The Afghanistan conference in Bonn is a farce. There are no representatives of the Afghan resistance to the occupation, so it is not negotiating peace. Karzai’s corrupt and effete presidency, obtained by massive electoral fraud, expires in 2014. It is no coincidence that immediately after that the NATO troops will leave. Be guaranteed that none of the Karzai family will remain in Afghanistan, but will rather retire to Switzerland with the many billions of dollars they have looted from UK and US taxpayers’ funds, and made from the heroin trade.
Pakistan of course is not present at the conference. After approximately 6,000 Pakistanis were blown up by the USA on Pakistani soil, the next 25 were killed all at once and were all young soldiers, something that not even Pakistan’s complacent, corrupt government could gloss over. So for now all of NATO’s ground supplies are being shipped through Uzbekistan – the percentage of NATO supplies going that way was already increased to almost 50% and still rising fast as a matter of policy,
Lucky that Hillary has a new best friend in President Karimov
All of which explains why there has been not one single word of criticism of Uzbekistan’s human rights record by the co-alition government in the UK. There was not one single mention of human rights, of child slave labour, of political prisoners, of free elections, unbanning the opposition, of freedom of assembly, speech or religious belief, when the British government hosted official Uzbek parliamentary and trade delegations last month. There was not one word either in public or in private on any of these subjects.
The current British government loves Karimov. It has never issued even the mildest criticism. Boiling people alive and torturing political opponents to death is fine by them. We even deport him back extra dissidents to practice on. This British government succesfully pushed through the EU new preferential tariff access for Uzbek cotton picked by eight year old child slaves.
The love affair with the British establishment goes wider than just this government. New Labour’s chief financier, their own Lord Ashcroft, is a man named Andrew Rosenfeld. He has sold a house in Switzerland to Karimov’s daughter Lola for three times its market value. Such huge payments in excess of market value are, very often, a spot of money laundering with the extra money being in return for something else.
Money flows both way – as previously reported here, Karimov’s elder daughter Gulnara is getting a massive cut from the transport of all those NATO supplies through Uzbekistan.
But the latest bit of love-in with the Karimov family will astound you. William Hague is going to agree that Gulnara Karimova – the most hated person in Uzbekistan – can come and live in London as Uzbek Ambassador. The request for her to be accepted (“agrement” in diplomatic parlance, in French) – has been in for some time. The only obstacle remaining is to resolve how many of Gulnara’s seven bodyguards will be allowed to carry semi-automatic weapons on the streets of London.
Among our major political parties, the notion of morality appears virtually as dead as it is to the Karimov family.
I am inclined to agree with Tom Welsh that it is naive to expect morality from our rulers.T’was ever thus. We can however keep each other better informed about their murderous misdeeds and it is getting harder for them not to be seen as they truly are.To give one brief example. Blair recently gave a talk to a gathering of Native American Indians and spoke for an hour on his plans for a carbon tax,afterwards he was presented with a plaque inscribed to “Walking Eagle” with which he was much chuffed.A reporter later asked the Indians why they had chosen this title and was told that was the name they gave to all birds who were so full of shit that they were unable to fly!
A suitable name for Karimov and his progeny will soon be coined and will be known worldwide, possibly just as “boil in a bag karry” not to be confused with curry,anyone got a better notion?
As for Clinton after her libyan performance who knows? By the way I have noticed a number of my posts to your blog seem to vanish very fast,am I boring you?
$500 to anyone who finds evidence of intelligence inside Hillary Clinton’s brain. On another note, very good article.
Off Topic but needs to be shared:
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“Police have angered Occupy London activists after listing the movement among terrorist groups in an advisory notice sent to the business community in the City.”
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/05/occupy-london-police-terrorism-document
[I am inclined to agree with Tom Welsh that it is naive to expect morality from our rulers]
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Nothing has changed,they were a bunch of c**ts in the 17th century,they were the same in the 18th/19th and 20th century and they are the same now.
