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Twelve Citizens Killed, 48 Injured in Car Bomb Explosion during Escorting Martyrs in Jaramana, Damascus Countryside

Aug 28, 2012

DAMASCUS COUNTRYSIDE, (SANA) – A car bomb (a taxi) on Tuesday blew up in Tishreen neighborhood in Jaramana city, Damascus Countryside, during the escorting of two martyrs who were killed in the previous day in a terrorist blast in the city.

An official source told SANA reporter that the explosion of the car, which was parked near a cemetery in the abovementioned neighborhood, killed 12 citizens and injured 48 others, some in critical condition, in addition to damaging some of the surrounding buildings.

Early on the day, a family of two parents and their girl child were injured in the city due to a blast of an explosive device which terrorists had stuck to their car.

The Injured: The Terrorist Act Will Not Weaken the Syrians

Yazan Rukab, 18, one of the injured in the bombing lying in Jaramana Hospital, highlighted in a statement to SANA the hatred nursed by the criminals who carried out the terrorist blast against the Syrian people who have stood firm in the face of the conspiracy hatched against their country.

“These crimes will not weaken the steadfastness and determination of the Syrian people,” said William Shiya, another injured citizen, who strongly denounced the terrorist act which targeted a funeral procession for a number of martyrs killed the previous day in another terrorist act.

“I was at home when the blast happened…Our house’ façade was smashed and a number of my family members were injured,” said Ghazal al-Atrash, 16, who still was in a state of panic and shock.

She called for inflicting punishment upon the criminals who “are seeking to destroy the life of the safe Syrians.”

Dr. Bashar Rabah at al-Radi specialized hospital told SANA reporter that they received scores of injured people, at least 10 of them were in critical condition, to whom first aid treatment was applied.

He added that a number of the injured were transferred to Damascus Hospital because of their serious cases.

For his part, Director of Damascus Hospital, Dr. Adib Mahmoud, said 25 of the serious cases received by the hospital needed surgery, noting that 10 operation rooms have been preoccupied.

The fact that funeral procession included all members of mourning families, some of these families were inflicted with cases of martyrdom and injury among their members.

The 15-year-old Mohannad Mohammad Alloulo was martyred in the bombing, while his three-year-younger sister Alaa was injured lying on a bed in one of the emergency department’s rooms at Damascus Hospital.

“My sister was playing with her friends outside the house when she heard the boom. She fell to the ground and couldn’t move,” said Alla’s brother, Mustafa, who was sitting by her side.

“Those who are killing mourners and children can’t be Syrians,” Mustafa added, stressing that the Syrian Arab Army will eliminate the terrorists and foil their backers in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Damascus Countryside Governor: The Terrorist Act Represents the Highest Degree of Criminality

Damascus Countryside Governor, Hussein Makhlouf, along with the Commander of the Police Department in the province, visited the injured in the hospitals and checked their condition, wishing them a speedy recovery.

“This terrorist bombing represents the highest degree of criminality as it targets innocent mourners,” said Governor Makhlouf, asking that God has mercy upon the souls of the martyrs.

Authorities Inflict Heavy Losses upon Terrorists in Aleppo, Homs and Hama, Raid Terrorists’ Hideout in Qamishli

Aug 28, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA)- Authorities in Aleppo on Tuesday carried out a qualitative operation in al-Bandara neighborhood and inflicted heavy losses upon the mercenary terrorists, SANA reporter said.

The reporter quoted an official source in Aleppo province as saying that units of the armed forces carried out another qualitative operation around Radio and TV broadcasting area in the city of Aleppo, arresting two terrorists and killing the others.

The source told SANA that six bomb boxes, ammunition, rifles, sniper rifles, a PKC machine gun, military uniforms and medical materials were confiscated in teh operation.

The source said that the security authorities clashed with terrorists in the area of Sheikh Saad in the city of Aleppo and kill a number of them and wound others.

Clashes also broke out between the security authorities and a number of terrorists in al-Ashrafiyeh neighborhood in Aleppo city.

SANA reporter said that 7 terrorists were killed in the clashes.

A number of terrorists were killed and tens of them were injured while 3 SUVs and a small truck were destroyed in Mizar street in Saif al-Dawla area in Aleppo during the armed forces’ work to clear the area.

The armed forces also eliminated a number of terrorists, most of them of Arab and foreign nationalities, who attempted to sneak from al-Sukkari neighborhood into Saif al-Dawla area.

Units of the Syrian Army storm hideouts of armed terrorist groups in a number of Aleppo areas

Units of the Syrian Army stormed hideouts of armed terrorist groups in a number of Aleppo areas, killing a big number of them while scores escaped.

A source told SANA reporter that a unit of the Army destroyed hideouts of terrorists in Kiljibrin in Azaz, Bishkaten, al-Eis.

Explosive Device Explodes in Car in Jaramana, Damascus Countryside, Killign Driver

Last night, in Jaramana, Damascus Countryside, an explosive device detonated in a car causing the killing of its driver.

The device was attached to the car by an armed terrorist group.

Authorities Pursue mercenaries in East al-Ghouta, Damascus Countryside

The competent authorities pursued today armed terrorist groups in East al-Ghouta, Damascus countryside.

A source told SANA that the authorities killed a big number of the mercenaries, arrested quantities of weapons, ammunitions and modern communication sets.

Authorities Confront Terrorists Who Mortared al-Mashrafah Village in Homs, Inflict Heavy Losses upon them

The authorities in Homs province confronted last night a group of armed terrorists who mortared al-Mashrafah village in eastern Homs causing injury to a number the citizens.

A source in the province told SANA reporter that the authorities succeeded in inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists and destroying their DShk-eqipped vehicles.

Army Unit Pursue Terorists in al-Madik Village in Hama

In Hama, an army unit pursued on Tuesday an armed terrorist group in the area of al-Madik village in the countryside of teh province and inflicted heavy losses upon them.

An official source told SANA that the operation resulted in seizing large amounts of weapons and ammunition belonging to the terrorists, adding that a workshop for making explosive devices was found.

The military engineering units dismantled ten explosive devices planted by armed terrorist groups in the area of al-Madik Castle.

SANA reporter said that four explosive devices were planted by terrorists inside a school, and other six explosive devices were planted near grain silos in the area.

Terrorists’ Hideout Raided in Qamishli, 11 Terrorists Arrested, Weapons Seized

In Qamishli province, the authorities raided a hideout for an armed terrorist group in Qaddor Beik neighborhood arresting 11 terrorists and injuring another.

SANA reporter quoted an official source in the province as saying that the raid resulted in seizing an amount of weapons found in the hideout including 10 machineguns, Nato sniper rifle, 3 pump-action rifles, 11 grenades, a military pistol, a hunting rifle and military uniforms.

An amount of heroine and narcotics, 23 communication devices, 4 computers and remote control devices for detonating explosive devices were also found in the terrorists’ hideout.

Authorities confront an armed terrorist group’s attempt to attack the civilians in al- Qseir countryside

The competent authorities today confronted an armed terrorist group’s attempt to attack the civilians in al-Ziraa, al-Shaiyahat and al-Mashtal in al-Qseir countryside.

SANA reporter quoted a source as saying that the clashes led to the killing of a number of terrorists among them Mohammad Khudre Mokheber know as the assassin.

Al-Moallem: We Believe that the USA is the Major Player against Syria and the Rest are Its Instruments

Aug 29, 2012

LONDON, (SANA) – Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem affirmed that We belive the USA is the major player against Syria and the rest are its instruments under its control.

In an interview with the British newspaper the Independent conducted by journalist Robert Fisk, al-Moallem said that America is behind Syria’s violence, and that he doesn’t understand its slogan of fighting international terrorism when it’s supporting terrorism in Syria.

He pointed out that over 60% of the country’s violence comes from abroad, specifically from Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with the United States exercising its influence over all others, adding “When the Americans say, ‘We are supplying the opposition with sophisticated instruments of telecommunications’, isn’t this part of a military effort, when they supply the opposition with USD 25 million?”

Al-Moallem pointed out that the goal of what is happening in Syria is to pressure it regarding its relations with Iran and resistance movements in Palestine and Lebanon, saying “We were told by some Western envoy at the beginning of this crisis that relations between Syria and Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, Syria and Hamas are the major elements behind this crisis. If we settle this issue, they will help end the crisis.”

He went on to say that the Americans succeeded in frightening the Gulf countries about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, persuading them to buy arms from the US and fulfilling Franklin Roosevelt’s 1936 dream of maintaining bases for oil transportation.

Regarding the European positions towards the Syrian crisis, al-Moallem said “I tell the Europeans: I don’t understand your slogan about the welfare of the Syrian people when you are supporting 17 resolutions against the welfare of the Syrian people.”

As for Qatari-Syrian relations, al-Moallem noted that Qatar was the one who reneged on these relations, saying that he met Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in Doha in November 2011 when the Arab League launched its initiative which led to sending observers to Syria, pointing out that during this meeting, Hamad told him “If you agree to this initiative, I will change the attitude of Al Jazeera and I will tell Sheikh Yusef al-Qaradawi to support Syria and reconciliation, and I have put down some billions of dollars to rebuild Syria.”

He added that he asked Hamad about having had very close relations with Muammar Gaddafi and why he sent his aircrafts to attack Libya and be part of NATO, with Hamad responding by saying simply “Because we don’t want to lose our momentum in Tunis and Egypt.”

