Quotes of the Day, History calling, and Yes to an Islamic State in the Balkans

"These people are so hard-line I think it doesn't even merit the word 'hard-line'. They're way beyond that."
Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, asked about Iran's Revolutionary Guard, currently having control over the 15 British hostages.
Question: Has anybody looked lately what else is going on, perhaps in the nuclear department?

is vying with another remarkable revelation:

"The Middle-East is going through a serious change, which has been sharpened since the Second Lebanon War. This process has brought about a change in the Arab frame of mind. Israel is no longer considered their biggest problem. This is a revolutionary thought."
Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Question: Is it all Shia or just Iran's increasing power politics that's currently taking up all the attention? Or alternatively, could it be The Great Arab Unraveling? That would be good news towards the Eurabian Empire!

In more remarkable news:

- Bones of Missing Greek-Cypriots Unearthed
Bones believed to belong to more than 30 Greek-Cypriots, who have gone missing since the Turkish invasion in 1974, were found in Kyrenia, northern Cyprus, said a member of the Committee on Missing Persons, further claiming that more bones, possibly belonging to Greek-Cypriots, may also come to light.

- Euro-Parliament demands semi-autonomous Islamic state in its heartland
The European Parliament yesterday overwhelmingly backed U.N.'s Martti Ahtisaari plan for a 'supervised' autonomy for Kosovo. The E.U.’s foreign policy chief Xavier Solana called the bloc’s planned development project in the province "the most important E.U. mission in history." (!)

A brief check on EuOberserver's site learns that the E.P. also have adopted a related report demanding that the disputed province of Kosovo be granted "supervised sovereignty." Said report was drawn up by Dutch Green MEP Joost Lagendijk. He expressed satisfaction over the fact that the E.P. chose to send an unambiguous signal to E.U. capitals, while saying it is the "first step" to a "united Europe" over the Kosovo issue.

Meanwhile Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that the U.N.'s plan will fail, if pursued.

Commentary: It may be noted that said Mr Lagendijk is a staunch federalist and supports the earliest possible membership of Turkey despite - or because of - its appalling human rights record. It goes without saying that all this has nothing to do with Mr Lagendijk's private life. He is married to a Turkish woman.
It is also not explained why we should be looking forward to a semi-autonomous Islamic state in the heart of Europe, in the Balkans no less. Those unfamiliar with the area could picture themselves a sort of Tora Bora, a former tribal no-go area like Pakistan's Waziristan, smaller but just as rugged, wild and with the same tendency towards anarchy and life in accordance with the prevailing code of honour.
It may also be noted that the U.N. does not have the authority to declare any country's independence. Reason why we see all the subterfuge and underhandedness.