Archive
Stop NATO news: December 1, 2011
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Russia: Obama Refuses To Sign Legally Binding Agreement On Missiles
Russia Activates Space Defense Troops Against U.S.-NATO ABM
Pakistan: Nationwide Protests Against NATO Attack Continue
Vietnam-Style Exit: Russia Could Deliver Death Blow To NATO
224 Iranian MPs Condemn NATO Attack On Pakistan
NATO Reports Fresh Clash With Pakistani Military
Pakistan: Tribal Elders, Civil Society Back Government Against NATO
West’s Military Obsession Leads To Economic Decline
Russia Disapproves Of U.S. Sending Aircraft Carrier Off Syrian Coast
Russian Aircraft Carrier Headed To Mediterranean
U.S. Beefs Up Asia-Pacific Military Bases
Chinese Defense Ministry Denounces U.S.-Australian Military Alliance
Kazakhstan: U.S. Military Partner On Chinese, Russian Borders
After Exercise, U.S. Amphibious Assault Ship Visits Philippine Capital
U.S., Cambodia Strengthen Military Ties With Joint Exercise
New Military Client, Base: U.S. Guided Missile Destroyer In East Timor
First Trilateral U.S.-Japan-India Meeting On Asian Maritime Security
Russia Condemns NATO Power Play In Kosovo
Photograph: NATO In Kosovo: German, Austrian Troops And Tanks Versus Serbian Woman
Russia May Cancel Chicago NATO Meeting Over Interceptor Missiles
In New Cold War Climate, Russia And Cuba Strengthen Military Cooperation
EU Foreign Ministers To Extend Sanctions Against Belarus, Iran, Syria
Germany To Provide Israel With Sixth Nuclear-Capable Submarine
Former Mossad Chief: Israeli Strike On Iran Will Cause Regional Tragedy
New NATO Division Hosts 200 Experts From Member, Partner States
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Russia: Obama Refuses To Sign Legally Binding Agreement On Missiles
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/286619.html
Itar-Tass
December 1, 2011
Medvedev says Obama refuses to sign legally binding agreements on missile defence
MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama had refused to sign any legally binding documents to guarantee that the U.S. missile defence system in Europe is not targeted against Russia.
At talks with the president of the United States “we heard that they had lent an ear to our concerns,” Medvedev said at a meeting with his supporters, recalling his meeting with Barack Obama in Honolulu on November 14. “The American side was utterly candid – we are not going to sign any legally binding documents,” Medvedev said.
According to the Russian president, the United States is reluctant to sign such an agreement either in the Russia-suggested sectoral ABM format or in whatever other formats. “Because today it is not advantageous politically for the United States, and such an agreement with Russia will not pass through the crucible of the U.S. Congress or other European structures,” he added.
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Russia Activates Space Defense Troops Against U.S.-NATO ABM
http://rt.com/politics/space-forces-military-russia-625/
RT
December 1, 2011
Russian Space Defense Troops launched
Moscow has launched a team of Space Defense Troops. The corps is a reply to the US and NATO’s constant push towards creating the European Missile Defense system with components stationed near the Russian border.
Space Defense Troops are a brand new combat arm aimed at providing Russia’s security in air and space.
The troops are made up of space, air and missile defense commands, as well as the Plesetsk spaceport near Arkhangelsk in northern Russia and Kura testing area in Kamchatka in the Far East.
In technical terms, they comprise space control systems, orbit groups control installations and missile alert systems. In addition, new radar stations have been put in operation. According to the commander of the Russian Space Defense Troops, Lieutenant-General Oleg Ostapenko, this raises their efficiency and significantly strengthens Russia’s missile defense.
From now on, more than 3,000 servicemen and civilian staff enter on duty on a daily basis.
On Tuesday, President Dmitry Medvedev ordered operational the newest Russian radar station, Voronezh-DM, which is located in Kaliningrad and protects from missile attacks and covers all Europe and Atlantic.
Another Voronezh-DM radar station located in near Irkutsk in Siberia is scheduled for launch in 2012.
Earlier, the Russian leader made a tough statement about lack of progress in talks on missile defense with American and European partners. He stressed that they have not so far provided any guarantees that the European anti-missile defense system in the making is not aimed at Russia.
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http://en.rian.ru/news/20111201/169210478.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
December 1, 2011
Russian Air Force to get 60 air defense systems in 2012
MOSCOW: The Russian Air Force is planning to acquire about 60 new and modernized air defense systems in 2012, Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Thursday.
“The new acquisitions include S-400 long-range air defense missile systems, Nebo-U radars and Pantsir-S1 short range missile/gun systems,” Drik said.
The Air Force will receive up to 10 Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers, about 10 Su-25SM Frogfoot attack fighters, and an unspecified number of Su-35S Flanker-E multirole fighters.
The Su-35S is Russia’s advanced “Generation 4++” fighter.
New acquisitions will also include over 20 attack helicopters, such as the Mi-28N Night Hunter and the Ka-52 Alligator, as well as “highly modernized” Mi-35 Hind helicopters.
The Air Force will also receive about 30 Mi-8 transport and five Mi-26T heavy lift helicopters.
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Pakistan: Nationwide Protests Against NATO Attack Continue
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C12%5C01%5Cstory_1-12-2011_pg7_20
Associated Press of Pakistan
December 1, 2011
Nationwide protest against NATO attack continues
ISLAMABAD: Nation-wide protests against a lethal NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers continued on Wednesday.
The Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution against the attack, a private news channel reported. Later, AJK assembly members also held a rally in Muzaffarabad and presented a memorandum at the UN office.
The resolution said that the NATO attack was in violation of international laws and was an assault on Pakistan’s sovereignty. The resolution demanded the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take serious notice of this aggression.
In Peshawar, schoolchildren held a demonstration and sang the national anthem.
Thousands of students of Punjab University also took part in a protest rally in Lahore against NATO.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed lawyers to hold a rally on the Mall Road.
In Multan, students of various colleges gathered at Katchehry Chowk and condemned the NATO attack.
In addition, protests were witnessed all over the country, including in areas such as Sukkur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Kandhkot.
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Vietnam-Style Exit: Russia Could Deliver Death Blow To NATO
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=10685&Cat=13
News International
December 1, 2011
Russia could deliver death blow to Nato, say analysts
ISLAMABAD: With the Russian threat to cut land routes for supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Afghan battleground may turn into a cold death trap for NATO, defence analysts believe. They say that Pakistan should utilise the opportunity for a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan by pulling it out of the American war.
Russia has threatened to cut off NATO supply routes to Afghanistan if the alliance doesn’t compromise on its missile defence plans. “If NATO doesn’t give a serious response, we have to address matters in relations in other areas,” Russian news services reported. Russia’s cooperation on Afghanistan may be an area for review, the news services reported.
Pakistan has already cut NATO supply routes after the Mohmand Agency attack by NATO troops that killed twenty-six Pakistani soldiers. Lt General (retd) Hameed Gul, while talking to The News, said that Russia would utilise every option to take revenge on the Americans and the time has come for the Russians to do this. He said that Russia wants to join hands with Pakistan and Pakistan should re-consider its policy towards Russia. “Americans and NATO troops have been strangled in Afghanistan and the time has come for Pakistan to avail itself of the opportunity that it missed on 9/11 to regain respect and sovereignty”, Gul said.
He mentioned that Americans will have to leave Afghanistan and will ask for concessions and Pakistan should negotiate with them on their exit. If Russia cuts its supply routes then the route will be from Georgia to Baku and then to Azerbaijan, which means NATO will never get the supplies, said Gul.
“Now NATO troops will have to exit Vietnam-style, and that too by using Pakistan’s airspace because Iran will never let the USA use its airspace”, the retired General said. He mentioned that the war against terror that was started with our own people will come to an end at once and there will be peace in no time once the Americans leave Afghanistan. He said that Indian interests in Afghanistan were growing but India will get nothing from Afghanistan.
Maria Sultan, defence analyst, while talking to this correspondent said that if the Russians also cut the supply line of NATO then it will turn out to be a cold death for NATO troops. “They will literally be strangled in Afghanistan with 90,000 troops, and as they admit that they have reserves for three months, which actually means they have reserves for two months, then NATO will have to airlift the troops and during the airlift only 15 to 20 percent can get out alive out of the 90,000 troops”, Maria said.
She mentioned that in Afghanistan everything comes from outside and the insurgency this year has been very high as 700 [NATO] causalities have been reported. Therefore, after the Russian decision, Afghanistan will turn into a reverse Kargil for NATO. “They will have weapons but no bullets to fire; and if Pakistan shuts the air corridors to NATO then it would be a cold death for them and America will have to renegotiate with Pakistan”, she said.
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224 Iranian MPs Condemn NATO Attack On Pakistan
The Nation
December 1, 2011
224 Iranian MPs deplore Nato attack on Pakistan
TEHRAN: Iranian parliamentarians in a statement issued on Wednesday condemned the lethal cross-border NATO attack on Pakistan, and called on Islamabad to show a decisive reaction to the US crimes, reported Fars News Agency.
In a joint statement signed by 224 lawmakers, they condemned criminal U.S. acts including its recent airstrike on Pakistan which claimed the lives of the Muslim state’s soldiers. “We ask our counterparts in the Pakistani parliament to review their ties with the U.S.,” the statement read.
“It is the time to give a positive response to the demands of Pakistan’s vigilant nation and prevent the United States’ future crimes and violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity through a decisive move by the Pakistani MPs,” the statement added.
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NATO Reports Fresh Clash With Pakistani Military
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C12%5C01%5Cstory_1-12-2011_pg1_2
Daily Times
Agencies
December 1, 2011
New clash between NATO, Pak forces
KABUL: A cross-border incident involving NATO and Pakistani forces was quickly defused early on Wednesday with no loss of life, The New York Times quoted Brig Gen Carsten Jacobson, the spokesman for the American-led international coalition, as saying.
The incident apparently involved heavy artillery fire across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, the report said, adding that few other details were available.
Pakistan’s military, however, refuted the report, saying no such incident took place. “There was no fresh clash between Pakistani troops and NATO force on Pak-Afghan border on Wednesday,” an Inter Services Public Relations spokesman said…
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Pakistan: Tribal Elders, Civil Society Back Government Against NATO
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C12%5C01%5Cstory_1-12-2011_pg7_24
Daily Times
December 1, 2011
Tribal elders, civil society laud govt’s tough stand on NATO aggression
PESHAWAR: Tribal elders, political workers, lawyers, students and journalists from the Musa Khel tribe of Mohmand Agency condemned the NATO attack on Pakistan’s border security posts and appreciated the bold stance taken by the government of Pakistan in response to these unwarranted and unprovoked attacks.
They vowed to stand by the Pak-Force in the wake of any eventuality across the border and to protect the motherland from any foreign aggression and intrusion, a communiqué from the Governor’s House read.
This announcement was made during a tribal Jirga comprising peoples from different walks of life, which was led by Senator Muhammad Idrees Khan Safi, and called on Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Masood Kausar here at Governor’s House on Wednesday to record their resentment and offer support to the government against cross-border attacks.
…The Jirga was of the view that the tribesmen would never tolerate such attacks and were united to safeguard the frontiers of the country at any cost. Governor Kausar, while appreciating the sentiments of the Jirga members, assured them that the government would never compromise on the security and sovereignty of the country. He said that such attacks would neither be ignored nor tolerated.
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West’s Military Obsession Leads To Economic Decline
Global Times
November 30, 2011
West’s military obsession claws back economic growth
By John Ross
The US is mired in an unemployment crisis, Europe faces double-dip recession, and Japan’s economy has experienced two decades of stagnation. Under such circumstances a logical policy by governments in developed countries would concentrate all efforts on improving their domestic situation. However in reality, economic resources have been diverted into costly military issues.
In the US, military expenditure has risen 10 times as fast as household consumption, while government non-military expenditure has fallen. This continues a longer trend. Since the beginning of the 21st century, US GDP, in inflation-adjusted terms, has increased by 21 percent, US government non-military spending by 11 percent, and US personal consumption by 28 percent, while military expenditure increased by 52 percent.
Such a military buildup appears illogical. The US is the world’s strongest military power. It states its economy is the world’s most competitive, although it clearly faces current difficulties. Increased productive expenditure on R&D, innovation and infrastructure would therefore seem called for rather than higher military expenditure financed by large and destabilizing US budget deficits.
But instead of US government investment rising, it has fallen as a percentage of GDP since the beginning of the financial crisis in parallel with rising military spending. Similarly the UK government spent $450 million on military action in Libya at the same time as it made massive cuts at home.
Such economic steps are in line with “neo-con” thinking. This school of thought, despite its protestations to the contrary, actually lacks confidence in US ability to compete in peaceful economic development. It notes that on World Bank data the US economy has fallen from 39 percent of global GDP in 1960 to 23 percent in 2010 and a parallel decline of large US companies – in the last seven years the share of revenue of US corporations in the Forbes Global 2000, the world’s largest companies, has fallen from 39 percent to 31 percent.
Rather than concluding resources should be diverted into boosting the US economy, the neo-cons argue that as the US is losing its once-dominant position in economic competition, questions should be transferred from the economy to the military field where the US is strongest. China is the main enemy in such thinking, as it is the country which has been most successful economically.
But these ideologues now consider they face internal as well as external enemies. Opinion polls show a majority of the US population believe the Iraq war was a mistake and want a withdrawal from Afghanistan. The logic of the Occupy Wall Street movement, by calling for increased spending on US job creation, supports reductions in military expenditure. For that reason Occupy Wall Street has come in for abuse by the same figures and institutions, such as Fox News and the Tea Party, that are most hostile to China.
A parallel logic operates in Europe. Sections of the media attempt to blame the continent’s debt crisis on “lazy Europeans.” But in fact the crisis is worst in southern Europe which has longer working weeks and lower social protection than in north European countries such as Germany.
A lot of confusion exists in the US and Europe about China. Their populations know China is growing economically and is becoming an increasingly important factor in the world. But as this is a recent development they do not yet know what China wants. Overcoming this, making clear the “win-win” outcomes that are possible, will take time.
Despite such confusion, and while these economic and political developments in the US and Europe center on domestic issues, they will affect China. “Neo-con” policies would face China with a military buildup. But if movements seeking to redirect resources from military spending to job creation and social welfare are successful, this will benefit everyone.
The author is currently visiting professor at Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. From 2000 to 2008 he was London’s director for economic and business policy.
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Russia Disapproves Of U.S. Sending Aircraft Carrier Off Syrian Coast
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=3&id=291652
Interfax
December 1, 2011
Moscow disapproves of U.S. decision to send aircraft carrier toward Syrian coast
MOSCOW: Sending U.S. warships to the Syrian coast will not facilitate the search for a peaceful solution to the Syrian problem, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukeshevich said.
“All these measures are making it more difficult to find ways to settle the situation, add tensions to the already overheated region and contribute absolutely nothing to the search for political means of settlement,” he said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday.
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Russian Aircraft Carrier Headed To Mediterranean
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/12/01/61307651.html
Interfax
December 1, 2011
Russian flotilla heads for Mediterranean
The U.S. George Bush aircraft carrier has approached Syrian waters, the Arab Al Jazeera TV channel reports.
The Pentagon has refused to confirm the report but admitted that the ship is in the Mediterranean in what analysts see as part of preparations for a possible no-fly zone over Syria.
Meanwhile, a Russian flotilla led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier is heading for the Mediterranean. It will drop anchor at the Syrian port of Tartus.
The Russian Navy says the flotilla has nothing to do with the anti-government protests in Syria.
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U.S. Beefs Up Asia-Pacific Military Bases
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90883/7660894.html
China Daily
November 30, 2011
US beefs up Asia-Pacific army bases
By Ma Liyao
BEIJING: The US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region is currently experiencing major changes…
During his visit to Australia this month, US President Barack Obama announced a new security agreement to position more US military personnel and equipment there.
According to the agreement, about 250 US Marines will be stationed in the northern Australian port of Darwin, which is known as Australia’s gateway to Southeast Asia due to its close proximity to Indonesia, which is 820 kilometers away.
A full force of 2,500 military personnel will be stationed there over the next few years.
Compared with the US presence in Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), Darwin is nearer the South China Sea.
Obama sidestepped questions about whether the move was aimed at containing China, but said the US would keep sending a clear message that China needs to accept the responsibilities that come with being a world power.
He added that the US was stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific region.
However, “nothing says the United States supports Asia like sending a small marine regiment to Darwin in Australia’s northern territory. Australia is hardly threatened by another foreign invasion from the north – by China or any country”, said the Bangkok Post.
An article published on the Washington Post’s website said the US Navy is close to basing warships in Singapore, on the edge of the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Negotiations on a deal are in their final stages to base some of the US Navy’s new littoral combat ships, designed to operate in shallow coastal waters and travel at a top speed of more than 40 knots, at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore, the article said.
And to the east of China, US forces in the ROK are relocating their headquarters and combat units to new military facilities in Pyeongtaek, a port city 70 km south of the capital Seoul, and around 340 km from the eastern Chinese city of Rongcheng.
The relocation, due to be completed in 2016, will make Pyeongtaek the main hub of the US military in the ROK, as well as the largest US overseas military base, taking up around 14.6 sq km and housing about 44,000 US troops.
At the same time, a plan was released a week ago to relocate around 8,000 US Marines, including fighting forces, from Okinawa, an island in southwestern Japan, to Guam.
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Whether Washington is aiming to contain China or not, what can be sure is that it is accelerating the adjustment of its military deployment in order to “step up its commitment” in the Asia-Pacific.
“The strategy means the US has to ensure its Asian allies of its security commitments to them, and at the same time, gain more economic interests and maintain its leadership in the area,” Xu said.
“Now with the decline in its economic influence, it has to play up its military advantage either as a policy instrument or a bargaining chip,” he added.
No official statements have ever linked these deployments directly to China, but this was an opinion held by some observers.
Japan’s Mainichi Daily News said the plan to relocate US forces on Okinawa aimed to spread out US Marines so they are not overly concentrated in one spot to become easy targets.
The Los Angeles Times said the US president was taking every opportunity during his Asian trips to tell countries neighboring China that Washington is their most reliable “counterweight” to Beijing.
AP contributed to this story.
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Chinese Defense Ministry Denounces U.S.-Australian Military Alliance
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90883/7661733.html
Xinhua News Agency
November 30 , 2011
Chinese spokesman rebukes US-Australian military alliance
BEIJING: A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman on Wednesday criticized the United States’ decision to strengthen its military alliance with Australia.
During US President Barack Obama’s visit to Australia earlier this month, the two states agreed to increase joint military initiatives in order to enhance their alliance.
“Any consolidation or expansion of a military alliance that was forged in history is of the Cold-War model,” said Spokesman Geng Yansheng at a monthly press briefing.
Moves that run contrast to the current trend of peace and cooperation are not helpful in building mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries and will damage their common interests, he said.
Any other military theory aimed at provoking confrontation and safeguarding one’s security at the price of another’s is also backward-thinking, he said.
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Kazakhstan: U.S. Military Partner On Chinese, Russian Borders
http://en.trend.az/regions/casia/kazakhstan/1963602.html
Trend News Agency
November 30, 2011
Kazakhstan, U.S. discuss defense cooperation
K. Konyrova
Astana: Kazakh Defense Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov and U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Asian and Pacific Security Affairs discussed future cooperation on Wednesday, the Kazakh Defense Minister reported.
“Cooperation with the United States is one of the most important directions of our foreign policy,” Dzhaksybekov said.
According to Dzhaksybekov, Kazakhstan and the U.S. have a highly dynamic and genuine partnership based on mutual interests in various areas, including defense.
Further cooperation between the countries will be developed within the framework of a bilateral military cooperation plan for the upcoming five-year period (2013-2017).
According to Dzhaksybekov, Kazakhstan is interested in joint defense ventures in its territory to resist the threats of today’s world.
“The threats of today’s world require new methods to counter: the active introduction of digital technology in the Armed Forces, the creation of an appropriate level of protection of information and digital infrastructure,” Dzhaksybekov said.
Edited by E. Kosolapova
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After Exercise, U.S. Amphibious Assault Ship Visits Philippine Capital
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=64073
Navy NewsStand/U.S. Navy
November 30, 2011
Essex Arrives in Manila for Port Visit
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eva-Marie Ramsaran, USS Essex Public Affairs
MANILA, Republic of the Philippines: Forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) arrived in Manila, Republic of the Philippines Nov. 30 for a port visit.
The port visit will allow Essex Sailors and embarked Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit the opportunity to enjoy some rest…
“The Sailors and Marines aboard Essex have worked hard during PHIBLEX (Amphibious Landing Exercise) and the 31st MEU’s certification exercise earlier in the fall,” said Capt. David Fluker, Essex commanding officer…
Essex departed its forward-deployed port of Sasebo, Japan Sept. 23 and has participated in a certification exercise with the 31st MEU and in PHIBLEX with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which ran from Oct. 20-30. PHIBLEX is a bilateral training exercise designed to improve interoperability, increase readiness and continue to build professional and personal relationships with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
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Essex is part of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, which reports to Commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet, Rear Adm. J. Scott Jones, who is headquartered in Okinawa, Japan.