Al-Moallem stressed that the crisis started with legitimate demands subsequently addressed by legislation and reforms and even a new constitution, but then came foreign elements who used these legitimate demands to hijack the peaceful agenda of the people.

“I don’t accept as a citizen to return back centuries to a regime which can bring Syria backwards. In principle …no government in the world can accept an armed terrorist group, some of them coming from abroad, controlling streets and villages in the name of jihad,” he said, adding that as a Syrian citizen, he is sad to see what’s happening in Syria, compared with how it was two years ago.

“There are many Syrians like me – eager to see Syria return to the old days when we were proud of our security,” he concluded.

Russian Foreign Ministry: Foreign Military Support to Opposition Encourages it to Reject participation in National Dialogue

Aug 28, 2012

Moscow, (SANA)-The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the foreign military support to the Syrian opposition encourages it to go ahead in its method which rejects to take part in the national dialogue and pose a threat to escalating confrontation, destabilize the situation in Syria and the whole region.

“Russia has always stated that offering financial, ,military and technical assistance by foreign players to one side in Syria poses a threat to escalating confrontation in Syria, subsequently leading to dangerous repercussions that destabilize the security in the country,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement broadcast by Russian Today site on Tuesday.

Commenting on reports about using bases by the British military in Cyprus to offer assistance to the armed terrorist groups in Syria, the Ministry added that such support paves the way for the opposition to go ahead in its method which rejects dialogue in contradiction with the UN Security Council resolutions, Annan’s plan and Geneva meeting.

Mansour Calls upon All Parties to Stop Supporting Gunmen in Syria…Zebari: What Is Going on in Syria Affects Iraq

Aug 28, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)- Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour underscored that solving the crisis in Syria should be form inside Syria and under a Syrian leadership, calling some foreign sides to stop supplying the gunmen with arms and money.

In an interview with al-Alam TV Channel on the sideline of his participation in the meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement Foreign Ministers in Tehran on Tuesday, Mansour expressed his country’s rejection of the foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs, stressing that Lebanon supports the internal political solution through dialogue between the Syrian leadership and opposition.

Mansour stressed that talking about establishing a no-fly zone over Syria is very dangerous as it doesn’t serve Syria’s unity and constitutes a flagrant interference in Syria’s internal affairs.

He called on the Non-Aligned countries to put pressures on Israel to commit to respect the international resolutions.

He also called for the establishment of a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction.

In a speech at the meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement’s Foreign Ministers in Tehran, Mansour underlined that NAM must tackle the problems encountered in some members states and help them come out of the crisis without foreign intervention.

“The foreign military, financial, media and human interference in Syria became uncovered for the whole world through statements issued by some sides,” Mansour said, wondering about the role of NAM and how it could put an end to the interference in the affairs of member states.

Zebari Stresses Iraq’s Support to any Initiative for Political Solution to Crisis in Syria

Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, stressed on Tuesday that Iraq supports any initiative for political solution to crisis in Syria, adding that what is happening in Syria affects Iraq and all regional countries.

In an interview with al-Alam Channel, Zebari considered the Iraqi stance on the situation in Syria is based on the national interest of Iraq and the interests of the Syrian people as well.

He added that the scale of valence in Syria has reached advanced levels, stressing that violence will not solve the problem.

He warned that al-Qaeda is representing an enormous threat to all peoples of the region, pointing out that it practiced acts of killing and slaughtering against the Iraqis throughout the past years.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister condemned Turkey’s violation of the Iraqi sovereignty, saying that the neighboring countries to Iraq should in the first place respect this country, its people and government and deal with it according to the mutual interests and respect.

Regarding the recent visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to the north of Iraq, Zebari said that Iraq has condemned this visit and officially expressed rejection of it, considering it unacceptable.

Cabinet to Form Ministerial Committee to Follow up on Displaced Families

Aug 28, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – During a session chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Wael al-Halqi on Tuesday, the Cabinet discussed a number of services and economic issues of interest to citizens in light of the current circumstances.

Premier al-Hamqi stressed the need to stay in touch with citizens through the media, direct meetings, and field tours and to handle their complaints and demands according to available resources, all while explaining to citizens the difficulties hindering the work of the ministries and affiliated bodies.

He called for resolving the situation of families displaced due to the crimes of terrorist groups and providing support from all ministries to help the State Ministry for National Reconciliation Affairs carry out its duties.

Al-Halqi also called for resolving administrative entanglements among some ministries and monitoring administrative spending.

Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs and Minister of Local Administration Omar Ghalawanji and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Internal Trade and Consumer Protection Minister Dr. Qadri Jamil briefed the Cabinet on the state of services and economy.

Ghalawanji reviewed the state of displaced families and the government’s efforts to provide them with shelter, services and aid,

The Cabinet decided to form a ministerial committee to follow up on displaced families on the ground, calling on displaced families to return to their homes in the areas that have been cleared of terrorists and have become stable and secure, affirming the government’s readiness to provide the necessary services and needs of these areas.

The Cabinet called on the Petroleum Ministry to double the number of fuel transport tankers to meet citizens’ needs across Syria, in addition to calling on the Health Ministry to provide milk for children in Hasaka Province.

The Cabinet also called on the Electricity and Communications and Technology Ministries to submit their needs and work requirements for approval, and instructed the Education Ministry to finish preparation for the upcoming school term on schedule.

Afterwards, the Cabinet passed a bill on the new state council law, terminating law no. 55 for 1959 and its amendments, in addition to approving the licensing of a number of newspapers and magazines.

NAM Foreign Ministers Discuss Bill of Summit’s Final Statement

Aug 28, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)_Works of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Foreign Ministers’ meeting on Tuesday started in the Iranian Capital of Tehran with the participation of a delegation from Syria to discuss the bill of the final statement conducted by experts of these countries during the past two days.

The ministers discuss during their meeting the situation in the region, the world and the Syrian crisis, in addition to supporting the legitimate rights of the member states and activating dialogue for solving the international problems and the joint management of the world.

Experts of NAM member states concluded their meetings in Tehran on Monday agreeing on the final document.

The final document NAM Experts’ underscored the determination to solve the crisis in Syria through peaceful means using all available potentials for this purpose.

The document condemned the western sanctions imposed against Syria, calling for rejection of violence allowing the Syrian Government to carry on with reforms.

Mohammad-Mehdi Akhoundzadeh, secretary of the expert-level meeting, said in press statements yesterday that the document rejects “resorting increasingly to unilateralism”, asserting that ‘NAM member states have expressed deep concern with the forceful economic tactics including unilateral sanctions against developing states…and reiterate that unilateral economic sanctions trample the fundamental rights of people in the targeted countries,”

“The document calls on all parties to take urgent action in view of implementation of Iran’s 1974 proposal for creating a Middle East free from nuclear weapons, and expresses profound concern about the nuclear arms held by Israel and the Israeli threats, and condemns the proliferation and stockpile of nuclear weapons,” Akhoundzadeh added.

Akhoundzadeh declared that the 688-paragraph document “In two paragraphs, the document highlights the inalienable right of all NAM member states to development and use of peaceful nuclear energy and full development of nuclear fuel cycle in compliance with the rights and obligations in the [nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] NPT,”

Akhoundzadeh added that the document rejects all forms of occupation in the world and deplores double standards on the world issues, asserting that the signals sent by the NAM meeting are peace, justice and respect of law.

The 16th NAM Summit, held under the motto “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance ” continued today its deliberations at foreign ministerial level.

A number of NAM member countries’ Foreign Ministers call for not interfering in Syria’s domestic affairs

A number of Foreign Ministers of NAM member countries called for not interfering in Syria’s domestic affairs or militarizing the crisis.

India’s Foreign Minister S.M.Krishna expressed his country’s deep concern over the developments in Syria which could extend to the neighboring countries, renewing India’s support for a political process that brings together all Syrian parties to meet aspirations of the Syrian people.

For his part, Zimbabwe Foreign Minister Simbarashe mumbengegwi underlined that the resolution to the crisis in Syria depends on the Syrians only through a political dialogue which includes all Syrian sides away from any form of foreign military intervention.

Ghana’s Foreign Minister al-Haaj Muhammad Mumuni called for not using pretexts of the human protection to interfere in the internal affairs of countries or exploiting the humanitarian suffering to change the political regimes.

Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, for his part, called for halting the violence and end the crisis in Syria away from the foreign intervention in a way that lets Syrians decide their future.

Salehi: Need for an Opportunity of dialogue to resolve crisis in Syria

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that the Foreign Ministers who take part in the NAM meeting of Tehran presented different viewpoints to resolve the crisis in Syria, underlining the importance of availing an opportunity for dialogue between the Syrian government and the national opposition without any foreign intervention.

“The foreign ministers gave special importance for the crisis in Syria and proposed several viewpoints in this domain… the best way to end the war on Syria is to facilitate conducting a dialogue between the opposition and the Syrian government,” Salehi said in a statement.

He added that discussions regarding the crisis in Syria are still available at the meeting of NAM foreign Ministers, considering that if the regional countries and international organizations were able to facilitate dialogue between the opposition and the Syrian government, it would be useful and effective.

Abdullahian: Syria’s National Sovereignty to Be Maintained, Iran’s Efforts Focused on Political Solution

Aug 28, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)- Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdullahian, stressed that the national sovereignty of Syria is the most important to maintain, noting that Iran’s efforts are focused mainly on finding a mechanism for a peaceful political solution to the crisis in Syria.

