The Saturday Evening Post
No. 4
A Weekly Cyber Magazine
A.
SEOUL — North Korea vowed Monday to strengthen its nuclear weaponry in the face of what it branded US hostility
As world leaders intensified pressure on Pyongyang over the sinking of a South Korean warship. Recent developments underscore the need for the North "to bolster its nuclear deterrent in a newly developed way" to cope with persistent US hostility and its military threat. Baek Seung-Joo of the (South) Korea Institute for Defence Analyses, said the statement indicates the North would start developing nuclear weapons based on highly enriched uranium. After years of denial, the hardline communist state last September announced it had reached the final stage of enriching uranium -- a second way of making nuclear bombs in addition to its original plutonium-based operation.
B. Iran's to postpone nuclear talks with the west as a "punishment" for the imposition of new UN sanctions.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. Negotiations would be put off until after Ramadan in late August, he said, though no talks have in fact been scheduled. "It's a punishment to teach them a lesson to know how to have a dialogue with nations," he told reporters in Tehran. Ahmadinejad also repeated that Iran would retaliate if attempts were made to inspect its ships, as sanctions permit.
Earlier, the Iranian leader had complained of a hidden agenda. "The western and US sanctions and threats are not only aimed at putting the brakes on Iran's progress in nuclear technology, but come to keep Iran from becoming an economic and industrial power," he told a crowd in Natanz in Isfahan province.
Separately, Iran's foreign ministry dismissed as "psychological warfare" an assessment by the CIA that the Islamic republic already has enough uranium to make two nuclear weapons. Ramin Mehmanparast, the ministry spokesman, called the comments by Leon Panetta, the CIA chief, "propaganda" intended to allow the US to avoid nuclear disarmament. "What Iran is pursuing is only in the framework of the rights that its membership of the International Atomic Energy Agency entitles it to," Mehmanparast said. "The real concern is disarmament and non-proliferation."
Reports from Dubai said that the UAE central bank has ordered financial institutions to freeze 41 Iran-linked accounts, in line with the UN sanctions. UN resolution 1929 calls for measures against new Iranian banks abroad if a connection to the nuclear or missile programmes is suspected, as well as vigilance over transactions with any Iranian bank.
c. Google's stops redirecting China web site and now will provide a link.
Mr. Drummond wrote that in an effort to continue to serve Google’s Chinese users while placating the government, the company is proposing a compromise. In the next few days, it will stop automatically redirecting users to its Hong Kong site. Instead, Chinese users will see a page at google.cn which offers a single link to the Hong Kong site, where they can conduct searches or use other Google services, like translation and music, that require no filtering.
The company said it had resubmitted its content provider license based on this approach and hopes the Chinese government will find it more palatable. If the government continues to object, Google would lose its ability to operate a Web site in China altogether.
“This approach ensures we stay true to our commitment not to censor our results on google.cn and gives users access to all of our services from one page,” Mr. Drummond wrote. “We are therefore hopeful that our license will be renewed on this basis so we can continue to offer our Chinese users services via google.cn.”
D. State Department: Permanent members of Security Council Plus German meet on Iran in Brussels.
Brussels and the P-5+1?
MR. TONER: Oh, yes. Thank you for reminding me.
QUESTION: Specifically what’s on the agenda and why they’re still meeting given that you already have the resolution?
MR. TONER: Right. Well, just to – he met with his counterparts from Russia, the UK, France, China, and Germany, and the EU, as well as the EU High Commissioner Catherine Ashton, to review the situation regarding Iran’s nuclear program. They reaffirmed the commitments that they made in the statement issued upon the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1929. They also reiterated the group’s goals toward a comprehensive and long-term resolution to resolving international concerns regarding Iran. The group also agreed on the importance of ensuring swift enforcement of Resolution 1929 that’s consistent with the dual – and which is consistent with the dual-track approach. And also has communicated in High Representative Ashton letter’s to Iran, they restated the offer to meet with Iran for discussions on the nuclear issue and stressed the door remains open to Iran.
And just as your follow-up question there, again, I think this is part of their regular consultations. They are going to continue to meet, obviously, the – the passage of 1929, does not in any way connote an end to the P-5+1’s regular consultations.
E. Iran moves radar to Syria
has moved radar to Syria that could provide early-warning against a possible surprise Israeli air attack against Tehran's nuclear sites, a US defense official said on Friday.
The radar transfer was first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday and prompted the State Department to voice concerns about cooperation between Syria and Iran.
The sophisticated radar were deployed in Syria last year, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
The move could bolster Iran's position amid long-running speculation that Israelmight stage a bombing raid against Tehran's nuclear enrichment facilities.
Information from new radar also could potentially help the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah with its missile arsenal and air defenses.
E. China 'jails Tibet activist for five years'
Rinchen Samdrup denied posting a pro-Dalai Lama article on his website
A Tibetan environmentalist has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Chinese court, his lawyer has said.
Rinchen Samdrup, the third brother in his family to be jailed, was found guilty of inciting separatism in China, reports say.
Mr Samdrup, who had pleaded not guilty, was accused of posting a pro-Dalai Lama article on his website.
The sentence comes just over a week after one of Mr Samdrup's brothers was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Authorities in China said an article on the Tibetan spiritual leader was posted on Mr Samdrup's website, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The website is devoted to protecting the environment in the Himalayan region.
F. Palestinians reject for the moment direct talks with Israel after weeks of indirect talks.
Israel and the Palestinians have reached the half-way point of indirect peace talks mediated by the United States.
After two months of indirect peace talks slated to last four months, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have differing visions about how to proceed.
U.S. envoy George Mitchell has been shuttling between Jerusalem and the West Bank, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it is time to move on to a new framework. He had this message for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"The best way to convince Israelis that you're serious about peace is to begin serious, direct peace negotiations and I'm ready to begin them any time," said Benjamin Netanyahu. "I'm ready to meet President Abbas today and tomorrow and the next day, at any place."
The Palestinians opted for indirect talks in protest over Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad says moving to direct talks would be premature.
"Those indirect talks have just begun, not a long time ago, and we've yet to see the kind of progress that would begin to justify consideration of that particular outcome," said Salam Fayyad.
The talks are dealing with the core issues of the conflict: the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements and the final borders of a Palestinians state. Israel says territorial concessions are unthinkable if the Palestinians are unwilling to sit down and talk, face to face.
Mr. Netanyahu says he will push for direct talks when he meets with President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday.
