Roads to Iraq

Mini posts

• Zawahri's "insult" word

  Just listened to Zawahiri's speech after I read these reports say that he used "insult" words.

  Zawahri uses the word "Abid" or "Abd" translated directly to English as "slave" but it also means "addicted" or "loyal".

  You can find the same word in many Arabic names such as these of the King of Saudi Arabia or Jordan "Abd"dullah.

  The English word "negro" transited to Arabic as "Zinji" is more racial and insulting than "Abd", because "Zinji" or even "Aswad" = "black" usually refers to an ethnic inferior minority.

  
  Miliband had a letter from Olmert to Assad

  According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida, Davis Miliband in his visit to Syria, had a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Olmert to Bashar Al-Asad assured him of Israel's willingness to continue the negotiations.

  
  Gadhafi's son lobbies father-son succession

  According to Al-Akhbar, Gadhafi's son visit to the U.S. aimed to promote the transfer of power and to approve father-son succession in Libya, especially that he will visit Jewish activists in the U.S.

  
  France accuses Saudi Arabia with arming the Lebanese fundamentals

  As reported on Al-Akhbar:

  Western countries intelligence services and particularly France started to accuse Saudi Arabia of arming the fundamentals in Lebanon after they found special guns and arms sold by France at the time of the former President Jacques Chirac to Saudi Arabia.

  
  Hamas three options

  Good report on the Palestinian newspaper Al-Manar on Hamas options and the next move:

  Sources close to Hamas said that the movement is in a very difficult position, reluctant to launch attacks on Israel and would prefer to wait until the U.S. political situation to stabilize.

  Hamas leaders in exile want to exercise restraint, but they are unable to control the military commanders. Hamas has three options:

  1- To go towards Egypt and continue the peace dialogue [with Fatah] immediately and unconditionally.

  2- To continue the "calculated" escalation, without pushing the situation to the exploding point.

  3- Its called the suicidal option:

  A- Armed operation in areas surrounds Gaza strip, joined by other armed factions, but any direct confrontation will hurt Hamas heavily.

  B- To confront the Israeli pressure with attacks outside the Gaza strip, in the West Bank or inside Israel, trying to boost its negotiations demands.

  
  Strange reports on the hijacked Saudi oil tanker

  The story of the hijacked Saudi oil tanker "Sirius Star" is escalating but yet there are few confusing reports on the Saudi media.

  The strange thing is what Saudi funded newspaper AL-Sharq AL-Awsat reported this morning:

  The Saudi border guards denied the reports of a hijacked Saudi ship; they [border guards] did not receive any distress call from any ship or Saudi oil tanker exposed to a piracy operation.

  The most confusing is what Saudi newspaper reported this morning:

  [Saudi oil tanker] "Sirius Star" is liberated.

  A Saudi source confirmed the release of "Sirius Star".