U.N.'s Brahimi sticks by Israeli "poison" comments

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2416922.htm

PARIS, April 24 (Reuters) - The United Nations' special envoy to Iraq stuck by his stance on Saturday that Israel was "poisoning" the Middle East and said this was fact not opinion.

Lakhdar Brahimi, meeting French President Jacques Chirac for talks on a future Iraqi government, was reiterating comments made earlier this week, which prompted the U.N. to say he was expressing "personal views" which do not fit with U.N. policy.

"The policy of Israel is a poison in the region, and that is the feeling of everyone in the region and beyond and i think this is a statement of fact, not an opinion," said Brahimi after a meeting with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris for talks on forming a local authority in Iraq.

Brahimi said earlier this week his job of forming an Iraqi government was being complicated by "the Israeli policy of domination and the suffering imposed on the Palestinians".

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[kalian]

1. I would tend to agree....

given that Israel is sending their Mossad into Iraq....makes you
wonder what they want to accomplish.
Then there is the issue of America's foreign policy...and its origins.
But that's an entirely different thread... ;)

[0007]

2. Brahimi has got this one right, that junior pay no attention too!

"Brahimi said earlier this week his job of forming an Iraqi government was being complicated by "the Israeli policy of domination and the suffering imposed on the Palestinians"."

Listen up junior, 'ya might learn something.

[markses]

3. Brahimi has hand

as it were, cuz Bush made him into the go-to guy for the Iraq debacle, even mentioning him expressly, and in glowing terms, in his press conference. Brahimi can say what he wants now; he's under the hood trying to fix shit, and everyone damn well knows it. I think everyone also knows that Sharon is a mad man who seems bent on destroying everything but his own power again and again and again. I think even the real Israel-hawks on this board and elsewhere even know this, as much as they'll deny it.

In any case, I'm glad to see Brahimi using his newly cemented position to try to save some lives and stop Israel's oxymoronic unilateral "deal-making." One does not justify a theft by stating its "reality" in fact.

[jmcgowanjm]

4. "I release myself from this commitment regarding Arafat,"

Sharon, in comments that could rally support in his right-
wing Likud party before its May 2 vote on his Gaza pullout
plan, said on Friday he no longer felt bound by a pledge
he made three years ago to President Bush not to harm
Arafat.

http://freeinternetpress.com/article.pl?sid=04/04/24/1427252&mode=thread

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4928602

[Hornito]

5. Sharon's plan, is more a "threat". If he doesn't get his way, I have

no doubt he will kill Arafat, and engulf the entire ME in war. Of course, he's pretty much already accomplished that (using his U.S. neocons), but the next step will be much worse, ....Armageddon worse. Just what the Fundies and radical Zionists have been working for....

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Guess what? Brahimi's daughter

is marrying the King of Jordan's son!

This could be interesting.

[SoCalDem]

7. his brother..

but well-connected, just the same..

[Jim Sagle]

8. Once again proving that the UN ain't nuthin' but shit...

as if further corroboration were needed at this point.

[0007]

9. Why? Because the U.S. can't have control?

[Jim Sagle]

12. No, because its whole purpose is to slam Israel while ignoring

numerous wars, famines, and genocides around the globe.

Gives hypocrisy a bad name.

[Voltaire99]

14. LOL!

Yes, yes, it's whole purpose is to "slam Israel," when we both know that Israel can do no wrong.

Pffft.

[Jim Sagle]

16. That's not what I said. But Israel's "wrongdoing", such as it is, doesn't

amount to a pimple on the world's ass.

Everybody goddamn well knows this, but it's rarely said aloud.

[Matilda]

18. Unfortunately, it's become a great big carbuncle.

Sharon was always a thug, but power's gone to his head. With a
witless American pResident to fight his external battles for him,
he can concentrate on annhilating the Palestinians. It may be that
even united, the Arab countries will not be able to stand against
the combined military power of Israel and the U.S., but the resultant
bloodshed will horrify the rest of the world. Even now, world
opinion is slowly turning against Israel - and I don't say this with
any pleasure. World War III will begin, and end, in the Middle East.

[Jim Sagle]

19. If we can get w out of office, the problem will recede - as will all our

other problems.

[Matilda]

27. I'm not so sure ... Kerry endorsed the agreement with Sharon.

Unless he changes his mind, things won't get any better in the M/E.
They might not get as bad as they undoubtedly will with Bush, but
it's going to take a long time to sort out the mess, and unless
Kerry can distance himself from Bush's policies, he won't be trusted.

[Jim Sagle]

30. Kerry has no war agenda. He has an agenda to manage the war w started.

That may include staying longer than some of us would like, but it's a far cry from what's happening now. Just getting w out, Halliburton out, and the UN in would improve things greatly.

[Aidoneus]

42. but, wait.

I thought the UN was "nuthin' but shit"?! Which is it?

