Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies that Irish claim of sabotage of the flotilla - Jerusalem Post

 
Photo: REUTERS/John Kolesidis by HERB Keino, REUTERS and JPOST.COM STAFF
07/02/2011 13: 14 Replies (3) Israel was not behind the engine caused to an Irish ship participating in the flotilla to Gaza, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Saturday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that militants should feel that they are in a "James Bond film".

Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News reported Friday that the Irish vessel damage may not be the result of sabotage at all. According to the report, the investigations also revealed that the ship was damaged before entering Turkish waters.

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Last week, Saoirse, one of the ten ships set to navigate the mass movement to break the blockade of Gaza sea, was moored in Turkish waters when it suffered engine damage. Fintan Lane, Irish Coordinator of dispatch to the Organization of the Gaza Strip, called the "dangerous sabotage" Act and said the ship he believed divers had worked under water to cut a piece of propeller shaft.

The damage suffered by the Irish lining caused organizers to pull the ship out of the fleet.

The controversy surrounding the Saoirse is only later in a number of developments that have caused the new difficulty fleet at sea.

Friday, the Greek Ministry for the Protection of the citizen issued a statement indicating that the Minister, c. Papoutsis, decided to prohibit the departure of ships flying the flag Greek or foreign "of the maritime area" of the Gaza Strip.

"By orders of the neighbourhood chief Coast Guard Greek in all local authorities in the coast guard Greek, all appropriate measures are taken for the implementation of this decision," said the statement.

The Greek Ministry said that the "more large maritime area of the Eastern Mediterranean will be continuously monitored by electronic means for monitoring, where appropriate, the movements of ships that have been participating" in the flotilla to Gaza.

While Cyprus had already banned ships headed to Gaza to leave their ports, the Greeks had not taken this measure until Friday.

The Greek Coast Guard intercepted a boat carrying us activists, shortly after they left Greece Friday to join a pro-Palestinian flotilla to Gaza, one of the activists said.

Late Friday night, the U.S. ship scheduled to participate in the flotilla to Gaza, the audacity of hope, rebroussé path to a port Greek after it was intercepted by Greek commandos Friday, organisers said through their stream Twitter. The boat was escorted to the coast guard in a closed Coast Guard base in Greece.

The boat had just left Perama port, near Piraeus, open seas, a Reuters witness said.

Minutes before first be intercepted, organisers said that the passengers of the ship are preparing to "non-violent resist any attempt to stop the boat," said moments later that the boat "is about sailing, the value" followed by a message saying that the ship had left. Through stream twitter of the boat, organisers said that a Greek Coast Guard vessel approached the audacity of hope that she was taking away from the station but then accelerated away.

A flotilla of boats planning challenge the blockade of Gaza by Israel should sail next week, after repeated delays who accuse the activists Israeli sabotage. Israel denied the charges.

"We are right here, two miles off the coast of Piraeus." "We were stopped by the coast guard, the ship maneuvered ahead and they now speak to the captain, they want us to turn back," Ann Wright, one of the activists, told Reuters.

"We are not violent, we pose no threat," she added, saying that the Group was informed of the ban on headscarves, just as it was made.

It was not immediately clear how the ship's departure would affect the General plans of the fleet.   Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive new updates directly to your email address

Author: TommyCountry: Ire07/02/2011 13: 55.
That an innocent person sicken Act civil unarmed trying to protest against the actions of the Israeli blockcade against 0ne & half million people. These people nobel could be killed to the expression of feelings. I call all the Jews in Ireland to denounce the measures taken by the Israeli Government. Jewish people in Ireland is allowed to protest without fear or danger. I simply do not think denial of Israel. they have lied about our passport should we therefore why trust them now. Jewish people of the Ireland if you really believe in democracy protest at your Embassy.

Author: NiallCountry: Ireland07/02/2011 13: 51
Now that we have a denial, I think. I will admit that I suspected that Israel was behind him, when I heard this first. Sorry.

1 Sue them for defamation, show some dos boneAuthor: Israel SupporterCountry: U.S./Canada07/02/2011 13: 25
Sue for defamation, lead by all possible means, they fool you...Alarm clock...

Chinese political dissident Hu Jia released from prison - Irish Times

The Irish Times - Monday, June 27, 2011 CLIFFORD COONAN in Beijing

Dissenting political Chinese, Hu Jia was published yesterday, after having served more than three years in prison for subversion, just days after the controversial artist Ai Weiwei was released on bail.

