WarSclerotic

Iran president brings ‘charm offensive’ to U.N.; will Obama buy it? – CNN.com.

(CNN) — This week’s United Nations meeting could mark a turning point in the acidic relationship between Iran and the United States.

Will U.S. President Barack Obama shake the hand of newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani? Will the two presidents even hold a meeting?

Those are key questions after Rouhani’s “we must work together” opinion piece published by the Washington Post’s website last week.

His comments have sparked optimism on the streets of Iran’s capital, where residents are hopeful as they take note of their new president’s unprecedented charm offensive pushing for better relations with Washington.

But the Iranian president’s new approach hasn’t played as well in Israel.

The New York Times reported Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is stepping up an effort to blunt Iran’s diplomatic offensive, and plans to warn the United Nations that overtures toward a nuclear deal could be a trap.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful energy, but the United States and others suspect it’s for atomic bombs.

The dispute about why Iran is seeking nuclear capability has prompted international sanctions and escalated concerns about additional warfare in the Middle East.

In his op-ed, Rouhani wrote that he wants “a constructive approach” between his country and the world, including about Iran’s nuclear program.

“We must work together to end the unhealthy rivalries and interferences that fuel violence and drive us apart,” Rouhani said.

Analysts are divided about Rouhani and his sincerity in addressing his country’s nuclear program. But there’s one thing all analysts agree on: the op-ed was a jumping off point for a very high-profile public relations push.

And this week, Rouhani could take things a step further.

Analyst: Rouhani needs to strike a deal quickly

In many ways, Rouhani’s recent election is like Obama’s in 2008: Rouhani enjoys enormous political capital, offering an opportunity to renew U.S.-Iran relations.

Rouhani overcame hard-line conservatives by campaigning as a centrist and a reformer, using a “hope and prudence” slogan.

To keep hard-liners at bay, Rouhani now must deliver something — namely, economic relief as Iran strains under global sanctions — or his critics will prevail as they did against Obama in 2009 when his own venture on U.S.-Iran diplomacy foundered, one analyst said.

“Now the roles are reversed: Rouhani needs to strike a deal quickly,” said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, who authored “A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran.”

This week’s U.N. General Assembly meeting “could be quite decisive,” Parsi said.

“That’s going to be the moment where the two sides have to invest the political capital needed. Otherwise it will go nowhere. It’s going to be costly politically to strike a deal. There’s going to be critics on both sides,” Parsi said. “There is a need for a huge dose of political will to be injected into the process.”

Will the two presidents meet?

Obama and Rouhani are both scheduled to deliver speeches at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. But it’s unclear whether the two presidents will meet.

Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Obama shouldn’t meet with Rouhani during the U.N. gathering, though shaking hands in a corridor would be appropriate.

Abrams says that’s because while Rouhani is Iran’s president, he is not the country’s leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the supreme leader of Iran.

“They are not counterparts, they are not equal,” said Abrams, who also supervised U.S. policy in the Middle East under former President George W. Bush. “So for the president to meet with him, I think confers too great a recognition on him.”

Abrams said Rouhani was a skilled political tactician when he was the country’s chief nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005.

“Remember this is the guy — Rouhani — who wrote several years ago with pride how he tied us up in negotiations while the nuclear program (of Iran) was going forward,” Abrams said. “So we should approach this with skepticism.”

White House weighs in

The Obama administration has welcomed Rouhani’s published column.

“But the fact of the matter is actions are what are going to be determinative here,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “The Iranians, for a number of years now, have been unwilling to live up to their obligations to the international community as it relates to their nuclear program.”

The international community’s economic sanctions against Iran has “taken a significant toll on their economy and put pressure on them to come back to the bargaining table,” Earnest said.

He did acknowledge that Rouhani now enjoys a window of opportunity against his hard-line adversaries at home, but Iran must “demonstrate their seriousness of purpose” and show “their nuclear program is for exclusively peaceful means.”

For now, Obama’s schedule this week doesn’t contain any meetings with Iranian representatives, Earnest said.

Asked if the United States is willing to ease sanctions against Iran, Earnest said such economic pressure “is what has brought the Iranians to the table.”

Optimism in Tehran

On the streets of Iran’s capital, many appear to be hopeful that their president’s overtures toward the United States are a good sign. But they’re also realistic that 34 years of mistrust will not disappear overnight.

“I am 99% sure things will be better,” said Tehran resident Syed Ali Akbar. “I can just feel it.”

