CINA

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YES WAR! NO PEACE!

While Israeli tanks and troops massed near Gaza since yesterday for a threatened offensive against Palestinan militants the "resistance" organizations are preparing for a real war with the "zionist enemy". Actually it seems that some of this groups are just welcome the (likely) near confrontation with IDF. And some groups are possibly thinking that it might be a good idea to exacerbate the current already dangerous situation by announcing more (hopefully empty) threats, for example to use chemical weapons adainst Isreali targets. Meanwhile, according to Israeli and intl news agencies, the "Popular Resistance Committees" in the West Bank kidnapped yesterday a Israeli settler.

PFLP fighter in Gaza,

ready for WAR

Al-Aqsa Brigades: Chemical warfare if Israel invades Gaza
 
Fatah’s armed wing says it has developed biological, chemical weapons. ‘We say to Olmert, Peretz: Your threats of invasion do not frighten us. We will surprise you with new weapons you have not faced until now,’ Al-Aqsa Brigades says
 
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s armed wing, announced that it has developed biological and chemical weapons, Palestinian news agency Ramattan reported.
“With the help of Allah, we are pleased to say that we succeeded in developing over 20 different types of biological and chemical weapons,
  
this after a three-year effort,” the group said in a leaflet it has distributed. “We say to (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert and (Defense Minister Amir) Peretz: Your threats of invasion do not frighten us. We will surprise you with new weapons you have not faced until now. As soon as an IDF soldier sets foot on Gazan land, we will respond with a new weapon.”
The organization said it would not hesitate to use the substances, adding that they can be placed on rockets similar to those fired at Israeli communities surrounding Gaza.
“If Israel invades Gaza, we will declare open warfare without limits, as long as that is what the occupier wants,” the Brigades said.

The full article(in Yedioth Ahronoth) you'll find here:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3267293,00.html

Al-Aksa claims chemical capabilities (J'Post, 6.25) 

The Aksa Martyrs Brigades announced on Sunday that its members have succeeded in manufacturing chemical and biological weapons.

In a leaflet distributed in the Gaza Strip, the group, which belongs to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah Party, said the weapons were the result of a three-year effort..

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885848200&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

There are 200 "talkbacks", just check it our.. 

Here very latest news(by AP) about the situation on the ground:

Palestinians Brace for Israeli Invasion

Israeli Leader Vows 'Broad' Gaza Offensive

With troops poised to invade Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday ruled out bargaining with the captors of an Israeli soldier and promised a ``broad and ongoing'' military offensive...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5913843,00.html

Israel may assassinate Haniyeh (Ynet/Yedioth Ahronoth)

Palestinian president warns Palestinian prime minister Israel may hurt him, other Hamas ministers if crisis around Israeli soldier's abduction is not resolved soon, al-Hayat newspaper reports; Palestinian security sources believe Israel will prefer to target senior Hamas members in Damascus..

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3267935,00.html

And so on, and so on..

IDF: ready for 'broad and ongoing' military offensive, ready for WAR

And here the very, very latest news (reported just few minutes ago):

Hamas-Fatah to Implicitly Recognize Israel

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Before y'day, perhaps, the "real funny" part of 2006 WC was beginning(here in Stuttgart).

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ATTACK->COUNTER ATTACK->ATTACK TO COUNTER THE COUNTER ATTACK..

..and so on, and so on..

Since today morning(CET) Isreali and intl news agencies are perorting about following new developments in the PA - Israel "relationship". And it seems that the new round of escalation is just in the beginning..

Ynet/Yedioth Ahronoth reported just a short while ago:

Gaza: 2 troops killed, 1 kidnapped

Terror cell infiltrates Israel from southern Gaza Strip, abducts soldier out of tank; initial inquiry reveals terrorists arrived at IDF post through tunnel, fired anti-tank missile at soldiers, activated explosive device

The IDF .. will recommend the government to launch a large-scale operation in Gaza in wake of the incident 
 
Day of battle in Gaza Strip: A soldier and a tank commander, a second lieutenant, were killed Sunday morning, and another soldier was kidnapped after a Palestinian terror cell launched a combined attack on an Israel Defense Forces post in the southern Gaza Strip, near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom.

Several soldiers were lightly to moderately injured in the incident and were taken by helicopter to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva.

Following the incident, IDF forces entered areas in the southern Strip, where they are currently operating. Sources in the Strip reported that different elements, including some in Egypt and Jordan, are mediating between Israel and the Palestinian Authority through the Palestinian security organizations in a bid to find out what happened to the kidnapped soldier.

Gaza Operation 
 

Sources in the government added that talks are being held in the European Union and in the United States in a bid to locate the missing soldier. Government officials refused to say whether the PA answered their calls.

The IDF Spokesperson's Office said: "The terror attack was led by senior Hamas members in the Gaza Strip and was approved by the Hamas leadership. The IDF views the incident with severity and sees the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government responsible for the terror attack and for the fate of the missing soldier."

Defense Minister Amir Peretz reported to the ministers during Sunday's cabinet meeting that the attack in Kerem Shalom was mainly implemented by "hurling grenades at a tank."

Peretz said that according to reports received by the defense establishment, the attack was carried out by Hamas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his ministers that "Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) and (Palestinian Prime Minister) Ismail Haniyeh are the people responsible for the attack."

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz held a meeting Sunday morning to asses the situation in southern Gaza. The IDF views the incident as extremely severe, and according to estimates, the army will recommend the government to launch a large-scale operation in Gaza in wake of the incident.

The well-planned attack on the post started, at 5:40 a.m., according to the IDF. Eight armed Palestinians infiltrated Israel through a tunnel leading from the Strip into Israel's territory, and split into three teams once they came out. One team approached an armored personnel carrier stationed at the place and fired at it. The APC was empty and no injuries were reported in that attack.

Another group simultaneously fired a missile and hurled grenades at a tank standing nearby. The missile hit the tank's rear, hurting the four soldiers that were inside. Two were immediately killed, a third soldier sustained injuries and the fourth was initially reported missing. As the incident developed, security officials came to believe that the soldier has been kidnapped.