[Jim Sagle]

48. Hey, you're paying attention.

:thumbsup:

[Aidoneus]

41. do you really believe that?

[Mari333]

32. Israel is run by a tyrant right now

and our foreign policy right now, with Bush playing to his extremist fundamentalist Armageddon base, is ruining not only the future of Israel, but the future of the US as well.

http://www.againstbombing.com/ArmageddonUpdates.htm

[Jim Sagle]

35. No, he's not a tyrant. Unlike w, he was elected.

[Aidoneus]

23. "its whole purpose is to slam Israel"

Jeebus H. Flynt.. I once wondered how self-centered one could be--you have shattered all previous records. That's ALL the UN is for?

What wars, famines, and genocides around the globe is it ignoring? Besides Chechnya--I'm kind of pissed about that but that's beside the point (I dislike the UN for different reasons).

[Jim Sagle]

29. Thanks, you just proved my pojnt. Yes, the UN was set up to

alleviate many global problems, but in the end it ignores all but one.

[Aidoneus]

34. Where was it that I 'proved your point'?

I was under the impression that what I was doing was attacking it, not "proving" it.. What does it ignore?

[Jim Sagle]

36. Just about everything except Israel-Palestine.

[Aidoneus]

37. For example?

And with hopefully some proof that backs up your allegation?

[Jim Sagle]

38. Do your own research. I'm not here to spoonfeed you.

[Aidoneus]

39. So you *don't* actually have any argument to make?

I was hoping this would lead somewhere.. :cry:

[Jim Sagle]

40. I made it. You refused to see it.

[Aidoneus]

43. And where was that?

What I see is that you find the phrase "for example" so intimidating that it is shunned like the plague..

[Jim Sagle]

44. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

[Aidoneus]

45. Um, thanks.. you just proved my point?

I'm not quite sure how to take that..

[Jim Sagle]

46. I'm sorry...did you say something?

[Aidoneus]

47. I'm sorry that I did say something..

A pleasure as always, sir.

[lumpy]

31. Hypocrisy

already has a bad name, or didn't ya' know?

[Jim Sagle]

33. Sorry..next time I'll include the /sarcasm tag. I didn't think it was

needed.

[tinnypriv]

10. Good job almost no-one knows about Israeli penetration of Iraq

I'm sure that'd go down well in the region.

[SpeakEasy]

11. When in doubt blame Israel

What was the poison used when the Middle East tried to push Israel into the sea? How soon some people forget...

[oneighty]

13. Bye

Sigh

180

[Character Assassin]

15. Oh, I see. So it wasn't already 'poisoned' before his remarks...

Like a great breakthrough and thaw in relations between Israel and the PA were just on the verge of taking place.

Uh-huh.

[keithyboy]

17. At last! Womeone with the balls to stand up to the Sharon terrorist s

Will the rest of the world have enough guts to speak truth to evil?
Brahimi may not last long after his comments. I am sure he will be accused of anti-Semitism in order to intimidate him but at long last, there is someone willing to speak out publically against the barabic Sharon regime.

[Muddleoftheroad]

20. He is an anti-Semitic scumbag

That he makes anti-Semitic remarks is unsurprising. That so many on a progressive website treat them as legit is terrifying.

[Jacobin]

22. anitsemitic, antiamerican, antithis antithat

I just love the Likkud-defenders. They sound just like Toby Keith.

No facts, no attempts at justifying the horrors of Sharon's reign, just accuse those who question Israel's 'right' to commit atrocities as "anti-something, anything".

cute

Very cute.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TahitiNut]

26. So, "anti-Israel" equals "anti-semite"?

Do you mean to imply that "Israel" = "Jew"?? Do you mean to further imply that any DUer agreeing with this UN envoy's statement is also an anti-Semite?

The last I heard, Israel is a country, not a religion. :shrug:

[akitamata]

24. name-calling

turns you into a pro-Semitic "scumbag", I guess. It is necessary that someone with a larger viewpoint than the Holocaust should comment on Israel/Sharon's provocations, assassinations and continued 'poisoning of the waters' in the Middle east. Brahimi speaks from experience, not from some asinine webforum. Perhaps some light on Israel's behavior would produce a worthwhile change in this process of pro/anti Israel bantering.

[NNN0LHI]

21. Why doesn't CNN, MSNBC, or Fox report what he said?

This is the guy that Bush says he is depending on to make the decisions in Iraq. Chimpy even used his name during his last "press conference". So what gives? Why not report what he said? I don't get it? Any ideas?

Don

[cantwealljustgetalong]

28. All in the Family...

Jordan's royal family on Friday announced the engagement of King Abdullah II's half brother, Prince Ali, to CNN reporter Rym Brahimi.

...

Ali, 29, heads a special force that protects the monarch. He is the son of the late King Hussein from his marriage to Queen Alia, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977.

Brahimi is the daughter of the U.N. envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi.

...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/04/23/entertainment1241EDT0584.DTL