Barber Hassan Ahmadi said he wants sanctions to end.

“I want to see better relations,” he said, “so we can live a little easier.”

Ali Hayati wasn’t even born the last time Iran and the United States had diplomatic relations. But now, he feels like there’s a chance for change.

“I want to see Mr. Rouhani and Mr. Obama sit in front of each other and speak about life,” he said.

At the House of Persian Carpets in the famous Tehran Bazaar, merchant Sadegh Kiyaei said he’s optimistic.

“We believe that two nations — Iran and America — they realize that they need each other. They like each other,” he said. “And they feel that it’s the right time to get together and to start talking at least.”

CNN’s Reza Sayah contributed to this report from Tehran. CNN’s Catherine E. Shoichet contributed from Atlanta.

US Secretary of State Kerry and Iranian FM Zarif to meet at UN nuclear talks | JPost | Israel News.

Kenya: Forces in control of all mall floors | The Times of Israel.

Interior ministry says operation underway to end standoff — in its 3rd day — with al-Shabab terrorists as two gunmen killed; death toll mounts to 62

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenyan police said Monday that special forces involved in ending the siege of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi by al-Qaeda-linked terrorists have taken control of all the floors in the shopping center.

The inspector general of the national police service tweeted Monday forces are now in “control of all the floors,” adding “we’re not here to feed the attackers with pastries but to finish and punish them.”

Earlier, four thunderous explosions rocked the mall as top Kenyan officials said two hostage takers, part of “a multinational collection from all over the world,” had been killed, as the standoff entered its third day Monday.

Kenya’s interior minister said the evacuation of hostages “has gone very, very well” and that Kenyan officials are “very certain” that there are few if any hostages left in the building.

Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku also revised the death toll to 62. Kenyan officials earlier said 59 people have died since the siege on Westgate Mall began on Saturday, while the Red Cross had put the toll at 68, then in a tweet lowered it to 62, saying some bodies had been counted twice.

Dark plumes of smoke rose from the mall for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the upscale Westlands neighborhood. A person with knowledge of the rescue operation told The Associated Press that the smoke was rising up and out of a large skylight inside the mall’s main department and grocery store, Nakumatt, where goods like mattresses may have been lit on fire.

Kenya Chief of Defense forces Gen. Julius Karangi said fighters from an array of nations participated in the attack claimed by al-Shabab, a Somali group allied with al-Qaeda.

“We have an idea who these people are and they are clearly a multinational collection from all over the world,” he said.

Karangi said Kenyan forces were in charge of all floors inside the mall, though terrorists could still be hiding inside. Earlier witness reports had indicated that a woman was among the estimated 10 to 15 attackers. Lenku said that instead some male attackers had dressed up like women.

The four explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire, then a thick, dark column of smoke that burned for roughly 90 minutes. Military and police helicopters and one plane circled over the Nairobi mall, giving the upscale neighborhood the feel of a war zone.

Westgate Mall is at least partially owned by Israelis, and reports circulated that Israeli commandos were on the ground to assist in the response. Four restaurants inside the mall are Israeli-run or owned, including a branch of Arcaffe, which was reportedly the first location inside the mall targeted by the terrorists.

In Israel, a senior defense official said there were no Israeli forces participating in an assault, but said it was possible that Israeli advisers were providing assistance. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a classified military issue, would not elaborate.

Gilad Millo, a Nairobi-based Israeli, said two Israeli men and a woman who were in the mall when the attack began were unharmed and safe.

Yariv Kedar, one of the three Israelis who was in Arcaffe at the time, told Channel 2 he “heard the gunfire getting closer” and bullets whizzed “over our heads” before he managed to escape.

“We started by hearing gunshots downstairs and outside. Later we heard them come inside. We took cover. Then we saw two gunmen wearing black turbans. I saw them shoot,” said Patrick Kuria, an employee at Artcaffe.

President Shimon Peres, in a Sunday letter to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, said, “I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the people of Kenya on the horrific terror attack in Nairobi. From the Holy Land we pray for the release of the hostages, the full recovery of the injured, and comfort for the families of the victims.”

Israel has close ties to Kenya going back many years. In recent years, Israel has identified East Africa as an area of strategic interest and stepped up ties with Kenya and other neighboring countries, due to shared threats posed by al-Qaeda and other extremist elements. In 2002, militants bombed an Israeli-owned luxury hotel near Mombasa, killing 13 people, and tried to shoot down an Israeli airliner at the same time.