During the attack, a third terrorist team moved in the direction of a desert patrol army post and engaged in a shooting battle with the soldiers. An explosive device was also activated at the place. Three soldiers sustained light-to-moderate injuries as a result of the blast, and some of the terrorists were hurt as well.

From the moment the incident was first reported of, the Southern Command and the General Staff have held constant meetings to evaluate the situation, headed by Army Chief Dan Halutz, in a bid to track down the cell behind the kidnapping and return the soldier to Israel.

At the initial stage, heavy equipment was deployed in the area where the incident occurred and where the tunnel was located, in order to try and uncover the terrorists' path. Large forces, including special units, have gone on a state of alert and are preparing to enter Rafah in a bid to locate the abducted soldier.

The IDF has also asked the Egyptian policemen stationed on the border to secure the area and make sure the terrorists don’t try and transfer the solider to Egypt.

While the army has not completed investigating the occurrences in Kerem Shalom, difficult questions arise regarding the way the terrorists managed to infiltrate Israel and carry out the attack. One of the main questions is whether the deployment of the forces in the area was adequate. It is also unclear why no forces provided covering fire for the tank and APC at the post.

Three organizations claim responsibility for operation

A Palestinian security official told Ynet that the terrorists who launched the attack Sunday morning arrived from Sinai and not from the Strip. According to the source, the fact that the attackers were armed and managed to enter the post without disruption testifies to the fact that they may have arrived from the Egyptian, not the Palestinian side.

Sources at the Popular Resistance Committees(PRC) claimed that organization members, along with gunmen from Hamas and a new organization called "Army of Islam," fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF post in the southern Strip and exchanged fire with the troops.

According to the PRC, "this is an operation of high quality, during which some of the people were parachuted close to the crossing."..

A source at the PRC defined the operation as "the ongoing illusion operation." According to the source, "the operation was aimed at making it clear that the Israeli security is an illusion. Israelis will have no security as long as the Palestinians have no security."

A spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, claimed that there were no Palestinian casualties in the operation. The spokesman, Abu Ubaidah, said that "all the fighters who took part in the operation returned to their bases alive." 

Sources at the PRC said that "the operation was a response to the assassination of the organization's leader, Jamal Abu Samhadana , who was killed by the IDF earlier this month, and a response to the killing of head of the group's military wing, Khalil al-Quqa , who was assassinated by the IDF about three months ago."...

Please read the full article - remember this is "just" the Israeli point of view.. (here you find also a video and three links to related articles):

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3266818,00.html#n

The so-called left-liberal Isrealy daily Haaretz wrote this:

Two soldiers killed, one kidnapped in raid on IDF post 
  
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and another was kidnapped when Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups attacked an IDF post within Israeli territory near the Gaza Strip border, in the pre-dawn hours Sunday.

"IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said Sunday afternoon that the kidnapped soldier was alive. "Hamas is involved in this matter from head to foot, literally," Halutz told a news conference.

The soldier is alive, and therefore they bear responsibility for his fate."
 
Shortly after the early morning attack, IDF tanks and troops entered Gaza near the site of the incident, an IDF position close to the Kerem Shalom crossing. Military sources said the incursion was part of a manhunt for the missing soldier.

The two soldiers were killed when an anti-tank missile was fired at the tank in which they were located. The missing soldier and another who was seriously wounded were also inside...

More here:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/730994.html

AP:

5 Dead After Militants Attack Israeli Post

Al Jazeera:

Israeli soldier missing after Gaza attack

And right now: IDF is striking back..

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INTERVIEW WITH PRACHANDA (by Kishor Nepal, 6.20)

Excerpts of a recent interview with Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Prachanda alias Pushpa Kamal Dahal:

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Yesterday evening IAF aircraft attacks car carrying al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members in Gaza's Jabalya refugee camp. But once again three Palestinian children killed, two of them brother and sister; another 15 people wounded..

And so the escalation between the Palestinan "resistance" groups and the Israeli military is reaching a new stage..

Today's Ynet/Yedioth Ahronot reported in its morning edition following dangerously developments:

Fatah declares war on Sderot

Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades vows to avenge botched IAF air strike which killed three Palestinian children while targeting top al-Aqsa member Imad Hamad, who planned to infiltrate suicide bombers from Sinai. ‘Zioinsts won’t have peace on our land,’ group says

The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s military wing, called on all its active cells to declare a retaliatory alert following the Israel Air Force strike on northern Gaza Tuesday, which targeted al-Aqsa operatives but killed three Palestinian children.

"We call on all our fighters to act and hit the enemy so that it hurts, in every place, so that it knows that the blood of our martyrs is dear. We declare war on Sderot and on all the Zionist settlements. The Zionists won’t have peace on our land,” an announcement stated.

Please read the full article here(it includes also two links to background information about the killing of three children by IAF yesterday..):

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3265401,00.html

The Isreali so-called "left-liberal" daily Haaretz reported today following:

Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades urges renewed attacks on Israel 
 
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades threatened Wednesday to strike at targets throughout in Israel, and urged all other militant groups to renew their terror attacks.

The group's statement came in response to a failed assassination attempt by the Israel Air Force in Gaza City on Tuesday evening, which killed three Palestinian children. Two of the children, aged five and six, were brother and sister; the third was a 16-year-old boy..

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/729271.html
 

Just a half hour ago Ynet reported this:

'Peretz must resign'

Arab MKs slam defense minister over killing of children in IAF strike in Gaza. 'Peretz wants to build his political career on bodies of Palestinian children,' MK Zahalka charges. MK Tibi calls on Peretz to halt targeted killings..

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3265579,00.html 

PS:

It's now about eight hours later and the intl. public got this(actually not really) surprising news:

Gaza: 1 killed, 9 wounded in IDF strike

One Palestinian woman killed, nine people wounded during Israel Air Force attack on Khan Younis house; among wounded three members of same family; extent of injuries unknown at this time. Palestinians say missile was meant to strike vehicle...

