Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: September 28, 2011

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NATO’s Libya War: Almost 25,000 Sorties, Over 9,000 Strike Sorties

Venezuela Condemns U.S., NATO, UN Over Libya War

NATO To Remain In “Fluid” Libya Indefinitely

NATO Decision: Polish President Signs Martial Law Bill Into Law

Syria May Fall Victim To New Cycle Of Colonial Wars: Venezuela

Russia, China Oppose NATO States’ New Draft Resolution On Syria

France Threatens Military Action Against Iran

NATO Troops Attack Kosovo Serbs

Destabilizing Balkans: Russia Upset With NATO Over Kosovo

Russia Urges NATO To Abide By UN Resolution On Kosovo

NATO Troops Fire On Serbs, Seven Wounded

Serbia Breaks Off EU Talks With Kosovo To Protest Violence

53 U.S. Drone Strikes Kill 467 In Pakistan This Year

Attacking Nuclear Pakistan Won’t Be A Cakewalk

NATO Oil Tankers Torched In Balochistan

Pakistani Bar Association: Cut NATO Supply Lines

U.S. “Reviewing Aid” To Pakistan

Afghan War: NATO Loses Over 450 Soldiers This Year

New Zealand Special Forces Soldier Killed In Afghan Firefight

Afghanistan: Most Of $70 Billion In Foreign Aid Spent On Security

Top NATO Commander In Turkey For Missile Talks

Turkish Opposition Parties Oppose NATO Missile Radar Base

Baltic Sea: NATO Warships Bring “Regional Security In Pescadia”

Death Knell For CIS: Eastern Partnership Conference In Warsaw

U.S.’s Bryza Continues 17-Year Trans-Caspian Pipeline Advocacy

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NATO’s Libya War: Almost 25,000 Sorties, Over 9,000 Strike Sorties

http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_09/20110928_110928-oup-update.pdf

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
September 28, 2011

NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ

…

Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:

Air Operations

Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 24,140 sorties, including 9,010 strike sorties, have been conducted.

Sorties conducted 27 SEPTEMBER: 100

Strike sorties conducted 27 SEPTEMBER: 35

…

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Venezuela Condemns U.S., NATO, UN Over Libya War

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-09/28/content_13808818.htm

Xinhua News Agency
September 28, 2011

Venezuela slams US, NATO’s involvement in Libya

-”It’s worth wondering: what has the no-fly zone established by the Security Council resolution become?” said Moros. “How could NATO perform more than 20,000 missions against the Libyan people if there was a no-fly zone? After the Libyan Air Force was completely annihilated, the continued ‘humanitarian’ bombing shows that the west, through NATO, intends to impose their interests in North Africa, turning Libya into a colonial protectorate.”

UNITED NATIONS: Nicolas Maduro Moros, foreign minister of Venezuela on Tuesday lashed out at the involvement of the US, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the UN in recent events in Libya.

Moros’statement came as he was addressing the general debate of the UN General Assembly at its 66th session to transmit a message from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias.

“Right now there is a very serious threat to global peace: a new cycle of colonial wars, which started in Libya, with the sinister goal of refreshing the capitalist global system, within a structural crisis today, but without any limit to its consumer and destructive voracity,” Moros said.

…

“It is necessary to remember and to recur to our immediate memory: Venezuela, alongside the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas (ALBA), was actively advocating for a peaceful and negotiated solution to the Libyan conflict,” said Moros.

The Venezuelan foreign minister said that peaceful resolution of the Libyan situation was derailed by the US and NATO and claimed that reports of attacks on the Libyan people by the Libyan Air Force were unfounded in truth.

“However, after all, the logic of war decreed by the UN Security Council and put into practice by NATO, the armed wing of the Yankee Empire, was imposed,” he said. “The logic of war having its spearhead in transnational mass media: let us bear in mind that the ‘Libyan Case’ was brought before the Security Council on the basis of intense propaganda by the western mass media, who lied about the alleged bombing of innocent civilians by the Libyan Air Force, not to mention the grotesque media setting of the Green Square of Tripoli.”

He said that a “premeditated bunch of lies” were used to justify “military regime change policy” by NATO.

“It’s worth wondering: what has the no-fly zone established by the Security Council resolution become?” said Moros. “How could NATO perform more than 20,000 missions against the Libyan people if there was a no-fly zone? After the Libyan Air Force was completely annihilated, the continued ‘humanitarian’ bombing shows that the west, through NATO, intends to impose their interests in North Africa, turning Libya into a colonial protectorate.”

Moros said that Venezuela questions the legitimacy of the arms embargo placed on Libya through Security Council resolution 1970 and strengthened by resolution 1973.

