White House Lifts Some Cuba Restrictions / Cuba's Castro Will Not Ask U.S. 'For Handout'

White House Lifts Some Cuba Restrictions / Cuba's Castro Will Not Ask U.S. 'For Handout'

(NSI News Source Info) HAVANA - April 15, 2009: Fidel Castro said in his regular column on the Cubadebate website that Cuba wanted an end to the U.S. embargo, imposed some fifty years ago on the country, and has no plans "to ask the U.S. for handouts." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (R) speaks alongside Dan Restrepo, director of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, on US President Barack Obama's decision to ease restrictions of travel and remittances to Cuba by Cuban-Americans during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2009. The former Cuban leader made the comments following an announcement by the U.S. administration lifting a ban on travel and money transfers for Cuban-Americans. In his article, the 82-year-old said he approved of Obama's willingness to hold dialogue and his desire to change the policies and the image of the United States. However, Castro expressed his displeasure that "the strictest measures in the blockade have not been mentioned at all." Castro also wrote that the Cuban leadership is ready for talks with the U.S., but only if they are held with "strict respect of the sovereignty" of both countries. He also stressed that Cuba was ready to endure any future embargo if necessary. "Cuba has withstood and will continue to withstand [U.S. embargoes]...and will continue to move forward with its head held high and will never hold out its hands to ask for charity," he said, adding "[Cuba] continues to cooperate with the friendly nations of Latin America and the Caribbean whether there is a summit of the Americas or not, whether Obama leads the U.S. or not, be it a man or woman, white or black, running the nation." The Summit of the Americas is scheduled April 17-19 in Trinidad and Tobago and will be Obama's first meeting with Latin American leaders with the exception of the Cuban leadership, which is the only country not invited. Many Latin American leaders have said they plan to raise the issue of the embargo during the summit. Florida's Republican Senator Mel Martinez, who is a Cuban American, has called the new policy "good news for Cuban families separated by a lack of freedom in Cuba." The Bush administration limited travel to Cuba to two weeks every three years for immediate family members, changing the visitation from once a year that then president Clinton enforced. Bush also imposed further restrictions on money transfers to immediate family to no more than $300 per quarter. Travel by Americans who do not have relatives in Cuba is still subject to a ban, but there are several exemptions, including for journalists, academics and people on humanitarian missions. About 1.5 million Americans have relatives in Cuba.

Europeans Ramp Up Regional Market Push

Europeans Ramp Up Regional Market Push

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON and PARIS - April 15, 2009: Most eyes will be on Brazil's F-X2 fighter competition as the Latin American Aerospace and Defense (LAAD) show opens in Rio de Janeiro this week. But the battle, which pits Boeing against rival offerings from Dassault Aviation and Saab, is just the tip of a major effort by Europe to secure defense market share in the region's powerhouse nation. The Brazilian F-X2 fighter competition pits the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet (pictured) against rival offerings from Dassault Aviation and Saab. ( Boeing)