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3265784,00.html

..oops(again, just one hour later, 9 pm CET, 4 am KST) this f.. sh.. must be updated:

Gaza: 2 killed in IDF strike

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3265784,00.html

Haaretz reported following:

Two civilians killed in IAF missile strike on Gaza 
  
Two Palestinian civilians were killed and 14 others - all members of the same family - were wounded in an Israel Air Force strike in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening.

The attack comes a day after three children were killed in an IAF strike in Gaza City that targeted members of Fatah's military wing. It is the third time in one month that IAF strikes in Gaza have resulted in civilian fatalities, and brings the total of Palestinian civilian deaths to 14.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/729271.html

Wow.. it seems that since a while the IAF is using only blind or at least eye-handicapped personal in its combat helicopters..(mi-anh hae-yo.. I know this is not funny!)

In my opinion someone in the Israeli military is going crazy and want the finally confrontation, or whatever.. Actually I can't find no words anymore for this latest developments..

And the latest news, reported nearly at the same time when Ynet updated the last Israeli war crime in Khan Younis, was/is this:

Hamas performs about-turn on Israeli state
(The Guardian)

· Document recognises Israel's right to exist
· Shift away from founding goal of an Islamic state

In a bitter struggle for power, Hamas is bowing to an ultimatum from the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to endorse the document drawn up by Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails, or face a national referendum on the issue that could see the Islamist group stripped of power if it loses.

But final agreement on the paper, designed to end international sanctions against the Hamas government that have crippled the Palestinian economy, has been slowed by wrangling over a national unity administration and the question of who speaks for the Palestinians.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee and a lead negotiator on the prisoners' document, said Hamas had agreed to sections which call for a negotiated and final agreement with Israel to establish a Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem.

"Hamas is prepared to accept those parts of the document because they think it is a way to get rid of a lot of its problems with the international community. That's why it will accept all the document eventually," he said.

Hamas, facing a deep internal split over recognition of the Jewish state, declined to discuss the negotiations in detail. If it formally approves the entire document, it will represent a significant shift from its founding goal of replacing Israel with an Islamic state and its more recent position of agreeing a long-term ceasefire, over a generation or more, if a Palestinian state is formed on the occupied territories but without formally recognising the Jewish state.

Mr Abed Rabbo said he expected an agreement in the coming days, but that important differences still had to be settled, particularly over the document's call for the formation of a national unity government.

He described that as "the major issue that will determine the fate of two nations for decades" because a unity administration, built around a common policy of negotiations with Israel, would be the only way to combat its plans to unilaterally impose its final borders and annex parts of the occupied territories.

More immediately this was also the only way to restore foreign aid. But Mr Abed Rabbo added it would be a mistake to see the approval of the prisoners' document as sufficient, in itself, to end international sanctions against the Palestinian Authority. "The document calls for the foundation of a national unity government as the basis of a new programme that will approach the world," he said.

"But the document is part of a package. It should be accompanied by an agreement on policies for a new government. The document won't change conditions and relations on its own."

Mr Abed Rabbo said the July 26 referendum would be called off if there was agreement on the document, but that a ballot could be held later if Hamas blocked the formation of a new government or failed to agree on a negotiations policy.

Abdullah Abdullah, a Fatah MP and chairman of the parliamentary political committee, said other differences remained over the document, including Fatah's insistence that the PLO continues to be recognised as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in negotiations with Israel, and that all existing agreements between the PLO and Israel be recognised.

Israel has dismissed the prisoners' document as changing little because, among other things, it advocates continued resistance. But a complete renunciation of violence is unlikely to come while Israeli attacks continue to claim the lives of innocent Palestinians.

Earlier today, a women was killed and six children injured in an Israeli missile attack in Gaza. On Tuesday, an Israeli air force rocket killed three children, two boys aged five and 16, and a seven-year-old girl. In both cases, Israel said it was targeting militants who escaped injury.

Israel has killed 13 civilians, most of them children, in four air strikes this month. It is also probably responsible for the killing of a family of seven during a shell barrage against a Gaza beach two weeks ago.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1802862,00.html

Forget it!! I can't believe it.. (aeh~ at least not today anymore..)

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Following - in my point of few - interesting article about the latest developments in Nepal, especially after last Friday's summit between the representatives of the SPA and CPN(M), was published in today's Asia Times(HK/China):

Nepal makes way for the comrades

Fridays are fateful, if not eventful, days in Nepal. Five years ago, on June 1, 2001, a mysterious shootout took place in the palace claiming the lives of 10 royal victims, including King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and Crown Prince Dipendra. The person who was the country's prime minister at that time (coincidentally, he holds the same position now), Girija Prasad Koirala, later said that he gets jittery on the eve of every Friday.

As if to prove him prophetic, the current king, Gyanendra, has taken a series of adventurous steps on Fridays. In 2002, it was on Friday, October 4, when he announced the dismissal of an elected government, sparking a major constitutional crisis leading to political instability and upheaval in Nepal. And almost all

subsequent measures he took to consolidate the powers unconstitutionally seized failed, compelling him to bow to people power this April.

His first public proclamation to this effect also came on a Friday - April 21. Four days later, Gyanendra made another proclamation leaving himself at the mercy of a parliament he himself had revived after a gap of four years. Very swiftly it stripped him of all powers, perks and privileges and converted him into a person whose property and income are taxable. Observers had to wait until last Friday to find out whether or not Gyanendra even retained the status of Nepal's head of state when he was allowed to receive credentials from newly arrived ambassadors from Thailand and South Korea.

But last Friday's extraordinary spectacle was witnessed elsewhere in Kathmandu - at Baluwatar, the official residence of the prime minister, 2 kilometers from the royal palace. And the host of the show, considered providential by mainstream leaders, was none other than the octogenarian Koirala. Despite frail health, he received the top Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, and held "summit-level" talks with him for more than an hour.

The news that the man who has commanded the bloody insurgency in the country for 10 years had entered Baluwatar spread like a wildfire. Some of the local radio stations interrupted regular programs to churn out whatever they could gather from reporters who had braved summer heat standing outside the main entrance to the prime minister's residence. They were part of a 300-strong crowd of fellow reporters and photographers, both Nepalis and foreigners, who remained more interested in "Comrade Prachanda" than in the possible outcome of parleys being held inside the residence compound.

