France's Lagarde formally announces IMF bid

France's Finance and Economy Minister Christine Lagarde is seen during the ringing of the opening bell at the Paris Euronext opening day Tuesday, May 24, 2011. Momentum grew for Lagarde's potential candidacy to the top job at the IMF, with the Netherlands becoming the latest European government to offer its support. The Frenchwoman, however, kept silent about whether she even wants the job. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)

PARIS, May 25, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP)  – French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde announced Wednesday that she will seek the top job at the International Monetary Fund, a candidacy that has widespread support across Europe, The Associated Press reported.

Lagarde had remained silent about whether she wanted the job, and said she came to the decision after “mature reflection” and consultating with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“If I’m elected I’ll bring all my expertise as a lawyer, a minister, a manager and a woman” to the job, she said.

The IMF’s last managing director, Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn, quit last week after he was accused of attempting to rape a New York hotel maid.

Many European countries, including Germany and Britain, have offered their backing to a candidacy by Lagarde to run the IMF, which provides billions in loans to shore up the world economy.

She indicated she would not focus exclusively on Europe. “No zone has been spared by the financial crisis,” she said. “I want to get the biggest possible consensus for my candidacy.”

The IMF has traditionally been run by a European, while the World Bank has been run by an American. But representatives of major developing nations on the IMF’s board issued a joint statement on Tuesday urging the lending agency to abandon that practice.

Lagarde emerged as the European front-runner in part on her reputation for her deftness at international negotiations to stabilize the world economy during the world financial crisis. She also was seen as instrumental in getting the IMF and European Union to agree on rescue plans for Greece, Ireland and Portugal when their debt crises threatened the entire shared euro currency.

The 55-year-old spent much of her career in the United States, where she headed the law firm Baker & McKenzie in Chicago. With excellent English, a direct manner and relatively pristine image, she is seen as a good candidate to quickly step into Strauss-Kahn’s shoes and manage Europe’s continuing debt difficulties.

But potential legal troubles at home have clouded her potential candidacy, and some French critics say she would be a bad choice.

Questions have surfaced about Lagarde’s role in getting arbitration in 2008 for French businessman Bernard Tapie, who won euro285 million ($449 million) as compensation for the mishandling of sale of sportswear maker Adidas. Lagarde was finance minister at the time of the decision. A decision is expected June 10 on whether to open an investigation, according to French media reports.

Lagarde said she has “total confidence” about the issue and that investigators should be allowed to do their work.

The decision on the next IMF leader is expected by the end of June. It will be made by the agency’s 24-member executive board, whose officials represent the 187 IMF member countries.

The executive directors representing Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa said in a joint statement that they wanted to see the election of the next IMF chief be “truly transparent” and merit-based.

“We feel it is outrageous to have the post reserved for a European,” said Nogueira Batista, IMF executive director from Brazil and one of the signers of the joint statement.

But emerging economies have yet to rally around a single candidate, even as Europe has rallied around Lagarde. (*)

 

Lagarde announces candidacy to head IMF

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde launched her candidacy to become the new head of the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday after former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned amid accusations he sexually assaulted a hotel chambermaid.

May 25, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / FRANCE 24 / REUTERS ) —- French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday she will stand as a candidate to be the new managing director of the International Monetary Fund after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned earlier this month.

“I have decided to present my candidacy for the head of the IMF,” Lagarde told a news conference, adding that she had been encouraged by the support she had received from a number of nations.

Several European countries, including Britain, have come out in support of Lagarde as a candidate but she may face opposition from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa, who would like to see an emerging market nation hold the top IMF job.  (*)

SOURCE : FRANCE 24 & REUTERS

 

Photostream : British Prime Minister David Cameron meets U.S. President Barack Obama

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, and U.S. President Barack Obama, right, wave to members of the media outside Cameron's official residence at 10 Downing street in central London, prior to their meeting, Wednesday May 25, 2011. Obama is plunging back into the complex security debates over Afghanistan, Libya and uprisings in the Middle East, while trying to reassure European allies that they still are valued partners in U.S. foreign policy. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) greets US President Barack Obama as he arrives at 10 Downing Street in central London, on May 25, 2011. US President Barack Obama will Wednesday swap royal ceremony for the diplomatic intricacies of navigating the turmoil sown by the Arab Spring, on the final day of his state visit to Britain. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) speaks with U.S. President Barack Obama during their meeting at 10 Downing Street in central London May 25, 2011. REUTERS/Leon Neal/POOL

US President Barack Obama (R) holds a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (C) and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (L) at the 10 Downing Street in London, on May 25, 2011. Obama and his wife Michelle enjoyed a regal welcome from Queen Elizabeth II, who has met every US president but one since the 1950s. Obama's visit, the second stop on a European tour, comes as Britain seeks to prove its staying power despite fading military might and Washington looks to retool its decades-old alliance with Europe as a catalyst for global action. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (L) laughs with U.S. President Barack Obama during a visit to 10 Downing Street in central London May 25, 2011. REUTERS/Leon Neal/POOL

