Meet the new Cabinet team and learn about their responsibilities:

Today, I announced my new Cabinet to the Dáil. I wanted to tell you, as a Fianna Fáil supporter, why I have made these changes.Over the last two years, the entire Government has been focused on meeting the urgent challenge of stabilising the public finances and restoring international confidence in Ireland. Now we have to move on to the next stage of building a lasting recovery, and the changes I have announced are central to this.I am determined to help people back into employment through targeted support for individuals and the companies which will drive job creation. I also want to reform the way Government as a whole works by restructuring responsibilities in key departments.

I would like to welcome Ministers Pat Carey T.D., John Curran T.D. and Tony Killeen T.D. to the Cabinet table. They have this evening been presented with their Seals of Office.The actions we have taken over the past 2 years are restoring international confidence in the Irish economy, and improving our competitiveness. With this foundation in place, I want all areas of Government to focus on job creation and ensuring Ireland is positioned to benefit from the global economic upturn when it comes. These reforms are designed with exactly that in mind.With my new team in place, I'm looking ahead to tackling the challenges we face - promoting job creation, investing in people, and ensuring the creation of opportunities for everyone.

Le gach dea guí,

Taoiseach Brian Cowen, T.D.

No to Irish Defence Forces Purchase of Israeli Bullets

salams

I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:"No to Irish Defence Forces Purchase of Israeli Bullets"http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/israrms/I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes just a few seconds of your time.

Thanks!
wassalam

Brian Lenihan said "our plan is working"

Over the last twenty months, we have taken decisive and bold action to bring this country back from the brink of economic and financial ruin. The latest of these measures were contained in last December's budget. We made savings of €4 billion through cuts in public sector pay, an average 4% reduction in welfare payments, and through controlling expenditure in all areas of Government. These measures have stabilised our public finances and greatly increased international investor confidence in our ability to work our way out of this most difficult of economic crises. The benefits are there for all to see. Take a look at this:

http://www.fiannafail.ie/page/m/1363c3e/33741a9e/244857af/585bcc6a/1284676890/VEsE/
This graph shows the cost of borrowing for Ireland and Greece. The cost of repaying our debt has fallen because the government has made the difficult but correct choices. If Ireland had gone the way of Greece, we could have expected to pay €3.6 billion more in interest over the next 10 years on the money we have had to borrow this year: dead money that we can now divert to much needed public services.
Internationally, we are now held up as an example of a country that is facing up to its economic difficulties and taking the necessary action. Now that we have begun to stabilise our public finances, we can take the necessary measures to return to economic growth and to create and protect jobs.
Please share this email with your friends, family and colleagues:
http://www.fiannafail.ie/page/m/1363c3e/33741a9e/244857af/585bcc6a/1284676890/VEsF/
In their measured reaction to a very difficult and painful budget, the citizens of this country have shown they are willing to make sacrifices in the short term for the long term good of all. This maturity and understanding of the economic difficulties we face is the envy of other countries in Europe. Our flexibility and our foresight will be of enormous value to us as we continue to enact our plan for economic recovery.
Thank you for supporting us,