The reason was obvious - he was somebody who had led a "People's War" that claimed more than 13,000 lives and made tens of thousands invalids, several hundred thousand displaced and a large number of children orphaned. Destruction of public and private property worth billions of rupees is something that needs to be calculated separately.

A formal meeting between Koirala and Prachanda was not unexpected, but few had any idea that such an event could be organized suddenly, and without public knowledge. As it became clear within hours, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, the interior minister, had picked up Prachanda in the early morning hours from the outskirts of Pokhara, a tourist town in the west, and brought him to the capital using a chartered helicopter. Sitaula then escorted him from the airport to the place where Koirala greeted him, his wife and his comrade-in-arms, Baburam Bhattarai. It indeed was a sensational development. (Sitaula once again extended the same courtesy to Prachanda the following morning by accompanying him to an undisclosed location in the far-western hill district of Doti.)

At the end of day, the elusive Maoist leader finally appeared before the media. His appearance displayed an aura of confidence and his expressions conveyed a message that this could be a person who believes in action.

"He appeared like a leader with vision, and a person who is highly unlikely to deceive the peace-seeking people of Nepal," Sundarmani Dixit, a medical doctor and civil-society activist, told a radio interviewer after a short, separate meeting with Prachanda.
What came out at the press conference, attended by all important personalities except Prime Minister Koirala (for health reasons), has now become a matter of intense political debate. While there is unanimity of view that a joint statement would send a strong message to the public that the country is heading toward a democratic process that is irreversible, murmurs of discontent and disgruntlement over the eight-point agreement signed by the leaders of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the top rebel leader is getting louder day by day.

A perception is developing in the Nepalese political landscape that SPA leaders yielded too much to the Maoists without obtaining even an assurance that they would renounce violence or hand in weapons before they could be invited to join a new interim government. The Friday agreement stipulates that the present interim government would be replaced by another interim setup; the parliament that was restored at the end of April would be dissolved, and the present constitution (promulgated in 1990 and substantially altered through parliamentary declaration of May 18, 2006, on provisions relating to the monarchy) be scrapped to make room for an interim constitution to be announced in a month.

These arrangements, argue some dissenting leaders, make all the changes announced after the April 24 proclamation meaningless. Their contention is that while the Maoists' support during the pro-democracy movement this year was crucial, they should not have been allowed to dictate the terms. Does one Maoist party carry weight equal to the weight of seven other parties combined?

In reciprocation, the Maoists have consented to dismantle what they have been calling "people's governments" at all levels - central, district and village. The other Maoist concession is for placing their weapons and fighters under United Nations supervision. But these are not substantial gestures. Local Maoist governments are very much similar to local units of other political parties. And the issue of UN supervision of weapons and fighters is irrelevant, if not outright objectionable.

"How convincing is the contention of assigning the legal status the state army enjoys to a band of fighters who were terrorists until cases against them were withdrawn recently?" asked Govinda Raj Joshi, a central committee member of the Nepali Congress, the political party headed by Prime Minister Koirala, when approached for his reaction. Joshi was once minister of home affairs.

Joshi is one of those politicians who tend to think that the entry of Prachanda and his comrades into state power through the upcoming interim government amounts in essence to a Maoist takeover of Nepal. Western diplomats also see these prospects as worrying. Neighbors and Nepal's influential friends abroad do not see any sense in dissolving the existing parliament without a ready-made substitute for it. That Maoists openly espouse a republican agenda has also become a matter of concern to those who are in favor of retaining monarchy in a "ceremonial form". Then there is the Nepali intelligentsia, which refuses to accept a Maoist dictatorship in the place of an autocratic monarchy.

To the Maoist leadership, this is an alarmist view. And Prachanda used his maiden press conference to assure the public that he and members of the party he heads, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), have come out in the open for good. They do not intend to return to the jungle. They have begun opening offices in different districts and areas across the country, with women's and students' wings providing an additional support base to the party, which plans to run a campaign aggressively ahead of the polls for a Constituent Assembly (CA). That the CA is needed to draw a new constitution for Nepal has already been agreed upon. Once the new constitution, to be written and issued by the people's representatives, is ready the country is to hold new parliamentary elections.

In an interview with Asia Times Online, Dev Gurung, a senior central committee member of the CPN (Maoist), contended that the Maoists' decision to join competitive politics in a peaceful manner is genuine and irrevocable. When asked about the basis to believe that the current round of negotiations with the government would not fail like two previous rounds (in 2001 and 2003), Gurung, who is one of three members of the Maoist team holding talks with the government team led by Sitaula, offered this explanation: "There were royal governments in the past, and their representatives always rejected our proposition for a Constituent Assembly. The atmosphere has undergone a sea change now, with the SPA agreeing to elections for a Constituent Assembly. In fact, there is no competition between us and SPA now, as both sides are working to make the current transition phase as smooth as possible. Competition and rivalry may come once the country gets a new constitution and a new parliament.

"We are committed to retain and respect full democratic rights," Gurung said.

According to Gurung, his party would tolerate public criticism, including those made against the party supremo, Prachanda. In reply to a question about an incident in which the head of an association of Maoist victims was shot dead in cold blood when he led a demonstration that burned an effigy of Prachanda, Gurung expressed regrets over such incidents and also for the death of innocent civilians, and said incidents that happened during the insurgency would not be repeated.

What do the Maoists want in the new political configuration? According to Gurung, his party's objective is to make Nepal a democratic country with a civilized society. It should have room for all of Nepal's ethnic and regional groups, developing a federal structure if necessary.

All the things that make Nepal a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country should be done away with. The institution of monarchy and the unequal treaty of 1950 between India and Nepal are examples of such a legacy. In addition to this, the 1,800km border between Nepal and India should not be left "open" (unregulated) forever.