“How can we say that an arms embargo was imposed on Libya, when it was NATO itself that introduced thousands of heavy weapons to support a violent upheaval against that country’s legitimate government?” Moros said. “The embargo was, of course, meant to prevent the Libyan government from defending its sovereignty. This shows, once again, the cruel logic of international relations, where the law only applies to the weak.”

Moros called for an immediate end to the NATO bombings in Libya.

The UN, according to Moros, must reform in order to serve its purpose.
He called the current state of the international organization a “crisis,” a point he said Venezuela has made previously.

“Since then and until now, nothing has been done: the political will of the most powerful ones has prevailed,” said Moros. “Sure, the UN, as for its current functioning, docilely pledges to their interests. For us it is obvious that the UN is not improving and will not improve from the inside.”

“If its secretary-general, along with the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), take part in an act of war, as in the case of Libya, nothing can be expected from the current structure of this organization and there is no longer time for reforms: the UN does not accept any reform whatsoever, the illness within it is deadly,” he added.

Moros criticized the Security Council, saying that a first step to re-founding the UN as a whole would be to eliminate the permanent member category and veto power from the peace and security body. He said that the General Assembly’s power must be democratically maximized and that a comprehensive review of the UN charter, with the aim of redrafting a new one, should be imposed.

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NATO To Remain In “Fluid” Libya Indefinitely

http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=65463

U.S. Department of Defense
American Forces Press Service
September 27, 2011

Libya Operations Remain Fluid, NATO Official Says
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

WASHINGTON: NATO’s decision to extend the alliance’s mission in Libya shows its work there is not yet done, a NATO spokeswoman said today.

NATO’s North Atlantic Council extended Operation Unified Protector by 90 days during a meeting in New York last week that coincided with a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.

“In New York, the message was clear: a new day is dawning for Libya, and the international community is rallying around the new Libya,” Oana Lungescu told reporters during a briefing at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.

Lungescu reiterated NATO’s commitment…

“The situation remains fluid. And while threats persist, NATO will continue…”

Col. Roland Lavoie of the Canadian air force, military spokesman for Operation Unified Protector, discussed operations against remaining forces in the country loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.

“Recent developments in Surt and Bani Walid have been our main area of attention over the last few days,” he said…

Lavoie stressed that NATO will continue to monitor ground conditions…

“Operation Unified Protector is not over yet,” he said…

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NATO Decision: Polish President Signs Martial Law Bill Into Law

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/27/c_131163568.htm

Xinhua News Agency
September 27, 2011

Polish president signs bill on state of emergency into law

WARSAW: Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski Tuesday signed into law a bill on the introduction of martial law, states of emergency and disaster in case of cyber threats, local media reported.

Under the new law, the president, at the motion of the government, can introduce one of the three exceptional states in case of hostile actions in cyberspace.

“This is a law which has been awaited by the Polish security system and NATO; it actually is the implementation of a NATO decision from its Lisbon summit,” said Komorowski after signing the law.

The Presidential National Security Bureau (BBN) head Stanislaw Koziej told local media that national security system should include hackers’ attacks and intentional or unintentional IT systems failure.

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Syria May Fall Victim To New Cycle Of Colonial Wars: Venezuela

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39844&Cr=syria&Cr1=

UN News Centre
September 28, 2011

Syria may fall victim to ‘new cycle of colonial wars’ – UN debate hears

-“Were it not for some permanent members showing a firm stance, everything would be defined within the Security Council to authorize shooting missiles and sending bombardiers against Syria.”

Syria runs the risk of falling victim to the same “new cycle of colonial wars” that was imposed on Libya, Venezuela told the General Assembly’s annual general debate today.

In a message delivered by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro Moros, President Hugo Chávez Frías said that the real reason for military intervention in Libya this year was to take over its wealth, and that the same imperialist tactics are being exercised in Syria.

“It is intolerable that the powers of the world intend to claim for themselves the right to direct the lawful rulers to resign immediately. This was the case in Libya and they want to proceed in the same way in Syria,” he said.

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Mr. Chávez called for the immediate cessation of the bombing operation in Libya, and spoke strongly against any form of intervention in Syria.

“The ‘Libyan Case’ was brought before the Security Council on the basis of an intense propaganda by the Western mass media, who lied about the alleged bombing of innocent civilians by the Libyan air force, not to mention the grotesque media setting of the Green Square of Tripoli,” he said.

“After the Libyan air force was completely annihilated, the continued ‘humanitarian’ bombing shows that the West, through North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), intends to impose their interests in North Africa, turning Libya into a colonial protectorate,” he added.

Mr. Chávez stressed that the same should not happen in Syria, and that military intervention should not be an option for the country.