Avaaz is a bit worrying. I’ve seen criticism on Twitter, to the effect that there is nowhere on the site that anyone can propose petitions. Avaaz itself chooses them. And I’ve seen it said (but haven’t checked out) that it’s not possible to find out on the website who exactly is running it. Further, that it’s funded by Soros (?). I can’t back up any of this, I’m quoting tweets from Ali Abunimah and several others.
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My point about Craig being (recently and more thoroughly) blacklisted: Hague & Co are well aware of Craig, his connections to Uzbekistan, and why he is no longer an Ambassador. They must have known that when this story got out, he would be the first to jump on it and make a lot of ‘noise’. So did they recently put the word out to silence him in the “mainstream”. And could this explain why nobody would publish his previous article. Hague can easily twist the “need” into “national interest”.
Sometimes I simply lose faith with humanity.
“A reporter later asked the Indians why they had chosen this title and was told that was the name they gave to all birds who were so full of shit that they were unable to fly!”
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[Joke, right? They tell it about Obama too. They even told it about John Kerry. Pity.]
Mon 5 Dec 2011 17:07:34 GMT
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Hillary Clinton is not an unintelligent woman by a very long way, nor is she weak. What’s quite baffling is her look of genuine delight at being photographed hand in hand with a monster. There really are monsters in the world, as children should be taught, and the worst part is that they look just like us most of the time. This Karimov doesn’t, his very visage announces “evil”.
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Clinton’s body language, with the slight lean in, shows no revulsion whatsoever. Presumably our own representatives feel the same, if the UK is rolling out the red carpet for his poisonous daughter. No mutterings about humanitarian intervention, hand-wringing about a lack of democracy, denunciations of dictators, nothing – that’s just for our Official Enemies. This makes any official complaints about genuinely bad people in power dismissible as mere political rhetoric, our word and standing as a country bankrupt.
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We’ve sold out to the US regime, ably personified by a delighted Clinton, thrilled to have made a deal with a monster, all in the furtherance of our wars of choice.
Nuid , Avaaz is definitely not funded by anyone, its accounts are audited and I am sure with a bit of digging you can find that. It is funded purely by donation from members. I think as their influence has grown, the elements out there are trying to discredit them. You can definitely propose a campaign, the same with any other organization, whether they will pick it up or not, I suppose they are similar to any other organization. They fights battles which they think they have enough support for it or not as you can appreciate that there are hundreds of campaign proposed on any of this websites, they have to choose their battles therefore even if a campaign is important to me and you, it might not top priority for everyone else.
Whoo-hoo! We’ve all got timestamps now, nice one Mods! I won’t have to put mine in manually now after all 🙂
I am reminded of Craig’s post:
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http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/10/malyshevs-disappeared/
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I think tonight at 6.30pm, the House of Commons will debate extradition reform. The motion calls on the government to introduce legislative proposals to enact the basic safeguards recommended by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), rather than accept the ‘do nothing’ counsel of the Baker review.
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For those who believe in standing up for our core liberties and basic standards of British justice, extradition reform is another acid test for this inhuman coalition of war-mongers (Boris excluded). The European Arrest Warrant and the ONE SIDED arrangements under the UK-US treaty signed off by
liarBlair needs a stern critical examination..
It is a travesty that the government has been too feeble to help Mikel and Nina Malyshev, Gary McKinnon and others in similar positions, by ignoring its duty to protect the well-being of its citizens and others deported to certain torture and death. We need to bring to an end this brutal and absurd law.
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I also note the lazy bastard Hywel Francis MP voted against changing the text in the Prevention of Terrorism Bill from “The Secretary of State may make a control order against an individual” to “The Secretary of State may apply to the court for a control order…”.
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In June 2003, he voted against a motion that would have recalled Blair’s assertion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that could be used at 45 minutes’ notice, and launching an independent inquiry into the intelligence received and the decisions that were based on it.
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In June 2007, he voted against a motion calling for an independent inquiry by a committee of Privy Counsellors into the Iraq War.
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Is this bastard a true Welshman? I don’t think so!
It’s not only Taliban who have boycotted the conference – but also Afghanistan’s historic neighbors, Pakistan and Iran have also boycotted it.
