Taliban Origin

7/27/2019 Taliban Origin

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1 October 2010 Last updated at 10:01 GMT

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Who are the Taliban?

The Taliban are activein both Afghanistan and Pakistan

Recent years have seen the re-emergence of the hardline Islamic Talibanmovement as a fighting force in Afghanistan and a major threat to its government.

They are also threatening to destabilise Pakistan, where they control areas in thenorth-west and are blamed for a wave of suicide bombings and other attacks.

The Taliban emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan following thewithdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

A predominantly Pashtun movement, the Taliban came to prominence in

Afghanistan in the autumn of 1994.

Continue reading the main story

Taliban Conflict
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Make-or-break year ahead Can Afghan forces step up? Pakistan's very unhappy new year Q&A: Fighting the Taliban

It is commonly believed that they first appeared in religious seminaries - mostlypaid for by money from Saudi Arabia - which preached a hard line form of Sunni

Islam.

The Taliban's promise - in Pashtun areas straddling Pakistan and Afghanistan - wasto restore peace and security and enforce their own austere version of Sharia, or

Islamic law, once in power.

In both countries they introduced or supported Islamic punishments - such aspublic executions of convicted murderers and adulterers and amputations of those

found guilty of theft.

Men were required to grow beards and women had to wear the all-covering burka.

The Taliban showed a similar disdain for television, music and cinema anddisapproved of girls aged 10 and over from going to school.


THE TALIBAN

Emerged in Afghanistan in 1994 Mainly supported by ethnic Pashtuns Toppled after US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 Fugitive leader Mullah Omar wanted, whereabouts unknown

Pakistan has repeatedly denied that it is the architect of the Taliban enterprise.

But there is little doubt that many Afghans who initially joined the movement wereeducated in madrassas (religious schools) in Pakistan.

Pakistan was also one of only three countries, along with Saudi Arabia and the

United Arab Emirates (UAE), which recognised the Taliban when they were in powerin Afghanistan from the mid-1990s until 2001.

It was also the last country to break diplomatic ties with the Taliban.

But Pakistan has since adopted a harder line against Taliban militants carrying outattacks on its soil.

The attention of the world was drawn to the Taliban in Afghanistan following the

attacks on the World Trade Centre in September 2001.
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The Taliban in Afghanistan were accused of providing a sanctuary to Osama Bin

Laden and the al-Qaeda movement who were blamed for the attacks.

Soon after 9/11 the Taliban were driven from power in Afghanistan by a US-ledcoalition, although their leader Mullah Mohammad Omar was not captured - and

neither was Osama Bin Laden.

Foreign forces have poured into Afghanistan in

an effort to crush the insurgency

In recent years the Taliban have re-emerged in Afghanistan and grown far stronger

in Pakistan, where observers say there is loose co-ordination between differentTaliban factions and militant groups.

The main Pakistani faction is led by Hakimullah Mehsud, whose Tehrik Taliban

Pakistan (TTP) is blamed for dozens of suicide bombings and other attacks.

Observers warn against over-stating the existence of one unified insurgency againstthe Pakistani state, however.

The Taliban in Afghanistan are still believed to be led by Mullah Omar, a villageclergyman who lost his right eye fighting the occupying forces of the Soviet Union

in the 1980s.

Afghans, weary of the mujahideen's excesses and infighting after the Soviets weredriven out, generally welcomed the Taliban when they first appeared on the scene.

Their early popularity was largely due to their success in stamping out corruption,

curbing lawlessness and making the roads and the areas under their control safe forcommerce to flourish.

US onslaught

From south-western Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly extended their influence.


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The Afghan people are weary of conflict

They captured the province of Herat, bordering Iran, in September 1995.

Exactly one year later, they captured the Afghan capital, Kabul, after overthrowingthe regime of President Burhanuddin Rabbani and his defence minister, Ahmed

Shah Masood.

By 1998, they were in control of almost 90% of Afghanistan.

They were accused of various human rights and cultural abuses. One notoriousexample was in 2001, when the Taliban went ahead with the destruction of the

famous Bamiyan Buddha statues in central Afghanistan, despite internationaloutrage.

On October 7, 2001, a US-led military coalition invaded Afghanistan and by the first

week of December the Taliban regime had collapsed.

Mullah Omar and his comrades have evaded capture despite one of the largest

manhunts in the world

Mullah Omar and most of the other senior Taliban leaders, along with Bin Laden

and some of his senior al-Qaeda associates, survived the American onslaught.

Mullah Omar and most of his comrades have evaded capture despite one of thelargest manhunts in the world and are believed to be guiding the resurgent Taliban.

Since then they have re-grouped in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, but are nowunder pressure in both countries, from the Pakistani army and Nato respectively.

Despite ever higher numbers of foreign troops, the Taliban have steadily extendedtheir influence, rendering vast tracts of Afghanistan insecure, and violence in thecountry has returned to levels not seen since 2001.

Their retreat earlier this decade enabled them to limit their human and materiallosses and return with a vengeance.


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Pakistan: Calls for revenge after US

drones kill 40

Pakistan may now find

it easier to put off a full-blown assault in North Waziristan


Taliban Conflict

Make-or-break year ahead Can Afghan forces step up? Who are the Taliban? Pakistan's very unhappy new year

Tribal leaders in the Pakistani region of North Waziristan have vowed revenge

against the US after drones killed more than 40 people near the Afghan border.

"We are a people who wait 100 years to exact revenge. We never forgive ourenemy," the elders said in a statement.

Thursday's attack has caused fury - most of the dead were tribal elders and police

attending an open-air meeting.

Observers say anger over the botched drone raid may help Pakistan delay an

assault on the Taliban in Waziristan.

The Pakistani military has so far resisted US pressure for such an assault. It isalready fighting militants in a number of other parts of the country's north-west.
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Tribal leaders described the horror of theattack in Peshawar

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says Thursday's casualties will also add topressure from Islamabad on the US to scale back drone strikes which regularlytarget Waziristan.