Boeing offered Malaysia the Super Hornets as part of a buy-back package for its existing F/A-18 Hornets in 2002. However, the Super Hornet procurement was halted after the government decided to purchase the Sukhoi Su-30MKM instead in 2007. But RMAF Chief Gen. Datuk Nik Ismail Nik Mohamaed indicated that the RMAF had not planned to end procurement of the Super Hornets, instead saying that the air force needed such fighters. Boeing has delivered Super Hornet proposals to the Danish and Brazilian governments in 2008. The Super Hornet is one of three fighter aircraft in a Danish competition to replace 48 F-16s. In October 2008, it was reported the Super Hornet was selected as one of three finalists in Brazil's fighter competition. Brazil has put forward an initial requirement for 36 planes, with a potential total purchase of 120. Boeing submitted a proposal for India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition on 24 April 2008. The Super Hornet variant being offered to India is named F/A-18IN. It will include Raytheon's APG-79 AESA radar. In August 2008, Boeing submitted an industrial participation proposal to India describing partnerships with companies in India. Three of the top five defense suppliers to Brazil from 1998 to 2007 come from Europe, according to statistics from the British government's Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) export arm. Spain tops the list with $977 million, France comes third with $505 million, and the United Kingdom, fifth at $300 million. Keeping the Europeans from a clean sweep is Israel, in second place with $540 million, and the United States, in fourth at $425 million. Other European nations have had their successes, too. In the 1990s, Sweden sold its Erieye airborne command-and-control system to Brazil for integration on an Embraer jet. The Erieye/Embraer combination has also been sold to Mexico. Saab Gripen NG is one of three fighters short-listed for the F-X2 requirement, alongside the French Rafale and the U.S. F/A-18 in a $2.2 billion contest for an initial buy of 36 aircraft. Italy's position also is improving, even though South America remains, for the moment, a fringe market, amounting to 93 million euros ($123 million) of business in 2008, or 3 percent of its defense exports. Of that total, Brazil accounted for 43.4 million euros of business, mainly parts for the AMX fighter bomber that Italy and Brazil jointly built. Italy hopes to boost that export penetration during LAAD, when Iveco takes the wraps off a sixwheel-drive armored personnel carrier it is developing with the Brazilian Ministry of Defense. Chile also is being targeted by Finmeccanica unit Aermacchi as a possible customer for its M-346 jet trainer. The firm signed a memorandum of understanding with Chile's ENAER last year for cooperative marketing and possible production of the M-346 and the M-311 basic trainer. As Brazil boosts spending on major platforms such as fighter aircraft, helicopters, and conventionally and nuclear-powered submarines, Spain may lose its spot as its top supplier. To start funding those requirements, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier this year started pushing for a more than 50 percent increase in defense spending through to 2010. Business Monitor International reported in February that Brazil's defense minister, Nelson Jobim, is raising the equipment procurement budget from $3.6 billion last year to $5.6 billion this year. Despite the global economic meltdown, there are no signs Brazil has reined in defense spending, said Patrick de la Revelière, the vice president for Latin America and India at missile maker MBDA. Brazil wants to be a strong regional actor and seeks a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. "To be on the council, you need to have a strong defense industry," he said. "Brazil is really moving in developing a defense industry." Increases in the Brazilian budget come against a background of what the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in January was a 91 percent rise in annual spending in the Latin American and Caribbean defense sector between 2003 and 2008. By last year, spending reached $47.2 billion with Columbia and Venezuela among the major spenders. In absolute terms, that remains less than what the British spend annually on defense. But while the amounts are not huge, they have been sharply tracking upward as the region's aspirations to buy new and upgraded fighters, surveillance and patrol platforms, air tankers, warships, helicopters and counterinsurgency and anti-narcotics gear soars. U.K. Evinces New Interest Some European countries, like the French, have been active in Brazil for years and are now reaping the rewards. Others, like the British, are looking to reinvigorate a relationship that has only yielded one deal of note recently; the sale of two exRoyal Fleet Auxiliary logistics ships. "The LAAD exhibition is a watershed for us," said Geoff Gladding, the DSO regional marketing director for North and South America and Europe. "Brazil has not been a wasteland. We have done a fair amount of business down there selling Super Lynx helicopters and support ships, but we have not had as much success recently as we would have liked. "Favorable exchange rates for exporters and a good lineup of defense and security sector products have coincided with an increase in the Brazilian budgets to give us a chance to increase our footprint," he said.

