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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (121770)	12/17/2003 9:06:33 PM
From: GST	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Guantanamo a 'Black Hole,' Says 1st Civilian to Visit Wed Dec 17, 4:04 PM ET By Grant McCool NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy (news - web sites) base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where suspected Taliban soldiers are being held, is a "physical and moral black hole," the first civilian lawyer allowed to meet a client there said on Wednesday. Australian lawyer Stephen Kenny, who last week visited detainee David Hicks of Adelaide, Australia, said at a news briefing in New York that Hicks was in "reasonable spirits" but "quite depressed about his conditions." Hicks, 28, and hundreds of other detainees were arrested in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan (news - web sites) in response to the Sept. 11 attacks by the al Qaeda network of Islamic militants headquartered there. The detainees have been held for two years without charges or contact with the outside world, drawing worldwide criticism of this aspect of Washington's war on terrorism. The Australian was the first detainee at Guantanamo Bay to be allowed a visit by a lawyer. Kenny was accompanied at the Navy base by U.S. military defense counsel and restrictions were placed on what he could say about his five days of meetings. The government gave permission for the visit after the U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) said last month it would review a ruling that the detainees are outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. The court would decide by the end of June the cases of two British nationals, two Australians and 12 Kuwaitis, but a ruling would likely effect all detainees. Kenny said the United States had not issued a timetable for Hicks' case and "I don't know when, or if, David will be formally charged, or if or when he will come to trial." CONVERT TO ISLAM Hicks, a convert to Islam, was arrested in December 2001 while fighting with the Taliban. Kenny said Hicks, one of two Australians being held, had not killed or injured U.S. or Australian military personnel. Kenny referred to a lecture last month by British law Lord Johan Steyn, who called the U.S. Navy base "a legal black hole" for suspected soldiers of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban government. "After having been there, it is a physical and a moral black hole," said Kenny, whose efforts are supported by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which will argue the detainees' case before the Supreme Court. He said he expected to have discussions with prosecutors to see if Hicks' case can be finalized without a trial, but referring to any possible plea deal, he added, "I don't want to give you an indication one way or another, or suggest that I am leading you in any direction." Kenny said under Hicks' isolated conditions, he found it "totally unacceptable" that authorities reportedly approached Hicks before any lawyer's involvement to discuss possible legal options. Kenny said apart from discussing his case and giving legal advice, he also took Hicks chocolate and an Australian treat of Vegemite spread. He said he also cooked Hicks a steak. Kenny said he "did not see any other detainee, not even in passing" while at Guantanamo Bay.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (121770)	12/17/2003 9:11:10 PM
From: GST	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

<you seem to have immunized yourself pretty completely to any facts> The fact is that the US has been doing its best to destroy anyone and anything that stands in the way of absolute US military, economic and political dominance, and that strategy is a disaster for the US and for the world. You choose to ignore the seriousness of what has been done to US foreign policy -- I prefer to look it square in the eye.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (121770)	12/17/2003 10:27:56 PM
From: GST	Respond to of 281500

ADL Poll Rates U.S. Attitudes on Israel Wed Dec 17, 6:56 PM ET By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM - Some 43 percent of Americans believe Israel is a threat to world peace, according to a poll presented Wednesday by a Jewish group, but many more are concerned about North Korea (news - web sites), Iraq (news - web sites) and Iran. The Anti-Defamation League said its survey showed much less concern about Israel among Americans than a recent poll in Europe, where Israel was at the top of the list of countries perceived as threatening world peace. The ADL poll showed that 43 percent of Americans believe Israel is a threat to world peace, placing it behind seven other countries. In last month's Eurobarometer poll, 59 percent of Europeans chose Israel, ranking it number one. North Korea ranked first in the U.S. poll at 77 percent, with Iraq and Iran tied for second at 76 percent. About 37 percent of Americans said the United States itself was the greatest threat. A Boston-based research firm interviewed 1,200 American adults by phone earlier this month for the ADL. The survey's margin of error was 4 percentage points. The poll was presented during a national security conference in Herzliya attended by Israeli leaders and world figures. The poll showed about 40 percent of Americans sympathize primarily with Israel in the Mideast conflict, compared to just 15 percent that sympathize with Palestinians, numbers Foxman said have remained consistent since 1991. About 73 percent said the United States was more likely to be attacked by terrorists because of its support for Israel, but 62 percent who gave that answer said the support should continue anyway. The poll did not gauge opinion on controversial areas of policy, like Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites) or construction of a security barrier in the West Bank, both of which have come under sharp criticism from Palestinians and foreign governments. "We try to keep our poll consistent with (past years' questions). This month the fence may be an issue. Next month something else may be an issue," Abraham Foxman, the ADL's director, told The Associated Press. Foxman, 63, a Holocaust survivor (news - web sites), also said that anti-Semitism around the world is at a higher level than he ever expected to see. The ADL's main mission is fighting anti-Semitism. story.news.yahoo.com