The area is an al-Qaeda and Taliban stronghold and a launch pad for frequent

attacks on US-led forces in Afghanistan.

But the strikes are hugely unpopular in Pakistan. The latest one comes at a time of

rising tension after the CIA contractor Raymond Davis was acquitted of murderingtwo men in Lahore.

'Just a jirga'

Thursday's drone strike is thought to have killed more civilians than any other suchattack since 2006.

Officials say two drones were involved. One missile was fired at a car carryingsuspected militants. Three more missiles were then fired at the moving vehicle,hitting it and the nearby tribal meeting, or jirga.

At least four militants in the vehicles were killed, local officials said. Most of the restwho died were elders, local traders and members of the tribal police.


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"The world should try and find out how many of the 40-odd people killed in the

drone attack were members of al-Qaeda," the elders said in their statementfollowing the attack near North Waziristan's regional capital, Miranshah.

"It was just a jirga being held under local customs in which the prominent elders of

Datta Khel sub-division, and common people were participating to resolve adispute.

"But the Americans did not spare our elders even.

One of the elders, Malik Faridullah Wazir Khan, said he reached the scene 30minutes after the missiles hit - four of his relatives were killed.

"The area was completely covered in blood," he told the BBC.

"There were no bodies, only body parts - hands, legs and eyes scattered around. I

could not recognise anyone. People carried away the body parts in shopping bagsand clothing or with bits of wood, whatever they could find."

He said 44 people died at the scene, including 13 children - one as young as seven.

On Thursday, Pakistan's army chief condemned the raid by US unmanned drones in

unusually strong terms, calling it "intolerable... and in complete violation of humanrights".

The Pakistani military often makes statements regretting the loss of life in suchincidents, but rarely criticises the attacks themselves.

Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, however, said such "acts of violence" make it harder tofight terrorism.

US missions closed

Drones have killed hundreds of people inPakistan in recent years

Drone strikes have stoked anti-US feeling in Pakistan.


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The US embassy in Islamabad and consulates in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar

were all closed on Friday for security reasons following Thursday's attack and therelease of Mr Davis.

The US does not routinely confirm that it has launched drone operations, but

analysts say only American forces have the capacity to deploy such aircraft in theregion.

The Pakistani authorities deny secretly supporting drone attacks. Many militants,

some of them senior, have been killed in the raids, but hundreds of civilians havealso died.

Pakistan has troops stationed in North Waziristan but has resisted US calls for a

wider operation there. The region is a stronghold of militants fighting US-led forcesin Afghanistan.

Many analysts believe at some point Pakistan's military will have to move in - if notfor America's sake, then for Pakistan's. Militants attacking targets inside Pakistan

also find sanctuary in North Waziristan.

AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA makingit top US wireless firm

The combined mobile phone company wouldknock Verizon Wireless off the top spot in the US


Related Stories

Mobiles set for 3D and dual-core
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Mobile firm charges cut by OfcomAT&T says it will buy rival T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG for $39bn

(24bn) making it the largest mobile phone company in the US.

The deal would give AT&T about 43% market share, putting it well ahead ofindustry leader Verizon Wireless.

T-Mobile customers will get access to AT&T's phone lineup, including the iPhone.

The deal would reduce competition in the US mobile phone industry and needsapproval from regulators.

AT&T is looking to increase its network capacity to handle the rapidly increasing

consumer demand for videos and data.

Regulatory approval

However, analysts said that the deal may prove controversial.

Consumer rights group Public Knowledge said that the deal would lead to "higher

prices, fewer choices, less innovation".

The phone companies countered that the US market was competitive and call prices

had declined in recent years as a result.

AT&T said regulators may ask it to sell some assets as a condition for approval.

It said it expects the deal to be completed in 12 months.

AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson told reporters the company had done its'homework' on the regulatory side of things.

"This is a unique opportunity. It's rare you have transactions where the synergiesare greater than the price paid," Mr Stephenson said.

iPhone advantage

Mr Stephenson took over as chief executive in 2007.

The same year AT&T began selling Apple iPhones, and wireless data has sincebecome one of its fastest growing services driving revenues up.

AT&T lost its exclusive rights to carry the iphone in US this year when VerizonWireless began selling the data-device.
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T-Mobile has reported falling earnings after missing out on the iPhone and failing to

build a higher-speed wireless network.

The T-Mobile deal would be a way for AT&T to boost earnings by combiningoperations.

The company is estimating that it could generate savings of more than $40bn.

Why did so many people die in Haiti's quake?

By Lucy RodgersBBC News

The devastating earthquakes that hit China on 12 May 2008, Italy on 6 April

2009 and Haiti one month ago all measured above 6.0 and took many lives. But

why was the human cost so much greater for Haiti?

When Pete Garratt, Red Cross head of disaster relief, received an alert on 12 January

indicating a large quake had hit Haiti near its capital Port-au-Prince, he instantly

recognised the seriousness of the emergency.


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"I knew that meant deaths and injuries," he says.

The reason he predicted the effects of the quake would be so grave, Mr Garratt explains,

is that there are a number of critical factors, learned through years of experience, that

contribute to the scale of devastation following such big shifts of the Earth's crust.

One is, perhaps obviously,the size of the quake, but also how near it is to the surface,the density of the population near its epicentre, as well as whether there are any heavily

urbanised areas nearby. These all indicate a higher death toll - and were all features of

the Haiti quake.

But poverty also plays its role, Mr Garratt explains, as it exacerbates a country's orregion's vulnerability to such disasters.

In places such as Haiti, where 72.1% of the population live on less than $2 a day, and in

cities like Port-au-Prince, where many are housed in poor and densely-packed

shantytowns and badly-constructed buildings, the devastation is always expected to be

greater.

"These countries have less money to put into buildings and there is less governance

ensuring building codes are followed," Mr Garratt explains.

