Iran’s long-delayed Bushehr nuclear plant will be launched within a few months, an Iranian energy official said on Friday. “This plant will be launched according to schedule at the end of the spring and will run the same as the other nuclear plants in the world,” Ali Akbar Saleh, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said in quotes carried by news agency ILNA.
 
The Iranian spring ends in late June.
 
Russia said in January it would finish building a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant this year that it agreed to build 15 years ago. Delays have haunted the $1 billion project and diplomats say Moscow has used it as a lever in relations with Tehran.
 
Russia says the Bushehr plant is purely civilian and cannot be used for any weapons program as it will come under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. Iran will have to return all spent fuel rods to Russia.

“In Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, we are so strong that Israel cannot wage war on us whenever it wants to. It is not enough for Israel to have a strong possibility of victory because this entity cannot tolerate another defeat.”  (Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, February 16, 2010.)
 
Even if it is difficult for some doubtful people to believe it but Israel has been taking steps in recent weeks to lower tensions with Syria and prevent a misunderstanding that could spark an escalation along the northern border.
 
Indeed, an Israeli General Staff exercise code-named Firestones 12 last week did not include the scenario of a war with Syria – only a clash with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
 
Although originally considered, the Israeli occupation army opted not to include an element in the exercise that required the rushing of large numbers of conscript soldiers to the north, so that the Syrians would not mistake this as an offensive. Israel also relayed messages to Syria on both open and secret channels, assuring them that no offensive action was being considered. 
 
Israeli military sources told Haaretz that the desire to avoid escalating tensions was one of the considerations that led to the cancelation of part of the exercise.
 
In recent weeks, senior Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah officials have commented extensively on the likelihood of war with Israel; in some instances they accused Israel of planning an offensive in the north. A week ago, Syrian President Bashar Assad hosted his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and met with the Hamas and Hezbollah leadership.
 
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah noted on Monday that the Israeli enemy was forced to change its tone and to seek pacification on its northern border, warning that the choice of war has major and dangerous implications and it is not limited to Israel. Sayyed Nasrallah added that even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now saying that his country is unwilling to launch a war against any state. “They noticed that there is a new atmosphere in the region.”
 
Last month Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem warned Israel about launching any war against his country, saying it would turn into a wider conflict. “Israelis, do not test the power of Syria since you know the war will move into your cities,” Mouallem told journalists in the Syrian capital Damascus.
 
Mouallem had been questioned about comments made earlier by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. “In the absence of a peace agreement with Syria, we might find ourselves in a forceful conflict that could lead to an all-out war,” Barak’s office quoted him as saying in a speech to senior officers.
 
The Syrian minister said such statements “heightened the risk of war in the region.” “If such a war comes … it will be widespread even if it is waged against (just) southern Lebanon or Syria,” Mouallem warned, while excluding the chance of “peace negotiations being launched after such a war.”
 
In a lecture at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy last week, Barak said that Israel is closely following developments in Lebanon and that “the time has come to discuss this more directly and honestly.”
 
At a conference in memory of Haaretz defense analyst Ze’ev Schiff, Barak said that at its basis, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 seeks “to put an end to the Hezbollah anomaly in Lebanon, but instead of resolving the problem the resolution only made it more complicated.” Commenting on the size of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket arsenal in Lebanon, Barak mentioned a new number, 45,000, much higher than previous assessments.

In an article on the Washington Institute’s Web site, two American researchers write that Syria may have delivered to Hezbollah Russian-made shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles – the Igla-S (SA-24 by its NATO code). The authors say these missiles may pose a threat to the air force’s F-16 fighters.
 
In the past, U.S. officials told Arab media that Syria is training Hezbollah fighters in the use of the aging SA-2 anti-aircraft missiles, but others reportedly said that Syria may transfer SA-8 anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah. 

“We cannot accept the artificial distinction between the Hezbollah terrorists and the state of Lebanon,” Barak added. “We will not lead a confrontation, but if we are attacked we will not chase down Hezbollah’s lone terrorists …. The government of Lebanon and other sources of support and funding [of Hezbollah] will be part of the equation.”
 
