Saturday, April 24, 2010
Extremists in Pakistan fighting back: Gen Petraeus
WASHINGTON: The extremists in Pakistan are killing innocent civilians as they are trying to fight back against a successful government campaign to uproot them, says the US military commander for the Afghan and Iraq wars.In an interview to PBS, Gen David Petraeus also observed that while he would be careful in describing US military gains in Afghanistan as ‘real success’, in Pakistan the government-led campaign against the militants had shown ‘considerable progress’.“I would be careful about describing, quote, ‘real success’ in Afghanistan,” said the commander of the US Central Command.“In Pakistan, there has indeed been considerable progress by the Pakistani army and the Frontier Corps against the Pakistani Taliban.”He noted that in the northwest, particularly in Swat and some of the tribal areas, the Pakistani armed forces had shown real progress, “but clearly (it is) very tough work”.The extremists in Pakistan, including the Taliban and their confederates, had “sought to fight back by doing what they do, which is carry out acts of indiscriminate violence against innocent civilians”.Gen Petraeus recalled that the extremists had always targeted civilians, “as they assassinated Benazir Bhutto and blew up visiting cricket teams and thousands and thousands of innocent Pakistani civilians and security force members.”What, according to him, enabled Pakistan to make ‘considerable progress’ in the fight against the extremists was “the determination and the perseverance they have demonstrated and the popular support for the continuing operations against extremists”.The Pakistani people, he noted, saw the extremists as representing the most pressing threat to their country’s existence.The people believed that the extremists wanted to turn the clock back several centuries instead of allowing Pakistan to move forward the way the bulk of the population wanted, he added.Gen Petraeus noted that while Ambassador Richard Holbrooke’s jurisdiction did not include India, he had been consulting the Indians very regularly.“I think, again, it’s not in the title, but he has certainly had a lot of activity with our Indian partners,” he said.The US military commander also drew a distinction between the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan, he said, the US was “in the lead” as it had its troops there.“In Pakistan, supporting very much providing assistance, equipment, funding in some cases, occasionally sharing some information or what have you,” said Gen Petraeus while explaining the US engagement with Pakistan.The purpose behind this policy was “to enable the country to do it itself rather than for us to do it” for them.
Obama urges overhaul to immigration
US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has renewed calls to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, saying a failure to do so would lead to ''misguided'' efforts such as legislation just passed in Arizona.
That state's legislature passed a bill that would make it a state crime to be in the US illegally and require police to determine the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country without proper documentation.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law at a ceremony early yesterday.
At a White House naturalisation ceremony for 24 members of the US military, Mr Obama said: ''Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona.''
Mrs Brewer said she expected the measure to face constitutional challenges. The bill sparked protests in the state, where Census Bureau figures show about a quarter of the population is of Hispanic descent. Arizona shares a border with Mexico and has an estimated 460,000 residents living there illegally, the seventh-highest total in the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr Obama said the actions by the Arizona legislature threatened ''to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans''. It could also hamper trust between residents and law enforcement authorities, he said.
He said he had instructed US authorities to monitor the state's actions and to ''examine the civil rights and other implications'' of the legislation.
The President's comments came at a naturalisation ceremony for 24 US soldiers from 16 countries who took the oath to become citizens.
Democratic congressional leaders have said an overhaul of US immigration law could advance through Congress this year if Senate majority leader Harry Reid could pick up enough Republican support to get it through.
The last attempt to revamp the law to create a guest worker program and provide a path to citizenship for some of those living in the US illegally was in 2007.
That was blocked amid opposition from Republicans and some Democrats.
''Surely we can all agree that when 11 million people in our country are living here illegally, outside the system, that's unacceptable,'' Mr Obama said.
''The American people demand and deserve a solution.''
That state's legislature passed a bill that would make it a state crime to be in the US illegally and require police to determine the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country without proper documentation.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law at a ceremony early yesterday.
At a White House naturalisation ceremony for 24 members of the US military, Mr Obama said: ''Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona.''
Mrs Brewer said she expected the measure to face constitutional challenges. The bill sparked protests in the state, where Census Bureau figures show about a quarter of the population is of Hispanic descent. Arizona shares a border with Mexico and has an estimated 460,000 residents living there illegally, the seventh-highest total in the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr Obama said the actions by the Arizona legislature threatened ''to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans''. It could also hamper trust between residents and law enforcement authorities, he said.