Unlike the release of IA, release of Mr. Hu had been scheduled for release some time, and his wife Zeng Jinyuan complained of harassment at the approach of the release of her husband.

"Safe, very pleased." Need to retrieve for a period of time, "she wrote in a message from Twitter."

She said that it would be deprived of his political rights for one year and that it would not be able to speak to the media.

What looks like the most likely scenario is that Mr. Hu will be kept under house arrest at his home - in his case the same scenario exactly as before he was imprisoned.

It is the fate that awaits AI for next year and is also what happened to the blind lawyer, barefoot Chen Guangcheng, a particularly brutal form of house arrest since his release from prison last year.

Any person coming out of the custody is immediately stifled by the authorities, and Felim Kine, researcher with New York - based Human Rights Watch Asia, said that he feared he would be under house arrest could be a new policy.

"I fear that this may be a trend." A ban on contact with the media was a condition of sentencing of Hu Jia, with deprivation of political rights to its release year, and his wife had warned that his release would not "normal", "he says.

Since February, Communist Party of China leads a dissenting repression, invited by the fear that the "Jasmine revolutions" in the authoritarian regimes of the Middle East and North Africa could be extended to China and undermine the party.

The Communist leadership is due to the change of the next year, and it is a very sensitive moment. This period also marks the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party.

The scenario of Hu Jia is similar to that of his dissenting colleague, Ai Weiwei, was published week last after three months of detention, more thin and very weak research and stating that his parole conditions prohibiting him from making statements.

His release at the time when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is visiting Europe travel to Britain, the Hungary and the Germany.

A lightweight and light-maniérée figure who suffers from liver disorders, dissident of 37 years was arrested by the police in late December 2007, after more than 200 days under house arrest in his apartment in complex Beijing, which is called the city of Bobo freedom.

Mr. Hu was back in the apartment ironically yesterday named complex with his wife and child.

"For this one year, the focus should be to heal his cirrhosis, caring for parents and children to avoid being arrested again," wrote his wife.

Mr. Hu was convicted of "inciting subversion of the State" by writing articles on the freedom to speak to foreign journalists.

He was found guilty of having written articles on the human rights approach of the Olympic Games in 2008, which were posted overseas Chinese sites as Boxun.

This has prompted charges that he conspired with foreign elements to sabotage the Beijing Games.

He gave interviews to many foreign media and embassies, won the European Union in 2008 Sakharov Prize, and was also in the framework for the Nobel Prize for peace in a given time.

Until the arrest of Liu Xiaobo and conviction on charges of subversion and its sequel Nobel peace, Mr. Hu was probably the best-known defender of human rights in China, and it is pronounced on AIDS, the environment, autonomy Tibetan and freedom of expression.

Mr. Hu is also a vegetarian and Buddhist, who criticized this religion China controls Tibet and voiced sympathy for the Dalai Lama, exiled Tibetan spiritual leader reviled by Beijing.

Main Irish opposition confirms will back down EU and the IMF voting (tiscali.co.uk)

DUBLIN (Reuters) - main opposition the Ireland Fine Gael party has confirmed that he would oppose parliamentary vote Wednesday on the bailout of the EU and the IMF, which is unlikely to affect the chances of the Government to approve the agreement.

One Fine Gael said Sunday it will seek to renegotiate the EUR 85 billion rescue plan to obtain a lower interest rate if he is elected to power next year, adding that he expected the party opposing the voice.

A spokesperson for the party center-right, which is expected to train as a coalition Government with the centre-left party after the parliamentary elections early next year, work was confirmed to Reuters Monday Fine Gael oppose vote.

Work, who are also campaign to redraw the terms of the bailout will be also oppose the motion announced last week by Prime Minister Brian Cowen, after he said at the outset it look not to the approval of the Parliament for the agreement.

Cowen has adopted three of the four voices behind the 2011 budget last week and two independent members who usually prop up his thin majority said they will vote in favour of the emergency kit.

A third independent Member who traditionally vote against the Government was cited by the Irish Times on Monday that he would side with the Government, on Wednesday.

Board of Directors of the IMF will vote on his part - 22, 5 billion EUR - bailing out on Thursday, has provided the Irish Parliament approves package.

(Statement by Padraic Halpin.) (Editing by Janet Lawrence)