Terror

Hello all,

Following hot on the heels of a report last week that MI5 knows of 30 terror plots threatening the UK and is keeping 1,600 individuals under surveillance, Gordon Brown — seen by many as premier in waiting to Tony Blair’s throne used the opportunity to cash in on the fear and assert his hardline views by reopening the debate on what is an acceptable time to hold terror suspects legally without charge in the so called terror climate.

It looks like Bush has another friend to rely on across the pond to back up his approach which at best could be called human rights light and fear heavy — and the UK may have to prepare itself for more of the gradual revisionism of the UK’s identity as a country rooted in freedom and protection of basic human rights.

The UK Terrorism Bill as it stands right now is a less obvious revoking of rights than the US Patriot Act or events taking place in Guantanamo, mainly due to strong reaction in parliament previously which defeated government plans to extend holding without charge for up to 90 days, Tony Blair’s first Commons loss. B ut it is still one of the most hardline in Europe — we can hold suspects for up to 28 days at present.

Mel

Terror ‘priority’ if Brown is PM
BBC
Sunday, 12 November 2006

The fight against terror would be Gordon Brown’s “first priority” if he became prime minister, he has hinted. The chancellor also backed Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair’s call for tougher anti-terror powers. Sir Ian wants phone-tap evidence usable in court and the 28-day maximum period for questioning suspects extended.

Mr Brown told the Sunday Times he “completely agreed” with Sir Ian - but he dismissed Tory calls for a full-time Cabinet terrorism minister.

‘Top table’

Conservative leader David Cameron told the newspaper he would appoint a minister responsible solely for combating terrorism to his Cabinet, if he became prime minister.

“Action against terrorism deserves a dedicated seat at the top table,” he said.

But Mr Brown dismissed the idea, saying: “If you are prime minister, you cannot devolve responsibility for protecting the nation.

“Every minister and every agency of government must take responsibility for security - each of them must play their part.”

However, Shadow Home Secretary David Davis told BBC One’s Sunday AM show that the prime minister and home secretary were “too busy doing other things” to deal adequately with terrorist threats. He said the government was “behind the curve” on the issue and that a minister “with the power, clout and determination” to focus on it was needed.

‘Completely agree’

On Saturday, Sir Ian told the Urban Age summit in Berlin the 28-day limit for holding terror suspects needed to be reviewed in the near future. Mr Brown said: “I completely agree with him.

“Given the scale of the threat we face, we must give the security service and the police not just the resources they need, but the powers they need to gather securely the evidence and use that evidence to gain convictions.” The chancellor added that if he became prime minister he would introduce an annually updated “national security strategy” to cover “conventional counter-terrorism” and the battle for “hearts and minds”.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said MPs should reconsider the government’s call to hold terror suspects for a maximum of 90 days without charge, which was rejected by the Commons in favour of 28 days. He told BBC One’s Politics Show that it was still felt by police that 28 days was not quite adequate, and “if that is the case Parliament could certainly revisit and consider it.”

On Friday, MI5 chief Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller said the security service knew of 30 terror plots threatening the UK and was keeping 1,600 individuals under surveillance.

Connected articles

UK : A Dangerous Policy on Torture

MI5 tracking ‘30 UK terror plots’

Conservatives warn on terror detentions

You would think in the fallout from last weeks elections the Republicans would have their hands full on damage limitation alert — but no, it seems there is still time for their biggest brains to come up with more catchy terror slogans to give us all nightmares. Axis of Evil it seems is becoming a little passé, roll in the new Nexus of Terror and also don’t forget the lesser known Arc of Extremism — Tony Blair not wanting to be outdone coined that little gem recently — I feel like I’m living in a Hollywood action film trailer sometimes!

M

W.House brands Iran, Hezbollah as terror ‘nexus’
Alternet
11 Nov 2006

The White House branded Iran and Hezbollah on Saturday as a “global nexus of terrorism” and applauded an Argentine court for seeking the arrest of former Iranian officials in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center.

In the Bush administration’s latest rhetorical assault on Iran, White House spokesman Tony Snow issued a statement saying the Islamic republic was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians as the world’s “leading state sponsor of terrorism.” It gave no specifics. The statement also said Tehran’s financial and military support for Hezbollah had allowed the Lebanese Shi’ite militant organization to “perpetuate violence throughout the world.”

“Hezbollah and Iran remain a dangerous, global nexus of terrorism,” Snow said in the statement.

Earlier this month, the White House accused Iran, Syria and Hezbollah of plotting to topple the Lebanese government, which the Bush administration has held up as an example of emerging democracy in the Middle East. Saturday’s statement came hours after five pro-Syrian Shi’ite Muslim ministers from Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, resigned from Lebanon’s Cabinet following the collapse of all-party talks to consider a greater government say for Shi’ite parties.

The United States is not keen to see Hezbollah exert more influence over the Lebanese government.

The White House statement also applauded an Argentine judge who ordered arrest warrants last Thursday for former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and eight others in the July 18, 1994, bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center.

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US vetoes UN motion on Gaza attack
BBC
Saturday, 11 November 2006

The US has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning an Israeli attack in Gaza that killed 18 civilians, including women and children. The draft, which also condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza , followed Wednesday’s attack in Beit Hanoun. The US ambassador at the UN, John Bolton, described the text as unbalanced and politically motivated.

Ten of 15 Security Council members backed the resolution. Four abstained - Denmark , Japan, Slovakia and the UK.

This was the second time this year the US used its veto on a draft resolution on Israeli military operations in Gaza. The US has a history of vetoing resolutions condemning Israel which it feels are biased against the country, says the BBC’s Laura Trevelyan at the UN in New York.

‘Not even-handed’

The draft resolution - backed by Arab, Islamic and non-aligned states and formally proposed by Qatar - called for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. It also asked the UN secretary general to set up a fact-finding mission into the deaths in Beit Hanoun.

The draft urged the Palestinian Authority to act to end violence - including rockets fired at southern Israel. The US ambassador said he regretted the Palestinian loss of life, but disagreed with the language used in the resolution.

“This resolution does not display an even-handed characterisation of the recent events in Gaza , nor does it advance the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace to which we aspire and for which we are working assiduously,” he said.

‘Green light’

An Israeli government spokesman described the veto as “very satisfactory”.

“The draft resolution did not stipulate that what happened at Beit Hanun was a tragic error,” Avi Pazner told AFP news agency.

But Palestinian cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad of Hamas told Reuters the veto was “a signal that the US had given legitimacy to the massacres and a green light to [Israel] to … carry out more massacres”. Qatar’s ambassador said the credibility of the Security Council had been called into question by the vote and the cycle of violence in the Middle East would continue.

Israel launched its operation in and around Beit Hanoun last month in an effort to root out militants firing rockets. The deaths were caused when what witnesses described as a volley of tank shells hit a built-up civilian area. Many of the dead were from one extended family, and included several women and children.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apologised for the attack, describing it as a “technical failure”.

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