He said he had instructed US authorities to monitor the state's actions and to ''examine the civil rights and other implications'' of the legislation.
The President's comments came at a naturalisation ceremony for 24 US soldiers from 16 countries who took the oath to become citizens.
Democratic congressional leaders have said an overhaul of US immigration law could advance through Congress this year if Senate majority leader Harry Reid could pick up enough Republican support to get it through.
The last attempt to revamp the law to create a guest worker program and provide a path to citizenship for some of those living in the US illegally was in 2007.
That was blocked amid opposition from Republicans and some Democrats.
''Surely we can all agree that when 11 million people in our country are living here illegally, outside the system, that's unacceptable,'' Mr Obama said.
''The American people demand and deserve a solution.''
Launch of secret US space ship masks even more secret launch of new weapon
Somewhere above earth is America’s latest spaceship, a 30ft craft so classified that the Pentagon will not divulge its mission nor how much it cost to build.
The mysterious X37B, launched successfully by the US Air Force from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, using an Atlas V rocket, looks like a mini-Space Shuttle — but its mission is top secret.
It is officially described as an orbital test vehicle. However, one of its potential uses appears to be to launch a surge of small satellites during periods of high international tension. This would enable America to have eyes and ears orbiting above any potential troublespot in the world.
The X37B can stay in orbit for up to 270 days, whereas the Shuttle can last only 16 days. This will provide the US with the ability to carry out experiments for long periods, including the testing of new laser weapon systems. This would bring accusations that the launch of X37B, and a second vehicle planned for later this year, could lead to the militarisation of space.US defence officials, who would not say how much the project had cost, insisted, however, that it was “just an updated version of the Space Shuttle activities”.
Thursday’s launch was more about testing the craft, a new generation of silica tile and a wealth of other advances that make the Shuttle look like yesterday’s space technology.
Nasa’s X37B programme began in 1999 and ran until September 2004 when it was transferred to the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency before being taken over by the US Air Force.
The flight of the X37B is being managed by the US Air Force Space Command’s 3rd Space Experimental Squadron.
“This bird has been through all of the shake, rattle and roll, the vibration tests, the acoustic tests that any spacecraft would go through,” said Gary Payton, Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programmes.
With all the focus on the launch of the secret X37B, another space launch by a Minotaur IV rocket from Vandenberg Air Force base in California received less attention.
It was carrying the prototype of a new weapon that can hit any target around the world in less than an hour.
The Prompt Global Strike is designed as the conventional weapon of the future. It could hit Osama bin Laden’s cave, an Iranian nuclear site or a North Korean missile with a huge conventional warhead.
Launch of secret US space ship masks even more secret launch of new weapon
Somewhere above earth is America’s latest spaceship, a 30ft craft so classified that the Pentagon will not divulge its mission nor how much it cost to build.
The mysterious X37B, launched successfully by the US Air Force from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, using an Atlas V rocket, looks like a mini-Space Shuttle — but its mission is top secret.
It is officially described as an orbital test vehicle. However, one of its potential uses appears to be to launch a surge of small satellites during periods of high international tension. This would enable America to have eyes and ears orbiting above any potential troublespot in the world.
The X37B can stay in orbit for up to 270 days, whereas the Shuttle can last only 16 days. This will provide the US with the ability to carry out experiments for long periods, including the testing of new laser weapon systems. This would bring accusations that the launch of X37B, and a second vehicle planned for later this year, could lead to the militarisation of space.US defence officials, who would not say how much the project had cost, insisted, however, that it was “just an updated version of the Space Shuttle activities”.
Thursday’s launch was more about testing the craft, a new generation of silica tile and a wealth of other advances that make the Shuttle look like yesterday’s space technology.
Nasa’s X37B programme began in 1999 and ran until September 2004 when it was transferred to the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency before being taken over by the US Air Force.
The flight of the X37B is being managed by the US Air Force Space Command’s 3rd Space Experimental Squadron.
“This bird has been through all of the shake, rattle and roll, the vibration tests, the acoustic tests that any spacecraft would go through,” said Gary Payton, Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programmes.
With all the focus on the launch of the secret X37B, another space launch by a Minotaur IV rocket from Vandenberg Air Force base in California received less attention.
It was carrying the prototype of a new weapon that can hit any target around the world in less than an hour.