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U.S., Cambodia Strengthen Military Ties With Joint Exercise
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=160611
Azeri Press Agency
November 30, 2011
Cambodia, U.S. boost military ties with joint exercise
Baku: Cambodia’s military police and United States marines on Wednesday began a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise here, aimed at strengthening the two countries’ military ties, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
Speaking at the opening of the exercise, Jeff Daigle, Charg d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Cambodia, said some 23 U.S. marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force have joined the exercise.
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“This partnership is a tribute to our combined commitment to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. Marines and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and provides another opportunity for the U.S. government to assist with enhancing the overall capacity of Cambodian Armed Forces,” he added.
Brigadier General That Chantha, deputy chief of Cambodia’s Military Police’s planning department [said] “The exercise is also to create closer cooperation between Cambodian armed forces and their U.S. counterparts.”
The exercise will last until Dec. 9.
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New Military Client, Base: U.S. Guided Missile Destroyer In East Timor
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=64033
Navy NewsStand/U.S. Navy
November 30, 2011
USS Stethem Hosts Reception in Timor-Leste
By Lt. Nicole Schwegman, Amphibious Squadron 11 Public Affairs
DILI, Timor-Leste: The crew of guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) hosted an informal reception for senior military and civil officials from the United States, Timor-Leste and other foreign nations Nov. 27.
Cmdr. Michael DeVore, commanding officer of Stethem, welcomed Brig. Gen. Filomeno da Paixao de Jesus, deputy chief of Defense Force, and Judith Fergin, U.S. ambassador to Timor-Leste as the honored guests.
…
During the evening, the ambassador spoke about the importance of the two nation’s strong military ties.
“The United States and Timor-Leste enjoy an excellent military to military relationship,” said Fergin. “We are proud that we enjoy a permanent partnership across the range of international interaction.”
…
The Essex Expeditionary Strike Group consists of forward-deployed amphibious assault ship, USS Essex (LHD 2) and Stethem, which report to Commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet Rear Adm. J. Scott Jones, who is headquartered in Okinawa, Japan.
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First Trilateral U.S.-Japan-India Meeting On Asian Maritime Security
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/7661272.html
People’s Daily
November 30, 2011
Japan to discuss sea safety with US, India
By Yu Qing
In order to discuss a number of issues, the foremost of which is securing Asia’s sea areas, Japan, the United States and India began preparations on Nov. 28 for the director-level meeting that is to be held in December in Washington.
It will be the first meeting of its kind among the three countries.
The three countries hope that they can hold the meeting periodically in turn and upgrade the exchange to the ministerial level in the future. Japan and the United States also hope to strengthen their economic cooperation with India.
Japan is set to establish a strategic partnership with India according to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which became effective in August 2011 and discuss Japanese Premier Yoshihiko Noda’s upcoming visit to India at the end of 2011. In 2012, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force and Indian navy will hold their first joint military drill too.
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Russia Condemns NATO Power Play In Kosovo
http://rt.com/politics/churkin-kosovo-serbs-security-537/
RT
November 30, 2011
Moscow slams NATO power games in Kosovo
Russia is concerned with the exacerbation of the situation in northern Kosovo, where NATO forces are pursuing their power politics targeted against Serbs, Russian envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin is convinced.
Violence could have been prevented, the diplomat said during a Security Council meeting devoted to the Kosovo settlement, if “KFOR focused on providing security of the region’s residents, as stipulated in their mandate, rather than on eliminating Serbian barricades, which are a response to Pristina’s attempts to take under control the administrative border with Serbia.”
The Russian diplomat also said that Moscow has supported the Serbian government’s appeal to the UN secretary-general to thoroughly investigate an incident on September 27, when KFOR resorted to force, leading to a number of civilian casualties.
Russia also insists on a full and objective probe into cases of human organ trafficking revealed by member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Dick Marty.
The process of the return to Kosovo of displaced people, most of whom are Serbs, is unsatisfactory, Vitaly Churkin went on to say. And one of the main reasons for this is that those people are not confident of their security. In addition, “incidents of looting and theft of Kosovo Serbs’ property remain unpunished.”
He also demanded that all necessary measures be taken for the defense of Orthodox shrines and believers.
“The UN mission to Kosovo should play a most active role in Kosovo settlement,” the Russian envoy to the UN stressed.
On November 29, at least two Kosovan Serbs and two NATO peacekeepers were injured in a fresh wave of violence near the town of Zubin Potok in the north of Kosovo. Serbs were protesting NATO’s attempts to remove a barricade made of buses and trucks that was blocking a main road in the region. NATO responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons at the demonstrators. Churkin called the incident “outrageous.”
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Photograph: NATO In Kosovo: German, Austrian Troops And Tanks Versus Serbian Woman
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=11&dd=30&nav_id=77573
Serbs are seen at the barricade at Jagnjenica with German and Austrian troops in the background (Beta)
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Russia May Cancel Chicago NATO Meeting Over Interceptor Missiles
http://rt.com/politics/nato-summit-chicago-russia-577/
RT
November 30, 2011
Russia may drop NATO summit over missile defense
Russia is uncertain as to whether or not it will take part in the NATO-Russia summit in Chicago in May next year due to a deadlock in missile defense talks.
Moscow’s consent for the gathering “should not be taken as predetermined,” said Deputy Director of the Department for Security and Disarmament of the Russian Foreign Ministry Vladimir Leontyev, cites Itar-Tass. The diplomat stressed though that Russia is not closing the door on co-operation.
“Our partners should view current problems fairly and responsibly,” Leontyev said. “Otherwise, Russia will have to give adequate responses as the US missile defense system is being created in Europe.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Yury Gorlach, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department on European Cooperation, said that Moscow is waiting for “a clear political signal” from the military bloc indicating that it is ready to continue the dialogue on the matter…
The Russia-NATO negotiations on the US planned missile defense system have been going on for months, but yielded few results so far, as the sides are standing firm in their positions. Russia said it would accept the invitation to participate in the project, but only as an equal partner and if Washington provides legally-binding guarantees that the proposed missiles would not threaten its national security. The US declined to do so.
On Tuesday, President Dmitry Medvedev ordered operational the newest Russian radar system that protects from missile attacks and covers all Europe and Atlantic. Medvedev said that it was a sign to Western partners that Russia was ready to adequately respond to possible threats to its strategic nukes that might appear with the launch of the European missile defense.
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http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20111130_8656.php
Global Security Newswire
November 30, 2011
Russia Could Cancel Summit With NATO Due to Antimissile Impasse
Russia could cancel a planned summit next spring in Chicago with NATO over continued differences with the Western military bloc’s plans for European missile defenses, Russia Today reported on Wednesday (see GSN, Nov. 29).
The Kremlin’s intention to attend the summit “should not be taken as predetermined,” Russian Foreign Ministry security and disarmament Deputy Director Vladimir Leontyev said. He emphasized, however, that the government was not taking off the table possible cooperation with NATO on missile defense, ITAR-Tass reported.
Russia objects to a U.S. plan to over the course of the decade deploy increasingly advanced sea- and land-based missile interceptors around Europe as a declared shield against a feared ballistic missile strike from the Middle East. Moscow suspects the interceptors would secretly also be aimed at undermining its long-range nuclear weapons – a charge that Washington adamantly denies. NATO and Russia have failed in a year of talks to reach agreement on a cooperative missile shield for Europe.
“Our partners should view current problems fairly and responsibly. Otherwise, Russia will have to give adequate responses as the U.S. missile defense system is being created in Europe,” Leontyev said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned recently that should differences on the missile shield persist his nation could withdraw from the New START nuclear arms control accord with the United States and deploy short-range Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region, which borders several NATO states.
…
Talks between NATO and Russia have run aground over differing views about what potential antimissile collaboration would involve. Moscow favors a unified approach while NATO would like to see two separate but connected missile shields.
Moscow is also frustrated by its inability thus far to obtain a binding guarantee that U.S. missile interceptors in Europe would not be aimed at Russia’s strategic forces.
Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin in January is scheduled to travel to China and Iran for discussions about U.S. plans to deploy missile shield elements in Poland, Romania and Turkey, the FARS News Agency reported.
“We are planning to visit both Tehran and Beijing soon under the Russian president’s directive, to discuss the planned deployment of a global missile defense network,” Rogozin said to Russian lawmakers (Fars News Agency, Nov. 29).
…
====
In New Cold War Climate, Russia And Cuba Strengthen Military Cooperation
http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20111130185120.shtml
RosBusinessConsulting
November 30, 2011
Russia and Cuba to strengthen military cooperation
Moscow: Moscow is considering strengthening its military relations with Cuba ahead of parliamentary elections in Russia.
Against the backdrop of a renewed Cold War climate, Russia and Cuba are planning to sign a deal for the construction of a plant where ammunition for both AK-47 assault rifles and other Russian-made assault rifles will be produced. The plant will be located within the Ernesto Che Guevara military base in Cuba.
—————————————————————————
http://rt.com/news/russian-arms-cuba-deal-567/
RT
November 30, 2011
Russian arms in US backyard: Back in Cuba
Russia has launched a military partnership project with its Cold War ally Cuba, amid rising tensions over US plans to deploy an anti-missile system in Europe.
Russian contractors are to supply production equipment for manufacturing 6.52-mm rifle rounds, Kommersant daily reports. Cuban arms plant called Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara will also receive a license and technology for recycling used ammo.
The daily cites its sources as saying that Havana officials decided to purchase the equipment after visiting a similar production line in Venezuela. The insider did not reveal any details on the financial terms of the future deal, but said it was close to being sealed.
Russian arms producers further hope to win a contract for upgrading the whole ammunition plant in the future. It was built in late 1970s early 1980s with the help of Soviet specialists.
The United States are maintaining a decades-old trade blockade of Cuba. Russian companies, which would supply military equipment there, risk sanctions by the US.
Communist Cuba was a major ally of the Soviet Union during the Cold War era, with an estimated gross value of arms supplied to Havana reaching $16 billion. The USSR delivered tanks, Mig fighter jets, helicopters, rocket air defense systems, submarines, small arms, communication equipment among other things. The close military collaboration resulted in the most serious tension of the period, when Moscow deployed its missiles on the island in response to a similar move by the US in Turkey.
The collapse of the USSR and the economic perils new Russia faced weakened its trade and military ties with Cuba. In 2001 Russia shut down the radio reconnaissance base in Cuba, the last of its military facilities there.
However in the late 2000s Moscow and Havana began to re-establish relations on many levels. In September 2008 two Russian strategic bombers carrying top Air Forces brass visited Venezuela. The aviation generals also visited Cuba and later voiced possible plans for renting and upgrading an air base on the La Orchila Island, which would allow Russian military aircraft patrol the Caribbean.
Also in 2008, Russian Army generals visited Cuba to inspect its air defense forces. Possible upgrade of the old equipment and supply of spare parts was on the table. The moves were viewed by many observers as Russian response to the Bush administration plans to deploy an anti-ballistic missile system in Europe.
The news on the upcoming round production deal comes as Moscow and Washington are reaching new heights of tension over AMD system. The US refuses to provide guaranties that the system would not be used against Russia.
Russia’s latest move in the row was to open a new early warning radar in its western exclave, the Kaliningrad Region. President Medvedev has also threatened deployment of short-range ballistic missiles capable of destroying American ABM facilities, should it be required.
Vladimir Anokhin, the vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, does not believe that signing the military contract with Cuba is some kind of Russian geopolitical answer to US plans to deploy an anti-ballistic missile system in Europe.
“This is a common business deal by Rosoboronexport,” Anokhin said.
Anokhin however noted that Cuba has always been in Russia’s “area of interest” and said that at this moment no one can hamper the improvement of Russia-Cuba military cooperation.
“As a sovereign state we will not fall under any sanctions from the US,” Anokhin said. “At this point the US is not in a position [to ban Russia trade with Cuba]. It will be more trouble for the US than it is worth.”
====
EU Foreign Ministers To Extend Sanctions Against Belarus, Iran, Syria
http://en.rian.ru/world/20111201/169192686.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 30, 2011
EU foreign ministers to extend sanctions on Iran, Syria, Belarus – source
The foreign ministers of the 27 European Union member states are expected to approve the extension of sanctions against Iran, Syria and Belarus during their regular meeting in Brussels on Thursday, a source in the Council of the European Union said.
A total of 179 Iranian officials and institutions linked to the government are expected to be added to the European blacklist over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program, the source said.
The EU ministers are also expected to approve the tenth set of sanctions against Syria…The sanctions will affect a number of Syrian financial, banking and energy enterprises, as well as officials and institutions believed to be linked to the Assad regime.
The list of 245 Belarusian officials who have been banned from travelling to the EU and whose foreign assets have been frozen over their alleged involvement in the crackdown on the country’s opposition is also expected to be extended.
====
Germany To Provide Israel With Sixth Nuclear-Capable Submarine
http://en.trend.az/regions/world/europe/1963865.html
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
December 1, 2011
Germany approves sale of sixth nuclear-capable submarine to Israel
Germany has approved the sale of a sixth Dolphin submarine to Israel and will pay for a third of its cost, government sources told dpa on Wednesday.
Israel already has three German-made Dolphin submarines, which are capable of carrying missiles with nuclear warheads. Berlin paid for two of the submarines and the cost of the third was shared between the two countries. Two more are being constructed.
The government sources said Germany had allocated up to 135 million euros (180 million dollars) in next year’s budget to pay for its share of the cost for the sixth submarine, the sale of which is part of a deal finalized in 2005.
The submarines are seen as a strategic asset for Israel in any future confrontation with Iran…Israel is believed to have the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal, a claim it neither confirms nor denies.
====
Former Mossad Chief: Israeli Strike On Iran Will Cause Regional Tragedy
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=160671
Azeri Press Agency
November 30, 2011
MOSSAD’s former chief: “Israel’s strike on Iran will lead to regional tragedy”
Konul Jafarli
Baku: Former MOSSAD chief Meir Dagan warned on Iran, APA reports. Dagan said that Israel’s strike on Iran can lead to tragedy in the region.
According to him, if Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear establishments, Iran can answer Israel: “Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas will respond with massive rocket attacks on Israel, and it can cause many human losses”.
Dagan said Syria also can join this war, and it means that Israel will be isolated.
====
New NATO Division Hosts 200 Experts From Member, Partner States
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/30246/?SID=95f5c5ce17bfc3609c36a1ba528617b8
Defence Professionals
November 30, 2011
NATO and Partner Countries discuss New Challenges to Global Security
About 200 experts from NATO and partner countries gathered in Brussels on 28 November 2011 for the first conference on “New Challenges to Global Security” organised by NATO’s new Emerging Security Challenges Division.
“Many of these challenges cannot be kept at bay by the mere threat of military retaliation; and many require a much stronger focus on prevention and on enhancing the resilience of our infrastructure”, said the head Emerging Security Challenges Division, Assistant Secretary General Gabor Iklódy, welcoming participants from NATO and partner countries and from academic institutions.
The conference was an opportunity for security matter experts to look closely at the new Division’s agenda, ranging from threats to cyber networks and international terrorism to securing energy supplies and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. During the discussions, participants encouraged NATO’s Emerging Security Challenges Division to expand partnerships and enhance capabilities in dealing with modern threats. Assistant Secretary General Iklódy noted the importance of working together with partners…
The conference was sponsored by the Alliance’s “Science for Peace and Security” Programme and Carnegie Europe.
====
Rubén Darío: You think the future is wherever your bullet strikes
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Rubén Darío
To Roosevelt (1904)
Translated by Lysander Kemp
The voice that would reach you, Hunter, must speak
in Biblical tones, or in the poetry of Walt Whitman.
You are primitive and modern, simple and complex;
you are one part George Washington and one part Nimrod.
You are the United States,
future invader of our naive America
with its Indian blood, an America
that still prays to Christ and still speaks Spanish.
You are strong, proud model of your race;
you are cultured and able; you oppose Tolstoy.
You are an Alexander-Nebuchadnezzar,
breaking horses and murdering tigers.
(You are a Professor of Energy,
as current lunatics say).
You think that life is a fire,
that progress is an irruption,
that the future is wherever
your bullet strikes.
No.
The United States is grand and powerful.
Whenever it trembles, a profound shudder
runs down the enormous backbone of the Andes.
If it shouts, the sound is like the roar of a lion.
And Hugo said to Grant: “The stars are yours.”
(The dawning sun of the Argentine barely shines;
the star of Chile is rising..) A wealthy country,
joining the cult of Mammon to the cult of Hercules;
while Liberty, lighting the path
to easy conquest, raises her torch in New York.
But our own America, which has had poets
since the ancient times of Nezahualcóyolt;
which preserved the footprint of great Bacchus,
and learned the Panic alphabet once,
and consulted the stars; which also knew Atlantic
(whose name comes ringing down to us in Plato)
and has lived, since the earliest moments of its life,
in light, in fire, in fragrance, and in love -
the America of Moctezuma and Atahualpa,
the aromatic America of Columbus,
Catholic America, Spanish America,
the America where noble Cuauthémoc said:
“I am not in a bed of roses” – our America,
trembling with hurricanes, trembling with Love:
O men with Saxon eyes and barbarous souls,
our America lives. And dreams. And loves.
And it is the daughter of the Sun. Be careful.
Long live Spanish America!
A thousand cubs of the Spanish lion are roaming free.
Roosevelt, you must become, by God’s own will,
the deadly Rifleman and the dreadful Hunter
before you can clutch us in your iron claws.
And though you have everything, you are lacking one thing:
God!
*****
A Roosevelt
Es con voz de la Biblia, o verso de Walt Whitman,
que habría que llegar hasta ti, Cazador!
Primitivo y moderno, sencillo y complicado,
con un algo de Washington y cuatro de Nemrod.
Eres los Estados Unidos,
eres el futuro invasor
de la América ingenua que tiene sangre indígena,
que aún reza a Jesucristo y aún habla en español.
Eres soberbio y fuerte ejemplar de tu raza;
eres culto, eres hábil; te opones a Tolstoy.
Y domando caballos, o asesinando tigres,
eres un Alejandro-Nabucodonosor.
(Eres un profesor de energía,
como dicen los locos de hoy.)
Crees que la vida es incendio,
que el progreso es erupción;
en donde pones la bala
el porvenir pones.
No.
Los Estados Unidos son potentes y grandes.
Cuando ellos se estremecen hay un hondo temblor
que pasa por las vértebras enormes de los Andes.
Si clamáis, se oye como el rugir del león.
Ya Hugo a Grant le dijo: «Las estrellas son vuestras».
(Apenas brilla, alzándose, el argentino sol
y la estrella chilena se levanta…) Sois ricos.
Juntáis al culto de Hércules el culto de Mammón;
y alumbrando el camino de la fácil conquista,
la Libertad levanta su antorcha en Nueva York.
Mas la América nuestra, que tenía poetas
desde los viejos tiempos de Netzahualcoyotl,
que ha guardado las huellas de los pies del gran Baco,
que el alfabeto pánico en un tiempo aprendió;
que consultó los astros, que conoció la Atlántida,
cuyo nombre nos llega resonando en Platón,
que desde los remotos momentos de su vida
vive de luz, de fuego, de perfume, de amor,
la América del gran Moctezuma, del Inca,
la América fragante de Cristóbal Colón,
la América católica, la América española,
la América en que dijo el noble Guatemoc:
«Yo no estoy en un lecho de rosas»; esa América
que tiembla de huracanes y que vive de Amor,
hombres de ojos sajones y alma bárbara, vive.
Y sueña. Y ama, y vibra; y es la hija del Sol.
Tened cuidado. ¡Vive la América española!
Hay mil cachorros sueltos del León Español.
Se necesitaría, Roosevelt, ser Dios mismo,
el Riflero terrible y el fuerte Cazador,
para poder tenernos en vuestras férreas garras.
Y, pues contáis con todo, falta una cosa: ¡Dios!
Stop NATO news: November 30, 2011
====
NATO To Kosovo Serbs: “If Your Trucks Unload Gravel Here, We Will Shoot”
Kosovo In UN Security Council: NATO Quad Versus Russia And China
Senior U.S. Commander In Kosovo, Weighs In Against Serbs
Russia Concerned Over Calls For NATO To Become Global Policeman
U.S. Involved In Murder Of Russian Peacekeepers, Citizens In South Ossetia
Report: New Libyan Regime Sends 600 Troops To Fight In Syria
Libya Poised To Be NATO’s 14th Middle East/North African Partner
Videos And Text: Cold War And Crusades Never Ended
NATO Cross-Border Attacks Killed 72 Pakistani Troops, Injured 250 In Past Three Years: Army Spokesman
Sustained NATO Attack Was Deliberate: Pakistan Army
China: U.S. And NATO Have Trampled On International Law
Notice Sent To U.S. To Vacate Pakistani Air Base: Foreign Minister
Balochistan Government Endorses Ban On NATO Supplies
NATO Attack: Pakistan Pulls Out Of Afghanistan Talks
Local Officials: NATO Helicopters Killed Three Afghan Women
NATO Loses Another Soldier In Southern Afghanistan
Most Russians See NATO’s Drive East As Threat: Poll
Russia Commissions New Radar Against U.S.-NATO Missile System
Kaliningrad Radar A Signal To The West
Myanmar: U.S. Intensifies Isolation, Encirclement Of China
Canada To Complete High Arctic Military Center
50 Per Cent Export Increase Last Year: Germany Now Major Middle East Arms Supplier
====
NATO To Kosovo Serbs: “If Your Trucks Unload Gravel Here, We Will Shoot”
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=11&dd=29&nav_id=77551
Beta News Agency/Tanjug News Agency
November 29, 2011
KFOR: We’ll shoot; Serbs start building new road
JAGNJENICA: KFOR members used loud speakers on Tuesday to warn local Serbs that they would “shoot” if they built a new barricade at Jagnjenica.
