Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: Bush losing an ally?.....and what about those nukes?


500 - Internal Server Error

Status: Offline
Posts: 36507
Date:
Bush losing an ally?.....and what about those nukes?
Permalink  
 


Musharraf Given 2 Days To Quit Or Face Impeachment

images_image_281093753.gif CBS News Interactive: About Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) A top ruling party official on Saturday gave Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a two-day deadline to quit or face impeachment proceedings.

Musharraf's allies insisted he was not stepping down and was prepared to fight impeachment charges. But pressure on the president mounted further after the ruling party drew up a draft of charges to support a potential impeachment.

"Musharraf is running out of time," Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters. "If he fails to decide to quit within the next two days, the impeachment process will take its course."

Qureshi is a member of the Pakistan People's Party, the dominant group in the ruling coalition which announced its intentions last week to impeach Musharraf.

The building momentum to throw the president out of office has injected even more uncertainty into an already volatile situation in Pakistan, a country whose stability the U.S. considers critical to success in the war on terror.

Musharraf dominated Pakistan for years after seizing power in a 1999 military coup, making the country a key strategic ally of the U.S. by supporting its fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida. But his popularity at home has been dwindling.

Many Pakistanis blame rising violence in their country on his alliance with the United States. Musharraf's popularity sunk to new lows in 2007 when he ousted judges and imposed emergency rule. Then his rivals came to power after February parliamentary elections, largely sidelining him.

The United States has said publicly the impeachment debate is an internal matter and Pakistan's army, which Musharraf formerly headed, has also remained neutral.

There is no precedent for impeaching a president in Pakistan's turbulent 61-year history.

Under the constitution, a president can be impeached for violating the constitution or "gross misconduct." Coalition officials have said Musharraf's removal of judges and imposition of emergency rule last year could be cause for impeachment.

Coalition officials said Saturday they have completed a draft of the impeachment charges but it still needs approval from the party leaders.

On Friday, allies and rivals of the president confirmed back-channel talks are under way to avoid an impeachment process that could further destabilize Pakistan.

Musharraf's supporters want protections for him if he steps down, while suggesting they could use the courts to challenge an impeachment.

Tariq Azim, a senior member of the main pro-Musharraf party, insisted Saturday the president won't quit.

"President Musharraf is confident about defending himself in the parliament and defeating the charge sheet easily because whatever he did, he did in the interest of the country and for the nation," Azim said.

On Friday, Mushahid Hussain, another Musharraf ally, said the president may turn to the courts to forestall an impeachment.

But Raza Rabbani, a member of the Pakistan People's Party, warned Musharraf this matter will not be decided in the courts.

"The venue cannot be changed," Rabbani said. "This should be clear to everyone as impeachment is a constitutional affair, and that could only be done through the parliament."

Whether Musharraf decides to quit could depend on what his rivals are willing to offer -- particularly whether they will give him immunity from prosecution and let him stay in the country.

But the ruling coalition appears divided on those questions.

Sadiqul Farooq, a spokesman for the party of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif -- whom Musharraf ousted in the 1999 coup -- insisted immunity was out of the question.

Sharif's party is the second-largest in the coalition, and it has said Musharraf should be tried for treason, which carries a maximum punishment of death.

The PPP has taken a softer tone.

Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Saturday that the party "never indulges in the politics of revenge as it wants a stable Pakistan and a sustainable democracy in the country."

If Musharraf quits, whether he could safely stay in Pakistan is an open question. He is despised by Islamist militants and has already been the target of multiple assassination attempts.

Azim, however, said no matter what, Musharraf wants to stay in Pakistan.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.



__________________

© Equal Opportunity Annoyer

Troll The Anti-Fast Freight Freddie

 

 

 

 



Force Majeure

Status: Offline
Posts: 23396
Date:
Permalink  
 

I'd like to give the American President the same option.

__________________

Tinhorn Dictator



500 - Internal Server Error

Status: Offline
Posts: 36507
Date:
Permalink  
 

Snippy wrote:

I'd like to give the American President the same option.




big-dick-cheney.jpg



__________________

© Equal Opportunity Annoyer

Troll The Anti-Fast Freight Freddie

 

 

 

 

Uke


Cured

Status: Offline
Posts: 26926
Date:
Permalink  
 

Not ta mention this administration [Bush & Co.] just can't seem ta mind their own business, and leave the Arab world alone! They'll sort themselves out, without Uncle Sam!

UAE cities at odds over lifestyle, ties to Iran
August 17, 2008 2:24 PM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - At first, the differences between the United Arab Emirates two leading cities were merely cultural. Abu Dhabi built world-class museums as fast as Dubai put up extravagant shopping malls - one with a ski slope inside.