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (3rdL) talks to US President Barack Obama (3rdR) during an expanded bilateral with other delegations at the 10 Downing Street in London, on May 25, 2011. Obama and his wife Michelle enjoyed a regal welcome from Queen Elizabeth II, who has met every US president but one since the 1950s. Obama's visit, the second stop on a European tour, comes as Britain seeks to prove its staying power despite fading military might and Washington looks to retool its decades-old alliance with Europe as a catalyst for global action. (Photo by LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)

 

Palestinians say Netanyahu speech will not bring peace

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Photo : AFP PHOTO/ABBAS MOMANI

Speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress

PALESTINE, May 25, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / BBC) — Palestinian officials have dismissed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the US Congress, saying it will not lead to peace, BBC reported on Wednesday.

A spokesman for Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas said Mr Netanyahu had created “more obstacles”.

Mr Netanyahu had told the US Congress that Israel was “willing to make painful compromises” to achieve peace.

But he rejected US President Barack Obama’s call for a peace deal based on pre-1967 borders, plus land swaps.

Reacting to the speech, Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said: “What came in Netanyahu’s speech will not lead to peace”.

He said there was “nothing new” in the speech, “except that he is adding obstacles on the road towards a genuine, serious, lasting and comprehensive peace”.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the speech proved Israel could not be a partner for peace in the region.

Mr Erekat said Mr Netanyahu was seeking to “dictate the results” of negotiations before they had begun.

“He dictated that Jerusalem will be undivided, that refugees cannot return, that his army will remain on the borders, that his settlements will be expanded and kept, that he wants Palestine to be demilitarised,” Mr Erekat said.

The BBC’s Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen says that the speech shows that the gulf between Mr Netanyahu’s view of an acceptable peace deal and that of the Palestinians is as wide as ever.

‘Unstable Middle East’

Mr Netanyahu had said Israel would be “generous on the size of the Palestinian state, but very firm on where we put the border with it”.

Speaking to a supportive bipartisan audience at the US Capitol in Washington, Mr Netanyahu urged Mr Abbas to “tear up” a recent reconciliation agreement with Islamist party Hamas, which controls Gaza.

He said Israel could not make peace with a faction that did not recognise its right to exist.

But a Hamas spokesman dismissed his remarks.

“The true response to this arrogant speech which denies Palestinian rights should be the complete ending of all negotiation and the implementation of [Palestinian] reconciliation as soon as possible,” Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP.

President Abbas is due to meet leaders of the PLO and his Fatah movement on Wednesday to consider how to pursue an attempt to seek recognition for statehood by the UN in September.

Mr Abbas has said that he would prefer to establish a state through negotiations, and suggested that he is being forced into taking this unilateral step by Israel’s refusal to engage.

But US President Barack Obama said he would not support such a move, which fails to address and resolve fundamental issues with Israel.

Mr Netanyahu said he remained committed to a two-state solution to the conflict, in which an independent Palestinian state sits alongside a Jewish state. 

“I’m willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace,” he said. “We seek a peace where [the Palestinians] will be neither Israel’s subjects nor its citizens.”

But he said the future border could not rest at Israel’s “indefensible” 1967 lines, because many Israelis now live in suburbs of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem beyond Israel’s pre-1967 territory.

He said the precise border must be drawn at the negotiating table, but said it would be different from the 1967 border. (*)

 

Speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as he is applauded by Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner (R) before a joint session of Congress May 24, 2011 at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Full text of  PM Netanyahu’s speech to joint session of the US Congress : 

Washington DC, May 24, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — I am deeply moved by your warm welcome.  And I am deeply honored that you have given me the opportunity to address Congress a second time.

Mr. Vice President, do you remember the time that we were the new kids in town?

And I do see a lot of old friends here. And I see a lot of new friends of Israel here.  Democrats and Republicans alike.

Israel has no better friend than America. And America has no better friend than Israel.  We stand together to defend democracy.  We stand together to advance peace.  We stand together to fight terrorism.

Congratulations America !

Congratulations, Mr. President.  You got bin Laden. Good riddance!

In an unstable Middle East, Israel is the one anchor of stability.   In a region of shifting alliances, Israel is America’s unwavering ally. Israel has always been pro-American.   Israel will always be pro-American.

My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel.  We’re already built.  You don’t need to export democracy to Israel.  We’ve already got it.  You don’t need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own.

Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security.

I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), walk up to address the media at the U.S Capitol on May 24, 2011 in Washington, DC. Netanyahu had delivered a speech to a joint meeting of Congress. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Some of you have been telling me that your belief has been reaffirmed in recent months that support for Israel’s security is a wise investment in our common future.

For an epic battle is now unfolding in the Middle East, between tyranny and freedom.

A great convulsion is shaking the earth from the Khyber Pass to the Straits of Gibraltar.

The tremors have shattered states and toppled governments. And we can all see that the ground is still shifting.

Now this historic moment holds the promise of a new dawn of freedom and opportunity. Millions of young people are determined to change their future. We all look at them.

They muster courage.