KFOR at Jagnjenica on Tuesday (Tanjug)The locals ignored the warning and started hauling in earth and gravel, dumping it on the road, thus constructing a new barricade. KFOR reacted by throwing tear gas at the Serbs, who are also this Tuesday building a new road nearby.
This latest maneuver by the locals left KFOR troops “partially blocked”, Tanjug is reporting.
The vehicles the soldiers used on Monday to break up the old barricade are now located between two new road blocks, set up on both sides of the Zubin Potok-Zvečan road this afternoon.
KFOR vehicles can at present only retreat to Čabra, an ethnic Albanian village where they had set up camp, according to this report.
Earlier in the day, the talks between the NATO troops in Kosovo and local Serb leaders, held earlier in the day, did not produce any results.
“If your trucks unload gravel here, we will shoot,” it was heard from the KFOR loud speakers.
The citizens gathered on the roads reacted with dissatisfaction, but no incidents were reported from the scene.
During the meeting on Tuesday, KFOR again asked Serbs to leave the road, while Zubin Potok Mayor Slaviša Ristić said that the troops should return to the positions they held before they moved to remove the barricade at Jagnjenica, and added that KFOR enjoyed freedom of movement.
A KFOR commander, who reports said “did not wish to introduce himself”, accused Ristić of being “directly responsible for yesterday’s violence against KFOR” – an accusation which the mayor rejected as false.
Ristić also said he woud call on citizens to remain calm.
After the meeting, KFOR again used lound speakers to warn the Serbs to disperse, and threaten that tear gas would be used against them.
New road
Meantime, local Serbs have decided to build a new road near Jagnjenica.
On Tuesday afternoon, they brought machines to the location and started building an “alternative” road, in a bid to circumvent the barricade that is now held by KFOR.
The aim is to make sure that the town of Zubin Potok, now cut off from other towns in the north of the province, is once again connected to Zvečan and Kosovska Mitrovica.
The citizens are hauling in gravel and building the road, while KFOR troops are observing the developments.
====
Kosovo In UN Security Council: NATO Quad Versus Russia And China
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=11&dd=30&nav_id=77557
Tanjug News Agency
November 30, 2011
UN SC voices different views on Kosovo
-“KFOR and EULEX allegedly acted so as to ensure freedom of movement, but this is an shifting argument. According to the Resolution 1244, Kosovo is a special area within Serbia, and therefore we oppose the selective implementation of KFOR and EULEX’s mandate,” Churkin said.
“The use of force in order to establish the government of the so-called state of Kosovo is neither status neutral nor in keeping with their mandate,” Churkin pointed out, and added that Russia advocated a detailed investigation into developments from September 27, when KFOR used weapons and wounded civilians.
“Russia also demands that a full and objective investigation into allegations on organ trafficking be launched, under the auspices of the UN Security Council,” he said.
NEW YORK: U.S., Great Britain, France and Germany’s representatives in the UN Security Council supported on Tuesday removal of the barricades in northern Kosovo.
Russia and China, on the other hand, backed Serbia’s integrity.
Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić requested from the UN Security Council to prevent further unilateral actions. The UN Security Council permanent members strongly condemned violence but remained divided regarding who was responsible for it.
…
Commenting on the recent incidents in northern Kosovo, the German representative said that violence against KFOR soldiers had to be fiercely condemned because attacks on KFOR…
Pointing out that putting up roadblocks was unacceptable, Wittig called on all sides to refrain from violence and asked Serbian authorities to use their influence to prevent violence. He also appealed to Priština officials to get involved in the search for a solution to the problems of organized crime and attacks on minorities.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Rosemary DiCarlo said that the violence in northern Kosovo had been caused by few extremists, adding that her country was still optimistic regarding solving of the issues between Belgrade and Priština.
She called on the Serbian government to cooperate with KFOR and EULEX on removal of the barricades and arrest of suspected criminals in northern Kosovo.
DiCarlo said that Kosovo was a unique customs market and that it therefore had the right to control its borders. She accused the Serbian security structures of being in northern Kosovo illegally.
British Ambassador to the UN Michael Tatham strongly condemned the attacks on KFOR and called for an immediate removal of the barricades.
He also called for continuation of the Belgrade-Priština dialogue, adding that Great Britain supported Serbia’s EU integration.
French and German representatives voiced similar views. French Ambassador Gerard Araud said that the biggest victims of the barricades in the north were the people living there.
The German ambassador said that the violence was organized by the Serbs who kept protesting and called for full freedom of movement in the entire Kosovo.
He added that Serbia needed to implement the agreements that had been reached and that it was one of the conditions for the EU candidate status.
Russian and Chinese ambassadors had completely different views regarding Kosovo, pointing out that Priština was responsible for the violence in the north.
Russia’s Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the UN body had to send a clear message to everyone in Kosovo that they had to restrain from violence and continue the dialogue.
Pointing out that Russia shared the concern of the Serbian foreign minister over the situation in Kosovo, Churkin reiterated that official Moscow did not recognize the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo and that this stance would not change.
“The UNSC Resolution 1244 is in effect and represents an international and legal basis for the resolving of the Kosovo issue. We believe it is important that the dialogue is resumed, in order to find a solution to the problem,” the Russian ambassador said.
“Unilateral actions by Priština are unacceptable,” he stressed.
“Russia is concerned over the deterioration of the situation in northern Kosovo,” Churkin said, stressing that certain incidents were very brazen.
When it comes to the clashes between KFOR and Kosovo Serbs, he stated it would be best if KFOR concentrated not on the removal of barricades but rather on what the concerns of the people living in that part of the province were.
“KFOR and EULEX allegedly acted so as to ensure freedom of movement, but this is an shifting argument. According to the Resolution 1244, Kosovo is a special area within Serbia, and therefore we oppose the selective implementation of KFOR and EULEX’s mandate,” Churkin said.
“The use of force in order to establish the government of the so-called state of Kosovo is neither status neutral nor in keeping with their mandate,” Churkin pointed out, and added that Russia advocated a detailed investigation into developments from September 27, when KFOR used weapons and wounded civilians.
“Russia also demands that a full and objective investigation into allegations on organ trafficking be launched, under the auspices of the UN Security Council,” he said.
“Moreover, Moscow is concerned because the key witnesses in important proceedings have been eliminated and because the number of returnees in Kosovo is unsatisfactory,” the Russian representative concluded.
The Chinese ambassador stressed that Serbia’s integrity and territorial sovereignty needed to be respected and said that a dialogue should be a solution to the crisis.
He expressed concern over the human organ trafficking case in Kosovo, pointing out that Beijing requested a full and an unbiased investigation.
Colombia, Brazil, South Africa and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s representatives also stressed that the Belgrade-Priština dialogue was the only possible solution.
====
Senior U.S. Commander In Kosovo, Weighs In Against Serbs
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66279
U.S. Department of Defense
November 29, 2011
U.S. Commander Condemns Attacks on Kosovo Force
By Donna Miles
-To prepare for the mission, the KFOR 15 troops trained in realistic scenarios at Camp Atterbury, Ind., and most recently, at U.S. Army Europe’s Joint Multinational Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany.
WASHINGTON: A senior U.S. military leader in Europe condemned recent violence against NATO troops in Kosovo just as a Wisconsin Army National Guard unit prepares to take command of the 15th rotation of peacekeeping forces there.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples, visited Pristina, Kosovo, today to assess the situation a day after attacks by Serb demonstrators wounded more than two dozen NATO Kosovo Force members. No U.S. troops were wounded in the clashes.
The attacks occurred after the KFOR troops removed blockades that had shut off a main road in northern Kosovo.
“The use of violence against KFOR troops is unacceptable,” Locklear said in a statement released today…
About 180 members of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade are now preparing to assume authority for the next KFOR rotation in December. They will serve as the brigade headquarters unit for Multinational Battle Group East, also known as Task Force Falcon. In that role, the 157th will oversee operations for the entire Multinational Battle Group East.
The group includes National Guard and Reserve soldiers from Wisconsin, Mississippi, Georgia, Nebraska, Vermont, North Dakota, New Jersey, Wyoming, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico. It also includes international forces from Armenia, Greece, Poland, Turkey, Romania and the Ukraine.
To prepare for the mission, the KFOR 15 troops trained in realistic scenarios at Camp Atterbury, Ind., and most recently, at U.S. Army Europe’s Joint Multinational Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany.
…
Observer-controllers at both training sites strived to make the training as realistic as possible, he said, based on tactics, techniques and procedures taking place on the ground.
“Early on in our training, the focus was on a relatively steady state and calm environment in Kosovo,” Liethen said earlier this month at Hohenfels.
“Things have drastically changed,” he said. “It’s very obvious that the training program here at Hohenfels has been modified to replicate what is actually going on in Kosovo right now so that will definitely be a help in us conducting our mission.”
====
Russia Concerned Over Calls For NATO To Become Global Policeman
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/30/61244336.html
Voice of Russia
November 30, 2011
Moscow concerned over calls for NATO to become global cop
Moscow is concerned about calls by western politicians to turn NATO into a global cop.
This comes in a statement made by an official of the Russian Foreign Ministry Yuri Gorlach at an international conference in Moscow on Euro-Atlantic security architecture.
According to the diplomat, some politicians have an illusion that the world’s political problems could be settled through the use of force.
But an effective military operation does not necessarily entail settlement of internal problems in any given country.
A reliance on military force is counterproductive and serves to exacerbate crisis situations, Yuri Gorlach said.
====
U.S. Involved In Murder Of Russian Peacekeepers, Citizens In South Ossetia
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/285243.html
Itar-Tass
November 30, 2011
US involved in murder of Russian peacekeepers in S Ossetia
MOSCOW: Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Vladimir Nazarov said Russia has concrete proofs that the USA was involved in the murder of Russian peacekeepers, servicemen and citizens in South Ossetia. Nazarov said so at the international conference in Moscow on Euroatlantic security architecture on Wednesday.
“The USA was directly involved in the murder of Russian peacekeepers, servicemen and citizens in South Ossetia,” Nazarov stressed, “we have concrete proofs.”
“We’d like to remind our NATO partners about the role the alliance played in arming the Saakashvili regime, pushing it towards that war, and dragging Georgia toward NATO in 2007 and 2008,” the deputy Security Council secretary underlined.
====
Report: New Libyan Regime Sends 600 Troops To Fight In Syria
http://rt.com/news/libya-syria-fighters-smuggled-475/
RT
November 29, 2011
600 Libyans ‘already fighting in Syria’
-The Syrian government…is likely to see them as mercenaries, which NATO member Turkey allowed into their country as an alternative to a full-scale military campaign, which is impossible without the sanction of the United Nations Security Council.
The Libyan government apparently wants to share its successful experience of overthrowing the Gaddafi regime with like-minded Syrians. It has sent 600 of its troops to support local militants against the Assad regime, according to media reports.
The fighters have joined the Free Syria Army, the militant group carrying out attacks on government forces in Syria, reports the Egyptian news website Al-Ray Al-Arabi citing its sources. The report says the troops entered Syria through Turkish territory.
The alleged incursion happened with the consent of the chairman of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) Mustafa Abdul Jalil. The NTC allegedly welcomed volunteers to join the surge.
Last Friday British media reported a secret meeting between NTC envoys and Syrian rebels had been held in Istanbul. The Libyan governing body reportedly pledged to supply arms, money and fighters to the Syrians.
Bashar Assad’s government has repeatedly accused foreign forces of smuggling armed groups and weapons into Syria and thus fueling the ongoing violence.
In mid-October the Libyan NTC was the first government to recognize the rebel Syrian National Council as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people.
The Libyan population is in possession of many weapons, which they received during the civil war by plundering military depots, through smuggling or as aid from NATO members and countries like Qatar, which took part in the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The NTC has difficulties in disarming the ex-rebels, who want to keep their firearms, either for personal protection or as means to make their living.
In November, the Libyan capital, Tripoli, saw a mass protest by the rebels, who demanded that the NTC pay their wages. Some even threatened to overthrow the new government the way they did with the previous one, unless their demands are met.
Funneling armed, underemployed and eager-to-fight youngsters to another country could be a convenient move for the NTC. The Syrian government, however, is likely to see them as mercenaries, which NATO member Turkey allowed into their country as an alternative to a full-scale military campaign, which is impossible without the sanction of the United Nations Security Council.
====
Libya Poised To Be NATO’s 14th Middle East/North African Partner
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/285343.html
Itar-Tass
November 30, 2011
NATO ready to take part in programme for security in Libya
MOSCOW: NATO is ready to take part in a programme for strengthening security in Libya, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Stefanie Babst said.
Speaking at an international conference devoted to European security architecture on Wednesday, Babst said if the new Libyan government declared about the programme, which was related to strengthening security, NATO would be able to take concrete steps.
Babst also noted that NATO discussed the strengthening of cooperation with the Persian Gulf countries and the Middle East states. “Our allies would like to analyse partnership with the region. We did our work and held the corresponding consultations,” she said.
Deputy director of the Foreign Ministry Department for All European Cooperation Yuri Gorlach said Russia voiced concern over Western politicians’ calls for making NATO a “global policeman”.
Speaking at the conference, Gorlach said, “Certain Western politicians had an illusion that world political issues could be solved by military means. But a successful military operation cannot always help resolve internal issues in any country.”
“We all should react in order to help stabilise the situation in the countries. But the use of force is not effective and only slow down the dialogue and lead to internal contradictions in any country,” the Russian diplomat stressed.
For his part, head of the NATO Information Office in Moscow Robert Pszcel said the Alliance needed new approaches and ideas towards its relationship with Russia. “Of course, today we need new approaches and new ideas to develop further dialogue,” Pszcel said.
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Videos And Text: Cold War And Crusades Never Ended
http://rt.com/news/syria-un-condemnation-crimes-523/
RT
November 30, 2011
‘Cold War and crusades never finished’
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Pressure on the Syrian regime continues to intensify as do divisions among the UNSC members. Meanwhile, the UN human rights forum is expected to condemn Syria for crimes against humanity.
European and Arab diplomats have told Reuters that a UN human rights forum will on Wednesday announce an emergency session is to take place on Friday to condemn Damascus.
They also say the move is also designed to put pressure on Russia and China. Russia continues to insist on a compromise to end the crisis without any ultimatums.
It comes days after a UN commission of inquiry said Syrian security forces had committed murder, torture and rape during their crackdown on the anti-government uprising.
“This is very much being led by the Arab group. Some Arab ambassadors are at least as concerned as the European Union and United States – and possibly more,” Britain’s ambassador Peter Gooderham told Reuters.
Peter Eyre, a Middle East consultant, told RT that the Arab League is a “puppet of America and the United Nations.”
“You’ve got to understand that Cold War has never finished, the crusades have never finished,” he stated.
Eyre stresses that despite the idea of a movement uniting Islam, the Arab states have consistently turned their backs on each other in the Balkans, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan and, most recently, in Libya.
He also underlined that further sanctions will not help Western states to end the violence in Syria.
“Obviously the people of Syria are the ultimate victims. What we have here is the tip of the iceberg of the Arab Spring which is over-influenced by the West infiltrating into Syria,” he explained.
“Sanctions are a blunt instrument which ultimately affect the population more than they affect the ruling elites,” Middle East expert Edmund Ghareeb told RT.
As the peaceful protests did not have the kind of impact that its organizers had hoped for, Syria is sliding towards a civil war, he added.
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NATO Cross-Border Attacks Killed 72 Pakistani Troops, Injured 250 In Past Three Years: Army Spokesman
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=160494
Azeri Press Agency
November 29, 2011
72 troops killed by NATO cross-border attacks in Pakistan over last three years: army spokesman
Baku: A total of 72 Pakistani troops were killed and over 250 others injured by NATO cross-border attacks in Pakistan over the last three years, said an army spokesman on Monday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
In an interview with local media Geo TV, Major General Athar Abbas, spokesman of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a Pakistani army mouthpiece, said that the recent attacks by NATO forces on two Pakistani army checkposts in the country’s northwest tribal area of Mohmand Agency, which killed 24 Pakistani troops and injured 13 others, could lead to serious consequences.
He said that Pakistani authorities can not accept the lame excuses made by NATO forces that the attack was not deliberate or it was an act of misunderstanding.
To a question about a possible apology by NATO, the spokesman said that the apology by NATO is not enough. “We don’t accept any apology,” he said.
The ISPR spokesman denied NATO’s claim that Pakistani forces initiated the fire and said that no fire was opened from the Pakistani side and the troops retaliated only after the killing of their soldiers by the NATO attack.
He said that if NATO and ISAF were claiming that firing was started from the Pakistani side then they should present proof of the loss which they met by the firing from Pakistani troops and they should tell how many ISAF soldiers were injured or killed by the firing carried out by Pakistani troops.
According to the spokesman, when the attack was initiated, the Pakistani soldiers deployed on the checkposts immediately informed senior officers at the regional headquarters of Peshawar and main headquarters at GHQ Rawalpindi. The senior officials in army headquarters took up the issue with ISAF headquarters that an attack was being launched at Pakistani Army checkposts. They asked them to stop the firing immediately, but the NATO officials concerned did not halt the attack.
He said that after the attack reports came that 24 soldiers have been killed in the attack that continued around two hours even after the Pakistan Army informed NATO.
He said the spokesperson of NATO should explain why they continued to attack army checkposts after Pakistani officials clearly told them that their target was Pakistani troops and no terrorists were present in the area.
He said that to ensure safety and to rule out the presence of terrorists in the Mohmand Agency a large number of military checkposts were set up in the area and NATO was well aware of the presence of these posts and ISAF officials were informed whenever a new post was created so that they could have map references of these posts.
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Sustained NATO Attack Was Deliberate: Pakistan Army
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\30\story_30-11-2011_pg1_4
Associated Press of Pakistan
November 30, 2011
NATO raid was deliberate: army
* DGMO tells journalists positions of posts were already conveyed to ISAF through map references and it is impossible that they did not know these to be our posts
RAWALPINDI: The NATO attacks on border checkposts in Mohmand Agency were deliberate and were carried out in violation of coordination procedures, Director General Military Operations (DG MO), Maj Gen Ishfaq Nadeem, said on Tuesday.
Terming the strikes as unprovoked act of blatant aggression during a briefing to newsmen and defence analysts at the GHQ, Gen Nadeem said, “The positions of the posts were already conveyed to the ISAF through map references and it was impossible that they did not know these to be our posts.” Chief of General Staff, Lt General Waheed Arshad, was also present during the briefing.
The DG MO said that there were four border communication centres to coordinate operations against militants but, unfortunately, all standard operating procedures were violated by ISAF and NATO forces on the night of attack. The area where the attacks were carried out was already cleared of the militants by Pakistani forces and there was no cross-border movement of terrorists from Pakistan to Afghanistan, he added.
Prior to the incident, there had been three attacks which were carried out from across the border in 2008, 2010 and 2011, killing 14 Pakistani soldiers and injuring another 13, the senior military officer said. “No information regarding inquiry of these attacks was shared or provided to us despite our repeated requests, and when provided, it was inaccurate and incomplete,” he added.
Giving details of the incident, Gen Nadeem said after midnight on November 26, two to three helicopters arrived in the area and engaged the border post named Volcano, breaking down all communication systems there. In response, another post, Boulder, engaged the intruding helicopters with anti-aircraft guns and other weapons. The helicopters then attacked this post.
He said all channels of coordination methods were immediately activated. “We informed them about the attack. But, the helicopters reappeared and also engaged the Boulder post.” In the attacks, 24 soldiers, including two officers, embraced martyrdom while 15 others sustained injuries, he added. When asked why did the ISAF and NATO attacked the Pakistani posts and what type of advantage they wanted to gain, Gen Nadeem said that people could better analyse the situation in the backdrop of the post-May 2 operation.
To a query, he said the response of the government was adequate and mentioned the Defence Cabinet Committee (DCC) meeting and notice to the US for vacation of the Shamsi airbase. The DG MO said the Pakistan Air Force was not asked to respond to the attack because the situation on the ground was not clear. Commenting on Afghan media reports about shelling from the Pakistani side of the border into Afghanistan, he said the reports were totally incorrect and there was no truth in them.
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China: U.S. And NATO Have Trampled On International Law
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\30\story_30-11-2011_pg7_5
Daily Times
Agencies
November 30, 2011
US fanning terror, flouting international laws: China
* State newspaper says attack proves US will not show the slightest hesitation to violate sovereignty of another nation to ensure its ‘absolute security’
BEIJING: China’s top state newspaper on Tuesday accused the United States of flouting international law and fanning terrorism after a NATO attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, and it warned that the Islamabad’s grip on security could be dangerously weakened.
The condemnation in the People’s Daily, the main newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, kept up Beijing’s angry words in support of its partner, Pakistan, as Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that “business as usual” with the United States has been over after the attack on Saturday.
NATO called the killings a “tragic, unintended incident”, and the US officials said NATO and American investigations would determine what happened in the attack in northwest Pakistan.