Brian Lenihan T.D. Minister for Finance

STATEMENT BY PROINSIAS DE ROSSA Labour MEP for Dublin Chair

STATEMENT BY PROINSIAS DE ROSSA Labour MEP for Dublin Chair, EP Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council Tuesday, March 02, 2010 FOLLOWING DUBAI MURDER AND THEFT OF IDENTITIES, EU MUST STOP UPGRADE OF RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL
In a priority European Parliament question tabled to the European Commission, Proinsias De Rossa MEP said the almost-certain abuse by Mossad of Irish and other European passports in the murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on 20th January necessitated a halt to the upgrading of relations with Israel and a full review of the 2004 EU legislation aimed at preventing the forgery and abuse of Member States' passports.* Mr De Rossa said: "The misuse of Irish and other EU Member States' passports in this crime should not divert attention from Israel's murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, its brutal assault on Gaza last year, causing the deaths of hundreds of civilians including over 300 children, and its continuing blockade of 1.5 million people in Gaza - all of which are clear demonstrations of Israel's continuing disregard for international law. "The murder of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a leading Hamas militant, raises 'profoundly disturbing' issues for Europe as the EU Foreign Ministers acknowledged in their 22nd February statement. "The European Union is committed under the Lisbon Treaty to providing its citizens with 'an area of freedom, security and justice'. However the use of forged European passports in the Dubai crime undermines that commitment and casts doubt on the security of all European passports and on the ability of all Europeans to travel in safety worldwide. Indeed, while the theft was a direct attack on the sovereignty of the four Member States concerned and of Australia, the sovereignty of all Member States is at risk unless Israel is obliged to comply with International law. "Europe has to urgently review all aspects of its relations with Israel and put on hold any further upgrading of EU-Israeli relations until Israel complies in all respects with its obligations under international law and its commitments under EU-Israel agreements. "In their 22nd February statement, the 27 EU Foreign Ministers sought to reassure all Europeans that their passports remain among the most secure in the world and included a 'range of physical security measure to prevent forgery and abuse'. "The simple fact is that the protections offered by this legislation seem to have failed in this case. The European Commission must therefore undertake an immediate and full review of all the provisions and the implementation at national level of this legislation and present proposals to MEPs and Ministers to re-establish the integrity of European passports." ENDS Contact Proinsias De Rossa MEP at 087.2544644 www.labour.ie/press * Regulation 2252/2004 on 'security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States'. Written question by Proinsias De Rossa MEP to the Commission Subject - Theft of EU citizens' identities by those involved in the extra-judicial killing of Mr. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai on 20 January 2010 Article 3 (2) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) states that the Union shall offer its citizens 'an area of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers'. Article 3 (5) provides that 'In its relations with the wider world, the Union shall uphold and promote its values and interests and contribute to the protection of its citizens'. Article 4 (2) commits the Union to respecting Member States' fundamental political and constitutional structures and their essential state functions, including maintaining law and order and safeguarding national security. On 22 February 2010, the Council acknowledged that the killing of Mahmoud al-Madhouh in Dubai, 20 January 2010, was not conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East and raised 'profoundly disturbing' issues for Europe. It strongly condemned the fact that those involved had used fraudulent passports and credit cards acquired through the theft of EU citizens' identities and it sought to reassure EU citizens and the international community about the integrity of EU Member States' passports. Does the Commission condemn this killing? Does it accept that these actions displays a lack of respect by the organizers for Member States, and that the stealing of EU citizens' identities is an infringement of the sovereignty of the Member States' concerned? What steps is it taking to ensure that all countries, including Israel, the main suspect, cooperate with the investigation by the Dubai authorities into these criminal acts and in the investigations being carried out by the Member States concerned into the theft of their citizens' identity? Does it foresee taking the same actions it recently took in relation to Guinea and Sri Lanka if it is established that a state with which we have close relations is responsible for these criminal acts? Will it undertake a full review of the provisions and implementation of EC Regulation 2252/2004 on standards for security features and biometrics in passports and travel documents issued by Member States, and other relevant EU legal instruments? What additional action is it taking or considering in this matter?

The Muslim Lobby Letter to Mr. Micheal Martin TDMinister of State, Mr. Dick Roche Minister for European Affairs

The Muslim Lobby Ireland
Themuslimlobby@yahoo.ie



To:
The Irish Government
Mr. Micheal Martin TD Dept for Foreign Affairs Minister of State
Mr. Dick Roche Minister for European Affairs

Re: Dubai assassination

We are delighted with the step of the Irish government to call the Israeli Ambassador over Dubai assassination and the participation in the related Foreign Ministers Summit in Brussels.

We are the Muslim community in Ireland see the killing in Dubai as an organized state terrorism and we don’t like Ireland nor Europe to be implicated in this terrorism.
What happened in Dubai requires proper investigation and serious actions to pinpoint the actual terrorist and to reveal the way EU identities were forged and used for this purpose.