The Prompt Global Strike is designed as the conventional weapon of the future. It could hit Osama bin Laden’s cave, an Iranian nuclear site or a North Korean missile with a huge conventional warhead.
Taliban, On the run, militants find new haven
DAWN.COM
They were never routed, no matter what Pakistan claimed. Instead, the Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have merely relocated. They're still near the Afghan border.
Months after Pakistani troops chased them from South Waziristan, these militants have established a new base farther north under the protection of an insurgent leader who has cut past deals with the Pakistani army, according to residents, militants and reports from Associated Press correspondents who visited recently.
The fighters — including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks — roam through markets, frequent restaurants and watch jihadi movies or surf the web at Internet cafes, their weapons propped up against the table. Pakistani troops wave them through checkpoints even though they're armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers.
These are the new VIPs in Pakistan's most dangerous region, North Waziristan.
The influx of these militants in North Waziristan in recent months adds to pressure on the army to launch an offensive there, and raises questions over its policy of making agreements with Gul Bahadur and other insurgent commanders who threaten US forces in Afghanistan but do not attack targets in Pakistan.
Bahadur agreed not to help his fellow militants during last year's offensive in South Waziristan as part of an understanding reached with the army. In exchange, the army would not attack his territory to the north. Now it appears that this pact has backfired on the army, enabling militants whom Pakistan considers a threat to its security to regroup on Bahadur's lands.
The military says it is not moving into North Waziristan because it does not have enough troops to do so effectively. Critics say the force is holding back because it does not want to sever alliances with militant factions fighting just across the border in Afghanistan, believing they will one day serve Pakistan's interests there.
That makes North Waziristan an enticing destination for extremists, even with US missiles regularly pounding the region. All but two of the 27 missile strikes fired from unmanned drones since January have hit targets in the north, according to a count by the AP.
Newly arrived Pakistani Taliban, Arab and Uzbek militants from South Waziristan are now commonly seen in the north's major towns, Mir Ali and Miramshah, which are under the control of Bahadur, according to residents there and two AP reporters in the region.
The Pakistani Taliban has set up a command and control center in Mir Ali bazaar, where it communicates by radio with other groups in the tribal belt, witnesses say.
All those interviewed declined to give their names, citing fear of retribution by either the Taliban or Pakistani security forces. The AP reporters also asked to remain anonymous for the same reason.
"Under tribal customs and traditions, we are bound to host brothers from South Waziristan. We are like brothers and we support each other," said a close aide to Bahadur. "We have no concern that our attitude toward the Pakistani Taliban in our area will invite an army offensive. Why should it? Neither we nor the Pakistani Taliban men have caused any problems for the army in North Waziristan."
Before launching the offensive in South Waziristan, the Pakistani army acknowledged striking the deal with Bahadur.
On Wednesday, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas denied the force had any ongoing deal with Bahadur not to attack his territory, saying the local administration may have an arrangement with tribal leaders in the area to ensure peace there.
But security analysts and residents disputed this, saying there was clearly a truce of some sort in the region.
Abbas insisted the army had not ceded the north to militants, saying the army had about 25,000 troops stationed there that carry out small-scale, targeted operations against insurgents.
Any such operations are rarely reported.
Despite the remarks by Bahadur's aide, there are signs the new arrivals may be straining relations with their hosts.
The Pakistani Taliban circulated a leaflet two months ago calling on their fighters to avoid any "criminal activity" and interference in the internal affairs of the region.
The army began its operations in South Waziristan in October against the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella grouping of militants that has claimed responsibility for many of the hundreds of suicide bombs to hit the country over the last two years.
It retook the area in about two months, but most of the insurgents fled rather than fight and none of the top commanders were captured or killed.
In Washington, a senior military official confirmed that fighters scattered from South Waziristan, including some to the north and others into Afghanistan. They included foreign fighters, he said on condition of anonymity because it involves intelligence.
The army has since launched air and ground operations in the Orakzai tribal area, where it says many of those who fled South Waziristan have ended up. But several analysts said they believed North Waziristan was home to most of the insurgents, including their leaders.
"The Taliban are receiving undeclared protection and shelter there in North Waziristan. The issue is now for how long this can be sustained," said Imtiaz Gul, director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. "If you look at the growing convergence between the Pakistan and the US military, it will be difficult for Gul Bahadur to keep these people and not be disturbed."