"Corruption can also be an issue and so, even when there are government structures to

ensure building codes are followed, there are bribes that enable people to take short cuts."Put simply - there are the technical elements of the earthquake and then the social

elements on top of that."

Therefore, the fact that the Haiti quake hit close to a poorly-constructed, large urban area

was crucial in reducing people's chances of survival.
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"In Italy it was one town, and a few surrounding villages - not a large urban area. And in

China, although it affected a large area and big towns, it was not a city," says Mr Garratt.

"In Haiti, in a big city like Port-au-Prince, with so many structures coming down, this

means more rubble will kill more people."The resulting scale of destruction - of infrastructure, of government and other official

organisations - also made it much more difficult to respond once the earthquake hit and

had an impact on the number of people rescued from the rubble.


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Haiti, unlike China and Italy, simply did not have the resources to act quickly, and it took

time to get outside help in.

"The Chinese government was able to mobilise a very military response. Although some

parts were hard to reach initially," says Mr Garratt. "The resources they had were very

impressive.

"The problem in Haiti was the airport was only half-functioning and you had one road

route that took a day to traverse."

The dense urban environment in Port-au-Prince also made it a difficult place for rescue

teams to work once they were there, he says.

"You could say that the resulting congestion in large cities meant there was less room for

manoeuvre.

"But there were an enormous number of search and rescue teams there and considering

the difficulties getting there, they did a good job."

However, the statistics on rescues may not necessarily reflect the true number of victims

freed in and around Port-au-Prince, he warns.


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"The majority of people are pulled out of the rubble by their neighbours."

Lessons learned

The Red Cross, which had teams dealing with the aftermath of the China, Italy and Haiti

earthquakes, believes aid agencies learn lessons from every disaster, although each - like

Haiti - poses fresh questions."We are always getting better," says Mr Garratt. "But what is a challenge is that there is

always something new."

One of the problems in Port-au-Prince is the lack of space, he adds, as well as a

constantly shifting and mobile population.

The task now for such organisations is to help the people of Haiti get back on their feet,

given the inevitable crippling economic cost of such a quake.

And as the Red Cross and others admit, their success in responding to the Haiti


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emergency will be judged not just on the first weeks of emergency aid, but on whether

communities are left more resilient and better equipped when the next disaster strikes.

US Mexico envoy Carlos Pascual

quits amid Wikileaks row

Carlos Pascual's cables provoked a strong reaction in

Mexico


MEXICO'S DRUGS WAR

Agent's murder: Impact on US-Mexico ties Analysing the murder figures Q&A: Drug violence Battling the cartels

US Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual has resigned amid a row over leakeddiplomatic cables in which he doubted Mexico's ability to tackle drug gangs.

The dispute flared last month when Mexican President Felipe Calderon accused Mr

Pascual of "ignorance".
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He said the US cables, released by Wikileaks in December, had harmed ties.

The US is backing Mexico's war against drug-trafficking with more than $1bn

(600m) in equipment and training.

The two countries have also increasingly been sharing intelligence in a bid to tacklethe drug gangs as violence continues to take a heavy toll in Mexico, with more than

34,000 killed since late 2006.

It emerged earlier this month that the US has been sending unarmed surveillance

drones over Mexico to gather information on the major drug traffickers.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Mr Pascual had decided to step down dueto "his personal desire to ensure the strong relationship between our two countries

and to avert issues raised by President Calderon that could distract from theimportant business of advancing our bilateral interests".

She said she and President Barack Obama had accepted his resignation with "great

reluctance".

Mr Pascual's decision to leave comes less than a fortnight since Mr Calderon held

talks with President Barack Obama in Washington.

'Ill-feeling'

The Mexican president had not hidden his anger at the remarks made by Mr Pascual

in the diplomatic cables, and reportedly asked for the ambassador to be removedfrom his post.

"I do not have to tell the US ambassador how many times I meet with my Security

Cabinet. It is none of his business. I will not accept or tolerate any type ofintervention," Mr Calderon said in February, in an interview with Mexico's El

Universal newspaper.

"But that man's ignorance translates into a distortion of what is happening inMexico , and affects things and creates ill-feeling within our own team."


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President Calderon launched his crackdown onthe drug gangs after taking office in December 2006

Mr Calderon also told the Washington Post that bilateral relations had suffered"serious damage" because of the US diplomatic cables.

The Mexican presidency said on Saturday that ties between the two countriesremained solid despite Mr Pascual's resignation.

In his cables, released by Wikileaks and published by The Guardiannewspaper, Mr Pascual questioned whether President Calderon could win his war

on drugs, saying the various security agencies were often at odds.

The Mexican security forces, he said, were slow and risk-averse.

Mr Pascual, a Cuban-American expert in failed states, is a career diplomat.

He recently began dating the daughter of a senior member of Mexico's main

opposition party, the Institutional Revolutionary party or PRI.

17 March 2011 Last updated at 08:10 GMT

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Hugo Chavez calls off Venezuela'snuclear energy plans

Mr Chavez and Russian President Dmitry

Medvedev agreed the nuclear deal last OctoberContinue reading the main story

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he is freezing plans to develop a nuclear

energy programme in the light of the crisis in Japan.

Venezuela signed a deal with a Russian company last year to develop a nuclearpower plant over the next decade.

But Mr Chavez said events in Japan showed the dangers of developing nuclear

power were too great.

Chile has said it still aims to sign a nuclear accord with the US next week despitethe crisis in Japan.

Countries around the world have been reconsidering their nuclear policies in theface of the crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear complex triggered by last week's

huge earthquake and tsunami.

President Chavez said he was calling off Venezuela's plans to build a nuclear plant.

"It is something extremely risky and dangerous for the whole world," he said.

"Despite the great technology and advances that Japan has, look at what is

happening with some of its nuclear reactors."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12768148#story_continues_1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12768148#story_continues_1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11580469http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11580469http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11553239http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11553239http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11553239http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11580469http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12768148#story_continues_1


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Mr Chavez added that global concerns about the safety of nuclear power would

boost demand for Venezuela's oil exports.