“Only the Syrian people can solve their problems and decide their fate in the light of the right to self-determination of the peoples, an inalienable right in all respects,” he said.

“Were it not for some permanent members showing a firm stance, everything would be defined within the Security Council to authorize shooting missiles and sending bombardiers against Syria,” he added.

…

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Russia, China Oppose NATO States’ New Draft Resolution On Syria

http://en.rian.ru/world/20110928/167223881.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
September 28, 2011

Russia against new draft resolution on Syria – source

United Nations: Russia is against a new draft resolution on Syria put forward by Britain, France, Germany and Portugal and backed by the United States, a diplomatic source told RIA Novosti.

“Articles on sanctions included in the new draft cannot satisfy Russia,” he said.

The scaled-down UN draft resolution sent to UN Security Council members threatens the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with sanctions only if violence against protesters does not end.

The 15-nation Security Council “expresses its determination, in the event that Syria has not complied with this resolution, to adopt targeted measures, including sanctions,” the document reads. An earlier draft resolution called for sanctions against Assad, his family and his aides.

The new draft resolution was put forward after Russia and China threatened to veto any sanctions against the Syrian authorities.

Representatives of the UN Security Council member countries are expected to discuss the document later in the day, another source said.

Last week, the European Union stiffened its sanctions against Syria to include a ban on investment in the country’s oil industry as well as asset freezes and travel bans for a number of senior Syrian officials. Sanctions have also been imposed on a Syrian TV network and a telecom firm over their suspected links to the government.

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France Threatens Military Action Against Iran

http://rt.com/news/military-strike-iran-france-567/

RT
September 28, 2011

France threatens military action against Iran

The French envoy to the UN has warned Iran that it risks a military strike if it continues pursuing its nuclear program.

“If we don’t succeed today to reach a negotiation with the Iranians, there is a strong risk of military action,” Ambassador Gerard Araud said on Tuesday during a panel discussion at the UN’s New York headquarters,  AFP reported.

The strike, he said, “would be a very complicated operation. It would have disastrous consequences in the region…all the Arab countries are extremely worried about what is happening.”

Last Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Iran to “freeze the production of centrifuges,” saying that such a step would prevent fresh sanctions against it.

“In response we will abstain from imposing more sanctions, both at the UN Security Council and unilaterally,” the diplomat said in a CNN interview.

On Tuesday, Mr. Lavrov stressed the need to find a diplomatic solution to the issue.

“We don’t see any alternative to a political and diplomatic solution and taking concrete steps towards renewing of talks,” he said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Earlier this month, the UN nuclear watchdog published a report on developments after Teheran allowed an inspector to enter some of its nuclear facilities which had previously been closed. Moscow believes that Iran’s latest moves show positive changes in its attitude to the UN’s control of its nuclear program, which the international community should encourage.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi called on the European Union to resume nuclear talks with Tehran.

“There have been new developments with regard to Iran’s nuclear issue and also other issues,” Salehi said in a meeting with EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Earlier this month, former US Vice President Dick Cheney said he believed Israel would attack Iran to prevent it from achieving nuclear weapons capacity.

Cheney told Newsmax TV that “Iran represents an existential threat and [the Israelis] will do whatever they have to do to guarantee their survival and their security.”

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NATO Troops Attack Kosovo Serbs

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/28/56888906.html

Voice of Russia/Itar-Tass
September 28, 2011

KFOR attacks Kosovo Serbs

Representatives of the Serbian community in Macedonia are indignant at the groundless attack of the KFOR international security force in Kosovo against Kosovo Serbs, Ivan Stoilkovic, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia, declared to the ITAR-TASS news agency on Wednesday.

“According to its status, KFOR is to remain neutral and protect citizens rather than get into conflicts with them,” he pointed out. “There can be no excuse for the outrageous behaviour of KFOR servicemen who tried to cold-bloodedly kill people only for being Serbian.”

The clash occurred at the security check-point on the administrative border between Serbia and the self-proclaimed republic. The Serbs were protesting against the Kosovo administration establishing control over the security check-point.

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Destabilizing Balkans: Russia Upset With NATO Over Kosovo

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20110928/167220907.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
September 28, 2011

Russia ‘disappointed’ with NATO’s reluctance to discuss Kosovo

BRUSSELS: Russia is upset by NATO’s unwillingness to discuss the situation in Kosovo at NATO-Russia Council sessions, Russia’s NATO envoy said on Wednesday.

“Russia’s permanent mission to NATO is disappointed with the reluctance of its partners to discuss the situation in Kosovo at the NATO-Russia Council,” Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Moscow regards the Kosovo problem as a “serious destabilizing factor in the Balkans situation, which directly affects European security,” he said.

