven that it can thwart an Israeli attack on its own," he added. The purpose behind such an Israeli invasion, said Muhammad, would be to divert the pressure of public opinion from the "American crisis in Iraq and the crises within Israel."
The Al-Quds Al-Arabi report coincided with the Israeli government announcement that Israeli citizens will be given new gas-masks. The Israel Security Cabinet authorized Wednesday a plan to issue the population upgraded gasmasks as part of preparations for a possible future, non-conventional war.
Sources: AP, Press TV
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