Chile option

In Chile, President Sebastian Pinera said he would go ahead with a nuclear co-operation deal with the US that is due to be signed during President Obama's visit

next week.

Mr Pinera said Chile had to keep the option of nuclear power open to fuel its

growing demand for energy despite anxieties over the nuclear disaster in Japan.

"Chile needs to learn about nuclear energy, and that is why we have signed accordswith France and Argentina and we will sign another with the US," he said after

meeting the Japanese ambassador to express his condolences.

Like Japan, Chile is on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" of seismic activity and is prone toearthquakes and tsunamis.

15 October 2010 Last updated at 13:52 GMT

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Russia and Venezuela sign nuclear

power and oil deals
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20/44

Several deals were signed in the presence ofPresidents Chavez and Medvedev

Russia is to build a nuclear power plant in Venezuela as part of a series of energydeals between the nations.

Russia will build two 1,200 megawatt nuclear reactors at the Venezuelan plant, saidthe ITAR-Tass news agency.

Meanwhile Rosneft, Russia's state oil giant, will buy a 50% stake in German refineryfirm Ruhr Oel from Venezuelan state-owned company PDVSA.

The agreement, worth $1.6bn (1bn), was signed at the Kremlin during Venezuelan

President Hugo Chavez's visit.

However the cost of the nuclear deal was not immediately revealed.

"It could be in 10 years, it could be earlier," said Sergei Kirienko, head of the

Russian state nuclear power corporation Rosatom.

"Right now we have no practical activity in building nuclear power stations.

"However, under the agreement signed today, that possibility has now in principleappeared."

BP assetsContinue reading the main story

Start Quote

This transaction is consistent with our strategy to expand our presence with high

quality assets in key international markets

End Quote Eduard Khudainatov Rosneft president

In addition to the nuclear and Rosneft deals, a shareholder in energy firm TNK-BPsaid that the company, which is owned by BP and Russian billionaires, would buy

three of BP's assets in Venezuela by the end of the year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11553239#story_continues_1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11553239#story_continues_1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11553239#story_continues_1


21/44

Russia's energy ministry and Venezuela's oil ministry signed an agreement in

Moscow to support the deal.

TNK-BP shareholder, billionaire German Khan told journalists: "We will buy 16.7%of Petromanagas, 40% of Petroperija and 26.6% of Bouqeron."

He did not say how much TNK-BP would pay for the stakes.

European assets

While Rosneft will become an owner of a 50% stake in Germany's Ruhr Oel, BPowns the other 50%.

Ruhr Oel holds stakes in four German petrochemical and refinery plants.

Rosneft said in a statement that the plants' capacity is 23.2 million tonnes per year,

or about 20% of Germany's refining capacity.

The Russian firm's president, Eduard Khudainatov, said: "As a result of this

acquisition, 18% of Rosneft's refining capacity will be located in the heart ofindustrialised Europe.

"This transaction is consistent with our strategy to expand our presence with high

quality assets in key international markets."


22/44

EURO NEWS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH GADDAF`S SON

With the situation in Libya still tense and, above all, highly fluid, Colonel Gaddafis son Saif al-

Islam Gaddafi gave euronews his personal views on the causes of the conflict. He said forcesloyal to his father would have ended the rebellion in 48 hours and also repeated his allegation

that Frances President Sarkozy owed his election to Libyan funding.

Riad Muasses, euronews:

Saif al-Islam, before these events you presented yourself as the new reformist face ofLibya. What has become of your reformist projects in the face of the protests against you?

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi:

As you have seen over the past two weeks, what we have seen in the streets is not protesters butarmed militias who kill people and frighten them and hang them. You have seen them in

Albayda executing police officers, hanging people from the bridges, and in Misrata they burned aman in the public square. These people dont believe in dialogue or human rights or

democracy. They are criminals and luckily they take photos and videos of what they do and

publish them - so today the Libyan people have revolted and are defending their land and their

country. Every day the Libyan army liberates a town and the people come out into the streets,happy to celebrate these victories. The entire Libyan people are united against these militias and

terrorists, even in the army there are many volunteers who have joined up to fight. We want to

make political reforms when we re-establish peace and calm in our country. We were ready tomake reforms and draw up a new constitution with more freedoms beforebut now is the

time to fight these terrorists and liberate Libya.

Riad Muasses:

But are you convinced that Libya needsmajor reforms?


Yes, we agree with that, but now if you speak to the man in the street about what he wants hellsay peace. Right now they arent interested in construction or infrastructure projects, because

Libyans have been terrorised at the hands of these militias so all our people want is the return of

peace and security. Thats the priority. Reforms will come once the situation is stable in one or

two weeks. Or a month. Because that will be the time for the birth of a new Libya with new lawsand a new constitution. Now were seeing the birth of a modernised Libya.

Riad Muasses:

How can we confirm the presence of al-Qaeda or other militia groups?


23/44


To be clear, al-Qaeda was only present in the towns of Zawiya, Darna and Albayda. But we alsosaw the emergence of armed groups of murderers and criminals who were organised into armed

militias, and who even recruited young people. You have seen them on the television drinking

alcohol and listening to loud music, and taking drugs. So there are the two: criminal militiasand extremist Islamic organisations, and both are enemies ofthe Libyan people.

Riad Muasses:

So there is no-one demonstrating against you? There are only militias and Islamic extremists?


The biggest thing is what has happened in Benghazi. In the next few days we are going to show

the truth and the films. Firstly, there are certain businessmen who asked Arab workers in

Libya to go out into the public squares. Most of the people who demonstrated were Egyptiansand unemployed Palestinians. Secondly, there may be people who are against

Gaddafi in Benghazi. Perhaps there are several thousand against Gaddafi but there are one and a

half million inhabitants in Benghazi.

