| Baloch Society Of North America (BSO_NA) Baloch Society Of North America (BSO_NA) is Non-Profit Organization, working to unite and Organize all Baloch in North America, to expose the Occupation of our land (Balochistan) and exploitations of our resources by Pakistani and Iranian Governments, and to bring their Human Rights Violations in Balochistan into the world’s Notice. |
Bush, at a news conference, also said he would fight any attempt by the Democratic-controlled Congress to cut off money for the war. "They
need to fund our troops and the need to make sure we have the flexibility necessary to get the job done," he said.
The House is expected to vote Friday on a nonbinding resolution opposing Bush's decision to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq.
The meeting with reporters in the East Room was Bush's first news conference since Dec. 20 and the first since he announced the troop
buildup in Iraq. The four-year-old war hangs heavily on his presidency, and Bush's approval rating in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in
February matched an all-time low of 32 percent.
Iran was a dominant theme of reporters' questions because of conflicting statements about U.S. intelligence in Iran and recurring
speculation that Bush is looking for an excuse to attack the Islamic republic, which is believed by Washington and its allies to be seeking
nuclear weapons.
Defending U.S. intelligence that has pinpointed Iran as a hostile arms supplier in Iraq, Bush said, "Does this mean you're trying to have a
pretext for war? No. It means I'm trying to protect our troops."
There have been mixed signals in the administration about Iran's involvement in supplying Shiite groups in Iraq with a particularly lethal
type of roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators.
Three senior U.S. military officials, at a weekend briefing in Baghdad, said the highest levels of the Iranian government had ordered the
weapons smuggled into Iraq. They based their claim on the belief the weapons are moving into Iraq through the Iran's Revolutionary
Guards elite Quds Force.
But Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said later he was not ready to conclude that Iran's top leaders were behind the
attacks. Some lawmakers also have questioned the administration's statements.
Wading into the debate, Bush said the Quds Force was instrumental in supplying the weapons — "we know that," he said — and that the
Quds Force was part of the Iranian government. "That's a known," he said. "What we don't know is whether or not the head leaders of Iran
ordered the Quds Force to do what they did."
Pressed again on the subject, Bush displayed some irritation and said, "Whether (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad ordered the
Quds Force to do this, I don't think we know. But we do know that they're there and I intend to do something about it. And I've asked our
commanders to do something about it. And we're going to protect our troops." Ahmadinejad has denied Iran was behind the attacks.
Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee emerged from a classified briefing Wednesday saying they wanted more information
about Iran. The committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), said it was unclear to him precisely what the administration
knows about the Tehran government's ties to the weapons found in Iraq.
"There seems to be some disarray," said Levin, D-Mich. He said he eventually hopes to see some declassified information on the subject.
Bush came into the news conference after receiving a briefing from Baghdad by Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander of U.S. forces in
Iraq.
Bush said he talked with Petraeus about coordination between Iraqi and coalition forces, and that while it seemed to be good, more work
was needed on developing an efficient command-and-control structure.
Bush responded carefully when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's accusations Saturday that the United States was
undermining global security and provoking a nuclear arms race. The depth of Putin's criticism surprised U.S. officials.
Bush said Putin was "the same strong-willed person" he has known since 2001 and there is a "complicated relationship" between
Washington and Moscow.
On other matters, Bush said:
_The agreement announced Tuesday to shut down North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for fuel assistance was "a good first step."
He said he strongly disagreed with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton that it was a bad deal.
_He will not comment on the 2008 presidential race. "I will resist all temptation to become the pundit-in-chief."
_He will not comment on whether he authorized members of his administration to leak the identity of Valerie Plame, a one-time CIA officer
whose husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the administration's case for the Iraq war. Similarly, Bush refused to say
whether he might pardon I. Lewis "Scooter Libby, the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. Libby is on trial on charges of lying and
obstructing the investigation into the Plame's identity.
Related Links:
need to fund our troops and the need to make sure we have the flexibility necessary to get the job done," he said.
The House is expected to vote Friday on a nonbinding resolution opposing Bush's decision to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq.