Bahadur, whose forces do not carry out attacks within Pakistan, is regarded as "good Taliban" by Pakistani security agencies. But he and other allied insurgents leaders in the north, among them Jalaluddin Haqqani, regularly dispatch men to fight US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.
US officials have praised Pakistan's actions against the Taliban in the northwest over the last 18 months, a change from two years ago when their refrain was a near constant "Pakistan must do more." They have also said they understood Pakistan's reasons for not going into North Waziristan immediately.
But an uptick in bombings in recent weeks in Pakistani cities after three month of relative calm will add to calls for action in the north.
"The strikes over the last couple of days mean the Taliban have reorganized," said Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for Pakistan's tribal regions. "I understand the complexities of launching an operation in North Waziristan, but I think it will become a compulsion."
Some residents said they saw signs that a military offensive might come — from soldiers repairing checkpoints on previously abandoned roads, to Pakistani Taliban fighters using the north as a base.
"After the military operation in South Waziristan we have seen Arabs, Uzbeks and Pakistani Taliban in Miran Shah market," said a school teacher in that town near the Afghan border. "I am happy with the agreement between Gul Bahadur and Pakistan, but I fear another military operation in our area when I see these people having free movement."
The owner of a pharmacy in the same town had similar fears.
"I am not hopeful about the future of the Gul Bahadur agreement when I see what's happening on the ground," he said.
They were never routed, no matter what Pakistan claimed. Instead, the Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have merely relocated. They're still near the Afghan border.
Months after Pakistani troops chased them from South Waziristan, these militants have established a new base farther north under the protection of an insurgent leader who has cut past deals with the Pakistani army, according to residents, militants and reports from Associated Press correspondents who visited recently.
The fighters — including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks — roam through markets, frequent restaurants and watch jihadi movies or surf the web at Internet cafes, their weapons propped up against the table. Pakistani troops wave them through checkpoints even though they're armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers.
These are the new VIPs in Pakistan's most dangerous region, North Waziristan.
The influx of these militants in North Waziristan in recent months adds to pressure on the army to launch an offensive there, and raises questions over its policy of making agreements with Gul Bahadur and other insurgent commanders who threaten US forces in Afghanistan but do not attack targets in Pakistan.
Bahadur agreed not to help his fellow militants during last year's offensive in South Waziristan as part of an understanding reached with the army. In exchange, the army would not attack his territory to the north. Now it appears that this pact has backfired on the army, enabling militants whom Pakistan considers a threat to its security to regroup on Bahadur's lands.
The military says it is not moving into North Waziristan because it does not have enough troops to do so effectively. Critics say the force is holding back because it does not want to sever alliances with militant factions fighting just across the border in Afghanistan, believing they will one day serve Pakistan's interests there.
That makes North Waziristan an enticing destination for extremists, even with US missiles regularly pounding the region. All but two of the 27 missile strikes fired from unmanned drones since January have hit targets in the north, according to a count by the AP.
Newly arrived Pakistani Taliban, Arab and Uzbek militants from South Waziristan are now commonly seen in the north's major towns, Mir Ali and Miramshah, which are under the control of Bahadur, according to residents there and two AP reporters in the region.
The Pakistani Taliban has set up a command and control center in Mir Ali bazaar, where it communicates by radio with other groups in the tribal belt, witnesses say.
All those interviewed declined to give their names, citing fear of retribution by either the Taliban or Pakistani security forces. The AP reporters also asked to remain anonymous for the same reason.
"Under tribal customs and traditions, we are bound to host brothers from South Waziristan. We are like brothers and we support each other," said a close aide to Bahadur. "We have no concern that our attitude toward the Pakistani Taliban in our area will invite an army offensive. Why should it? Neither we nor the Pakistani Taliban men have caused any problems for the army in North Waziristan."
Before launching the offensive in South Waziristan, the Pakistani army acknowledged striking the deal with Bahadur.
On Wednesday, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas denied the force had any ongoing deal with Bahadur not to attack his territory, saying the local administration may have an arrangement with tribal leaders in the area to ensure peace there.
But security analysts and residents disputed this, saying there was clearly a truce of some sort in the region.
Abbas insisted the army had not ceded the north to militants, saying the army had about 25,000 troops stationed there that carry out small-scale, targeted operations against insurgents.
Any such operations are rarely reported.
Despite the remarks by Bahadur's aide, there are signs the new arrivals may be straining relations with their hosts.
