Iranian judiciary: Release of US hikers not imminent [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
The Iranian judicial authority said it is still studying the details pertaining to the release of the two Americans previously sentenced to imprisonment on charges of espionage. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad announced yesterday that the two American prisoners would be released within days, shortly before his visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

Reporter, Male #1
The last appearance of two American prisoners was this past May, when Iranian authorities allowed the mothers of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal to briefly visit them. The two detainees denied they had any knowledge of what is being done by the US government regarding their release. The bail will be arranged diplomatically through the Swiss embassy, which represents the US interests in Iran, with mediation efforts by Pakistan, which represents Iranian interests in the US. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has been in Iran since Sunday, uncertain whether or not he would have a role in the decision to post bail or its value.

Guest, Male #2 (Masoud Sharafi, lawyer)
Perhaps the Iranian court chose the timing of the two Americans' release to coincide with Ahmedinejad's visit to New York for the UN conference later this month.

Reporter, Male #1
It is true that Ahmedinejad does not have authority in the judiciary, which is mandated by the Supreme Leader. But the Supreme Leader also wants to affirm his capability of taking control of a political decision. Essam Abdullah, BBC.

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Iraqi bomb attacks kills 15, injures dozens [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
At least 15 people were killed in two separate blasts in Iraq. In the first, a bomb was detonated inside a military bus at the Habbaniyah Air Base, located 85 kilometers west of the capital Baghdad, killing two policemen and wounding a third. In the second, a booby-trapped car exploded near a restaurant in Babil Province south of Baghdad, killing 13 people. Provincial authorities said that members of security forces were inside the restaurant when the bombing occurred.

Reporter, Male #3
The sound of explosions echoed in more than one area of Iraq. Killing is still taking place in more than one form, and its victims are innocent Iraqis, including women and children. This is what's left of a restaurant in the Shumali area near Hilla city, south of Baghdad. More than 13 people, including two women were killed. At least 42 people were wounded, including seven women and four children.

Guest, Male #4
A booby-trapped vehicle carrying terrorists exploded, killing and wounding dozens of innocent people. Takfiris carried out these terrorist acts against the Iraqi people.

Reporter, Male #3
The attack took place while a number of security members were inside the restaurant, killing three of them and wounded five others. Another armed attack at dawn targeted a police checkpoint in al-Qahira neighborhood north of the Iraqi capital. Two police officers were killed and a third was wounded. Violence also reached the Habbaniyah Air Base located, approximately 80 kilometers from Baghdad. The method used there was an explosive device placed on a bus carrying soldiers. According to the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman, the device exploded when the bus was passing by the main entrance of the air base to transport soldiers to their headquarters. Two soldiers were immediately killed; ten others were injured. The number of casualties is still only preliminary due to the varying severity of the victims' injuries. Anwar al-Ansi, BBC.

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Turkey threatens to launch ground raid in northern Iraq [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Turkish Interior Minister Naim Sahin warned that his country may launch a ground military operation in northern Iraq to attack strongholds of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members.

Presenter, Female #1
Sahin said that a cross-border ground military attack may be launched at any moment. He believes that the matter will rely on the result of the ongoing talks in Iraq.

Reporter, Male #2
As Turkey deals with the Kurds in northern Iraq, Turkey is negotiating while taking up arms and threatening to use more force to secure its southeastern border.

Guest, Male #3 (Turkish Interior Minister Naim Sahin)
Considering that the air force is executing a cross-border operation, a ground operation may begin at any moment depending on the result of the negotiations with our neighbors.

Reporter, Male #2
The representative of the Turkish foreign ministry began talks in Iraq with leaders of the Kurdistan regional government in Abril, and with the Iraqi president and prime minister in Baghdad. The goal is to push Iraq to cooperate with Turkey in fighting PKK members entrenched in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq. This comes at a time when Iraq's northern regions bordering Turkey and Iran, mostly inhabited by Kurds, are witnessing significantly heated conflicts. In the past several days, seven members of the security forces were killed in southeastern Turkey in clashes with PKK members who have escalated their attacks in recent weeks. Turkey responded to this escalation with air strikes and artillery shelling on what it referred to as PKK strongholds in northern Iraq. Turkey said that in the past month it has killed around 160 PKK militants. Iran is also in the picture and recently indicated that its forces killed or wounded 30 Kurdish separatists in the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) during clashes in regions bordering Iraq. Leaders of the PKK, which is banned in Turkey, expressed their belief that Iran and Turkey collaborated in the attacks. They indicated that they would respond with similar coordination with PJAK and threatened to take their operations inside Turkey if its military operations continue on PKK sites in Turkey and northern Iraq. In this context, Turkey is threatening to begin a ground operation in northern Iraq. Speculations rose after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with military commanders shortly before he headed to Egypt. In recent years, Turkey has tried to contain the Kurdish issue in its southeastern regions with a strategy that relies on granting Kurds more cultural and political freedom without giving up the use of force to confront PKK militants. About three years ago, Turkey carried out the last ground operation against PKK strongholds in northern Iraq. Considering the region's environment, which is dominated by tension due to Turkey's relations with Syria and Israel, it does not seem as though the Iraqis are the only relevant party in Turkey's threat of a new military operation in northern Iraq.