Maoists are critical of those democracies, particularly the United States and India, that did not extend their support to Nepal's pro-democratic movement. Gurung expressed surprise about the pro-king policy followed by them in the initial phase. And he singled out US Ambassador James Moriarty for his meddlesome role. India's policy remained ambivalent up to a point, as some of the politicians in New Delhi found the status quo expedient compared with a setup formed and owned by the people of Nepal. China, he said, at least remained neutral. The Chinese media refrain from using the word "Maoist"; they usually allude to "anti-government guerrillas".

If elected to power, according to Gurung, his party would adopt an economic policy that could transform the present subsistence-level agricultural economy into an industrial one. Nepal must not be allowed to remain a captive market for Indian products. Gurung said there was absolutely no truth to the rumor that his party's policy is to end private ownership of land and other properties. What the party seeks, he clarified, is to remove grounds for the exploitation of poor and marginalized communities by affluent and influential groups.

Outwardly, despite differences in their approach to some of the issues at hand, Maoists and SPA partners are committed to work for democracy and the democratic process. But elements of mutual suspicion lurk just beneath the surface. At the press conference on Friday, the Maoist supremo said he was not out of woods yet, as far as conspiracies are concerned. He criticized the Nepalese army, which remained loyal to the king with a "royal" tag attached to its name until recently; he also cited a road accident resulting in the death of a charismatic communist leader, Madan Bhandari, 13 years ago.

Bhandari, a firebrand nationalist, was general secretary of a mainline but moderate communist party, and he and his traveling colleague died when their jeep skidded down a mountainous highway and plunged into the Narayani River in the central hills. At first, it was accepted as a road accident, but the incident later attracted a conspiratorial dimension. The jeep driver, who survived the accident, was shot dead in broad daylight in a Kathmandu suburb by unidentified gunmen. The case remains unsolved.

Political parties associated with the SPA too have their doubts about Maoists and their maneuvers. From the SPA's standpoint, the Maoists still are not a trustworthy, responsible political party. Their whole exercise could be a window-dressing, in essence a move to buy time to regroup so that they could launch another phase of guerrilla warfare to accomplish their goal of one-party rule in Nepal.

Their cadres, particularly in the countryside, have not stopped killings, abductions and extortions. Nobody knows for sure whether they have indeed closed their training camps and shelters in far-flung, isolated districts. They have not made any pledge to respond to public complaints about hundreds of people who have disappeared in Maoist camps. What about the state of relationship Prachanda conceded Maoists had with the palace? The press conference was told that all channels of contacts and communications were severed after Gyanendra imposed direct rule on Nepal on February 1, 2005. But can his words be taken at their face value? Doubts persist, at least among political analysts.
Kathmandu is in a state of flux, and New Delhi and Washington are watchful. A Maoist takeover of Nepal, a buffer zone between two Asian giants, could be destabilizing for the whole of South Asia. In spite of their growing contacts and the resultant thaw with China and Pakistan, Indians are quite unlikely to see Nepali Maoists in power as anyone other than China's friendly forces at their doorstep. Conversely, China would be highly sensitive to prospects of an Indian military presence in Nepal, which shares borders with Tibet. Chinese reactions to activities associated with "Free Tibet" campaigns, inspired and often funded by Western powers, have always been strong. A Chinese response to extreme situations remains unpredictable.

What is the way out, then? A viable course is to let Nepal grow as a democratic country with a vibrant civil society. No country with a competitive political process and with a government adopting policies and programs that are transparent can be a security threat to its neighbors or world peace.

If left-wing parties in India can take part in competitive politics, take power in some states and be an influential factor in the national parliament in New Delhi, why can't their Nepalese counterparts be encouraged to synchronize their activities to emerging trends and aspirations?

Nepal's chances of coming out of present phase uncertainty largely depend on the help it receives from its immediate neighbors and friends. And this help has to be in the form of helping Nepalis to help themselves.

"Keeping in view ... experiences with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, it is better that we keep away from the internal affairs of that country," said S Sudhakar Reddy, a member of the Indian parliament, after a visit to Nepal last month.

Hindu nationalists in secular India, too, need to realize that while Nepalis might remain keen to retain the character of a religion followed by the majority, they definitely are not in favor of giving Nepal the look of a theocratic state. The king of Nepal, even if he survives the ongoing whirlwind, cannot be a pope for Hindus.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HF20Df01.html

PS:

Please keep in mind that Asia Times is "just" a bourgeois magazine, nothing more and nothing less.. 

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NEPAL - A NEW STEP FORWARD

TO PEOPLES DEMOCRACY

Now it seems to be official: the first time since long, long time, a non-reactionary peoples movement won its important success:

As I wrote y'day the first round of negotiations between the SPA and the CPN-M were successful! It's just a great(better said a first, perhaps just fragile) victory toward to a movement for another world, a world without exploiation and oppression!!

But don't forget that we(for example communists) can win everything, but if we are "stupid" enough(it means we will repead all the 'mistakes' from the past), we also can lose everything - and then forever. Our enemies are just waiting for our next 'mistakes'..

Now the international progessive movements are in the obligation to support the current and following developments in solidarity - even in critically solidarity! It means that we have the duty to shout out if we are thinking that something goes wrong there, if our comrades are beginning with the same('gentle' said) 'mistakes' what we did since - let's say - 1917.

OK, here the facts..