They risk their lives.

They demand dignity.

They desire liberty.

These extraordinary scenes in Tunis and Cairo, evoke those of Berlin and Prague in 1989. Yet as we share their hopes, we also must also remember that those hopes could be snuffed out as they were in Tehran in 1979. You remember what happened then.  The brief democratic spring in Iran was cut short by a ferocious and unforgiving tyranny.  This same tyranny smothered Lebanon’s democratic Cedar Revolution, and inflicted on that long-suffering country, the medieval rule of Hezbollah.

So today, the Middle East stands at a fateful crossroads.

Like all of you, I pray that the peoples of the region choose the path less travelled, the path of liberty.

No one knows what this path consists of better than you.  This path is not paved by elections alone. It is paved when governments permit protests in town squares, when limits are placed on the powers of rulers, when judges are beholden to laws and not men, and when human rights cannot be crushed by tribal loyalties or mob rule.

Israel has always embraced this path, in the Middle East that has long rejected it. In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out.  It is different.

As the great English writer George Eliot predicted over a century ago, that once established, the Jewish state will “shine like a bright star of freedom amid the despotisms of the East.”  Well, she was right.  We have a free press, independent courts, an open economy, rambunctious parliamentary debates. You think you guys are tough on one another in Congress? Come spend a day in the Knesset.  Be my guest.

Courageous Arab protesters, are now struggling to secure these very same rights for their peoples, for their societies. We’re proud that over one million Arab citizens of Israel have been enjoying these rights for decades. Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. I want you to stop for a second and think about that.  Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of one-percent are truly free, and they’re all citizens of Israel!

This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East. Israel is what is right about the Middle East.

Israel fully supports the desire of Arab peoples in our region to live freely. We long for the day when Israel will be one of many real democracies in the Middle East.

PM Netanyahu receives applause during his speech before a joint session of Congress (front row, center: Mrs. Sara Netanyahu.) Photo: Avi Ohayun, GPO.

Fifteen years ago, I stood at this very podium, and said that democracy must start to take root in the Arab World.

Well, it’s begun to take root.  This beginning holds the promise of a brilliant future of peace and prosperity.

For I believe that a Middle East that is genuinely democratic will be a Middle East truly at peace.

But while we hope and work for the best, we must also recognize that powerful forces oppose this future.  They oppose modernity. They oppose democracy.  They oppose peace.

Foremost among these forces is Iran. The tyranny in Tehran brutalizes its own people.  It supports attacks against American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  It subjugates Lebanon and Gaza. It sponsors terror worldwide.

When I last stood here, I spoke of the dire consequences of Iran developing nuclear weapons.  Now time is running out, and the hinge of history may soon turn. For the greatest danger facing humanity could soon be upon us: A militant Islamic regime armed with nuclear weapons.

Militant Islam threatens the world.  It threatens Islam. I have no doubt that it will ultimately be defeated. It will eventually succumb to the forces of freedom and progress.  It depends on cloistering young minds for a given amount of years and the process of opening up information will ultimately defeat this movement.  But like other fanaticisms that were doomed to fail, militant Islam could exact a horrific price from all of us before its inevitable demise.

A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world. I want you to understand what this means. If we don’t stop it, it’s coming. They could put the bomb anywhere. They could put it on a missile. They’re working on missiles that could reach this city.  It could be on a container ship in a port, or in a suitcase on a subway.

Now the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads in the sand. Less than seven decades after six million Jews were murdered, Iran’s leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people, while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state.

Leaders who spew such venom, should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. But there is something that makes the outrage even greater: The lack of outrage.  In much of the international community, the calls for our destruction are met with utter silence.   It is even worse because there are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran’s terror proxies.

But not you.  Not America. You have acted differently. You’ve condemned the Iranian regime for its genocidal aims. You’ve passed tough sanctions against Iran.

History will salute you America.

PM Netanyahu's addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress, May 24, 2011. Photo: Avi Ohayun, GPO

President Obama has said that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

He successfully led the Security Council to adopt sanctions against Iran.  You in Congress passed even tougher sanctions. These words and deeds are vitally important.

Yet the Ayatollah regime briefly suspended its nuclear program only once, in 2003, when it feared the possibility of military action.

That same year, Muammar Qadaffi gave up his nuclear weapons program, and for the same reason. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of confrontation. This is why I ask you to continue to send an unequivocal message: that America will never permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

As for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction seriously. We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust.  When we say never again, we mean never again.  Israel always reserves the right to defend itself.

My friends, while Israel will be ever vigilant in its defense, we will never give up on our quest for peace. I guess we’ll give it up when we achieve it.  Israel wants peace.  Israel needs peace. We’ve achieved historic peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan that have held up for decades.

I remember what it was like before we had peace.  I was nearly killed in a firefight inside the Suez Canal. I mean that literally, inside the Suez Canal.  I was going down to the bottom with a 40 pound ammunition pack on my back, and somebody reached out to grab me, and they’re still looking for him, for the guy who did such a stupid thing.

I was nearly killed there.

