Lobbying Activist

David Wu to Resign Amid Pressure

2011-07-27T02:48:00.000-07:00

Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., announced Tuesday he would resign from Congress, following allegations of sexual misconduct with a teenage girl.

The resignation announcement came in the wake of a report last week that the teenage daughter of a longtime friend and campaign donor called the congressman's office earlier this year to accuse him of an unwanted sexual encounter over Thanksgiving.

Wu, 56, acknowledged the incident to his aides but said it was consensual, the Portland Oregonian reported.

On Monday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, called for a formal ethics investigation. By Tuesday, Wu, a seven-term member of Congress, said he would resign his post, which he called "the greatest privilege of my life."

"I cannot care for my family the way I wish while serving in Congress and fighting these very serious allegations," Wu said in a statement. "The well-being of my children must come before anything else."

The accusations against David Wu are jarring and exceptionally serious. While he – like every American – deserves an opportunity to address those accusations and defend himself, our constituents in the first district of Oregon deserve a member in the House of Representatives whose main focus is fighting for their interests,” the senators said.

“This is a critical time for our state and our nation and Oregonians need every member of their Congressional delegation to be effective. While no one takes pleasure in asking a colleague to resign, we believe he can no longer be an effective representative for our shared constituents and should, in the best interest of Oregon, step down.”

On Monday, Wu confided in his close friend and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), who in his advice to Wu said, “Dave, you have to do what’s in the best interest of your young family, and yourself and then the institution, in that order.”

Larson also told Wu that “there are no good answers to this,” during their conversation.

Someone speaking on Wu’s behalf initially told reporters the 7-term Oregon Congressman would not resign, but would not seek reelection in 2012. Two Democrat elected officials had already announced their intentions to run against Wu before these recent allegations were made public.

The congressional district Wu has represented since 1999 is heavily Democratic and he previously won each of his previous races by double-digit margins.

Wu is the second House Democrat to resign over sexual indiscretions this year. In June, former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) resigned after sending inappropriate messages and photographs to several women via Twitter.

When Wu’s resignation is effective and his seat has been officially vacated, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber will call a special election.

Huntsman campaign focuses on N.H.

2011-07-27T02:47:00.000-07:00

While Jon Huntsman was winding down his tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to China, a "campaign-in-waiting" was being carefully assembled, so that when he was free of his duties to the Obama White House, he could hit the ground running and get his 2012 candidacy in gear. Those first days of the Huntsman campaign were a model of effeiciency -- Huntsman got on the ground, met with state officials, laid out a plan of attack and -- with a little bit of web-video whimsy -- they got the media to devote lots of time covering the lead-up to his official announcement in front of the Statue of Liberty.

And that announcement? Well, it was kind of a bust! Republican voters, as it turned out, liked him less the more they got to know him. And since then, the campaign has gotten stranger.

Huntsman, in his speech, called for a “more skeptical’’ view of America’s foreign entanglements.

“I look at Libya. There’s no defined goal, no defined national security interest, no exit strategy. I say why do we want to be involved?’’ Huntsman said.

On Afghanistan, Huntsman said, “It’s time for us to come home,’’ citing several achievements there including free elections.

Turning to Pakistan, Huntsman said, “We can’t do a damn thing about Pakistan. Only Pakistan can save Pakistan. . . . We can’t wish for stability in a nation state more than they do.’’

The appearance came as Huntsman is building his presence in New Hampshire, with more than 20 paid staff and several offices opening this summer. Huntsman plans to return the first week in August. He will need to build up his name recognition. Recent polling put him in the low single digits in New Hampshire, and voters tend to know little about him.

Behind the scenes, Huntsman has been attacking former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who is ahead in polls here. A recent e-mail from Huntsman’s campaign was headlined, “The Romney-Obama Budget Plan: Raise Taxes.

Jared Lee Loughner: 'I Want to Die, Give Me the Injection, Kill Me Now

2011-07-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

Jared Lee Loughner, who is accused of killing six people and injuring 13 others in Tucson Arizona, including Gabrielle Giffords, is being forcibly medicated as he is a danger to himself.

Court papers have revealed that Loughner, who has been deemed not fit enough to stand trial, is depressed and has "regret for the circumstances that led to his arrest. He also reported that the radio was talking to him and inserting thoughts into his mind."

While under suicide watch, Loughner "began pacing quickly in circles near his cell door" and was heard "screaming loudly and seen crying for hours at a time," according to court documents. "He was observed rocking back and forth in the showers."

One doctor reported that Loughner was often viewed as "inconsolable, uncooperative and unresponsive" and "also displayed hypersexed behavior." He talked about the "killings" and the possibility of receiving the death penalty and sobbed uncontrollably for 55 minutes. At one point Loughner said, "I want to die. Give me the injection, kill me now."

A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments regarding Loughner's forced medication in August after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday night denied an emergency motion by defense lawyers to keep prison officials from forcibly medicating Loughner with a psychotropic drug.

Loughner, 22, has pleaded not guilty in the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson that killed six and left 13 others wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. Loughner was declared mentally unfit to contribute to his defense by a federal judge and is being held in Springfield, Mo.

Credit hit worries Obama, Congress more than default

2011-07-27T02:32:00.000-07:00

US debt crisis has escalated after Republicans were forced to rewrite their proposal to lift the debt ceiling, because they miscalculated how much the original plan would cut spending.

In an embarrassing development for John Boehner, the Republican Congress speaker, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) ruled on Tuesday night that his bill would have only cut spending by $850bn over the next decade, not the $1.2tr he had aimed for. Republicans are now racing to rewrite the legislation, and have pushed back a Congressional vote on the plan from Wednesday to Thursday at the earliest.

Although Boehner was already struggling to find support for his package, the delay increases the risk that Washington will fail to agree a deal to raise the debt ceiling before 2 August, when the federal government is expected to run out of money.

The dollar dropped against other currencies on Wednesday morning as investors faced the possibility that America could default. Several economists believe the country will lose its AAA credit rating within months, which would push up its borrowing costs, even if the $14.3tr debt ceiling is increased in time.

The White House said on Tuesday it was working with Congress to devise a "Plan B" that might attract enough support. The two sides have been deeply divided for weeks, with Republicans demanding deep spending cuts and Democrats anxious to include tax rises as a major part of the deal.

Threat of a downgrade “is very damaging to all of us, and that would be a product of the dysfunction of Congress” said Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who led a faction of House Democrats who argued for a “clean” debt-limit increase early in the process, only to watch escalating chatter about the “Armageddon” of a missed deal feed scrutiny of the nation’s fiscal health.

S&P raised the threat of a downgrade July 14 by declaring that raising the debt limit alone might not be enough. It wanted to see an enforceable agreement to cut $4 trillion over 10 years to affirm the triple-A rating.

Administration officials were shocked by the move. They suggested privately that it did not seem to square with prior S&P reports, which said the nation’s larger budget problems could be dealt with over several years. Some administration officials dismissed the S&P report as little more than amateur political prognostication by people with limited understanding of how Washington works.

But the White House’s statements in the past week show a downgrade is now top of mind. Obama himself invoked the country’s triple-A rating in a rare prime-time address Monday as he outlined the consequences of default.

“For the first time in history, our country’s triple-A credit rating would be downgraded, leaving investors around the world to wonder whether the United States is still a good bet,” Obama said. “Interest rates would skyrocket on credit cards, on mortgages and on car loans, which amounts to a huge tax hike on the American people. We would risk sparking a deep economic crisis — this one caused almost entirely by Washington.”

Nearly every debt-limit conversation on Capitol Hill is infused with debate over the potential for either a downgrade, a default, or both. Democrats have embraced the argument of the White House: A short-term plan could result in a debilitating downgrade even if default is avoided.

Republicans are moving forward with their two-phase plan, but they’ve shown some concern about the possibility of ratings agencies scarring America’s creditworthiness. There’s significant disagreement in the GOP about the prospects of default and downgrade, and some lawmakers believe the administration and congressional leaders have created a false panic to box them into voting to raise the debt ceiling.

Norway suspect's claim of allies in doubt

2011-07-27T02:25:00.000-07:00

OSLO, Norway — The leader of Norway's Delta Force says the breakdown of the team's boat didn't cause any significant delay in its efforts to reach the island where Anders Behring Breivik's shooting rampage killed 68 people.

Anders Snortheimsmoen told reporters Wednesday that even though the assigned boat quickly broke down, the team immediately jumped into another, better boat. He says his team arrived by the harbor at the same time as local police and that the boat mishap caused "no delay."

At the same news conference, Justice Minister Knut Storberget praised the team, saying it helped "limit the tragedy" on Utoya island and the bombing in the city center. Friday's twin terrorist acts claimed at least 76 lives.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

OSLO, Norway — A spokesman for the Norwegian Railway Authority says parts of Oslo's central station have been evacuated as police investigate an abandoned suitcase.

Olav Nordli says the suitcase was found in the area where buses depart for Oslo's airport. Police have sealed off the area and are examining the abaondoned luggage.

The city is on high alert in the wake of Friday's bombing and youth camp shooting that killed 68 people.

The first Cabinet ministers were to return to their offices Wednesday after a car bomb exploded in the government district of the Norwegian capital.

On Wednesday, police detonated an unknown quantity of explosives found on a farm owned by Breivik north of Oslo in a controlled blast.

CBS News partner network Sky News reports that Breivik posed for years as a farmer in order to purchase large amounts of synthetic fertilizer, some of which he obtained online from a Polish company.

Norway's intelligence chief told the BBC on Wednesday that investigators have found no evidence to support Breivik's claims of contact with other extremist individuals or groups in Britain or anywhere else.

"We don't have indications that he has been part of a broader movement or that he has been in connection with other cells or that there are other cells," Janne Kristiansen told the BBC.

She cautioned that the investigation was still underway and that connections to other groups or individuals could not be ruled out.

In a voluminous online manifesto posted the morning before the attack Breivik expressed an admiration for right-wing extremist groups in the U.S. and Europe.

"We are in close contact with our sister services in Europe, America and elsewhere," said Kristiansen.

Norway killer: 'no link' to British far-right groups

2011-07-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

Explosives found at a farm leased by Anders Behring Breivik, the sole suspect in Friday's killings in Norway, have been safely detonated in a controlled explosion about 160km north of Oslo by the Norwegian police.

Police believe that Breivik, 32, made his bomb using fertiliser which he had bought under the cover that he was a farmer.

Tueday's detonation came as Breivik's lawyer, Geir Lippestad, said that he is probably insane, and was on drugs while he carried out his attacks that killed 68 in Utoeya island and eight in Oslo.

Lippestad said it was too early to say if his client would plead insanity at his trial, even though he thought the loner and computer-games enthusiast was probably a madman.

"This whole case indicated that he is insane," Lippestad said of Breivik, who has confessed to "atrocious but necessary" actions, but denies he is a criminal.

Breivik, who killed at least 76 people in twin attacks last week, has written of meeting British right-wing groups nine years ago.

But Ms Kristiansen said she believed he had acted on his own.

The intelligence chief added that she did not believe the killer was insane, but calculating and evil, and someone who sought the limelight.

Breivik's lawyer Geir Lippestad, had said it was too early to say if his client would plead insanity at his trial, even though "this whole case indicated that he is insane".

He believes that he's in a war and he believes that when you're in a war you can do things like that without pleading guilty," Mr Lippestad told reporters.

Ms Kristiansen's comments came as Norwegian police started releasing names of some of Breivik's victims.

They published four names, with more expected to follow later today.

Norwegian police have also defended the fact that it took an hour and a half for armed officers to reach Utoeya.

"I don't think we think we could have done this faster," Police Chief of Staff Johan Fredriksen said in Oslo.

GOP Bucks Boehner's Plan That Obama Threatens to Veto

2011-07-27T02:14:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - US Representative Richard Neal has been thwarted for years in his effort to stop foreign insurance companies from shifting premiums paid by their US customers to offshore tax havens.

This week, it became clear that the Springfield Democrat will be frustrated once again, as Democrats and Republicans in Congress have left tax code changes out of their competing plans to raise the debt limit.

While much of the nation’s attention has been riveted on the determination of fiscal conservatives in the House to block any provision that raises new revenue, Neal’s unsuccessful effort to close what he calls an offshore tax loophole is an example of how business interests have stymied an array of tax code changes sought by President Obama, Democrats, and even some Republicans in the Senate.

“It’s the lobbying muscle,’’ Neal said. “Once something becomes embedded in the tax code, its very hard to extract.’’