But the healthy competition that has helped transform them into two of the Middle East's most vibrant and bustling cities has soured as the tiny emirates grow increasingly divided over their relations with two other rivals - Iran and the United States.

Dubai's skyscrapers, American-style theme parks and sprawling beaches clashed with the more prim sophistication of Abu Dhabi, which is building a symphony orchestra and branches of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums.

But now Dubai's massive trade with Iran and liberal Western outlook are becoming liabilities for the U.S.-friendly capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, which is under pressure from Washington to isolate the Islamic republic.

With half the population of Dubai's 1.2 million residents and much less glitz, Abu Dhabi is the richest of the seven city-states that make up the United Arab Emirates.

As the world's fourth largest exporter of oil, Abu Dhabi is also the main provider for the rest of the semi-independent states, including Dubai.

All of that wealth is owned by the ruling family in Abu Dhabi, giving it the power to force compliance with federal laws and rein in Dubai's at times murky commercial dealings with Iran.

Still, Abu Dhabi cannot afford to antagonize Iran, and so it treads a fine line.

Last year, the Bush administration asked Abu Dhabi to crack down on companies suspected of smuggling equipment to Iran to build explosive devices killing American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The White House also expressed concerns about shipments to Iranian front companies operating in Dubai.

The UAE and other Sunni-ruled Arab states are suspicious of Shiite Iran, just a boat ride across the Gulf from Dubai. They share the West's concern over Iran's nuclear program and fear Tehran's growing ability to empower Shiites across the region, especially in Iraq.

Iran and the UAE have diplomatic ties and both benefit from their booming commerce. Thousands of Iranian business are based in Dubai, which also hosts the Arab world's largest Iranian expat community.

With U.S. sanctions against Iran already in place and Washington threatening new penalties for Tehran's failure to curb uranium enrichment, Dubai is finding it more difficult to defend its lucrative commercial dealings with Iran's ruling elite.

The UAE has been a loyal ally in America's war on terror. The U.S. has been allowed to operate in an airbase in the outskirts of Abu Dhabi and its warships regularly dock in Dubai's ports.

But Iranian investment in Dubai - about $14 billion each year - buoys a robust development plan largely financed with foreign cash. The trade is also huge boost to Tehran's confidence that it can survive Western-imposed sanctions.

"Iran is not suffering from sanctions if it can still bring things through Dubai," said Jean-Francois Seznec, a Gulf specialist at Georgetown University.

Within days of the Bush administration's request to Abu Dhabi to crack down on companies suspected of helping Iran militarily, the UAE president announced a law to "ban or restrict imports, exports or passthrough shipments for reasons of health, safety, environmental concerns, national security or foreign affairs."

Authorities also said they were closing some companies, but it isn't clear how thoroughly the law has been enforced.

Analysts say Dubai has largely ignored America's pressure to curb trade with Iran.

By continuing with business as usual, "Dubai has been jeopardizing Abu Dhabi's relationship with Washington," said Christopher Davidson, a UAE specialist and a lecturer at the U.K.'s Durham University.

Plus, Dubai's permissive ways to accommodate Western residents and tourists - by circumventing alcohol restrictions and other rules in the conservative Muslim country - have made the city-state a "liability for the federation, with its behavior," Davidson said.

So Abu Dhabi has stepped up its pressure, starting with delicate issues Dubai has trouble defending - nudity and excessive booze. Last month, Dubai obliged when Abu Dhabi questioned its neighbor's Islamic credentials.

Police detained almost 80 people over in a crackdown on public drinking, topless sunbathing and nudity on public beaches. Undercover policemen also rounded up 17 foreign men authorities accused of being gay.

Dubai's acting police chief vowed to detain all those suspected of acts "deemed offensive, immoral or disrespectful."

But limiting Iranian business in Dubai is a tougher task, with few rewards for Abu Dhabi, analysts say.

"Neither of them wants to be too close to the U.S. nor too distant from Iran," said Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, political science professor at Emirates University.

The balancing act associated with trying to accommodate the U.S. and Iran has enabled Dubai and Abu Dhabi to "play good cop, bad cop," Seznec said.

But he said it was also possible Abu Dhabi doesn't truly want Dubai to stop being "the main transport hub for Iran."

The UAE capital looks after the interests of other Gulf states, who fear a U.S. recession and high inflation because their currencies are pegged to the dollar, Seznec said.

"And a bankrupt Iran is simply not in the Gulf's interest," he said.




__________________

Hmm. That address doesnt look right.
It looks like the link pointing here was faulty.

Gah. Your tab just crashed.

Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.

Chatbox
Please log in to join the chat!