But the People’s Daily said the attack already laid bare deeper problems in the US approach to militant threats.
“Above all, we must be clear that the United States and NATO have trampled on international laws and rules,” said a commentary in the newspaper.
“The United States and NATO have violated international law and international norms,” the paper said in an editorial condemning the attacks.
“This shows…that at crucial moments, the United States will not show the slightest hesitation to violate the sovereignty of another nation to ensure its ‘absolute security’.”
“The risk in fighting terror this way is that it will ignite latent sympathy and support for terrorism, as well as hurting many innocent people and damaging international law,” said a commentary in the Chinese-language newspaper.
“The soil nurturing terrorism will become even more fertile, and the space for terrorism to spread even broader,” it said.
The commentary came after the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei voiced shock over the assault, and the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi offered Beijing’s firm support to his Pakistani counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar.
…
The close ties between China and Pakistan reflect…a desire to hedge against US influence across the region.
The People’s Daily commentary said the killings of the soldiers could inflict lasting damage.
“Islamabad’s grip on domestic security will also be weakened,” it said. “This will not only work against the war on terror, it could also leave the risk of long-term turmoil.”
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Notice Sent To U.S. To Vacate Pakistani Air Base: Foreign Minister
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\30\story_30-11-2011_pg1_9
Associated Press of Pakistan
November 30, 2011
Notice sent to US for vacating Shamsi: FM
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Tuesday that in line with the decisions of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet, a notice has been sent to the US for vacating the Shamsi airbase within 15 days.
Terming the NATO/ISAF attack on border posts in Mohmand Agency as a breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty and violation of international law, the foreign minister said, “The time has come to review our relations.”
Talking to the state television channel, the foreign minister said Pakistan has supported the international community in the war against terrorism and has rendered great sacrifices.
She said Pakistan’s positive cooperation must be recognised at an international level and should not be taken as a weakness.
Khar said Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected at all cost.
She categorically stated that the nation and the government would not tolerate such incidents in future. “We don’t want any aid or assistance, but we want to live with dignity and honour.”
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Balochistan Government Endorses Ban On NATO Supplies
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=127893
Pakistan Observer
November 30, 2011
Balochistan govt endorses ban on entrance of NATO supplies
Quetta: The Balochistan government has endorsed the decision to ban the entrance of NATO supplies into the jurisdiction of Balochistan province.
According to a handout issued here, the decision was taken in a meeting of the provincial cabinet held with Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani in chair. The Balochistan cabinet offered Fateha for the security forces officials and soldiers who embraced martyrdom in the attack by NATO helicopters. It strongly condemned the NATO attack and termed it a violation of sovereignty of Pakistan.
Nawab Raisani said the entire nation was standing with the Pakistan military to combat the nefarious designs of the enemy. The provincial cabinet emphasized the need to initiate comprehensive measures to halt such attacks in future. It is reported from Multan that MQM leaders and members of the Rabta Committee Raza Haroon, Waseem Akhtar, Iftekhar Akbar Randhawa and other members on Monday strongly condemned the NATO attack on the Pakistan army and paid tribute to the martyred soldiers.
…
Raza Haroon said that in line with the direction of MQM leader Altaf Hussain, the party has replaced party flags with the national flag at all the regional office of MQM to show unity with the Pakistan army. He said that an election is the only way to get change in the country.
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NATO Attack: Pakistan Pulls Out Of Afghanistan Talks
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\30\story_30-11-2011_pg1_1
Daily Times
Agencies
November 30, 2011
Pakistan pulls out of Afghan talks
* Cabinet decides to boycott Bonn conference in anger over Mohmand attack
* Endorses DCC decisions to cut NATO supply and get the Shamsi airbase vacated from US
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday decided to boycott a key international conference on Afghanistan next month, widening its protest over lethal cross-border NATO strikes and exacerbating a deep crisis in US ties.
“Pakistan looks forward to the success of this conference but in view of the developments and prevailing circumstances has decided not to participate in the conference,” a government statement said. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting, which termed the attack an assault on the sovereignty of Pakistan. The cabinet gave its approval to and appreciated the decisions of the DCC to immediate close NATO/ISAF logistic supply lines and asking the US to vacate the Shamsi Airbase within fifteen days. The meeting was of the view that actions such as these attacks were contrary to the spirit of partnership and business as usual was no longer possible.
Prime Minster Yousaf Raza Gilani, who chaired the meeting, announced to summon a joint session of parliament after the recommendations of the parliamentary committee on National Security to discuss the NATO attack and the controversial memo affair. Addressing the meeting at the Punjab Governor’s House, the prime minister said there could be no compromise on Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity nor on the nation’s resolve to safeguard its frontiers.
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Local Officials: NATO Helicopters Killed Three Afghan Women
http://news.antiwar.com/2011/11/29/local-officials-nato-helicopters-killed-three-afghan-women/
Antiwar.com
November 29, 2011
Local Officials: NATO Helicopters Killed Three Afghan Women
Attack on Civilian Homes in Kandahar District
by Jason Ditz
At least three women were killed today and two men were wounded when NATO helicopters attacked a civilian neighborhood in Kandahar Province’s Zhari District, according to the provincial governor’s office.
NATO has so far declined comment on the attack one way or another to the press, but the governor’s spokesman said they had acknowledged the incident to their office.
The attack is the second major NATO strike on the district in as many weeks, as an attack last week on Zhari killed nine civilians, including six children.
There was no indication of any activity around the area that would be expected to lead to “air support” being called in, and the governor’s office says at least four rockets were fired at the civilian houses.
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NATO Loses Another Soldier In Southern Afghanistan
Associated Press
November 30, 2011
NATO service member dies in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan: NATO says a roadside bomb has killed a service member with the international military coalition in southern Afghanistan.
NATO says the service member was killed Wednesday. It did not disclose the nationality of the service member or provide other details.
So far this year, 515 international troops have been killed in Afghanistan, including at least 386 Americans.
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Most Russians See NATO’s Drive East As Threat: Poll
http://en.rian.ru/society/20111129/169146770.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 29, 2011
Most Russians see NATO eastward expansion as threat – poll
MOSCOW: Most Russians don’t see NATO as Russia’s partner and are convinced that the bloc’s eastward expansion is a threat to the country’s security, show the results of a poll by a state-run pollster released on Tuesday.
34 percent of respondents are convinced that the bloc is a threat to Russia’s security, down 7 percentage points from 2009. An equal number of respondents said they though the bloc is not Russia’s partner but that it poses no real threat to Russia.
Only 8 percent of respondents said NATO was Russia’s partner.
“Most of those who consider NATO a threat are supporters of the A Just Russia party (47 percent), the Communist Party of Russia (42 percent), as well as Muscovites and residents of St. Petersburg. Those who don’t see NATO as a threat are mostly residents of towns (41 percent),” the pollster said in a report.
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The respondents who are worried about NATO expansion are mostly A Just Russia supporters (79 percent), residents of large cities (73 percent) and people of pre-retirement age or older (62-65 percent).
Those who don’t see NATO’s eastward expansion as a threat support non-parliamentary parties (26 percent) and are mostly young people.
The poll was conducted on October 22-23 among 1,600 respondents from 138 cities and towns in 46 Russian regions.
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Russia Commissions New Radar Against U.S.-NATO Missile System
http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/284423.html
Itar-Tass
November 29, 2011
Kaliningrad radar commissioned as part of missile warning system
KALININGRAD: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday ordered to commission the Voronezh-DM-class Kaliningrad radar as part of the missile warning system.
Medvedev, who arrived at the military unit where the radar is located, proceeded to the command quarters. Commander of the aerospace defense (VKO) troops Lt-Gen Oleg Ostapenko reported to the head of state about the radar’s readiness to go on line, and Medvedev issued the order to add the facility to the VKO assets.
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Medvedev said he would chair a conference later in the day with the leadership of the armed forces within the framework of the instructions he had issued last week in connection with the situation involving U.S. missile defense facilities in Europe.
The Kaliningrad radar went on line ahead of schedule after the Russian president’s statement.
Radars of this class are Russian factory-assembled over-the-horizon, long-range warning facilities…
In addition, Voronezh-DM functions in decimal waveband, which provides for higher accuracy. Its energy consumption is lower by 40 percent, and it utilizes less equipment than previous models. The range of Voronezh-dm reaches 6,000 kilometers.
At present, similar facilities are on experimental and combat duty in Armavir and the Leningrad region (village of Lekhtusi). In 2012, another Vornozeh-DM radar will be commissioned in the Irkutsk region.
The Kaliningrad radar was built to improve the missile warning system in Russia’s northeastern air/space direction and covers the western sector, which was monitored by the stations in Mukachyovo and Baranovichi in Soviet times.
“It considerably expands the range of information tasks for subsequent decision-making by our country’s top leadership,” VKO troops commander Lt-Gen Oleg Ostapenko noted in this connection on November 25.
The Russian Defense Ministry plans to replace all Russian long-range radars with Voronezh-DM facilities and build several new ones. Using these radars, Russia will fully restore its monitoring of airspace in its territory and far beyond.
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/29/c_131277494.htm
Xinhua News Agency
November 29, 2011
Russia activates missile warning system in Kaliningrad
MOSCOW: Russia has activated a radar warning system in Kaliningrad in response to a planned U.S. missile shield in Europe, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.
“I expect that this step will be seen by our partners as the first signal of the readiness of our country to make an adequate response” to the U.S. shield, President Dmitry Medvedev told senior defense officials in Kaliningrad.
Russia is ready to listen to Western partners’ proposals on the missile defense issues, Medvedev said.
“If other steps are taken, we will naturally be prepared to listen,” he said, but “in any case only verbal statements will not suffice.”
Medvedev said last week that Russia might station missile defense systems, including the Iskander, in western and southern sections of the country if there were any additional U.S. missile deployments in Europe.
Moscow has long opposed the deployment of U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities near its borders. It wants legally binding guarantees from the United States and NATO that the missile defense shield is not targeting Russia.
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http://rt.com/politics/opens-kaliningrad-radar-station-459/
RT
November 29, 2011
Russia launches new missile defense to cover Atlantic
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered operational the newest Russian radar system that protects from missile attacks and covers all Europe and Atlantic.
Medvedev personally arrived in Russia’s westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad and received a report from the Space Defense Troops commander that the radar station was fully ready for the launch. After this, the president gave the order to put the radar on combat duty.
At the ceremony Medvedev said that the radar launch was a sign to the Western partners that Russia was ready to promptly respond to threats that arise with the start of the European missile defense. “I expect that this step will be regarded by Western partners as the first signal of our country’s readiness to appropriately respond to the threats posed by the missile defense system to our strategic nuclear forces,” the Russian President said.
After the launch the president held a conference with top commanders of the Russian Military Forces. There he said that Russia was ready to listen to proposals on missile defense, but repeated that “verbal statements alone will not suffice.”
“If our signal is not heard, as I said on November 23 we will deploy other means of defense, including approving harsh counter-measures and the deployment of a strike group,” Medvedev said. “If other steps are taken, we are ready to listen to them, but in any case, verbal statements alone will not suffice,” the president said.
“When they tell us ‘this is not meant against you,’ I would like to say the following today – dear friends, this radar station that started its work today is also not meant against you. But it is meant for us and for the tasks that we set before us,” Medvedev said.
The Voronezh-DM station has been working in test mode for the whole of 2011. There were no technical failures over this period, Interfax news agency reported, quoting a source in the Defense Ministry. The source also said that the Kaliningrad station will be the third of its kind, with the first two already working in Leningrad and Krasnodar Regions.
With the effective detection range of 6,000 kilometers, the Voronezh-DM is processing the reports of missile strikes on military and civilian combat posts. The station is capable of working in connection with Moscow’s missile defense system.
The commander of the Russian Space Defense Troops, Lieutenant-General Oleg Ostapenko has said earlier that the new station in Kaliningrad would allow control of the entire European and Atlantic regions.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last week said that Russia would strengthen its defenses and deploy missiles and anti-missile components to Kaliningrad as a reply to the US and NATO constant push towards creating the European Missile Defense system with components stationed near the Russian border.
Russia opposes the program, saying it threatens the balance of nuclear forces and demands legally-binding guarantees that the system will not be used against it. The Western side says the new missile defense it built against the threat from rogue states, but so far provided no such guarantees to Russia.
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Kaliningrad Radar A Signal To The West
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/29/61226419.html
Voice of Russia
November 29, 2011
Kaliningrad radar a signal to the West
Svetlana Andreyeva
A long-range anti-missile radar has been put on combat duty in Russia’s northwestern region of Kaliningrad.
President Dmitry Medvedev, who personally inaugurated the Kaliningrad radar on Tuesday, said that its key task was to provide early warning of possible missile attacks and to protect national security in the most missile-dangerous directions. He did not rule out the possibility of integrating the Kaliningrad radar into a joint Russian-NATO missile defense shield in the future but complained that Western partners were reluctant to cooperate in this sphere.
The Voronezh-DM radar in Kaliningrad is a signal to the West that Russia will respond adequately to potential threats emanating from the U.S. anti-missile system in Europe, President Medvedev said:
“The Voronezh-DM radar is an instrument of aerospace control. It does not pose any threat to our neighbors. Its creation does not shut the door to dialogue on the issues we have been discussing with our colleagues. Its capabilities allow it to be used in the interests of a common European missile defense system. But this will depend on the ultimate approaches we expect NATO, the United States and European partners to formulate. The usual statements that the system of a phased and adaptive transition to European missile defense, which is currently being created, is not directed against Russia no longer suits us. Unfortunately, verbal assurances do not guarantee the protection of our interests. If other proposals are put forward, naturally we are ready to listen to them. But verbal statements are not enough. The radar that was put into operation today is not against you – it is for you and for addressing the tasks we are setting ourselves.”
The up-to-date decimeter-band Kaliningrad radar will carry out aerospace surveillance across a vast territory from the North Pole to North Africa. It is capable of tracking a target at a distance of 6,000 km and consumes 40% less power than its predecessors. Another of its advantages is that it is easily movable and rapidly assembled.
The Kaliningrad radar is the first of the counter-measures announced by President Medvedev on November 23 in response to the unilateral deployment of the U.S. missile defense shield in Europe.
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Myanmar: U.S. Intensifies Isolation, Encirclement Of China
http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/686292/China-Myanmar-ties-challenged-by-US-moves.aspx
Global Times
November 29, 2011
China-Myanmar ties challenged by US moves
By Li Xiguang
-Myanmar ports would be able to shorten the distance between Western China and the Indian Ocean by 3,000 kilometers by not passing through the Strait of Malacca and the ports in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Myanmar is also looked as a crucial alternative route in China’s long-term goal of securing a safe conduit of its much-needed fuel from Middle East and Africa.
-In the worst case crisis scenario in China-US relations, a blockade of the Chinese coast and the Malacca Strait could be the cards the US is most likely to play. In late September, Myanmar made a surprising announcement that it would halt the construction of the $3.6 billion Myitsone hydropower station invested by a Chinese company.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Myanmar, starting today, will further unnerve China, which has recently been increasingly worried that the aim of the new US Asian policy is to isolate and encircle China.
Historically and geographically, Myanmar has been a close neighbor to China. For centuries, the two countries have enjoyed a family tie known as “pauk-phaw (brotherhood)” in Myanmese because of intermarriage between border inhabitants.
China’s former premier Zhou Enlai visited Myanmar nine times while his counterpart, Myanmar leader Ne Win visited China 12 times. During Zhou’s first visit to Myanmar in 1954, the two countries stressed the five principles of peaceful coexistence in international relations. The five principles are still the foundation of China’s handling of international relations today.
For centuries, the two peoples have traveled freely across the border on dirt roads and forested mountains. Chinese late foreign minister Marshal Chen Yi composed a poem which reads, “I (China) am upstream and you (Myanmar) are downstream. We share water from the same river with friendship.”
Today, Myanmar is the pivot of China’s grand strategy to achieve its economic growth goal.
The development of Western China depends on a secured shorter trade and fuel routes to the ocean. Close to the key shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, Myanmar is important for China to develop its southwestern inland provinces, which have a population of about 200 million people.
These backward provinces want to trade with the growing economies of Southeast Asia, India, the Arab world and Europe. Chinese academics and the government have been discussing using Myanmar as a bridge to revive the legendary “Southwest Silk Road” from Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces to Myanmar and westward to India, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Myanmar ports would be able to shorten the distance between Western China and the Indian Ocean by 3,000 kilometers by not passing through the Strait of Malacca and the ports in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Myanmar is also looked as a crucial alternative route in China’s long-term goal of securing a safe conduit of its much-needed fuel from Middle East and Africa.
China in recent decades has been constructing an oil pipeline and highway in Myanmar to obtain access to a port by the Indian Ocean. With the 2,000-kilometer Myanmar-Yunnan-Chongqing oil pipeline, China has now almost secured an outlet to the Indian Ocean for its landlocked southwestern provinces.
But recently, this route appears to be under increasing uncertainty. As early as 2010, Clinton declared that the South China Sea was vital to US interests. In September of this year, Clinton announced a new US policy in South Asia of building a new Silk Road bypassing China. In the November issue of Foreign Policy magazine, Clinton published a lengthy article in which she declared the coming of the US’s Pacific Century. And two weeks later, at a forum in Honolulu, Obama announced that “The US is a Pacific power and we’re here to stay.”
In the worst case crisis scenario in China-US relations, a blockade of the Chinese coast and the Malacca Strait could be the cards the US is most likely to play. In late September, Myanmar made a surprising announcement that it would halt the construction of the $3.6 billion Myitsone hydropower station invested by a Chinese company.
A month later, Clinton announced that she would visit Myanmar, perhaps as a kind of reward to the country’s new leadership. Chinese media speculate that the US government was behind the Myanmar decision to halt the dam.
Obama and Clinton’s latest moves to isolate and encircle China have made the country more eager than ever to vary its routes for transporting fuel from the Middle East and Africa. China cannot afford to lose the Myanmar route.
The author is director of International Center for Communication, Tsinghua University.
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Canada To Complete High Arctic Military Center
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/11/27/north-high-arctic-military-centre.html
CBC News
November 27, 2011
Ottawa moves ahead with High Arctic military centre
The new military facility will be built on to the existing Polar Continental Shelf Project research base in Resolute, Nunavut. It is scheduled to be complete by 2013
The federal government will move ahead with its planned military facility in Resolute, Nunavut.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised an Arctic warfare training facility in 2007. The facility looks like it will now become reality, but with a few changes to the original plan.
…
[The Department of National Defence's Major Bill Chambré said] “My focus is mainly building a training facility but to also have a facility where we can conduct operations.”
The facility will be built on to the existing Polar Continental Shelf Project research base, which is already the largest in the community.
…
The building’s price tag is $18 million and the final design is expected to be complete by next month.
Chambré insists it is not the permanent search and rescue base northerners have called for because it’s unlikely the military will use the facility year round.
The government plans to work out of the facility mostly during winter, with people from other government departments working there mainly in summer.
“I certainly don’t see this going idle, especially when we have two government departments sharing,” said Chambré.
Building materials will arrive in Resolute on the next sealift, and construction is scheduled to be complete by 2013.
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50 Per Cent Export Increase Last Year: Germany Now Major Middle East Arms Supplier
United Press International
November 29, 2011
Germany now major Mideast arms supplier
BEIRUT, Lebanon: The German government is under fire for its $2 billion sale of 270 Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi Arabia but the fact is that Germany is now a key arms supplier to the Middle East.
Its customers include Israel, which has ordered three more Dolphin class submarines from Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, and Algeria, which in June was cleared for frigates, armored vehicles and border security systems that newsmagazine Der Spiegel says are worth $14 billion.
German opposition parties and critics within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right coalition, as well as peace and church groups, are up in arms over the secretive Saudi deal because it underlines a fundamental shift in Germany’s long-restrictive export regulations.
“In her eagerness to support the German defense industry, Merkel is breaking with a traditional doctrine of German foreign policy,” Der Spiegel reports.
“The fundamental principle used to be that weapons produced in Germany couldn’t be delivered to countries engaged in a conflict.
“Now, the government is justifying its deals with strategic arguments, saying the government in Riyadh is needed as a stabilizing force in the Middle East,” Der Spiegel noted.
The previous German government sanctioned arms sales to Saudi Arabia as well but these totaled around $400 million, chickenfeed compared to Berlin’s current military exports to the Middle East.
“This latest tank deal overshadows everything that went before,” Der Spiegel observed. “And no other administration has so blatantly taken on the role of sales representative for the German defense industry.”
The Germans are battling hard for military contracts in the Middle East, where conflict has been a constant since World War II and the post-colonial period. These have long been dominated by the United States, Britain, France and Russia.
…
[T[he government maintains that while the kingdom is a problematic partner, Saudi Arabia plays a key role in mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is a crucial ally in the battle against Islamic terrorism.
But most importantly, it says, Saudi Arabia is in the front line against Iran…
This, supporters of arms sale argue, is why the Jewish state didn’t oppose the sale of the 270 Leopard 2A7+ tanks built by Munich’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall to Saudi Arabia.
The German government’s annual Defense Exports Report, released in early November, said German arms exports grew by 50 percent in 2010.
The report said Germany exported arms and military equipment worth $2.66 billion, including big-ticket items such as submarines, warships and tanks. In 2009, the total was $1.79 billion.