Coincidentally, the aftermath of the tornadoes that tore through Western Massachusetts last month, causing an estimated $200 million in damage, offers a peek at the particular strategy on some insurance premiums that Neal and others say is unfair to US taxpayers.

So far, it doesn't appear Cantor's efforts are working. Rep. Jim Jordan, who chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, said, "I am confident as of this morning that there were not 218 Republicans in support of this plan," The Washington Post's Felicia Sonmez reports. (No hard feelings though: Jordan insists that he and fellow conservatives "appreciate the speaker's hard work.") Though she's out on the campaign trail, Rep. Michele Bachmann wants everyone to know she does not back Boehner's plan--her staffers told the liberal site Think Progress, "the congresswoman is standing firm opposing the Boehner plan."

The Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Weisman tweets that first the Republican Study Committee, then an arm of the Heritage Foundation, and now the Club for Growth are all opposing Boehner's plan: "This is a whip's nightmare -- or a real [break] for compromise." Could conservatives' abandonment of Boehner mean there's a chance to compromise with Democrats? Probably not. The New York Times' Jada F. Smith reports that House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer says when it's time to vote Wednesday, Boehner's plan will get "very few" Democratic votes, if any. And the White House's Office of Management and Budget released a memo saying if the plan, "is presented to the President, the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill."

Sen. Kent Conrad, of the declared-dead-then-revived-now-probably-dead-again Gang of Six plan, says the "Boehner plan probably has to fail in the House or Senate before debt limit end game becomes clear," Brian Beutler reports. That's one of two scenarios Democrats are gaming out with the hopes of exploiting the disunity in the Republican ranks, The Washington Post's Greg Sargent reports. Sargent explains.

Short-term debt hike confounds 2 sides

2011-07-27T02:10:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — Neither the House nor the Senate has a clear path forward for must-pass legislation to allow the government to continue to borrow to pay its bills, putting lawmakers and financial markets alike on edge less than a week before the deadline for heading off a first-ever U.S. default.

The pressure is on House Speaker John Boehner, who's being forced to rewrite his debt and budget plan after nonpartisan congressional scorekeepers said it wouldn't reap the savings he's promised.

The Ohio Republican also needs to shore up his standing with tea party-backed conservatives demanding deeper spending cuts to accompany an almost $1 trillion increase in the government's borrowing cap.

In a national, prime-time address Monday, the president declared that Boehner's plan "would force us to once again face the threat of default just six months from now. In other words, it doesn't solve the problem."

But debt ceiling increases are by definition temporary. Since 1993, when the debt ceiling stood at $4.37 trillion, Congress raised the limits 13 times, in amounts that lasted from three months to almost five years. The debt ceiling was raised 18 times during President Ronald Reagan's two terms, including three times during his 1984 re-election run, for an average length of about five months. House Republicans point out that is a shorter period than the six-month debt ceiling increase their plan would provide.

The problem for Obama is that Boehner's plan ties a second debt ceiling increase to a broad scrubbing of entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, with a goal of reducing long-term deficits by at least $1.8 trillion. White House officials fear that under such a plan, the debt ceiling would once again be pushed to a near-crisis point in January as lawmakers undertake what so far has been a Sisyphean task to cut the costs of the nation's biggest benefit programs.

White House officials say that effort would be further complicated because it would be colored by election-year politics.

Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell both have accused Obama of being more worried about his own re-election than the fiscal health of the country. "With all due respect to the president, we have more important things to worry about than getting through the next election," McConnell said.

Obama, however, has said he would be willing to seek increases in the debt ceiling during an election year if they somehow would be guaranteed to pass, as they were in a proposal by McConnell.

"That way folks in Congress can vote against it, but at least it gets done," Obama said Friday. "I'm willing to take the responsibility. That's my job. So if they want to give me the responsibility to do it, I'm happy to do it."

For House Republicans, the two-step process was not always the preferred method either.

On June 13, Cantor asserted, "It's my desire to have one debt ceiling vote."

A week later, on June 21, he said: "I don't see how multiple votes on a debt ceiling increase can help get us to where we want to go. We want big reforms, we want big spending cuts and big changes to how this town works. And to me, it is a case of having to make some tough decisions. I am not so sure that if we can't make the tough decisions now, why we would be making those tough decisions later."

With six days left before the government exhausts its borrowing authority, Republican officials say they no longer have the luxury of planning a single debt ceiling increase to accomplish the deficit reductions they have in mind.

Those chances faded Friday when Boehner ended negotiations with the White House for a large package of $4 trillion in deficit reductions over 10 years in exchange for a $2.4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. Boehner said he walked out of the talks because Obama had insisted on $400 billion more in tax revenue than the $800 billion that Boehner was willing to concede.

But Republicans believe the only way Democrats and the president will seriously consider structural changes to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security is if the debt ceiling is on the line. Boehner's plan as outlined Tuesday would increase the debt ceiling by $900 billion and seek cuts in day-to-day spending that are greater than that. It then would require a joint committee of Congress to identify deficit reduction measures totaling at least $1.8 trillion. Congress would have to approve those cuts before granting a second debt ceiling increase of $1.6 trillion.

"At this late hour, any plan that's going to have significant deficit reduction is going to have to be a two-step plan," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said. "There's just not time to write all the reforms needed.

Merkel, IMF talks cancelled

2011-05-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, has been arrested on charges of attempted rape, criminal sexual act and unlawful imprisonment, New York City police said Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

A law enforcement official said Mr. Strauss-Kahn was taken into police custody Saturday after being removed from an airplane at Kennedy Airport.

The law enforcement official said Mr. Strauss-Kahn allegedly forced a cleaning woman onto his bed and sexually assaulted her at around 1 p.m. Saturday inside his room at the Sofitel Hotel near Times Square.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn's attorney didn't immediately return phone or email messages seeking comment.

Talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and arrested IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, set for Sunday, have been cancelled as the International Monetary Fund will not send a replacement to Berlin, a government source said.

The charges, if true, would strike a tremendous blow to France's current politics. The Socialist Party is holding primaries this fall, but candidates have been requested to apply between June 28 and July 13.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn's decision regarding his candidacy has been much awaited as polls have constantly shown over the past few months that he would beat Mr. Sarkozy as soon as the first round. His decision was expected as soon as the end of May, a person close to him told Dow Jones Newswires.

Corrupt corporate legislation

2011-05-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Just think about 100 Senators and 435 Representatives total numbers representative are 441 with 5 Delegates and one Resident.

If any corporation invest on 50% members one million dollars per member.The total amount will be 220.5 millions Dollars. After that they can make law as corporation want with 25% support of natural agreed members.Simply "that corporation" will "Get benefits" of just some "Billions" only.

Estimated War-Related Costs, Iraq and Afghanistan

Estimated Costs of war in Afghanistan 2011

119.4 Billions US$

Estimated Costs of war in Iraq 2011

51.1 Billions US$

Currently, the United States consumes 19.6 million barrels per day, of oil, which is more than 25% of the world's total.

If Congressman or Senator talk angrily on Middle east the oil prices will rise again.

If oil prices rise only 1$ per "Barrel" Poor corporations just get 19.6 US$ million per day only##########

Which one not agreed with them. They have many other "Alternate solutions"

Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills. ”

This establishes the method for making Acts of Congress. Accordingly, any bill may originate in either House of Congress, except for a revenue bill, which may originate only in the House of Representatives. In practice, the Senate can simply circumvent this requirement by substituting the text of any bill previously passed by the House with the text of a revenue bill, as was done with H.R. 1424 or the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. When the Senate sends an appropriation bill to the House, the House may return it to the Senate with a blue slip, thereby settling the question in practice. Either House may amend any bill, including revenue and appropriation bills.

The Origination Clause stems from an English parliamentary requirement that all money bills start from the House of Commons; it was intended to ensure that the "power of the purse" lies with the legislative body closer to the people. The clause was also part of a compromise between small and large states: the latter were unhappy with equal representation in the Senate.

What did you think about US budget 2011?

Where are we (Americans).....................?

Consumer Outlook for China Luxury

2011-05-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Chinese incomes are going up. For some that means a stop at the local fast food restaurant is affordable, for others, it has created a pension for brand names, expensive cars and glitzy jewelry.

McKinsey, a management consultancy, recently reported it expects China will account for 20 percent of the world's luxury goods in just four years. By then, it says, the luxury market could be worth 27 billion dollars.

Rapid increases in wealth, and shifting social mores that sanction the display of that wealth, are driving a growing infatuation for luxury goods among Chinese consumers.”

“Access to an explosion of information on the Internet, an increasing penchant for overseas travel, and first-hand experience purchasing and consuming luxury goods are contributing to a substantial rise in sophistication among luxury consumers in China. Contrary to popular belief, a growing number of Chinese luxury consumers are exhibiting a noticeable trend away from overt displays of wealth, and towards more understated forms of luxury consumption.”

“Rapid urbanization and growing wealth outside of China’s largest cities is driving the emergence of several new geographic markets with sizeable pools of luxury goods consumers. Over the next 5 years, [McKinsey] expects that the number of such cities will double from 30-60.

Ushering into 2011, China, serving as a niche market, is more than just prosperity. It is believed that China’s luxury market has transformed from ‘land-rush’ to ‘ROI focus’. It is urgent for key market players to have in-depth knowledge of ‘China’s rule’. How to cultivate specific brandculture catering to local consumers? How to efficiently build brand image and grant to consumers? What is the ideal retailing solution for variant consumers? How to do ideal CRM in a niche market? It is certain that luxury consumption in China is more than purchasing but purchasing culture, spirit, life sytle of luxury brands.

Core luxury buyers: Affluent households that spend 12 to 20% of their income on luxury goods per year ($22,000 to $66,000).

Luxury role models: Young and fashionable, most are self-employed or corporate executives living in Beijing or Shanghai. They buy to indulge themselves and seek to feel unique rather than show off their wealth.

Fashion fanatics: Middle class, typically in junior to mid-level positions; includes some housewives. They spend a disproportionate amount of income on luxury, and have a stronger “enjoy now” mindset, willing to buy on credit. They also exert a strong influence on other consumers, sharing their purchases and opinions in social circles and online.

Middle-class aspirants: Middle class living in Tier 2/3 cities. They are infrequent buyers of luxury products. Purchasing luxury goods makes them feel successful and fulfills aspirations of belonging in a higher social circle. They are also less knowledgeable about luxury brands and thus are more cautious spenders.

Hillary offers carrot, Kerry stick

2011-05-16T11:30:00.002-07:00

United States has reverted to its old tactics of carrot and stick policy as two of its top leaders have reflected this in their latest contacts with Pakistan.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called President Asif Ali Zardari late Sunday and discussed present situation in the aftermath of the Abbottabad operation. According to official sources, the President apprised her of the concerns expressed by Pakistan’s Parliament over the operation.

According to TV channels, Hillary assured US support to Pakistan. Both leaders also discussed war on terror and the bilateral relations

Earlier, US Senator John Kerry, while speaking in Kabul, warned that relations with key ally Pakistan were at a ‘critical moment’ and maintained that there was disturbing evidence against Pakistan’s links with Taliban.

Shortly arriving in Islamabad, John Kerry called on Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest. Kerry, who has ostensibly come to pacify Pakistan over US raid in Abbottabad, was told by General Kayani that unilateral action against Al-Qaeda chief did not go well in Pakistan and had further widened the trust deficit between the two countries.

WASHINGTON: US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Chairman Senator John Kerry visited Pakistan along with the list of demands and could use threats and offers to make demands meet, a report published in US newspaper said.

According to the US newspaper, Senator Kerry would try to use the threat of Congressional cuts to the $3 billion in annual American aid to Pakistan as leverage.

Kerry will also reassure Pakistani officials that they will be a central part of any political accord with the Taliban in Afghanistan, to ease their fears that India will take over large areas of Afghanistan as the United States pulls out.

He will also raise an issue of Pakistan's escalating production of nuclear fuel.

Members of Congress, in closed sessions, have complained that if Pakistan continued to escalate production of nuclear fuel then it would jeopardize the fundings.

Kerry presents list of specific demands

2011-05-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD - U.S. Senator John Kerry will push Pakistani leaders on Monday to explain how Osama bin Laden was able to hide in their country for years, without further inflaming Pakistani anger over the U.S. raid that killed the al Qaeda chief.

U.S. special forces flew in from Afghanistan on a secret operation to find and kill the al Qaeda leader on May 2, nearly 10 years after he orchestrated the September 11 attacks on the United States.

His discovery holed up in the comfortable garrison town of Abbottabad, only 50 km from the Pakistani capital, has revived suspicion that U.S. ally Pakistan knew where he was and has been playing a double game.