There are thousands of people in Libya who dont believe in God, and not only people who

dont believe in Muammar Gaddafi. Our ex Minister of Foreign Affairs is one of these non-

believers, and he doesnt hide hisatheism. It wouldnt be logical to tell you that 100% of theLibyan people are with Muammar Gaddafi.

Riad Muasses:

So theres no contamination from the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt?


Its not aquestion of contamination, its a sort of trend. Its very similar to what

happened during the youth revolution in Europe during the 1960s. Also, we mustnt forget thatthere are Arab TV stations who are conducting a media war against us, full of lies and

rumours. These things are now clear to our people. For example, one of these TV stations said

that the Libyan army was attacking the port of Mezda, but Mezda is a town in the middle of

the desert. The TV stations of our Arab brothers have sunk to a very low, humiliating level andthe Libyan people make fun of them. Today these enemy Arab TV stations say that Tripoli has

fallen into the hands of what they call Free Libya and that there is fighting in the

streets ofTripoli.

Riad Muasses:

Some information suggests that your armed forces are near to Benghazi and even that they areat the Egyptian border. What are you going to do with the people whoprotested against you?


24/44


Most of them have escaped, our fighters have asked us to let them go, to let the traitors who

have collaborated with the United States and Great Britain and France leave. Those who have

asked for the American fleet or the return of British troops, or the intervention ofNATO, theyreall running away to Egypt. We have no intention of killing them or taking revenge on thesetraitors who have betrayed our people. We say to them that they can run into Egypt quite

safelybecause Libya no longer belongs to them. A lot of them have already left for Egypt.

Riad Muasses:

A resolution to enforce a no fly zone over Libya could be passed by the UN. How would you

react to such a resolution?


A resolution of what against who? Its too late. In 48 hours we will have finished our military

operation. We are at the gates ofBenghazi.

Riad Muasses:

To the Arab League the Libyan regime is illegitimate. Do you intend to stay in the League or

not?


Its ridiculous, these regimes are not democratic and do not hold elections. Their presidents arenot elected and do not abide by constitutions or laws. All these regimes are illegitimate. Our real

problem is with Amr Moussa (the Secretary-General of the Arab League). This man receives

money from Qatar, and is preparing for a presidential campaign run in Egypt, and ourQatari brothers have asked him to play this role. We know very well whats being prepared

against us. Amr Moussa is not legitimate and neither are the Arab presidents, and furthermore,

these Arab regimes which were established by dictatorship, or inheritance behave like they arethe European Union or the United States. We know very well that this is just theatre at the Arab

League. Ourpriority now isnt deciding whether or not to stay in the Arab League. There will be

time to take that decision. The priority now is to liberate our country and to finish our fight

against the armed militias.

Riad Muasses:

What is your position on France and President Sarkozy? France was the first country torecognise the Provisional Council.



25/44

Firstly Sarkozy must repay Libya the money he took for his election campaign. We financed his

election campaign and we have all the details and we are ready to publish them. The first thing

we ask of this clown Sarkozy is that he repay this money to the Libyan people. We helped himbecome president so that he would help the Libyan people but he has disappointed us. And very

soon we will publish all the details and the documents and banking pay slips.

Riad Muasses:

One last question: is there a plan forpower in Libya to be passed from father to son?


I am not going to answerthat question because I have taken a decision a long time ago. Ive

already spoken about it and dont want tosay any more.

Copyright 2011 euronews

Tags:Libya,Muammar Gaddafi,Nicolas Sarkozy,Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
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26/44

The scientific community is trying to learn the lessons from Fukushima.

The disaster in Japan has highlighted areas where nuclear plants might be vulnerable, especially

those that have been in operation for a while.

Experts want to learn how to protect future generations from disasters like this one, that putentire populations in danger.

Euronews spoke to Luis Echavarri, Director-General of the Nuclear Energy Agency of theOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Beatriz Beiras, euronews:Mr Echavarri, the IAEA has confirmed that the cores of reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the Fukushima

nuclear plant run a risk of meltdown. What does that mean exactly?

Luis Echavarri:

That means that the temperatures reached made the rods melt and could also make the fuel melt.

That means that the fuel is becoming impaired and that it is producing more fission products andas full cooling could not take place, this process has progressed.

euronews:But does that havean impact on radiation?

Luis Echavarri:Yes, because the higher the temperature is and the more the fuel deteriorates, the more fission

products are produced. And as a result, the radioactivity given off is greater. So the continuationof this process must be avoided. That is why cooling is needed.

euronews:

Can it cause an explosion?

Luis Echavarri:

No, no, not at all. That absolutely cant happen. You must take into account that, for example,unlike the Chernobyl accident, here the safety mechanisms were activated quickly because of the

earthquake. So the only heat is the remaining heat and in this situation an explosion caused by an

uncontrolled reaction cannot happen.

euronews:

If water does not succeed in cooling the reactors, do you think that Tepco has other means ofstopping this time bomb?

Luis Echavarri:I think that water and other products like, for example, boric acid, are important in reducing the

possible damage to the fuel. But it is difficult to find a solution apart from using water. The latest


27/44

news we have had is that they are in the process of bringing in electricity from outside the plant

and if that is confirmed, it would lead to the use of a lot more cooling systems in the plant and

that could help enormously in getting the site back to normal. But, fundamentally, two elementsare necessary: electricity and water.

euronews:Should we be worried, for example, about the arrival of a radioactive cloud in other Asian

countries or even in America or Europe?

Luis Echavarri:

No. I think the distances involved mean that radioactivity is going to be present, because the

radioactivity will be felt across the planet, especially in the northern hemispherebut at verylow levels. The radiation is diluting, and the further it spreads, the more it dilutes. What is

important are the areas closest to the plant. And gradually the radioactivity is decreasing. So I

think that outside Japan, there is no need to worry, even if it will be experienced elsewhere

because tiny quantities of radioactivity are easy to detect.

euronews:

You are a nuclear engineer. Briefly, as a technician, what are the lessons to be learned from thisaccident?