I battled terrorists along both banks of the Jordan River.

Too many Israelis have lost loved ones. I know their grief.

I lost my brother.

Members of Congress stand and applaud as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 24, 2011. Speaking to a packed House chamber with Speaker Boehner and Vice President Biden over his shoulders, Netanyahu was repeatedly interrupted by applause – including more than 20 standing ovations. One of his biggest applause lines was aimed directly at President Obama. “Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967,” Netanyahu said, prompting a big standing ovation. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

So no one in Israel wants a return to those terrible days.

The peace with Egypt and Jordan has long served as an anchor of stability and peace in the heart of the Middle East.

This peace should be bolstered by economic and political support to all those who remain committed to peace.

The peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan are vital. But they’re not enough. We must also find a way to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians. Two years ago, I publicly committed to a solution of two states for two peoples: A Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state.

I am willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace. As the leader of Israel, it is my responsibility to lead my people to peace.

This is not easy for me. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we will be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland.  In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India.  We are not the Belgians in the Congo.

This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace.  No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year old bond, between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.

But there is another truth: The Palestinians share this small land with us.

We seek a peace in which they will be neither Israel’s subjects nor its citizens.  They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and independent people in their own state.  They should enjoy a prosperous economy, where their creativity and initiative can flourish.

We’ve already seen the beginnings of what is possible.  In the last two years, the Palestinians have begun to build a better life for themselves.

Prime Minister Fayad has led this effort. I wish him a speedy recovery from his recent operation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives a standing ovation as he speaks before a joint session of Congress May 24, 2011 at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

We’ve helped the Palestinian economy by removing hundreds of barriers and roadblocks to the free flow of goods and people.

The results have been nothing short of remarkable.

The Palestinian economy is booming. It’s growing by more than 10% a year.

Palestinian cities look very different today than they did just a few years ago. They have shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, banks.  They even have e-businesses.  This is all happening without peace.  Imagine what could happen with peace. Peace would herald a new day for both peoples. It would make the dream of a broader Arab-Israeli peace a realistic possibility.

So now here is the question.  You have to ask it.

If the benefits of peace with the Palestinians are so clear, why has peace eluded us?

Because all six Israeli Prime Ministers since the signing of the Oslo accords agreed to establish a Palestinian state. Myself included.

So why has peace not been achieved?  Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.

You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state. This is what this conflict is about.  In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews said yes.  The Palestinians said no.  In recent years, the Palestinians twice refused generous offers by Israeli Prime Ministers, to establish a Palestinian state on virtually all the territory won by Israel in the Six Day War.

They were simply unwilling to end the conflict.  And I regret to say this: They continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorists.  And worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy that Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees.

My friends, this must come to an end.  President Abbas must do what I have done.  I stood before my people, and I told you it wasn’t easy for me, and I said… “I will accept a Palestinian state.” It is time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say… “I will accept a Jewish state.”

Those six words will change history. They will make clear to the Palestinians that this conflict must come to an end.  That they are not building a state to continue the conflict with Israel, but to end it.  They will convince the people of Israel that they have a true partner for peace.  With such a partner, the people of Israel will be prepared to make a far reaching compromise. I will be prepared to make a far reaching compromise.

This compromise must reflect the dramatic demographic changes that have occurred since 1967.  The vast majority of the 650,000 Israelis who live beyond the 1967 lines, reside in neighborhoods and suburbs of Jerusalem and Greater Tel Aviv.

These areas are densely populated but geographically quite small. Under any realistic peace agreement, these areas, as well as other places of critical strategic and national importance, will be incorporated into the final borders of Israel.

The status of the settlements will be decided only in negotiations.  But we must also be honest.  So I am saying today something that should be said publicly by all those who are serious about peace.  In any real peace agreement that ends the conflict, some settlements will end up beyond Israel’s borders.  The precise delineation of those borders must be negotiated.  We will be generous on the size of a future Palestinian state. But as President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967.

Israel will not return to the indefensible lines of 1967. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an address to a joint session of Congress, outside of the Speaker's office May 24, 2011 at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. From left: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-VA, House Speaker John Boehner, R-OH, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA. Senate (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

I want to be very clear on this point.  Israel will be generous on the size of the Palestinians state but we’ll be very firm on where we put the border with it.  This is an important principle.  It shouldn’t be lost.

We recognize that a Palestinian state must be big enough to be viable, independent and prosperous.

President Obama rightly referred to Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, just as he referred to the future Palestinian state as the homeland of the Palestinian people. Jews from around the world have a right to immigrate to the one and only Jewish state.  Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state. This means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel.

As for Jerusalem, only a democratic Israel has protected freedom of worship for all faiths in the city.  Throughout the millennial history of the Jewish capital, the only time that Jews, Christians and Muslims could worship freely, could have unfettered access to their holy sites,  has been during Israel sovereignty over Jerusalem.  Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.   I know that this is a difficult issue for Palestinians. But I believe with creativity and goodwill a solution can be found.

