The Taliban regime faced international scrutiny and condemnation for its policies. Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut diplomatic ties with the Taliban.
The Taliban allowed terrorist organizations to run training camps in their territory and, from 1994 to at least 2001, provided refuge for Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization. The relationship between the Taliban and bin Laden is close, even familial—bin Laden fought with the mujahideen, has financed the Taliban, and has reportedly married one of his daughters to Mullah Muhammad Omar. The United Nations Security Council passed two resolutions, UNSCR 1267 (1999) and 1333 (2000), demanding that the Taliban cease their support for terrorism and hand over bin Laden for trial. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/taliban.html
Pakistan and the CIA supported the creation of the Taliban to fight the Russkies....
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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Islam is the state religion. The percentage of Muslim citizens is 100%. Sunni represent approximately 89% while Shiites represent approximately 11% of the population. Most Shiites live in the Eastern Province and are concentrated in small cities and villages such as Qatif.
-------------------- Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth -- Proverbs 27:1
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Sunni's seem to be inclined to be our allies, while Shi'ites don't... this is why i've had serious concerns over invading Iran since it became clear that there were no WMD...
"all the kings horses, and all the kings men..."
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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I'd have difficulty calling any Muslim/Islamist nation an ally. I think they'd slit your throat just as fast as they'd smile and shake your hand.
If they are so ruthless to kill fellow Muslims, they clearly cannot be trusted at all whatsoever.
Saddam Hussein is a Sunni. Do the Sunnis hold any anger towards us for taking out their leader?
-------------------- Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth -- Proverbs 27:1
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Bush spent a lot of "political capital" to invade Iraq and absolutely counted on this country to go anti-Islamic in order to accomplish that goal...
now he wants to change horses midwar? i think he's looneytunes....
we are either at war or we aren't...
i realise not all Muslims are terrorists, heck i been trying to 'splain that for two years.... and getting a lot of greif for saying it...
i think the ports should be managed by US companies... everywhere you turn? a foreign company is "able" to do better than a US company? (cough toytoa cough) why is that?? is it taxes?
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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Reuters) - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey filed a lawsuit on Friday to stop a United Arab Emirates company from taking over management of its container terminal at Port Newark in New Jersey.
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The authority, jointly owned by the states of New York and New Jersey, argued that the deal under which state-owned Dubai Ports World would take over management from the British company P&O violates the terms of P&O's lease.
The transaction is part of a $6.85 billion deal under which DPW would manage terminals at six major U.S. ports. The plan has sparked protests from federal and local lawmakers and officials who fear the ports' security will be hurt if they are managed by a company whose owner has been accused of having links with terrorist groups.
The Port Authority said it has a right to review changes in port management under the existing lease agreement. The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court in Newark, urged the court to declare that the purchase of P&O requires consent of the Port Authority under the lease, that the container terminal is in breach of its lease, and that the lease is terminated.
The suit names P&O Ports North America, and Port Newark Container Terminal LLC as defendants.
Lawmakers opposed to the takeover noted links between UAE and al Qaeda but President George W. Bush has defended the deal, calling the UAE an ally in the war on terror.
"The Port Authority has been deprived of its right to conduct a thorough review of the purchase ... of the identity, qualifications, experience and reputation of the purchasers ... and of the proposed impact that the change may have on the control and ownership," the lawsuit said.
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine urged the other governors of states with ports affected by the DPW deal -- Louisiana, New York, Florida, Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania -- to join the lawsuit.
Democrat Corzine issued the invitation in letters to each governor, saying the lawsuit "will seek to enjoin this sale of vital assets to a foreign nation without our states having had the opportunity to determine the extent of the threat to the safety of our citizens."
In London, a U.S. company at the Port of Miami, Eller & Co. Inc., filed a petition in High Court opposing the takeover.
On Thursday, the State of New Jersey sued the federal government to block the deal.
Officials at P&O Ports North America did not return phone calls seeking comment.
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez on Friday dismissed DPW's offer to delay assuming control of the port terminals.
"We can't rely on non-binding promises from foreign governments to secure our ports," he said. "If the Bush administration will not stop this deal from closing, Congress must."
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Mr. George Bush will only learn the hard way because he won't learn from history and he is making all the same mistakes that the other western countries did.
Greece Rome Britian
All of thoes beat the east armies but failed terrible at occuppation.
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my spider sense is tingling: this, I think, is the hinge, the "play"--
quote:The Port Authority said it has a right to review changes in port management under the existing lease agreement. The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court in Newark, urged the court to declare that the purchase of P&O requires consent of the Port Authority under the lease, that the container terminal is in breach of its lease, and that the lease is terminated.
reminds me of the Patty Hearst "abduction."
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer Thu Feb 23, 3:38 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Who's in charge of security at U.S. seaports? There's no simple answer to that question — a critical part of the debate over the takeover of major port operations by a United Arab Emirates company
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All seaports are different and the biggest ones are complex. Responsibility for security is spread among government agencies: the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, terminal operators and state and local port authorities.
The Homeland Security Department said over a year ago that confusion about responsibility had delayed a cargo security plan.
"During the two years since DHS was established, this has frequently led to questions of 'who's in charge?'" said a draft of the plan, released in December 2004.
Even now, said Sen. Daniel Inouye (news, bio, voting record), D-Hawaii, the Bush administration doesn't take port security seriously.
"It has consistently submitted inadequate funding requests and has routinely missed critical security deadlines that were required by law," he said.
The administration says it has strengthened port security since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, pointing to increased funding and new security technology.
Customs and Border Protection oversees the cargo that arrives in more than 20,000 shipping containers that pass through U.S. ports daily.
The Coast Guard approves security plans for 10,000 ships and 5,000 port facilities. Since July 1, 2004, the Coast Guard has been responsible for making sure those plans are carried out.
The nation's larger ports have dozens of separate facilities within them, including oil refineries, warehouses, fuel farms, power plants and factories.
The terminal operator is responsible for security at its own terminal and the area within the port where cargo is loaded, unloaded or transferred, according to the Homeland Security Department.
UAE-based Dubai Ports World would operate some of the terminals at a half-dozen of the nation's largest seaports: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami, New Orleans, Houston, and Newark, N.J.
"They're required to have a security plan," said Dennis Murphy, former Customs port director at the Port of Norfolk and former Homeland Security spokesman.
The plan has to include security measures such as lighting, fencing, locks and background checks on employees, he said.
"They have to know who the people are who they're hiring," Murphy said.
A fact sheet from the Homeland Security Department said that the "people working on the docks" and security personnel would not change under the pending deal.
Murphy said the entire supply chain is scrutinized by a number of people — including the buyer, the seller and the shipper along with federal officials — who want to make sure cargo moves where it's supposed to move.
"It's an elaborate ballet of information and machinery," he said. "You don't mess around. If you divert a container here and there, there are investigators who will crawl all over your personal life if they think anything is hinky."
Many port security initiatives since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have been the result of laws passed by Congress.
It was the National Maritime Transportation Security Act, passed in November 2002, that put the Coast Guard in charge of tightening port security.
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