The meeting with reporters in the East Room was Bush's first news conference since Dec. 20 and the first since he announced the troop
buildup in Iraq. The four-year-old war hangs heavily on his presidency, and Bush's approval rating in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in
February matched an all-time low of 32 percent.
Iran was a dominant theme of reporters' questions because of conflicting statements about U.S. intelligence in Iran and recurring
speculation that Bush is looking for an excuse to attack the Islamic republic, which is believed by Washington and its allies to be seeking
nuclear weapons.
Defending U.S. intelligence that has pinpointed Iran as a hostile arms supplier in Iraq, Bush said, "Does this mean you're trying to have a
pretext for war? No. It means I'm trying to protect our troops."
There have been mixed signals in the administration about Iran's involvement in supplying Shiite groups in Iraq with a particularly lethal
type of roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators.
Three senior U.S. military officials, at a weekend briefing in Baghdad, said the highest levels of the Iranian government had ordered the
weapons smuggled into Iraq. They based their claim on the belief the weapons are moving into Iraq through the Iran's Revolutionary
Guards elite Quds Force.
But Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said later he was not ready to conclude that Iran's top leaders were behind the
attacks. Some lawmakers also have questioned the administration's statements.
Wading into the debate, Bush said the Quds Force was instrumental in supplying the weapons — "we know that," he said — and that the
Quds Force was part of the Iranian government. "That's a known," he said. "What we don't know is whether or not the head leaders of Iran
ordered the Quds Force to do what they did."
Pressed again on the subject, Bush displayed some irritation and said, "Whether (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad ordered the
Quds Force to do this, I don't think we know. But we do know that they're there and I intend to do something about it. And I've asked our
commanders to do something about it. And we're going to protect our troops." Ahmadinejad has denied Iran was behind the attacks.
Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee emerged from a classified briefing Wednesday saying they wanted more information
about Iran. The committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), said it was unclear to him precisely what the administration
knows about the Tehran government's ties to the weapons found in Iraq.
"There seems to be some disarray," said Levin, D-Mich. He said he eventually hopes to see some declassified information on the subject.
Bush came into the news conference after receiving a briefing from Baghdad by Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander of U.S. forces in
Iraq.
Bush said he talked with Petraeus about coordination between Iraqi and coalition forces, and that while it seemed to be good, more work
was needed on developing an efficient command-and-control structure.
Bush responded carefully when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's accusations Saturday that the United States was
undermining global security and provoking a nuclear arms race. The depth of Putin's criticism surprised U.S. officials.
Bush said Putin was "the same strong-willed person" he has known since 2001 and there is a "complicated relationship" between
Washington and Moscow.
On other matters, Bush said:
_The agreement announced Tuesday to shut down North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for fuel assistance was "a good first step."
He said he strongly disagreed with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton that it was a bad deal.
_He will not comment on the 2008 presidential race. "I will resist all temptation to become the pundit-in-chief."
_He will not comment on whether he authorized members of his administration to leak the identity of Valerie Plame, a one-time CIA officer
whose husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the administration's case for the Iraq war. Similarly, Bush refused to say
whether he might pardon I. Lewis "Scooter Libby, the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. Libby is on trial on charges of lying and
obstructing the investigation into the Plame's identity.
Related Links:
- Bush fingers Iran on Iraq bombs
- President Bush is vowing to stop Iran from smuggling roadside bombs into Iraq.
Bush: Iran is source of
deadly weapons
02/15/2007
By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
Challenged on the accuracy of U.S. intelligence, President Bush said Wednesday there
is no doubt the Iranian government is providing armor-piercing weapons to kill American
soldiers in Iraq. But he backed away from claims the top echelon of Iran's government
was responsible.
deadly weapons
02/15/2007
By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
Challenged on the accuracy of U.S. intelligence, President Bush said Wednesday there
is no doubt the Iranian government is providing armor-piercing weapons to kill American
soldiers in Iraq. But he backed away from claims the top echelon of Iran's government
was responsible.