Luis Echavarri:Briefly, it is difficult. I would say that, first of all, we have to analyse whether all nuclear plants

are adequately prepared from a conceptual point of view to deal with bigger earthquakes or

tsunamis than we had imagined and which are possible in certain places.

We also have to make an in-depth analysis of the consequences of the tsunami; why it damaged

so many emergency installations, if they could have been salvaged in another way, if there areextra safety systems to avoid this sort of situation. And we also have to look again at the

containment units, emergency cooling systems, hydrogen explosions, fires, radiological

protection, intervening in contaminated zones. They are all lessons that we are going to have tolearn to apply to all the nuclear plants in the worlda process which has already begun. All

regulatory bodies have already begun an analytical process to apply the lessons to their own

plants.

Copyright 2011 euronews

Tags:Japan disaster,Nuclear accidents,Nuclear Energy
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28/44

Squeezing Iran: Oil and sanctions

Since the Islamic revolution in 1979 Iran's relations with the West have been rocky.

Sanctions were imposed by the US after the seizure of American hostages in theaftermath of the revolution, and the 1980 Iran-Iraq war. In recent years a fresh

wave of UN sanctions has attempted to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. But whateffect have these measures actually had on the country and its economy? Use the

graphs below to see key economic indicators and major events over the last 30years.


Choose a graph

Oil production | GDP growth | Foreign direct investment

Oil production
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29/44

GDP growth

Foreign direct investment


30/44

JANUARY 1981

Iran releases 63 American hostages taken during the 1979 revolution. Their seizurehad led to economic sanctions which included the freezing of $12bn of Iranian

assets. According to US officials, most were released as part of the deal for thehostages' return. But some assets - Iran says $10 billion, US says much less -

remain frozen.

JANUARY 1984

Further sanctions are imposed by the US following the bombing of an Americanmarine base in Lebanon. The State Department adds Iran to a list of nations

supporting terrorism and therefore subject to strict export controls.

MARCH 1995


31/44

President Clinton issues an executive order 12957 banning US investment in Iran'senergy sector in response to the country's support to terrorist organisations such asHezbollah and Hamas.

AUGUST 1996

The US Congress approves the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996, targetingfirms doing business with Iran and Libya. Under the act, all foreign companies thatprovide investments over US $20m for the development of petroleum resources inIran will face penalties.

JUNE 1997

Iran elects as president reformist Mohammad Khatami. His campaign pledgesinclude greater freedom of expression, as well as measures to tackle unemployment

and boost privatisation. Despite being re-elected in 2001, many of his reformistinitiatives, social and political, founder on conservative resistance.

JUNE 2005

Iran elects as president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He wins a second term incontroversial circumstances in June 2009, sparking nationwide protests.

DECEMBER 2006


32/44

The UN Security Council unanimously passes a resolution (1737) imposingsanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. The resolution orders countries tostop supplying Iran with materials and technology contributing to nuclear and

missile programs. It freezes Iranian assets related to those programmes.

MARCH 2007

The UN Security Council imposes a second round of sanctions (resolution 1747)targeting Iran's nuclear programme.

MARCH 2008

The UN Security Council approves a third round of sanctions against Iran.

Resolution 1803 tightens travel bans and extends financial sanctions to 12 newcompanies and 13 executives. Melli Bank, Iran's largest financial institution with

many foreign branches, feels the blow particularly hard.

MARCH 2009

The UN Security Council votes to impose further sanctions on Iran (resolution1929). The sanctions include cargo inspections, new controls on Iranian banks "toblock the use of the international financial system... to fund and facilitate nuclear

proliferation" and restrictions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

JUNE 2010


33/44

The European Union and US impose further sanctions which go further than recentUN measures. The EU bans investments, technical assistance and technologytransfers to Iran's oil and gas industries, while the US imposes penalties on foreign

companies which trade with Iran.

GDP: Iran's five-year economic development plans for 2000-2015 set a target of8% growth for the country's gross domestic production (GDP), but except for few

years in this period, Iran's economy has largely under-performed. It took a sharpfall in 2008 as a result of plummeting oil prices which followed global financial

meltdown. Oil and gas exports constitute some 60% of Iran's revenues.

Oil Production: While showing a slow but steady increase in the past 30 years,Iran's oil production started to decline since 2005 due to lack of investment indeveloping current and new oil and gas fields. Iran's complicated buy-back scheme

and the country's political situation have put off international oil companies fromworking with a country that sits on world's fourth largest oil reserves.

Foreign investment: Iran's official statistics for foreign direct investment have in

the past few years been contradictory. Some official figures include memoranda ofunderstanding which were never signed into contracts. But all statistics show a

decline in foreign investment since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in2005. Unlike his reformist predecessor Mohammad Khatami who encouraged

foreign investment, Mr Ahmadinejad's defiant policies have discouraged foreignersfrom investing in Iran.

IRAN'S TRADING HISTORY

In part the graph below reflects developments that have also affected Iran's

neighbours in the Middle East and the ups and downs of the oil market. But themark of sanctions can be seen on Iran's economy, as well as a marked pattern of

Iran being forced to look to Asia to make up for lost business from the US andEurope.


34/44

In 1978, the year before the revolution, IMF data shows 80% of Iran's exports wentto developed countries, with 20% of the total going to the United States.

Since then the US has all but disappeared off Iran's export map.

For the developed countries as a whole there is also a marked decline, though they

remain major markets, and still account for more than 40% of Iran's exports.

So where are Iran's exports going?

Developing countries in Asia are buying a bigger share. China in particular is nowIran's biggest market of all, having bought only 1% of total exports in 1995.

For the Middle East as a whole, there are similar trends, but in relation to Chinathey are not as striking as for Iran.


35/44

So these figures are consistent with the idea of Iran being forced to some extent to

look to other markets to make up for those lost due to sanctions. But theemergence of Asia meant those new markets were not so hard to find.