The Pakistani Taliban circulated a leaflet two months ago calling on their fighters to avoid any "criminal activity" and interference in the internal affairs of the region.
The army began its operations in South Waziristan in October against the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella grouping of militants that has claimed responsibility for many of the hundreds of suicide bombs to hit the country over the last two years.
It retook the area in about two months, but most of the insurgents fled rather than fight and none of the top commanders were captured or killed.
In Washington, a senior military official confirmed that fighters scattered from South Waziristan, including some to the north and others into Afghanistan. They included foreign fighters, he said on condition of anonymity because it involves intelligence.
The army has since launched air and ground operations in the Orakzai tribal area, where it says many of those who fled South Waziristan have ended up. But several analysts said they believed North Waziristan was home to most of the insurgents, including their leaders.
"The Taliban are receiving undeclared protection and shelter there in North Waziristan. The issue is now for how long this can be sustained," said Imtiaz Gul, director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. "If you look at the growing convergence between the Pakistan and the US military, it will be difficult for Gul Bahadur to keep these people and not be disturbed."
Bahadur, whose forces do not carry out attacks within Pakistan, is regarded as "good Taliban" by Pakistani security agencies. But he and other allied insurgents leaders in the north, among them Jalaluddin Haqqani, regularly dispatch men to fight US and Nato troops in Afghanistan.
US officials have praised Pakistan's actions against the Taliban in the northwest over the last 18 months, a change from two years ago when their refrain was a near constant "Pakistan must do more." They have also said they understood Pakistan's reasons for not going into North Waziristan immediately.
But an uptick in bombings in recent weeks in Pakistani cities after three month of relative calm will add to calls for action in the north.
"The strikes over the last couple of days mean the Taliban have reorganized," said Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for Pakistan's tribal regions. "I understand the complexities of launching an operation in North Waziristan, but I think it will become a compulsion."
Some residents said they saw signs that a military offensive might come — from soldiers repairing checkpoints on previously abandoned roads, to Pakistani Taliban fighters using the north as a base.
"After the military operation in South Waziristan we have seen Arabs, Uzbeks and Pakistani Taliban in Miran Shah market," said a school teacher in that town near the Afghan border. "I am happy with the agreement between Gul Bahadur and Pakistan, but I fear another military operation in our area when I see these people having free movement."
The owner of a pharmacy in the same town had similar fears.
"I am not hopeful about the future of the Gul Bahadur agreement when I see what's happening on the ground," he said.
10 policemen wounded in suicide attack in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A suicide attack on a prison van in northwest Pakistan wounded at least 10 policemen on Saturday, authorities said.
A car bomber targeted the van as it arrived at a jail in Timergarah, before it picked up prisoners to take to nearby Swat Valley, senior police official Shakeel Khan said. No prisoners were in the van at the time.
Police were planning to use the van to take some of the militants detained during last year's military operation in the region, Khan said.
Timergarah is in deeply conservative Lower Dir district, which is near the Afghan border.
It was a militant stronghold until mid-2009 when the military launched a major offensive and took it back from insurgents. Sporadic violence has continued.
A car bomber targeted the van as it arrived at a jail in Timergarah, before it picked up prisoners to take to nearby Swat Valley, senior police official Shakeel Khan said. No prisoners were in the van at the time.
Police were planning to use the van to take some of the militants detained during last year's military operation in the region, Khan said.
Timergarah is in deeply conservative Lower Dir district, which is near the Afghan border.
It was a militant stronghold until mid-2009 when the military launched a major offensive and took it back from insurgents. Sporadic violence has continued.
Abbas: No Palestinian state in temporary borders
– Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state within temporary borders, an idea he said was recently proposed for restarting peace talks.
In a speech to leaders of his Fatah movement, Abbas urged Israel to resume serious negotiations on the terms of full Palestinian statehood, adding that such talks should wrap up within two years.
Israel and the Palestinians remain far apart on the framework for such talks, and U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell returned to the region on Friday for a new push to narrow the differences.
The U.S. has proposed indirect talks in which Mitchell would shuttle between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. However, the Palestinians say they won't engage unless Israel agrees not to start new housing projects for Jews in traditionally Arab east Jerusalem, claimed by the Palestinians as a capital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected a building freeze in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War. They also seek a freeze of all settlement construction before a resumption of peace talks.