Brazil Eyes Northrop International Patrol Frigate

Brazil Eyes Northrop International Patrol Frigate

(NSI News Source Info) RIO DE JANEIRO - April 15, 2009: Brazil's top naval officers were quickly drawn to the International Patrol Frigate display when they stopped by Northrop Grumman's booth at the Latin America Aerospace and Defense exhibition, which opened here April 14. The National Security Cutter (NSC) is the centerpiece of the U.S. Coast Guard fleet replacement program. With its 418-foot length and 4,300 ton full load displacement, this is the largest of the new multi-mission cutters. The program of record is eight ships of which the first ship, USCGC Bertholf (WMSL 750), has been commissioned and two additional ships, Waesche (WMSL 751) and Stratton (WMSL 752) are under construction. "It's an outstanding ship; a very interesting project," Rear Adm. Cagle Ilques said after visiting the display. Asked if the ship would have an application for the Brazilian navy, Ilques said, "of course." The proposed ship is based on the National Security Cutter now being built by Northrop for the U.S. Coast Guard. Despite its Coast Guard origins, the patrol frigate presents an interesting "mixture of a sonar, [extensive] range, a combat center and anti-submarine capability, all on less than 5,000 tons," Ilques said. Brazil's top naval officer, Adm. Alte Esq Vinicius, was also impressed. "We have a requirement for three frigates and five patrol ships," he said, "and we're looking for a ship already in production, not a prototype." The Brazilian Navy is gathering information from several proposals for its frigate and patrol ship program, Vinicius said. "Probably in June, we are sending a group of officers to the United States to visit the shipyard," he said. Northrop is hopeful the ship will become a serious contender for the Brazilians. "The International Patrol Frigate meets most, if not all, of the requirements the Brazilians laid out in their maritime strategy," said Rocco Tomanelli, Northrop's director of coastal warfare and international programs.

Royal Navy Submarine Support Secured

Royal Navy Submarine Support Secured

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON - April 15, 2009: A multi-million pound contract has been announced which will ensure the sustainability of future submarine support within the Royal Navy. The new contract will see £155m going towards in-service support to the entire Navy submarine flotilla and expand the current pool of expertise in the specialist area. HMS Talent (S92) is a Trafalgar class submarine of the Royal Navy. She is the sixth of seven Trafalgar class hunter killer submarines, built by Barrow-in-Furness, HMS Talent was launched by The Princess Royal in April 1988 and commissioned in May 1990. HMS Talent has just under took a Long Overhaul Period (Refuelling) at its base port in Plymouth and in March 2007 rejoined the active fleet, following a £386 million upgrade. She has been given a new reactor core and has been equipped with a new sonar suite the Sonar 2076. Sonar 2076 has the power equivalent to approximately 400 PCs and can precisely track the movement of small objects from hundreds of miles away.The Royal Navy describe SONAR 2076,as the most advanced Sonar in service with any Navy in the World. She has also been given the ability to fire Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile TLAM. She is affiliated with Shrewsbury in Shropshire. The contract secures submarine engineering support services based in Bristol, which include deciding what engineering work the submarines require when they undergo their scheduled maintenance, for the next 10 years. The MOD and industry parters will work together as a joint team with shared goals under the new contract. The team includes Babcock, BMT Defence Services and Systems Evaluation and Assessment (SEA), and will co-locate a section of their team, currently based in Keynsham, alongside their Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) colleagues in Abbey Wood, Bristol. The Head of In-Service Submarines at DE&S Alasdair Stirling said: "These engineering services are absolutely crucial to maintaining safety and upgrading our submarine flotilla effectively, on time and at value for money. "Over 11 successful years we have already built a strong working relationship with the industry team, and this new contract will further develop our collaboration. Instead of the traditional customer/supplier relationship, the joint team will take a pro-active approach to improving submarine support which makes way for innovation and cost reductions."The contract, worth £155million will determine the content of the work programmes for the upkeep of the existing Royal Navy submarine fleet.