Last month in commemoration of the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hezbollah leaders, Sayyed Nasrallah said that “when Israel found that nothing can demoralize the resistance, they went to threaten the Lebanese government and people of destroying the infrastructure. Just as we have infrastructure, there is infrastructure in occupied Palestine. We have one airport and they have airports, we have a few electricity stations and they have huge electricity stations, they have oil refineries and we have a few.”
 
His eminence continued, “The Israeli infrastructure is much bigger than ours and therefore I tell them the following: If you strike martyr Rafiq Hariri’s international airport in Beirut, we’ll strike your Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. If you hit our ports, we will hit your ports. If you attack our refineries or factories, we’ll bomb your refineries and factories.”

Israeli occupation forces stormed into the Aqsa mosque compound after Friday prayers and fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at prayers. Dozens of Palestinians were injured in the confrontation including children and women. According to medical sources, several injures are serious. Chief Islamic Justice in Palestine Sheikh Taysir Tamimi was injured in the Israeli aggression and transferred to hospital for treatment.
 
Occupation forces have locked the gates of al-Aqsa mosque with chains and sieged hundreds of Palestinians inside the mosque.
 
Israeli sources said that 15 occupation soldiers were injured in the attack on Al-Aqsa. News reports from occupied Palestine said that Israeli occupation forces have been banning ambulances from reaching the injured in the compound and warned that some of the seriously injured Palestinians could bleed to death or suffocate if they were not treated quickly.
 
Palestinian factions in the West Bank and Gaza have warned against the gravity of the situation and demanded Muslims, Arabs, and the international community to stop the Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa, before occupation forces commit yet another massacre in this sacred site.
 
There were also sporadic clashes in Ras el-Amud in the predominantly Arab eastern part of occupied Jerusalem.
 
The latest confrontations, in which police fired tear gas and threw stun grenades to disperse the Palestinians, came less than a week after a similar incident at the same site.
 
Additional clashes took place during other protests in the occupied West Bank. Some 50 people clashed with the Israeli occupation security forces near the village of Dir Nizam, northwest of Ramallah.
 
Some 250 Palestinians and left-wing Israeli and foreign activists clashed with the occupation security forces in three places in the Ramallah area. About 70 protests clashed with the forces near the village of Naalin and about 130 protested near the village of Bilin.
 
ABBAS: ISRAEL CROSSED RED LINES
Following the confrontations, the Palestinian Authority pointed a finger at Israel. According to a special statement released by the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, “Today’s events were aimed at damaging the chances of resuming the peace process and Israel is crossing all the red lines – after the Arab League’s monitoring committee recommended that the negotiations between the sides be resumed.”
 
The statement also said that Abbas, who was being updated on the events in occupied Jerusalem, had called on the American administration to “stop the adventure which may ignite a religious war in the region” and demanded that the international community “take responsibility and stop the Israeli recklessness, which may have serious implications on the entire region and on peace and security in the entire world.”
 
Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina also slammed “the escalation of Israeli violence in occupied Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West Bank aimed at sabotaging American efforts to relaunch (Israeli-Palestinian peace talks).”
 
US Vice President Joe Biden and Middle East envoy George Mitchell are due to visit the region for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders next week and local media are predicting that they will launch indirect talks between the sides as a prelude to full-fledged peace negotiations.
 
There were similar outbreaks at the compound last Sunday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was placing two West Bank shrines – Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Al-Khalil and Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem – on a so-called “list of Israeli heritage sites.”

Political Parties ‘Alliances intensified their campaign to muster maximum support for March 7th parliamentary election of Iraq.
Shiite News Correspondent special report about Iraqi Election, More than 29 million voters are eligible to choose among more than 6000 electoral contestants. Over 800 foreign journalists have landed in Iraq for the coverage of the elections, second since the dislodging of dictatorial regime of Saddam led Ba’ath party.
Iraqi election commission has assured that more than 52000 Ballot boxes would be available at around 11000 polling stations.
Although many political parties and Alliances have fielded their candidates, Six alliances are considered relatively more influential in the electoral politics.