The Eight-point SPA-CPN(M) agreement(eKantipur)

The Eight-point agreement reached between the seven-party alliance and CPN-Maoist following summit talks between the two sides at the Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar on Friday (June 16, 2006) is as follows (Unofficial Translation)

1.  Effectively and honestly implement the 12-point understanding reached between the SPA and Maoists in November last year and the 25-point Ceasefire Code of Conduct signed between the SPA government and CPN-Maoist on May 26 this year

2. Commitment to democratic norms and values including competitive multi-party system, civic liberties, fundamental rights, human rights, press freedom, and the concept of rule of law and Carry out each other’s activities in a peaceful manner

3. Request the United Nations to help in the monitoring and management of the armies and arms of both government and Maoist sides for a free and fair election to the Constituent Assembly

4.Guarantee the democratic rights achieved through the 1990 Popular Movement and the recent historic People’s Movement; draft an interim constitution based on the 12-point understanding and the ceasefire Code of Conduct; form an interim government accordingly; announce the dates for constituent assembly elections; dissolve the House of Representatives through consensus after making alternative arrangement; dissolve the People’s Governments of CPN-Maoist 

5. Decide issues of national interests having long-term effects through consensus

6. Guarantee the fundamental right of the Nepali people to participate in the constituent assembly elections without any fear, influence, threat and violence. Invite international observation and monitoring during the elections as per the need

7. Bring about a forward-looking restructuring of the state so as to resolve the class-based, racial, regional and gender-based problems through constituent assembly elections. Transform the ceasefire between the Nepal Government and CPN-Maoist into permanent peace by focusing on democracy, peace, prosperity, forward-looking change and the country’s independence, sovereignty and pride, and express commitment to resolve the problem through talks

8. The government and Maoist talks teams have been directed to accomplish all tasks related to above-mentioned points without any delay

http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=76803

The Guardian wrote this yesterday:

After a decade of fighting, Nepal's Maoist rebels embrace government

· Coalition signals end of conflict that killed 13,000
· Secret negotiations lead to agreement on elections

Maoists agree to join Nepalese government

(IHT/NYT)

Nepal power sharing deal hailed 

BBC NEWS

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ISRAEL IS ARMING ITS ENEMIES..^^

Two days ago WorldNetDaily published following unbelievably story:

"Israel's weapons
used against Jews

Terrorist tells WND rifles given to Abbas
for 'security' employed in shooting attacks

Weapons transferred last week by Israel to Force 17, the presidential guard units of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, will be utilized for attacks against Jews, a senior member of Force 17 told WorldNetDaily in an exclusive interview today.

The militant, Abu Yousuf, hinted the weapons already were used in two shooting attacks the past few days that killed one Israeli civilian and wounded another.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced earlier this week he had approved a shipment of weapons and ammunition, which reportedly include over 370 assault rifles and were destined for Force 17. The shipment reportedly originated in Jordan and needed Israel's approval for transport.

Olmert said the shipment was meant to bolster security forces loyal to Abbas amid an increasingly violent power struggle between the PA chairman's Fatah party and Hamas, which won recent Palestinian parliamentary elections.

"I did this because we are running out of time and we need to help Abu Mazen," Olmert told reporters Tuesday.

The weapons reportedly were escorted by Israel to Ramallah and to the Gaza border where they were received by Force 17 members.

Abu Yousuf said the weapons will be fired at Israelis.

"These weapons will not be used in an internal war but against Israelis," he said. "Force 17 is proud that we were the first to lead the Palestinian people during tough times such as resistance operations [against the Israeli army during large-scale operations in northern Samaria in 2002]. We will also be the first to lead the Palestinians in the current struggle against Israeli occupation."

Several Force 17 members, including Yousuf, also are members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a terror group linked to Abbas' Fatah party responsible for scores of suicide bombings and shooting attacks.

Yousuf himself previously participated in anti-Israel terrorism, including recent shootings, attacks last month against Israeli forces operating in Ramallah and a shooting attack in northern Samaria in December 2000 that killed Benyamin Kahane, leader of the ultranationalist Kahane Chai organization.

After the Kahane murder, Yousuf was extended refuge by Yasser Arafat to live in the late PLO leader's Ramallah compound, widely known as the Muqata. Yousuf still lives in the compound.

Abbas earlier this week appointed Mahmoud Damra to head Force 17. Damra, who is on Israel's most wanted list of terrorists, was offered shelter in Arafat's compound in Ramallah in 2002 after Israel accused him of masterminding a string of terrorist attacks.

Israeli security officials say that since September 2000, Damra has led a terror cell based in Ramallah that has carried out deadly attacks, including shootings at Israeli vehicles, attacks against Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and the planting of roadside bombs.

Yousuf told WorldNetDaily Israel transferred the weapons to his Force 17 unit "for its own political purposes. We are not concerned with the reasons. The weapons will not be used against our brothers, only [against] Israelis."

Sources close to the Al Aqsa Brigades told WND assault rifles transferred by Israel to Force 17 already were used in two separate anti-Israel shooting attacks in recent days. One attack killed a 35-year-old Israeli Arab on a major West Bank highway on the outskirts of Jerusalem this past Sunday. Israeli security officials say the shooters likely mistook the victim for a Jew. The second attack, which occurred Tuesday on the same highway, lightly wounded an Israeli.

Yousuf refused to confirm whether Israeli weapons were used in the recent spate of highway shootings, but he hinted the information was accurate. He told WND members of Al Aqsa Brigades live with him in the Muqata and that "resistance tools" are shared regularly."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50664

Well, I know, it's sounding really unbelievably, but it's nothing new for Isreal to support its enemies.

Already in the end of the 80's, especially in the first months of the Intifada(some are calling this the 1st Intifada..), Israel was supporting - at least tolerated - Hamas and its activities. Despide Hamas', for Shin Beth wellknown(extreme anti-Israeli/Jewish) charta, Isreal's 'security' and military forces wanted to build up an "alternative institution" to undermine the influence/position of the secular - and here mainly the(allegedly) left wing - Palestinian resistance organisations, such as PFLP, DFLP.. and the increasingly growing Peoples Committees. Of course also against the influence of the PLO.

But finally, at least after the collapse of the block of the so-called "real socialist" states, especially the Palestinian left organisations and parties became strong allies with Hamas. And their now combined forces were directed soon only against the "Zionist enemy"!

Actually its a little similar with the 'tactic' of the USA: supporting the Taliban, Al Qaeda.. against the USSR(the "Reich of the Evil"/the 'communism') ...the final result is wellknown!!^^

And now it seems that the Isreali "security"(^^) and military forces are making the same mistake.

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First of all the latest news by BBC World(6.16, 4:30pm, CET):

"The parliament is to dissolved. A interim parliament is planned, including CPN-M(Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, the bourgeois media just call them 'Maoists')."