Four NATO troops and six Serb protesters were wounded in fresh violence on the disputed Serbia-Kosovo border on Tuesday.

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Russia Urges NATO To Abide By UN Resolution On Kosovo

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/27/56836385.html

Voice of Russia/Russian Information Agency Novosti
Septembre 27, 2011

Lavrov urges compliance with UN resolution on Kosovo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) to strictly abide by UN Security Council resolution 1244.

Meeting his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic in New York, Mr. Lavrov cautioned against moves fraught with further destabilization on the administrative border between Serbia and Kosovo.

Tension broke out in the middle of this month after the ethnic Albanian authorities of Kosovo deployed their customs and police officers at the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings with the assistance of KFOR servicemen despite fierce protests from local Serbs.

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NATO Troops Fire On Serbs, Seven Wounded

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=09&dd=27&nav_id=76572

Beta News Agency/Tanjug News Agency/B92
September 27, 2011

KFOR fires at Serbs, seven injured

KFOR troops at the Jarinje checkpoint (Tanjug)

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: Kosovska Mitrovica Health Center Director Milan Jakovljević says seven persons who were injured at the Jarinje checkpoint earlier today have been hospitalized.

According to him, six persons sustained serious injuries from live rounds and one person has been taken to the ophthalmology ward due to eye problems caused by tear gas.

“Nobody is in a life-threatening condition so far,” Jakovljević stressed.

…

Jakovljević added that shots had also been fired at the ambulance but that the medical team that had been giving medical attention to the injured Serbs had not been injured.

…

KFOR troops threw flash bombs and tear gas and fired rubber bullets at local Serbs who gathered at the Jarinje checkpoint around 13:00 CET.

U.S. KFOR troops used tear gas early on Tuesday to disperse Serbs and remove a barricade from an alternative road that leads from Jarinje to central Serbia.

Local Serbs, who spent the night at the barricades, told Beta news agency earlier on Tuesday that the troops had been brutal, that they had used tear gas and that they tied up young men who had been present.

One of them received medical attention at the Raška hospital. Four Serbs have been arrested and later released. The U.S. troops threaten to shoot anyone who comes close to the barbed wire at the Jarinje administrative checkpoint.

KFOR troops removed the barricades made of dirt and gravel.

They have also announced that starting from Tuesday morning they will arrest anyone who uses the alternative road around Jarinje. German troops arrested and soon after released two people at the alternative road around 7:00 CET on Tuesday.

An incident broke out around 10:30 CET when several citizens threw rocks at KFOR troops who responded by using tear gas. The clash quickly ended when Leposavić Mayor Branko Ninić called on the citizens to remain calm and to peacefully fight for their legitimate requests.

The night was peaceful at the other barricades in northern Kosovo.

KFOR removed a sand barricade from Jarinje last night, but Serbs who came to the administrative checkpoint in great numbers managed to set up a new barricade on the main road leading to Rudnica and kept watch at an alternative road that connects this part of Kosovo with central Serbia.

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Serbia Breaks Off EU Talks With Kosovo To Protest Violence

http://en.trend.az/regions/world/europe/1937542.html

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
September 28, 2011

Belgrade breaks off talks with Kosovo to protest violence

Serbia on Tuesday broke off talks held with Kosovo under European Union auspices to protest an operation by NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo against Serbs blocking a contested border, DPA reported.

“For the time being, the priority is the situation at border crossings, and for us no other topic exists,” Serbia’s chief negotiator, Borko Stefanovic, was quoted by Belgrade media as saying.

“I think in this situation it is unrealistic to talk about energy, telecommunications and regional initiatives,” he said in Brussels, where he was meeting with EU mediator Robert Cooper and US representative Philip Reeker.

The seventh round since March of EU-facilitated talks between Serbia and Kosovo to resolve issues stemming from Kosovo’s secession were scheduled without the disputed border crossings on the agenda.

The EU has set progress in the talks as a crucial condition for Serbia to be formally recognized as an EU membership candidate already this year. Belgrade officials had hoped that a date for the start of accession talks would be set at the same time.

The negotiations were already interrupted in July, when Serbia refused to lift a de-facto trade embargo on Kosovo goods.

That escalated into a trade war and tensions in northern Kosovo, when Pristina attempted to take control of border crossings in the north, one of few areas where Serbs outnumber ethnic Albanians.

Tensions in the area again erupted into violence on Tuesday, when NATO peacekeepers (KFOR) moved to dismantle roadblocks that the Serbs erected in their enclave in protest at their loss of control over the borders in mid-September.