We hop to hear more done about this matter.
Look forward to hearing from you.
God bless
You have our full support.
Administration

Six more hunted in Dubai assassination

The number of operatives involved in the alleged assassination squad is now thought to total at least 17.
Photographs of 11 of the suspects - from the fake British, Irish, French and German passports they used to carry out the killing - have already been released.

The identities of the new six have not yet been made public, but among the group there is thought to be at least one more female in addition to the woman originally identified as "Gail Folliard from Ireland", until the Irish authorities said that no such person existed.
The second, as yet unnamed woman, was caught on CCTV camera following al-Mabhouh to his hotel room and identifying him at close quarters, before other members of the team moved in for the kill.
She had arrived at the hotel dressed as a tourist and wearing a large summer hat and was accompanied by a large man in a Panama hat and beard.
Dubai police were last night also questioning two Palestinians, extradited from Jordan, amid allegations they met up with a member of the assassination team before the hit took place on January 20.
Jordanian government spokesman Nabil Sharif said the two had been handed over to the United Arab Emirates several days ago.
Their suspected involvement has led to bitter recriminations between Hamas and the rival Fatah movement, who have been accused of colluding with the Israelis in the attack.
But according to sources in the emirate, the two have a background in the police service in Gaza, suggesting they are more likely to be members of Hamas, which controls the region.
Among the 11 suspects already identified, six were carrying fake UK passports, with details matching those of British citizens living in Israel.
James Clarke, 47, Paul Keeley, 42, Melvyn Mildiner, 31, Stephen Hodes, 37, Jonathan Graham, 31, and Michael Barney, 55, have all expressed their shock after their names appeared on an international wanted list.
Speaking on Wednesday Mr Hodes' wife Gabriella said: "It started like a story that made us laugh, but now we don't know how to take it."
Michael Barney, who lives on a Kibbutz in the western Galilee, added: "This is a mistake or a case of identity theft. I know only that my passport is at home. I don't know who decided to use my name. I'm angry and very surprised."
Mr Clarke, who lives at a Kibbutz called Givat Hashlosha northeast of Tel Aviv, declined to comment except to insist it was not him in the picture.
Mr Graham, Mr Keeley and Mr Mildiner have also insisted they are the innocent victims of an elaborate sting operation.
Irish, German and French passports carried by the other suspects have also been exposed as fakes.
It is believed al-Mabhouh, who is now based in Damascus, Syria, had been travelling through Dubai on his way to Iran to buy weapons for the armed wing of Hamas, of which he was a founding member.
The group has carried out hundreds of attacks and suicide bombings targeting Israelis, and now rules the Gaza Strip.
He was also thought to be involved in the 1989 kidnap and murder of two Israeli soldiers.
According to his brother Hussein, al-Mabhouh had been the target of an assassination attempt on three previous occasions.
Top Hamas figures have denied claims that he was on his way to Iran but have refused to explain why he was in Dubai.