In an interview with the Iranian al-Aalam channel published on Tuesday, Abdullahian said Tehran’s search for a political solution to the crisis is based on focusing on the plan of the former UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, which was adopted by the UN and is to be continued by the new envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in cooperation with the international and regional parties.

He highlighted that the national dialogue which the Syrian leadership has proposed and came in Annan’s plan has been included among the Iranian proposals.

“When we speak of the opposition we mean the opposition which adopts the political solutions inside Syria and which has its bases inside Syria and doesn’t resort to the terrorist solutions,” the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister told al-Aalam TV.

He said the opposition abroad is not united and lacks a popular base inside Syria, stressing the necessity that the national dialogue be comprehensive and include all the trends and spectra.

Abdullahian affirmed that Syria has passed the stage of danger and foiled the aspirations of the hostile powers targeting it and the entire region, considering that the entry of armed terrorist groups and extremist forces into Syria has impeded reaping the fruit of the reforms proposed by the Syrian leadership.

He reiterated that resorting to weapons is a terrorist act and not a political one.

The Iranian official described the behavior of the so-called ‘Free Army’ as “crimes being committed without any political reading that guarantees the safety of the Syrian people.”

“Therefore,” Abdullahian added, “the Syrian people reject these groups that kidnap and kill the nationals of other countries. Accordingly, these groups can’t be called opposition because they don’t deserve such a title at all.”

He pointed out that Iran already proposed solutions at Tehran consultation meeting a month ago and is having detailed deliberations about those solutions with the other countries, particularly the countries of the region, on the sidelines of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement.

It may sound surprising to some people, but it’s true that banks are not allowed to trade in commodities in India. The banks are allowed to trade in financial instruments (such as shares, bonds and currencies) in securities market but the Banking Regulation Act of 1949 strictly prohibits banks (both domestic and foreign) from trading in goods and therefore they are not allowed to trade in commodity futures market.

The Section 8 of Banking Regulation Act clearly states that no bank shall “directly or indirectly deal in the buying or selling or bartering of goods, except in connection with the realisation of security given to or held by it.” However, banks are allowed to finance commodity business and provide fund and non-fund-based facilities to commodity traders to meet their working capital requirements. Banks also provide clearing and settlement services for commodities derivatives transactions. In India, banks can also own a stake in the commodity exchanges. For instance, several banks (e.g., State Bank of India and HDFC Bank) own a stake in the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX). But banks cannot trade in commodities themselves.

The Growing Pressure

With the rapid liberalisation of Indian securities markets, pressure is exerted by big foreign banks — who have considerable international experience and expertise in commodity derivatives trading — to allow their entry in the commodity markets.

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the push for amending the Banking Regulation Act has gained new impetus. In a post-crisis world, big international banks are shifting their focus to Asian markets (such as India and China) which are considered to be the “new engines” of economic growth. For these banks, a largely untapped Indian commodity futures market offer enormous profit-making potential. In 2009, Bank of Nova Scotia sought permission to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to trade agricultural goods and metals on the MCX and National Commodities and Derivative Exchange (NCDEX). But the proposal was rejected by the Reserve Bank of India (country’s central bank) as per the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act.

Since January 2012, New Delhi is considering an amendment in the Banking Regulation Act so as to allow banks’ entry into commodity futures besides providing similar access to mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) to participate in the commodity markets.

The Weak Rationale

The arguments supportive of banks’ direct entry into the commodity trading are highly overstated and backed by very little hard evidence. The proponents argue that this move would enable banks to hedge their exposure to agricultural lending arising out of price fluctuations. In reality, banks in India lend money to farmers and commodity traders but they don’t have any direct exposure to commodities.

By the same logic, banks have large exposures in infrastructure sector, should they get directly involved in building bridges, airports, highways and power plants? At best, banks are expected to advise their borrowers to hedge their price risk in futures markets rather than hedging themselves. By acting as a trader/broker in the commodity derivatives market, banks would be moving away from their core competence — lending money to individuals and firms.

Given the ground realities in the country where 80 percent of farmers are small farmers, not even 0.1 percent of farm borrowers in India trade in the commodity futures exchanges.

Further, there is no rationale for allowing non-banking financial players such as mutual funds, insurance companies and FIIs in the agricultural commodity markets since they have no direct exposure to farm loans and farming community in India.

The Current Regulatory Framework

Banks’ entry into commodity futures trading could turn out to be a risky proposition for several valid reasons. To begin with, the commodity futures market in India is still in its nascent stage of development and therefore the existing regulatory environment cannot handle the sudden entry of big financial players such as banks.

Unlike equity markets regulator, the commodity trade regulator (Forward Markets Commission – FMC) is toothless and has weak regulatory powers to ensure fair trading in commodity exchanges. The FMC does not have any statutory power for compulsory registration of traders and brokers which makes it difficult to monitor and supervise traders. There are plenty of instances where the FMC failed to curb malpractices (such as parallel illegal trading) and prevent excessive speculative activities which distorted the price discovery and hedging function of commodity future markets.

In addition, the existing penalty provisions are grossly inadequate and not in tune with current trading volume in the Indian commodity derivatives markets. It may sound astonishing that FMC — regulating billions of dollars worth of commodity trade — has no powers to directly impose a financial penalty on the traders. At present, only a maximum penalty of Rs.1000 ($18) can be imposed on traders by FMC, and that too through court orders on conviction. A financial penalty of mere Rs.1000 (enforced through lengthy court process) does not act as a deterrent for potential offenders in the commodity markets.

Under the Forward Contracts Regulation Amendment Bill (2010), the government has allowed FMC to impose financial penalties to a minimum of Rs.25000 ($450) and in some offences (such as insider trading) up to Rs.2500000 ($45000). The proposed Bill is still under discussion. Given the fact that FMC is unable to effectively monitor and supervise the existing non-financial players, it would require considerable time, resources and technical expertise to deal with the high trading volumes which the entry of banks into commodity trading would bring about.

The Lack of Domain Knowledge

By and large, Indian banks (both public and private) lack market knowledge and expertise to benefit from trading in commodity futures. The RBI has also expressed concern on the risks posed by domestic banks that lack expertise and skilled manpower to deal with such risky trading instruments.

As pointed out by G. Chandrasekhar, Commodities Editor, The Hindu Businessline, “Given the lack of product knowledge and market knowledge among Indian banks and given the huge volatility of commodity markets, these institutions run the risk of losing money rather than safeguard it. Policymakers have to exercise utmost caution in allowing huge speculative funds to flow into the commodities derivatives, especially agricultural goods.”

The real beneficiaries of this move are likely to be big foreign banks who have a competitive edge over domestic banks in dealing with such businesses. Already foreign banks dominate the financial derivatives market in India. Most of these products are financial in nature with no actual bank lending involved. However, banks make money on these products through fee income. The off-balance-sheet exposure of foreign banks (e.g., currency forward contracts, interest rate derivatives) is currently very high in India. The off-balance-sheet exposure of foreign banks as proportion of their on-balance-sheet exposure was 1860 percent in 2010-11.

Inflationary Concerns

Even though there are various causes of high food inflation in India, the role of futures trading has remained contentious. In 2007, New Delhi had suspended the futures trading in key agricultural commodities due to their alleged role in triggering rapid price hike. “Participation of banks, MFs and FIIs can potentially distort the market instead of advancing it, as too much money would start chasing commodities in short supplies and result in inflation. By allowing more money to flow into commodity market, there is the danger of rising prices without corresponding benefits flowing back to those in the farm sector,” argues Chandrasekhar.

Other Policy Issues

Furthermore, this policy change is contrary to the positions India has taken at various international forums. Not long ago, India’s former Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, voiced concern at G20 over the growing influence of “financialisation” behind the increase in the level and volatility of global oil prices.

At a time when the Indian banks are struggling to raise fresh capital of Rs.4750 bn ($88 bn) before March 2018 to meet the Basel III requirements besides fulfilling mandatory financial inclusion and priority lending targets, such a move could divert resources from developmental banking to speculative trading activities which may weaken the otherwise stable banking system in the long run. For New Delhi, the first priority should be to remove structural bottlenecks in the agrarian economy and improve efficiency of the underlying spot markets in cooperation with state governments.

By Kavaljit Singh

28 August, 2012

@ Global Research.ca

This article is an excerpt from a Policy Brief published by Madhyam (New Delhi) in close collaboration with SOMO (Amsterdam).

Kavaljit Singh is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Kavaljit Singh

Yesterday, at a conference of France’s ambassadors held in Paris, newly-elected French President François Hollande called for the US-backed Syrian opposition parties to form a government, which he said France would recognize.

Hollande’s move comes one week after US President Barack Obama threatened to invade Syria if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appeared ready to use chemical weapons against US-backed anti-Assad fighters. This marked the first open threat of direct military intervention into Syria by the imperialist powers. Until then, they had organized the funding and arming of their proxy forces, largely Sunni Islamist fighters, through the offices of the Saudi and Qatari monarchies and the Turkish government.

Hollande’s comments addressed a range of international issues, but centered on the crisis in Syria and the Middle East. They amount to an official declaration by the French government, worked out with Washington, that it is pursuing regime-change by military force in Syria.

Hollande said: “France is asking the Syrian opposition to form a provisional government that will be both inclusive and representative, that can become the legitimate representative of the new Syria. We will work with our Arab partners to accelerate this process, and France will recognize the provisional government of the new Syria as soon as it is formed.”

