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Politics : Stop the War! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Edscharp who wrote (13877)	4/16/2003 11:24:09 AM
From: Bald Eagle	Respond to of 21614

Terror Alert Lowered to Yellow Wednesday, April 16, 2003 By Liza Porteus NEW YORK — The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday lowered the national terror threat level from orange, or "high," to yellow, which is "elevated." That means there is a significant risk of terrorist attacks. The threat level was raised to orange on March 17, when President Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to get out of Iraq or face military action by a coalition of the willing. The national threat level remained at orange during Operation Iraqi Freedom. "While we continue to be at risk to the threat of terrorism at an elevated level, extensive protective measures remain in place throughout our nation," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in a statement Wednesday. "As [Defense] Secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld has noted, hostilities from Operation Iraqi Freedom still continue and there is, 'a lot of work left to do.' We must be vigilant and alert to the possibility that Al Qaeda and those sympathetic to their cause, as well as former Iraqi-regime state agents and affiliated organizations, may attempt to conduct attacks against the U.S. or our interests abroad." Many of the extra security measures imposed by the department's "Operation Liberty Shield" also will end. This initiative aimed to increase security at U.S. borders, strengthen transportation sector protections, enhance security at critical infrastructures, increase public health preparedness and make sure all federal response assets can be deployed quickly. All these measures may have helped thwart some incidents, but details are not yet known. "We believe that during Operation Liberty Shield, there were individuals in places, at times, where they should not have been," said DHS spokesman Brian Roehrkasse. "The investigations continue on those." The threat alert is raised when the intelligence community has specific evidence indicating there may be terrorist attacks planned on U.S. soil. When the alert was raised to orange last month, evidence indicated that while Al Qaeda and those sympathetic to their cause are a principal threat, Iraqi state agents, Iraqi surrogate groups, other regional extremist organizations, and ad hoc groups or disgruntled individuals not connected to existing organizations or state agencies, may conduct terrorist attacks against the United States or U.S. interests abroad, according to DHS. A recent statement from Usama bin Laden, the Saudi-born leader of Al Qaeda, declared some solidarity with Iraqis, although he referred to Saddam's government as infidels. The U.S. government also feared that operatives working for Iraq's Mukhabarat, Saddam's intelligence service, would attempt bombings or other traditional terrorist-style attacks. Many are thought to work undercover out of Iraqi embassies around the world. The alert had previously been raised to orange on Feb. 7, after intelligence reports indicated an increased likelihood that Al Qaeda terrorists might try to attack Americans in the United States and/or abroad in or around the end of the Hajj, the Muslim religious period that ended in mid-February. Soon after that period was over, the alert was lowered to yellow. The decision was made by the Homeland Security Council, comprised of high-level officials such as Ridge, FBI head Robert Mueller, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft. They make recommendations on whether the terror alerts should be raised or lowered, and Bush signs off on it. Sources told Fox News that Wednesday's decision was based "on their best assessment of the U.S. intelligence information" and, in part, that Operation Iraqi Freedom is winding down, with the major battles apparently over. Ridge on Wednesday thanked the nation's governors, mayors and other representatives from the public and private sector for their "tremendous support and cooperation throughout the last several weeks." He also thanked law enforcement officials, security personnel and first responders "for their efforts to shield our nation." "They have protected our freedom at home in this time of war while their brave counterparts in our armed forces are fighting for this same cause thousands of miles away in Operation Iraqi Freedom," Ridge said. "The signal we have sent our enemies over the past few weeks has been clear. We will continue to resolutely defend our nation and its freedom."

To: Edscharp who wrote (13877)	4/17/2003 6:05:22 AM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 21614

Re: If Assad isn't careful he'll end up in a clash between two Moslem governments with himself in the middle. Who knows, the Iraqis may end up with their own troops on his border. Don't bet on it... They'll be too busy fencing off Iran: Iran attacks US and braces for nuclear dispute Dan De Luce in Tehran Thursday April 17, 2003 The Guardian The Iranian president Mohammad Khatami yesterday lashed out at America for its aggressive stance, stating that Tehran would not recognise a US-installed administration in Iraq and warning Iran would support Syria were it attacked. "We will not recognise any administration other than an all-Iraqi government. However, we are not seeking tension or confrontation with anybody," he said. Mr Khatami added: "The Iraqi nation will not accept any foreign rule." His comments come at a time of increasing tension for Iran, which faces pressure from Britain and the European Union over its nuclear programme amid concerns that Tehran may be close to producing a nuclear bomb. With the end of the war in Iraq, international attention is shifting to Iran, which has denied it has a weapons programme but has so far refused to agree to a more intrusive UN inspections regime. Western governments fear Iran no longer requires outside technical expertise to manufacture a nuclear weapon and may be planning eventually to withdraw from its international obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The fear among some western diplomats and analysts is that the increasingly belligerent stance of Washington towards Iran and Syria may backfire and push Tehran to speed up its weapons programme. Mr Khatami yesterday made a point of rallying to Syria's side. "Syria is on the frontline against Zionist pressures, defending the cause of the Palestinian nation, freedom and peace in the region. We will defend Syria, but it doesn't mean we will engage in military confrontation," he said. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency has demanded unfettered access to Iran's nuclear programme to investigate declared and undeclared sites that would indicate whether Iran is attempting to produce weapons-grade plutonium. But Iran has refused to sign up to the non-proliferation treaty's "additional protocol", drafted after the 1991 Gulf war. Iranian officials have said they would be willing to agree to the "go anywhere" inspections regime only if trade sanctions were lifted, allowing access to technical assistance for the nuclear programme. For the US, which has had no diplomatic relations with Iran for more than two decades, such a compromise is out of the question. Iran insists its programme is purely for peaceful purposes and is designed to meet a growing domestic demand for electricity. But concerns in the west about Iran's nuclear ambitions were reinforced after an uranium enrichment facility was revealed last year and when Tehran announced plans to mine uranium ore and reprocess its own nuclear fuel. Arms proliferation experts say Iran has no need for such an extensive uranium enrichment facility because Russia has agreed to provide all the fuel necessary for a nuclear power plant under construction in Bushehr. Iran has tried to develop a nuclear programme since the 1980s but the US managed to block Tehran's attempts to find a western European partner. With Pakistan, India and Israel possessing nuclear weapons and flouting the non-proliferation treaty, conservative clerics ruling Iran may see the nuclear programme as a deterrent, analysts say. UN inspectors have been visiting various sites for the past month, and the IAEA is due to deliver a decision in June on whether Iran has broken the non-proliferation treaty. Since it was named last year by the US as part of the "axis of evil", along with North Korea and the former regime in Iraq, Iran has avoided any confrontation with Washington and stayed out of the war at its doorstep. As a counter to US pressure, Iran has cultivated relations with the EU, and with Britain in particular. guardian.co.uk