On Sunday, Kenyan officials announced that “most” hostages had been rescued. But no numbers were given. Kenyan officials have never said how many hostages they thought the attackers had, but have said preserving the hostages’ lives is a top priority, greatly complicating the final fight against the attackers.

Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British, French, Canadians, Indians, a Ghanaian, a South African and a Chinese woman. The UK Foreign Office said Monday it has confirmed the deaths of four British nationals.

From neighboring Somalia, spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage for al-Shabab — the militant group that claimed responsibility for the attack — said in an audio file posted on a website that the hostage takers had been ordered to “take punitive action against the hostages” if force was used to try to rescue them.

At the Oshwal Centre next to the mall, the Red Cross was using a squat concrete structure that houses a Hindu temple as a triage center. Medical workers attended to at least two wounded Kenyan soldiers there on Monday.

Al-Shabab said on a Twitter feed, an account that unlike some others appears to be genuine, that the attackers had lots of ammunition. The feed said that Kenya’s government would be responsible for any loss of hostages’ lives.

A large military assault began on the mall shortly before sundown on Sunday, with one helicopter skimming very close to the roof of the shopping complex as a loud explosion rang out, far larger than any previous grenade blast or gunfire volley. Officials said the siege would soon end and said “most” hostages had been rescued and that officials controlled “most” of the mall. But on Monday the standoff remained.

As the crisis surpassed the 48-hour mark, video taken by someone inside the mall’s main department store when the assault began emerged. The video showed frightened and unsure shoppers crouching as long and loud volleys of gunfire could be heard.

The al-Shabab extremists stormed the mall on Saturday from two sides, throwing grenades and firing on civilians.

Kenyan authorities said they would do their utmost to save hostages’ lives, but no officials could say precisely how many people were being held captive. Kenya’s Red Cross said in a statement, citing police, that 49 people had been reported missing. Officials did not make an explicit link but that number could give an indication of the number of people held captive.

Al-Shabab said the attack, targeting non-Muslims, was in retribution for Kenyan forces’ 2011 push into neighboring Somalia.

Muslim Brotherhood banned by Egyptian court | World news | theguardian.com.

( So much for the best laid plans of mice and Obama… – JW )

Court rules that Islamist party’s assets should be confiscated as crackdown on supporters of Mohamed Morsi escalates

theguardian.com, Monday 23 September 2013 15.35 BST

Muslim Brotherhood supporters protesting in Cairo, Egypt, this month. Photograph: Khaled Elfiqi/EPA

John Kerry to meet with Iranian FM at UN | The Times of Israel.

UN chief negotiator Catherine Ashton says Iran, six key nations to hold nuclear talks in New York on Thursday

By Times of Israel staff and AP September 23, 2013, 7:02 pm

US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton before the Meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013. (photo credit: AP/Susan Walsh)

Iran’s new foreign minister will join talks with six key nations trying to rein in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program later this week, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said Monday.

The Thursday meeting is to include US Secretary of State John Kerry, and will be the highest level meeting between US and Iranian officials since 1979, according to a Wall Street Journal report. 

Catherine Ashton, the chief nuclear negotiator, told reporters after meeting Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that she saw “energy and determination” for talks with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany to move forward. Foreign ministers of the six nations are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

The meeting, Ashton said, would likely be a ”short discussion,” but she hoped it would pave the way for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

Ashton said she and her team will meet with Zarif again in October to follow up on Thursday’s meeting to continue their discussion on reviving long-stalled negotiations.

“We had a good and constructive discussion,” she said of her half-hour meeting with Zarif. “We didn’t talk about the details of what we would do. The purpose of this meeting was to establish how we would go forward.”

The election of Iran’s new president, Hasan Rouhani, considered a relative moderate in Iran’s hard-line clerical regime, has sparked speculation about possible movement on the nuclear issue.

On Friday, the White House intimated that a meeting between President Barack Obama and Rouhani could be a possibility when both leaders at the UN General Assembly. It was revealed last week that the two leaders have exchanged correspondence.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest said the US would be ready to engage in talks “on the basis of mutual respect” with Iran over its disputed nuclear program. Earnest said the White House wants Tehran to prove that its program is only for civilian purposes.

Earnest’s signals came after similar statements by White House spokesman Jay Carney, who said that Obama would be willing to sit down with Rouhani if he got the impression that Tehran was serious about its intention to curb its nuclear program. 