Human Rights violations by Pakistani law enforcement agencies:
United States asked to suspend aid to Pakistan
Fri, 5 Jan 2007
WASHINGTON: A report released on Wednesday by a leading United States think tank warned Washington to consider suspending financial
aid to Pakistan’s internal security forces due to their failure to respect human rights.
Entitled “Securing Tyrants or Fostering Reform”, the study was conducted by the California-based RAND Corp for the Open Society Institute,
a private foundation established by investor and philanthropist George Soros.
The RAND Corp study evaluated US assistance since 9/11 to security forces in Pakistan, Afghanistan, El Salvador and Uzbekistan, while
examining whether police performance had improved alongside human rights practices. “The United States should significantly restructure
or even withdraw its assistance to repressive regimes if their internal security agencies fail to improve transparency, human rights practices
and overall effectiveness,” said Seth Jones, one of the lead authors of the study.
In repressive climates, “cooperation might continue, but assistance to law enforcement agencies should stop,” Jones said. And “this option
should be considered in Pakistan,” the think tank said in a statement.
Despite US assistance, Pakistani security forces continue to impose “highly draconian punishments such as home demolition, the seizure
of businesses, and the forfeiture of other properties and assets,” according to RAND. “We found little evidence that the United States has
paid very much attention to human rights issues in its programmes of security assistance to Pakistan,” said Olga Oliker, the other principal
author of the report.
“Moreover, there is little evidence of improvement in Pakistan’s accountability and human rights practices over the last five years,” she added.
Of the four countries studied, the aid directed to countries moving from an authoritarian system to democratic reform, such as Afghanistan
and El Salvador, “has been more effective in improving their internal security forces than assistance to governments that remain repressive,
such as Pakistan and Uzbekistan,” the study said. Countries emerging from conflict provide a window of opportunity to shape new security
forces and are more open to advice from outside actors such as the United States or the United Nations, the report said.
As for Uzbekistan, US assistance was “largely unsuccessful in fostering broader reform”. Thus RAND recommended improved oversight of
the aid effort and curtailing less effective programmes.
United States asked to suspend aid to Pakistan
Fri, 5 Jan 2007
WASHINGTON: A report released on Wednesday by a leading United States think tank warned Washington to consider suspending financial
aid to Pakistan’s internal security forces due to their failure to respect human rights.
Entitled “Securing Tyrants or Fostering Reform”, the study was conducted by the California-based RAND Corp for the Open Society Institute,
a private foundation established by investor and philanthropist George Soros.
The RAND Corp study evaluated US assistance since 9/11 to security forces in Pakistan, Afghanistan, El Salvador and Uzbekistan, while
examining whether police performance had improved alongside human rights practices. “The United States should significantly restructure
or even withdraw its assistance to repressive regimes if their internal security agencies fail to improve transparency, human rights practices
and overall effectiveness,” said Seth Jones, one of the lead authors of the study.
In repressive climates, “cooperation might continue, but assistance to law enforcement agencies should stop,” Jones said. And “this option
should be considered in Pakistan,” the think tank said in a statement.
Despite US assistance, Pakistani security forces continue to impose “highly draconian punishments such as home demolition, the seizure
of businesses, and the forfeiture of other properties and assets,” according to RAND. “We found little evidence that the United States has
paid very much attention to human rights issues in its programmes of security assistance to Pakistan,” said Olga Oliker, the other principal
author of the report.
“Moreover, there is little evidence of improvement in Pakistan’s accountability and human rights practices over the last five years,” she added.
Of the four countries studied, the aid directed to countries moving from an authoritarian system to democratic reform, such as Afghanistan
and El Salvador, “has been more effective in improving their internal security forces than assistance to governments that remain repressive,
such as Pakistan and Uzbekistan,” the study said. Countries emerging from conflict provide a window of opportunity to shape new security
forces and are more open to advice from outside actors such as the United States or the United Nations, the report said.
As for Uzbekistan, US assistance was “largely unsuccessful in fostering broader reform”. Thus RAND recommended improved oversight of
the aid effort and curtailing less effective programmes.