Maoists poised to join Nepali government
(Guardian, 6.16)

The leader of Maoist rebels in Nepal was meeting the country's prime minister on Friday for historic talks that could see the Maoists joining the government and the two sides deciding to hold elections later this year.

In a highly significant political development which could formally end a bloody decade-long internal war, Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda (Fierce One) met the prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, this morning amid heavy security at his official residence.

They were joined by their negotiating teams, and a source in Kathmandu maintained that the two sides had taken ground-breaking decisions affecting the political future of the nation.

It is expected that the Maoists will join the government and elections will be called for the Constituent Assembly which will adopt a new constitution and decide whether or not to retain what has now been virtually reduced to a ceremonial monarchy.

A solution may be imminent also for the tricky issue of what to do with the arms possessed by the insurgents in the period leading up to the elections.

The Maoists have been demanding that they should be treated on par with the Royal Nepalese Army, with whom they have engaged in bloody battles for more than four years. But the Maoist rebels may agree to surrender their arms under UN supervision providing the international body also monitors all army activity during the elections.

One external stumbling block for this proposal could be objections from India, which has always been opposed to any UN intervention in its neighbourhood. But New Delhi is said now to have agreed to make an exception in Nepal's case, since the political instability in the Himalayan nation has wider ramifications in the region.

Nepal had been trapped in an extended political crisis until April this year, when King Gyanendra reluctantly agreed to reconvene the country's sacked parliament, appoint a new, seven-party government and surrender his powers.

But the vexed question of bringing the armed Maoists into the political mainstream and ending the insurgency still remains unresolved, with the rebels pushing hard for a new constitution and an end to the monarchy.

"A lot of groundwork has been done before today's meeting between GP [Koirala] and Prachanda, and the two leaders appear to have an excellent rapport," said the source from Mr Koirala's ruling Nepali Congress party. "There's broad agreement on major issues, and some solution will also be found to break the deadlock on the monarchy question."

Some of these decisions were taken at the second round of talks between government and Maoist negotiators held in the capital on Thursday. In an effort to boost the peace process, it was decided to adjourn parliament for 18 days, meeting halfway Prachanda's demand for its dissolution.

Thursday's talks at a hotel in Kathmandu, when the Koirala-Prachanda 'summit' was also announced, had apparently been preceded by several secret meetings. The two sides appear to be following a shrewd strategy, thrashing out differences in secret and appearing in the media glare for formal "talks" only when they have something concrete to announce.

The Koirala-Prachanda meeting appears to have been similarly planned. Even though the media believes this is the first-ever "historic" meeting between the two leaders, they are said to have quietly met at least once earlier, and got along well enough to be able to trust each other. As a result, even the sharp differences over the future of the monarchy between the two leaders may find a resolution.

"In any case, though GP believes Nepal needs a ceremonial monarchy, he is ready to accept whatever decision the Constituent Assembly takes on this issue," said the party source.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1799362,00.html

eKantipur reported this today afternoon:

Govt-Maoist summit talks conclude with an eight point agreement

The Summit talks between the Seven-Party Alliance (SPA) government and top Maoist leaders held in the Prime Minister's Residence at Baluwatar has concluded with an eight point agreement.

Nepal PM and rebel leaders meet

(Washington Post/Reuters, 6.16)

Nepal's Maoist rebel chief Prachanda began talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Friday in a bid to iron out differences before holding landmark elections and drafting a new constitution. The talks in Kathmandu between Koirala, who heads a multi-party, interim administration, and Prachanda was the first known high-level meeting between the rebels and the government since the revolt began 10 years ago.

"The main agenda for the meeting is to discuss early elections for the constituent assembly and solve the political hurdles for this," rebel spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said.

Prachanda, whose assumed name means Awesome, has led a bloody war against the monarchy in the impoverished Himalayan nation in which more than 13,000 people have been killed.

Speaking to Reuters in a rare interview in western Nepal on Thursday, he said peace talks with the government which started in May were largely back on track after initial troubles.

But differences remained over a Maoist demand for the dissolution of the reinstated parliament before elections for a special assembly to draft a new constitution that would decide the future of monarchy, he said.

On Friday, Prachanda flew into Kathmandu in a private helicopter and drove straight to Koirala's high-security official residence in the heart of the capital.

He was accompanied by his second-in-command, Baburam Bhattarai, and Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula as they arrived at Koirala's house.

Soldiers behind sandbag bunkers kept vigil while dozens of Maoist guerrillas in plainclothes, and apparently unarmed, prevented media cameramen from taking pictures.

The government and the rebels are observing a ceasefire for more than a month after weeks of street protests in April forced King Gyanendra to end his absolute rule and hand power back to political parties.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/16/AR2006061600104_pf.html

Nepalese leader and rebel chief meet for talks

(IHT/AP, 6.16)

The elusive leader of communist rebels in Nepal flew to the capital Friday and held an unprecedented meeting with the prime minister aimed at resolving the country's decade-old insurgency, an official said.
 
The rebel leader, Prachanda, and a deputy were escorted into the residence of Prime Minster Girija Prasad Koirala in Katmandu under heavy security, a Koirala aide said on condition of anonymity.
 
It was the first meeting between Prachanda, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and the country's top leader since the insurgency began in 1996.
 
Reporters and photographers who were camped outside Koirala's house were not allowed near the cars transporting the rebels. It was not clear how long the meeting would last.
 
"The meeting between the prime minister and Prachanda will center on settling major political issues," Tourism Minister Pradeep Gyawali, who is also member of the government peace talks team, had said before the meeting.
 
Government and Maoist rebel negotiators had met Thursday for a second round of peace talks.
 
"We have decided that there will soon be a meeting between top Maoist leaders and leaders of the seven-party ruling alliance," Home Minister Krishna Sitaula said after Thursday's meeting. "They will decide on the major issues."
 
Prachanda used to be rarely seen, and only then in the remote villages controlled by the rebels.
 
At the two-hour peace talks Thursday in the capital, rebel and government representatives agreed to form a monitoring committee comprising peace activists and human rights workers, with help from the United Nations.
 
