NSWG News Items from April 24, 2006

Here is a selection of national security-related news items from the last few days. Lots of food for thought.

Israel / Palestine

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have pledged aid to the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian president has expressed a willingness to resume negotiations with Israel, in the context of an internationally-brokered conference. Israel has responded by reaffirming its commitment to the existing ‘road map,’ saying that a new framework is unnecessary when the existing one already has the backing of the international community.

Sri Lanka

The conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE has spiraled this week, with military air strikes on suspected bases following a suicide bombing on army headquarters. This is the first officially recognized military action against the LTTE since 2002. Small-scale clashes and naval engagements have also been taking place between the government and the rebels. The LTTE has not claimed responsibility for the earlier attack, and has accused the government of violating the ceasefire. State officials say that the attack bore the hallmarks of an LTTE operation.

USA

Several commentators have written on the passing of the Bush administration into the ‘thousand days left’ phase, and the possible implications of this period.

The Asia Times has put forward an interesting article on the actions of American special forces in Iran. It is not clear whether and to what extent the Americans are operating in Iran, but if they are, the implications are significant. For its part, Ran has threatened to harm US interests anywhere in the world if America launches an attack, according to the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The 28-day period for Iran to cease uranium enrichment (set down by the UN and IAEA) ends on Friday.

The controversy surrounding the case of the CIA leaker / whistleblower (either a traitor or a conscientious humanitarian, depending on who you read) who may have given information on secret European CIA ‘black sites’ to the Washington media is escalating. Some commentators are wondering if and when the public discourse on this matter will move beyond the act of leaking to the nature of the revelations. A Harper’s article on the matter of CIA rendition practices and the rift within the organization, by Ken Silverstein, includes this statement: “My source, hardly a softie on the topic of terrorism, said of the split at the CIA: “There's an SS group within the agency that's willing to do anything and there's a Wehrmacht group that is saying, 'I'm not gonna touch this stuff'.””

Canada

The opening of the Millhaven detention facility for security certificate detainees has seen disappointingly little coverage in the Canadian press. I had the chance to talk to a CBC reporter about this yesterday, and we were in general agreement that the lack of consistent ‘newsworthy’ moments makes the Canadian security certificate debate difficult to handle in mainstream media. What’s needed is a much more rigorous debate in the public sphere. Anyways, here’s the CBSA announcement on the opening, and here’s a CBC Ottawa report on the matter.

Europe

The European Union Parliamentary Investigators have concluded (see here for the interim report of the committee) that the CIA has conducted more than 1,000 undeclared flights over European territory since 2001. This is apparently a clear violation of an international treaty that requires airlines to declare routes and stopovers for planes with police missions. The investigation has also found that terror suspects were routinely handed over to US agents, and rendered to other countries on these flights. The Italian lawyer who drafted the parliamentary report, Claudio Fava, says that “"The CIA has, on several occasions, clearly been responsible for kidnapping and illegally detaining alleged terrorists on the territory of (EU) member states, as well as for extraordinary renditions." You can see the European Parliament Temporary Committee on the alleged use of European countries by the CIA for the transport and illegal detention of prisoners here.

Egypt

Two days after three bombs killed 24 people in Dahab, Egypt, two apparent suicide bombings have targeted a military base and first responders in the Sinai Peninsula. Reports indicate that at least four people have been injured, including a New Zealander and Norwegian attached to the multinational forces at the base and two Egyptian police. The two bombers, who struck three quarters of an hour apart, died in the attacks. Egyptian police have detained 30 people in relation to the first set of bombings this week. Apparently three of the suspects were caught attempting to leave Dahab on Sunday in a car with fake license plates. An interesting note on security in the region: In contrast to the heavy military / security presence in areas such as Cairo, security in the Sinai peninsula is the responsibility of Egyptian police forces alone; this is due to a treaty signed with Israel following the last conflict between the two states that prohibits Egypt from maintaining a military presence anywhere near the Israeli border.


All the best,

- Mike