Monday, May 16, 2011

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Sonia Gandhi And Mamata Banerjee Togetherness For Secular Nation

Defense News: DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Sonia Gandhi And Mamata Banerjee Togetherness For Secular Nation
**Mamata looks to cement ties
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 16, 2011: By extending invitations to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to her swearing-in ceremony, Bengal chief minister-in-waiting Mamata Banerjee wants to cement central support for her government.

There is still an element of uncertainty on whether Congress will join Mamata's government. "We are grateful to Mamata Banerjee for her gracious offer to Congress to join her government, but there is still no consensus within Pradesh Congress Committee on it," PCC general secretary Om Prakash Mishra said in Kolkata on Monday. The final decision would be taken by AICC. Congress has, however, already extended its letter of support to the Mamata Banerjee government.

But Mamata would need the whole-hearted support of the Centre in running her government smoothly, observers said. She took care to go to Delhi to meet the PM and Sonia and personally request them to attend her swearing-in ceremony. However, the PM will not be attending the same and Sonia's presence too is uncertain.

Because of the precarious financial position facing the state, Mamata would need the Centre to bail out her nascent government. Besides, there were other issues like the Darjeeling imbroglio and the on-going joint operations against the Maoists in the state. She would like Delhi to be on her side to find an acceptable solution in Darjeeling without conceding a separate state.

Mamata announced after her victory that she would find a solution to the Maoist problem in Jangalmahal within three months. Whether she attempted to start a dialogue with the Maoists or wanted to reduce the scale of joint operations, she would need the green signal from the Centre.

It would suit her most if Congress joined her government so that there was joint responsibility. Immediately after her victory on May 13, Mamata had invited Congress to join the government. During her meetings with the PM and Sonia on Monday, she extended the invitation again.

PCC sources indicated, however, that some Congress leaders in the state had reservations about joining the government as it would have little say in its running. "With 184 seats, Trinamool has a big majority. Although Congress has also done well in the election, its 42 seats are not significantly large," a PCC leader said. The possibility of Mamata offering Congress insignificant portfolios was also hanging heavy in the minds of PCC leaders. During negotiations for seat-sharing before the polls, some Congress leaders in the state had raised the question of alliance with dignity', but finally, at Sonia's intervention, the tie-up took place on Mamata's terms.

Had Congress been given a better deal in seat-sharing, it could also have done well, he indicated. "The success rate of Trinamool in the election is 80% against the success rate of Congress' 70%," he pointed out. "We were given only 65 seats to contest and we won 42."

A Trinamool source pointed out, however, that the success of the alliance was because of a Mamata wave' and Congress benefitted from it.


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DTN News - OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Pakistan Hits Back Over US Mistrust On Osama Bin Laden’s Raid

Defense News: DTN News - OSAMA BIN LADEN NEWS: Pakistan Hits Back Over US Mistrust On Osama Bin Laden’s Raid
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 16, 2011: The Pakistani government recently issued a statement hitting back over the so-called US mistrust over information about the successful raid on Bin Laden’s compound, which resulted in the death of the No. 1 Most Wanted terrorist in the world.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir immediately dismissed the statement of the CIA chief, but said that the mistrust of the US government becomes a very “disquieting” issue on the part of the Pakistani government. He said his government has played a “pivotal role” in dealing with terrorism; and that the CIA chief was entitled to his own views.

Bashir said that his government has been very extensively cooperative with the US anti-terrorism efforts. Sometime ago, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s national intelligence arm, was the one who identified the compound in Abbottabad as “suspicious”, and it was only the extensive use of resources of the CIA that finally determined that it was the hiding place of Bin Laden.

“As far as the target compound is concerned, ISI had been sharing information with the CIA and other friendly intelligence agencies since 2009,” Bashir added.

Earlier, CIA Chief Leon Panetta at a press conference said that Washington did not inform Islamabad about the raid thinking that the Pakistanis could have jeopardized the entire mission by alerting the targets.

Osama Bin Laden, 54 years old, founder and leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist groups all over the world reportedly ordered the attack at the World Trade Twin Tower in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, which caused the death of more than 3,000 people as well as responsible for the series of bombing incident in the other parts of the globe.

