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Obama's outreach to Taliban backed by intensive Saudi-brokered contacts DEBKA-Net-Weekly Exclusive 385 Updated by DEBKAfile March 9, 2009, 10:42 AM (GMT+02:00) Taliban in Afghanistan: Talking and fighting On Feb. 20, DEBKA-Net-Weekly 385 disclosed that from late December, agents of Saudi intelligence chief Prince Mogrin Abdul Aziz paved the way for Richard Holbrooke's mission to Afghanistan and Pakistan as Barack Obama's special envoy. This initiative also laid the groundwork for US president Barack Obama's hint at possible talks with moderate Taliban elements to The New York Times Sunday, March 8, a month after he approved another 17,000 troops for Afghanistan. To subscribe to DEBKA-Net-Weekly click HERE .  More... Washington experts: Iran has fissile material for 50 nuclear bombs DEBKAfile Special Report March 8, 2009, 10:31 AM (GMT+02:00) On March 4, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy published a paper with two important disclosures: Iran has enough fissile material available for making up to 50 nuclear bombs and Tehran can go from low enriched uranium to weapons-grade uranium in a relative brief period of time, perhaps a year or so. Israeli officials, while evading action to curb a nuclear-armed Iran, now go about suggesting that the Jewish state can live in its shadow.  More... Israel: Iran has crossed technological threshold in drive for nuclear bomb March 8, 2009, 5:27 PM (GMT+02:00) Israeli Cassandara: Military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, head of Israeli military intelligence AMAN, confirmed at the weekly government session in Jerusalem Sunday, March 8, that Iran had crossed the technological threshold to a nuclear bomb capability and required only a strategic decision to go into production. Tehran TV disclosed Sunday that Iran had test fired a new long-range missile, without offering details.  More... gypt turns far-left UK MP Galloway's aid convoy away from Gaza March 8, 2009, 10:47 AM (GMT+02:00) The aid-for-Gaza convoy from London led by far-left British lawmaker George Galloway started out on the wrong foot in mid-February. It ended with 24 members of his pro-Palestinian group injured in clashes with 1,000 Egyptian police in the northern Sinai town of Al-Arish Sunday, March 8.  More... Pro-US Palestinian PM quits, opens West Bank door to Hamas DEBKAfile Exclusive Report and Analysis March 7, 2009, 4:41 PM (GMT+02:00) Salam Fayyad, Washington's man in the Palestinian Authority, quits The pro-American Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad quit Saturday, March 7, three days before Hamas-Fatah power-sharing talks were to resume in Cairo and three days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with him and Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah - a blow to US prestige and one up for Iran's Palestinian proxy. Read more about Hamas' machinations for its West Bank takeover in DEBKAfile's Exclusive Report below.  Full article Pakistani police link Lahore attack to local al Qaeda-linked groups DEBKAfile Special Report March 7, 2009, 10:46 AM (GMT+02:00) Pakistani president Ali Zardari faces creeping Taliban takeover Pakistani police now suspect homegrown groups with links to al Qaeda and Taliban of the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team on March 10, which killed 8 members of the police escort and injured 6 players on their way to play Pakistan in the eastern town of Lahore. Officials in Islamabad have stopped blaming India, where a similar attack was staged in Mumbai last November killing 170, or Punjabis over president Ali Zardari's feud with their leader, former prime minister Nawaf Sharif. Groups like Lashkar e-Jhangvi and Lashkar e-Taibe are now high on the list of suspects.  More...