Somali MPs prefer Iran to colonialist UK

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague (L) visits Ugandan soldiers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) at the mission's headquarters in Mogadishu, February 2, 2012.

Somali MPs prefer to receive aid from Iran rather than the United Kingdom, as they accuse Britain of having colonialist intentions in resuming diplomatic ties with Somalia, Press TV has learned.

Iran is more welcome than the UK as the Islamic Republic first rose to help the Somalis, Hassan Abdi Warsame and Abdullahi Mohamed Sheikh said on Tuesday, stressing that Britain is seeking new colonization in Somalia. 

Referring to the Islamic Republic’s dispatch of 25 aid shipments and several flights carrying humanitarian supplies to the famine-stricken country, the lawmakers also hailed Iran’s pledge to help patch up Somali factions and establish peace in the war-weary nation. 

Iran plans to host a second round of reconciliation negotiation among Somali leaders once they have held talks in Nairobi, Kenya. 

The remarks by the Somali politicians came following British Foreign Minister William Hague’s February 2 visit to Somalia, where he described the Horn-of-Africa as "the world's most failed state." 

During his unannounced visit to Mogadishu, Hague appointed Matt Baugh as Britain's first ambassador to war-torn Somalia. 

The visit, which was the first by a British foreign secretary for over 19 years, came as London prepares to host an international conference on Somalia on February 23 to discuss ways to tackle instability and resolve protracted crises in Somalia. 

This comes while Somali MPs have downplayed the British government’s interest in its former colony and its humanitarian aid as “colonial tactics” taken to drown out Iran’s “genuine help” and its popularity in the country. 

“Nobody will trust or believe the colonialist UK’s efforts to bring Somalis to London for a so-called conference which will be going on for six hours,” they said.

Spain, biggest loser in Iran sanction game: Madrid envoy to Tehran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) meets with incoming Spanish Ambassador Pedro Antonio Villena Perez on January 31, 2012.

Spain’s new ambassador to Tehran has described negotiation as the principal means of resolving Iran’s nuclear issue, adding that the EU’s recent sanctions against the Islamic Republic inflict great losses on Madrid.

“Spain suffers the heaviest damage from the continuation of [EU-backed] embargoes against Iran and has always expressed support for the resumption of talks and negotiations [between Tehran and P5+1] in order to clear up misunderstandings between the two sides,” Pedro Antonio Villena Pérez said at a meeting with Head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi on Tuesday. 

Alaeddin Boroujerdi said the EU member states would suffer the most from Iran’s sanctions as their anti-Iran decisions have not been adopted in accordance with “the realities of the Islamic Republic.” 

Villena Pérez stressed that Spain is not among the countries which seek to aggravate bans on Iranian oil and banking sector.

The Spanish envoy to Tehran also expressed hope the existing problems between Iran and the EU member states would be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue. 

EU diplomats announced on Friday the bloc's 27 member states have agreed on the major mechanisms of an agreement on imposing sanctions against Iran's telecommunications sector. 

The new EU agenda comes in the wake of the bloc's January 23 agreement to ban oil imports from Tehran, freeze the assets of the Central Bank of Iran across the EU, and ban sales of grains, diamonds, gold, and other precious metals to the country. 

The EU sanctions came shortly after US President Barack Obama signed into law fresh unilateral economic sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran on New Year's Eve in an apparent bid to punish foreign companies and banks that do business with the Iranian financial institution. The bill ultimately takes aim at Iran's oil revenue. 

The United States, Israel and some of their European allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and have used this pretext to push for the imposition of four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions and a series of unilateral embargoes against the Islamic Republic. 

Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to use nuclear technology for peaceful use.


Source: www.presstv.com

Iran oil ban not workable without Asia

A London-based energy research institute says efforts made by the US and the European Union to enforce sanctions against Iran's oil sector will fail if the sanctions are not joined by Asia’s economic giants, China and India.

A report by the Global Insight says as Asian powers become more reliant on the Iranian crude, the US and the European Union will have to struggle to enforce practical sanctions against Iran's crude by those countries. 

The report quoted the US Energy Department as saying that China, Japan, India and South Korea were the biggest users of Iran’s oil in the first half of 2010, importing 1.46 million barrels a day of Iran's oil, or 59 percent of the country’s crude exports. 

At the same time, the EU’s biggest economies, Germany, France and the UK, have together imported 77,000 barrels of Iranian crude. 

“It will be difficult to enforce a ban [on Iran's oil imports] as India and China are not willing to back the ban,” Simon Wardell, Global Insight’s energy research manager said. 

“Iran will still be able to find buyers [for its oil] if they make concessions and lower their prices,” he added. 

On December 31, 2011, President Obama signed into law new sanctions against Iran aimed to penalize other countries for doing transactions with Iran's Central Bank and importing the country’s crude oil. 

The European Union followed suit by approving sanctions on January 23 to ban oil imports from Iran, freeze the country’s Central Bank assets within EU members and ban sale of diamonds, gold and other precious metals to Iran. 

Despite efforts made by US officials to convince Asian countries to join the sanctions, India’s Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on January 29 that his country will not cut back on oil imports from Iran. 

China has taken a similar position while South Korea, Turkey and Iraq have sought waivers on Iran oil sanctions. 

Iran's Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on January 23 that the country has “no concerns whatsoever for finding new customers.” 

“The Iranian nation has many times proved that it would never yield to pressure and unjust moves,” he added.