Boeing Team Delivers Recommendations On Fires Center of Excellence Integration To US Army

Boeing Team Delivers Recommendations On Fires Center of Excellence Integration To US Army

(NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS - April 15, 2009: Boeing and teammate Creative Technologies Inc. (CTI) have given the U.S. Army the team's final report in support of the new Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Okla. The report contains a five-year training strategy, an organization structure, and a "road map" for supporting technology. The new center is a consolidation of the Army's Air Defense Artillery Center and School at Fort Bliss, Texas, with the Field Artillery Center and School at Fort Sill, following the 2005 Base Realignment and Closures Commission's recommendation to consolidate several Training and Doctrine Command installations. By consolidating two functionally related Branch Centers and schools at Fort Sill, the new Fires Center of Excellence will foster consistency, standardization, training proficiency, and task force stabilization for both branches in doctrine development and institutional training. It will bring Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery courses, firepower training and doctrine development to one location. "The Boeing and CTI team, which consisted of very experienced military and civilian training professionals, worked diligently to provide a thorough report, "said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president, Training Systems & Services. "These recommendations will help the Army improve ground forces training around the world." James Korris, president and CEO of Creative Technologies, added, "The study allowed us to deepen our knowledge of the customer while expanding our relationship with Boeing, our strategic partner in this market."

Russia Urges North Korea To Return To Six-Nation Nuclear Talks

Russia Urges North Korea To Return To Six-Nation Nuclear Talks

(NSI News Source Info) April 15, 2009: Russia's Foreign Ministry urged North Korea on Tuesday to comply with the ban on ballistic activities imposed by the UN Security Council, and to return to six-nation denuclearization talks. "We call on North Korea to fulfill UN Security Council Resolution 1718... and to return to the negotiating table in the interests of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula and ensuring security for all regional states," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The resolution, adopted in October 2006 after Pyongyang's nuclear test, demands "that the DPRK not conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile." Pyongyang earlier on Tuesday signaled its withdrawal from the six-nation talks on ending its nuclear program, saying: "there is no need for the international denuclearization talks any more." The announcement came after the UN Security Council issued a unanimous statement on Monday condemning North Korea's April 5 rocket launch, which many countries suspect was a test of a long-range missile. The Russian ministry said it welcomes the Security Council's decision to review the list of North Korean commodities and individuals subject to restrictions. The ministry statement highlighted the importance of further talks between the six nations - North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States - and called on the sides to fulfill their commitments. The 15-member Security Council convened for an emergency meeting late on Sunday at Japan's request, to discuss sanctions against Pyongyang over the rocket launch, but strong opposition from Russia and China prevented the adoption of even a preliminary statement of condemnation. North Korea claimed the rocket, which was launched over Japan, successfully delivered a communications satellite into orbit, but the U.S. and South Korean militaries said all three stages fell into the ocean and that "no object entered orbit." The U.S. and other countries had argued for sanctions against Pyongyang, saying that the launch violated Security Council Resolution 1718, but Russia and China called for restraint on the grounds that the resolution does not prohibit the launch of satellites.

Somali Pirates Are Going On Rampage Hijacking Couple Of Ships

Somali Pirates Are Going On Rampage Hijacking Couple Of Ships

*Makes No Sense - Somali Piracy Analysis: It sounds ridiculous that a few bunch of Somali gangs are creating havoc and terror for ocean vessels around Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, which is spreading like a wild fire similar to terrorism factor a menace to the world from Pakistan. U.N. Security Council should organize immediately without any further delay an International Navy Task Force (INTF) consisting of Navies from U.S. (Big Daddy), European Union, Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Iran, South Africa, Asean and few other reliable countries. For a change the command of INTF should be handed to a country like China with full co-operation of other members of the Task Force and go after the pirates on land and sea and I am sure with a strong hand and a strong command this menace of Somali pirates can be easily eliminated in a short period before it spreads. (DTN Defense-Technology News)