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland echoed Hollande’s proposal. Speaking of the Syrian opposition, she said: “So that’s the first order of business—for them to all agree on what a transition ought to look like. Obviously, it’s a matter for them to decide if and when they may be prepared to start naming folks.”

This amounts to a plan for Paris, backed by Washington and its other imperialist allies, to impose a new government on Syria that has no popular legitimacy. The anti-Assad forces—comprised of Sunni Islamist militias, various petty-bourgeois “left” groups, and international Islamist terrorist groups affiliated to Al Qaeda—are deeply internally divided and unpopular, especially in Syria’s major cities, Damascus and Aleppo.

Hollande’s proposal is all the more brazen in that France is the former colonial power in Syria. It ruled the country when the League of Nations put it under French mandate in 1920 until shortly after the end of World War II, during which it was briefly controlled by the fascist Vichy regime.

Hollande made clear that he plans to carry out this policy by force of arms, aiding the proxy war by anti-Assad forces in Syria. He said: “We are helping notably those who are organizing the liberated zones on Syrian territory. We are working on the buffer zones proposed by Turkey. We are doing it with our closest partners.”

These proposals involve offering the military protection of France, Turkey, or their allies to anti-Assad forces, so they can seize parts of Syria’s territory and hold it against the Syrian government. Despite the euphemistic terminology, Hollande’s proposal is objectively an act of war, attacking Syria’s territorial integrity with the threat, or the use, of military force.

With his allusion to France’s “closest partners,” Hollande left no doubt that his declaration had been discussed with the United States.

Towards the beginning of his speech, moreover, he said: “Alliances, yes, we have one with the United States, and this relation today is marked by confidence. I have had the opportunity to note with President Obama the magnitude of our agreement on the major international questions, the economic crisis, and the imperative of [economic] growth.”

Hollande also echoed Obama’s threat of military intervention in Syria: “We remain very vigilant with our allies to prevent the use of chemical weapons by the regime, which would constitute for the international community a legitimate cause for direct intervention.”

The invocation of the threat of chemical weapons is no less cynical than Hollande’s concern for the human rights of the Syrian people, who routinely face bombings and shootings organized by Islamist forces armed to the teeth by the NATO powers and their Middle East allies. Even though the US proxy war has lasted for over a year, the Assad government has not used chemical weapons. Moreover, it has pledged not to use them against Syrians.

Far from being politically legitimate, the actions of the United States government and its European allies are fundamentally criminal. They are attempting to impose upon an ex-colonial country an unrepresentative and lawless government, which will be dependent on its ties with world finance capital and the military might of its imperialist backers.

One indication of the class character of such a regime is the record of the Libyan regime installed last year at the end of the NATO war in Libya, in a proxy war similar to the one now being waged in Syria.

Despite elections held on July 7, the country is still wracked by violence between the competing regional, tribal, and Islamist militias who served as NATO’s proxies in the war against the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdel Al was recently forced to resign over allegations of complicity in the desecration of Sufi shrines and the burning of libraries by ultraconservative Sunni Islamists.

As it resumed consular services in Libya on Monday, the US State Department advised American citizens that it was too dangerous to visit: “The Department of State warns US citizens against all but essential travel to Libya. The incidence of violent crime, especially carjacking and robbery, has become a serious problem. In addition, political violence in the form of assassinations and vehicle bombs has increased in both Benghazi and Tri

By Alex Lantier

28 August, 2012

@ WSWS.org

A district court in Haifa has rejection a civil lawsuit that the state of Israel and its armed forces were at fault in the death of American human rights activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an Israeli Defense Force bulldozer in 2003 while trying to prevent the destruction of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip.

“I reject the suit,” Judge Oded Gershone said in the briefly worded verdict. “There is no justification to demand the state pay any damages.”

The lawsuit accused the Israeli military of either unlawfully or intentionally killing Rachel or of gross negligence.

The suit was filed by Rachel’s parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, who requested only $1 in damages and legal expenses.

Both were present for the reading of the verdict. “I am hurt,” Corrie’s mother said at a press conference after the verdict was announced.

“From the beginning it was clear to us that there was… a well-heeled system to protect the Israeli military, the soldiers who conduct actions in that military, to provide them with impunity at the cost of all the civilians who are impacted by what they do,” she said.

She added: “I believe this is a bad day not only for our family, but a bad day for human rights, for humanity, for the rule of law and also for the country of Israel.”

The family’s lawyer, Hussein Abu Hussein, responded to the verdict by saying: “While not surprising, this verdict is yet another example of where impunity has prevailed over accountability and fairness. Rachel Corrie was killed while non-violently protesting home demolitions and injustice in Gaza, and today, this court has given its stamp of approval to flawed and illegal practices that failed to protect civilian life. In this regard, the verdict blames the victim based on distorted facts and it could have been written directly by the state attorneys.”

Abu Hussein made assurance that the ruling would be appealed to Israel’s supreme court.

Human rights advocates bemoaned the verdict, with some calling for an intensification of the international divestment campaign against Israel and private companies who profit from the continued occupation of Palestinian lands and the destruction of Palestinian homes.

“At the time of her death, Rachel was trying to prevent the destruction of Palestinian homes by Caterpillar bulldozers,” said Riham Barghouti, a member of the We Divest National Coordinating Committee. “Israel’s illegal policy of destroying Palestinian homes in the occupied territories, sometimes extending to entire villages, remains as urgent an issue today as it was when Rachel was killed. In Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley and Hebron Hills, Palestinians continue to live with the daily threat of their homes and property being confiscated or demolished by Israeli authorities.”

Caterpillar, the US company that supplies the Israeli military with bulldozers like the one that killed Corrie, have long been a target of activists hoping to call attention to the interplay between private corporations and the ongoing military occupation of the West Bank and blockade Gaza.

By Common Dreams

28 August, 2012

@ CommonDreams.org

Talks between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran broke down on Friday over IAEA demands for access to a sensitive military site. The failure of the negotiations, ahead of a quarterly IAEA report expected this week on Iran’s nuclear programs, has prompted new threats from Israel.

Under pressure from the US and its allies, the IAEA has insisted that its inspectors visit the Parchin military base, where it claims Iran might have carried out specialised explosive tests related to building a nuclear warhead. Tehran, which is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), has to date rejected such an inspection, pointing out that Parchin is not a nuclear facility.

Iranian officials have hinted that they might permit access to Parchin, despite not being required to do so under the NPT. Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said after the talks that it was “a very complex issue” as it involved his country’s “national security.” IAEA chief inspector Herman Nackaerts told the media there were no plans at present for another meeting.

The IAEA is far from being an impartial body. Allegations about the Parchin military base are just one aspect of a controversial appendix, headed “Possible Military Dimensions to Iran’s Nuclear Program,” contained in an IAEA report last November. Much of the appendix was not new and depended on doubtful intelligence from foreign agencies, including the US and Israel. Previous IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei, who was replaced by Yukiya Amano in 2009, had refused to publish the document because of its doubtful character.

The Associated Press reported being told by diplomats that the IAEA had gone one step further by establishing a “dedicated team” of about 20 experts focussed entirely on Iran’s nuclear programs. One diplomat likened the plan to the agency’s Iraq “Action Team” —a squad of experts that operated in the 1990s, devoted to investigating Iraq’s alleged efforts to build nuclear weapons.

The failure of last Friday’s talks is bound up with the virtual collapse of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 grouping—the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. The last summit in Moscow in June ended without any agreement for a further top-level meeting. Iran rejected an ultimatum to halt uranium enrichment to 20 percent, ship its stockpile of that material out of the country and shut its Fordow enrichment plant. The US refused to concede Tehran’s demands for an easing of economic sanctions or an acknowledgement of Iran’s right under the NPT to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

The breakdown of international negotiations has been followed by escalating Israeli threats to launch an unprovoked attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Speaking on Friday in reference to the upcoming IAEA report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said there was now “further proof that Iran is galloping toward obtaining nuclear capability and that it continues to ignore the demands of the international community.”

Speaking to Channel 2 News on Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman again indicated that the government was prepared to attack Iran, declaring there was no way that “the State of Israel can accept a nuclear Iran.” Israeli deputy parliamentary speaker Danny Danon commented to the Associated Press: “We have seen too many teams, too many summits, too much talk. It is about time to take action.”

Iran has repeatedly denied US and Israeli claims that it plans to build a nuclear weapon. As a NPT signatory, its nuclear facilities, including the Fordow and Natanz enrichment plants, are monitored and inspected by the IAEA. By contrast, Israel, which has refused to sign the NPT or allow inspectors into the country, has a substantial arsenal of nuclear bombs and the means for delivering them.

Details from this week’s IAEA report have already been leaked to the media, asserting that hundreds of new centrifuges have been installed, mainly at the Fordow plant, which is built deep underground. Tehran has also been adding to its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium, which it insists is required to fuel a research reactor in Tehran that produces medical isotopes. Uranium enriched to 20 percent is well below the 90 percent level required to build a nuclear weapon.

At this point, the Obama administration has played down talk of any imminent attack on Iran. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said on Friday that, while Iran “is continuing to violate its international obligations,” there was “time and space” for a diplomatic solution.

A White House official told the New York Times that Iran’s enrichment activities, as confirmed by the IAEA report, would “add to Iran’s ability to produce more 20 percent low-enriched uranium.” He pointed out, however, that any “breakout”—that is, production of weapons grade uranium “would not be a quiet affair: the IAEA is in the facility regularly and would detect a move” to build a weapon. He said the work at Fordow violated UN resolutions, but “it is also not a game-changer.”