This is the peace I plan to forge with a Palestinian partner committed to peace.  But you know very well, that in the Middle East, the only peace that will hold is a peace you can defend.

So peace must be anchored in security. In recent years, Israel withdrew from South Lebanon and Gaza.  We thought we’d get peace, but that’s not what we got.

Instead, we got 12,000 rockets fired from those areas on our cities, on our children, by Hezbollah and Hamas.

The UN peacekeepers in Lebanon failed to prevent the smuggling of this weaponry.  The European observers in Gaza evaporated overnight. So if Israel simply walked out of the territories, the flow of weapons into a future Palestinian state would be unchecked.  Missiles fired from it could reach virtually every home in Israel in less than a minute.  I want you to think about that too.

Imagine there’s a siren going on now and we have less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket.  Would you live that way?  Can anyone live that way?

Well, we aren’t going to live that way either.

The truth is that Israel needs unique security arrangements because of its unique size. Israel is one of the smallest countries in the world.   Mr. Vice President, I’ll grant you this.  It’s bigger than Delaware.  It’s even bigger than Rhode Island. But that’s about it. Israel on the 1967 lines would be half the width of the Washington Beltway.

Now here’s a bit of nostalgia. I first came to Washington thirty years ago as a young diplomat. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out: there is an America beyond the Beltway.  But Israel on the 1967 lines would be only nine miles wide.  So much for strategic depth.

So it is therefore absolutely vital for Israel’s security that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized.  And it is absolutely vital that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River.  Solid security arrangements on the ground are necessary not only to protect the peace, they are necessary to protect Israel in case the peace unravels.  For in our unstable region, no one can guarantee that our peace partners today will be there tomorrow.

And when I say tomorrow, I don’t mean some distant time in the future.  I mean — tomorrow. Peace can be achieved only around the negotiating table.  The Palestinian attempt to impose a settlement through the United Nations will not bring peace. It should be forcefully opposed by all those who want to see this conflict end.

I appreciate the President’s clear position on this issue.

Peace cannot be imposed.

It must be negotiated.

But it can only be negotiated with partners committed to peace.

And Hamas is not a partner for peace. Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction and to terrorism.  They have a charter.  That charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel.  It says ‘kill the Jews wherever you find them’.

Hamas’ leader condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden and praised him as a holy warrior.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks outside of the Speaker's office after an address to a joint session of Congress, May 24, 2011 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photoby MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Now again I want to make this clear.

Israel is prepared to sit down today and negotiate peace with the Palestinian Authority.

I believe we can fashion a brilliant future of peace for our children.

But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaeda.

So I say to President Abbas:  Tear up your pact with Hamas!  Sit down and negotiate!  Make peace with the Jewish state! And if you do, I promise you this.  Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.

My friends, the momentous trials of the last century, and the unfolding events of this century, attest to the decisive role of the United States in advancing peace and defending freedom. Providence entrusted the United States to be the guardian of liberty.  All peoples who cherish freedom owe a profound debt of gratitude to your great nation.   Among the most grateful nations is my nation, the people of Israel, who have fought for their liberty and survival against impossible odds, in ancient and modern times alike.

I speak on behalf of the Jewish people and the Jewish state when I say to you, representatives of America, Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support for Israel. Thank you for ensuring that the flame of freedom burns bright throughout the world.

May God bless all of you.  And may God forever bless the United States of America. (*)

SOURCE : PMO

 

Netanyahu to outline peace vision in speech to Congress

File Picture : House Speaker John Boehner, left and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at AIPAC Policy Conference 2011

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would set forth his view of a future Middle East peace in an address to Congress on Tuesday and reaffirmed Israel would never return to its old, narrow borders.

“I will outline a vision for a secure Israeli-Palestinian peace,” the right-wing Israeli leader said on Monday about his planned address to a joint meeting of Congress.

“I intend to speak the unvarnished truth. Now more than ever what we need is clarity.”

Addressing the annual policy conference of the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobby group, Netanyahu appeared to keep alive a public dispute with President Barack Obama over the shape of a future Palestine.

“(A peace agreement) must leave Israel with security, and therefore Israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 lines,” he said, repeating a term he had used at a testy meeting with Obama at the White House on Friday.

Obama drew Israeli anger a day earlier when he said a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip should largely be drawn along lines that existed before the 1967 war in which Israel captured those areas and East Jerusalem.

On Sunday, Obama presented that blueprint in his own address to AIPAC on Sunday. But he seemed to ease Israeli anger somewhat when he made clear Israel would likely be able to negotiate keeping some settlements as part of a land swap in any final deal with the Palestinians.

Peace talks are frozen, largely over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Neither Obama nor Netanyahu have offered a concrete plan to try to revive them.

CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT

Netanyahu has a mostly sympathetic ear in Congress, where few lawmakers in either party speak up for the Palestinians, hewing to decades of close U.S.-Israeli ties.

“Support for Israel doesn’t divide America, it unites America. It unites the old and the young, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans,” Netanyahu told AIPAC.