(NSI News Source Info) April 14, 2009: Somali pirates have hijacked a fourth vessel in 48 hours, seizing a Lebanese-owned cargo ship. The 5,000-tonne Togo-flagged MV Sea Horse was taken by gunmen in up to four skiffs, Nato officials said. Earlier, pirates hijacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier, the MV Irene, in the Gulf of Aden. On Monday, Somali raiders captured two Egyptian fishing boats. The Greek-managed bulk carrier Irene E.M. , hijacked by Somalia pirates in the Gulf of Aden during the early hours of Tuesday April 14, 2009, is seen in this undated file photo. The Irene E.M was sailing from the Middle East to South Asia, with a Filipiono crew. Analysts say the gangs are clearly not put off by recent US and French hostage rescues that left several bandits dead. Somali pirate leaders - who have generally treated captives well in the hope of winning big ransom payouts - vowed on Monday to avenge the deaths. Attacks rise Nato officials said another ship - the Liberian-flagged Safmarine Asia - escaped on Tuesday after coming under fire from pirates in several small boats. They attacked at night, which was very unusual, they were using the moonlight as it's still quite bright; Lt Cdr Alexandre Fernandes. After a lull earlier this year, the gangs have stepped up their attacks off Somalia's coast in recent weeks. The 22 Filipino crew of the MV Irene, which was sailing from the Middle East to South Asia, are believed to be unhurt. A Nato helicopter has reportedly been dispatched from a Canadian warship to investigate what is happening to the merchant vessel, flagged in Saint-Vincent and the Grenadines. Nato Lt Cdr Alexandre Fernandes told Reuters news agency: "There was only three minutes between the alarm and the hijack. "They attacked at night, which was very unusual. They were using the moonlight as it's still quite bright." Hours later, Nato officials on a Portuguese warship announced the MV Sea Horse had also been seized off Somalia. It is said to be the tenth hijacking in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean since the start of the month. Last Wednesday, a group of Somali pirates attempted to seize a US-flagged ship, the Maersk Alabama, but fled after taking its American captain hostage. But following a stand-off with a US warship, three of the raiders were killed by three single shots from US snipers on Sunday and the skipper was freed. US President Barack Obama promised on Monday to "halt the rise of piracy" in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Last Friday French forces killed two pirates and captured three more while freeing a yacht with five hostages, but the vessel's owner also died in the gunfight. Shipping companies last year handed over about $80m (£54m) in ransom payments to Somali pirates. The Horn of Africa nation has been without an effective government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness which has allowed the pirates to thrive. Efforts to stop the raiders have so far had only limited success, with international naval patrols struggling to cover the vast areas of ocean where the gangs operate.

Iran Offers Training For Afghan Police

Iran Offers Training For Afghan Police

(NSI News Source Info) April 14, 2009: Tehran has offered to help train police forces in Afghanistan as part of a promise to help the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

Asked Monday whether Iran would opt for military cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to help Afghanistan, Iranian police commander Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam responded that Tehran does not attach authority to the alliance.

Head of the Iranian anti-narcotics squad, Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, said that even the young Afghan government has been more influential in curbing drug cultivation than the NATO alliance.

"We only recognize the government of Afghanistan and we therefore pursue this issue only through the channel of government authorities," he said.

Iran -- which neighbors Afghanistan -- believes that over sevens years of US intervention in Afghanistan has not been negative for the establishment of calm in the country.

While Washington and Britain began the war to topple the Taliban regime and bring to justice the culprits of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil, the Taliban continue their violent attacks and the al-Qaeda is still at large.

The invasion of Afghanistan was also justified as part of the West's "war on drugs".

"The al-Qaeda network and the Taliban regime are funded in large part [by] the drugs trade," ex-British prime minister Tony Blair said in 2001 when confirming London's participation in the US attack on Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has nevertheless become the second biggest opium producer and now supplies the world with 90 percent of its illegal drugs, the UN drugs monitoring body said in a March report. The NATO failure to curb the drug production that bankrolls the insurgency has put Iran in center stage and has forced the country to intensify a war of its own.

Iran has dug huge trenches on its border to slow down the drug smugglers, who have killed more than 3,600 Iranian law enforcement officers in the past two decades. While being credited by the UN for the seizure of 80 per cent of the opium netted around the world in 2007, Iran has also taken action to impart its experiences in fighting drugs to Afghanistan.

"We have declared our readiness to train Afghan police," Ahmadi Moghaddam told the press on Monday. According to the police commander, NATO forces have only played a "symbolic role" in confronting drug cultivation.