Nevertheless, the US is pressing for the IAEA board of governors to formally rebuke Iran over its failure to cooperate with the agency. The Obama administration, in collaboration with the European Union, has imposed draconian sanctions on Iran that block its key oil exports. At the same time, the Pentagon has built up its military forces in the Persian Gulf, including two aircraft carrier battle groups, in preparation for a potential military attack on Iran.

Iran is currently hosting a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Opening the gathering on Sunday, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi pointedly noted that NAM had previously called for the elimination of all nuclear arsenals. “We believe that the timetable for ultimate removal of nuclear weapons by 2025, which was proposed by NAM, will only be realised if we follow it up decisively,” he told delegates.

These comments underline the hypocrisy of the US-led confrontation with Iran. While Washington is threatening to launch a war against Iran over its alleged plans to build a nuclear weapon, it is an open secret that Israel has a nuclear arsenal. The Obama administration is exploiting the nuclear issue as a means of fashioning a regime in Tehran, in line with US ambitions for dominance of the energy-rich regions of the Middle East and Central Asia.

By Peter Symonds

27 August, 2012

@ WSWS.org

The Army Forces Clean al-Izaa, Al-Ameriya, Tal al-Zarazer in Aleppo from Mercenaries

Aug 27, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA)- The army forces in Aleppo on Monday cleared al-Izaa, Al-Ameriya, Tal al-Zarazer neighborhoods from terrorists, killing a great number of them while arresting scores others.

An army unit also purified the Trade Mall neighborhood at Said al-Dawla area from the mercenaries who were positioned there as a base for their crimes against civilians.

Meanwhile, the security forces stormed a den for the armed terrorist groups in al-Inzarat Neighborhood in Aleppo and seized a huge amount of ammunition and weapons.

SANA’s reporter in Aleppo said that the seized weapons include PKC machineguns, Russian rifles, pump-action shotguns, ammunition and a large quantity of bombs.

Another Army unit hit a warehouse for ammunitions at Masaken Hananou and cars equipped with machineguns, killing a big number of terrorists.

Army units also purified the buildings of Vocational Training, Maisaloun school, Jamil Kabani school in al-Mashhad neighborhood and al-Yarmouk School in Bustan al-Qasr area, killing a great number of mercenaries.

Authorities Continue Purist of terrorists in Ariha, Idleb

The competent authorities in Ariha, Idleb, continued their hunt operations against the remnants of the terrorists, inflicting heavy losses among them.

An official source in Idleb told SANA reporter that the clash with the terrorists led to the killing of a number of them while others were arrested.

Army Units restore Security and Stability to al-Hrak, Daraa

In al-Hrak, Daraa countryside, the authorities clashed with a number of terrorists, killing a number of them including Sabri Nizar al-Qadah, Imad Hamdi al-Shawamra and Eiyad Yousef al-Khayrat.

Meanwhile, the Army units restored security and stability to al-Hrak in Daraa countryside after purifying it from the remnants of the armed terrorist groups who perpetrated crimes against the civilans, sabotaged the private and public properties.

A source in Daraa told SANA reporter that the pursuit operations which lasted for several days in the city of al-Hrak led to the killing of scores of terrorists, arresting others and confiscating their weapons which included RPGs, snipers, machineguns, hand-made bombs and explosives.

Authorities Kill Terrorists who Attacked Tankers Loaded with Fuel Bound for al-Hasaka

The authorities clashed on Monday with a group of armed terrorists who attacked tankers loaded with fuel coming from Homs and headed to al-Hasaka.

An official source in the province told SANA’s reporter that the authorities killed several terrorists and that weapons and ammunition, including machineguns and pump-action shotguns, were seized.

Authorities Raid Terrorist Hideout in Hama

On Sunday night, the authorities raided a terrorist hideout inside a house in al-Murabet neighborhood in Hama city, arresting a number of terrorists and confiscating weapons.

Confiscated weapons included bazooka rounds, Malotka missiles, NATO snipers, Australian sniper rifles, PKC machineguns, Russian light machineguns, mortar launchers and rounds, RPG rounds, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and materials used for manufacturing them.

Authorities kill terrorists in al-Samak neighborhood of Hama

In cooperation with the families, the competent authorities pursued an armed terrorist group which was planting explosives at al-Samak neighborhood in Hama, killing all its members.

A source in Hama told SANA reporter that among the terrorists killed were Basel Zaidan and Khaled Omar al-Fara. The explosives were dismantled.

Prime Minister Inspects Work at Health Ministry, Stresses Importance of Meeting Citizens’ Needs

Aug 27, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Prime Minister Dr. Wael al-Halqi inspected on Monday work at the Health Ministry and the efforts made to continue providing healthcare and health services to citizens, particularly in areas affected by the vandalism of terrorist groups.

During his tour of the Ministry, Dr. al-Halqi underlined the importance of the efforts of workers in the services sector to meet citizens’ needs, particularly in hospitals, emergency services and healthcare centers, noting that these workers carry out their duties admirably despite the economic siege, media pressure and misleading campaigns leveled against these sectors.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the government will spare no effort to continue providing the requirements of health security and health services, stressing the need to continue providing health establishments’ needs in terms of medicine and medical supplies, particularly in provinces that need them the most.

For his part, Health Minister Dr. Asaad al-Nayef said that his Ministry will intensify efforts to continue providing health services to citizens in cooperation with relevant sectors, particularly the civil sector, adding that the Ministry is working to provide the growing needs of health establishments to continue providing services to citizens.

He added that a new shipment of medical supplies and medicine, including equipment for dialysis, ultrasound and colonoscopy, in addition to incubators, operating tables and more, is due to arrive within the next two weeks.

Haidar: Iran’s Role is in the Interest of Syrian People… Polticial Process Must Be Between National Sides

Aug 27, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA) – State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs Dr. Ali Haidar said that Iran’s role is in the interest of the Syrian people and is based on preventing foreign interference and halting violence, stressing that the political process in Syria must be between national sides.

At a press conference on Monday, Haidar affirmed that and that any call for foreign intervention will have no place in the coming political stage, and that any suggestion that manifests the US-western project to fragment the region is a non-national suggestion.

He said that everyone knows that Iran has an active role in producing a political process that helps Syrians emerge from the crisis, and that the Syrian themselves – both the people and the leadership – are moving towards a political solution, not any other sort of solution.

Haidar stressed that that Syrian wants a change that makes Syria stronger and more capable of confronting and resisting the US-western project and its tools in the region, adding that any political solution must be based on preventing foreign intervention and rejecting violence from any side, and that this solution must be achieved by the Syrians without interference from any external side and must preserve the unity of people and land and Syria’s historic strategic choices.

He pointed out that doors are still open for everyone, and that this was discussed with friends and allies in Iran, affirming that militants who cross borders from other countries to carry out their own agendas in Syria have nothing to do with the political process and will never be a part of it since they didn’t come to Syria to defend the Syrians’ interests and just demands, adding that this is an entirely different issue that the Syrian government is dealing with through confrontations on the ground against these militants.

Haidar underlined the need to distinguish between the political process as a whole and national dialogue which is one of the axis of the political process and a method to find safe ways out of the crisis that meet the Syrians’ just demands which are well-known and which the government is working to achieve.

“As for the reason behind the insistence by the US and some western countries and their tools in the region to have President al-Assad abdicate as a first step to resolving the crisis in Syria, I will respond that this is unacceptable in principle for the reason – as everybody knows – that this suggestion came from abroad and is a direct interference in Syria’s internal affairs and a violation of the sovereignty of a country, a sovereignty which is acknowledged by all countries of the world, and this violates the international convention of the people’s right to self-determination,” he explained.

Haidar went on to say that the issue, structure and mechanisms of change are purely Syrian issues, and that no-one has the right to interfere in them. Therefore, discussing these points constitutes interference in Syrian affairs, adding “all suggestions – whether they are abdication, a transitional phase, a transitional government or otherwise – that interfere in these points are rejected by the Syrians.”

He stressed that the only acceptable thing is helping Syrians engage in dialogue, abandon weapons and adopt a political process, noting that it’s possible to pose ideas through dialogue which is open to everyone, and that there will be no veto on any idea.

Haidar said ”There are voices abroad who raise slogans that call for rejecting the othe, or who seek resort to weapons and the continuation of fighting until one side conquers the other and speak about fragmenting Syria.”

He said that any project that leads to the rise of the Western-US project in the region, that is redrawing the region on sectarian and racist foundations will have no place in the upcoming political process.

”We want the kind of change that makes Syria more powerful in the face of US-Western project and their tools in the region, which is, on the whole, intended to serve the Zionist project.”

He stressed that the Palestinian cause is in the heart and mind of every Syrian citizen until whole Palestine is back.

Haidar added that the Iranian proposal for solving the crisis in Syria consists of a host of ideas and is not the full proposal to be put forward during the Summit, ”This proposal is based on the principles of rejecting foreign interference and violence or even attempts to justify it for one reason or another, and emphasizes the political solution by the Syrians themselves.”

He said that halting violence must be part of an integral project, adding that there must be a handover of weapons and finding a solution to the issue of gunmen, and that no other weapon exist except that of the state.”

”There are more than 300 armed groups in Syria that are not linked to each other, and the terms used by media such as ”Free Army” or specific groups with leadership and authorities are untrue,” Haidar added.