The first round of talks to end the conflict took place last month when the two sides agreed on a code of conduct and said they would meet for talks again.
 
The new government in Nepal took office after King Gyanendra agreed to relinquish control in April following weeks of anti-monarchy protests and a general strike.
 
The unrest was organized largely by the politicians now in power and backed by the rebels - a bond that smoothed the way for the peace dialogue.
 
The new government has released hundreds of rebels from jail, dropped terrorism charges against them, and agreed to a cease-fire. It also has agreed to rewrite the constitution, a key rebel demand that crippled peace talks in 2001 and 2003.
 
The rebels, who claim to be inspired by the Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong, began fighting to replace the constitutional monarchy with a communist state in 1996.
 
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/16/news/web.0616nepal.php

Meanwhile just three days ago..

..Nepal scraps anti-terror laws

(CNN/AP, 6.13)

Hundreds of communist rebels to be freed from jails

Nepal's government has scrapped anti-terrorism laws and withdrawn cases against hundreds of jailed communist rebels after rebel leaders met with a government minister, officials said.

Several Maoist rebels had been freed since the government and the rebels declared a cease-fire and began peace talks in the past few weeks. However, hundreds had remained in jail charged under the anti-terrorism laws.

The Cabinet met and decided anyone arrested or imprisoned under a tough anti-terrorism law imposed by the previous royal government would be freed, Information Minister Dilendra Badu said told reporters Monday after the meeting.

Rebel spokesman Krishna Mahara confirmed that the government had pledged to free 350 of their jailed members and supporters starting Monday.

The Cabinet decision followed a meeting between Home Minister Krishna Sitaula, and rebel leader Prachanda and his deputy Baburam Bhattarai at a remote mountain village on Sunday.

"The meeting has cleared all doubts and confusion that appeared to have obstructed the peace talks," Mahara told reporters Monday in the capital, Kathmandu.

He said the two sides had been at odds since the first round of peace talks between the government and rebel negotiators last month -- the first since they declared a cease-fire.

Prachanda, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has accused the government and ruling seven-party alliance of focusing on minor issues rather than key elements of the peace process, such as creating a more inclusive interim government.

The anti-terrorism laws were enforced by the previous government of King Gyanendra to hunt down and prosecute rebels.

Many rebels had been charged with murder, kidnappings and crimes against the state under the anti-terrorism laws.

Weeks of street protests by the alliance of seven major political parties forced Gyanendra to give up powers, reinstate Parliament and appoint Girija Prasad Koirala as prime minister in April.

Since then, the new government and the rebels have declared a cease-fire and have been holding peace negotiations to end the conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/06/12/nepal.terror.laws.ap/index.html

A BBC portrait for CPN-M chairman Prachanda(independent stuff about him is not to find until now..):

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WOW, THE BEST - OR BETTER - THE ONLY ONE DEMOCRACY, IN THE WORLD..^^

"Fraudsters steal $1bn of Katrina funds

(Guardian, GB, 6.14)

About $1bn in relief meant for victims of Hurricane Katrina was lost to fraud, with bogus claimants spending the money on Hawaiian holidays, football tickets, diamond jewellery and Girls Gone Wild porn videos, the US Congress was told on Wednesday.

The fraud, exposed through an audit by the Government Accountability Office, found a staggering amount of abuse of the housing assistance and debit cards given out by the beleaguered Federal Emergency Management Agency as a way of granting relief to those who lost their homes to Katrina.

Testimony presented to the house committee on Homeland Security yesterday revealed that Fema paid housing assistance to people who had never lived in a hurricane-damaged property - including at least 1,000 prison inmates - and made payments to people who were living in free hotel rooms. In one instance it paid out on a property damage claim from a cemetery in New Orleans - to a person who had never lived in the city. In another it paid compensation for a vacant lot.

"Fema paid over $20,000 to an inmate who used a post office box as his damaged property," Gregory Kutz, the GAO's director of audits, told the committee.

The extent of the fraud was uncovered the day after the first tropical storm of this year's hurricane season landed near Tallahassee, Florida. Concerns remain that despite the torrent of criticism and soul searching after Hurricane Katrina, the agency remains ill-equipped to deal with coming storms.

Predictions that this year will bring another season of severe storms has raised tensions along the Gulf coast, where, nearly one year after Katrina, tens of thousands of people continue to live in Fema trailers, their homes still in ruins. "It is key that Fema address weaknesses in its registration process so that it can substantially reduce the risk for fraudulent and improper payments before the next hurricane season arrives," the GAO report said.

The audacity of the fraud exposed shocked the congressional committee yesterday. As much as 16% of the relief distributed by the agency was lost to fraud, the auditors said. They also said it was likely they were underestimating the scope of the fraud.

"We expected it, but we didn't expect it on this magnitude," Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the house homeland security investigations panel, told reporters. "It's an assault on the American taxpayer."

During the audit investigators filed their own bogus claims and used other undercover methods to discover that most of the improper payments occurred because Fema failed to verify the identity of those making claims, or to confirm their addresses.

In the largest instance of abuse by an individual, Fema made 26 payments to someone who submitted claims for damaged property at 13 different addresses in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, using 13 different social security numbers. Only one of the social security numbers was valid, and a search of property records revealed that the individual had never lived at any of the 13 addresses. In addition, only eight of the addresses actually existed.

Fema also paid rental assistance to people who were already enjoying luxurious hotel accommodation - footing an $8,000 hotel bill in Hawaii for someone who simultaneously received $2,358 in rental assistance.

Fema debit cards also turned out to be an easy mark for those bent on fraud. Among some of the charges the GAO found unnecessary to satisfy legitimate disaster needs were $3,700 on a diamond watch, earrings and ring, a one-week all inclusive holiday in the Dominican Republic, $200 of Dom Perignon champagne, fireworks, $1,000 for a Houston divorce lawyer, and a considerable amount for adult erotica.

Fema recovered some of the mis-spent funds. However, the agency remains unable to account for 381 debit cards worth about $760,000."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,,1797513,00.html