Source: www.presstv.com

‘Washington marching for Syria war’

This photo shows violence erupted in the Damascus suburb city of Daraa on February 4, 2012.

The US and its allies would continue their plan for a military intervention in Syria even without the UN Security Council approval, a political analyst says.

"Washington and key NATO partners plan intervention with or without Security Council cover," Stephen Lendman wrote in an article "Heading for War on Syria" on Global Research. 

"Doing so violates fundamental international law that prohibits interfering in other countries' internal affairs, except in self-defense if attacked," he added. 

On Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a UN draft resolution on Syria which called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign. 

"Plans are longstanding. With or without UN support, they're coming," Lendman predicted. 

The analyst noted that the Western powers are trying to replicate Libya's model in Syria, which is the scene of violence since last March. 

Lendman believes the recent military interventions are part of Washington's "New Middle East" project, which is aimed to control North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia to Russia and China's borders. 

"For over a decade, regime change plans targeted Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Syria, and other countries outside the region," he said. 

The author also described the US as the number one country across the world for causing human tragedies. 

"Since WW II, no combination of nations caused more slaughter, destruction, and human misery globally that America. Moreover, Washington won't tolerate democracy at home or abroad," Lendman said. 

"Long-suffering Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans, Somalis, Bahrainis, Yemenis, Palestinians, and many others elsewhere understand the horrors when America intervenes. So do Syrians. They abhor Washington led meddling in their internal affairs and want no part of it," he added.

Source: www.presstv.com

US strike group simulates war with Iran

United States oldest aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise

The United States’ oldest aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, and its strike group are running naval drills, which seem to indicate potential conflict with Iran, off the US East coast ahead of being deployed to the Persian Gulf.

The drill map, referring to Florida shores as "The Treasure Coast," depicts nine countries, two of which - Garnet and North Garnet, are identified as 'fundamentalist Islamic theocracies' suspected of supporting terror groups, Russia Today reported on Tuesday. 

According to the report, the drill map also depicts a 56-km (35-mile) wide strait located some 320 km (200 miles) from the coast. The mock strait’s shape and width is identical to the Strait of Hormuz - the Persian Gulf’s key oil shipping route, part of which is controlled by Iran. 

US military officials have denied the maneuvers being connected with escalated tensions around Iran, saying the strike group is "training for all the mission areas." 

However, Rear Admiral Dennis Fitzpatrick, commander of Strike Force Training Atlantic, told The Navy Times that "there obviously is an emphasis on where we think the ship will go." 

The 50-year-old aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, which leads the naval exercise, is to join two other US strike groups in the Persian Gulf by March. This will be the final deployment for the oldest carrier in Washington's fleet. 

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has launched ground drills near the Strait of Hormuz, which is used to transmit nearly a third of global oil exports. 

Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz if the US and the EU, actually enforce their unilateral sanctions against the country’s oil and financial sectors to prevent Iran from exporting its crude oil and make Tehran give up its peaceful nuclear program. 

On Tuesday, January 3, commander of Iran's Army Major General Ataollah Salehi warned the US aircraft carrier, USS John C. Stennis, not to return to the Persian Gulf after it left the region. 

“We recommend and warn the aircraft carrier not to return to its previous position in the Persian Gulf, since we are not in the habit of repeating a warning and we warn only once,” the general added.

Source: www.presstv.com

Russian FM Sergei Lavrov says Syria meeting ‘very useful’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference after his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on February 7, 2012. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described as “very useful” his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Lavrov said in a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday President Assad was “fully committed” to stopping the unrest in the country, “from whatever source it comes.” 

“We have every reason to believe that the signal that we have brought here to move along in a more active manner along all directions has been heard,” Lavrov said. 

The Russian foreign minister added that Moscow “intends to be actively engaged in” finding a solution to the unrest in Syria with the “Syrian side, Syria’s neighbors and the Arab League.” 

Lavrov, accompanied by Mikhail Fradkov, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, arrived in Damascus for talks with President Assad on Tuesday. 

On January 28, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said in a statement the organization had decided to “immediately stop the work of the Arab League's mission to Syria” due to “the critical deterioration of the situation” in the country. 

The observer mission had been in Syria since December 26, 2011 and was tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Arab League resolution to end the unrest in the country. 

The Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday, “Syria has notified the Arab League of its interest in the League’s mission continuing its work and increasing its quantity.” 

“Russia is convinced in the need for the mission, which is a serious stabilizing factor in Syria, to remain and expand,” Lavrov added. 

Russian officials said Lavrov’s Tuesday trip to Damascus was because Moscow sought “the swiftest stabilization of the situation in Syria on the basis of the swiftest implementation of democratic reforms whose time has come.” 

According to Russian media reports, Lavrov said President Assad will “in the nearest future” meet with a commission that has been preparing the “draft of a new constitution” and the schedule of a referendum on the draft “will be announced.”

Source: www.presstv.com

Obama: Israel haiwezi kuishambulia kijeshi Iran

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"Rais Barack Obama wa Marekani amesema Utawala haramu wa Kizayuni hauwezi kushambulia vituo vya nyuklia vya Iran kwani matokeo yake yatakuwa muhali kudhibiti."

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"Hundreds of protesters demonstrated Saturday in New York and pacifist groups took to the streets in dozens of other U.S. and Canadian cities in a "Day of Mass Action" against a possible war with Iran."