In addition, the report noted, German armaments manufacturers like KMW, almost half of whose sales involve Leopard tanks; naval shipbuilders ThyssenKrupp; firearms-maker Heckler and Koch; and Cassidian, an offshoot of the giant EADS European aerospace consortium, sealed contracts in 2010 with a total value of $6.66 billion.
The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., which includes Germany’s DaimlerChryslerAerospace AG, manufactures the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Saudis bought 72 in 2006 for $6 billion.
“Growth doesn’t come from Europe anymore,” explained Cassidian Chief Executive Officer Stefan Zoller.
Defense budgets in Europe are stagnating, he says, and now the biggest opportunities are to be had in the Middle East, along with India and Brazil, both with expanding economies and military forces.
Cassidian recently secured a $2.6 billion contract to build a security system along Saudi Arabia’s 5,600 miles of land border as well as air and seaports, comprising radars, sensors, cameras and other electronic systems.
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Adam Mickiewicz: The transient glory of military conquerors
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855)
The Ruins of the Castle at Balaklava
Translator unknown
These castles heaped in shattered piles once graced
And guarded you, Crimea, thankless land!
Today like giant skulls set high they stand
And shelter reptiles, or men more debased.
Upon that tower a coat of arms is traced,
And letters, some dead hero’s name, whose hand
Scourged armies. Now he sleeps forgotten and
The grapevine holds him, like a worm, embraced.
Here Greeks have chiseled Attic ornament,
Italians cast the Mongols into chains
And pilgrims chanted slowly, Mecca bent:
Today the black-winged vulture only reigns
As in a city, dead and pestilent,
Where mourning banners flutter to the plains.
Rampant Militarization of the World: West Risks New Arms Race In Europe
Voice of Russia
November 29, 2011
Does the West want to start arms race in Europe?
John Robles
Interview with Rick Rozoff, the manager of the Stop NATO website and mailing list and a contributing writer to GlobalResearch.ca
Collage: Voice of Russia
About a month ago, NATO tested first-strike capabilities by using a mobile radar in Turkey. Why would a defensive system need to test offensive capabilities? We have the cyber warfare center. You said it also can be used as an offensive tool by the U.S. We have hypersonic missile tests and the Prompt Global Strike system. I think these are pretty good reasons for the Russian Federation to be worried, to put it mildly, as to the intentions of the West. Why would the West want to start an arms race in Europe? Why would this be profitable? Why not include Russia as part of the sectoral approach system? It’s probably a rhetorical question but can you touch upon it?
There is no rational answer to it, certainly not a persuasive one from the West. For example, as you mentioned, Russia is far from simply arbitrarily and firmly opposing the creation of a unilateral U.S. interceptor missile system in Europe. The entire western flank of Russia is affected by this, of course: From the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
Russia went out of its way, Russian political leadership went out of its way to be accommodating; to offer, for example, the use of the Gabala radar site it maintains in Azerbaijan to be employed in conjunction with NATO. It offered a sectoral approach in which Russia would cover part of the affected area and NATO the other and so forth, for purposes of integration and communication. But we know that several things have occurred this week, and so far this month – the advanced hypersonic weapon test earlier this month, the statement by Anatoly Serdyukov, the defense minister of Russia, the day before Medvedev’s statement stating that Russian Air Defenses will be equipped to protect Russian nuclear strategic capabilities in the European part of the Russian Federation, and also that the U.S. announced – and was soon followed by 14 NATO allies in doing so – that it is effectively pulling out of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, blaming Russia for it because Russia suspended its activities within the CFE, as it’s known, in 2007 – but did so because the U.S. and its NATO allies refused to ratify amendments to the treaty. The U.S. has used the presence of a comparatively small contingent of Russian peacekeepers in Transdniester and, before Mikhail Saakashvili launched an assault against South Ossetia and began the 5-day war with Russia in August of 2008, the existence at that time of, again, small contingents of Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, using that as an excuse for basically suspending, for not ratifying amendments to, the CFE Treaty.
And we have, as you know, President Medvedev’s statement on Wednesday, the fact that Russia may be compelled to suspend its activities in or withdraw from the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). This is a very momentous week in terms of security in Russia with the fear of not only a new arms race, a new missile race, but something perhaps even more ominous than that.
What we are looking at is brinkmanship, lawlessness – I don’t know what other words to use to describe it – very bold and threatening actions by the U.S. and its NATO partners to move missiles up to Russia’s borders, in the case of Poland, which adjoins Kaliningrad, and perhaps Aegis-class warships equipped with Standard Missile-3 interceptors in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Russia and, of course, the 24 Standard Missile-3 land-based interceptors that are going to be placed in Romania, directly across the Black Sea from Russia.
I believe that President Medvedev mentioned precisely that – “on our borders and in waters bordering Russia” and so forth. What we are seeing is an almost calculated provocation, as I would characterize it. That’s the best interpretation.
The worst is that the U.S. and NATO are building up the military capability for neutralizing Russia’s strategic deterrent capability in the west and the south of the country. And I suspect that, having this year a military budget of some $730 billion, which in constant dollars is at a World War II level, the highest since 1945, I’m reminded of the old expression that the abuse of power inevitably results from the power to abuse. As long as the U.S. has built itself into, in Obama’s terms, “the world’s sole military superpower,” it feels it can operate with impunity.
Would you say it’s time for the world to be very concerned here?
It’s way past time to be very concerned. I don’t know if it occurred at this year’s General Assembly session at the UN but I know that in preceding years Russia and China jointly went to the General Assembly and introduced resolutions addressing yet another threat, which is the militarization of space by the U.S. This is the ultimate facet of the so-called global missile shield. So there will be a space component to this in addition to land-, air- and sea-based interceptor missiles and radar. The world has sounded the alarm, at least major nations have. But I would like to see both the Security Council and the General Assembly convene on an emergency basis, to be honest about it, to demand that this rampant militarization of the world stop. Two years ago, the Financial Times talked about a $123 billion arms package for Saudi Arabia and three of its Persian Gulf allies with the U.S. The Saudi portion of that is estimated at $60-67 billion, which is the single largest bilateral military deal in human history.
We’ve seen comparable buildups with countries like Canada, Australia and Japan. You don’t build up this kind of military capability unless, at the very least, you are going to use it to blackmail somebody.
We should recall that on Wednesday President Medvedev’s statements were very tempered. He was mentioning certain contingency plans that would only be put into operation if the U.S. didn’t eventually heed the plea by Russia to notify it of its missile deployment plans and not pose a threat, or a potential threat, to Russian strategic interests and so forth. This wasn’t a threat. This was rather stating that Russia would be compelled to introduce certain defensive measures if the U.S. and NATO continued to turn a deaf ear to Russia’s offers of cooperation but was also an expression of its concern. One major Russian official – it may have been Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, I’m not sure – says the U.S. claims to be defending its own territory by building up a missile defense system, but that missile defense system is encroaching on Russian borders.
Stop NATO news: November 29, 2011
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Will America’s New Hypersonic Weapon Cause A Global Arms Race?
Russian Warships Head For Syria
Syria: Russia Rejects Arms Embargo, Repeat Of Libyan Scenario
Turkey Ready For Military Option In Syria
SCO Partners: China, Russia Say NATO Attacks On Pakistan Unacceptable
China Backs Pakistan’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity
Russian Foreign Minister Condemns Deadly NATO Air Attack In Pakistan
NATO Exceeds All Limits In Pakistan
Pakistan Army Refuses To Accept NATO “Expressions Of Regret”
Black Day: Anti-NATO Protests Spread Across Pakistan
Pakistan To Boycott Bonn Afghan Conference Over Deadly NATO Strike
Balochistan Bans Entry Of NATO Vehicles
Kyrgyz Air Base: Over 100,000 U.S., NATO Troops Transit Yearly
Russia Considers Blocking NATO’s Afghan Supply Routes Over Missiles
Russian Radar In Kaliningrad Response To U.S.-NATO Missiles
Russian Envoy: U.S.-NATO Missile Deployment Like 1962 Cuban Crisis
Video And Text: NATO Orders Use Of Live Ammunition Against Kosovo Serbs
50 Serb Civilians, 25 NATO Troops Injured In Kosovo Clashes
NATO Shouldn’t Intervene In Arctic Disputes: Russian Foreign Minister
NATO Military Commanders Push Bosnia’s Integration Into Bloc
NATO Official, Azeri Defense Chief Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
NATO Intensifies Military Partnership With Iraq
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Will America’s New Hypersonic Weapon Cause A Global Arms Race?
http://www.policymic.com/articles/2590/will-america-s-new-hypersonic-weapon-cause-a-global-arms-race
PolicyMic
November 28, 2011
Will America’s New Hypersonic Weapon Cause a Global Arms Race?
Georgi Ivanov
On November 18, the Army ran a field test of a new hypersonic flight weapon, specifically testing for technologies that would boost the vehicle’s speed and help it glide smoother, as well as seeing how well it maneuvres and how precisely it could strike a target.
This new weapon has implications for Pacific and global strategic balances. It can deliver a conventional strike anywhere in the world within an hour. If put fully into use, it puts America in an advantageous position relative to China and Russia, not only in the Pacific, but also globally, in respect to the capacity for global strike capability.
The purpose of Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) program is to develop “a first-of-its-kind glide vehicle, designed to fly within the earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed and long range.” It is also interesting to note that not only the Army is pursuing the development of such a vehicle. The Air Force and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are undertaking similar research that would provide this branch of the military with a similar hypersonic flight weapon.
The collapse of the USSR left America without a comparable international rival, and while China’s spectacular growth may be a prelude to Beijing’s future predominance, as of today the Asian giant’s military is not considered a rival to American hard power capacities. In effect, AHW could give Washington a political and technological edge over potential rivals for some time.
Russia’s BULAVA project, a submarine-launched missile with multiple warheads that can be independently targeted, can be considered a competitor to Washington’s hypersonic project in terms of having global delivery capability with similar precision. However, with approximately half of the trials having been failures, it is probable that the technological maturation of the project may take longer than anticipated. Namely, because America seemingly has the capacity to run parallel research programs on the same project, it will likely achieve a quality final product sooner.
New weapons will raise the question of a global regulatory regime to prevent stockpiling or the establishment of Mutal Assured Destruction-like doctrines between the major powers. But there is no space for this kind of simplistic strategic thinking in a multi-polar world. In Asia, China finds itself in a much more intricate regional position than does America half a world away; this condition is enough to enforce a nuance to Chinese foreign policy that also must be applied by Beijing’s military policy planners in respect to developing new weapons…
New weapons will change the capabilities of the armed forces of the major states, and it is possible to say that more states will have global reach capability via hypersonic, or other yet to be developed weapons. A state’s strategic position is relatively enhanced, but at the expense of global vulnerability. It is precisely that mutual interdependence we need to keep when we talk about advanced weaponry because nobody has an interest in a hypersonic war.
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Russian Warships Head For Syria
http://rt.com/news/russian-aircraft-carrier-syria-363/
RT
November 28, 2011
Sea alert: Russian warships head for Syria
Moscow is deploying warships at its base in the Syrian port of Tartus. The long-planned mission comes, providentially, at the very moment when it could help prevent a potential conflict in the strategically important Middle Eastern country.
The Russian battle group will consist of three vessels led by the heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser, Admiral Kuznetsov.
Russian military officials insist that the move has no connection with the ongoing crisis in the region and was planned a year ago, the Izvestia newspaper reports. Apart from Syria, the aircraft carrier and its escort ships are set to visit the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Genoa in Italy and Cyprus, says the former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko.
Nevertheless, he added that the presence of a military force other than NATO’s is very useful for this region, because “it will prevent the outbreak of an armed conflict,” Izvestia quoted Kravchenko as saying.
The Soviet Union, the Admiral recalled, created a special naval squadron to deter Western military forces in the Mediterranean Sea. To repair and supply its ships, Moscow needed its own maintenance base in the region, and that was how the base in Tartus came into being.
At present, the base is mostly used to support vessels of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Some 600 military and civilian personnel of the Defense Ministry serve there.
News of Russia’s naval deployment in Tartus came shortly after the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush anchored off Syria, along with additional naval vessels. The US battle group is to remain in the Mediterranean, allegedly to conduct maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. The US 6th Fleet is also patrolling the area, Interfax reports.
“Of course, the Russian naval forces in the Mediterranean will be incommensurate with those of the US 6th Fleet, which includes one or two aircraft carriers and several escort ships,” Admiral Kravchenko explained.
“But today, no one talks about possible military clashes, since an attack on any Russian ship would be regarded as a declaration of war with all the consequences.”
The mission is set to start in early December, when the Admiral Kuznetsov begins its journey in the Barents Sea, accompanied by another vessel of Russia’s Northern Fleet, the heavy ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko. The group will then skirt the European continent from the west and enter the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Later, they will be joined by frigate Ladny of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It will travel through the Bosphorus, with a stop-over in Malta’s Valletta.
Admiral Kuznetsov will be carrying eight Sukhoi Su-33 all-weather fighters, two Kamov Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters and several brand new Mig-29K fighters. The Mig fighters were built for India’s air force and are supposed to be “tested” during their first assignment.
Military officials have stressed that all flights will be performed in open waters, away from the Syrian coast.
Unlike American aircraft carriers, designed largely as floating runways, Admiral Kuznetsov is a heavily-armed aircraft-carrying cruiser. Its primary armaments, among others, are 12 long-range surface-to-surface anti-ship Granit cruise missiles, a six-gun short-range surface-to-air missile system Kinzhal, eight close-in air defense Kashtan gun-missile systems and two UDAV-1 anti-submarine systems.
The Admiral Kuznetsov has already been twice to the port of Tartus during its assignments in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean in 1995 and 2007.
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Syria: Russia Rejects Arms Embargo, Repeat Of Libyan Scenario
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/29/c_131277527.htm
Xinhua News Agency
November 29, 2011
Russia rejects arms embargo on Syria: FM
MOSCOW: Russia rejects any arms embargo imposed on Syria and Moscow would try to avoid a repeat of the Libyan scenario in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.
After his meeting with Arab countries’ ambassadors to Russia, Lavrov told a news conference that lessons should be learnt from the situation in Libya, where an embargo on arms supplies was “only applied to the Libyan army.”
“Groups, including those formed by citizens who penetrated to Syria from other states, have been actively supplied with arms,” he said. “That is why proposals to introduce a ban on any arms supplies to Syria are quite unfair.”
Lavrov said Moscow also rejects ultimatum-like words on the Syria issue, adding that the ultimatums would not help resolve the problem.
“The Syrian problem requires the same approach, as ultimatums, which some states try to use, including members of the Arab League, cannot resolve this problem,” Lavrov said.
“We hope our friends in the Arab League…will show maximum responsibility for what is going on in the region…and they will observe the same rules the Arab League worked out, while making relevant decisions,” he added.
After meeting with his visiting Icelandic counterpart Ossur Skarphedinsson, Lavrov also warned that armed opposition was provoking conflicts in Syria.
“The unrest is not so much related to the authorities but armed groups, who are provoking the unrest,” Lavrov said.
In November, Lavrov warned that external forces are seeking to deteriorate the situation in Syria in order to justify their interference in Syria’s internal political affairs.
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Turkey Ready For Military Option In Syria
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/arabicr/1963034.html
Trend News Agency
November 29, 2011
Turkey says ready for any scenario on Syria
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey did not want to consider a military option for intervention in Syria but that it was ready for any scenario Today`s Zaman reported.
In an interview with the television broadcaster Kanal 24, Davutoglu said on Syria that a regime which tortures its own people had no chance of survival.
—————————————————————————-
Today’s Zaman
November 27, 2011
An eventual military intervention in Syria and its reflections
TARIK OĞUZLU
ORSAM: The views which advise the use of military force in order to depose the Assad regime from power have been heard more frequently as international pressure on Damascus has increased. Parallel to this, it has been often suggested that Turkey should play a leadership role in this process.
The ultimatum of the Arab League that Syria’s membership might be suspended shows that the legitimacy of the Assad regime in international platforms has now been under under strong doubts. It is known that some Western countries, particularly the U.S.A and France, are trying to manifacture consent for a military intervention indirectly. Besides, in the recent days, some articles read that the time of sending the Assad regime away has finally arrived and they put forward that this would seriously restrict Iran’s influence in the region. Russia, China and Iran which have thus far supported the Assad regime may not be able to continue their policies for long. The circles who think that the Assad regime would rather be imploded through internal dynamics may not easily resist a military intervention if a civil war spreads to neighbouring countries and causes serious human losses.
In such an atmosphere the most important question which occupies Turkish foreign policy makers is undoubtly whether Turkey should participate in a military operation and in which way its participation should occur. Under which conditions should Turkey join an international military operation and should it lead such a formation? The answers that will be given to these questions will not only offer important clues about the future projection of Turkish foreign policy but also shed light on how Turkey will be perceived from outside.
According to the declarations of some high level authority figures, Turkey’s eventual military intervention in Syria seems to depend on the realization of some conditions….[I]t would be easier for Turkey to take part in an international military operation if the majority of Arab countries and all of the permanent members of United Nations Security Council lent their support.
…Turkey might fight itself taking part in a military intervention.
Apart from this, it is for sure that Turkey’s participation in an eventual military intervention, without waiting for the necessary conditions to arise, will inflict remarkable damages on Turkish foreign policy. In this case, the perception that Turkey is now following a foreign policy that leans on more hard than soft power elements will be strengthened. Relations with the countries in the region, especially with Iran, will grow worse. The rivalry between Tehran and Ankara over Damascus will increase and this will inevitably fuel Iran’s eagerness to get nuclear weapons. It should not be overlooked that the circles which defend Assad’s ouster by the use of force try to justify their views by underlining that this will certainly help weaken the Iranian regime. Therefore, it would not be difficult to guess that Iran will act irrationally should it feel cornered.
In this context, the views that what happen in Syria are not Turkey’s business and they do not affect Turkey’s internal security negatively should also be taken into account. It is likely that the oppostion parties in the parliament will argue against Turkey’s participation in an eventual military intervention. Some of the views that have been so far expressed by the opposition are the following: the conditions of 1998 have not occured yet; Syria’s efforts to give harm to Turkey by using the PKK card is still tolerable; siding with the Sunni forces against the Alewite in Syria may fuel the sectarian tension in Turkey; an intervention in Syria will disract Turkey’s attention and energy from more urgent problems at home, such as the Kurdish dispute and the writing of a new constitution; and intervening in other states’ internal affairs, despite the humanitarian concerns, might expose Turkey to more external pressure concerning domestic problems. Besides, an intervention might help strengthen the perception that Turkey has been after a regional hegemony by using force and the AKP government has been trying to resusciate the Ottoman Empire.
…
However, any Turkish intervention will likely bring Turkey closer to U.S. and the relations between these two countries will likely unfold more in bilateral than multilateral mechanisms in the years ahead. The United States has already begun to shift its strategic attention away from Europe and the Middle East towards South and Far Esat Asia. This will increase the need on its part to guarantee security cooperation with such countries as Turkey to make sure that its interests in the Middle East be achieved.
Against the background of the recent rapproachment in Turkish-American relations, one could put forward the argument that bilateral relations will further improve in the years to come. Although it is not a negative development by itself, this might help strengthen the perception that Turkey act as a protege of the U.S. in the Middle East. And this perception will likely dilute the authencity, legitimacy and originality of Turkey’s leadership claims in the region. It should not be forgotten that despite all the public diplomacy efforts during the Obama presidency, the current image of the U.S. in the Middle East is not better than the Bush period. The pragmatic and utilitarian approach of the Obama administration during the course of the developments associated with the so-called Arab Spring has further weakened the US’ image.
»» Assoc.Prof.Dr. Tarık Oğuzlu, ORSAM Advisor, Middle East – Bilkent University Department of International Relations
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SCO Partners: China, Russia Say NATO Attacks On Pakistan Unacceptable
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\29\story_29-11-2011_pg1_4
Daily Times
Agencies
November 29, 2011
Violation of Pak sovereignty not acceptable: China, Russia
MOSCOW/BEIJING: Russia and China on Monday said that violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was unacceptable. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to brief them on the unprovoked NATO/ISAF attack on Pakistani territory and the decisions taken by the Defence Committee of the Cabinet.
She underscored that besides being a gross violation of established international norms, such attacks pose a threat to regional peace and stability as well.
The Russian foreign minister said that a nation’s sovereignty should always be upheld, even when hunting “terrorists”.
“Leaders of NATO in Afghanistan should carry out a meticulous investigation into this incident,” Lavrov told Khar. The Russian foreign minister underscored that Pakistan and Russia were partners in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and also partners in promoting regional cooperation.
A statement issued by the foreign ministry said, “The Russian foreign minister emphasised the unacceptability of violating the sovereignty of states, including during the planning and carrying out of counter-terrorist operations.”
Separately, Hina Rabbani Khar spoke to Jiechi and had a 40-minute conversation in which she informed him of the extreme outrage in Pakistan on the unprovoked attacks, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Jiechi expressed deep shock and strong concern over the incident and extended condolences to the aggrieved families. He said that Pakistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, and called for a thorough and serious investigation into the matter. The deadly strikes on Saturday have raised tensions between Islamabad and Washington.