Allegations of ‘Irish’ involvement in assassination of Hamas commander

Could strain this country’s relationship with Israel WHAT do you think of this: seven people, including four Irish passport holders, burst into a hotel room in Dubai at around 9pm earlier this month, pushed the occupant to the floor, tortured him with an electric weapon that they held to his head, and then suffocated him with a pillow? The slaughtered gentleman was a Mr Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a high ranking Hamas military commander, accused by Israel of having been involved in the abduction of two of its soldiers in 1989. A Dubai police chief said they identified the Irish passport holders as suspects and that the arrest of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, would be sought if evidence was found to link the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, to the killing. His comments reflected widespread belief in the Muslim world that Israel assassinated Mr Mabhouh. Hamas certainly pinned the blame on Israel, as did Iran. The Israeli government did not comment on the claims but over the years a number of Hamas leaders have died in operations that Israel calls "targeted killings". Some would argue that the proper description is "terrorism". In 2004 Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was killed in an Israeli helicopter gunship attack in Gaza. One month later, another Hamas leader in Gaza, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, was killed when two missiles hit his car. NO MEDIA INTEREST HERE Dubai police said that Mr al-Mabhouh's assassins fled to a ‘European country’ and they did not rule out the possibility that some of the killers went to Ireland. Strangely, the Irish media did not report the slaying - although information that the terrorists held Irish documentation was splashed across Middle East TV and newspapers. The Belfast Telegraph, however, which always had an interest in gruesome acts of terrorism, picked up the tale. The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Mickey Martin also knew about the murder. They said: “We are aware of the media reports and we are in contact with authorities locally to try and determine the truth of the reports.” So far, Mickey has not released any information on the progress of his investigation into the terrorists’ use of Irish passports. Yet, it should not be an impossible task for his officials to trace the provenance of the passports. Apparently, UAE security personnel know who the killers are and are in the process of asking Interpol to identify the strategically placed accomplices who supplied the Irish documentation. LAW OF THE JUNGLE? However, it remains to be seen if a Mossad hit squad was responsible for the terrible incident. If such is the case, Martin's response will be interesting. The Minister has been a critic of Israeli barbarity in Gaza and, last year, he objected to the attempt to humiliate him by refusing him entry to the devastated territory. Indeed, should it turn out that the hit squad had origins in Mossad, the fractious relationship of this country with Israel will come under further strain. To have used Irish documentation to get into Dubai in order to carry out a heinous crime will raise the question of whether a deliberate violation of Ireland’s security and of its nationals who travel to the Middle East has been committed. The intriguing question will be to establish who is responsible for the skullduggery: the Israelis for using Irish passports or elements of the Irish government who permitted the passports to fall into criminal hands? As matters stand, Israel has scant regard for international law or international standards, but if it is established that its intelligence agency deliberately injected an Irish tinge into an appalling killing, the conclusion has to be that its government is truly living by the law of the jungle. Let’s not forget either that Mossad has had an unhealthy interest in this country. In 1983, it supplied a consignment of Uzi sub machine guns to Loyalist paramilitaries and, in 1987, Loyalists also secured a large amount of weapons in South Africa via Mossad. That organisation had captured the arms from the PLO. PASSPORTS FOR SALE Of course, this is not the first time that Irish passports were used in the pursuit of criminal activities. In 1986, US official Oliver North, who was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, used an Irish passport to travel to Iran. Indeed, passport scandals have a long history in this little banana republic, beginning with the rogue Taoiseach, the late Charles Haughey. He sold them to the highest bidder. For twenty million pounds in 1991, Haughey disposed of eleven Irish passports to an Arab sheikh, to seven other Saudi Arabians and to three Pakistanis. Known as the passports-for-investment scheme, some of the cash went into a company called Leisure Holdings. Passport money also went into the development of Kerry Airport and a Portarlington steel firm. The sale of the 11 passports was later described by Justice Minister Michael McDowell as ‘irregular and unusual’ and, according to McDowell, raised serious questions into the role Haughey played in the scheme. Ray Burke was Justice Minister at the time the passports were issued and his involvement was one of the matters that triggered his resignation. The Moriarty Tribunal investigated the entire affair. The Saudi sheikh at the centre of the passport scandal was married to a sister of Osama bin Laden and went on to spend time under house arrest in a military hospital in the Saudi city of Taif, as punishment for alleged involvement in channeling millions of dollars to bin Laden. PASSPORT CLIENTISM In fact, our politicos love dabbling in passports, particularly those processed by a special unit at the passport office that speeds up applications. It’s a service available only to Oireachtas members. Brian Cowen, Willie O'Dea, Martin Cullen, Eamon Ryan, Mary Harney, Noel Dempsey, John Gormley are some of the politicos who fast-tracked 4,283 applications in 2008. In the same year, Mary Coughlan used her special privileges to speed up 499 passport applications in just 483 days. The anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International, criticised the practice as undue interference in the work of civil servants. Under the fast-track system, TDs and senators can leave passport applications given to them by members of the public in a drop box in Leinster House – all of which illustrates the fact tht terrorists (including Israeli terrorists) would encounter few problems in getting their paws on Irish passports. In the meantime, we await with interest the outcome of Mickey’s investigation.

By Archon Saturday February 20th, 2010