KFOR sealed several “alternate” routes, which the Serbs had opened toward Serbia proper to circumvent controls at the official border crossings.

At least four peacekeepers and seven demonstrators were injured in clashes.

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53 U.S. Drone Strikes Kill 467 In Pakistan This Year

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=156006

Azeri Press Agency
September 28, 2011

4 killed in U.S. drone strike in NW Pakistan

                      
Baku: At least four suspected militants were killed and another two injured in a U.S. drone strike launched Tuesday night in Pakistan’s northwest tribal area of South Waziristan, reported local media ARY, APA reports.

According to the local media reports, two missiles were fired by a U.S. drone at a house suspected of being a militant’s hideout at the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan which borders Afghanistan.

Details about the identities of the killed in the strike are not immediately available.

Tuesday night’s U.S. drone strike is the 53rd of its kind (counted on a daily basis) in Pakistan in 2011. To date, a total of 467 people…have reportedly been killed in such strikes.

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Attacking Nuclear Pakistan Won’t Be A Cakewalk

http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Opinions/Columns/28-Sep-2011/Pakistan-served-Miranda

The Nation
September 28, 2011

Pakistan served Miranda
By S.M. Hali

-The countries that plan wars in order to capture resources, conquer territories, or advance their strategic interests or hegemonic designs never lack noble-sounding pretexts: Self-defence, defending civilisation, rescuing threatened national minorities, and so on.
-The US, therefore, should take cognisance that attacking Pakistan won’t be a cakewalk. It is a nuclear-equipped and battle hardened country, which will defend itself or go down fighting.

The US administration has virtually read out the Miranda warning to Pakistan. Miranda is the formal warning given by the police in the United States to criminal suspects in a custodial situation before they are interrogated to make the accused aware of and remind him of his constitutional rights.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Leon Panetta and Jay Carney have virtually issued Miranda warnings to Pakistan accusing it of supporting attacks by the Haqqani network on US targets in Afghanistan, including the September 13 assault on the American Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul.

While briefing the US Senate, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen categorically stated: “The Haqqani network, for one, acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan’s intelligence agency.” In a similar tone, US Defence Secretary Panetta told Senators that “the presence of safe havens in Pakistan is giving the insurgents advantages they have otherwise lost.”

White House Spokesman Carney called on Pakistan to “break any link they have” with the Haqqani network. The synchronised blame game has, however, been refuted vehemently by Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Defence and Foreign Ministers and the Chief of Army Staff.

History is replete with wrongful US indictments. The US attacked both Afghanistan and Iraq with apparent UN approval, but under trumped-up charges. In the case of Afghanistan, it invoked the self-defence clause, insisting that the Taliban regime was harbouring Osama bin Laden – the purported perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks.

Despite the Taliban’s insistence that the US provide evidence pertaining to the allegations after which Osama would be tried under the Afghan law, America invaded Afghanistan that has led to the death of over 40,000 innocent civilians. But it must be understood that “self-defence”, firstly, in both international and US law, must be clearly distinguished from the use of force for revenge or punishment; States, like people, must not act as vigilantes.

Secondly, in criminal law, “self-defence” may be invoked in the face of an imminent threat of death or grave bodily harm. In general, the threat must be immediate and the response must not be pushed beyond what is reasonably required to repel that threat. Thus, the invasion of Afghanistan was not a legitimate act of “self-defence” by the US post-9/11.

There is no UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution that authorises it, whether alone or in coalition with other countries, to attack Afghanistan.

Between September 11 and October 7, 2001, when the Afghanistan invasion began, the Council adopted only one resolution concerning the 9/11 attacks. Resolution 1368 (September 12) condemned the attack, while Resolution 1378 (November 14) adopted – after the bombardment of Afghanistan commenced – only condemns the Taliban and supports “the efforts of the Afghan people to replace the Taliban regime!”

The countries that plan wars in order to capture resources, conquer territories, or advance their strategic interests or hegemonic designs never lack noble-sounding pretexts: Self-defence, defending civilisation, rescuing threatened national minorities, and so on.

After no weapons of mass destruction had been found to justify the invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration argued that it was legitimate to overthrow a brutal dictatorship in order to free the Iraqi people. But to allow any country to make war entirely on false pretexts means throwing out international law and replacing it with “might is right.”

Now, the US is threatening to throw its erstwhile “most non-NATO ally” Pakistan to the dogs of war. It has already violated our sovereignty on two accounts: First, by launching the drone attacks, and secondly, the May 2 attack to “eliminate” Osama. Pakistan needs to take its case to the UN; however, this step may yield no results if former US Permanent Representative to the UN John Bolton is to be believed: “There is no such thing as the UN. There is only the international community, which can only be led by the only remaining superpower, which is the United States, when it suits our interest and we can get others to go along…When the United States leads, the UN will follow.”