In his speech, Abbas referred to recent proposals — apparently from Israel — for a temporary state but did not elaborate. "Frankly, we will not accept the state with temporary borders, because it is being offered these days," he said.
He said the Palestinians were being asked to "take a state with provisional borders on 40 or 50 percent, and after that we will see."
Israeli government officials were not immediately available for comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh denied that Israel officially raised the idea.
However, a Palestinian academic said Israel offered Abbas such a state on more than 50 percent of the West Bank. The academic said he served as a go-between for the two sides and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.
A Palestinian state with provisional borders is part of the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan as an interim step toward full independence.
The temporary state would only be established on parts of the territory the Palestinians want for their state. However, the road map never got off the ground and the Palestinians have repeatedly rejected provisional statehood, fearing the temporary borders would become the final ones.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also brushed aside the notion when asked about it Friday. "So there's a lot of ideas that have been floated around, but at the end of the day it's only the Israelis and Palestinians who can make decisions for themselves," she said.
Abbas, meanwhile, called for an open dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, saying time for a so-called two-state solution is running out, despite strong support on both sides.
"I call for an open dialogue with all Israeli factions, leaders, an open dialogue," he said. "We are ready for dialogue, because we know the overwhelming majority of Israelis support the two-state solution."
___
Arizona's immigration law
Arizona's governor vows the state's tough new law targeting illegal immigration will be implemented with no tolerance for racial profiling, but at least two advocacy groups were preparing legal challenges and Mexico has warned that the law could affect cross-border relations.
Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday signed into law a bill that supporters said would take handcuffs off police in dealing with illegal immigration in Arizona, the nation's busiest gateway for human and drug smuggling from Mexico and home to an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants.
With hundreds of protesters outside the state Capitol shouting that the bill would lead to civil rights abuses, Brewer said critics were "overreacting" and that she wouldn't tolerate racial profiling.
"We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Brewer said after signing the law. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."
Earlier Friday, President Barack Obama called the Arizona bill "misguided" and instructed the Justice Department to examine it to see if it's legal. He also said the federal government must enact immigration reform at the national level — or leave the door open to "irresponsibility by others."
"That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe," Obama said.
The law makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally. It also requires local police officers to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal immigrants; allows lawsuits against government agencies that hinder enforcement of immigration laws; and makes it illegal to hire illegal immigrants for day labor or knowingly transport them.
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund said it plans a legal challenge to the law, which it said "launches Arizona into a spiral of pervasive fear, community distrust, increased crime and costly litigation, with nationwide repercussions."
William Sanchez, president of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders Legal Defense Fund, said his group is preparing a federal lawsuit against Arizona to stop the law from being applied. The group represents 30,000 Evangelical churches nationwide, including 300 Latino pastors in Arizona.
"Millions of Latinos around the country are shocked," Sanchez said.
Brewer ordered the state's law enforcement licensing agency to develop a training course on how to implement it without violating civil rights. The bill will take effect in late July or early August, depending on when the current legislative session ends.
"We must enforce the law evenly, and without regard to skin color, accent, or social status," she said. "We must prove the alarmists and the cynics wrong."
Many of the demonstrators at the Capitol complex booed when Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox she announced that "the governor did not listen to our prayers."
"It's going to change our lives," said Emilio Almodovar, a 13-year-old American citizen from Phoenix. "We can't walk to school any more. We can't be in the streets anymore without the pigs thinking we're illegal immigrants."
Mexico warned the proposal could affect cross-border relations, with Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa saying her country would have to "consider whether the cooperation agreements that have been developed with Arizona are viable and useful."
Francisco Loureiro, a pro-migrant activist who runs a migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico, called the new law "racist" and said it would lead to more police abuse of migrants.
"Police in Arizona already treat migrants worse than animals," he said. "There is already a hunt for migrants and now it will be open season under the cover of a law."
Loureiro said about 250 deported migrants have been arriving at his shelter every night and that most tell him they were detained by police.
On Thursday, Mexico's Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the law.
Clinton, NATO plan exit from west Afghanistan
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to press other NATO nations to provide more trainers for Afghanistan's police and military forces as part of preparations to withdraw Western troops from there by summer 2011.Clinton and representatives of 27 other NATO countries — all of which contribute to the war effort — also are expected on Friday to review broader plans for turning the conflict over to Afghan forces starting the middle of next year, a goal set by the White House.
