china confidential
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Jordan's King Appoints New Intelligence Chief
Foreign Confidential....
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday issued a decree appointing General Mohammad Rakkad as new head of the General Intelligence Department (GID), one of the country's most influential posts, according to a royal court statement.
Rakkad replaced General Mohammad Dahabi, who resigned his post earlier in the day, a royal court statement said.
Dahabi came to the limelight over the past couple of months after leading a Jordanian team to a series of meetings with member of Hamas' politburo Mohammad Nazal, who is based in Damascus.
It was the first high-level encounter between the Jordanian government and the hard-line Palestinian faction since 1999, when the Amman authorities closed Hamas' bureau in Jordan and deported its staffers including Khalid Mashaal, who later became the group's politburo chief.
It was unclear whether Dahabi's resignation had anything to do with these talks, which were likely conducted with the King's consent.
Rakkad previously served as director of intelligence for the governates and as an assistant to the director of intelligence for Irbid, the second-largest city in the kingdom.
He played a primary role in arresting members of terrorist cells in Jordan, including three operatives who had plans to blow up a building belonging to the security services and the American embassy in Amman.Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Gold Slips at Year-End
Lewa Pardomuan reports from Singapore:Gold softened on Wednesday in thin year-end trade but a stronger euro could offer support for the metal, one of few commodities to end the year firmer after an economic crisis hit demand but gave gold some safe-haven allure.
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Looking ahead, geopolitical tensions and worries about a deepening global recession could spur more buying from investors, after a sell-off in equities sent bullion prices plummeting from a record in March to a 13-month low two months ago.
Gold was trading at $867.95 an ounce, down $4.15 an ounce from New York's notional close on Tuesday, having rallied to a 11-week high at $889.55 on Monday after oil jumped more than $2 on concerns Israeli attacks on Hamas could disrupt supplies.Israeli Cabinet Considering French Truce Idea
The cabinet will reconvene Wednesday to discuss a French proposal for a 48-hour "humanitarian" cease-fire, after failing late Tuesday night to reach a decision. Tuesday's meeting followed a day in which a Hamas rocket struck Be'er Sheva for the first time and the Israel Defense Forces completed preparations for a possible ground operation in the Gaza Strip. The Education Ministry announced that schools in Be'er Sheva would not open Wednesday.
Continue here.Report: Israel Mulling Truce Offer
AP reports Israel is mulling a truce offer to Hamas.Israel is considering suspending its Gaza offensive to give Hamas militants an opening to halt their rocket fire, but the threat of a ground offensive remains if the truce does not hold, an Israeli defense official said Tuesday.
Israel's defense minister is to raise the proposal during a meeting of Israel's security Cabinet on Wednesday, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Israel TV's Channel 10 also reported such a proposal.
At the same time, the security Cabinet will also be asked to consider various plans for a ground invasion, the defense official said.
The public rhetoric from Israeli officials has indicated they expect the operation to continue, and a Hamas spokesman said any truce was conditional on the opening of Gaza's borders.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
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