The US, therefore, should take cognisance that attacking Pakistan won’t be a cakewalk. It is a nuclear-equipped and battle hardened country, which will defend itself or go down fighting. It is hoped and prayed that good sense prevails in the US administration!

The writer is a political and defence analyst.

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NATO Oil Tankers Torched In Balochistan

http://www.pakistantimes.net/pt/detail.php?newsId=25371

Pakistan Times
September 28, 2011

NATO oil tankers torched in Balochistan

QUETTA: Three NATO oil tankers were torched by unknown men in the Mastung area of Balochistan, a report said on Tuesday.

The tankers were on their way from Karachi to Quetta when unknown men riding on motorcycles fired at them.

The unknown men fled the scene after the firing. One of the drivers was injured during the attack. Upon receiving information, rescue teams of the police and levies rushed to the scene. NATO oil tankers carrying supplies to troops in Afghanistan are often targeted by militants.

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Pakistani Bar Association: Cut NATO Supply Lines

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=69755&Cat=5

News International
September 28, 2011

Cut Nato supply: Bar

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the government sever Nato forces’ supply lines in wake of US threats to Pakistan.

The House said the USA had humiliated 170 million Pakistanis whose lives, honour and property were under threat; therefore, the lawyers’ community would stand by its government in this hour of need despite having differences with it on many issues. They urged the government to give a strong message to the USA that Pakistanis were brave and would not compromise on their sovereignty. They said Pakistan should withdraw from the so-called war on terror. LHCBA president Asghar Ali Gill presided over the meeting.

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U.S. “Reviewing Aid” To Pakistan

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=156018

Azeri Press Agency
September 28, 2011

U.S. reviewing aid to Pakistan: White House

Baku: The White House said on Tuesday that Washington is reviewing its aid to Pakistan, urging its government to take action in cracking down on the Haqqani network, as the two countries’ relations keep deteriorating this year, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

“We obviously are always reviewing our aid programs,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters in a press gaggle, adding that the U.S. takes it seriously and discusses these matters with its Pakistani counterparts, without providing further details.

The White House remarks came at a time when U.S.-Pakistani ties have hit a new low after senior U.S. officials, including chairman of the U.S. Joint Chief of Staff Mike Mullen, publicly accused Pakistan of backing the Haqqani network which was blamed for the recent attacks on the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

Carney reiterated the U.S. position that the Haqqani network was responsible for the attacks on Sept. 13, urging the Pakistani government to take action to “deal with the things that exist there.”

On the same day, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that the U.S. has slowed military aid to Pakistan until desired results are seen.

Nuland said that some of the military aid cannot go forward “unless the programs that it funds go forward and until we can evaluate with Pakistan where we’re going to go together.”

U.S.-Pakistani relations had already been substantially damaged in May this year over a secret U.S. commando mission that killed al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan without the permission from Islamabad.

The U.S. has been giving out signals that it will cut military aid to Pakistan, while shifting more focus on the civilian aid in order to ease the strong anti-American sentiment among the majority of Pakistani population.

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Afghan War: NATO Loses Over 450 Soldiers This Year

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/28/c_131165042.htm

Xinhua News Agency
September 28, 2011

NATO soldier killed in eastern Afghanistan

KABUL: A NATO soldier was killed Wednesday in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan’s Wardak province, the military alliance said.

“An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an insurgent attack in Wardak province located in eastern Afghanistan today,” said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in a statement.

However, the brief statement did not release the nationality of the victim under the ISAF policy.

Troops mostly from the U.S. and Turkey, within the framework of the ISAF, are stationed in Wardak province, with Maidan Shar as its capital, 35 km west of capital city of Kabul.

Over 450 NATO service members, with the majority of them Americans, have been killed in the insurgency-hit country since the beginning of this year.

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New Zealand Special Forces Soldier Killed In Afghan Firefight

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/28/c_131164611.htm

Xinhua News Agency
September 28, 2011

Second New Zealand special forces soldier killed in Afghanistan

WELLINGTON: A second New Zealand special forces soldier has been killed in a military operation in Afghanistan, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced Wednesday.

The soldier with the Special Air Service Group (SAS) was shot while the SAS were mentoring the Afghan Crisis Response Unit during an operation in Wardak Province near Kabul, said Key.

“I am saddened by the loss of this SAS soldier, the second from the unit to die in Afghanistan. It is a reminder of the volatile and dangerous conditions that our Defence Force personnel face in Afghanistan,” said Key.