“Netanyahu will most likely try to tone down any perceived differences between his position and the president’s, because his disagreements with President Obama have become counterproductive for both and ultimately undermine Israel’s own interests,” said Haim Malka, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

But Republicans in Congress, including leaders in the House of Representatives, are not about to drop their criticism of the Democratic president’s newly articulated Mideast vision.

House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said Monday that Obama’s comments on Middle East borders left “most Americans … just questioning what kind of strategy there is. It doesn’t make sense to force a democratic ally of ours into negotiating with now a terrorist organization” about land swaps.

Cantor was referring to a unity deal last month between Western-backed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement and Hamas, an Islamist group viewed by the United States as a terrorist organization.

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch’s office says he will introduce a resolution saying that it is not U.S. policy to have Israel’s borders return to the boundaries of 1967.

Speculation had been high in Israel that Netanyahu would offer new ideas on peacemaking to try to display flexibility and rally opposition to the Palestinians’ plan to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state in September.

In his AIPAC address, Netanyahu reiterated his demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, a step they fear could impinge on their claim of a right of return for Palestinian refugees displaced by the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Netanyahu first addressed a joint meeting of Congress in 1996 during his first term as prime minister.

While Obama won the Jewish vote overwhelmingly in 2008, some prominent Jewish Americans were rethinking their support for his re-election after this week’s events.

Israeli leaders have long regarded AIPAC as a valuable advocacy group in the United States and have frequently attended its annual conventions.

Listing a membership of 100,000, the group has worked with Congress and the White House on securing foreign aid for Israel and legislation to strengthen what it describes as the vital U.S.-Israel relationship.

AIPAC’s dominant voice in advocating for Israel has been challenged by J Street, a pro-Israel lobby founded in 2009.

J Street leaders have said the group provides a way for liberal American Jews critical of Israeli government policies to support the Jewish state.

Unlike AIPAC, the group supports President Obama’s demand that Israel cease settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, while calling on the Palestinians to end incitement and violence.  (*)

 

Iran launches religious Imam Reza TV

Imam Reza's (PBUH) shrine in Mashhad, northeast Iran

IRAN, May 24 ,2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) —- The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) has launched a new satellite channel to provide information on life and reflections of the eighth Shia Imam, Imam Reza (PBUH), Iranian Television PRESS TV reported on Tuesday.

The new satellite network, named Imam Reza TV, was officially inaugurated on Tuesday on Mother’s Day in Iran, ISNA reported. 

Mother’s Day, which is also celebrated as Women’s Day in Iran, is marked every year in Iran on the auspicious birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) daughter, Fatemeh, who is highly revered in the Muslim world, especially Iran, as the ultimate model for women, wives and mothers. 

Imam Reza satellite channel can be received on Atlantic Bird 4A (Nilesat), frequency: 10720 MHz, horizontal position, symbol rate: 27500, FEC ¾.  (*)

 

SOURCE : PRESS TV.IR 

 

Palestinians will not declare unilateral independence: Fatah

"We do not intend to unilaterally declare independence," Fatah member Azzam al-Ahmed said one day after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (AFP)

MOSCOW, May 24, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM/ THE DAILY STAR / AFP ) — Palestinian authorities do not intend to declare unilateral independence, a top Fatah member said Tuesday following talks with senior Russian officials.

“We do not intend to unilaterally declare independence,” Fatah member Azzam al-Ahmed said one day after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

He added that Russia supported the Palestinians’ idea of submitting the independent state initiative for a vote at the United Nations, although he failed to specify whether Moscow had also promised to vote yes.

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed at yesterday’s meeting that Russia supports this process,” Ahmed told reporters.

Lavrov Monday reaffirmed Russia’s support for the Palestinian reconciliation process, which has upset Israel because of the involvement of Hamas, an Islamist movement the Jewish state sees as an extremist organization. (*)

 

Photostream : NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen meets Afghan President Hamid Karzai

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (3L) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai (C) arrive for a joint press conference at the Presidential palace in Kabul on May 24, 2011. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on May 24 he was "concerned" about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, the day after the worst assault on one of its military bases in two years. Rasmussen was in Afghanistan on a surprise one-day visit and met President Hamid Karzai to discuss the transition of security from NATO-led troops to Afghan security forces due to begin in July. AFP PHOTO/SHAH Marai

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (L) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai (C) arrive for a joint press conference at the Presidential palace in Kabul on May 24, 2011. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on May 24 he was "concerned" about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, the day after the worst assault on one of its military bases in two years. Rasmussen was in Afghanistan on a surprise one-day visit and met President Hamid Karzai to discuss the transition of security from NATO-led troops to Afghan security forces due to begin in July. AFP PHOTO/SHAH Marai

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (L) speaks during a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential palace in Kabul on May 24, 2011. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on May 24 he was "concerned" about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, the day after the worst assault on one of its military bases in two years. Rasmussen was in Afghanistan on a surprise one-day visit and met President Hamid Karzai to discuss the transition of security from NATO-led troops to Afghan security forces due to begin in July. AFP PHOTO/SHAH Marai

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at AIPAC Policy Conference 2011

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks May 23, 2011 during an address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference 2011 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Transcript of Netanyahu’s Speech :

Washington DC, May 24, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / PMO ) —- My friends, before I talk about things about Israel, I want to say something about the scenes on television that I saw today and you have been seeing as well.  When tragedy strikes America, Israel — Israel feels an immediate identification.  And tragedy has struck America. In recent days floods and tornadoes have claimed the lives of hundreds of Americans, including today in Joplin, Missouri.  All I can say is, America, we’re with you on this day, on every day. 