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China Backs Pakistan’s Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-11/28/c_131275303.htm
Xinhua News Agency
November 29, 2011
China backs Pakistan’s efforts in safeguarding independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity: FM
BEIJING: Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Monday that China will consistently support Pakistan’s efforts in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Yang made the remarks in a phone call with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar concerning NATO bombing on two Pakistani border posts in a northwest tribal area bordering Afghanistan early Saturday morning.
Twenty-four Pakistani soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in the NATO action.
Yang said China was deeply shocked by the incident, noting that all countries and international organizations should earnestly respect Pakistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also called for a thorough investigation of the incident.
The two ministers also exchanged views on China-Pakistan relations and issues of common concern.
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Russian Foreign Minister Condemns Deadly NATO Air Attack In Pakistan
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?id=290731
Interfax
November 28, 2011
Lavrov condemns NATO air strike on army posts in Pakistan
MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called for an investigation into NATO air strikes on army posts in Pakistan.
Talking to his Pakistani counterpart by telephone on Monday, he stressed that “violations of countries’ sovereignty, including during counter-terrorist operations, are inadmissible”.
Lavrov called on the NATO command in Afghanistan to “thoroughly investigate the incident,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
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NATO Exceeds All Limits In Pakistan
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=127474
Pakistan Observer
November 28, 2011
Nato crosses limits
SRH Hashmi
Karachi: For some time now, American leaders have been threatening Pakistan witgh dire consequences for not obeying their order to immediately launch a full-scale operation in North Waziristan, and looks like they have implemented it in part, with more such attacks to follow in case Pakistan limits its reaction to the familiar ‘strong’ protests and expression of indignation, with the maximum being the stoppage of NATO supplies for a few days.
This time, through, with a completely unprovoked attack on a Pakistani check post in the Mohmand agency, the Americans have martyred 25 soldiers and injured another 15, and the Pakistani government response is also proportionately stronger but still it is nowhere near what Pakistanis want.
All Pakistanis are incensed at the arrogance and uncalled-for brutality and it seems unlikely that they will accept letting the Americans off with a routine apology, a promise to try to avoid the recurrence of such incidents in future, and perhaps an offer of compensation. They will accept nothing short of a complete revision of our relations with the US, starting with the complete stoppage of NATO supplies going through Pakistan. There is not much point in letting NATO supplies, including fuel that they use to bomb us recklessly, pass through Pakistan. And here is US ambassador, Munter, apologizing over the incident.
A bit earlier, he apologized over the incident at the Sunehri Mosque where an American in his delegation violated the sanctity of the mosque by stepping in with his shoes on. He is not doing much these days except offering his apologies and trying to assure us as to what affectionate, sincere and helping friends we have in the form of the United States.
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Pakistan Army Refuses To Accept NATO “Expressions Of Regret”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\29\story_29-11-2011_pg1_2
Daily Times
Agencies
November 29, 2011
Army refuses to accept ‘expressions of regret’
* ISPR says strikes lasted two hours and continued even after commanders at bases pleaded with coalition forces to stop
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday denied provoking NATO air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and refused to accept expressions of regret over the cross-border attack that has inflamed US-Pakistani ties.
While rejecting NATO’s claim that Pakistan forces initiated fire, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas said, “NATO forces should present proof if they were claiming that firing was started from the Pakistani side.”
Talking to a private television channel he said, “No fire was opened from our side and we responded only after the martyrdom of our soldiers.”
Abbas said that NATO had been provided maps of all Pakistani checkposts as reference and they had also been informed about their positions.
He also said that the attack took place 200-300 metres within Pakistan’s borders, adding that the area had been cleared of militants.
When the attack was initiated, the soldiers deployed on these posts immediately informed senior officers who took up the issue with regional headquarters at Peshawar and GHQ Rawalpindi.
“They reported that the posts were being attacked. We received information of the martyrdom of 24 soldiers after mortar shelling was stopped from across the border,” he added.
Abbas said the attack lasted almost two hours and that commanders had contacted their NATO counterparts while it was going on, asking that “they get this fire to cease, but somehow it continued.”
“This could have serious consequences on the level and extent of our cooperation,” he said.
He said that NATO could not make the excuse that they were chasing terrorists across the border because the area where the attack took place had been cleared. He said that the investigations were still going on about the two posts, namely Volcano and Golden beyond Salala.
He denied that any NATO soldier was injured as result of firing from the Pakistani side.
Responding to a question, he said that he would not speculate regarding the apology of NATO.
“Our leadership is reviewing whether it was an unprovoked attack,” he added.
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Black Day: Anti-NATO Protests Spread Across Pakistan
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=10615&Cat=13
News International
November 29, 2011
Nato attack protested across the country
ISLAMABAD: People called on the government Monday to end its alliance with the United States and get out of the US war on terrorism as protests against a Nato strike pushed into a third day. Twenty-four Pakistani soldiers were killed in the cross-border attack early on Saturday by Nato helicopters and fighter jets.
Members of civil society, lawyers, traders and students organised the rallies…in major cities of the nuclear-armed country of 167 million people, where opposition to the US alliance is rampant.
Lawyers went on strike across the country on the call of Pakistan Bar Council, demonstrating outside court buildings, chanting slogans against Nato and the United States, officials from bar associations across the country said.
“We marched at the Islamabad High Court premises and expressed our anger against this attack, none of us went to the courts today,” Ashraf Gujjar, president of Islamabad High Court Bar Association, told AFP after one rally.
“The government should cut Nato supplies permanently, take back military bases from the US and plead that this case violates the borders in the UN Security Council,” he quoted from a resolution passed by lawyers.
The Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) staged a protest demonstration terming the Nato strikes on Pak security checkposts an assault on Pakistan’s sovereignty and international human rights laws.
The members of the PHCBA and Peshawar District Bar Association took out a demonstration from the PHCBA Bar Room and staged a protest in front of the provincial assembly to condemn the Nato strike.
They burnt the effigy of US President Barack Obama and chanted anti-US slogans. The demo was led by PHCBA General Secretary Ameenur Rehman Khan. The lawyers also boycotted courts proceedings on this occasion.
In Lahore, the Supreme Court and Lahore High Court Bar associations held a joint protest rally at GPO Chowk against the Nato forces’ attack. The lawyers were chanting slogans against the US government and demanding the Pakistani government ensure the complete sovereignty of the country.
The Bars condemned the attack on the Pakistani checkposts and demanded the government approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against such brazen attacks.
The lawyers’ bodies held a joint session and unanimously passed a resolution demanding the Pakistani government permanently block the Nato supply line. They also urged the government to implement the decision taken by the Defence Committee of Cabinet in letter and spirit – including blocking Nato supply routes and getting the Shamsi airbase vacated.
The Bars also resolved that drone attacks must be stopped immediately; otherwise the drone aircraft must be targeted. The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) observed Monday as a black day to condemn the Nato strikes on Pakistani forces, demanding immediate action against the attackers.
The strike call was completely endorsed by the LBA. Lawyers wore black armbands and did not join proceedings of the cases. In Karachi, members of Karachi Bar Association and Malir District Bar Association also observed a complete boycott of legal proceedings at subordinate courts as protest.
The lawyers also blocked the national highway to Karachi, chanting slogans in the favour of the Pakistani Army, police said. Sindh High Court Bar Association President Anwar Mansoor Khan presided over a meeting that followed the boycott of legal proceedings by lawyers at the Sindh High Court and all subordinate courts.
“This general body strongly condemns the purposive, motivated and unprovoked attack by Nato on the post at Salala, Mohmand Agency. This illegal action is an attack on the sovereignty of Pakistan,” a resolution said.
“This body further strongly condemns the Western media, especially the BBC and Fox News, for maliciously airing uncalled-for and provocative programmes and maligning the armed forces of Pakistan and the government of Pakistan, stating facts incorrectly, aimed at discrediting the Muslims of the world and Pakistanis in particular.”
The meeting demanded of the government to take forceful action against intruders, the murderers of 24 Shaheed [martyr] soldiers, and permanently stop supplies through Pakistan to Nato troops. It further demanded to stop cooperation with Nato at all levels, the closure of the Shamsi Airbase and other bases, and the cancellation of all defence agreements with them. The meeting called upon all Pakistanis to disinvest their investment from all Nato countries.
In Daska, lawyers staged out a rally in protest against Nato forces. Daska Bar President Muhammad Asif Bajwa led the rally that ended at Fawara Chowk. The protesting lawyers were wearing black armbands and carrying banners and placards.
They chanted slogans against the Pakistani government and USA-led Nato forces in Afghanistan. They expressed complete solidarity with the armed forces of Pakistan. Judicial work at all the courts remained suspended in Bahawalpur where lawyers showed solidarity with the Pak armed forces.
The Multan District Bar Association (DBA), led by its president Arbab Ahmad Syed, offered Ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza of the martyred soldiers and held a protest demonstration at Chowk Katchery.
In Peshawar several hundred students blocked a main road, chanting “Death to the US” and “Quit the war on terror”, an AFP reporter saw.
Scores of tribesmen also gathered in Mohmand to protest against the attack and demand that the government change its pro-US policy, Khalid Khan, an administration official in the district told AFP.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also demonstrated against the Nato forces’ attack and conducted rallies in Hyderabad, Multan and Mirpur Khas expressing support and solidarity with the Pakistan Army.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the Multan Press Club, MQM leader Raza Haroon said that in line with a directive of MQM leader Altaf Hussain, the party has replaced party flags with the national flag at all the regional office of MQM to show unity with the Pakistan Army.
In Multan, Jamat-ud-Dawa gathered a crowd of several hundred, burning an effigy of US President Barack Obama and US flags, an AFP photographer said.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, around 600 people in the town of Garhi Dupatta joined the relatives of a soldier killed in the attack, and chanted slogans against the US, police official Ishtiaq Gilani told AFP.
“The government must retaliate and should suspend relations with the US until there is a fair and free investigation,” Zafar Iqbal, 25, the brother of fallen soldier Tahir Iqbal told AFP from the protest.
Islami Jamiat Talbaba (IJT), Mardan chapter, held a protest rally outside the Mardan Press Club against the Nato forces. Addressing the protesters, speakers strongly condemned the Mohmand attack. The Awami National Party (ANP), Mardan chapter, also staged a protest rally against the attack.
Protesters chanted slogans against the US and Nato forces. Addressing the protesters, speakers strongly condemned the attack. PML-Q Khyber Pakhtunkhwa staged a protest rally to strongly condemn the Nato forces’ strike and supported the decisions of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC).
The Mehsud and Barki tribes in Fata also strongly condemned the Nato strike and vowed to fight shoulder to shoulder with the army in case of foreign aggression from any quarter in future.
A representative jirga of these tribes attended by maliks and chieftains was held at a political compound here where tribesmen termed the Nato aggression a complete violation of international laws and reiterated their pledge to fight till their last breath.
They jirga urged the government to revisit its anti-terror policy in light of parliament’s resolution on national security and the APC declaration. They also supported the DCC decisions. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Islamabad chapter, held a protest demo against the Nato attack at the Salala checkpost.
Pakistan turned back 300 trucks carrying Nato supplies and fuel into Afghanistan on Monday, government officials Syed Ahmed Jan and Mutahir Zeb told CNN. The main Pakistani association that delivers fuel to Nato forces in Afghanistan said it would not resume supplies anytime soon in protest against the air attack.
Nawab Sher Afridi, general secretary of the All Pakistan Oil Tanker Owners Association, said the association would reconsider only if the Islamabad government and the military accept an apology for the incident.
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Pakistan To Boycott Bonn Afghan Conference Over Deadly NATO Strike
Agence France-Presse
November 29, 2011
Pakistan to Boycott Conference Over NATO Strike
Pakistan on Tuesday decided to boycott a key international conference on Afghanistan next month, widening its protest over lethal cross-border NATO strikes and exacerbating a deep crisis in US ties.
The Pakistani cabinet made the decision at a meeting in the eastern city of Lahore, just days after Islamabad confirmed it was mulling its attendance in the German city of Bonn, where Pakistan was considered a key player.
“The cabinet has decided not to attend the Bonn meeting,” a government official said condition of anonymity. Tuesday’s talks also decided to call a joint session of parliament to discuss the fallout.
The cabinet branded “unilateral action” such as Saturday’s NATO strike and the May 2 killing of Usama bin Laden by American forces, which brought the US relationship to its lowest level in years, “unacceptable”, the prime minister’s office said.
…
Pakistan already closed the Afghan border to NATO convoys, a lifeline for 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, ordered American personnel to vacate an air base reportedly used by CIA drones and ordered a review of the alliance.
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US-Pakistani ties have been in free fall since a CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis in Lahore in January. Saturday’s attack raises questions about the extent to which the two terror allies can cooperate with each other.
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Balochistan Bans Entry Of NATO Vehicles
http://paktribune.com/news/Balochistan-bans-entry-of-Nato-tankers-245479.html
Pakistan Tribune
November 29, 2011
Balochistan bans entry of Nato tankers
QUETTA: The Balochistan cabinet on Monday endorsed the decision of banning the entry of trailers and oil tankers carrying Nato goods into the province.
The cabinet, which met with Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Khan Raisani in the chair, discussed the situation that arose following the Nato forces’ attack on Pakistani security forces checkpost in Mohmand agency. The supply to Nato forces in Afghanistan had been cut off from Balochistan.
Condemning the Nato forces attack on the checkpost, the Balochistan cabinet termed it an attack against the sovereignty of the country. The cabinet also offered Fateha for the Pakistani soldiers who had been martyred in the attack. The cabinet also discussed matters relating to the abolishment of the Criminal Procedural Code and adopted a joint resolution regarding the five years term of the assemblies.
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Kyrgyz Air Base: Over 100,000 U.S., NATO Troops Transit Yearly
http://en.trend.az/regions/casia/kyrgyzstan/1962929.html
Trend News Agency
November 29, 2011
Fate of U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan to be solved taking into account situation in Afghanistan
The decision on the withdrawal of the U.S. air base from Kyrgyzstan, which is lobbied by Kyrgyzstan’s newly elected President Almazbek Atambayev, should be taken with the consideration of the inner situation in Afghanistan, said acting President of Kyrgyzstan Roza Otunbayeva, whose presidential term is expiring on Dec. 31, 2011, RIA News reported.
A U.S. Air Force base was placed at the international airport Manas, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001. Later it was renamed the Transit Center (TC) at Manas, which is a key point of technology and U.S. troops transfer to combat locations in Afghanistan.
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According to Otunbayeva, 2000 troops and a large amount of cargo pass weekly through Manas, which, in her opinion, is an important tool in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan.
…
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Atambayev said earlier that he considers it necessary to withdraw the U.S. military base from the country. “The presence of U.S. bases isn’t in the interests of Kyrgyzstan, and I don’t want any country to inflict on Kyrgyzstan. However, all existing agreements will be strictly enforced.”
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Russia Considers Blocking NATO’s Afghan Supply Routes Over Missiles
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204753404577066421106592452.html
Wall Street Journal
November 28, 2011
Russia Considers Blocking NATO Supply Routes
By Alan Cullison
MOSCOW: Russia said it may not let NATO use its territory to supply troops in Afghanistan if the alliance doesn’t seriously consider its objections to a U.S.-led missile shield for Europe, Russia’s ambassador to NATO said Monday.
Russia has stepped up its objections to the antimissile system in Europe, threatening last week to deploy its own ballistic missiles on the border of the European Union to counter the move…
If NATO doesn’t give a serious response, “we have to address matters in relations in other areas,” Russian news services reported Dmitri Rogozin, ambassador to NATO, as saying. He added that Russia’s cooperation on Afghanistan may be an area for review, the news services reported.
Threats to the NATO supply line through Russia come at an awkward time for the alliance. NATO has become increasingly reliant on the Russian route as problems in Pakistan — its primary supply route — have escalated. Over the weekend, Pakistan closed its border to trucks delivering supplies in response to coalition airstrikes Saturday that killed 25 Pakistani soldiers.
…
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Russian Radar In Kaliningrad Response To U.S.-NATO Missiles
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=3&id=290880
Interfax
November 29, 2011
Medvedev calls new radar a signal of Russian readiness to respond to Europe missile defense threat
KALININGRAD: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said he hopes that the commissioning of a new radar station in Kaliningrad will be treated by Western partners as a signal of Russia’s readiness to appropriately respond to threats linked to the European missile defense shield.
“I expect that this step will be regarded by Western partners as the first signal of our country’s readiness to appropriately respond to the threats posed by the missile defense system to our strategic nuclear forces,” Medvedev said in Kaliningrad on Tuesday.
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http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20111129/169142667.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 29, 2011
Russia’s radar to counter missile shield, says Medvedev
-“We can no longer be satisfied with a common statement that the phased and adaptive [missile defense] system that is being created is not directed against Russia,” Medvedev said. “Those are empty words, which unfortunately do not guarantee the protection of our interests.”
KALININGRAD: The launch of a new anti-missile radar station in the Russian Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad should be treated by the West as the “first signal” of Russia’s readiness to counter “threats” posed by NATO’s missile defense plans, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday.
The radar, which is capable of monitoring missile launches from the North Atlantic, as well as the United States’ future European missile shield, was put into operation earlier during the day. A source in the Russian Defense Ministry earlier said that the radar will go on combat duty starting December 1.
Addressing the Russian Armed Forces commanders after the radar’s inauguration ceremony, Medvedev said its launch was intended to demonstrate Russia’s “readiness for an adequate response to the threats posed by [NATO’s] European missile defense system to out strategic nuclear forces.”
“If our signal is not heard, as I said on November 23, we will continue deploying other defense means,” he said.
Medvedev said in his address to the nation on November 23 that he had ordered the launch of the radar as part of Russia’s reaction to the United States’ missile shield plans. Russia may also deploy Iskander tactical missiles in the Kaliningrad region in the near future, he said.
At the same time, the Kaliningrad radar, which is located at Russia’s western-most border, is “not directed against our Western partners” and “could be used for joint defense,” Medvedev said on Tuesday.
Russia is seeking written, legally binding guarantees that the missile shield will not be directed against it. However, Washington has refused to provide those guarantees to Moscow and said it will not alter its missile defense plans despite increasingly tough rhetoric from Moscow.
“We can no longer be satisfied with a common statement that the phased and adaptive [missile defense] system that is being created is not directed against Russia,” Medvedev said. “Those are empty words, which unfortunately do not guarantee the protection of our interests.”
He added, however, that “if other steps are made,” Moscow will “certainly” take them into consideration.
“But anyway, oral statements are not enough,” he said.
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http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20111129/169140891.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 29, 2011
Russia’s Baltic radar station put into service
KALININGRAD: A new radar station capable of monitoring missile launches from the North Atlantic, as well as the future European missile defense system, was put into operation in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad on Tuesday.
President Dmitry Medvedev observed its inauguration ceremony during his visit to the city.
“I hope this station will operate well and fulfill the tasks assigned to it hand,” Medvedev told the station team.
The radar is able to monitor simultaneously up to 500 targets at a distance of up to 6,000 kilometers, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said.
As of December 1, the station will officially become part of the national missile early warning system.
In addition, Iskander tactical missiles will be deployed in the Kaliningrad region “in the near future,” military officials said.
Russia’s air defense system will have the capability to intercept any type of missiles, any targets at any speed, including hypersonic ones.
The new system, comprising air defense, missile defense, missile early warning attack and space control systems, should be up and running by Thursday.
Medvedev said last week Russia would move “advanced offensive weapon systems” to its European borders in response to a planned U.S.-backed NATO missile shield if talks on the project fail.
Moscow is seeking written, legally binding guarantees that the shield will not be directed against it. Washington, however, has refused to put its verbal assurances in writing.
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http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/29/61203549.html
Voice of Russia
November 29, 2011
New radar station on combat duty in Russia’s Kaliningrad
Polina Chernitsa, Daria Manina
A new radar station, capable of monitoring aerospace from the North Pole to Northern Africa, is due to be put on combat duty in Russia’s western exclave of Kaliningrad on November 29. The Voronezh-DM station has a range of up to 6,000 kilometers and its launching was earlier ordered by President Dmitry Medvedev in response to the deployment of elements of the US missile shield in Europe.
Unlike previous generation radar stations, the Voronezh-DM is more energy efficient and can be quickly relocated in case of emergency.
Maintaining old generation radar stations was a tricky task because they all were stationary. As for the Voronezh-DM, its long-term maintenance specifically stipulates a quick replacement of parts if necessary.
Putting the new radar station into operation in Kaliningrad was initiated by President Medvedev in response to Washington’s decision not to adhere to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. In a statement on November 23, Medvedev outlined a spate of steps which he said would be made if Washington continued to stick to its planned course.
“Protective cover of Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons will be reinforced as a priority measure under the program to develop our air and space defenses. Plus, the new strategic ballistic missiles commissioned by the Strategic Missile Forces and the Navy will be equipped with advanced missile defense penetration systems and new highly-effective warheads. Also, I have instructed the Armed Forces to draw up measures for disabling missile defense system data and guidance systems if need be,” Medvedev says.
The Kremlin has repeatedly warned the White House of these plans.
Right now, only Russia and the US have three missile defense segments, including space vehicles, radar stations and missile systems. In 2010, the Russian President urged the US to create a joint missile defense system. The answer never saw the light of day which finally led to Russia’s taking an array of purely military measures.
