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Gulf states urge US to probe 'crimes' revealed by WikiLeaks

Shoe-hurler targets ex-Australian PM Howard on live TV
Sydney (AFP) Oct 25, 2010 - An anti-Iraq war activist dramatically hurled shoes at former Australian prime minister John Howard on live national TV on Monday, mimicking the famous protest directed at ex-US leader George W. Bush. The protester stood up and threw two shoes, which missed Howard, while shouting slogans during a stormy edition of public broadcaster ABC's Q and A debate-style show. "That is for Iraqi dead," the protester shouted, before being quickly escorted away. A woman audience member yelled: "You've got blood on your hands" before walking out of the studio. Howard smiled and appeared unfazed by the stunt, which followed a surprise recorded question from "Aussie Taliban" David Hicks, a former Guantanamo Bay inmate, during a series of tough questions about his time in power. "It's all right, don't worry. Forget it, forget it. Relax," he told host Tony Jones.

The conservative Howard, whose 11-year rule ended in 2007, sent Australian troops for the US-led invasion of Iraq as a staunch supporter of then-president Bush. Last November a protester threw a shoe at Howard during a speech at Britain's Cambridge University. In 2008, an Iraqi journalist hurled shoes at Bush during a press conference in Baghdad and was later jailed for nine months. Hicks, who like Howard has just released his memoirs, asked the former leader to explain his support for a US military justice system which saw him held without conviction. Howard was also challenged about his strict immigration policies and why he did not apologise for the "Stolen Generations" of Aboriginal children taken from their families to assimilate with Anglo-Saxon culture. "And all you had to show for it was some fairly smelly sneakers," quipped Jones as the show wrapped up.
by Staff Writers
Riyadh (AFP) Oct 25, 2010
The Gulf Cooperation Council has called on Washington to probe possible "crimes against humanity" in Iraq in light of documents released by whistleblower website WikiLeaks, reports said on Monday.

"The US is requested to open a serious and transparent investigation into the information contained in these documents on the commission of crimes against humanity" in Iraq, GCC secretary general Abdulrahman al-Attiyah said.

The United States was responsible for any "abuse and crimes committed by its troops in Iraq," Attiyah said in a statement widely cited by Gulf media outlets.

WikiLeaks published on Friday nearly 400,000 secret US military documents that offer a grim snapshot of the conflict from 2004 to 2009, especially of the abuse of civilians by Iraqi security forces.

The heavily abridged logs appear to show the US military turned a blind eye to evidence of torture and abuse of civilians by the Iraqi authorities.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the documents reveal about 15,000 more civilian deaths in Iraq than were previously known.

Based in Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council is made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

earlier related report
WikiLeaks insists website not anti-American
London (AFP) Oct 25, 2010 - WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson insisted Monday that the whistle-blowing website was not anti-American, as he revealed there was "a lot of material" in the pipeline.

WikiLeaks on Friday released 400,000 classified US army documents on the war in Iraq, which offered a grim snapshot of the conflict, especially of the abuse of Iraqi civilians by Iraqi security forces.

The website released more than 70,000 secret files on the war in Afghanistan in July, to the fury of US and coalition authorities who fear the documents could have put the lives of troops and Afghan informants at risk.

Hrafnsson denied that WikiLeaks had an agenda against Washington.

"It's totally wrong. We are not anti-American," the Icelander told BBC radio.

"A lot of people supporting WikiLeaks are very fond of the basic principles and ideals that are the basis of American society, the First Amendment, et cetera.

"It is a coincidence that the important documents that have been released in the last few months have been with regard to the American military and the war effort."

He said US authorities had eventually admitted that no harm had been done by the Afghanistan releases.

"We are hearing the same thing now. We need to have those claims substantiated," he said, referring to complaints from Washington about the releases on the Iraq conflict.

Hrafnsson said there was more to come from WikiLeaks.

"We decline to say exactly what material we are having and preparing to release," he said.

"We are strengthening our technical base, putting up new servers in new countries.

"We do have a lot of material. We need some time to work on it. Our effort, understandably, has been focused very much on the latest release, so a lot of changes will be seen in the next couple of weeks and months to come."

Hrafnsson said at the weekend WikiLeaks was preparing to release 15,000 more documents on the Afghan war.



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IRAQ WARS
Iraq's Maliki under pressure from court ruling, WikiLeaks
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 24, 2010
Iraq's highest court told parliament on Sunday to end the deadlock in forming a new government, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as he fights to secure a second term amid WikiLeaks allegations of state-sanctioned torture. Federal supreme court spokesman Abdul Sattar Bayrakdar said parliament was ordered to end a recess and convene to choose a speaker, the first step towar ... read more







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