G8 summit: Arab uprisings set to

dominate agendaComments (14)

Security is tight in the French seaside resort ofDeauville


Related Stories

Profile: G8 Mardell: Big speech fails to soar Analysis: Behind the praise

World leaders are set to gather in the French resort of Deauville for a summit of the

G8 bloc of wealthy nations.

A shift in global influence to emerging powers such as India and China who are not

in the G8 has led to the group's relevance being questioned.

But analysts say recent events such as uprisings in the Arab world and Japan'snuclear crisis have given the group a new sense of purpose.

Also on the agenda is how little or how much the internet should be regulated.

The global economy and climate change are also to be discussed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13554836#dna-commentshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13554836#dna-commentshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13554836#story_continues_1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13554836#story_continues_1http://www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/3777557.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/3777557.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13553866http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13553866http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13546626http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13546626http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13546626http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13553866http://www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/3777557.stmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13554836#story_continues_1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13554836#dna-comments


36/44

US President Barack Obama is travelling to the meeting after completing a state

visit to the UK. He will later continue to Poland.

'Time for leadership'

Leaders from Tunisia and Egypt and the head of the Arab League will be atDeauville, on the Normandy coast, for talks on a massive aid plan to help their

transition to democracy.

The long-standing presidents of Tunisia and Egypt were overthrown earlier this year

in popular uprisings.


Start Quote

Even as more nations take on the responsibilities of global leadership, our alliancewill remain indispensable to the goal of a century that is more peaceful, more

prosperous and more just

End Quote Barack Obama

'No let up' on Gaddafi - Obama Obama UK speech in full, with analysis

The current stalemate in Libya is also expected to be one of the main talking points

of the two-day summit.

The crisis there may throw up divisions within the G8, with Russia openly critical ofthe Nato operation against the forces of Col Muammar Gaddafi.

A Nato-led coalition is operating under a UN mandate to protect civilians asgovernment forces battle rebels.

Speaking in London before heading to France, US President Barack Obama rejected

arguments that the rise of superpowers like China and India meant the end forAmerican and European influence in the world.

"Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations represent the future, and the time for

our leadership has passed. That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership isnow," he said.

"It was the United States, the United Kingdom, and our democratic allies thatshaped a world in which new nations could emerge and individuals could thrive."

With the winding down of operations in Iraq, progress in Afghanistan and having

dealt "al-Qaeda a huge blow by killing its leader Osama Bin Laden", President
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37/44

Obama told his London hosts it was time to enter a "new chapter in our shared

history" with new challenges.

But he added that leadership had to "change with the times" and the days weregone when an American president and UK prime minister could "sit in a room and

solve the world's problems over a glass of brandy".

The G8 is composed of the US, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan andCanada.

A group of internet bosses, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg andGoogle boss Eric Schmidt, is heading to the summit to urge governments not to

over-regulate the internet.

Russian entrepreneur 'jailed for notselling'

By Daniel Sandford Moscow correspondent, BBC News

Refusing to sell his

dairy firm ended in legal action and jail for its owner


Doing business in Russia is notoriously difficult.
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38/44

A combination of excessive bureaucracy and corrupt officials makes it a hazardous

enterprise.

For example, producing milk is fairly straightforward in most parts of the world.

But it landed Dmitry Malov in jail.

Mr Malov owns a dairy business called Agromol in Kostroma, some 300km (190

miles) from Moscow.

He started out by buying a milk-packaging facility. Then he bought two old Sovietdairy farms. He poured his life savings into them, and took out a bank loan to

modernise them. He soon had a thriving business.

Persuasive visitors

By 2009 it was delivering high-quality milk, butter, and other dairy produce acrossthe region, even as far as Moscow.

The first sign that his investment was going to turn sour was when he had a visitfrom some men who turned out to be officers from the FSB, Russia's interior

security service.

They tried to persuade him to sell his business at a knock-down price to anunknown buyer.

Mr Malov refused.

The FSB officers threatened that if he did not sell he would end up in prison.

Mr Malov's wife, Tatiana, believes the officers were paid, perhaps by someoneinvolved in property development, as the company's small factory is on a prime

city-centre plot.

Mr Malov went on refusing to sell the company. Then, soon afterwards, he was

charged with fraud.

He was accused of not using his bank loan for the purpose given in the application.


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Mr Malov's children think he is on a business trip

Mr Malov fought the charge, believing right up until the day of the verdict that he

would be cleared.

But he was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison, just as the FSBofficers had threatened.

'Fighting wrong people'

"I knew that there was a criminal investigation and that he was having to attendcourt," says Mrs Malov.

"But I never believed it would get to this stage. They called me from the court.

They handed him the phone and he said, 'I am being sent to prison'."

Business Solidarity, an organisation that works to protect small businessmen,

estimates that one in six Russian entrepreneurs is in jail, and that one in threeprisoners in Russia is a businessman.

Two of Dmitry Malov's employees were also given prison sentences, but theirs were

suspended.

His finance director, Diana Grishina, is one of them.

She is trying to keep the business going in his absence.

Ms Grishina is recovering from brain surgery for a problem that she believes was

made worse by the stress.


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"If law enforcement didn't keep getting in the way of small business, things would

be much better," she says.

Bribery alternative

"They should be fighting terrorism, not us. We are in the business of creatingthings, not destroying them. And we are not harming anyone."

Of course, not all businessmen end up in jail, but there is a reason for that,according to Alexander Brechalov, of the Organisation of Small and Medium

Businesses.

He is not happy about it, but he is realistic.

"Most entrepreneurs - between 60% and 80% - are quite relaxed about thesituation," he says.

"They share their profits with the police and people from the tax authorities. Theydon't complain about the difficulties of doing business. They just pay bribes to

everybody."

Agromol is still trading and still employs 300 people, but the future of the companyis in jeopardy without its owner and driving force.