Pakistan has rejected that as absurd. It welcomed bin Laden's killing as a big step in the fight against militancy but objected about being left in the dark over the raid to get him.

Kerry arrived late Sunday and went quickly to see army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, handing him the list of US demands, according to a Pakistani government official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and declined to give more details because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Kayani told Kerry his soldiers have “intense feelings” about the raid, in apparent reference to anger and humiliation here that Washington did not tell the army in advance about helicopter-borne raid, and the fact it was unable to stop the incursion.

Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari’s office, meanwhile, said US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called him Sunday to discuss the raid’s fallout in Pakistan. Clinton has spoken of the need to keep strong ties with Pakistan, and stressed there’s no evidence yet its leaders knew of bin Laden’s whereabouts.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke on Sunday to President Asif Ali Zardari by telephone about the situation since bin Laden's death, Zardari's office said, adding Zardari told Clinton about parliament's concerns.

"Both agreed to resolve the issues amicably and move forward," the president's office said.

Compounding Pakistan's reputation as an unstable Muslim country infested with militants, gunmen on motorcycles shot dead a Saudi diplomat in the city of Karachi on Monday as he was driving to work.

The attack came days after unidentified attackers threw two hand grenades at the Saudi consulate in the city, Pakistan's commercial hub. No one as hurt in that attack.

Al Qaeda is violently opposed to the Saudi government, which is a close ally of Pakistan, and has vowed revenge for the killing of its leader, Saudi-born bin Laden.

IMF chief's arrest may speed up succession battle

2011-05-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the leader of the International Monetary Fund, spent much of Sunday at the Manhattan Special Victims Unit in East Harlem as prosecutors sought additional evidence, including possible DNA evidence on his skin or beneath his fingernails, to bolster allegations that he had sexually assaulted a maid in a $3,000-a-night suite at a Midtown hotel, officials said.

IMF officials explained Lipsky often runs the financial institution when the managing director (MD) is away and said it remained "fully functioning and operational."

But the announcement did not mask concerns among some high-ranking IMF board officials about a possible leadership vacuum, especially as Lipsky only last week said he planned to stand down in August when his term ends.

That could leave the world's lender rudderless just as it is immersed in efforts to fix the euro zone's debt debacle and faces the massive task of helping steer the global economy away from the kind of policies that triggered the crash of 2007-09.

As the court order was being sought, the woman who told the police on Saturday that she had been attacked by Mr. Strauss-Kahn, picked him from a police lineup on Sunday, the police said.

The identification came less than a day after he had been taken into custody by detectives of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the first-class section of the Air France jet. He was turned over to detectives from the Midtown South Precinct and later taken to the Special Victims Unit.

After identifying Mr. Strauss-Kahn about 4:30 p.m., the woman, a maid at the Sofitel New York on West 44th Street, where Mr. Strauss-Kahn was a guest, left the Special Victims Unit in a police van that drove past a gaggle of reporters. A blanket was covering her head.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn himself remained at the Special Victims Unit, near the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, well into the evening, and it was unclear when he would be taken to Manhattan Criminal Court for arraignment.

The heads of the Bretton Woods institutions should be chosen solely on the basis of an open and merit-based process without regard to nationality."

Former Turkish finance minister Kemal Dervis' name has been circulated in recent months as a possible candidate.

Dervis was a former head of the United Nations Development Programme and now directs an economics program at the Washington-based Brookings Institution think-tank.

While some in Britain speculated about a candidacy of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who served as finance minister for a decade until 2007, his successor, David Cameron, has urged the IMF to look beyond Europe for its next leader.

Current French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has also been touted by some Europeans as a possible successor. That would make her the first female head of the institution.

IMF Head Held in Alleged Sexual Assault Attempt

2011-05-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

Maybe is that "Corporate Sex" Assault

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was pulled from an Air France flight in New York today and held for questioning about an alleged sexual assault, a police spokesman said.

The IMF head was being questioned over an incident in a Manhattan hotel, New York Police Department spokesman Brian Sessa said.

Authorities said a maid at a midtown Manhattan hotel told police that Strauss-Kahn stepped out of the bathroom naked as she was cleaning the room and assaulted her.

Strauss-Kahn was taken into custody aboard an Air France jet at John F. Kennedy International Airport, just as the doors were closing to take off on a flight to Paris.

Detectives from the New York Police Department picked up the IMF president from Port Authority police and took him to midtown for questioning.

The NYPD realized he had fled, he had left his cell phone behind," Browne said. "We learned he was on an Air France plane. They held the plane and he was taken off and is now being held in police custody for questioning."

Browne said Strauss-Kahn had not been charged.

Police said the alleged incident took place at the upscale Sofitel hotel on West 44th Street near Times Square.

The chambermaid "was brought by EMS (emergency medical services) to the Roosevelt Hotel, where she was treated for minor injuries," Brown said.

Strauss-Kahn took over the International Monetary Fund in November 2007. Before that, he was a member of the French National Assembly and a professor of economics at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.

The IMF declined to comment and board officials said they had not been informed officially of the incident.

Browne said the maid notified hotel managers of the alleged assault and the hotel contacted police, who arrived at about 1:30 pm.

"She reported the attack to hotel officials who called police," Browne said.

When police arrived they found Strauss-Kahn's cell phone, Browne said.

"It appeared he left in a hurry," he said.

The IMF head has "not said a word" to police since he was taken into custody, Browne said.

He was being held for questioning at the Special Victims Unit on 126th Street in Manhattan.

IMF Chief Set to Face Sexual Scandal Turns to Lipsky

2011-05-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Head of the International Monetary Fund is set to appear in a New York City court Monday to face sexual assault charges following a complaint by a hotel maid.

Lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn say he will plead not guilty, and has agreed to undergo a forensic examination as police gather more evidence in the case.

Authorities said Sunday Strauss-Kahn, who has been considered a leading candidate to be the next president of France, has been charged with criminal sexual assault, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment.

Turns to Lipsky

David Lipsky, 64, was named acting managing director yesterday after the fund’s chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was charged with attempted rape and a criminal sex act on a New York hotel maid. Lipsky, who has been first deputy managing director since 2006, takes temporary leadership of the Washington-based IMF as it tries to stem the European sovereign-debt crisis and deal with Greece’s request for a bigger financial lifeline.

Lipsky, who once served as chief economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York and represented the IMF in Chile, is described by colleagues as a steady hand who can give the fund some stability in the aftermath of Strauss-Kahn’s arrest. His promotion came three days after the IMF said he would be leaving when his term as the No. 2 official ends on Aug. 31. That could result in an “awkward period,” said Eswar Prasad, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

IMF spokesman William Murray said Lipsky wouldn’t comment on his new appointment.

Meeting on Greece

European finance ministers will tackle Greece’s financing needs at meetings in Brussels today. Also on the agenda are the approval of 78 billion euros ($110 billion) in aid for Portugal and the nomination of Bank of Italy Governor Mario Draghi to be the next president of the European Central Bank.

In late 2008, the Group of 20 finance ministers asked the IMF to develop a so-called Early Warning Exercise. The effort “assesses low-probability but high-impact risks to the global economy and identifies policies to mitigate them,” the IMF said in a fact sheet last month.

Lipsky was a leader of the effort, emphasizing the importance of specifically identifying potential hazards.

Police say a 32-year-old chambermaid the Sofitel Hotel says she entered Strauss-Kahn's luxury suite to clean it Saturday afternoon. The maid told police Strauss-Kahn came out of the bathroom naked and attempted to force her into performing sex acts. The maid says she broke free, fled the room and told other hotel personnel, who called police.

Police say when they arrived at the hotel, Strauss-Kahn had already left for the airport, leaving behind his mobile phone and other personal items.

New York police say the maid was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.

Strauss-Kahn was considered a leading contender to run as the Socialist party's candidate against President Nicolas Sarkozy in France's 2012 election.

The head of the Socialist party, Martine Aubry, appealed for party unity Sunday and said that the news "struck like a thunderbolt.

Royal wedding Activst

2011-04-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

911 audio released of call made from Phoenix

2011-02-19T00:00:00.001-08:00

PHOENIX - A week after "Malcolm in the Middle" star Frankie Muniz called police from his Phoenix home, we are getting a glimpse of the fight that prompted the 911 call that was made at 10:18 p.m.

911: Tell me your name

Muniz: I, I don't want to make a big deal because I’m, I’m a celebrity.

A woman in the background cries out: “Oh my God!”

That’s about the only time you can make out what she is saying.

Muniz: You need to calm down. (woman heard screaming in the background)

911: Frankie? She sounds really upset.

Muniz says that woman is his girlfriend, “her name's Elycia.”

Police list 25-year-old Francisco Muniz and 33-year-old Elycia Marie Turnbow as both suspect and victim of disorderly conduct.

Muniz told the operator, “Like, my girlfriend is drunk and she's going crazy and she's trashing my house. Literally lamps, everything and she's going crazy she's hitting me in the face. I don't know what to do because I’m, I’m about to lose control.”

As the 911 dispatcher tries to gather more information Muniz begs with her not to make this a big deal. He even begins to backtrack letting the dispatcher know he doesn’t even want anyone to come, he just was hoping she could help him calm her down.

“I don't want any charges; I just want her to stop throwing stuff,” Muniz says.

According to the police report, when officers arrived, Elycia claimed Frankie hit her and at one point held a gun to his own head.

Since nobody was there, it’s a he said, she said.

All we’ve got is what we can hear on the tape.

Muniz: Babe you just damaged the house you're still damaging it. Just leave it, leave it where it is babe.

Turnbow: You just hit me!

Muniz: I did not hit you, you punched me in the face because I was sleeping.

To the 911 dispatcher he added, “Ma'am I was literally sleeping and she came in, she had a pretty bad day, but she came in and punched me in the face.”

A gun was found in a closet and police removed it from the home.

For all the drama, the report says there were “no signs of injury, no signs of damage."

Police did not charge either of them, instead they offered a warning saying next time they could face jail time.

Frankie tells the 911 operator, “I love her so much. Now my, the love of my life hates me because she's, you know, having a bad day.”

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(source:abc15.com)

Tech Lobbyists Have a Lot To Work With

2011-02-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

Telecom and tech hit the jackpot in President Obama's budget, and the lobbyists and groups representing them are in the enviable position of shaping big investments with White House backing, National Journal Daily reported.

Technology issues are at the forefront of the political and legislative battles over how to stimulate the economy while reducing government spending, and tech companies and consumer organizations largely praised Obama's plan as a step in the right direction.

But even more than what the budget may or may not fund, the coming political fight over that money will likely define lobbying efforts in the near future.

South Korea Form Backdrop for Lobbyists Seeking Trade Deal

2011-02-18T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hyundai Motor Co. cars being unloaded at Philadelphia’s port became props as U.S. business lobbyists and the South Korean government pushed for approval of a free-trade deal.

When President Barack Obama and congressional leaders discuss the agreement, renegotiated in December and set to be submitted to Congress in the coming weeks, they cite increases in U.S. exports to Korea. In Philadelphia, the South Korean-made cars are unloaded from South Korean-made cargo ships by South Korean-made cranes.

“This isn’t a story we have told well,” Tami Overby, vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, said yesterday of the scene intended to show that imports are good for the American economy as well. “But America is about freedom of choice.”

The Chamber, the largest U.S. business lobbying group, arranged for South Korea’s Ambassador Han Duk Soo to visit the Philadelphia port and meet local political leaders to make the case for the agreement, the largest new deal to be sent to Congress since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994.

Hyundai, the largest South Korean automaker, agreed last year to shift deliveries from New York and Baltimore to Philadelphia, meaning 150,000 Kia Souls, Hyundai Accents and Kia Rios are sent through the port’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. More than 1,800 were unloaded onto a port lot yesterday.

In addition, Hyundai Rotem Co., a unit of the auto company, is shipping the chassis of rail cars to the port and then building them out for sale to the local transit authority, Hyung Wook Kim, president of Hyundai Rotem USA, said in an interview.

Union Jobs

The imports are creating hundreds of jobs for union longshoremen, mechanics and assembly workers, said Thomas Holt, president of Holt Logistics Corp., which runs the port operations.

Because of those jobs, the local longshoreman’s union said it supports the free-trade agreement, which would eliminate tariffs on trade between the nations and set rules for investment and the protection of patents and copyrights.

“We’re on a decline in the United States and we’re not creating any jobs,” Martin Mascuilli, the secretary-treasurer of the local union that represents port workers, said in an interview. “Maybe with this deal we’ll be able to sell more cars in Korea. If we aren’t able to export our cars, what are we going to do with them?”