A US Special Forces team member shot and killed Bin Laden during a surprise raid at his compound on Sunday at Abbottabad after he resisted capture.

Reports from the White House disclose that Bin Laden was unarmed when he was shot and killed after he resisted arrest from the raiding team of US Special Forces. A woman believed wife of Bin Laden sustained a wound in the leg when she also tried to rush on one of the members of the raiding team. A 12-year old daughter believed daughter of Bin Laden also survived while two couriers and a woman died during the raid.

The US government buried Bin Laden’s body in the sea after the appropriate conduct of traditional Muslim burial rite on board the US aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson.
Accordingly, the Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad is only a few hundred meters away from the Pakistan Military Academy, the premier military school in the country equivalent to Sandhurst or West Point.

Reports disclose that Bin Laden has been living inside the compound for about five years. Thus, it raised some questions about the Pakistani authorities, an analyst said.



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DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated May 16, 2011

Defense News:
DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated May 16, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 16, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued May 16, 2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

The Boeing Co., Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $962,509,138 firm-fixed-price delivery order against the basic C-17 production contract (FA8614-06-D-2006) to procure five C-17 aircraft. At this time, $471,629,477 has been obligated. ASC/WLMK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-06-D-2006 DO 0006).

Atec, Inc., Stafford, Texas, is being awarded a $49,999,999 firm-fixed-price contract for the relocation of three T-9 Noise suppressors. Work will be performed at Aviano Airbase, Italy; Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.; and Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Funds in the amount of $9,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. OC-ALC/PKEA, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8100-11-C-0010).

Northrop Grumman Intelligence Systems, Chantilly, Va., is being awarded a $9,771,302 contract modification to extend the Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload (ASIP) baseline contract to support the ASIP post-initial operational test and evaluation flight testing on the Global Hawk platform. Work will be performed in San Jose, Calif. ASC/WINK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-03-C-4318).

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $9,285,819 firm-fixed-price contract modification to provide a quantity of 389 MK-82 SAASM/AJ Joint Direct Attack Munitions under production Lot 15. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. AAC/EBDK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8681-11-C-0111, PO 0003).

The Boeing Co., Newark, Ohio, is being awarded a $7,136,587 contract modification to provide Minuteman III guidance repair. OO-ALC/AFNWC/PKME, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (F42610-99-D-0006-0054).

NAVY

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems Unmanned Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $42,000,000 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0041) to convert eight Army Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Navy configuration. Work will be performed in Moss Point, La. (71 percent), and San Diego, Calif. (29 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Helber Hastert & Fee, Planners, Inc.*, Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a maximum $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineer services contract for environmental planning services for projects and activities at various Navy and Marine Corps activities in the Pacific Basin and Indian Ocean areas. Task order 0001 is being awarded at $92,733 for engineering services required to include preparing an environmental assessment (EA) to address the proposed Wave Energy Technology Buoy Test Sites Project, and a project action statement providing a detailed discussion of the proposed action, alternatives, and issues to be addressed in the EA at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe, Hawaii. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by April 2012. All work will be performed in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific area of responsibility, other NAVFAC components, or other governmental agencies for which NAVFAC Pacific is tasked to provide assistance. The term of the contract is not to exceed five years, with an expected completion date of May 2016. Contract funds in the amount of $92,733 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website with five proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-11-D-1800).

Navistar Defense, LLC, Warrenville, Ill., is being awarded $18,638,750 delivery order #0018, modification #0001, under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (M67854-07-D-5032) for the procurement of 250 MaxxPro Dash ambulance engineering change proposals (ECP) and Dash Phase IV ECPs. Ambulance vehicles provide mobile and survivable ambulatory care for injured servicemen in theater. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by the end of September 2011. Contract funds in will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

SYSCO Eastern Maryland, LLC, Pocomoke City, Md., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum $22,500,000 for full food service for customers in North Carolina. Other location of performance is the North Carolina region. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Army National Guard. The date of performance completion is Dec. 10, 2011. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SMP300-11-D3443).