And that’s very evident from the things I just heard from my two close friends.  Speaker of the House John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, you lead the many friends who are here today, the distinguished senators and congressmen and congresswomen of the United States of America. 

 

I want to greet AIPAC President Lee Rosenberg.  Rosy, I learned the other day that if I take you on, it’s not going to be in basketball.  It will be in soccer.  And Executive Director Howard Kohr – Howard, you I’m not going to take on in anything. 

I want to welcome here also the representatives of the Government of Israel, Members of Knesset, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jim Cunningham, Ambassador-designate Dan Shapiro, my beloved wife and the mother of our two boys, Sara, and finally, our terrific Ambassador to the United States, a man who knows a few things about the U.S.-Israel alliance, Michael Oren.

To all our supporters in this great hall and to the millions of supporters across this great land, the people of Israel thank you.  Thank you for your staunch commitment to Israel’s security.  Thank you for defending Israel’s right to defend itself.  Thank you for standing by Israel as it seeks a secure peace. 

Now, I heard tonight from all the speakers something that you know – that Israel is America’s indispensable ally.  You understand that Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder fighting common enemies, protecting common interests.  You know that Israeli innovators help power computers, fight disease, conserve water, clean the planet. Your support for Israel flows from the heart. 

You see, it’s not just what Israel does.  It’s what Israel is.  Now, let me explain that. Yesterday I had a great day.  They let me out.  Sara and I could actually go for a walk.  And I have to congratulate the American security services.  They’re a little more generous than ours.  So we walked along the Potomac and we got to visit Washington’s majestic memorials.  I read Jefferson’s timeless words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”  I read Lincoln’s immortal address, “government of the people, for the people, by the people.” 

Now, let me tell you why these words resonate so powerfully with me and with all Israelis – because they’re rooted in ideas first championed by our people, the Jewish people, the idea that all men are created in God’s image, that no ruler is above the law, that everyone is entitled to justice.  These are revolutionary Jewish ideas, and they were spoken thousands of years ago – when vast empires ruled the earth, vast slave empires ruled the world. And the Jews spoke these truths. 

Israel is the cradle of our common civilization.  It’s the crucible of our common values.  And the modern state of Israel was founded precisely on these eternal values.  And this is why Israel’s more than 1 million Muslims enjoy full democratic rights.  This is why the only place in the Middle East where Christians are completely free to practice their faith is the democratic State of Israel.  And this is why Israel, and only Israel, can be trusted to ensure the freedom for all faiths in our eternal capital, the united city of Jerusalem. 

My friends, Israel and America have drawn from these deep well springs of our common values.  We forged an enduring friendship not merely between our governments, but between our peoples.  Support for Israel doesn’t divide America.  It unites America.  It unites the old and the young, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans. And, yes, Joe Lieberman, it even unites independents.  I want to take this opportunity to salute one of the great senators in my lifetime, a man who’s given unbelievable service to his country, America, and has been unbelievably dedicated to Israel and the Jewish people.  Thank you, Joe Lieberman.  

You see, this broad support for Israel in the United States is a tremendous help and gives tremendous strength to my country.  And since Harry Truman, Israel has looked to American presidents to stand by it as we meet the unfolding challenges of a changing world. 

Yesterday President Obama spoke about his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. He rightly said that our security cooperation is unprecedented. He spoke of that commitment not just in front of AIPAC.  He spoke about it in two speeches heard throughout the Arab world.  And he has backed those words with deeds. 

I know these are tough economic times. So I want to thank the president and Congress for providing Israel with vital assistance so that Israel can defend itself by itself.  I want to thank you all for supporting the Iron Dome missile defense system.  A few weeks ago, Hamas terrorists in Gaza fired eight rockets at our cities, at Ashkelon and Beer Sheva. Now, these rockets never reached their targets.  Iron Dome intercepted them in midair.  For the first time, a missile defense system worked in combat. That’s a precedent in military history.  And I want to say thank you, America.  

America and Israel are cooperating in many other ways as well.  We’re cooperating in science, in technology, in trade, in investment.  It’s not only American companies that are investing in Israel.  It’s Israeli companies investing in America.  In the last decade, Israeli companies have invested more than $50 billion in the United States.  One of those companies is investing just down the road in Richmond.  It’s a company that is building a food factory. Now, here’s what it means – more business, more jobs, and, yes, more hummus. 