The AFL-CIO labor federation and unions in Washington have opposed the deal, saying it would cost U.S. jobs by increasing pressure on companies to move operations outside the U.S. and import more.

Lost Jobs

“The United States has lost 5 million jobs since Nafta, and the last thing America’s middle class needs right now is ‘Son of Nafta’,” Teamsters President James Hoffa said in a statement.

The Chamber of Commerce is organizing U.S. visits by Korean officials and business leaders as a way to highlight the benefits of the deal and counter unhappiness among voters and lawmakers about previous agreements, which many blame for lost jobs and stagnant wages.

Han said he has been meeting with lawmakers as well, to help push broad support for the deal amid a consistent complaint: “They say, ‘Look at Nafta, that was bad; look at China, that was bad. Why would we do this?’”

Unlike the trade deal with Mexico and the vote on China’s membership into the World Trade Organization, Korea is a more developed nation and has a falling, not rising, trade deficit with the U.S., he said.

“When it comes to Korea there is no word like ‘outsourcing’ or taking away jobs,” Han said. “The industries of the two countries are quite complementary.”

Han didn’t have to make that point to Harry Cassell, operator of the Korean-made crane at the port. As Han left a meeting with local politicians, Cassell stopped him and shook his hand: “I appreciate your Korean workmanship,” he said.

(source:bloomberg.com)

Lobbying firm interested in Herseth-Sandlin

2011-02-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A Washington, D.C., law and lobbying firm says it's talking with former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin about joining the firm.

John Bode, principal lawyer with Olsson Frank Weeda, tells the Argus Leader that the firm would be "greatly flattered" to have the South Dakota Democrat who holds a law degree from Georgetown University. He says an arrangement has not been finalized.

1 of the firm's specialties is agriculture and food policy. Herseth Sandlin was a member of the House Agriculture Committee before losing her seat to Republican Kristi Noem in last year's election.

Herseth Sandlin has said she might consider running for office again. Some Democrats want her to run against Noem.

Noem says she's too busy representing the state's interests in Congress to worry about Herseth Sandlin's plans.

Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com

Lavender lobby,on the defense

2011-02-18T23:33:00.000-08:00

RALEIGH — It was anti-gay, Gaston County Sen. Jim Forrester (R) who first called Equality North Carolina and its team “lavender lobbyists.” Forrester meant it as a jab; little did he know that LGBT journalists, bloggers and activists would later claim the phrase as their own.

For nearly a decade, conservative legislators like Forrester have led a relentless push to further institutionalize discrimination against LGBT North Carolinians by passing a constitutional amendment banning recognition of all same-sex relationships. It’s often called a “marriage amendment,” but the legislation very possibly could extend much further.

Ian Palmquist, Equality North Carolina’s executive director, says he’s proud of his organization’s ability to block the amendment, though such a victories with their own perils.

“I don’t want anyone to underestimate the threat,” Palmquist tells qnotes. “I think the fact that we’ve been able to stop this constitutional amendment for the last seven years may have some people feeling complacent, but the fact is that there is a very, very real threat of this going on the ballot in 2012.”

He adds, “We have to do everything we can this year as a community to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

At press time, the North Carolina General Assembly had been in session for a three weeks. At the end of their third week, legislators had yet to file any anti-LGBT measure. (As of Feb. 17, Forrester was planning on filing an amendment.) Palmquist cautions that such legislation could come at any moment.

“We absolutely expect that there will be an attempt to move the constitutional amendment to the ballot sometime in this legislative session,” he says, “and we’re doing everything we can to be ready for it whether it is tomorrow or in June or even in 2012.”

As previously reported by qnotes, Equality North Carolina has ramped up its efforts to reach out to legislators across party lines. Palmquist says his group has made inroads with some Republican legislators as they continue years-long conversations with Democrats.

“We’re doing everything we can to reach Republican legislators and opinion leaders to get them on our side and to make sure our messages are getting through,” Palmquist says, though declining to name specific legislators with whom his group had been in touch.

Palmquist’s group is also expanding. In mid-February they hired a new communications director — the first time the group has employed a staff member specifically tasked with communications responsibilities. Jenn Jones, a former communications and marketing project manager at UNC TV, will fill the role, giving Palmquist and Equality North Carolina’s lobbyist, Dean Plukett, more time to focus on legislative efforts.

Some of Jones’ new responsibilities will include social media outreach. Palmquist hopes it will increase awareness of his organization’s mission in Raleigh.

“So much attention in the media goes to what’s happening in Washington, D.C., and its easy for people to miss that a lot of the decisions that effect their lives the most are made at the state level,” he says.

As Palmquist continues his advocacy at the General Assembly, he says he’ll keep reminding GOP legislators of the priorities voters had in mind when they shifted legislative power from the Democrats.

“We are encouraging legislators to focus on the issues that the voters were interested in in November and that was about jobs and the economy and the role of state government,” he says. “It was not about social issues.” : :

What they do

As confusing as statewide and local politics can often be, you can know one thing for certain: There is an LGBT advocacy organization working for our community’s benefit in Raleigh.

Equality North Carolina works to to keep our issues on the forefront of the social agenda and works to protect our issues when such agendas turn negative.

“Equality North Carolina’s role is to be an advocate at the state level so that we have a consistent, professional lobbying presence at the General Assembly advocating for fairness,” says Equality North Carolina Executive Director Ian Palmquist.

(source:http://goqnotes.com)

Citizen lobbyists rally to protect environmental progress

2011-02-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

OLYMPIA — Hard-pressed lawmakers need to keep two words in mind as they slog through budget autopsies and haul pop bottles to Oregon for refunds: User pays.

Tuesday was Environmental Lobby Day at the state Capitol, and citizen lobbyists bused in from all over Washington took two strong themes to their legislators: Maintain fees for their intended purposes and raise fees to match costs.

Valiant efforts to clean up Washington's waterways, protect its lakes and rivers and generally make the state a healthy place to live and work are undercut by shameless raids on funds collected to do those jobs.

The weather in Olympia was as chilly as the economic climate, but more than 500 people, snugged up in green scarfs, spread out across the Capitol campus to meet with lawmakers, attend hearings and hone their skills in advocating for the public interest.

Lobbying day relies on the organizational skills and talents of People for Puget Sound, celebrating its 20th year, but it is the credibility to attract the likes of first-timer Gay Schy, a Vashon Island resident, that empowers the event. Her concern about Puget Sound water issues brought her to Olympia to meet with lawmakers from her 34th District.

The 19th annual lobbying day was hosted by the 25 organizations of the Environmental Priorities Coalition. Each session, it selects and targets four goals. Next time you easily recycle a TV or computer, thank the coalition.

This session, in addition to realistic budgeting for the environment, the coalition seeks timely closure of the TransAlta coal-fired power plant in Centralia, reduction of phosphorus pollution from fertilizers and a fee on the wholesale value of toxic pollutants to clean up water pollution.

How difficult has it been to wrestle with the state's financial mess? In separate conversations Tuesday with Gov. Chris Gregoire and state Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, ranking minority member of the Ways and Means Committee, they each said nice things about the other. Honest.

Both repeat the same sentiments: There are no good choices, and there are no options to balance things out.

Gregoire is mindful that after a stellar record of public service — my characterization — she is participating in the dismantling of her career — her characterization. Wholesale evisceration of programs that undo years of exemplary progress as director of the state Department of Ecology, attorney general and governor.

Given the horrific budget and economic realities, environmental concerns — and opportunities — trail education and health care as priorities. The danger is compounding problems by not doing what is possible.

Citizen lobbyists were consistent and positive in asking how they could help, repeating concerns about eroding expensive progress already made. The imperative for legislators was direct: Don't slip backward.

Ideas abound. Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark, director of the Department of Natural Resources, is promoting a pass to cover access to all lands managed by DNR, the state Department of Fish & Wildlife and state parks. Keep them open and scrub the toilets. The latter will close the deal for many pass buyers.

Raise fees for DNR forest practice permit applications. Have the beneficiaries of that lucrative access to state timber pay fees that reflect the cost of managing the land.

Likewise, update the fees connected with the management and oversight of the state's water resources. Making appropriate and overdue adjustments to fee schedules is in the best spirit of preparing for the future.

Lawmakers, urged on by citizens from around the state, can maintain funds for their intended use, raise fees to match costs and create fee-structures that pay for jobs that yield clean water.

Politics do not get any closer to home.

(source:nwsource.com)

Clinton: Taliban must choose war or peace

2011-02-18T23:28:00.000-08:00

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Lobbying Activist) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the Taliban and other extremists in Afghanistan must choose between war and peace.

Her warning comes amidst an escalating diplomatic crisis with Afganistan's neighbor Pakistan, that could have a knock-on effect on its military operations and was delivered in a speech to the Asia society in New York.

Why did Qureshi lose his job

2011-02-16T12:47:00.000-08:00

Last week, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir famously said that one man should not be allowed to destroy more than 60 years of US-Pakistan relations.

He was referring to Raymond Davis — assuming that is really the name of the American — currently, facing the court of law in Lahore for the murder of two Pakistani citizens, which the city’s top cops have, based on their findings, concluded was not in self defence as given to believe by the US national.

A third innocent citizen on a motorbike was also killed as a result of reckless driving by a US Consulate car called for help by Davis, when the vehicle was driven on the wrong side of the road.

Complicating matters was the death by suicide of the distraught wife of one of the two Pakistani citizens killed by Davis because she felt she wouldn’t get justice and that the American killer would eventually be released by her government.

The central plank in this intriguing drama is the hotly contested provision or lack of diplomatic immunity subscribed to the American killer. It hasn’t helped at all that the US embassy initially, described Davis as technical staff of the Consulate but later demanded his immediate release with claims of diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention.

For its part, Islamabad didn’t clear the air until long — giving rise to speculation that a grand cover-up was in the works to eventually, free the American even as both the federal government and the administration in Punjab, Pakistan’s strategically powerful province ruled by Shahbaz Sharif, brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, tried to skirt the issue.

However, when the court intervened and twice gave judicial remand of the American, it emboldened both the Centre and the provincial administration to stand up to Washington, which however continues to ratchet up intense heat with stern calls from President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to free Davis with reportedly, threats of punitive action in the event of failure to do so.

Not only did Clinton scupper a meeting in Munich with Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who, as a consequence, did not travel to Switzerland. Qureshi then lost his job as foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle purportedly, for refusing her demand for Davis’ release and daring to disclose to the media that the American, in fact, does not enjoy diplomatic immunity.

Since then Washington has also postponed a trilateral summit with Islamabad and Kabul in a move seen by critics as the first real sign of rupture. There are also reports that if the American, who has been barred by the court from leaving Pakistan before a verdict is released on his fate, Washington would stop financial aid to Islamabad.

However, it is the controversial exit of Qureshi that has hogged the limelight in Pakistan, and it has the potential to ignite the fuse given the popular perception that he resolutely withstood Washington’s onslaught but refused to bow on a matter of principle.

Qureshi said as much in his farewell speech at the Foreign Office last week.

The suave former foreign minister, whose son works at the office of Democratic Senator John Kerry, revealed that despite friendly ties with Secretary Clinton, he had refused her demand for declaring immunity for Davis and chose to sacrifice personal interest for his country.

But what has got the goat of ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is that Qureshi chose to air the fact about Davis’s non-diplomatic status at a time when Islamabad was under immense pressure to deliver and the now-resigned Interior Minister Rehman Malik had belatedly claimed that the American did have a diplomatic visa, which he had allowed after a thorough investigation by the intelligence agencies pertaining to his credentials.

The public sentiment at this late assertion is one of disbelief and fueled anger at the government.

However, PPP’s inner circle ridicules the theory surrounding Qureshi’s denial of diplomatic status for Davis as the cause for his removal from the federal cabinet.

Sources within the party say he has been shown the door since he was toeing the line of Aabpara, a euphemism for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which reportedly, earned him the unflattering sobriquet of “Mr Aabpara?

Qureshi refused the portfolio of water and power ministry in the reshuffle that saw him lose his job as foreign minister. In fact, he was so miffed at the decision that he did not even turn up at the swearing-in ceremony at the President House, which annoyed the president.

Subsequently, a slew of former and current federal ministers as well as the party’s information secretary launched a severe attack on Qureshi in what was seen as a scripted move.

Noticeably, those heaping scorn on Qureshi — now an increasingly familiar practice against those offering a dissenting note within the ruling party — were loyalists, who do not compare in terms of the stature and calibre of political giants like Qureshi.