…

The SAS were reacting to information about a team preparing to launch an attack on Kabul.

A child and a “fighting-aged” male were also injured in the operation, which had involved 15 SAS and 50 Afghan soldiers.

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Afghanistan: Most Of $70 Billion In Foreign Aid Spent On Security

http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/09/27/51pc-aid-spent-security-forces

Pajhwok Afghan News
Se5ptember 27, 2011

51pc of aid spent on security forces
By Abdul Qaddir Siddiqui

KABUL: Of the $69 billion (3.3 trillion afghanis) pledged in aid by the international community, the Afghan government has received and spent $57 billion over the past decade, the minister of economy said on Tuesday.

Fifty-one percent of the foreign aid was spent on the security sector and the rest on agriculture, rural rehabilitation and development, infrastructure, health, education and good governance, Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal said.

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One main obstacle to ANDS implementation was the huge allocation to the security sector and under-funded government budget, the minister said.

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Arghandiwal said other impediments included widespread unemployment, lack of funds for securing development projects implemented by foreigners and the absence of a mechanism to monitor the use of funds.

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Top NATO Commander In Turkey For Missile Talks

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=nato-official-makes-missile-trip-to-ankara-2011-09-27

Hürriyet Daily News
September 27, 2011

NATO official makes missile trip to Ankara
Sevil Küçükkoşum

ANKARA: The visit of a senior NATO commander to Ankara on Tuesday for talks regarding a radar system in southeastern Turkey as part of the alliance’s missile shield project came as Iran increased its criticism of Turkey’s recent attitude toward Israel.

“Landing in Ankara, Turkey, for discussions on missile defense, Afghanistan, Libya, and NATO reform,” NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe John Stavridis said in a post on Twitter late Monday.

Adm. Stavridis held talks in Turkey after visits to Israel and Romania. Stavridis met with Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel and Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz. Although the admiral requested an appointment with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he could not meet Turkey’s premier due to Erdoğan’s busy schedule. The core of the discussions was the U.S.-led NATO missile shield project, whose early-warning radar system will be deployed in Turkey.

Ankara decided to host the radar at a military facility base near Malatya as part of NATO’s defense architecture. The discussions also included Turkey’s objections to Israel’s attempt to open a representation office at NATO headquarters, the Daily News has learned.

Turkey blocked a recent Israeli attempt to open an office at NATO headquarters when Tel Aviv submitted a request in early September.

Israel has made requests to open a representation office at NATO headquarters under NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue program that was launched in 1994 with seven Mediterranean countries.

The Iranian supreme leader’s top advisor for military affairs, Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim, played down the current tension between Turkey and Israel, characterizing it as a political gesture.

“Turkey’s gestures against the Zionists are political and they [the Turks] have maintained their relations [with the Zionist regime] behind the scenes,” he said on Monday, according to the Iranian news agency Fars.

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Adm. Stavridis last visited Turkey in March to discuss Turkish participation in NATO-led operations in Libya.

Meanwhile, pro-Turkish chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee’s sub-committee on Europe and Eurasia Dan Burton met Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and was scheduled to meet with President Abdullah Gül and Erdoğan when the Daily News went print.

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Turkish Opposition Parties Oppose NATO Missile Radar Base

http://www.tehrantimes.com/world/2980-opposition-parties-oppose-nato-radar-base-in-turkey/

Tehran Times
September 28, 2011

Opposition parties oppose NATO radar base in Turkey

Opposition parties in Turkey have expressed their disagreement with the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan government’s decision to host an early-warning radar as part of NATO’s missile defense system on the country’s soil.

The leader of Turkey’s Democratic Party (DP), Namik Kemal Zeybek, voiced his opposition to the Turkish government’s decision and warned about its negative consequences, Press TV reported on Monday.

In an interview with Turkey’s TV 8 on Friday, Zeybek said NATO’s decision to deploy its missile-tracking radar system on Turkish soil is aimed at monitoring Iran’s moves and pitting the two neighboring countries against each other.

He added that the West is seeking to cause rifts in the world of Islam as Iran has resisted its dominance in spite of heavy pressure.

This comes as other opposition parties in Turkey have similarly disagreed with the plan, expressing concerns about its negative impact on the country’s relations with its neighbors.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP), headed by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, criticized the plan and stated that it is aimed at protecting Israel in the face of Iran’s missiles.

The leader of People’s Voice Party, Numan Kurtulmus, was also among the critics of the plan, saying that Erdogan’s government opposes Israel on the one hand while agreeing to a plan that is chiefly intended to defend Israel on the other.