He said that reconciliation goes far beyond than a meeting of two sides, but it is about producing a new environment for a web of relationships among the Syrians that eliminate the effects of the past and addresses its problems in a serious and true manner.

Haidar said that some thought that national reconciliation is a political dialogue, but there still are hundreds of questions, especially about that parties who are to come to dialogue and their actual representation of the Syrian people.

Haidar said that national dialogue takes time and work for achieving the so-called social reconciliation that allows for producing the real representatives of the Syrian people.

On the countries who are interfering in the Syrian internal affairs, Haidar said that no country would accept that another provides weapons, funds, media and political support to armed groups with the aim of weakening or disintegrating the state.

“Iran stands at one distance among all Syrians, doesn’t support a side at the expense of the other side.. so the countries concerned should retreat from their measures of boycott and restore the diplomatic relations.. at that time, Syria sees what could be fulfilled in this file,” Haidar said.

On the Egyptian initiative, Haidar said that Egypt or any country has to stand at one distance among the Syrians, so it has to adopt a clear stance on the violence and who fund it.

“Iran’s vision on the crisis and the way of solution is based on a reality which states that the Syrians have rights and demands that should be met, and the Syrian state seeks to fulfill these demand, but the problem lies in the foreign intervention,” Haidar said.

As for the hostile stances of Turkish Premier and his Foreign Minister to Syria, Haidar underlined that the Turkish leadership doesn’t say what it is content with, and that the Turkish leaders were conveying messages from the West and the US in particular.

On the Iranian initiative, Haidar said that it concentrates on the halt of violence to make the atmospheres available to go for the political process.

As for the plan of the new UN Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, Haidar stressed that the average of success or fail of his paln is related to the international agreement on this plan, adding “the issue is not a personal one.”

Preliminary Meetings of NAM Summit Reaches Early Agreement on 688 Articles of Draft Closing Statement

Aug 27, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA) – The preliminary meetings of the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) continued on Monday in Tehran with the participation of Syria’s delegation headed by Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Fayssal Mikdad.

The experts meeting reached an early agreement on 688 articles of the Summit’s draft closing statement.

Boroujerdi: A Proposal to Form a committee including Iran, Egypt and Venezuela to resolve Crisis in Syria

Aug 27, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA)-Chairman of Iran’s Shura Council’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Alaeddin Boroujerdi announced that a proposal was presented to form a committee which includes Iran, Egypt and Venezuela to resolve the crisis in Syria, adding that the three countries are members in the Non-Aligned Movement.

“Syria’s issue is internal.. though some organizations like the OIC have suspended Syria membership, but any change in the reality didn’t happen,” Boroujerdi said in a statement on Monday.

On the role of NAM conference to resolve the crisis in Syria, Boroujerdi added “there are proposals to make use of the possibilities of the member states to resolve the crisis.”

He underlined that the situations in Syria are stable in contrary to what is being broadcast by a number of western media, saying that the Syrian government has control on all aggravated regions like Aleppo.

As for the Iranian abducted citizens in Syria, Boroujerdi denied rumors about their killing, considering such rumors as a psychological war by some western media to pass “special goals.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry: NAM Summit Provides Important Opportunity for Resolving Crisis in Syria

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesmen Ramin Mehmanparast affirmed that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit due to be held on August 30-31 in Tehran provides an important opportunity to resolve crises around the world, including the Syrian crisis, away from western interference.

In a statement, Mehmanparast said that the NAM member countries have reached an agreement regarding the majority of the articles in the draft closing statement of the summit, which he considered an indicator to them agreeing to resolve crises through mutual action without western interference.

He said that member countries agreed that they must take steps and work for reaching political solutions and preventing foreign interference and unilateral steps by the US and its allies, adding that meetings on the sideline of the summit resulted in forming a liaison group to communicate with the Syrian government and the opposition to reach a solution.

Mehmanparast noted that the sideline of the Tehran summit presents a chance for exchanging viewpoints and bringing them closer on the basis of the six-point plan, which would help reach a mechanism for ending violence and meeting the aspirations of the Syrians through a democratic process.

He pointed out that Iran and countries that share its efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis seek peace, contrary to some major powers and regional countries that claim to defend the Syrian people while at the same time they send weapons to terrorists.

Mehmanparast explained that the draft closing statement includes three articles, with the first covering international issues of interest to all countries such as defending sovereignty, rejecting occupation, the issues of Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Africa and Latin America.

He said that Iran wishes to make use of its presidency of the NAM to benefit from all members’ viewpoints to achieve development and economic cooperation through a global administration adopting peace, justice, respecting human rights, and rejecting occupation and hegemony, adding that this should be done with the participation of all independent and capable countries within the NAM movement which encompasses 120 member countries and 17 observer countries, making it the second largest bloc of countries after the UN.

Mehmanparast pointed out that the NAM seeks to change the structure of how the world is run to achieve noble goals, including the reform of the UN which suffers security issues and whose structure is no longer valid.

On the western efforts to downplay the Tehran summit and to prevent some sides, countries and personalities from participating in it, Mehmanparast said the considerable participation in this summit represents a failure of western pressure against Tehran and attempts to isolate it.

He stressed that the Iranian people turned the western embargo into an opportunity to achieve progress and prosperity, making Iran a role model for countries who seek independence, noting that so far, 50 countries announced their participation in the NAM summit on the summit level, in addition to 30 foreign ministers, which marks a big political and diplomatic success for Tehran.

Russian President’s Special Envoy: NAM Summit in Tehran will be Positive Step to Solve Syrian Crisis

The Russian President’s Special Envoy, Konstantin Shuvalov said that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit due to be held in Tehran on Thursday and Friday will be a positive step to solve the crisis in Syria through cooperation among the participating countries.

Shuvalov, who arrived in Tehran on Monday to take part in the Summit’s meetings, stressed in a statement to the Iranian News Agency (Mehr) the importance of the summit and the necessity of finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis, adding there is hope that the foreign ministers and leaders of NAM member countries would adopt decisions that would find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

He said that the message he carried from the Russian president included important topics as the Non-Aligned Movement has an influential role in addressing international issues , calling upon member countries to work on solving current crises and the importance that they be true allies.

SANA Calls on Media Outlets to Disregard any News Coming via Email Addressed Attributed to SANA as False and Misleading

Aug 27, 2012

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Monday issued a warning to all mass media outlets to disregard and ignore any news coming via email addresses attributed to SANA as false and misleading.

SANA reiterates that the only source of its news is the official website www.sana.sy and its special news bulletin, and that it does not send its news via email.

SANA calls upon all media outlets to inform it of any news they receive in SANA’s name via email.

390 People Involved in Recent Events Released

Aug 27, 2012

PROVINCES, (SANA) – 390 people who were involved in the recent events and didn’t shed Syrian blood were released on Monday.

In Damascus, 332 people were released, in addition to 20 in Hama and 38 in Homs who had turned themselves in, with the released individuals pledging not to return to bearing arms, carrying out vandalism or doing anything that harms Syria’s security in the future.

A number of the release people said that this marks a fresh start for them, allowing them to return to their normal lives.

Earlier in July, 100 people turned themselves in to the authorities in Hama and were released after pledging to refrain from bearing arms or committing vandalism.

Terrorist Deib Confesses to Trying to kill a citizen in Lattakia, Injuring three civilians

Aug 27, 2012

LATTAKIA, (SANA)-Terrorist Alaa Khaled Deib admitted that he tried to kill a citizen at Souk al-Bala in Lattakia and opened fire at the people, injuring three civilians.

“I have met a leader of an armed terrorist group called Suhaib Kilia from Jabal al-Akrad in Lattakia countryside.. he showed me a photo for a man from the family of Ghandour whom he said that he cooperates with the State and that we should kill him,” Deib said in confessions broadcast by the Syrian TV on Monday.

“After four days of my arrival in Lattakia, Suhaib informed me that he will send me a pistol through a taxi driver.. my mission was to kill the person of the photo he showed to me.. he promised to give money in return for the operation,” Deib said.

He added “Later, a man phoned me saying that he cooperates with Suhaib.. he gave me the pistol with 16 bullets.. I started to pursue the man from Ghandour family for three days.. on August 12th I hunted him at Souk al-Bala and tried to open fire at him, but the bullet failed, then I opened fire on three persons, injuring three among them a female citizen called Zainab Haddad.

For her part, Mrs. Haddad said that while she was walking at Souk al-Bala to buy a shoe, she felt a fever in her foot.. a shop keeper told her that she was hit in the leg.

Salehi, Jalili and Larijani Meet Haidar, Affirm Iran’s Support for Resolving Crisis in Syria via Dialogue

Aug 26, 2012

TEHRAN, (SANA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Sunday discussed with Syrian State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs, Dr. Ali Haidar, bilateral relations and regional and international issues, particularly the crisis in Syria and means for restoring security and stability in it.

Salehi stressed the need for restoring security and stability in Syria, reiterating Iran’s readiness to host dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.

He also stressed Tehran’s commitment to restoring stability to Syria via peaceful methods, lauding the six-points plan and the principles of the recent meeting in Tehran on Syria, affirming that the Syrian crisis can only be solved by dialogue, and that sustainable calm and stability can only be realized through ending violence, finding mechanisms for meeting the people’s demands, providing an atmosphere for dialogue between the government and the opposition, and supporting political participation of all parties and national dialogue.