NATO's assessment of its exit strategy comes just five months after President Barack Obama sharply escalated troop strength in the rugged mountain nation to challenge a resurgent Taliban movement.
NATO has struggled, in some cases, to coordinate military operations with Afghan civilian authorities and agencies.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's top ranking civilian, said Thursday that an additional 450 trainers are needed for Afghanistan's security forces. Clinton aides, meanwhile, said she planned to appeal to the alliance to provide the required trainers.
The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because Clinton's plans were still being made, as NATO foreign ministers gathered here to discuss alliance nuclear policy, missile defense and other issues.
In a speech Thursday before the two-day NATO meeting began, Fogh Rasmussen called Afghanistan the most challenging military operation undertaken by NATO in its history.
NATO was founded 61 years ago this month with the signing of a treaty of collective defense against a feared land invasion by the Soviet Union.
Today, Fogh Rasmussen said, instability in places far from Europe can threaten NATO member states.
"We all want to see a stable and secure Afghanistan — an Afghanistan that is no longer a threat to its region and to the rest of the world," he said in his speech. "We will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes to achieve that goal. We want to continue to empower the Afghans. And gradually hand over to them greater responsibility for the security of their own country when conditions permit."
During Thursday's talks, Clinton ruled out an early withdrawal of about 200 short-range U.S. nuclear weapons from bases in five European countries.
She said any reductions should be tied to a negotiated nuclear pullback by Russia, which has far more of the weapons in range of European targets.
No such talks are in the offing, and Moscow has shown little interest thus far in bargaining away its tactical nuclear arms.
Clinton also said the Obama administration wants NATO to accept missile defense as a core mission of the alliance.
The U.S. sees anti-missile systems as part of a broader effort to combat the dangers posed by nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and the rockets that can deliver them.
Some European members of NATO, including Germany, have said it's time for the U.S. to withdraw its remaining Cold War-era nuclear weapons from Europe and cite Obama's pledge in Prague last year to seek a nuclear-free world.
Late last year, Germany was joined by NATO members Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Luxembourg in requesting that the nuclear issue be put on the agenda of the Tallinn meeting.
But some newer NATO members in central and eastern Europe, which lay within Moscow's orbit during the Cold War, oppose a U.S. nuclear withdrawal. They argue that the presence of the weapons is the surest guarantee of their territorial integrity.
Fogh Rasmussen told reportders here that U.S. nuclear weapons play a vital defensive role in Europe and should not be removed as long as other countries possess them.
"I do believe that the presence of the American nuclear weapons in Europe is an essential part of a credible deterrent," Fogh Rasmussen said.
NATO's assessment of its exit strategy comes just five months after President Barack Obama sharply escalated troop strength in the rugged mountain nation to challenge a resurgent Taliban movement.
NATO has struggled, in some cases, to coordinate military operations with Afghan civilian authorities and agencies.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's top ranking civilian, said Thursday that an additional 450 trainers are needed for Afghanistan's security forces. Clinton aides, meanwhile, said she planned to appeal to the alliance to provide the required trainers.
The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because Clinton's plans were still being made, as NATO foreign ministers gathered here to discuss alliance nuclear policy, missile defense and other issues.
In a speech Thursday before the two-day NATO meeting began, Fogh Rasmussen called Afghanistan the most challenging military operation undertaken by NATO in its history.
NATO was founded 61 years ago this month with the signing of a treaty of collective defense against a feared land invasion by the Soviet Union.
Today, Fogh Rasmussen said, instability in places far from Europe can threaten NATO member states.
"We all want to see a stable and secure Afghanistan — an Afghanistan that is no longer a threat to its region and to the rest of the world," he said in his speech. "We will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes to achieve that goal. We want to continue to empower the Afghans. And gradually hand over to them greater responsibility for the security of their own country when conditions permit."
During Thursday's talks, Clinton ruled out an early withdrawal of about 200 short-range U.S. nuclear weapons from bases in five European countries.
She said any reductions should be tied to a negotiated nuclear pullback by Russia, which has far more of the weapons in range of European targets.
No such talks are in the offing, and Moscow has shown little interest thus far in bargaining away its tactical nuclear arms.
Clinton also said the Obama administration wants NATO to accept missile defense as a core mission of the alliance.
The U.S. sees anti-missile systems as part of a broader effort to combat the dangers posed by nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and the rockets that can deliver them.