"Wherever the Afghan government has sovereignty the cultivation of narcotics is either zero or minimal," Ahmadi Moghaddam explained.

The official said Iran in the Iranian year to March 20 had seized about a third of the 3,000 tons of drugs smuggled into the Islamic Republic from Afghanistan.

North Korea Threatens To Quit Talks, Produce Plutonium

North Korea Threatens To Quit Talks, Produce Plutonium

(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL - April 14, 2009: North Korea threatened today to withdraw from the stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, saying it would soon return to making arms-grade plutonium at its weapons facilities.

North Korea's State-run media criticize a U.N. Security Council call for continuing sanctions against the communist nation in response to its rocket launch this month.

A South Korean man stands next to illustrations of North Korean missiles at an observation post in Paju near the border village of Panmunjom, South Korea, Tuesday, April 14, 2009. North Korea vowed Tuesday to bolster its atomic deterrent and boycott six-party talks aimed at its denuclearization in protest of a U.N. Security Council statement condemning the country's recent rocket launch.

The announcement came in response to international outrage following an April 5 rocket launch that many observers said was a ruse to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile. North Korea has insisted that it launched a communications satellite into space, though neighboring countries say no object reached orbit. The state-run media released a statement criticizing the United Nations Security Council's Monday rebuke of the launch that called for continuing sanctions against the isolationist nation. "The DPRK resolutely rejects the unjust action taken by the [United Nations] wantonly infringing upon the sovereignty of the DPRK and seriously hurting the dignity of the Korean people," said the announcement by the government-controlled Korean Central News Agency, using the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Quoting a statement from the Foreign Ministry, the news agency said North Korea "will never participate in the talks any longer nor it will be bound to any agreement of the six-party talks."

South Korean officials said today that they would not overact to the North's proclamation.

North Korea's response is stronger than expected, considering such strong words as 'never' were used," a South Korean Foreign Ministry official told Yonhap news service. "The government will deal with North Korea's threats in a calm manner." Northeast Asia security analysts reacted with dismay to the development, which comes after months of international pressure failed to dissuade Pyongyang from the launch. "Isn't this what the United States expected?" asked Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean studies expert at Dongguk University in Seoul, saying the U.S. had called for sanctions against Pyongyang."North Korea had said that six-party talks would break up when the issue of the rocket launch is brought up on the table in the United Nations."U.S. Embassy officials in Seoul declined to comment today.

Egypt Accuses Hezbollah Of Plotting Attacks And Arms Smuggling to Gaza

Egypt Accuses Hezbollah Of Plotting Attacks And Arms Smuggling to Gaza

(NSI News Source Info) CAIRO - April 14, 2009: Egypt released new details on Monday of what it said was a Hezbollah plot to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip, to attack Israeli tourist sites in the Sinai Peninsula and to fire on ships in the Suez Canal.

Officials said the police were hunting for 10 Lebanese suspects believed to be hiding in the mountainous terrain of central Sinai. The case gained wide attention after Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, acknowledged on Friday that he had sent an agent to Egypt to organize assistance for the Palestinians in their fight with Israel, and it quickly took on broader regional implications. Hezbollah is a military, political and social organization in Lebanon with strong ties to Iran, a bloc in Lebanon’s Parliament and ministers in the cabinet.