In turn, Haidar lauded Iran’s position and the help it provides to restore sustainable calm and security in Syria, praising Iran’s efforts to establish communication with the Syrian opposition.

He also affirmed that the crisis in Syria can be resolved through dialogue, and that any political projects for resolving the crisis must involve a complete cessation of violence, rejection of foreign interference, and preventing the sending of weapons and foreign militants into Syria.

On a relevant note, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili underlined during his meeting with Haidar that Iran has always emphasized the need for national dialogue and finding a Syrian solution to the crisis.

Jalili underscored the need for ending violence, disarming the opposition, and ending some countries’ support of militants, calling for benefiting from new initiatives and involving new sections of the Syrian people in national dialogue.

For his part, Haidar said that Syrian-Iranian relations are deep-rooted and without peer, and that the Syrian people wish to determine their fate on their own through democracy and without foreign interference, which is why Syria is prepared to launch national dialogue.

He affirmed that Syria will overcome the current conditions in the end and will remain part of the resistance axis.

In a similar meeting, Minister Haidar discussed bilateral relations and the situation in Syria with Speaker of Iranian Shura Council Ali Larijani, with Larijani reiterating his country’s support for Syria’s people and leadership in the face of the conspiracy targeting it.

In turn, Haidar reviewed the efforts being exerted in order to restore Syria to normal, affirming that the solution lies in inclusive national dialogue which can only be achieved if violence ends and if foreign sides cease arming and funding militant groups.

The tyranny of capitalism in India cannot be grasped, let alone resisted, in isolation from its wider social context. Capitalism is far more dangerous in India than in the Euro-America because of the culture and economics of caste.

Today, India (after China and the US) has the world’s third largest middle class (250-300 million); 49 enlisted dollar billionaires (black market economy and overseas banks allow some crooks to remain unlisted); and the single largest concentration of the world’s poor (800 million), most of them illiterate or semi-literate, considering 70 per cent in India’s 1.2 billion are either illiterate or have no more than a primary education. A political analyst, representing the views of Indian elite, calls this “a new triad of India ‘s political economy,” and adds, “The poor were always with us, but billionaire businessmen and a huge middle class were not. They constitute a historical novelty for India .” A more empathetic view with compelling stories and statistics, delineating the depredation of the elite and the suffering of the people, is brought home in a new book which demonstrates that the economy “may be in good statistical health,” but “it is by no means in good social or ecological health.” Unravelling the social consequences of the growth story, the authors point out that the footprint of the wealthiest Indians is 330 times that of the poorest 40 per cent; and that with each new Special Economic Zone, India lose the capacity to feed 50, 000 to 1,00,000 people each year. * [Aseem Shrivastava and Ashish Kothari, Churning the Earth: The Making of Global India ( New Delhi : Penguin, 2012).]

Till 1991, that is before the economic liberalisation, India was supposedly a socialist state which actually worked to empower and educate the privileged sections of society, and since then, the same caste and class groups, hiding behind the middle class identity, are reaping the benefits of free market bonanza while the poor are fully exposed to the relentless inequalities of capitalism. As India is producing thousands of millionaires, it has one-half of the world’s malnourished children and one third of the world’s absolute poor. India produces 100,000 students a year in global top 10 per cent and also churns out millions with zero skills. Millions of children, despite the recently introduced the Right to Education legislation, are unable to go to school. And those who do continue to be trapped in underfunded, brutal and ineffective state schools which are among the worst in the world. Denial of basic facilities deprives the poor children of early acquisition of fundamentals. The good-for-nothing education gives them zero skills and robs their life chances. Their lives, like that of their parents and ancestors, remain cheap.

The story of the making of brand India—the subject of hundreds of academic as well as popular tomes mostly written by, or on behalf of the corporate houses—conveniently leaves aside the vital question of who has collared the benefits and in what proportion. That India is a great democracy and witnessing momentous changes is the trajectory of the fortunate few who have reaped the most from the neo-liberal policies, subverting democracy and reinforcing their privileges in the new power structures. For those who remain bereft of bare minimums of life and constitute 70 per cent of the population, India is a very limited, if not a sham, democracy. It is also notable that by keeping millions of people in subhuman conditions, India is performing way below its potential. What is the socio-cultural and political imperative of such lopsided development? Is violence only by killing, maiming, imprisoning (though even on this score Indian state is guilty of large-scale crimes against the less fortunate), or does it also include displacing, dispossessing, and sentencing people to a lifetime of starvation, deprivation and humiliation? A 2012 United Nations report on India ‘s human rights record says, “The country’s economic policies, driven by the neo-liberal economic paradigm, continue to perpetuate ‘exclusion’ and violate Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of the Constitution.” * [Quoted in “Growth Pangs,” The Times of India , New Delhi , 3 June, 2012 .]

The key to grasp India ‘s woes can be found by recognising the underlying causes that reproduce such inequalities. Contrary to the elitist refrain that economic growth and expansion of middle class alongside new opportunities of individual mobility have made caste irrelevant (as “its hierarchy is replaced by competing equalities”), the ground surveys and statistics show the reality of huge reproduction of inequalities in caste terms. Two outstanding studies of existing data on caste and occupation and standard of living of caste groups— Blocked by Caste (2010) and The Grammar of Caste (2011)—contradict the elitist claims and affirm the persistence of economics—and discrimination—of caste. * [Sukhdeo Thorat and Katherine Newman, eds., Blocked by Caste: Economic Discrimination in Modern India ( New Delhi : Oxford University Press, 2010); Ashwini Deshpande, The Grammar of Caste: Economic Discrimination in Contemporary India ( New Delhi : Oxford University Press, 2011).] As the author of The Grammar of Caste puts it,

…[D]ata point more towards continuation of traditional hierarchies rather than towards their dissolution, with upper castes at the top, Scheduled Castes-Scheduled Tribes at the bottom, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) somewhere in between… What is very revealing is that lip-service to merit notwithstanding, contemporary, formal, urban sector labour markets show a deep awareness of caste, religious, gender, and class cleavages, and that discrimination is very much a modern sector phenomenon, perpetuated in the present. So it is neither a thing of the past nor confined only to the rural areas. * [ Ashwini Deshpande, The Grammar of Caste , pp. xiv-xv.]

Another offbeat scholar who has studied caste seriously makes a point which helps us better grasp why things are as they are: “There can be no denying that for centuries they [dalits and other lowered castes] have been at the receiving end of all communication—information (nay, disinformation), sermons, commands and the like, and compelled into a position of powerlessness. Not surprisingly, the legacy [of caste and domination] persists.” * [Debi Chatterjee, Ideas and Movements Against Caste in India ( Delhi : Abhijeet Publications, 2010), p. 285.]

Ambedkar, a prophetic figure for the caste-oppressed and framer of the Constitution, was prescient in grasping that “democracy in India is only top dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic.” He tried hard to integrate progressive elements of social justice into the Constitution, but also underlined that rights are protected not by law but by the social and moral conscience of society. At the euphoric dawn of democracy, his was the lone voice that warned against the life of contradictions that India was going to enter with equality in politics and graded inequality in social and economic realm. He strove to make the national leadership recognise that caste and brahmanism were structural and ideological obstruction to the idea of democracy, and that without eliminating them, India could never become a society where freedom and equality were available to everyone. But the national pundits colluded to ignore caste as far as possible. Only the question of untouchability was debated as its presence was too glaring and Ambedkar too insistent to leave it to the mercy of caste elites. Even this charity was cynically exploited to reduce the whole question of caste to the question of untouchability. Thus, in a height of hypocrisy, even today, the Indian Parliament debates caste-based reservations and atrocities based on caste, (and all political parties play caste card and distribute electoral tickets mostly on caste basis) but Parliament, thanks to the overwhelming casteist influence in the body politic, has never ever debated caste as an institutionalised discrimination, let alone doing something about making India caste-free.

A sociologist has pointed out “the official and social-moral ban on public discussion of caste in the decades after Independence ,” but the ruling castes moulded the state apparatus and body politic in such a way that caste was reinvented as a modern institution capable of reproducing caste inequalities. * [Satish Deshpande, Contemporary India : A Sociological View ( New Delhi : Penguin, 2004).] Transition from colonial to Independent economy and introduction of development plans had generated new economic and educational opportunities, but confirming Phule-Ambedkar’s worst fears, these were usurped by the dominant social groups. The investment priorities of the successive Five Years Plans under Nehru and his successors were enormously biased in favour of upper caste-class sections of society. * [N K Sarkar, Social Structure and Development Strategy in Asia (New Delhi: People’s Publishing House, 1978), p. 25.] A nexus of brahmanic-feudal-bureaucratic influence reinforced the hold of the traditional power structure through manipulations of the newly introduced participatory democracy. Hidden behind the innocuous labels of traditional Hinduism or modern secularism, the new brahmanism was equated with nationalism and the shaper of Indian unity, with the corollary to pigeonhole the majority—dalits, adivasis, OBCs, Muslims, Sikhs, and other ethnic-religious categories—into different categories of minorities. It is notable that upper castes, barely 15 per cent of the population, have never presented themselves as a minority. Also, this group—which controls different levers of power and possess the lion’s share of country’s wealth—remains “the most elusive social group in modern India in statistical terms.” * [Satish Deshpande, Contemporary India , p. 110.]