Some European members of NATO, including Germany, have said it's time for the U.S. to withdraw its remaining Cold War-era nuclear weapons from Europe and cite Obama's pledge in Prague last year to seek a nuclear-free world.
Late last year, Germany was joined by NATO members Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Luxembourg in requesting that the nuclear issue be put on the agenda of the Tallinn meeting.
But some newer NATO members in central and eastern Europe, which lay within Moscow's orbit during the Cold War, oppose a U.S. nuclear withdrawal. They argue that the presence of the weapons is the surest guarantee of their territorial integrity.
Fogh Rasmussen told reportders here that U.S. nuclear weapons play a vital defensive role in Europe and should not be removed as long as other countries possess them.
"I do believe that the presence of the American nuclear weapons in Europe is an essential part of a credible deterrent," Fogh Rasmussen said.
Benazir Bhutto gave me responsibility to negotiate with Bush Admin for her return: Seigel
ISLAMABAD: Mark Seigel, advisor and a close friend of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, has said that Benazir Bhutto had given him the responsibility to negotiate with Bush Administration to convince Pervez Musharraf for holding direct responsibility for her security but it did not happen.
In an interview with a private TV channel here on Friday he said that Benazir Bhutto wanted Musharraf to conduct free and fair elections in the country. Musharraf wanted BB not to return before the general elections but she did listen, therefore he became angry and she was not given proper security, he added.
Musharraf did not want her to come back and she was in confrontation with him but she refused President Musharraf and said that she would never run away and she would lead the party in her own country and serve the people of Pakistan.
He said that they spoke so often about physical danger to her. "She fundamentally believed in serving people of Pakistan. She was woman of deep faith. After October 18 attack she e-mailed me and gave me the responsibility to investigate the incident. She wanted the culprits to be brought to justice," he said. "Nothing God willing will happen but if it does then Gen. Musharraf, former DG ISI Hamid Gul and another close companion of him would be responsible", he added.
He said she was being denied all the protection arrangements a leader or former PM deserved. He said that she used to seek his advice.
He further said that Charter of Democracy was a good document between PPP and PML-N.
In response to a question he said that he is close to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and he is also working with the present government for promoting Pakistan's image in the USA.He said that the graph of PPP-led government in the world has increased after approval of the 18th amendment.
He said that BB and Mian Nawaz Sharif wanted elimination of the ban on third time prime ministership. No country has sacrificed in war against terror as people of Pakistan had and the whole world was aware of this fact.
He said that in prison Asif Ali Zardari was offered that if BB stayed out of the country for 10 years then he would be given a ministry of his own choice and all the cases against them would be eliminated.
He said that the incumbent government should be given its due time of 5 years to deliver to the masses but he was also aware of the fact that it never happened in past.
He said that UN commission also approached him and the UN report was very strong and clear.
In an interview with a private TV channel here on Friday he said that Benazir Bhutto wanted Musharraf to conduct free and fair elections in the country. Musharraf wanted BB not to return before the general elections but she did listen, therefore he became angry and she was not given proper security, he added.
Musharraf did not want her to come back and she was in confrontation with him but she refused President Musharraf and said that she would never run away and she would lead the party in her own country and serve the people of Pakistan.
He said that they spoke so often about physical danger to her. "She fundamentally believed in serving people of Pakistan. She was woman of deep faith. After October 18 attack she e-mailed me and gave me the responsibility to investigate the incident. She wanted the culprits to be brought to justice," he said. "Nothing God willing will happen but if it does then Gen. Musharraf, former DG ISI Hamid Gul and another close companion of him would be responsible", he added.
He said she was being denied all the protection arrangements a leader or former PM deserved. He said that she used to seek his advice.
He further said that Charter of Democracy was a good document between PPP and PML-N.
In response to a question he said that he is close to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and he is also working with the present government for promoting Pakistan's image in the USA.He said that the graph of PPP-led government in the world has increased after approval of the 18th amendment.
He said that BB and Mian Nawaz Sharif wanted elimination of the ban on third time prime ministership. No country has sacrificed in war against terror as people of Pakistan had and the whole world was aware of this fact.
He said that in prison Asif Ali Zardari was offered that if BB stayed out of the country for 10 years then he would be given a ministry of his own choice and all the cases against them would be eliminated.
He said that the incumbent government should be given its due time of 5 years to deliver to the masses but he was also aware of the fact that it never happened in past.
He said that UN commission also approached him and the UN report was very strong and clear.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)