The UN Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions against Iran because of concerns it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. The US and its Western allies have imposed even more punishing sanctions which have severely affected Iran’s economy and drawn criticism from its citizens.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, aimed only at producing energy and isotopes for medical use.

Asked if she thought a breakthrough was imminent on restarting negotiations, Ashton replied, “I was struck, as I said, by the energy and determination that the foreign minister demonstrated to me.”

“I have worked, I think, very hard to find a way in which we can address this issue of great concern, and I will take every opportunity to try and do that — and I hope this will be one,” she said.

Rohani told NBC last week that Iran has “never pursued or sought a nuclear bomb, and we are not going to do so.”

He said last month that the Foreign Ministry — not the Supreme National Security Council — will lead nuclear talks with world powers, a shift away from security officials being in control.

Assad: Syria will allow access to chemical sites – Israel News, Ynetnews.

Syrian president says his government will allow international experts access to its chemical weapons sites but that rebels might block them from reaching locations

Reuters

In an interview with Chinese state TV broadcast Monday, Bashar Assad said Damascus was dedicated to implement a Russia-US agreement to surrender its chemical weapons to international control.

He noted that though his government won’t have “any problem” taking experts to sites where the weapons are kept and will allow international experts access to its chemical weapons sites, rebels might block them from reaching some of the locations.

Some places might be difficult to reach due to ongoing fighting or the “local security situation,” the Syrian president added, stressing: “I’m referring to places where militants exist. Those militants might want to stop the experts’ arrival.”

Nevertheless, Assad denounced the United States, France and Britain for submitting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control, saying they were fighting an “imaginary enemy”.

Assad, who was interviewed by China’s state television CCTV in Damascus, the Syrian capital, said he was not concerned about the draft resolution and that China and Russia would “ensure any excuse for military action against Syria will not stand.”

An article posted on the CCTV website on Monday quoted Assad as saying, “I am not concerned. Since its independence, Syria has been committed to all the treaties it has signed. We will honor everything that we have agreed to do.

“And more importantly, I want to say, by submitting the draft to the UN Security Council, or by urging the US and Russia to agree on a deal, the US, France, and Britain are just trying to make themselves winners in a war against a Syria which is their imaginary enemy.”

Russia and the United States brokered the deal to put Assad’s chemical arms stockpiles under international control to avert possible US military strikes that Washington said would punish Assad for a poison gas attack last month.

Washington has blamed Assad’s forces for the attack, which it said killed more than 1,400 people. Assad blamed rebels battling to overthrow him, saying it made no sense for his forces to use chemical weapons when they were gaining the upper hand and while UN chemical inspectors were staying in central Damascus.

Under the US-Russian deal, Assad must account for his chemical weapons stockpiles within a week and see them destroyed by the middle of next year.

Envoys from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – met last Thursday for a third straight day to discuss a draft resolution Western powers hope will make the deal legally binding.

Russia, a key ally of Assad, is unhappy with the draft’s references to possible punitive measures against Syria under Article 7 of the UN charter, which talks about UN authorization for sanctions and military force.

In the interview, Assad said gunmen could hinder the access of chemical weapons inspectors to sites where the weapons were stored and made.

He added, “We know that these terrorists are obeying the orders of other countries and these countries do drive these terrorists to commit acts that could get the Syrian government blamed for hindering this agreement.”

Asked whether Syria had lots of chemical weapons, Assad said: “Syria has been manufacturing chemical weapons for decades so it’s normal for there to be large quantities in the country.

“We are a nation at war, we’ve got territories that have been occupied for more than 40 years, but in any case, the Syrian army is trained to fight using conventional weapons.”

He said the chemical weapons were stored “under special conditions to prevent any terrorist for other destructive forces from tampering with them, that is, destructive forces that could come from other countries.”

“So there is nothing to worry about. The chemical weapons in Syria are in a safe place that is secure and under the control of the Syrian army.”

Separately, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that China was willing to send experts to help in the Syrian chemical weapons destruction process, and reiterated that a political solution was the only way to solve the crisis in Syria.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Saturday Syria had handed over information about its chemical weapons arsenal, meeting the first deadline of the disarmament operation.

Russia’s Putin warns of Islamic militant spillover from Syria into ex-Soviet bloc | JPost | Israel News.

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Israel Hayom | By way of deception shalt thou make peace?.

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UN General Assembly could see real breakthroughs on peace process, Syria and Iran | JPost | Israel News.