1)    State of Law Coalition
State of Law Coalition is led by present Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki-with electoral slate number 327. This alliance has emerged the most powerful alliance—it’s being said that the alliance may break record by securing thumping majority in Iraqi parliament.
The alliance comprises of 34 political parties and groups—prominent among them are; Hizb-ud-Dawa, Al-Mustaqilon, Al-Watania and eminent Iraqi Sunni and Shia Muslims, Christians and influential leaders including Nouri al-Malaki, Hajim al-Hassani (Sunni leader and former speaker of National Assembly),
Hussain Shahrestani, and Jaffar al-Sadr. The coalition did well during the 2009 provincial vote.
The Alliance has assured Iraqi’s territorial Integrity, sovereignty and an end to the rule under chapter VII of United Nations charter, formation of stable Central Government, rule of law and accountability since Ba’ath party Government to date.

2) Iraqi National Alliance
Iraqi National Alliance with slate number 316. Political pundits believed that the Alliance of more than 30 Shia parties pose serious challenges to all the rivals especially Prime Minister Malaki led alliance in particular.
Parties in this alliance had contested the previous election under the banner of Untied National Alliance. The Alliance includes Syed Ammar al-Hakeem’s Supreme Council of Islamic Iraq, Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army and followers of Sadr trend, Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafferi’s National Reforms party, Ahmed Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress and Hizb-e-Fadhila Islami.

3) Kurdistan Alliance
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani –led Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Masood Barzani—led Kurdistan Democratic party are part of 13 parties alliance but face an opposition movement called Gorran, or Change.
Masood Barzani has announced that this alliance will nominate Mr Jalal Talabani for reelection as President of Iraq.
Political observers have predicted the Alliance will secure lesser vote like it did in Kurdistan’s election 4 months ago. Kurdistan Islamic Movement is the only religious party in this secular parties alliance that has been allotted electoral slate number 372.

4) Al-Iraqiya
Al-Iraqiya is the alliance of more than 20 parties and groups that is led by former interim Prime Minister of Iraq Ayad Allavi.
Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashmi’ s party Tajadud, Saleh al-Mutlaq’s party National Talk, and Ajeel Yawar’s party Reform and Justice Movement are known parties of the alliance. The alliance enjoy’s Saudia Arabian and some other Arab countries support despite that the fact that Ayad Allavi and majority of the alliance leaders are the remnants of Saddam Ba’ath party.
Saudia Arabia had supported anti-Saddam, US led alliance in the gulf war in 1990’s and its airspace was used for US led attacks on Iraq in 2003.
Interestingly, So-called Sunni leader such as Saleh al-Mutlaq and Dhafir al-Ani are in-fact also remnants of Saddam Baath’s party like Ayad Allavi.
Two of its other leaders, Saleh al-Mutlaq and Dhafir al-Ani, both members of Parliament, were disqualified from running because of alleged sympathies to Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party.
Saleh al-Mutlaq, first announced boycott of the elections and then appealed for active participation in the elections. Ayad Allavi ahd met high Saudi officials including the Saudi King Abdullah and Saudi Government assured all out support and offered billions of dollars to held Ayad Allavi t prevent the legitimate Shia led government.
Political commentators have expressed apprehensions that Saudi Arabia and their allies were trying to impede fair and legitimate political and democratic process in Iraq so as to escape pressure on monarchic Governments in Arab world for establishment of democratic governments like Iraq.
Saudi Arabia is also trying that Ayad Allavi and its allies should create conditions for martial law or dictatorial rule in Iraq.

5) Unity Alliance of Iraq
Iraqi Unity Alliance comprises of 38 political parties. Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, a Shiite Muslim, Anbar’s most prominent tribal leader, Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha, Sheik Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al-Samarrai and Bedari Militant force are the prominent among the parties of new electoral alliance that eyes on Iraq’s presidency. Many of its candidates were disqualified because of Ba’athist pasts or sympathies.  Its electoral slate number is 348.

6) Iraqi Accord
Also known as Tawafiq, This coalition is the alliance of four Sunni parties. Osama Tikriti’s Iraqi Islamic Party is relatively known party as compare to other component parties of the alliance. Ayad al-Samarrai, current speaker of National Assembly is the most prominent leader the alliance.
It is the biggest platform of Sunni community of Iraq despite the fact that majority of the alliance leaders joined the other coalitions including current Iraqi Sunni Vice President Tariq Al-Hashmi, who joined Al-Iraqiya Alliance.
Political observers believed that the Alliance would succeed the majority votes of the Sunni community of Iraq in March 7 election.