Thus far, this has been a preventive action, says Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Russian State Duma’s International Affairs Committee.
“This is a reminder for our partners that reaching such agreements is still possible, Kosachev says. If Washington changes its position, there will be a chance to preserve cooperation in the sphere of strategic stability between Russia and the US, as well as Russia and NATO.”
Earlier this month, Azerbaijan pushed for more rent from Russia for the use of the Gabala radar station. In this regard, Russia will certainly benefit from using the new radar station in Kaliningrad, analysts said. Given the ongoing operation of two more radar stations in Russia’s Krasnodar and Irkutsk Regions, paying Baku may well be scrapped, believes Alexander Khramchikhin, a Moscow-based political scientist.
“The Voronezh-DM is not a competitor of the Gabala station because their tasks differ, Khramchikhin explains. In this sense, Russia may well use the radar station in Armavir in the Krasnodar Region instead of one in Gabala. This is why I’m surprised about such a spat over ground rent in Azerbaijan.”
It is worth bearing in mind that Azerbaijan’s military doctrine only stipulates a short-term presence of foreign troops on Azeri territory.
Last week, Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s permanent envoy to NATO and the Russian President’s special representative to the missile defense talks, said that the US should have understood that by promoting strategic defensive systems it provokes a new arms race. President Medvedev, for his part, pledged that aside from the Voronezh-DM radar station, Russia may soon deploy sophisticated offensive weapon systems in the west and south of the country.
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Russian Envoy: U.S.-NATO Missile Deployment Like 1962 Cuban Crisis
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=7&id=290766
Interfax
November 29, 2011
Russia’s reply to missile defense deployment will not jeopardize U.S. security – Rogozin
MOSCOW: Measures Russia could take in response to a U.S. missile defense shield will not jeopardize U.S. security, Russia’s NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin said.
“Our military-technical response will not threaten the security of the United States. Our military-technical answer will only offset the gap the American missile defense shield wants to make in our security system,” Rogozin told Russia’s NTV television station on Monday.
The present situation resembles the Caribbean Crisis of the 1960s, he said.
“Americans are effectively doing today what [Soviet leader Nikita] Khrushchev did in the 1960s – they are moving their missiles, their weapons closer to our borders,” Rogozin said.
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Video And Text: NATO Orders Use Of Live Ammunition Against Kosovo Serbs
http://rt.com/news/kosovo-clashes-violence-victims-421/
RT
November 29, 2011
NATO troops shot, wounded in brutal Kosovo clashes
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At least two Kosovo Serbs and two NATO peacekeepers were injured in a fresh wave of violence in northern Kosovo, casting doubts on whether the conflict could be resolved in the near future.
The skirmishes occurred near the town of Zubin Potok, where Serbs were protesting NATO’s attempts to remove a barricade made of buses and trucks that was blocking a main road in the region. NATO peacekeeping troops responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons at the demonstrators. They also used pepper spray and batons against the protesters while the latter hit the NATO peacekeepers with clubs and pelted them with rocks.
NATO has been claiming the two injured peacekeepers were under fire from the Serb demonstrators and is now instructing its soldiers to fire live ammunition if they come under attack.
Violence between Kosovo Serbs and NATO troops and Kosovar police flared up this summer after the self-proclaimed Kosovo government sought set up customs and border posts in the north of the country, where the overall minority Serbs make up a majority.
The Serb population responded by burning one of the posts and attacking Kosovar police. NATO troops were then called in, but Serbs began setting up barricades made of mud, soil, rock and concrete barriers to block the main road arteries leading to the border. This led to several skirmishes over the past months involving NATO peacekeepers and Kosovo Serbs.
Just last week more than 20 Portuguese and Hungarian soldiers were injured in another operation to remove the barricades.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 but it was only recognized by 85 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and France, but not most of the countries, including Russia and Serbia itself.
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50 Serb Civilians, 25 NATO Troops Injured In Kosovo Clashes
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/29/61193442.html
Itar-Tass
November 29, 2011
25 NATO servicemen injured in clashes with Kosovo Serbs
25 NATO servicemen have been injured in clashes with Serbs in Northern Kosovo, according to a statement that the KFOR international security force for Kosovo released earlier today. According to the Serbian mass media, up to 50 civilians were injured in the clashes.
NATO servicemen used rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas to disperse the raging crowd, and also heavy military hardware to unblock the motorway that the protesters cut off with their buses and trucks in the area of the town of Zubin Potok.
The situation in Northern Kosovo was aggravated in the middle of September, when the Albanian authorities of the self-proclaimed state assumed control over the Jarinje and Brnjak checkpoints on the administrative border with Serbia. Kosovo Serbs have since started erecting barricades to protest the move.
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NATO Shouldn’t Intervene In Arctic Disputes: Russian Foreign Minister
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/29/61197944.html
Interfax
November 29, 2011
NATO shouldn’t meddle in disputes about Arctic – Lavrov
There is absolutely no reason why NATO should meddle in disputes about and conflicts over Arctic resources, said the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
He feels that it is those who have an eye on the Arctic resources and get a grip of what does not belong to them that are trying to provoke this kind of interference by the alliance.
Lavrov made the statement during a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday following the talks with his Icelandic counterpart Össur Skarphedinsson.
Russia’s topmost diplomat stressed that decisions on Arctic development should be made exclusively by the regional nations that are members of the Arctic Council, on the basis of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
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NATO Military Commanders Push Bosnia’s Integration Into Bloc
http://www.aco.nato.int/nato-addresses-federation-of-bosnia-and-herzegovina-parliament-.aspx
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operations
November 28, 2011
NATO ADDRESSES FEDERATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA PARLIAMENT
How fast Bosnia and Herzegovina will join NATO depends on political will and fulfillment of remaining requirements, one of which is resolution of the issue of registration of prospective defence property, which is a condition for the activation of Membership Action Plan (MAP), said NATO HQ Sarajevo Commander General Gary Huffman and Deputy Commander Colonel John Andreas Olsen during their address to members of the House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) Parliament, on November 24th.
Senior NATO officials sent a message that BiH must be ready to make compromises, to develop a sense for moving forward and to forget the past. They presented a new Strategic Concept of the Alliance for the next ten years.
During a half an hour Q&A period, guests from NATO had to spend most of the time explaining provisions of the Dayton Peace Accords and role of NATO and OHR bestowed to them by annexes to the agreement.
FBiH Parliamentarians expressed high level of support for BiH’s NATO integrations processes, and urged NATO HQ Sarajevo to continue its support on the country’s NATO integration path.
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NATO Official, Azeri Defense Chief Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
http://www.news.az/articles/politics/49447
Azeri Press Agency
November 25, 2011
Azerbaijani Minister, NATO official discuss Karabakh conflict
Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev received NATO Deputy Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning Huseyn Dirioz.
Press service of the Defense Ministry reported that they exchanged views on the development prospects of NATO-Azerbaijan military cooperation and the military and political situation in the region and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
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NATO Intensifies Military Partnership With Iraq
http://www.arrc.nato.int/training_mission_iraq/page168503820.aspx
NATO Training Mission-Iraq Headquarters
November 23, 2011
Joint Training Coordination Cell Implementation Working Group meets at the NATO Training Mission-Iraq Headquarters
Baghdad, Iraq: The Joint Training Coordination Cell (JTCC) Implementation Working Group met for the first time on Wednesday 23 November at the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) Headquarters.
NTM-I Deputy Commander, Maj. Gen. Giovanni Armentani, opened the session on behalf of NTM-I Commander, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, Jr.. “I thank you very much for coming here today and let me say what a great pleasure and honour it is for me to warmly welcome you all to this first Joint Training Coordination Cell Implementation Working Group,” he said.
The aim of the Working Group is to establish the conditions for the successful formation of an effective JTCC…that has to act as an Iraqi focus for coordinating training activities with NATO. The JTCC will be the future means by which the Iraqi authorities coordinate training needs, and eventually all Partnership requirements with NATO.
When fully implemented, the JTCC will coordinate pan-ministerial involvement in all NATO-sponsored activities, both inside and outside Iraq and will manage all aspects of administration for training courses, seminars, conferences and symposia.
The NATO Training Mission in Iraq (NTM-I) was established in 2004…The aim of NTM-I is to assist in the development of Iraqi security forces training structures and institutions….
NTM-I is…a distinct training mission, under the political control of NATO’s North Atlantic Council. Its operational emphasis is on training and mentoring. The activities of the mission are coordinated with Iraqi authorities and the Office for Security and Cooperation-Iraq (OSC-I) Chief, who is also dual-hatted as the Commander of NTM-I. NATO has an enduring commitment to Iraq.
NTM-I advises and supports the Defence University for Military Studies, National Defence College, War College, and the Defence Language Institute with the other institutions in Baghdad. Other cooperation projects for NATO in Iraq are out-of-country training courses for Iraqi nationals at NATO schools as well as the Iraqi Police (Iraqi Federal Police and Oil Police) training led by Italian Carabinieri.
Currently, NTM-I is a small tactical force of NATO/PfP personnel, representing 12 member nations (as of November 2011): Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine (Partner for Peace), the UK and the USA.
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John Greenleaf Whittier: The Peace Convention at Brussels
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Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
American writers on peace and against war
John Greenleaf Whittier: If this be Peace, pray what is War?
John Greenleaf Whittier: Nobler than the sword’s shall be the sickle’s accolade
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John Greenleaf Whittier
The Peace Convention at Brussels (1848)
*****
Then, o’er Earth’s war-field, till the strife shall cease,
Like Morven’s harpers, sing your song of peace;
As in old fable rang the Thracian’s lyre,
Midst howl of fiends and roar of penal fire,
Till the fierce din to pleasing murmurs fell,
And love subdued the maddened heart of hell.
Not vain the vision which the prophets saw,
Skirting with green the fiery waste of war,
Through the hot sand-gleam, looming soft and calm
On the sky’s rim, the fountain-shading palm.
*****
Still in thy streets, O Paris! doth the stain
Of blood defy the cleansing autumn rain;
Still breaks the smoke Messina’s ruins through,
And Naples mourns that new Bartholomew,
When squalid beggary, for a dole of bread,
At a crowned murderer’s beck of license, fed
The yawning trenches with her noble dead;
Still, doomed Vienna, through thy stately halls
The shell goes crashing and the red shot falls,
And, leagued to crush thee, on the Danube’s side,
The bearded Croat and Bosniak spearman ride;
Still in that vale where Himalaya’s snow
Melts round the cornfields and the vines below,
The Sikh’s hot cannon, answering ball for ball,
Flames in the breach of Moultan’s shattered wall;
On Chenab’s side the vulture seeks the slain,
And Sutlej paints with blood its banks again.
“What folly, then,” the faithless critic cries,
With sneering lip, and wise world-knowing eyes,
“While fort to fort, and post to post, repeat
The ceaseless challenge of the war-drum’s beat,
And round the green earth, to the church-bell’s chime,
The morning drum-roll of the camp keeps time,
To dream of peace amidst a world in arms,
Of swords to ploughshares changed by Scriptural charms,
Of nations, drunken with the wine of blood,
Staggering to take the Pledge of Brotherhood,
Like tipplers answering Father Matthew’s call;
The sullen Spaniard, and the mad-cap Gaul,
The bull-dog Briton, yielding but with life,
The Yankee swaggering with his bowie-knife,
The Russ, from banquets with the vulture shared,
The blood still dripping from his amber beard,
Quitting their mad Berserker dance to hear
The dull, meek droning of a drab-coat seer;
Leaving the sport of Presidents and Kings,
Where men for dice each titled gambler flings,
To meet alternate on the Seine and Thames,
For tea and gossip, like old country dames!
No! let the cravens plead the weakling’s cant,
Let Cobden cipher, and let Vincent rant,
Let Sturge preach peace to democratic throngs,
And Burritt, stammering through his hundred tongues,
Repeat, in all, his ghostly lessons o’er,
Timed to the pauses of the battery’s roar;
Check Ban or Kaiser with the barricade
Of “Olive-leaves” and Resolutions made,
Spike guns with pointed Scripture-texts, and hope
To capsize navies with a windy trope;
Still shall the glory and the pomp of War
Along their train the shouting millions draw;
Still dusty Labor to the passing Brave
His cap shall doff, and Beauty’s kerchief wave;
Still shall the bard to Valor tune his song,
Still Hero-worship kneel before the Strong;
Rosy and sleek, the sable-gowned divine,
O’er his third bottle of suggestive wine,
To plumed and sworded auditors, shall prove
Their trade accordant with the Law of Love;
And Church for State, and State for Church, shall fight,
And both agree, that “Might alone is Right!”
Despite of sneers like these, O faithful few,
Who dare to hold God’s word and witness true,
Whose clear-eyed faith transcends our evil time,
And o’er the present wilderness of crime
Sees the calm future, with its robes of green,
Its fleece-flecked mountains, and soft streams between, -
Still keep the path which duty bids ye tread,
Though worldly wisdom shake the cautious head;
No truth from Heaven descends upon our sphere,
Without the greeting of the skeptic’s sneer;
Denied and mocked at, till its blessings fall,
Common as dew and sunshine, over all.”
Then, o’er Earth’s war-field, till the strife shall cease,
Like Morven’s harpers, sing your song of peace;
As in old fable rang the Thracian’s lyre,
Midst howl of fiends and roar of penal fire,
Till the fierce din to pleasing murmurs fell,
And love subdued the maddened heart of hell.
Lend, once again, that holy song a tongue,
Which the glad angels of the Advent sung,
Their cradle-anthem for the Saviour’s birth,
Glory to God, and peace unto the earth!
Through the mad discord send that calming word
Which wind and wave on wild Gennesareth heard,
Lift in Christ’s name his Cross against the Sword!
Not vain the vision which the prophets saw,
Skirting with green the fiery waste of war,
Through the hot sand-gleam, looming soft and calm
On the sky’s rim, the fountain-shading palm.
Still lives for Earth, which fiends so long have trod,
The great hope resting on the truth of God, -
Evil shall cease and Violence pass away,
And the tired world breathe free through a long Sabbath day.
Franz Liszt: Bellum et Pax
====
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
====
Music by Franz Liszt
Illustrations by Gustave Doré
Hypersonic Missiles: Who Is The Target?
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/28/61168605.html
Voice of Russia
November 28, 2011
Hypersonic missile: who is the target?
John Robles
Interview with Rick Rozoff, the manager of the Stop NATO website and mailing list and a contributing writer to Global Research.ca.
====
The first thing that is on everybody’s minds is President Medvedev’s statement regarding NATO. Why at this late date exactly, at this juncture?
In a rather alarming manner we’ve seen an expanding recruitment for the U.S. missile system in Europe, through the mechanism of NATO, in the last couple of months where, in addition to the countries where we know there are going to be US interceptor missiles stationed, the deployment of a Forward-Based X-Band Radar facility in Turkey has been confirmed.
We’ve also seen the recruitment of nations like Spain, the Netherlands and others into what the White House and the Pentagon refer to as the European Phased Adaptive Approach missile system, one that is going to proceed in four phases, the third and fourth phases with the introduction of very advanced-stage Standard Missile-3 land-based interceptors, with the understanding that these can be employed not strictly for defensive purposes but to target all Russian strategic deterrent forces and capabilities in Europe.
Recently, the U.S. and NATO conducted tests for their new hypersonic missile. Could you tell the listeners a little bit about that?
Earlier this month, the US DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) did just that. It’s actually an interdepartmental weapon system, its part of what’s called Conventional Prompt Global Strike, or sometimes simply Prompt Global Strike.
Last year, for example, the Obama administration asked for somewhere in the neighbourhood of a quarter of a billion dollars for this year to develop the capacity. It’s meant to deliver conventional weapon attacks to any site on the planet within no more than 60 minutes. And what happened earlier this month was that the U.S. Army tested the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW), which traveled an estimated 7,400 km/h, which is over six times the speed of sound.
In August, an unsuccessful test of an AHW-related component was to have traveled at 27,000 km/h, which is over MACH 20 – that is 20 times the speed of sound. To be hypersonic one has to exceed MACH 5, or five times the speed of sound.
The day before President Medvedev’s statement about moving mobile ISKANDER missiles into the Kaliningrad District, but also potentially into Belarus and into the southern Krasnodar region, which would be closer to US missiles in Romania and to the NATO radar facility in Turkey, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov mentioned that Russia’s new air-defense systems are capable of intercepting any kind of missiles, including U.S. interceptor missiles but also, he explicitly mentioned, hypersonic weapons.
He said that explicitly? Hypersonic?
Yes, he said it specifically in reference to the test that had been conducted a week earlier by the U.S.
You mentioned earlier this was a part of the Prompt Global Strike system? Is this a first-strike system?
I’ll read you a comment that was made a couple of years ago by a person who is now retired, then-Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Cartwright, who stated that the proclaimed intent of the Prompt Global Strike program was to deliver strikes by conventional missiles or heavy bombers – long-range bombers – anywhere on the face of the Earth within an hour.
Marine General James Cartwright stated: “At the high end, strikes could be delivered in 300 milliseconds,” which is a fraction of a second.
There was also a comment by another person who is now retired, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense William Lynn, who stated roughly the same thing a year and a half ago. He said: “The next air warfare priority for the Pentagon is developing a next-generation, deep-penetrating strike capability that can overcome air defenses,” meaning again that a first-strike capability or part of a general first-strike capability that would permit the US to strike fast, deep and undetected presumably into the interior of countries that have advanced air defense systems. I can only think of three countries that would match that description – Iran, to a lesser extent, and Russia and China, to a greater.
How would this all tie in with the Cyber Warfare Center that’s been active recently in Estonia?
Yes, in 2008, NATO set up one of what they call, what NATO calls, a Center of Excellence, a Cyber Defense Centre in the capital of Estonia, in reaction to cyber attacks, real or alleged.
So we have three components being integrated, one of them being the so-called global missile shield. But, first of all, there is no real assurance that the missiles in fact pack a non-explosive warhead. They are supposed to be what are called kinetic or hit-to-kill missiles, but at any time that the U.S. chooses I suspect it can put a strategic warhead on one of these missiles after they are deployed in Poland or Romania and no one would be the wiser.
We know that the momentous statement by President Medvedev on Wednesday cited the fact that Russia was not consulted about anything. In his own words, the U.S. rather blithely announces developments after the fact or rather the president or defense minister of Russia have to read in Western newspapers information concerning U.S. plans to deploy, under NATO auspices, 48 Standard Missile-3 interceptors in Romania and Poland, 24 each, and, as he put it, it’s presented to Russia as an accomplished fact.
With that lack of consultation, with that lack of openness, transparency, one would be justified in fearing the ultimate purpose of U.S. missiles in nations like Poland and Romania or ship-based versions of Standard Missile-3 interceptors that will be deployed in the Baltic Sea and may well find their way into the Barents, Norwegian and Black Seas.
Stop NATO news: November 28, 2011
====
Russia To Hold Talks In China, Iran On Global NATO-U.S. Missile Shield
NATO Attack: Pakistan On The Boil
Pakistan Buries Soldiers; U.S., NATO Flags, Obama Effigy Burned
Pakistan To Completely Review Relations With U.S., NATO
Pakistan: Several Thousand Protesters Surround U.S. Consulate In Karachi
Hundreds Of NATO Containers Blocked At Crossing Points
NATO Supply Line Has Been Cut Permanently: Interior Minister
Government: 83 Percent Of Pakistanis Killed In Drone Strikes Innocent Civilians
U.S. Drone Strike Kills At Least 39 In Somalia
Russia Could Cut U.S.-NATO Afghan War Transit Over Missiles
Putin Warns West Against Interfering In Russian Election
Dark Clouds Of War Shroud Syria
France Says Assad’s Days Numbered, Russia To Deploy Warships
Video And Text. Mideast Regime Change: 21st Century Energy Strategy
NATO Soldiers Wounded In Clash With Serb Protesters
Chicago NATO Summit To Boost Georgia’s Accession Bid
====
Russia To Hold Talks In China, Iran On Global NATO-U.S. Missile Shield
http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/1962755.html
Trend News Agency
Nobember 28, 2011
Russian rep to NATO to hold global missile defense talks in China and Iran
Permanent Representative of Russia to NATO Dmitry Rogozin plans to visit China and Iran in the middle of January to discuss problem of deploying the global missile defense system, RIA Novosti reported.
“On behalf of the president’s instructions, we plan to visit Beijing and Tehran, to discuss the issues related to the promotion plan for a global missile defense,” said Rogozin during a round table in the State Duma on Monday.
In China, meetings with Minister of Foreign Affairs and authorities of the General staff are scheduled, and in Iran with the Secretary of National Security Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In October, Moscow’s NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin said Russian talks with the United States on missile defense had hit a dead end.
The Kremlin says the U.S. expansion of an anti-missile system in Europe is a potential threat to Russia’s nuclear arsenal, while Washington has been trying to convince Moscow that the system poses no threat to Russia and is needed to protect against missiles that could be fired from countries with smaller arsenals such as Iran.
The missile shield dispute between Russia and the United States has undermined efforts to build on improvements in relations between the former Cold War foes and is intensified by Russia’s uncertainty of U.S. policy after the November 2012 presidential elections.
Edited by: S. Isayev
———————————————————————————————
http://en.rian.ru/world/20111128/169117562.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 28, 2011
Russia’s NATO envoy to visit China, Iran over missile defense
MOSCOW: Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin will visit China and Iran in mid-January to discuss a U.S.-backed global missile defense network.