But as well as endearing Qureshi to the people, who are greatly turned off by arrogant American attitude and allegations of acquiescence of their own government, the latest crisis is likely to make things even more difficult for Islamabad.

Already there are signs of fissures within the party with embarrassingly divergent views on what the government thinks about the status of Davis.

At a news conference in Karachi, PPP Secretary Information Fauzia Wahab said: “We have always abided by international laws and conventions. The Vienna Convention grants diplomatic immunity to diplomatic as well as technical staff?

She said under the Pakistani law — PLD 1972 — all diplomats enjoyed immunity and that Davis had an official business visa before controversially questioning “why argue and risk the overall good reputation before the rest of the world?”

Wahab stressed the need for maintaining good relations with the US, saying: “America is the largest market for Pakistan. Most Pakistanis, who live in the US, send bulk of remittances to us to support our economy.”

Within two hours of Wahab’s statement, Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for the president, disowned it.

“The position of PPP on the issue of Raymond Davis is unambiguous. The issue is before the court and it is imprudent to comment on it before the court’s verdict,” Babr said before declaring

Wahab’s statement was “neither PPP policy nor government policy.”

lThe writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad and can be reached at kaamyabi@gmail.com

(source:gulf-times.com)

Raymond life really in danger

2011-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

Raymond Davis has been sent to Central Jail Kot Lakhpat on a 14-day judicial remand. The next hearing will be on February 25. Earlier, Police submitted the provisional Challan requesting the court to take action against him under the Article 302 of Pakistan Penal Code. Washington is insisting that Davis killed two Pakistanis because they were trying to rob him but presently this seems not that important issue as his true identity and the question whether he has diplomatic immunity is a matter of concern.

The judge has also ordered the government to clarify about his diplomatic immunity. It is pertinent to mention here that US officials till to-date could not produce any certificate which is granted to diplomats upon arrival in Pakistan by Foreign Office under Diplomatic and Counsellors Act of 1972. Three persons killed in the in the incident of terrorism in Lahore included Faizan, Faheem and Ubaid ur Rehman. We should not forget that the newly wed wife of Faheem namely Shumaila is also linked to the incident as she committed suicide on February 5 because of too much US pressure on Pakistani government, Police and judicary to release the killer without any trial. In a televised interview from Allied Hospital, Faisalabad she said that she had swallowed the pills because she suspected that the government would release Davis and would not take action against him. She recorded her statement, “They are already treating my husband’s murderer like a VIP in police custody and I am sure they will let him go because of international pressure.”There are certain groups who demanded swap of Davis for Dr Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in an American court for attempting to murder her American interrogators in Afghanistan. We should not forget that the families of those killed want justice not a political bargain. One wonders why we fail to demand anything for those who are daily killed in Khyber PK, Tribal Areas and other parts of the country as a result of US attacks or for the Pakistani arrested on the charge of terrorism in US.

The true identity of Raymond Davis is yet to be ascertained but there are chances that he might also be associated with some front organization in the vicinity of Muzang. It is too early to say anything with uncertainty but the clips of important Madrassas and Mosques as well as Cantonment areas captured in his mobile clearly depicted that he was on a mission against Sunnis in Pakistan. Satellite phone and Global Positioning System (GPS) recovered from terrorist, Raymomd Davis was used for passing grid references of sensitive locations at various locations to Islamabad, Afghanistan and India. It is important to mention here that certain circles in US have admitted that Davis was former US Special Forces personnel and was in cover. Reportedly, Davis was employee of Special Activities Division that is associated with US Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) National Clandestine Service (NCS) and was involved in assassinations of important leaders in Pakistan, which Washington considered high value targets.

Public records in US reflected that Raymond Davis and his wife run a company namely Hyperion Protective Services which has been registered in Nevada. There are bright chances that the Sunni and Shia Ulema killed in the recent past was carried out by Davis and his terrorist group. The Pakistan authorities have confirmed that he visited Pakistan at least ten times on his passport but the fact cannot be ignored that his number of visits through porous Pak-Afghan border cannot be counted on fingers. He also visited India to correlate Mumbai attacks with religious groups in Pakistan. Bob Woodward, in his book ‘Obama’s Wars,’ has also confirmed presence of 3,000 US illegal operatives on specific assassination assignments in Pakistan. Washington is making fruitless attempts to invoke diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention. It is now the responsibility of the Pakistani authorities to protect this person at all costs in order to find out the truth behind all those killed by unknown religious extremists in Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar and other cities of Pakistan.

(source:pakobserver.net)

US diplomat found guilty of killing Pakistanis

2011-02-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Lahore, Feb 11 (IBNS) A Lahore court on Friday found American diplomat Raymond Davis guilty of killing two Pakistani men.

The judicial magistrate's court at Model Town area remanded him to 14-day judicial custody.

"Davis has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. The next hearing will be on February 25," Punjab government’s prosecutor Abdul Samad told media outside the court.

He was taken to Kot Lakhpat jail after the court’s order.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has suspended all high-level bilateral contracts and talks with Pakistan over its refusal to release Davis, straining the already loaded ties between the two countries.

Thirty-six-year-old Raymond Davis, a tech and admin staff at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, who is said to be working on “security” issues, has been jailed since Jan. 27 on the double murder charge and speculation that he might be a spy.

Davis has admitted to shooting the two men, Mohammad Faheem and Faizan Haider, who he said were armed and trying to rob him. On Feb 6, the wife of Faheem, took poisonous pills and died.

Calling the incident a tragedy, U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley reiterated that Washington believed that Davis had diplomatic immunity and was acting in self-defence.

On Monday (Feb 7), American ambassador Cameron Munter met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and requested that Davis be released, an U.S. embassy spokeswoman said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also said to have raised the issue at a conference in Munich during her talks with Pakistani army chief Ashfaq Kayani over the weekend and has also reportedly cancelled a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

According to The Washington Post, the Obama administration has suspended all high-level dialogue with Pakistan and has even called off a summit between the two nations and Afghanistan in Washington at the end of the month.

In Pakistan, the government risks an outburst from the anti-U.S. lobby which has already been protesting against America over the issue.

The claim by the Faheem’s wife’s doctor that she she killed herself since she did not expect justice from the Zardari-administration has also fanned heated sentiments.

The situation posts an ominous dilemma in front the Pakistani government which is battling growing anti-American protests amid economic and security problems and yet, can’t risk miffing the U.S. that grants the country billions of dollars in aid.

(source:washingtonbanglaradio.com)

US-Pak ties strained over diplomat 'spy'

2011-02-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: The US has put on hold all top-level contact with Pakistan for not releasing a diplomat who killed two people allegedly in self defence.

Thirty six-year-old Raymond Davis is listed as a member of the "technical and administrative staff" at the US Embassy in Islamabad. American officials have said Davis' work was "security" related, fueling speculation that he is a CIA agent.

On January 27, Davis shot and killed two Pakistanis, who he said, tried to rob him on their motorcycles. Now, Washington is demanding Davis' immediate release, citing diplomatic immunity, but Islamabad is not budging.

According to The Washington Post, things have become very bad. It says:

The Obama administration has now suspended all high-level dialogue with Pakistan

A planned US-Pakistan-Afghanistan summit at the end of the month in Washington may also be scrapped

In protest, Hillary Clinton canceled a meeting over the weekend with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at a security conference in Munich

The US administration has formally complained to Pakistan, including in a phone call last week from Hillary Clinton to President Zardari

Other reports say President Zardari's visit to Washington in March may be cancelled.

"The phone call with President Zardari was largely about this issue," said PJ Crowley, State Department Spokesman.

In Pakistan itself, the incident has fueled more anti-Americanism, and this hasn't helped. On Monday, the wife of one of the Pakistani men killed by Davis, committed suicide, by eating rat poison. This was her funeral procession. A doctor said Shumaila Kanwal had said before she died that she was driven to commit suicide by fears the American would be freed without trial.

In another twist, the Pakistani media has said the two men shot by Davis were not robbers, but intelligence agents assigned to tail him.

The case puts Pakistan's government in a difficult position. If they hand over Davis, the strong anti-American lobby will accuse them of buckling under pressure. If they don't, it could seriously harm ties with the US, which gives Pakistan billions of dollars in aid.

(source:ndtv.com)

Lynch lobbied Pakistani officials on behalf of arrested US State Dept. employee

2011-02-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch, a South Boston Democrat, is on his way back from a Congressional trip to Pakistan, in which Lynch and other members personally lobbied Pakistani officials on the behalf of a US State Department employee who was arrested and held after shooting two alleged robbers on January 27.

The employee, Raymond Davis, a staff person at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, apparently thought he was about to be carjacked when approached by armed men on motorcycles, said Lynch, speaking by phone this morning from an airport in Madrid. Davis “shot through his own windshield” and killed two alleged attackers, said Lynch. US authorities say Davis has diplomatic immunity, but that claim is being contested.

Lynch said the incident has received inflammatory press coverage in Pakistan that has heightened tensions. “Politically, it’s a difficult situation,” he said.

Lynch and five other members of Congress urged Davis’ release in meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief of Staff, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. “At each of these meetings, each of us hit this issue pretty hard,” said Lynch.

The Congressional delegation visited Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. A planned stop in Egypt was canceled due to civil unrest there.

Pakistani authorities are continuing to review Davis' case, said Lynch.

(source:boston.com)

Pakistan to play role as a game changer

2011-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

After 9/11, Pakistan was under tremendous pressure from the US and the West; despite joining the war on terror they continued to suspect Pakistan for aiding and ensconcing the Taliban operatives. It was perhaps in this backdrop that then president Pervez Musharraf acted as a ‘game-changer’ in the region by making an offer that Pakistan would resile from the stated position on Kashmir provided India did the same. He relied on Track II diplomacy and spelled out his out of box solution comprising four phases in chapter International Diplomacy of his book ‘In the Line of Fire’. With Pakistan and the US on loggerheads over the arrest of Raymond Davis who killed two motorcyclists, our government functionaries believe that there is need for a change in the strategy. Addressing the Diplomatic Correspondents Association on “Pakistan-India ties – Perspectives and Future”, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said: “Pakistan would certainly like to play the role of a game changer as far as our own affairs are concerned, especially in our immediate neighbourhood”. He added that geographic compulsions were compelling the country to set directions.

He however did not elaborate how the country envisioned its role as a ‘game changer’ in the region. He was also upbeat that Pakistan had made significant progress in ties with India and Afghanistan. He described the resumption of peace talks with India as a ‘significant breakthrough’, but did not raise expectations from the renewed process. Knowing India’s past, mere promise for resumption of talks cannot be viewed as a significant progress. During the last six decades, many rounds of dialogue including the stalled composite dialogue were held, but there was no progress on resolving the core issue of Kashmir. On 24th May 1964, Sheikh Abdullah was asked by Jawaharlal Nehru to help in solving the complex problem, and he visited Pakistan as his emissary. In his meeting with president Ayub Khan, Sheikh Abdullah suggested formation of confederation of India and Pakistan, which was politely rejected by the former. Nehru died on 27th May, and Sheikh Abdullah stated in his memoirs that they were very close to resolve the Kashmir issue. “Unfortunately history is merciless and death snatched from him (Nehru) the chance to make amends for what he had done”, observed Sheikh Abdullah.

Historians and authors have also referred to the meeting between Sheikh Abdullah and president Ayub Khan, and quoted former having said that they were close to finding a solution to the Kashmir dispute that Nehru died, and so did the initiative to resolve the dispute between the two countries. Earlier, Jawaharlal Nehru had declared on the floor of assembly that India would honour the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. Anyhow, many a time, ideas were floated by leaders of SAARC countries for the formation of South Asian Economic Union. In the 11th SAARC Summit declaration there was proposal for the creation of a South Asian Economic Union on the pattern of European Economic Union, it was an admission that the countries were not oblivious of the challenge posed by the changed realities vis-à-vis the WTO. But first of all the countries of the region would have to resolve the disputes; and there could be no progress unless the major irritants were removed. We have an exemplar in the European Union, as Europe was increasingly a continent of diverse people, races, religious factions, united by ideas and ideals. Despite all that, formation of the European Union by no means was an easy task.

It has to be said that at the time of formation of the EU all the disputes had been resolved. And after the end of the Cold War, some of the East European countries became members of the EU. The credit, of course, goes to the joint vision of the then French President Charles De Gaulle and German Chancellor Conrad Edenauer, which united the European nations that had fought decade-long wars, at least one 100-year war, and two World Wars causing death and destruction unparalleled in the known history. It, however, took 50 years to reach that stage; still at least four countries from the original 15-member European Union have not accepted the single currency. Since 1985, the seven nations of South Asia have been a part of the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (SAARC), a relative newcomer among regional groupings, which has proved a slow starter. Despite a preferential trade among the seven members, it accounts for less than 6 per cent of the total trade. And the reason is again Kashmir dispute which has stymied the progress in mutual trade between India and Pakistan.