US-NATO has lost war in Afghanistan. Taliban have already recaptured 80% of Afghanistan. What Washington, UK and NATO are trying – is to find an ‘honorable way’ like the USSR to exit Aghanistan. This cannot be achieved without the help of Tehran and Islamabad which control Taliban and other resistance groups.
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/the-taliban-surge/
Israel-Firster Hillary Clinton whose daughter is married to a zionist Jew – feel cosy with President Karimov – because as Jewish daily FORWARD put it: “The American Jewish groups have very cosy relationship with Karimov regime for its “positive attitude toward the local Jewish community and Israel as well as its hawkish stand against radical Islam”.
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/uzbekistan-resisting-islamic-past/
Nuid, as I mentioned in an earlier post the Contact Us link is at the bottom of the page in purple on a blakc background. Easy to miss. But I contacted them and I think Azra did first. Can as many people as possible please contact AVAAZ to see if a petition can be raised to prevent Gulnara Karimova from becoming Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the UK please.
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http://www.avaaz.org/en/
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She has already been ostracised by the fashion industry. France refused to remove the word “dictator” when referring to her father. The whole regime was built on torture and repression, slavery and privilege for the dictatorial family that runs the country.
It looks like this toadying has been going on for more than 12 months. Craig Murray deservedly gets a mention in any context when Karimov is mentioned in a positive light.
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http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62174
Gulnara Karimova has already been the main diplomatic representative to Spain (another neocon country that does everything the US says) and Geneva.
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http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/uzbekistan/cache/offonce/pid/8932;jsessionid=01BE5A2B229CC90B66054DA865EAE58D
There’s no morality with these types.Realpolitik is the game,in the sense that they’ll do anything to get what they want.Wrap yourself in the flag-any flag-and employ a vague theistic rhetoric as a fig leaf for untold crimes.
But,one day,they’ll all have to pay the piper for their crimes.
Glenn, when I look at the photograph I don’t see a woman shaking hands with a monster. I see two monsters shaking hands, of whom the woman is probably the worse.
Not because she is chortling with glee, which is just normal PR, but because she is almost certainly responsible for killing, torturing, and maiming far more innocent people than Karimov. Whereas his police may deliberately boil the occasional victim, Hillary’s glorious armed forces drop bombs on their victims from a great height and are whizzing home before the flames do their hideous work. (If they don’t do it all from some air-conditioned trailer in the good ol’ USA).
As my friend has told me Gulnara (Shitnara) had been planning to come to ambassadorial post in London long time ago. The mass killing in Andijan in 2005 and angry protests in front of the Uzbek Embassy at Holland Park came against her plans and for security reasons her father then sent her to Switzerland. You may wander why she wants London. Well she has got two sons, they are just around the age of 17-18. She wanted to get them into famous Eton school at that time. She even made necessary documents just before 2005. Then the mass killing took place. Now, it is just time, with the support of conservatives, Craig’s notes may well be right. If this is true, then you will expect bodyguards not just for Shitnara but for her shithole sons as well. Long live deRmocracy!
Voila
I think the sons are here at school already. I won’t say which one, because while I hate this murdering family they are still children.
” The only obstacle remaining is to resolve how many of Gulnara’s seven bodyguards will be allowed to carry semi-automatic weapons on the streets of London.”
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I’m sure she’ll get as many as she wants.One day monsters like this will realise they are in their own prison and all the billions and jewels mean nothing,nothing at all.Karma.
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No word,in this context,from the esteemed Dr.Fox about armed undesirables running around London i see…
It’s funny Craig. First I heard about you was shortly after the Andijan massacre.
It was denounced left right and centre by all.Grim pictures of innocent victims and the subsequent protests covered the screens for quite a few nights on the news.
And yet now, all conveniently forgotten.Karimov’s OK.His daughter’s a socialite.
The blood still flows and the torture has never stopped but our politicians are too busy sating their own thirst for blood that they hardly notice the inhumanity of the Karimov regime.Shukur must be turning in his grave to see the little upstartstill there.