The many faces of new dominance developed the communal, secular and liberal discourse in such a manner that it subsumed all national space, eliding or evading all issues concerning empowerment and education of the vast majority. All these forces colluded to subvert the new participatory democracy and reinforced a new hierarchy of caste and class. The caste elites utilised their money, muscle, and intellectual knavery to debase the new politics as a matter of perception which blurs reality and elections as the ability to project credibility, thus reinforcing a new oppressive power structure.

Dollops of reservations, subsidies, grants, cultural tokenism, and the rhetoric of democracy, justice and unity in diversity notwithstanding, the basic economics—and politics—of caste remained by and large intact. All these factors affected the nature of the new classes that have emerged in new India . Though the castes are increasingly getting separated from their former assigned tasks, the link between privilege and high caste status remains strong. And so is low caste status and assignment of most laborious and non-intellectual tasks. Politics is the only arena where traditionally subjugated social groups are far better represented, and this reflects in the mounting anger of the privileged groups towards parliamentary politics and politicians. But here, too, dalit-adivasi-OBC-Muslim politicians, with some exceptions, have become mere tools in the hands of powerful vested interests. Arithmetic of elections and dependence of parties and politicians on corporate houses for fighting elections turn them into worst kind of power players.

The fact is, the locus of power has decidedly shifted from Parliament to the corporate towers. This is the fundamental debasement of democracy, not the deepening of democracy, as political pundits wax eloquent to keep the excluded multitude in good humour. India ‘s procedural democracy and progress paradigm are fattening a “favoured minority” and multiplying inequalities with reproduction of caste and class. The democratic promise of the passage from exclusion to inclusion, from corruption to honesty, from bad principles to good ones remains, by and large, confined to the realm of the Constitutional provisions and public rhetoric. Life remains oppressive in India for a large number of people who struggle daily for sheer survival.

If the Indian democracy does not seem to be failing the people, it is because the situation is no different in the rest of the world. What kind of democracy prevails in the world that produces 10 million super millionaires and one billion hungry and homeless children? Do the ruling set really want “health, education, dignity and justice for all” as they crow in public, in the glare of limelight? The truth is, the globalised upper classes and techno-managerial elites in every country are obsessed with making money, for which they connect with their counterparts in other countries. Thus, Indian elites are not connected with the suffering Indians but with elites from other parts of the world. They are bound up with the corporate economics and politics to plunder the people and the earth under the banner of globalisation. They have rendered democracy hollow:

Modern democracies have been around for long enough for neo-liberal capitalists to learn how to subvert them. They have mastered the technique of infiltrating the instruments of democracy—the “independent” judiciary, the “free” press, the parliament—and moulding them to their purpose. The project of corporate globalisation has cracked the code. Free elections, a free press, and an independent judiciary mean little when the free market has reduced them to commodities available on sale to the highest bidder. * [Arundhati Roy, An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire ( Massachusetts : South End Press, 2004), p. 3.]

Such developments have a long background, but it is not just the neo-liberal capitalists who have made democracies hollow. Such perspective tends to obscure the long-standing complicity of a corrupt intelligentsia in subverting democracies around the world, especially in a country like India . After all, how free and fair were elections, judiciary, the media and academia in India before the economic liberalisation of 1991? The point is, the larger brahmanic forces had already taken control of “democracy” in India before the “project of corporate globalisation” entered the country of caste. Earlier, the hierarchies of caste and gender institutionalised graded inequalities, and were sanctified by the brahmanic scriptures the majority were forbidden to read. In the brahmanic eyes, there was no greater sin than education and equality of dalits, lowered castes and women. Despite resistances from below, caste continued to retain its ideological-cultural dominance, and its prescriptions went on to become social attitudes and cultural common sense. This state of affairs continued in the modern times due to hypocrisy of the caste elites. In fact, brahmanism got a new lease of life during colonialism; first by colluding with the colonial powers (which allowed it to rejuvenate and refurbish its old cultural resources), and then by emerging as the political-ideological engine of nationalism and capturing power after the Independence. That is why the tyranny of capitalism in India cannot be grasped, let alone resisted, in isolation from its wider social context. Capitalism is far more dangerous in India than in the Euro-America because of the culture and economics of caste.

By Braj Ranjan Mani

25 August, 2012

@ Countercurrents.org

[Braj Ranjan Mani is the author of Debrahmanising History (Manohar, 2005). His new book, Reconstructing Knowledge: Transforming the Self and Society, is due soon.]

The British government’s threat to invade the Ecuadorean embassy in London and seize Julian Assange is of historic significance. David Cameron, the former PR man to a television industry huckster and arms salesman to sheikdoms, is well placed to dishonour international conventions that have protected Britons in places of upheaval. Just as Tony Blair’s invasion of Iraq led directly to the acts of terrorism in London on 7 July 2005, so Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague have compromised the safety of British representatives across the world.

Threatening to abuse a law designed to expel murderers from foreign embassies, while defaming an innocent man as an “alleged criminal”, Hague has made a laughing stock of Britain across the world, though this view is mostly suppressed in Britain. The same brave newspapers and broadcasters that have supported Britain’s part in epic bloody crimes, from the genocide in Indonesia to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, now attack the “human rights record” of Ecuador, whose real crime is to stand up to the bullies in London and Washington.

It is as if the Olympics happy-clappery has been subverted overnight by a revealing display of colonial thuggery. Witness the British army officer-cum-BBC reporter Mark Urban “interviewing” a braying Sir Christopher Meyer, Blair’s former apologist in Washington, outside the Ecuadorean embassy, the pair of them erupting with Blimpish indignation that the unclubbable Assange and the uncowed Rafael Correa should expose the western system of rapacious power. Similar affront is vivid in the pages of the Guardian, which has counselled Hague to be”patient” and that storming the embassy would be “more trouble than it is worth”. Assange was not a political refugee, the Guardian declared, because “neither Sweden nor the UK would in any case deport someone who might face torture or the death penalty”.

The irresponsibility of this statement matches the Guardian’s perfidious role in the whole Assange affair. The paper knows full well that documents released by WikiLeaks indicate that Sweden has consistently submitted to pressure from the United States in matters of civil rights. In December 2001, the Swedish government abruptly revoked the political refugee status of two Egyptians, Ahmed Agiza and Mohammedel-Zari, who were handed to a CIA kidnap squad at Stockholm airport and “rendered” to Egypt, where theywere tortured. An investigation by the Swedish ombudsman for justice found that the government had “seriously violated” the two men’s human rights. In a 2009 US embassy cable obtained by WikiLeaks, entitled “WikiLeaks puts neutrality in the Dustbin of History”, the Swedish elite’s vaunted reputation for neutrality is exposed as a sham. Another US cable reveals that “the extent of [Sweden’smilitary and intelligence] cooperation [with Nato] is not widely known” and unless kept secret “would open the government to domestic criticism”.

The Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, played a notorious leading role in George W Bush’s Committee for the Liberation of Iraq and retains close ties to the Republican Party’s extreme right. According to the former Swedish director of public prosecutions Sven-Erik Alhem, Sweden’s decision to seek the extradition of Assange on allegations of sexual misconduct is “unreasonable and unprofessional, as well as unfair and disproportionate”. Having offered himself for questioning, Assange was given permission to leave Sweden for London where, again, he offered to be questioned. In May, in a final appeal judgment on the extradition, Britain’s Supreme Court introduced more farce by referring to non-existent “charges”.

Accompanying this has been a vituperative personal campaign against Assange. Much of it has emanated from the Guardian, which, like a spurned lover,has turned on its besieged former source, having hugely profited from WikiLeaks disclosures. With not a penny going to Assange or WikiLeaks, a Guardian book has led to a lucrative Hollywood movie deal.The authors, David Leigh and Luke Harding, gratuitously abuse Assange as a “damaged personality” and “callous”. They also reveal the secret password he had given the paper in confidence, which was designed to protect a digital file containing the US embassy cables. On 20 August, Harding was outside the Ecuadorean embassy, gloating on his blog that “Scotland Yard may get the last laugh”. It is ironic, if entirely appropriate, that a Guardian editorial putting the paper’s latest boot into Assange bears an uncanny likeness to the Murdoch press’s predictable augmented bigotry on the same subject. How the glory of Leveson, Hackgate and honourable, independent journalism doth fade.

His tormentors make the point of Assange’s persecution. Charged with no crime, he is not a fugitive from justice. Swedish case documents, including the text messages of the women involved, demonstrate to any fair-minded person the absurdity of the sex allegations – allegations almost entirely promptly dismissed by the senior prosecutor in Stockholm, Eva Finne, before the intervention of a politician, Claes Borgstr?At the pre-trial of Bradley Manning, a US army investigator confirmed that the FBI was secretly targeting the “founders, owners or managers of WikiLeaks” for espionage.

Four years ago, a barely noticed Pentagon document, leaked by WikiLeaks, described how WikiLeaks and Assange would be destroyed with a smear campaign leading to “criminal prosecution”. On 18 August, the Sydney Morning Herald disclosed, in a Freedom of Information release of official files, that the Australian government had repeatedly received confirmation that the US was conducting an “unprecedented” pursuit of Assange and had raised no objections. Among Ecuador’s reasons for granting asylum is Assange’s abandonment “by the state of which he is a citizen”. In 2010, an investigation by the Australian Federal Police found that Assange and WikiLeaks had committed no crime. His persecution is an assault on us all and on freedom.

By John Pilger

25 August, 2012

@ JohnPilger.com

John Richard Pilger is an Australian journalist and documentary maker, based in London. He has twice won Britain’s Journalist of the Year Award, and his documentaries have received academy awards in Britain and the US