As a matter of fact, all members are weary of India’s hegemonic ambitions. Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh do not feel comfortable with India’s style of conducting diplomatic and commercial affairs. Pakistan had always suspected that India would use commerce as a way to undermine Pakistan’s fidelity to Kashmir. The problem is that India’s avidity to achieve the big power status clouds the prospects of unity amongst the South Asian nations. Therefore, India has to give practical demonstration to dispel that impression, and Kashmir dispute should be resolved to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders: India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir. After the end of the Cold War, when the US and the West have changed their priorities, and even attitude towards their allies, it is time that developing countries also review their own priorities and goals in the drastically changed international landscape. India should understand that this century belongs to Asia, which is a threat to the US and Europe. Therefore, policy to contain China is predicated on the premise that Asia be the next theatre of third world war.

During the Cold War era, the US had always tried to win India on its side, but failed. Indian leadership has since the disintegration of the USSR been responding favourably to the overtures by the US for making India a strategic partner. Meanwhile, the US and India have concluded nuclear agreement, whereby US will share advanced cutting-edge technology with India. It has helped India enter the Nuclear Club, and also lobbying for a permanent seat at the Security Council for India. As a matter of fact, there are two commonalities between the US and India. The former is a sole super power and India aspires to be one, and secondly both fear the unstoppable rise of China as a super power. But winds of change in the sub-continent had swept the region in May 1998 when Pakistan detonated six nuclear devices in response to five detonated by India. Pakistan is indeed a nuclear state, and now Asia has three nuclear states. And any war between the nuclear states could be disastrous not only for the region but beyond. One can hope that India will review its policies, and resolve the Kashmir dispute so that people of India and Pakistan, rather the whole region could live without fear.

(source:pakobserver.net)

Raymond Davis Update: Victims Were Spies, Second House Junket and Widow Suicide

2011-02-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

When we last looked in on the ongoing saga of Raymond Davis in Pakistan, we saw that Congressman Darrell Issa was there, meeting with the President and the Prime Minister, arguing for release of Davis after he shot dead two Pakistanis on the streets of Lahore, with a third Pakistani killed by a US consular vehicle rushing to the scene in the aftermath of the shootings. Now, despite earlier US claims that Davis’ victims were thieves trying to hold him up at gunpoint, a report has surfaced in the Pakistani press that Davis’ victims were actually intelligence operatives for Pakistan’s government and that they had found Davis’ actions to be “detrimental to our national security.” In further developments, a second Congressional delegation met with Prime Minister Gilani, threatening US military funding to Pakistan if Davis is not released quickly and the widow of one of the victims has committed suicide because she believed that Davis would be released without being tried in Pakistan.

The revelation that Davis’ victims were intelligence operatives (h/t Emptywheel via email) comes from Pakistan’s Express Tribune, which is published in cooperation with the International Herald Tribune:

“Yes, they belonged to the security establishment….they found the activities of the American official detrimental to our national security,” disclosed a security official.

/snip/

The official confirmed that the president, the prime minister and the chief of army staff (COAS) had discussed the issue in a meeting last week. The three thought it was advisable to resist the US pressure on the Raymond Davis issue and believed the detained American national should not be released at this stage, he said.

The article goes on to provide further context for Pakistan’s frustration with the US:

He said the government’s tough stance on the controversy was also its reaction to the attempts by certain elements in Washington to implicate the country’s top spy agency, the ISI, in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The article does go on to suggest, however, that Davis could be released later, especially if the US provides assurance similar incidents would be avoided in the future and that Davis would face prosecution in the US.

Following on the heels of last Tuesday’s Congressional delegation led by Darrell Issa lobbying for Davis’ release, we learn that only three days later, a new delegation met with Prime Minister Gilani on Friday. From the US Embassy in Pakistan:

In a meeting today [February 4] with Prime Minister Gilani, a bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation protested the continued illegal detention of the American diplomat in Lahore. U.S. Representatives Buck McKeon (Republican, California), John Kline (Republican, Minnesota), and Silvestre Reyes (Democrat, Texas) called on the Government of Pakistan to abide by its obligation under international and Pakistani law to recognize his diplomatic immunity, and immediately release him.

Dawn provides details from a source claiming to have been at the meeting:

The House Armed Services Committee delegation took the toughest line in its meeting with Prime Minister Gilani on Friday, where it was reportedly communicated to Pakistani leadership that it might be difficult for the committee to approve military aid and arms supply as long as its official remained in detention.

This same article has very interesting details coming from further investigation into Davis. After stating that at the time of his arrest, Davis was carrying an ID card stating that he worked for the US Consulate in Pershawar, the article suggests that Davis had documentation for working simultaneously at three different locations. It continues:

Some of the other information shared with by the investigators confirmed the previously known information that he had a military background and was posted with US Regional Affairs Office, which is linked by many analysts to CIA.

A US Department of Veteran Affairs card and Department of Defence contractor card were also in possession of Davis, which only adds to the confusion over his identity. The contract documents in Davis` possession revealed that he was on an annual contract with a fee of $200,000.

Having multiple sets of identification documents would seem to provide further evidence for Davis being an intelligence operative, although having them together in one place comes off as very amateurish tradecraft, in my opinion. With hints of both CIA and Blackwater-like postings, it seems unlikely we will ever know for sure what Davis’ official function was at the time of the shooting. Especially with the Defense Department contractor status, I wonder if that would place him in the category of people whom Buck McKeon is arguing should remain in Pakistan in the video above, where he argues against a Dennis Kuchinich resolution for withdrawing DoD personnel from Pakistan.

Further, the article goes on to note that Davis was missing from an official list of embassy employees given to Pakistan’s Foregin Office just two days before the shooting and that his name was included on a revised list submitted just one day after the incident. It is this revised list, submitted after the shooting, on which the US government appears to be basing its claim for diplomatic immunity for Davis. Presumably, the US will argue that Davis was left off the earlier list due to the sensitive nature of his posting, but I haven’t seen that argument made overtly yet.

In additional news on the Davis case, the widow of one of Davis’ victims has committed suicide:

The widow of a Pakistani man who was killed by a US official has killed herself by taking poison.

In her dying statement, Shumaila said she feared the American would be released without trial, police and doctors said.

She issued a deathbed statement on how she felt Davis’ case should be handled:

AP reported that Shumaila also spoke to reporters after arriving at the hospital, saying: “I want blood for blood.”

“The way my husband was shot, his killer should be shot in the same fashion,” she said.

This case is receiving much more attention in Pakistan than it is getting in the US, with Shumaila Faheem’s suicide highlighting just how important it is. Many Pakistanis are suggesting that if Davis is to be released, it should be in a trade for Aafia Siddiqui. Also, with the entry of US charges of ISI complicity in the Mumbai bombings into these discussions, the stakes of the overall situation seem to be rising on a daily basis. The intensity of US actions in trying to obtain Davis’ release would argue for him being very highly placed in the US intelligence community, but his amateurish collection of conflicting identification documents in his possession at the time of the shooting would argue for him being at a much lower and less professional level. As in most real world spy stories, the multiple, conflicting sets of information here and the practice of governments lying when it comes to intelligence activities means that we are unlikely to ever have a complete and truthful description of what has happened coming from either government involved in this case.

(source:firedoglake.com)

TTP warns govt against Raymond Davis’s release

2011-02-16T06:53:00.000-08:00

PESHAWAR: The Hakimullah Mahsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Monday warned the government of dire consequences if it released the US national Raymond Davis involved in the killing of two Pakistanis.

“The government, particularly the ruling Pakistan People’s Party must think of our reaction before it succumbs to the US pressure and releases the killer of two innocent Pakistani nationals,” remarked Ihsanullah Ihsan, a spokesman for the TTP. He called The News from an undisclosed location and said their suicide bombers would target leaders and activities of any political party found lobbying for the release of the US national. “We would not even spare the judges if they set free this killer of two persons,” the militant spokesman warned.

Asked about media reports that Raymond Davis had links with the Pakistani Taliban and reportedly made some telephone calls to them from his cellular phone, Ihsanullah denied all such reports and termed it part of propaganda by their enemy against them.

“We would love if such an important person come to us as we know well what to do with him,” the spokesman said. He said there was no way the TTP or militants affiliated with their group would keep friendly relations with the US or any other country that has been fighting against the Muslims. The TTP spokesman claimed they were closely following proceedings of the US national’s case and would show strong reaction if any relief was given to him by the court or the government. “We know the corrupt rulers cannot bear US pressure in this case but they must know we would not spare them if they showed failure. We may not have access to the rulers at the moment, but can target their party leaders whenever and wherever we wish,” the TTP spokesman warned.

Ihsanullah said they would like the government to get back Dr Aafia Siddiqui from US custody in case it decided to release Raymond Davis. “Had we been there, we would have released 10 such US nationals to get back Dr Aafia Siddiqui,” he said.

(source:thenews.com.pk)

Qureshi reaffirms party loyalty 'with or without' Cabinet post

2011-02-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

Amid stepped up tirade against Shah Mahmood Qureshi from leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, the former Foreign Minister has said he had "no personal grievances" over his exclusion from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's new Cabinet.

Qureshi was criticised by several PPP leaders after he skipped the swearing-in ceremony of the new Cabinet last week after finding out that he would not be reallocated the foreign affairs portfolio.

In a statement, he reaffirmed his loyalty to the PPP "with or without a ministerial post".

He said he had "no personal grievances" against the party and its leadership over his exclusion from the 22 ministers who were sworn in on Friday by President Asif Ali Zardari.

"I respect the party leadership's decision to change the Cabinet and I hold, and have always held, the interests of the country, the party and its leadership in high esteem," he said.

Qureshi also sought to link his views on immunity for US official Raymond Davis -- who was arrested in Lahore last month after he shot and killed two men -- to the PPP's "commitment to the people of Pakistan and their rights".

In a reference to the American official, he said: "It is in this regard that I confirmed certain facts pertaining to the Raymond Davis case."

He did not give details on the grounds that the case is sub-judice but said that, if he was asked by courts, he would "reiterate the facts as were presented to me by the ministry of foreign affairs".

(source:indianexpress.com)

Ugly Role Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Zain Qureshi

2011-02-16T06:35:00.000-08:00

A compulsive liar is defined as someone who lies out of habit. Lying is their normal and reflexive way of responding to questions. Compulsive liars bend the truth about everything, large and small. For a compulsive liar, telling the truth is very awkward and uncomfortable while lying feels right. Compulsive lying is usually thought to develop in early childhood, due to being placed in an environment where lying was necessary. For the most part, compulsive liars are not overly manipulative and cunning (unlike sociopaths), rather they simply lie out of habit - an automatic response which is hard to break and one that takes its toll on a relationship.

Anjum Niaz (From The NEWS International.21/10/09) The writer is a freelance journalist with over twenty years of experience in national and international reporting. Since all the worthy columnists have exhausted the KLB, the new name for the Kerry-Lugar Bill, I have nothing remarkable to add to their sound and fury. Let’s instead turn to a small housekeeping matter like: is Foreign Minister Qureshi’s son working for Senator Kerry? Zain H Qureshi’s (ZHQ) business card is circulating the cyberspace these days. It says that he is a legislative fellow in Kerry’s Washington DC office.

REFERENCE: http://www.anjumniaz.com/

ISLAMABAD: Several PPP leaders on Sunday assailed former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for issuing statements on the Raymond Davis issue after refusing to join the federal cabinet. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan linked the refusal of Shah Mehmood Qureshi to join the cabinet to the arrest warrants issued for former president Pervez Musharraf. Talking to a private TV channel, Firdous said Qureshi’s statements about US national Raymond Davis’s immunity would create a bad environment in the country. She said the statements could not give immunity to any individual as the case was already in the court. “Whatever verdict is given by the court about the case, the government will accept it,” she added. The minister said such issues could be debated in the party meetings, but not in the media. “Shah Mehmood Qureshi had not shown his concerns over Raymond Davis when he was a foreign minister. These kinds of remarks about Davis now are not in favour of the country,” she told the state-run TV channel. Firdous said the government would pursue the court proceedings, not the remarks of any individual. Separately, Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Secretary General Raja Pervez Ashraf said the tone and tenor of Shah Mehmood Qureshi indicated that another Leghari was in the making in the party. “But Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s fate will not be different from that of Leghari,” he added. Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said Qureshi wanted to save the former president from arrest. Talking to the media, Law Minister Babar Awan made a stunning statement, saying: “No former minister can make statements on the Raymond Davis issue and only government can do so”. Asim Yasin adds: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani have decided to ask all the PPP leaders to abstain from making any conflicting statements on matters relating to former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi so as to avoid the impression of rift in the party.