The same dictator,only many thousands of victims further down the road , joined by Hilary who strangely fits in quite well to the picture.The same human that squealed with delight when Bin Laden was murdered when he could easily have been taken alive,and the same Foreign Secretary that jumped for joy on hearing that Ghadafi who had been taken alive ,had been executed.
Guess our Govt. has become a monster in its own right and enjoys the heat of the burning fires too.Still hard to believe that the Cons are managing all of this in a coalition of the willing Cleggs.
Chris Rea’s “Road to Hell” does come to mind.How did we get here so soon.
It is such a few short steps to a fascist regime. Clegg no doubt has a nice pair of jack boots already picked out to march in step.
Azra and John,
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I’m a member of Avaaz myself and have signed dozens of their petitions. I only became aware of criticisms lately.
I’ve been doing some reading.
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From the Avaaz website:
“Each year, Avaaz sets overall priorities through all-member polls (See 2010 poll results here), and campaign ideas are polled and tested weekly to 10,000-member random samples—and only initiatives that find a strong response are taken to scale.”
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I’m sure it’s a good idea to email them about Karimova, but maybe it won’t be acted on unless there’s a “strong response” from a 10,000 member sample.
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Wikipedia has an Avaaz page here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avaaz.org
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The founders are given here:
{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avaaz.org#Etymology_and_origin}
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The funding and organisation section has a note on it saying “The neutrality of this article is disputed” and there’s a link to a discussion page here:
{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Avaaz.org} (which seems to have halted in July 2011 without resolution).
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The reference to Soros seems to have come from a Canadian conservative:
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“In 2008, Canadian minister John Baird labeled Avaaz a “shadowy foreign organization” tied to billionaire activist George Soros.[46] Other conservative Canadians, such as Ezra Levant,[47] have identified Soros as an indirect supporter through MoveOn.[48][49]”
[MoveOn.org were one of the founders]
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Many are still asking – since Avaaz was only founded in 2007 – how they can do such expensive campaigning with nothing more than donations from the ‘grassroots’. Me, I’m undecided.
HTH
Hey, thanks for the timestamps Jon!
Forgot to mention that I heard back from Amnesty again regarding the Malyshev case. Apparently on foot of Helena’s request, they’re not doing anything substantive at the moment, but will continue to monitor events. (Amnesty is not allowed into the country.)
Nuid.[The funding and organisation section has a note on it saying “The neutrality of this article is disputed” and there’s a link to a discussion page here:
{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Avaaz.org} (which seems to have halted in July 2011 without resolution).]
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Those disputed signs are all over wikipedia and really do not mean much. You will find a load on Israel/Palestine subject because somebody has written factual,sourced and linked to events that criticise Israel and then one Israeli supporter turns up and puts up that sign then talks a lot of rubbish on the discussion page so the sign does not get taken down.Well known tactic on that site. I gave being an editor on there because you cannot post the truth and I do not mean conspiracy theory, I mean factual,documented history.
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“@komodo
except that the “massacring his own people” attributed to Gaddafi was faked for the purposes of regime change. Try looking for the evidence – helicopter gunships, aerial bombing, people being forced to jump to their doom off bridges,all the tripe served up by the Guardian & Co – it doesn’t exist.”
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Whether there was any truth in it or not, that was the reason we were given for bombing the shit out of him. And that is the reason for bombing the shit out of Karimov we are being asked to ignore.
Anyway, I didn’t write the article. Tell the person who did.
Nuid.. About that neutrality banner,it should not be there. Someone has put it up in September 2011 and has failed to start a discussion on the talk page related to it. Therefore it can be taken down. You are supposed to go to the talk page to discuss it but all the talk on that page is older than the banner.
Craig – check the quote under the 5th picture http://twitpic.com/7oxsw3
Tomorrow’s Independent – “Caught on camera: top lobbyists boasting how they influence the PM”
Agent Bob -respect.
It takes us back to the close involvement of Bell Pottinger (and Fox, and Werritty) with Sri Lanka, doesn’t it?