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Yemeni opposition rejects Saleh's 'political maneuvers' [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Female #1
Al-Qaeda in Yemen warned a few hours ago of carrying out vengeance against Yemeni forces in response to military raids launched by the army in the southern province of Abyan. The network accused Yemeni forces of murdering seven civilians in raids on various territories in the province. A Yemeni government official confirmed the deaths of at least eight extremists and two soldiers during clashes in Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan Province, which the army was able to liberate from al-Qaeda. Nine people have been killed north of the Yemeni capital Sanaa in battles raging between armed tribesmen and Republican Guard units loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Meanwhile, Yemeni youths continued to escalate their protests across Change Squares aimed at achieving "revolutionary resolve," most notably the downfall of the regime. The opposition rejected Saleh's bid to authorize his deputy to sign the Gulf initiative. In addition, the Joint Meeting Parties described Saleh's bid as "a political maneuver" in order to cling to power. Abed Rahman al-Shumari reports from Sanaa.

Reporter, Male #1
"A political game, procrastination, and clinging to power." This is how the Yemeni opposition described the president's decision to authorize his deputy to sign the Gulf initiative. The opposition slammed the move as "an attempt by Saleh to buy more time" in order to manipulate and avoid signing the Gulf initiative, which calls for a peaceful transfer of power by the president to his deputy.

Guest, Male #2 (Nayef al-Qanes, Yemeni Opposition Leader)
They continue to procrastinate over the Gulf initiative. If our brothers at the Gulf Cooperation Council are serious about helping Yemen change the status quo, they should mount pressure on those trying to derail it.

Reporter, Male #1
While some Yemeni politicians believe that Saleh's options have become limited, the commander of the First Armor Division, General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, said that the regime will not succeed in dragging Yemeni forces loyal to the revolution into a civil war, adding that the revolution will remain peaceful until the end. Between politicians and the military stand the "youths of change," who are vowing to remain united regardless of any political maneuver launched by either side. The youths said that escalating the peaceful protests is the only way to achieve "revolutionary resolve."

Guest, Male #3
The youths in the squares are calling for an escalation to achieve revolutionary resolve. No matter how long it takes, the revolutionaries will have the final word.

Guest, Male #4
The president's authorization to his deputy will not lead to any results. Results can only be achieved by acts of revolutionary resolve, God willing.

Guest, Male #5
As youths, we reject to hold talks with any group that helped spill our blood.

Reporter, Male #1
While analysts believe that the president's recent decision won't help in resolving the crisis, the country seems to be headed for further escalation, as demanded by the youths in protest squares. Abed Rahman al-Shumari, Dubai TV, Sanaa.

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Bahraini activists planning silent protest for dignity [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female # 1
Bahraini forces, backed by the Saudi occupation, flew helicopters at a low altitude above protests, homes and residential areas. Activists reported the helicopter tactic was used to take photos of demonstrators. Those hovering above receive signals from ground security forces emitting laser beams on the protestors and the homes they want to photograph. This conduct constitutes a noticeable escalation with human rights activists saying it has further inflamed the people's frustration with the systematic crackdown they are enduring. Meanwhile, the Bahraini Coalition for a Republic called on citizens to participate in the protests of all societies and political movements as two actions are being planning: the first called "encircling dignity" and the second, "the return to the square." In another development, al-Wefaq Society saluted the Jordanian people for refusing to send Jordanian forces to oppress the Bahraini people and described the move as admirable.

Reporter, Male # 2
The people's will cannot be encircled. A security crackdown cannot discourage the people and foreign support cannot avert the people's ambitions. It is the people, then, who decide the destiny of states, and no one else. Day after day, the protest movement in Bahrain escalates as security forces escalate the crackdown. Nonetheless, the movement is not slipping into the quagmire of violence or infighting. The Bahraini people continue to look for ways to express their demands, and the latest is known in popular circles as "encircling dignity." The action calls on citizens to drive to the heart of the commercial center in al-Marfaa St., al-Maared, and the diplomatic neighborhood, in a silent convoy to avoid an assault by security forces. The plan is to drive slowly to paralyze the commercial center. As part of the popular mobilization, a number of political societies called for "the return to martyrs' square," formerly known as Pearl Roundabout, on September 23 and 24. Politically, al-Wefaq Society saluted the Jordanian people for refusing to send any Jordanian forces to participate in the crackdown on the Bahraini people. It praised their national sprit and the Jordanian people's Arab and Muslim sense of honor for protesting to defend a brotherly people. It described the movement as admirable. Al-Wefaq hoped that no army or mercenaries would participate in the oppression of any Arab people and called for changing the structure of the Bahraini security institution to transform into a purely national institution. It condemned the participation of soldiers from Arab and Asian countries in the crackdown on the Bahraini people, in addition to that of the Saudi occupation forces. The Bahraini people are encircling all those attempting to besiege them, ranging from imported security to a brother's occupation. They take to the street peacefully and civilly against all those trying to hinder their mobilization. The military machine and the complicity of the political and media institutions cannot impair their determination. It is this determination and their just cause that makes this movement destined for victory.