REFERENCE: PPP leaders lash out at Qureshi’s comments on Davis Monday, February 14, 2011

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=3982&Cat=13&dt=2/14/2011

Since all the worthy columnists have exhausted the KLB, the new name for the Kerry-Lugar Bill, I have nothing remarkable to add to their sound and fury. Let’s instead turn to a small housekeeping matter like: is Foreign Minister Qureshi’s son working for Senator Kerry? Zain H Qureshi’s (ZHQ) business card is circulating the cyberspace these days. It says that he is a legislative fellow in Kerry’s Washington DC office. When I called up Kerry’s office and asked for Qureshi, the voice at the other end immediately said, “He does not work for us”. The woman appeared primed for such a question. She said she had received a similar query earlier that day. Incidentally the cell number on ZHQ’s call card has been disconnected; while the mail box belonging to “Zain Qureshi” was “full!” So, I couldn’t get to him.

After a number of phone calls to Senator Kerry’s office, I finally found out from one of Kerry’s male staffers that ZHQ did indeed work for Kerry but had now left. Why has ZHQ gone into hiding? Did he do something wrong? Yes. And the Foreign Office finds itself between a rock and a hard place. How can it condone its boss’s act of getting his son a job with Kerry when the KLB talks were at a critical stage? Even if fate smiles upon ZHQ because he’s the favoured son of our foreign minister and the doors of the high and mighty in Washington open up for him, we have the right to know whenever the son’s job compromises his dad’s position. More importantly if it is in direct conflict with Pakistan’s interests. Would you not call this a conflict of interest? Should the foreign minister resign? And if Zardari cannot afford to let him go, then the FM must seek a public apology. The Boston Brahmin, Senator Kerry is complicit in this act. Boston Brahmins are New England’s aristocracy like the Makhdooms of Multan, i.e. Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his tribe. These guys claim to fame is blue-blooded ancestry, wealth, influence and the right to rule. He said the following during his 2004 presidential campaign: “There’s a great passage in the Bible that says, ‘What does it mean, my brother, to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead.’ And I think everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith . That’s why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith.” Senator Kerry must practice what he preaches. Would he have given ZHQ the time of the day had the young man not been the son of Pakistan’s foreign minister? Why do the good folks fighting Pakistan’s case in Washington DC become the usual suspects? In Musharraf’s time it was Dr Nasim Ashraf. One wondered whether the Maryland-based millionaire doctor’s heart bled for Pakistan or for Musharraf or for himself. Today, Ambassador Husain Haqqani is under fire from certain Pakistani quarters who accuse him of working for Washington and not Islamabad. Haqqani is hitting back via email messages to anyone wondering what’s cooking in Washington. Yours truly is one of the unlucky recipients. Surely our ambassador must have known that his boss’s son was working for Kerry. Good counselling from Haqqani to Qureshi would perhaps have saved the latter the embarrassment he is facing today?

Another glaring example of how the Democrats are enticing the Pakistani leaders is the recent banner headline: “Zardari far ahead in popularity.” According to Democracy International, an affiliate of the Democratic Party of America, Zardari is ahead of Nawaz Sharif in the popularity contest. To anyone with an iota of intelligence, the timing of this screamer is suspect. What has Zardari achieved in recent days for “51 per cent” of Pakistanis to suddenly fall in love with him? His jiyalas, one fears, would declare October 1, the day the survey was announced, as the President’s Day – the day of the great revelation. Declaring it a public holiday perhaps? And when the polls go against the sitting president, these foreign busybodies are kicked out of Pakistan. Gen Musharraf asked IRI (the International Republican Institute), an affiliate of the Republican Party to wind up their office in Pakistan and leave when he got bad ratings from them. Not sure if indeed it was IRI that offended Musharraf, I called up their office in Washington. “What is your column about?” asked Lisa (I couldn’t catch her last name) from the press section. I told her politely that it was not possible for me to provide her details of my column. “If you can’t tell me what your column is about then I can’t help you,” she replied sternly. This is just a small example of how Masonic these polling outfits are. They think they have the writ to go around Pakistan poking their noses into our affairs, but when it comes to asking a simple question like if Musharraf asked them to wind up their office in 2008, they get so cagey.

Sadly, the epicentre of our knowledge is the received wisdom from such dodgy polls conducted by Democracy International and the International Republican Institute (IRI). Hey, where’s Gallup Pakistan? Have we become so incompetent or doped that we can’t even conduct popularity polls in our own country and must therefore rely on America? We are the opium-eaters. We swallow whatever comes from Washington. While the Democrats tell us that Pakistanis love Zardari because of KLB, the Republicans via their polling affiliate the IRI sing a different tune. Their August polls conclude that “Pakistanis continue to hold onto the opinion that conditions in the country are problematic and President Zardari is perceived as being responsible.” If this does not sound confusing enough to an ordinary Pakistani trying to work out the popularity ratings of Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, have another go. According to September 9 report in the Christian Science Monitor, “Zardari’s popularity sags – will it undermine Pakistan’s fight with Taliban?” Here’s another twister from the Los Angeles Times. The headline reads: “Zardari at fault for low rating?” This gem was published on August 31. “Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is aware that his popularity has sunk to new lows at a time when his arch rival Nawaz Sharif — who heads the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) — is boasting high popularity, a media report said. He is widely viewed in Pakistani society not as a helmsman, but a bystander. It’s an image that is largely of Zardari’s own making, say analysts who contend that he has failed to forge any kind of connection with the Pakistani public.Last but not the least is the recent poll by the Pew Research Centre, a Washington-based institute, which says that “less than a third of Pakistanis have a favourable opinion of Mr Zardari. The president was widely reviled after being accused of demanding kickbacks while he served in Benazir Bhutto’s Cabinet in the late 1980s and again starting in 1993.” Give us a break! If by now we don’t get it that the US is using these polls as a weapon for manipulation of third world dictators (Gen Musharraf) and corrupt rulers then Pakistan, I’m afraid to say, is going down the tube fast. Conflict of interest, eh? Here’s yet one more example. Do you know how many Pakistani parliamentarians and cabinet ministers hold foreign nationalities, including our president?

(source:oyetimes.com)

Qureshi was in regular contact with Nawaz Sharif

2011-02-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who refused any other ministry except foreign affairs, used to pay courtesy calls to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in London before joining the cabinet.

“During his stopovers while going the United States to meet his son, Qureshi mostly used to meet Nawaz Sharif in London when the latter was living in Britain in exile,” an eyewitness, who is a senior PML-N leader, told The News.

A source close to the outgoing foreign minister confirmed that Qureshi had been paying courtesy calls to the PML-N chief for the old good relations between their two families.

The source said during his sessions with Nawaz Sharif, Qureshi usually recalled his father’s stint as the governor of Punjab (1985-1988) when the PML-N president was its chief minister. He was thankful to Nawaz Sharif for giving his father, Makhdoom Sajjad Hussain Qureshi, the gubernatorial position.

Once Qureshi was accompanied by his son, who was studying in the United States, during his meeting with Nawaz Sharif and he remarked during it that ‘our two generations had had good ties and I want this relationship to be upheld by the third generation as well’.

Nawaz Sharif, the source said, was always appreciative and respectful of Qureshi’s gestures that were made as part of his family traditions, reflecting decency and civility.

Before joining the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Qureshi was associated with the PML-N for over a decade. However, he developed differences with Nawaz Sharif over the award of party tickets in Multan especially to Javed Hashmi in the 1997 parliamentary polls and decided to part ways with him.

But he did not go away from the PML-N, abusing and hurling every kind of wild allegation on it, as most people would do, but met Nawaz Sharif at his Model Town Lahore residence, recorded his reservations and conveyed his decision to leave his party. Since then, he has never been found criticizing, even mildly, the Sharif brothers on any issue.

“Qureshi left us as a principled politician and never tried, even slightly, to kick off dust on the PML-N in his political career,” a PML-N leader said. Despite his present differences with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani and the treatment they have meted out to him, Qureshi has made it clear that he belongs to the PPP and his commitment to the party is beyond question.

In the local politics of Multan, Qureshi and Javed Hashmi are no less bitter rivals than Qureshi and Yusuf Raza Gilani are. Qureshi stayed as member of the Punjab Assembly from 1985 to 1993 until he received the PML-N ticket to the National Assembly. Hashmi defeated him only once in the 1997 general elections. However, Qureshi routed Hashmi in the two subsequent elections of 2002 and 2008. He served as minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the second Benazir Bhutto government.

Apart from Ahmed Mukhtar, Qureshi was also a leading candidate for the office of the prime minister after the 2008 elections, but Zardari finally picked up Gilani and made Qureshi foreign minister.

(source:thenews.com.pk)

Licence to Kill (for Pakistan)

2011-02-16T05:55:00.001-08:00

Licence to Kill
Licence to Kill film poster
Directed by	Condoleezza Rice
Produced by	Hillary Clinton
Written by	George H.W. Bush
Screenplay by	Leon Panetta
Starring	Raymond Davis Hillary Clinton Leon Panetta
Plot	Vienna convention
Cinematography	Alec Mills
Distributed by	MGM/UA Distribution Co.
Release date(s)	14 July 1989
Running time	133 minutes
Budget	$32 million
Gross revenue	$156,167,015
Preceded by	The Living Daylights
Followed by	GoldenEye

Licence to Kill ,(for Pakistan 2011), is the unknown official entry in the Central intelligence agency series, and the first one not to use an Ian Fleming novel's title as its title. While enjoying a generally positive critical reception, it was the first James Bond film to be given a PG-13 rating in the United States and also the first to gain a 15 rating in the United Kingdom, being noted as significantly darker and more violent than its predecessors. Due to these issues, as well as marketing problems including a last minute title change, Licence to Kill had poor US box office returns, making just USD$34,667,015, barely more than its estimated USD$32,000,000 budget, though it performed well overseas.

This was Timothy Dalton's second and final performance in his brief tenure in the lead role. Legal wrangling over control of the series and James Bond character resulted in a six year long delay in production of the next Bond film which resulted in Dalton deciding to not pursue a return. It is also the final Bond film for actors Robert Brown (as M) and Caroline Bliss (as Moneypenny), screenwriter Richard Maibaum, title designer Maurice Binder, cinematographer Alec Mills, producer Albert R. Broccoli (he would later act as a consulting producer for GoldenEye before his death) and director John Glen.

Plot

Vienna convention on diplomatic

The story opens with Bond and his friend, CIA (agent) Felix Leiter (David Hedison), on their way to Leiter's wedding to Della Churchill (Priscilla Barnes). Meanwhile, DEA agents spot drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) flying near The Bahamas(Lahore Pakistan ), and a Coast Guard helicopter collects Leiter and Bond in an attempt to capture Sanchez. They do so by attaching a hook and cord to Sanchez's plane and pulling it out of the air with the helicopter. Afterwards, Bond and Leiter parachute down to the church and make the

wedding ceremony on time.

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Later that day, bribed DEA agent Ed Killifer (Everett McGill) assists Sanchez in escaping. That evening, Leiter and Della are captured by Sanchez's henchmen; Leiter is maimed by a shark as his wife is killed. After hearing the news of Sanchez's escape, Bond returns to Leiter's house to find Della dead and Felix alive but severely injured. Bond begins his revenge by pushing Killifer into the same tank with the shark that maimed Leiter.

M (Robert Brown) meets Bond in Key West's Hemingway House and orders him to an assignment in Istanbul, Turkey. Bond refuses the assignment and subsequently resigns. M refuses his resignation, saying, 'We're not a country club, 007!' However, he suspends Bond and immediately revokes his licence to kill. Bond quickly escapes MI6 custody and becomes a rogue agent, bereft of official backing but later surreptitiously helped by armourer Q (Desmond Llewelyn).

Bond boards the Wavekrest, a ship run by Milton Krest (Anthony Zerbe), Sanchez's key lieutenant, where he ruins Sanchez's latest drug shipment and steals five million dollars in cash. In Leiter's records which were stored on a CD-ROM, Bond finds details of a rendezvous in Bimini with Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), an ex-CIA agent-pilot whom he meets in a bar. Sanchez henchman Dario and his team arrive at the bar, ostensibly to kill Bouvier. A bar brawl erupts, but Bond and Bouvier escape, with Bond convincing Bouvier to assist him in his mission.