Lebanese Hezbollah supporters, listen to Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah's speech via a video link from a secret location through a giant screen, during a speech marking Prophet Muhammad's birthday, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday March 13, 2009. The case has complicated faltering efforts to reconcile differences among Arab states over how to deal with Iran’s rising regional influence and the Palestinian problem. It also highlighted the growing anxiety among some Arab leaders, especially Washington’s traditional allies in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, over Western outreach to Iran and Hezbollah. “I think the Egyptian leadership wants to remind the public and its other partners that there is something serious going on here,” said Gamal Abdel Gawad, head of the international relations section of the government-financed Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. “It wasn’t just a war of words. There was an attempt to destabilize Egypt.” When Egypt announced late last week that it had uncovered the Hezbollah cell, the news was greeted skeptically in the region. Months ago Hezbollah’s chief effectively urged Egyptians to rise up against the government for not doing more to help Hamas as it battled Israel in Gaza. So the Egyptian announcement was widely perceived as payback. “These accusations seem to be fabricated from beginning to end,” read an editorial on Thursday in Al Quds al Arabi, an Arabic-language, Palestinian-owned newspaper. A day later, Mr. Nasrallah confirmed that Egyptian authorities had arrested a Hezbollah member, a man he called Sami Shihab. He denied that there had been any plans for attacks on Egyptian soil, but that did little to undermine Egypt’s main charges. The Egyptian press went on the attack, labeling Mr. Nasrallah a “war criminal” and a “monkey” and calling for his arrest and prosecution. Mr. Nasrallah accused Egyptian authorities of being agents of Israel and the United States. “If aiding the Palestinians is a crime, then I am guilty and proud of it,” he said. Egypt’s very public and caustic response to the case appeared similar to the reaction some Arab states had to statements in February by an influential former Iranian speaker of Parliament that Bahrain was historically part of Iran. Arab leaders jumped on the remark as evidence of Iran’s intentions in the region, and Iran apologized for it. Iranian officials sharply attacked Egypt during the Gaza fighting for its refusal to open its borders with the beleaguered territory. Iran is a major supporter of Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. With this case, Egypt offered a portrait of a conspiracy that it said should give pause to all Arab states, including Syria, which is aligned with Iran and also supports Hezbollah. Officials said Hezbollah had set up an office in Egypt as part of a unit called “the belt,” meaning it sought to coordinate activities in Arab states bordering Israel. It is not clear when Egypt began making the arrests or how many arrests were made. Officials said only that 49 people had been “accused of participating.” Some local news reports said that the first suspects were arrested in November, but that the interrogations did not begin until Saturday. On Monday officials said that six had been charged with spying and weapons possession. Montasser al-Zayyat, a lawyer who said he represented some of the accused, said 46 men had been arrested. A Palestinian man sleeps near the smuggling tunnels area on the border between Egypt and Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian government will ask the international community to give $2.8 billion to rebuild Gaza after Israel's devastating military offensive there, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said warning that the money wouldn't do any good unless Gaza's borders reopened. On Sunday, an Egyptian cabinet minister of state, Mofeed Shehab, said the Hezbollah agent whom Mr. Nasrallah had called Sami Shihab was actually Muhammad Youssef Mansour. He said Mr. Mansour had traveled to Egypt on two fake passports and had been organizing plans to recruit members, indoctrinate them and send them to Lebanon to train for “hostile operations” inside Egypt. He said Hezbollah agents had been asked to conduct surveillance of police and military offices and checkpoints, schools and tourist sites, and to e-mail the information to Lebanon. He said they were also supposed to rent a place near the Suez Canal to monitor ship traffic “in preparing for targeting them.” There were many other details, including charges that they had been storing “explosive belts” and had planned to buy a ship to ferry weapons into Egypt, for eventual shipment to Gaza, and to smuggle weapons there through tunnels. Mr. Mansour, the man charged with spying on behalf of Hezbollah, acknowledged that he was working in Egypt, but insisted that he had been ordered not to carry out attacks there. A transcript of a portion of his interrogation, confirmed by his lawyer, was printed Monday in an independent daily newspaper, Al Masry al Youm. “Hezbollah’s leadership issued strict orders to not target Israelis on Egyptian soil,” Mr. Mansour was quoted as saying. But even a Hezbollah official saw this conflict as part of a broader struggle with the Egyptian leadership for regional support. “The Egyptians are trying to create a problem, to change the opinion of the Arabs who are now with the Lebanese resistance,” said Nawar al-Sahili, a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese Parliament. “We don’t want to have a problem with any Arab country. The Egyptian authorities are not giving the real facts.”