Well, it’s not just food we’re bringing to America.  Take medicine.  Israel is advancing cure for multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, cancer.  We’ve developed mechanical means to make paraplegics walk again.  We’ve placed a tiny diagnostic camera inside a pill.  I have not swallowed it, but I understand it’s quite effective.

And you’ve just heard of this miraculous bandage developed by an Israeli company that has helped save Congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ life.  And I wish Gabby, a great friend of Israel, “Refuah Shlema”, a happy, quick, speedy recovery.  

Israel and America are also cooperating to end the world’s worst addiction, the addiction to oil.  This dependence fuels terrorism.  It poisons the planet.  So we’ve launched a 10-year program in Israel to kick the habit, to find a substitute for gasoline.  And if we succeed, we can change the world.  We can change history. 

My friends, the American people’s support for Israel is reflected in my invitation to address a joint meeting of Congress tomorrow.  Thank you, John Boehner, for that invitation.  I will talk about the great convulsion taking place in the Middle East, the risks and the opportunities.  And I will talk about the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran.  And I will also outline a vision for a secure Israeli-Palestinian peace.  I intend to speak the unvarnished truth because now, more than ever, what we need is clarity. 

And events in our region are finally opening people’s eyes to a simple truth.  Events in the region are opening people’s eyes to a simple truth: The problems of the region are not rooted in Israel.  The remarkable scenes we’re witnessing in town squares across the Middle East and North Africa are occurring for a simple reason: People want freedom.  They want progress.  They want a better life.  

For many of the peoples of the region, the 20th century skipped them by.  And now 21st century technology is telling them what they missed out on.  You remember that desperate food vendor in Tunis?  Why did he set himself on fire?  Not because of Israel.  He set himself on fire because of decades of indignity, decades of intolerable corruption. 

And the millions who poured into the streets of Tehran, Tunis, Cairo, Sanaa, Benghazi, Damascus, they’re not thinking about Israel.  They’re thinking of freedom.  They’re yearning for opportunity.  They’re yearning for hope for themselves and for their children.  So it’s time to stop blaming Israel for all the region’s problems.  

Let me stress one thing.  Peace between Israelis and Palestinians is a vital interest for us.  It would be the realization of a powerful and eternal dream.  But it is not a panacea for the endemic problems of the Middle East.  It will not give women in some Arab countries the right to drive a car.  It will not prevent churches from being bombed.  It will not keep journalists out of jail. 

What will change this?  One word: Democracy – real, genuine democracy.  And by democracy, I don’t just mean elections.  I mean freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, the rights for women, for gays, for minorities, for everyone.  What the people of Israel want is for the people of the Middle East to have what you have in America, what we have in Israel — democracy.  So it’s time to recognize this basic truth.  Israel is not what’s wrong with the Middle East.  Israel is what’s right about the Middle East.

 

My friends, we want peace because we know the pain of terror and we know the agony of war.  We want peace because we know the blessings peace could bring – what it could bring to us and to our Palestinian neighbors.  But if we hope to advance peace with the Palestinians, then it’s time that we admitted another truth.  This conflict has raged for nearly a century because the Palestinians refuse to end it.  They refuse to accept the Jewish state. 

Now, this is what this conflict has always been about.  There are many issues linked to this conflict that must be resolved between Israelis and Palestinians.  We can, we must, resolve them.  But I repeat: We can only make peace with the Palestinians if they’re prepared to make peace with the Jewish State.  

Tomorrow in Congress, I’ll describe what a peace between a Palestinian state and the Jewish State could look like.  But I want to assure you of one thing.  It must leave Israel with security.  And therefore, Israel cannot return to the indefensible 1967 lines. 

I’ll talk about these and other aspects of peace tomorrow in Congress.  But tonight I want to express Israel’s gratitude for all you are doing to help strengthen Israel and the great alliance that Israel has with America.  You helped maintain our qualitative military edge.  You backed sanctions against Iran.  You supported genuine peace.  You opposed Hamas.  And you’ve joined President Obama and me in denouncing Hamas and demanding that it release our captive soldier, Gilad Shalit.  That’s another outrageous crime of Hamas.  Just imagine keeping a young soldier locked in a dark dungeon for five years without even a single visit – not a single visit of the Red Cross.  I think that the entire civilized community should join Israel and the United States and all of us in a simple demand from Hamas: Release Gilad Shalit.  

My friends, I spent my high-school years in Philadelphia.  I understand it’s developed quite a bit since then.  But during those years, when it was a sleepier town, I used to go visit the Liberty Bell.  Now, as Prime Minister of Israel, I can walk down the street and see an exact replica of that bell in Jerusalem’s Liberty Park.  On both bells is the same inscription.  It comes from the Bible, from the book of Leviticus , “U’kratem Dror BaAretz L’chol Yoshveha”, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land.”  My dear friends, this is the essence of the great alliance between our two nations – two peoples bonded in liberty and seeking freedom and peace for all.  That’s what this alliance is all about.  And you are part of it.  You maintain it. 

I thank you on behalf of the people of Israel and the government of Israel. Thank you for the American-Israel alliance. Thank you, AIPAC.  (*)