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Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood criticizes Erdogan's call for secular state [Press TV, Iran]

The Muslim Brotherhood has criticized the Turkish prime minister for intervening in Egypt's political affairs. Egypt's largest political party denounces Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call for a secular state in the country. Erdogan is on a tour of Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia to bolster his country's regional influence amid popular uprisings in the region. In Egypt, he met with top officials, including Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi. The Brotherhood has been playing a significant role since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February.

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US State Department: NATO to continue Libya mission [Press TV, Iran]

Also in the news, NATO will continue its mission in Libya. That's according to a top US official who is in Tripoli for talks with the National Transitional Council. Many civilians have lost their lives in NATO's bombing campaign on Libya. Jeffrey Feltman has admitted that the US worked with the regime of fugitive Muammar Gaddafi on its so-called war on terror. The commander of the revolutionary forces in Tripoli is one of the victims of the US and Britain's intelligence services collaboration with Gaddafi's regime.

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Russia warns 'terrorist organizations' may rise in Syria if government falls [Press TV, Iran]

Russia has warned about the rise of what it calls terrorist organizations in Syria if the government collapses. A top Russian official has said radical and terrorist groups are very likely to be established in the country if Damascus fails to contain the unrest. Moscow has repeatedly supported political dialogue rather than military intervention to end the violence. Meanwhile, Syria's permanent envoy to the Arab League said that some Arab countries' negative stance hinder the settlement of the crisis in Syria.

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Israel warns of 'grave consequences' of Palestinians UN bid [IBA, Israel]

US and international envoys are holding a slew of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a last-ditch effort to contain the fallout of the Palestinian plan to seek UN endorsement next week. The final full court press is underway to persuade the Palestinians to change course ahead of the next week's UN meeting on the creation of a state of Palestine. A series of high-level diplomatic delegations are sweeping through Jerusalem and Ramallah this week. European Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton met today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Before the meeting, Lieberman warned that there will be harsh and grave consequences if the Palestinians persist with their plans to seek UN recognition.

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Expert discusses developments in Arab region [IBA, Israel]

Joining me now in the studio to discuss the developments in the region is Dr. Gershon Baskin, founder and co-director of the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information. We have Erdogan in Cairo, what are your impressions of the Turkish Prime Minister's trip to Egypt. Are we seeing Turkey and Egypt becoming more radicalized? Baskin: No, I don't think it's a question of becoming more radicalized. We are seeing an alliance develop between Egypt and Turkey now. I think there is a conception in Israel about what is going on in Turkey. Turkey is not a radical Islamic state, nor is Erdogan and the AKP Party radical Islamic parties. They are Turkish nationalist parties with an Islamic slant, but they are not radical Islamists.

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Lebanon hosts second cluster munitions convention [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
Lebanon is hosting a field trip to the south of the country for participants of the States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The Lebanese army performed a drill for transporting the wounded.

Reporter, Male #1
The south unfortunately has been the main target for the four million cluster bombs launched by Israel on Lebanon, most of which were fired during the July 2006 war. The representatives of one hundred governments, in addition to UN institutions, international groups, and civil societies headed to the city of Nabatieh. The event was organized by the Lebanese army's Mine Action Center in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme. It was held on the sidelines of the second meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which is being hosted by Lebanon. This activist from a Norwegian association against mines explained the importance of clearing the soil of these bombs.

Guest, Male #2
Southern Lebanon is famous for its lemons and citrus fruit, yet the fragments of cluster bombs are found in trees and on farm lands. We came up with the idea to remove cluster munitions and replace them with citrus fruit and agriculture that will benefit the country's residents.

Reporter, Male #1
In turn, this survivor learned to weave straw baskets in order to secure a decent life.

Guest, Male #3
I will overcome this crisis with my work in the "home of the injured." We have a number of workshops in the "home of the injured," and I work in the straw workshop. We make trays, baskets, platters, and everything related to straw.

Reporter, Male #1
After the president of the Mine Action Center, Brigadier-General Mohamed Fahmi, spoke of the center's endeavor to reduce the dangers of cluster bombs, we moved to one of the makeshift fields. There, Lebanese army officers explained how to transport the injured from a land polluted by cluster bombs and demonstrated a successful operation carried out by members of the army. Steve Goose, an advocate of the Convention's law, commented on Israel and the US' refusal to sign the treaty.

Guest, Male #4 (Steve Goose, Chairman of the Cluster Munition Coalition)
We think that the new international standard will influence the countries' behaviors in terms of using cluster bombs, even countries such as the US and Israel, which did not sign the treaty. They will not take the risk of using this weapon in the future to avoid international condemnation.

Reporter, Male #1
The meeting for States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions will continue until September 16. In the science of dismantling landmines, there's a basic principle: the first mistake is also the last. Therefore, there is no room for any mistakes here. Today, through this program, the army proved its high capability to heal the wounds of Lebanon, the longtime victim of Israeli cluster bombs.