Another Turkish politician, Mustafa Kamalak, who is the leader of Felicity Party, has additionally pointed out that Turkey’s agreement with the deployment of a NATO missile defense system on its soil will distance it from its neighbors.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal recently announced Ankara’s plan to host the Western military alliance’s radar system.

The Turkish official said the plan, which would “boost NATO’s defense capacity and strengthen [Turkey's] national defense system,” is in line with the alliance’s “New Strategic Concept” adopted in a summit in Lisbon last year.

Some in Iran say that Turkey’s hosting an early-warning radar system is to protect Israel, IRNA cited the defense minister as saying on Thursday.

“Installation of the radar system is to defend the Zionist regime since this regime is on a downhill trajectory and America has been forced to get involved directly to save it,” Ahmad Vahidi said.

“We will not allow any foreign forces to threaten our interests and we will strongly confront any threat,” he added on the sidelines of a military parade marking the 31st anniversary of the start of a bloody eight-year war with Iraq.

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Baltic Sea: NATO Warships Bring “Regional Security In Pescadia”

http://www.aco.nato.int/danexnoco-2011-concludes.aspx

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Transformation
September 27, 2011

DANEX/NOCO 2011 CONCLUDES

After 11 days of outstanding cooperation and combined operations in Exercise DANEX/NOCO 11, the “Multinational Maritime Task Group‟ under Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), Rear Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi TOSUN’s command, ensured the safe sea lines of communication so as to create sustainable regional security in “Pescadia”.

The realistic exercise scenario, took place in the artificial region of “Pescadia” (the Baltic Sea) and involved sovereign nations, illegal activities like smuggling, piracy, terrorist movement and resolving territorial disputes.

Exercise DANEX/NOCO 11 took place over two weeks and developed through a period of military and political tension into simulated hostilities.

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After deterring and disrupting piracy, protecting sea lines of communication, fighting air, surface and subsurface threats with numerous international partners, SNMG2 flagship, TCG ORUCREIS, sailed to Gothenburg/SWEDEN (a Partnership for Peace (PfP) country) to conduct a port visit between 23rd and 27th of September, 2011.

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Death Knell For CIS: Eastern Partnership Conference In Warsaw

http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1937566.html

Trend News Agency
September 28, 2011

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament goes went to Warsaw to attend the “Eastern Partnership” conference of the EU
N. Kirtskhali

Tbilisi: Chairman of Georgian Parliament David Bakradze leaves early this morning for Warsaw, where he will attend the conference as part of the “Eastern Partnership” on “The Path to European democratic society, prosperity and a strong civil society.”

According to Bakradze, Georgia attaches great importance to partnership with the EU and aims to become part of united Europe as soon as possible. “In this way, we still have much to do and our government is taking all steps for the rapid European integration”, he stressed.

On October 1, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia will travel to Sweden, where he will host a “EU Eastern Neighbourhood – the transition from authoritarianism to democracy” conference.

He will participate in a panel discussion on “What can and should make the EU”.

As part of his tour Bakradze also visit the UK, where he will visit the Congress of the Conservative Party at the invitation of its leaders.

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U.S.’s Bryza Continues 17-Year Trans-Caspian Pipeline Advocacy

http://en.trend.az/capital/energy/1937832.html

Trend News Agency
September 28, 2011

U.S.: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan should independently decide on gas cooperation with Europe
V. Zhavoronkova

Baku: Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan should independently decide on how they are going to cooperate with Europe in the energy issues, U.S. Ambassador Matthew Bryza said on Wednesday during the meeting of Caspian European Integration Business Club (CEIBC).

“Our view is very strong that is no one else’s business how Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan decide to cooperate with Europe,” he added.

He underscored that the U.S. and its European allies are very interested in diversifying the natural gas supply…

He voiced the U.S. support to Azerbaijan in the framework of bilateral [agreements], saying that the country offers strong support to the implementation of the Trans-Caspian pipeline project.

“I am very glad that this interconnection between Europe and Turkmenistan makes absolute commercial sense. It will be implemented unless one does something really strong to block it. But the European Union decided on it and stated that all its machinery will do everything possible to execute this decision,” Bryza said.

He underscored that the U.S. cares about the implementation of the whole Southern Energy Corridor…

Early in September the EU adopted a mandate to negotiate a legally binding treaty between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build a Trans-Caspian Pipeline System.

Later, Iran and Russia expressed a negative attitude toward this project. Tehran and Moscow think that the pipeline construction will damage the Caspian Sea environment.

The pipeline, with a length of 300 kilometers, will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, where it will be connected to the Southern Gas Corridor.

Talks between Turkmenistan and the EU and other countries on the construction of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline have been conducted since late 1990s. Its construction is now difficult because of unresolved status of the Caspian Sea.

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