Mr Malov is being kept in the local jail in Kostroma pending the outcome of his

appeal.

Only a few hundred metres away at their small flat, Mrs Malov has not told their

two children where their father is.

They think that he is on a business trip.

How Libya's Saif al-Islam Gaddafi

seduced the WestBy Hugh Miles BBC Radio 4 The Report


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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's credibility as the

'acceptable' face of the Libyan regime has been damaged


Libya Crisis

'Forced to gang-rape' Misrata siege lifted No 'Plan B' Tripoli witness: Conscription

The director of the London School of Economics Sir Howard Davies has submittedhis resignation after admitting an "error of judgment" in establishing links with the

regime of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.

Sir Howard visited Libya to advise the regime about financial reforms and accepteda 300,000 donation from the Libyan leader's second son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi for

research at the LSE.

His departure underlines just how politically toxic links with the Gaddafi regimehave become ever since it began its brutal suppression of the Libyan uprising.

Saif al-Islam's former friends and business associates in the west have becomeembarrassed to admit ever knowing him now his reputation as a liberal reformer

has been scuttled.

Yet just a few weeks ago Saif was socialising with the creme de la creme of Britishsociety.

So how did so many respectable people get it so wrong?

In part this is because Saif makes such a good impression in the media. Tall andhandsome, he speaks fluent English and presented himself as the acceptable face of

the Gaddafi regime.

With few exceptions, he sided with the reformers in Libya and seemed prepared togo head-to-head with his father in an attempt to develop the fledgling Libyan

private sector and open up the atrophied media.
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'Like the Godfather'

But Saif's warm reception in influential business, academic and political circles inthe West was also attributable to the eagerness in some quarters to gain access toLibya's oil wealth.

"If Libya was a country without an oil producing capacity, I don't think Saif would

have convinced the West," said Dr Omar Ashur, a lecturer in the Institute of Araband Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter.


The Libyan Investment Authority

A Libyan sovereign wealth fund, with one office overseas, in London's Mayfair Said to be worth 50-60bn ($80-100bn) Known as "the mother of all funds" in Arabic A partner in BP's $900m 2007 Libyan oil exploration contract Owns shares in Juventus football club, Italian oil gian Eni, and Pearson, the

parent company of Penguin and the Financial Times

Has had dealings with numerous Western financial institutions, includingGoldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and the Carlyle Group

"Because of the interests [the West had in Libya] the moral dimension was pushed

aside for a while or frozen for a while. But after what happened in Libya in the lastfew days I don't think this can continue anymore."

Like the rest of Gaddafi's children, Saif lived a life of privilege and ease, although

like his father he claimed to have no official position and denied having access largefunds.

But now new evidence has emerged that despite his denials, Saif in fact controlled

the multi-billion-pound Libyan sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan InvestmentAuthority (LIA).

"I've seen the Godfather. This is the closest thing in real life," commented a Libyaninvestment banker familiar with how the LIA was run.

"It is as if it is his own private farm. This was almost like a mafia operation."

'Mother of all funds'

The ostensible purpose of the Libyan Investment Authority - known in Arabic as

"the mother of all funds" - was to manage Libya's excess oil wealth for the benefitof future generations.
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Advertisement

Libyan TV, 20 February: Saif al-Islam accuses people outside Libya of provoking violence

Its assets were valued at around 50bn to 60bn ($80-100bn) and included sharesin Juventus football club, Italian oil giant Eni, and Pearson, the owner of the

Financial Times.

Saif appointed an old college friend named Mustafa Zarti to manage the LIA on hisbehalf.

"Zarti wasn't made deputy chairman of the LIA because of his talent in investment.It was out of his loyalty and proximity to Saif. Saif put him there to ensure he

implements whatever investment policy was required of him," said the banker.

The way the LIA worked was that Saif would cut opaque business deals with hissuper-wealthy friends at private parties, sometimes using middle men, and then

Zarti would be instructed to push them through.

"It was very much top down. Saif would give the deals to Mustafa. Mustafa wouldgive them to his team.

"Obviously he never would be held accountable because he never signed anythingand to best of my knowledge Mustafa didn't sign anything," the banker said.

Bad deals


Start Quote

To prolong the life of the regime there was a very successful strategy to provideanother face and that face was of Saif al-Islam

End Quote Omar Ashur University of Exeter
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Many of the deals Saif and Mustafa tried to push through made little financial sense

and were met with strong objections by the staff at the LIA.

Some of these bad deals fell through, including ones with Bernie Madoff and Saif'sclose friend Nat Rothschild, but other bad deals were done and ended up costing

the LIA millions.

"The LIA was being pushed by Saif and Mustafa to invest in Rusal, a Russianaluminium company which had a lot of issues," said the banker.

"The deal was fought tooth and nail by the investment committee, by the board,but in the end it was done. You could say no some of the time to Saif's deals but

you can't say no all of the time."

Financial corruption by the Gaddafi family and others linked to the regime has beenone of the key drivers of the current Libyan uprising.

The LIA's funds have now been frozen under UN sanctions and on Tuesday the

Austrian foreign ministry asked Austria's Central Bank to look into freezing MustafaZarti's Austrian assets.


Saif al-Islam Gaddafi

Aged 38, second of nine Gaddafi children Launched the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation in

1997

MBA from Vienna University in 2000, PhD from the LSE in 2008 Counts Prince Andrew, Tony Blair, Peter Mandelson and Nat Rothschild as

friends

The Gaddafi family treeHis future, like the future of Saif himself, remains uncertain.

"The right place for many of the leading figures in this regime is the International

Criminal Court. To prolong the life of the regime there was a very successfulstrategy to provide another face and that face was of Saif al-Islam, the LSE

graduate, a reformist leading development," said Omar Ashur.

"They were people who were trying to disguise themselves as doves, but in the end

they were brutally repressive figures. I don't think there are doves within theGaddafi regime - including Saif al-Islam."
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