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To: Ichy Smith who wrote (2939)	11/14/2006 3:07:11 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 20106

Well, if they insist on making payments, then I guess the plais don't need our assistance anymore..... Arabs vow to 'break' aid blockade on Palestinians IMRA ^ \| 11-14-06 imra.org.il Arabs vow to 'break' aid blockade on Palestinians Agence France-Presse - 13 November, 2006 www.gulfinthemedia.com/index.php?id=260504&news_type=Top<=en Arab foreign ministers gathered in Cairo vowed to ignore the aid freeze imposed on the Palestinian Authority and start stepping up payments. "We are determined to find means of getting aid directly to the Palestinian people," Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani told reporters. Palestinian foreign minister Mahmud Zahar hailed the decision as "extremely important", arguing it could pave the way for the formation of a national unity government and a lifting of the international boycott. "The Arab decision to lift the blockade is extremely important, it means that Arabs will revert to using the usual means to transfer aid," he told reporters. Western donors cut financial aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas took the helm of the Palestinian government in March, demanding the radical movement renounce violence and recognise Israel's right to exist. Zahar admitted that "it will take time" before funds start flowing back to the Palestinian Authority's empty coffers but stressed that "the decision will facilitate the formation of Palestinian national unity government." "We will build on this Arab decision to break the blockade to seek a lifting of the international blockade," said Zahar, who was attending his first Arab foreign ministers meeting at the League headquarters. "The decision taken by the Arab League today constitutes an important political support to the Palestinians," he said. The Palestinian Authority has been practically bankrupt since its two biggest donors -- the United States and European Union -- suspended direct aid after Hamas was voted to power. Tens of thousands of civil servants have not been paid in months and banks have shied away from transferring donations for fear of financial sanctions by the West. Arab officials in Cairo Sunday give no indication as to what the incentive might be for banks to resume transfers to the Palestinian Authority. "Arab banks are to transfer the funds without abiding by any restrictions imposed on the banks. Arab banks must transfer the funds," Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa simply said. Zahar announced that Kuwait had just transferred 30 million dollars to the authority but did not specify how. The Palestinian foreign minister said earlier Sunday that the costs of rebuilding the north Gaza town of Beit Hanun after deadly Israeli shelling amounts to 50 million dollars. "The Beit Hanun region is a devastated zone which will require around 50 million dollars to rebuild all that was destroyed after the latest Israeli offensive, and to lend urgent and immediate help to the families of the martyrs and the wounded," he said. On Wednesday, Israeli shelling of Beit Hanun killed 19 Palestinians as they slept, most of them women and children. The botched attack was blamed by Israel on faulty targeting radar. Zahar had also voiced his hope that Arab countries would recognise the Rafah crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip as a "Palestinian-Egyptian post only" and that pressure would be exerted to ensure it is permanently re-opened. "We failed on this," he admitted after the meeting, suggesting Egypt had refused to challenge Israel's frequent closures of crossing point, Gazans' only gateway to the rest of the world. In their final statement, Arab foreign ministers voiced their "utmost indignation" at the veto used by the United States Saturday to block a resolution condemning the Beit Hanun raid. They also called for the "immediate release of Palestinian prisoners and the release of the Israeli soldier" Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Palestinian groups, including a group linked to the ruling Hamas movement on June 25, sparking a widescale offensive in the Gaza Strip. The Qatari foreign minister called for a conference on a regional issues that would group "Israel, involved Arab countries and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council."

To: Ichy Smith who wrote (2939)	11/16/2006 12:52:58 PM
From: Elmer Flugum	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 20106

U.N. Report Reiterates Amnesty International's Concerns Regarding U.S. Detention Center in Guantánamo Bay amnestyusa.org Today's report from the United Nations condemning the conditions and treatment of detainees at the U.S. military detention center in Guantánamo Bay echoes Amnesty International's ongoing concerns. As Amnesty International has, the U.N. report calls for the closure of the camp and urges government and human rights defenders members around the world to send a clear message to the U.S. government that it is time for Guantánamo to go. The U.N. experts, like Amnesty International, also concluded that interrogation techniques authorized for use at the facility violate the Convention against Torture; that international human rights law is applicable to the facility and that the U.S. government must bring the detainees to trial under U.S. law or release them. "This report confirms everything that Amnesty International has repeatedly said about the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay," said Dr. William F. Schulz, Amnesty International USA Executive Director. "We called almost a year ago for the facility to be closed." But Guantánamo Bay is just the tip of the iceberg. The United States also operates detention facilities at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere in Iraq and has been implicated in the use of secret detention facilities in other countries, also known as "black sites." All these facilities, including Guantánamo Bay, must be opened to independent scrutiny. All detainees must have access to the courts and should be treated humanely. These are basic principles that cannot be overridden even in time of war or national emergency. In a report released last week, Amnesty International exposed the impact of detention in the Guantánamo Bay facility on detainees and their families; thousands are being condemned to a life of emotional and physical suffering and torment, the report found. Amnesty International repeats its call for Congress to establish a fully independent and impartial commission to conduct public investigations into the reports of abuse in U.S.-controlled detention centers, including secret ones, around the world and to offer preventive measures to stop torture and inhuman treatment. The United States government's disregard for international law in the context of the "war on terror" has enormous influence over the rest of the world. When the U.S. commits serious human rights violations it sends a signal to abusive governments that these practices are permissible. This is why Guantánamo Bay is so important: it tells other governments that they can commit human rights violations in the name of counter-terrorism too. "The United States can no longer make the case, morally or legally, for keeping it open. Everyday that the U.S. government continues to detain without charge or trial the hundreds of individuals at Guantanamo, we weaken not only our international credibility but our moral authority as well." said Schulz. How about International Law? len