George H. W. Bush

Bond and Bouvier journey to the Latin American country of the "Republic of Isthmus" (a fictional country loosely based on Panama, which is known for its Isthmus of Panama), where he finds his way into Sanchez's employ by posing as an assassin looking for work. Back in the hotel he is supported by Q, who is on leave and arranges Bond with some gadgets. Bond attempts to kill Sanchez from an abandoned building, using a sniper rifle and C4 supplied by Q. While peering through the telescopic sight, he observes Bouvier talking to Heller (Don Stroud) and handing him an envelope. He detonates the charge, knocking the bulletproof window of Sanchez's office. However, before he can shoot Sanchez, he is attacked and incapacitated by two agents in ninja garb. He awakens tied to a table to find out his captors are, in fact, undercover Hong Kong narcotics agents trying to infiltrate Sanchez's operation. They are joined by Fallon (Christopher Neame), a MI6 agent who was sent by M to apprehend Bond either dead or alive. Bond is about to sedated via injection and sent back to England in disgrace when Sanchez and his men raid the building and kill the agents. They find Bond unconscious, still tied to the table.

Next morning Bond wakes up in Sanchez's mansion where he informs Sanchez that those men were freelance assassins and were worried that Bond would've warned Sanchez of their plans. Later, with the aid of Bouvier, Q, and Sanchez's battered girlfriend Lupe (Talisa Soto), Bond manages to frame Krest after 007 places the remaining five million dollars into the decompression chamber on board the Wavekrest, making him appear disloyal to Sanchez. Sanchez traps Krest in a hyperbaric chamber and then suddenly depressurises the chamber, causing Krest's head to expand like a balloon and explode; meanwhile, for Bond's perceived loyalty, Sanchez admits him into his inner circle.

After an overnight stay at his villa, Sanchez takes Bond to his base, which is disguised as a meditation retreat (not before Bond sleeps with Lupe). Bond learns that Sanchez's scientists can dissolve cocaine in gasoline, and then sell it disguised as fuel to Asian drug dealers. The buying and selling are conducted via the American televangelist Professor Joe Butcher (Wayne Newton), working under orders from Sanchez's business manager Truman-Lodge. The re-integration process will be available to those underworld clients who can pay Sanchez's price. In addition, Sanchez has brokered a deal to buy Stinger missiles from the Contras, and has threatened to shoot down an American airliner if the DEA interferes in his operations. During Sanchez's presentation to potential Far Eastern customers, Bond is recognised by Sanchez's henchman Dario (Benicio del Toro), who met Bond in Bimini and knows Bond to be against Sanchez's interests. Trying to escape, Bond starts a fire in the laboratory which spreads to the whole base; despite this, Bond is re-captured and placed on the conveyor belt that drops the brick-cocaine into a giant shredder. Pam Bouvier arrives and distracts Dario, while Bond kills him by pulling him into the shredder. The two flee the base as it explodes. Sanchez also escapes, with four tanker trucks full of the cocaine/gasoline mixture and his Stinger missiles, and Bond pursues them by plane with Bouvier at the controls.

In the course of a stunt-filled chase, Bond destroys three of the four trucks and kills many of Sanchez' men. An irate Sanchez kills Truman-Lodge (Anthony Starke) in exasperation. Bond and Sanchez fight aboard the final remaining tanker, which ends up out of control and then rolls down a hillside. Sanchez, soaked in gasoline, mocks Bond (who is injured from the fall), telling him that he could have "had everything", and prepares to kill him with a machete. Bond distracts him by asking him if he wants to know why he destroyed his drug empire. Bond produces his cigarette lighter - the Leiters' gift for being the best man at their wedding - and sets the villain afire. Sanchez, burning alive, stumbles into the wrecked tanker truck's cistern, causing its gasoline to ignite. Bond flees before the massive explosion. Pam arrives driving one of the two remaining trucks and drives them back to Isthmus City.

Drone during attack at unknown place

That night, a party is held at Sanchez's former residence. Bond receives a call from Leiter telling him that M is offering him his job back. Later in the party, Bond chooses to reject Lupe's advances, suggesting the country's president (Pedro Armendariz Jr.) as a better match, and romances Pam Bouvier instead.

Cast

James Bond henchmen in Licence to Kill and List of James Bond allies in Licence to Kill

* Timothy Dalton as James Bond: An MI6 agent who has his Double-0 status revoked.

* Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier: An ex-Army pilot and CIA informant.

* Talisa Soto as Lupe Lamora: Sanchez's girlfriend.

* Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez: Main antagonist. The most powerful drug lord in Latin America, mentioned as having been wanted by the DEA for years.

* Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny: M's personal secretary.

* Benicio del Toro as Dario: One of Sanchez's henchmen who kills Della Churchill.

* Anthony Zerbe as Milton Krest: Sanchez's henchman who operates Wavekrest Marine Research.

* Frank McRae as Sharkey: Friend of Felix Leiter and owns a boat charter business.

* Everett McGill as Ed Killifer: A corrupt DEA official, working for Sanchez.

* Wayne Newton as Professor Joe Butcher: Sanchez's middleman and TV evangelist for Olimpatec Meditation Institute.

* Anthony Starke as Truman-Lodge: Sanchez's financial advisor.

* Desmond Llewelyn as Q: Supplies Bond with various gadgets and helps him on the field.

* David Hedison as Felix Leiter: Former CIA agent, now with DEA.

* Don Stroud as Colonel Heller: Sanchez's head of security.

* Priscilla Barnes as Della Churchill: Felix Leiter's bride.

* Robert Brown as M: Head of MI6, revokes Bond of his Double-0 licence.

* Grand L. Bush as Hawkins: DEA Agent and Bond ally who opposes Bond's vendetta.

* Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Kwang: A ruthless Hong Kong Narcotics agent sent to infiltrate Sanchez's heart of operations.

* Christopher Neame as Fallon: An MI6 agent sent by M to arrest Bond, dead or alive.

* Diana Lee Hsu as Loti: A female Hong Kong Narcotics agent working with Kwang.

Production

Filming

Much of the film was shot in Mexico in Mexico City and the Florida Keys. In the film, the Republic of Isthmus was a fictional South American country, based on Panama. Mexico was used to double for this location. Shooting ran from July 18, 1988 to November 18, 1988.

In Mexico City locations included the Biblioteca del Banco de Mexico for exterior of El Presidente Hotel and the Casino Español for the interior of Casino de Isthmus whilst the Teatro de la Ciudad was used for its exterior. Churubusco Studios was used as a sound stage and production base. Villa Arabesque was used for Sanchez' lavish villa which was filmed in Acapulco, and the La Rumorosa Mountain Pass in Mexicali was used for the filming site of the tanker chase. Sanchez's Olympiatec Meditation Institute was shot at the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya. Other underwater sequences were shot at the Isla Mujeres near Cancún.

Seven Mile Bridge

In the United States filming was done primarily in the Florida Keys, notably Key West. Seven Mile Bridge towards Pigeon Key was used for the armoured truck driving off the edge. Other locations there included Ernest Hemingway House, Key West International Airport, Mallory Square, St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church for Leiter's wedding and Stephano's House 707 South Street for his house and patio. The US Coast Guard Pier was used to film Isthmus City harbour.

Licence to Kill is the only James Bond film to date not to have used a film studio in the United Kingdom during production, though post-production and sound re-recording was carried out at Pinewood Studios. This is also the first Bond film to be rated PG-13 in the US and 15 in the UK; all previous films were PG in both countries. Violent scenes had to be trimmed in both the UK and US (albeit somewhat less so) to avoid a higher classification.The uncut version is available in the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD range.

Music

Licence to Kill (soundtrack)

Initially Eric Clapton and Vic Flick were asked to write and perform the theme song to Licence to Kill. The theme was said to have been a new version based on the James Bond Theme. The guitar riff heard in the original recording of the theme was played by Flick. The prospect, however, fell apart and Gladys Knight's song and performance was chosen. The song (one of the longest to ever be used in a Bond film) was based on the "horn line" from Goldfinger, which required royalty payments to the original writers. The music video of "Licence to Kill" was directed by Daniel Kleinman.

The title sequence was the last one designed by Maurice Binder, who had created the title sequence for Dr. No and every Bond film from Thunderball onward. He died before production began for the next Bond film, 1995's GoldenEye. Kleinman would be selected to take Binder's place beginning with GoldenEye.

The end credits feature the Top 10 R&B hit "If You Asked Me To", sung by Patti LaBelle. In 1992, the song was covered by and became a Top 10 pop hit for singer Céline Dion.

John Barry was not available at the time due his throat surgery so, the soundtrack's score was composed and conducted by Michael Kamen, who was known for scoring many action movies at the time, such as Lethal Weapon and Die Hard.

Reception

Accounting for inflation, Licence to Kill is the least financially successful James Bond film in the U.S., although its worldwide income was greater.Producer Michael G. Wilson (in the DVD commentary) says the production was difficult because of budget control consequent to the over-spending for Moonraker, that did not account for inflation. Moreover, changing the filming locations from China to Mexico and the five-month WGA strike, preventing screenwriter Richard Maibaum from completing the script, left the screenplay writing to Wilson.The websites Entertainment Weekly

Producer Broccoli said he disliked the poor marketing of Licence to Kill, which was significantly affected by a late title change. Promotional materials by the artist Robert Peak, based on the Licence Revoked title, were inspired by Timothy Dalton's realistic, hard, portrayal of James Bond. The delayed, corrected advertising, by Steven Chorney, in the traditional style, limited the film's pre-release screenings. Moreover, Licence Revoked was simplified to Licence to Kill because American test screening audiences did not understand its meaning, however, in the documentary, Inside Licence to Kill, narrator Patrick Macnee says the reason is that to Americans "license revoked" denotes lost driving privileges.

The film received generally positive reviews upon release, garnering a 71% "Fresh" rating on www.rottentomatoes.com. Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ stars out of 4, saying "the stunts all look convincing, and the effect of the closing sequence is exhilarating... Licence to Kill is one of the best of the recent Bonds. " James Berardinelli gave the film three stars out of four; in reference to the poor box office, he stated, "Licence to Kill may be taut and gripping, but it's not traditional Bond, and that, as much as any other reason, may explain the public's rejection of this reasonably well-constructed picture." Raymond Benson, the author of nine Bond novels, said of the film: "It boggles my mind that Licence to Kill is so controversial. There's really more of a true Ian Fleming story in that script than in most of the post-60s Bond movies." Director John Glen says it is his best Bond film. Nowadays it it considered on of the best 007 films because of its gritty realism and performance by Timothy Dalton.

Adaptations

1989 British Coronet Books paperback edition.

The novelisation of the Licence to Kill screenplay was the first since Moonraker in 1979. Then-current Bond series novelist John Gardner novelised the Michael G. Wilson-Richard Maibaum screenplay — a great challenge, because his stories follow Fleming's continuity (albeit updated); Felix Leiter already had lost an arm and a leg to a shark in the Live and Let Die novel, an incident recycled in Licence to Kill. Resultantly, in the chapter "Lightning Sometimes Strikes Twice", the novelisation requires reader acceptance of Bond dealing with Leiter's twice being maimed by a shark; however, Gardner does not attempt to reconcile the presence of Milton Krest, (who was murdered in The Hildebrand Rarity short story).

The relatively faithful novelisation adds detail to resolve some issues around the film's more fantastic elements, notably explaining the unrealistic behaviour of the 'Stinger missiles' on-screen. It also differs from the script in places: (i) Bond uses a Walther P38K, not a Walther PPK (as in the film), because SIS had replaced it, a fact in Gardner's Bond novels; (ii) Q has an extra scene (occurring while Bond is at Sánchez's Olimpatec Meditation Institute), wherein he joins a police captain in raiding Sánchez's house. Although he then had written eight Bond novels, the novelisation was Gardner's first work featuring Q; before Licence to Kill, Q was heard of, not seen in his novels, having been replaced by his assistant, Ann Reilly, Q'ute. The novelised Licence to Kill story occurs before Win, Lose or Die, wherein Bond is promoted to Captain (in the novelisation and the film, Bond is a Commander).

Licence to Kill was adapted as a 44-four page, colour graphic novel, by writer and artist Mike Grell (also author of original-story Bond comic books), published by Eclipse Comics and ACME Presss in hardcover and trade editions in 1989. The adaptation closely follows the film story, although the ending is briefer, and James Bond is not drawn to resemble Raymond Davis.

(source:wikipedia)