*Small business



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DTN NEWS - BATTLE FOR LIBYA: MOUSSA KOUSSA AMONG DEFECTORS 'HELPING NATO BOMB SECRET GADDAFI SITES'

Defense News: DTN News - BATTLE FOR LIBYA: Moussa Koussa Among Defectors 'Helping Nato Bomb Secret Gaddafi Sites'
**Gaddafi ex-loyalist is black box of regime, say Libyan officials as UK military calls for more air strikes despite deadly hostel hit
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 16, 2011: A network of Libyan defectors, including the former regime stalwart Moussa Koussa, are helping Nato to destroy Muammar Gaddafi's military sites, including bunker complexes from which much of the war has been run, according to senior officials in Libya.

Libyan mourners carry coffins during the funeral for nine of 11 clerics allegedly killed in a Nato air strike on Friday. Photograph: Darko Bandic/AP

Nato planners have stepped up their operations over the capital, Tripoli, and the western mountains in recent days, despite a strike on the eastern city of Brega early on Friday that killed up to 11 people, many of them Islamic clerics.

But British defence chiefs are applying pressure on other Nato countries to escalate the bombing campaign against Gaddafi amid deepening concerns that military action will end in stalemate.

Nearly two months since the start of air strikes, they fear divisions within Nato and at the UN will lead to fewer sorties just at a time when, they claim, the regime is starting to feel the pinch and even its core support showing signs of cracking.

Despite almost nightly air strikes, and increasing numbers of daylight attacks on the outskirts of Tripoli, the capital remains under regime control. The city is free of checkpoints and any opposition elements are maintaining a low profile. Discontent – for now – seems directed at France, Britain and Italy, whom residents blame for a critical fuel shortage.

But there is growing anger towards former regime loyalists, first among them Koussa, who defected to Britain in early April after more than 30 years as Gaddafi's most trusted henchman.

The former foreign minister and intelligence chief is understood to have passed on "invaluable" details of the dictator's police state, including the precise location of the regime's most sensitive sites.

"He was the 'black box' of the regime," said an unnamed official who worked with Koussa. "I was with him the day before he left and nobody knew that he was going to do that. Why did he do it? I'd say he must have been emotionally weak. Things must have got to him."

After spending a month in Britain, Koussa is now in Qatar, from where he is believed to be helping Nato map targets.

Publicly, the regime has vehemently attacked Nato for bombing sites it variously describe as either "civilian, or non-military". Libyan government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, described as "murderous and barbaric" the strike on the Brega guest house which killed the Imams.

But on Saturday a Dutch engineer, Freek Landmeter, claimed he had built a large bunker for the Gaddafi regime underneath the site in 1988. Landmeter provided GPS co-ordinates for the project which matched those provided by the regime on Friday for the guest house.

Another bunker site was bombed inside Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli. A merry-go-round had been put 150 metres from a main entrance point and families had been invited to camp nearby as a show of support for the regime.

Nato described the Brega and Tripoli sites as "command and control centres'.

British military planners had urged Nato to re-prioritise its targets in Libya to include static sites, such as command and control centres, and not only those posing a direct and clear threat to Libyan civilians, such as tanks and artillery.

Well-placed UK government officials made this plain on Sunday as General Sir David Richards, chief of the defence staff, said he wanted the rules of engagement changed so attacks can be launched against the infrastructure propping up Gaddafi.

"The vice is closing on Gaddafi, but we need to increase the pressure further through more intense military action," Richards told the Sunday Telegraph.

"We now have to tighten the vice to demonstrate to Gaddafi that the game is up and he must go", he added. "We need to do more", Richards said. "If we do not up the ante now there is a risk that the conflict could result in Gaddafi clinging to power." Richards continued: "At present Nato is not attacking infrastructure targets in Libya. But if we want to increase the pressure on Gaddafi's regime then we need to give serious consideration to increasing the range of targets we can hit."

Liam Fox, the defence secretary, said on Sunday that a number of Nato countries were "less happy" with Britain's decision to extend the number of targets, to include command and control centres and what he called "intelligence networks".

Speaking on BBC1's Politics Show, he said: "Not all Nato countries take the same view." Fox added that if Gaddafi regime commanders chose to be in a command and control centre it was "a risk they take".



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