“We are planning to visit both Beijing and Tehran soon under the Russian president’s directive, to discuss the planned deployment of a global missile defense network,” Rogozin said during a roundtable meeting at the lower house of the Russian parliament.
Rogozin said he would meet with Foreign Ministry and General Staff officials in China, and hold talks with the head of the Supreme National Security Council and diplomats in Iran.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev outlined on Wednesday a series of possible “appropriate measures” if missile defense talks between Moscow and Washington result in failure, including the deployment of “advanced offensive weapon systems” targeting the European component of the missile defense network.
Russia and NATO tentatively agreed to cooperate on the European missile defense network at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010 but differences in approaches toward the project led to a deadlock in negotiations.
The Kremlin says the U.S. expanding anti-missile system in Europe is a potential threat to the Russian nuclear arsenal, while Washington is trying to convince Moscow that the system poses no threat to Russia, that it is needed to protect against attack from “rogue states” such as Iran.
Rogozin called the U.S. proposals to jointly monitor missile threats over Europe and to allow Russian experts to take part in the first tests of the global missile shield next spring as “absurd” on Monday.
“It looks more like propaganda than a serious proposal…Our specialists might have been interested in monitoring the tests if they could use telemetric equipment but Washington will not allow that,” he said.
“They said our experts could look through binoculars from some sort of a barge from a long distance…We have a planetarium in Moscow and it is very exiting to watch the stars there, so they might well have invited us to visit this planetarium,” Rogozin quipped.
The United States and NATO plan to place elements of the proposed global missile shield in Poland, Romania and Turkey.
Moscow is seeking written, legally-binding guarantees that the shield will not be directed against it but Washington has refused to put its verbal assurances in writing.
====
NATO Attack: Pakistan On The Boil
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2665908.ece
The Hindu
November 27, 2011
NATO attack: Pakistan on the boil
By Anita Joshua
The helicopter attack on Pakistan Army border posts in Mohmand tribal agency could further strain the already tense relations between Islamabad and Kabul that ran into rough weather in September following the assassination of Afghan High Peace Council chairman Burhanuddin Rabbani.
Islamabad on Sunday protested to the Afghan government about the use of its soil by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for attacking Pakistan…
Given that this attack comes in the wake of several cross-border incursions into Pakistan from Afghanistan through the summer despite heavy coalition force presence west of the Durand Line, Pakistan was up in arms and the anger was primarily directed against the U.S.
Protest marches were held in various parts of the country including near the U.S. consulate in Karachi, even as funeral prayers were offered for the 24 soldiers killed in the attack. The combined funeral prayer organised in Peshawar before the bodies were sent to their respective native places was attended by Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the provincial leadership.
Apprehensive of attacks, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad issued an alert asking Americans to be vigilant. While the U.S. Embassy maintained it was not aware of any specific threat, employees have been advised to reduce non-essential travel and use “buddy systems” to account for the whereabouts of colleagues. As a matter of caution, the Embassy has asked some of its personnel employed outside Islamabad to return to the federal capital.
With the closure of supply lines for NATO troops in Afghanistan, trucks were lined up at the two border crossing points of Chaman in Balochistan and Torkham in the Khyber agency. The closure is not expected to affect NATO troops drastically as attackson these trucks had forced the U.S. and its allies to shift movement of the bulk of non-military supplies through Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
====
Pakistan Buries Soldiers; U.S., NATO Flags, Obama Effigy Burned
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\28\story_28-11-2011_pg1_1
Daily Times
Agencies
November 28, 2011
Pakistan buries troops as rage spreads
* Thousands of enraged Pakistanis take to streets across country, burning an effigy of Obama and setting fire to US, NATO flags
* Kayani attends troops’ funeral prayer in Peshawar
PESHAWAR: Pakistan on Sunday buried 24 troops killed in a NATO cross-border air attack that has pushed a crisis in relations between the United States and an ally it needs to fight militancy towards rupture.
Television stations showed the coffins of the soldiers draped in national flags in a prayer ceremony at the Corp Headquarters in Peshawar attended by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani. Pakistan shut down NATO supply routes into Afghanistan – used for sending in nearly half of the alliance’s land shipments – in retaliation for the worst such attack since Islamabad uneasily allied itself with Washington following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
About 500 members of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) staged a protest in Mohmand tribal area, where the NATO attack took place. “Down with America” and “Jihad is The Only Answer to America”, they yelled. In Karachi, the port city used by the US to ship supplies to troops fighting in Afghanistan, thousands gathered outside the US consulate. They shouted: “down with America, stay away Americans, Pakistan is ours, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our army”, while riot police were deployed near the consulate. Outside the press club in Karachi, dozens of political activists burnt an effigy of President Obama.
In the central city of Multan, more than 300 activists loyal to the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, as well as local traders took to the streets, burning US and NATO flags. They carried placards and banners, and shouted: “down with America,” “down with NATO,” “Yankees go back”, “vacate Afghanistan and Pakistan” and “stop drone attacks”. Speaking at the rally, opposition lawmaker Javed Hashmi demanded that the government end its alliance in the US-led “war on terror”.
In Islamabad, at least 200 activists of the JI held a rally. “We strongly condemn the attack and the killing of our soldiers,” local JI chief Mian Aslam told the rally, as protesters chanted “Pakistan is America’s graveyard.”
In Karachi, dozens of truck drivers who should have been transporting supplies to Afghanistan were idle. Taj Malli braves the threat of Taliban attacks to deliver supplies to Afghanistan so that he can support his children. But he thinks it is time to block the route permanently in protest. “Pakistan is more important than money. The government must stop all supplies to NATO so that they realise the importance of Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan is reviewing whether it will go ahead with plans to attend a major international conference in Bonn next month on the future of Afghanistan in light of the NATO attack. Around 40 troops were stationed at the outposts at the time of the attack, military sources said. “They without any reasons attacked on our post and killed soldiers asleep,” said a senior Pakistani officer.
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Pakistan To Completely Review Relations With U.S., NATO
http://rt.com/news/nato-attack-pakistan-us-305/
RT
November 27, 2011
Pakistan to ‘completely review’ ties with US
Pakistan says it is reviewing its relations with the US and NATO and has taken “urgent action” after a NATO attack on Friday killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. A key Afghan border has been sealed and the US ordered to quit an air-base in the country.
NATO helicopters allegedly fired on a checkpoint in northwest Pakistan’s Mohmand tribal area near the Afghan border.
The decision to review relations was taken at an urgent meeting of Pakistan’s government defense committee with the participation of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and top military and government leaders.
In a statement, officials said “the government will revisit and undertake a complete review of all programs, activities and co-operative arrangements with US/NATO/ISAF, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence.”
Islamabad condemned what it called an “unprovoked attack” by NATO helicopters. The statement called for “strong and urgent action against those responsible for this aggression.”
…
Pakistan has cut a key NATO supply route to Afghanistan in the wake of the strike. Islamabad has also demanded that the US Air Force abandon Shamsi military airbase in Belujistan within 15 days in an official memorandum of the defense committee headed by Pakistan’s prime minister.
Pakistani truck drivers carrying supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan say they are now worried about militant attacks following the border closure.
Nearly 300 trucks were stranded at the country’s two Afghan border crossings on Sunday after Islamabad decided to block the coalition’s supplies. Drivers say they hardly slept all night, fearing possible attacks. Suspected militants destroyed about 150 trucks a year ago after Pakistan closed the Torkham crossing for about 10 days following a similar incident.
The 24 soldiers killed in the assault were buried on Sunday, with a prayer ceremony for the deceased at the headquarters of the regional command in Peshawar being televised. The coffins were draped in green and white Pakistani flags. Two officers were reported to be among the dead.
About 500 members of Jamaat-e-Islami – Pakistan’s most influential religious party – staged a protest, yelling “Down with America” and “Jihad is the only answer to America”, Reuters reports. The rally took place in the Mohmand tribal area where the attack occurred.
“They attacked our post and killed soldiers while they were asleep without any reason,” a senior Pakistani officer told Reuters.
Around 40 troops were stationed at the outposts at the time of the attack, military sources said.
====
Pakistan: Several Thousand Protesters Surround U.S. Consulate In Karachi
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/11/27/61119020.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 27, 2011
Pakistanis angered by US attack on border checkpoint
Several thousand Pakistanis have staged a rally near the US consulate in Karachi, a port city in the country’s south.
They were protesting against the recent attack of US helicopters on a Pakistani checkpoint on the border with Afghanistan, as a result of which 24 Pakistani servicemen were killed.
The crowd surrounded the consulate and chanted anti-US slogans.
…
The shelling of the checkpoint caused a tough reaction from Pakistani authorities, which have threatened to review Pakistan’s plans of cooperation with the US and NATO.
====
Hundreds Of NATO Containers Blocked At Crossing Points
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\28\story_28-11-2011_pg1_7
Daily Times
November 28, 2011
Hundreds of NATO containers blocked at Torkham, Chaman
TORKHAM/CHAMAN: Long queues of NATO supply tankers have been formed on the Torkham and Quetta-Chaman highways as Pakistan closed the crossing points for NATO supplies after helicopter attacks in Mohmand Agency on Saturday.
According to reports, NATO supply containers entering from Punjab were stopped at Nowshera and all clearance points were sealed.
After the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Defence, all the routes for NATO supply have been closed for the supply vehicles. Owners of the containers have been directed to take them to secure points.
Hundreds of containers were also parked at the Chaman crossing point and heavy contingents of police and FC have been deployed there for security purposes.
====
NATO Supply Line Has Been Cut Permanently: Interior Minister
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=10583&Cat=13
News International
November 28, 2011
Supply line permanently stopped: Malik
Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Sunday said the Nato supply line had not been suspended but permanently stopped, making it clear that containers that had been stopped would not be allowed to cross the Pak-Afghan border.
Talking to the media here at the National Crisis Management Cell of the Ministry of Interior, he strongly condemned the Nato attack on Pakistani forces and said Nato should respect the feelings of the Pakistani nation. The minister said the nation and the government mourned the death of 26 personnel of the Pakistani security forces caused by Nato aggression on the Salala post in Mohmand Agency.
He said the decisions of the Defence Cabinet Committee (DCC) on the Nato attack would be implemented in letter and spirit. “The decisions of the DCC are final and will be implemented,” the minister said. “The democratic government of Pakistan will not take dictation from anyone.”
…
—————————————————————————-
http://ftpapp.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=167031&It\
emid=2
Associated Press of Pakistan
November 27, 2011
NATO supply stopped permanently: Malik
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Sunday said that the supply of NATO has not been suspended rather it has been stopped permanently. Talking to reporters here at National Crisis Management Cell of Ministry of Interior, he strongly condemned the NATO attack on Pakistani forces. “The NATO force should respect the feelings of the Pakistani nation.”
He said the nation and the government were aggrieved on the death of 24 officials of Pakistani security forces in the wake of NATO aggression on Salala post in Mohmand Agency. He said the decisions of the Defence Cabinet Committee (DCC) on the NATO forces attack inside Pakistan would be implemented in letter and spirit. “The decisions of the DCC are final and would be implemented,” he added.
The Minister said that NATO containers which have been stopped would not be allowed to cross the Pak-Afghan border.
Malik said that the democratic government of Pakistan would not take dictation from anyone.
…
====
Government: 83 Percent Of Pakistanis Killed In Drone Strikes Innocent Civilians
South Asian News Agency
November 25, 2011
Pak terms 83 percent people killed during drone attacks in past seven years ‘innocent’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has termed 83 percent of people killed in US drone attacks in the tribal areas of the country during the past seven years as “innocent”.
…
According to a private TV channel it is revealed from the intelligence sources that most of the drone attacks happened during the era of the present government which are over 200; meanwhile the US has carried out 285 drone attacks in Pakistan so far from 2004 to till this date.
During the current year 72 drone strikes has been carried out and from 2004 nearly 2,780 people has been killed; meanwhile the intelligence institutions in their latest research report said that only 17 percent has been killed during these attacks of those killed were terrorists belonging to al-Qaeda and Taliban.
Most of the people killed in the drone attacks were innocent and include women, children and aged people, and during the current year 46 drone attacks were carried out in North Waziristan Agency, 22 in South Waziristan Agency and two attacks were carried out in FATA and other areas of KPK.
[M]eanwhile the it has also been decided to take up the issue in the United Nations and in this regard the data is being collected and the issue would be raised in front of the UN Human Rights Council.
====
U.S. Drone Strike Kills At Least 39 In Somalia
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=160403
Azeri Press Agency
November 27, 2011
US terror drones kill 39 more in Somalia
Baku: At least 39 people have been killed after US assassination drones launched aerial attacks on southern Somalia near the Indian Ocean coast, APA reports quoting Press TV.
Dozens of others were also injured after the remote-controlled aerial vehicles fired several missiles, Somali tribal elders told Press TV on Saturday evening.
The incident took place on the outskirts of Kismayo, a strategically important port city on the Somali coast located some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the country’s capital Mogadishu.
Somalia is the sixth country where the United States has used assassination drones to launch missile strikes. The US military has also used drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, and Yemen.
On October 28, Washington admitted to flying the terror aircraft from a base in Ethiopia.
…
The confirmation appeared a day after The Washington Post revealed in a report that the US flies ’armed’ drones from an airfield in Ethiopia’s southern city of Arba Minch.
…
====
Putin Warns West Against Interfering In Russian Election
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20111127/169086652.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 27, 2011
Putin warns West against interfering in Russia’s votes
-“It would be better if they used this money to pay off their national debt and stop conducting an ineffective and costly foreign policy.”
MOSCOW: Russia’s prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has warned Western powers against meddling in Russia’s forthcoming elections after agreeing to stand for president in March 2012.
Addressing a glitzy congress of the ruling United Russia party on Sunday, Putin said any attempts by “foreign states” to influence Russia’s political process would be “futile.”
Russia will hold a crucial parliamentary vote next week, followed by presidential elections in March next year.
“Representatives of some foreign states” were paying politically-active NGOs in Russia to “influence the course of the election campaign in our country,” Putin said to a roar of approval and applause.
…
“It would be better if they used this money to pay off their national debt and stop conducting an ineffective and costly foreign policy,” he said in a clear reference to the debt-ridden United States.
“It’s a wasted effort, like throwing money to the wind,” he added.
…
====
Russia Could Cut U.S.-NATO Afghan War Transit Over Missiles
http://rt.com/politics/nato-afghanistan-missile-defense-365/
RT
November 28, 2011
Missile defense sparks diplomatic offensive
Russia could review its relations with NATO on the critically-important issue of Afghanistan if it does not react to Moscow’s statements made in response to America’s missile defense plans, Russia’s envoy to the alliance has said.
“If our partners do not react to the statements [which were] predictable and proportionate to risks and threats, we will have to reconsider our relations with our partners in other areas as well,” Dmitry Rogozin said, as cited by Interfax.
Such a review could apply to Russia’s co-operation over the transit corridor used by NATO to move equipment and supplies into Afghanistan. Moscow’s permanent representative to NATO noted that he supports a systematic approach when it comes to addressing the problem.
Earlier last week, President Dmitry Medvedev outlined a raft of military and diplomatic measures in response to the US deploying its missile defense shield in Europe and failing to provide any legal guarantees that the system would not be targeted against Russia.
On Monday, speaking at a roundtable at the State Duma, Rogozin underlined that when it comes to national security, Moscow must think globally, “just as our partners do.”
He stressed that Russia would only be respected if its partners see it as a power that is capable of an adequate response to “any aggressor or group of aggressors.” The diplomat pointed out that the US plans all its military operations based on the concept of a lightning strike. NATO can simultaneously fight two large wars and six medium-scale ones.
“It’s a good question, especially for us, who would be enemies in large wars,” Rogozin noted.
The president of the Council for Strategic Priorities, Aleksey Pushkov, also believes that Russia should review its relations with NATO in the case that the alliance does not react to Moscow’s statements. If the military bloc pushes ahead with its projects despite Russia’s harsh rhetoric, the latter would lose credibility and cease to be taken seriously.
…
Meanwhile, Washington and its NATO allies were only going through the motions of holding a dialogue with Moscow, while pushing ahead with their plans for a European missile defense shield without reference to Russia’s concerns.
Earlier in the day, Dmitry Rogozin met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss preparations for next week’s ministerial session of the Russia-NATO Council, due to be held in Brussels.
Further efforts to reach an agreement on building the missile defense shield close to Russia’s western border will be made at the NATO summit in Chicago next May.
====
Dark Clouds Of War Shroud Syria
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-11/28/c_131274625.htm
Xinhua News Agency
November 28, 2011
Dark clouds of war shrouding Syria
By Li Hongmei
-[U.S.]activities are reminiscent of a similar initiative when a group of NATO vessels were concentrated near Libya. Washington wants to collect a maximum dividend from the series of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. With this aim in mind, Washington is likely to start a military intervention even without UN approval…[A] possible encounter between USS George HW Bush and Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov off the Syrian shores could finally ignite the tinderbox, threatening the already brittle tranquility in the region.
-The Sarkozy administration, having reaped a string of “firsts” in Libya attack, has once again become the first Western nation to suggest an international intervention on the ground in Syria with its calls for a “secure zone to protect civilians”, and first to endorse the exiled opposition Syrian National Council.
BEIJING: In…an unprecedented move against an Arab nation, the Arab League has voted to impose economic sanctions on Syria.
On Sunday, Damascus slammed the sanctions as a betrayal of Arab solidarity and insisted a foreign conspiracy was behind the revolt, all but alluding to more bloodshed could follow.
This has not only sent thousands of pro-government Syrians to street rallying against the sanctions which are interpreted as the clearest sign to leave Syria in the cold and more vulnerable to the outside assault, but has raised fears of civil war – a worst-case scenario in a country that is a geographical and political keystone in the heart of the Middle East.
Syria borders five countries with whom it shares religious and ethnic minorities. And its web of allegiances extends to Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement and Iran’s Shiite theocracy. Chaos in Syria could send unsettling ripples across the region.
As a latest sign of Western intervention, the nuclear aircraft-carrier USS George HW Bush has reportedly anchored off Syria. The ship is capable of carrying up to 70 aircraft, including 48 attack jets. The aircraft-carrier is escorted by a group of vessels which contains a destroyer.
As the deadline set by Arab league to allow observers into the country meets with no response from Damascus, the possibility of a direct military intervention in Syria seems to be augmented.
In this connection, experts are giving both a pessimistic and comparatively moderate prospect of the latest developments near the Syrian sea border. Many believe the U.S. redeployment of its carrier from the Persian Gulf to the Syrian shores is part of preparations for a military operation against Syria.
After all, these activities are reminiscent of a similar initiative when a group of NATO vessels were concentrated near Libya. Washington wants to collect a maximum dividend from the series of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. With this aim in mind, Washington is likely to start a military intervention even without UN approval.
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Meanwhile, whipping-up tension around Syria is taking place along different lines as well. The day before The George Bush was redeployed near the Syrian coastline, the Al-Arabiya Saudi TV channel reported that three Russian Navy ships entered Syrian territorial waters, although the information is as yet to be confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry.
However, Russia has voiced its opposition to any move to target Syria as the next Libya, say, foreign military interventions into the country, with whom Russia would consistently kept arms deals with. There is a Russian naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, which is the only Russian military base abroad at present.
It is also reported that, due to increasing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, Russia has sent its “Admiral Kuznetsov”, the only aircraft carrier on active duty, and it is now on the way to the…zone off Syria. This also gives rise to some speculations that the possible encounter between USS George HW Bush and Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov off the Syrian shores could finally ignite the tinderbox, threatening the already brittle tranquility in the region.
It is still a mooted point whether Russia could look back from the plow and come to a halt at the critical juncture.
America and Turkey are urging their citizens to leave Syria. The US released a statement last week urging its citizens to “depart immediately while commercial transportation is available.”
France is urging the creation of a secure zone to protect civilians “that would allow aid groups and observers into Syria” and it is seeking support from the US, UN and the Arab League. The imposition of a no-fly zone over Syria by the Arab League with US logistical support, is also being discussed, according to the Jordan-based Al Bawaba news website. A strong sense of déjà vu prevails, with the specter of a Libyan scenario repeating itself.
Rumors about the no-fly zone over Syria came in the wake of the UN resolution last Tuesday which condemned human rights abuses by the Syrian regime.
The Sarkozy administration, having reaped a string of “firsts” in Libya attack, has once again become the first Western nation to suggest an international intervention on the ground in Syria with its calls for a “secure zone to protect civilians”, and first to endorse the exiled opposition Syrian National Council.
With Libya now in the rearview mirror, Syria appears to be the next stop.
There is already criticism saying the “secure zone” proposal is a French fig leaf, and it could be a pretext for intervention, in an echo of the NATO bombing campaign in Libya. It is might as well taken as an attempt by France to regain some prestige on the international arena.
On this analysis, things would possibly turn out to be that: Bashar al-Assad is irreversibly to go, and a tacit agreement involving all the concerned parties will be finally clinched on the verge of bloodshed or, if al-Assad would never yield to the mounting pressure to step down, Western allies would replicate what they did in Libya, and Russia then would make an about-face from its current standpoint, Syria would be grilled over flames of war, with its people more suffering.
What’s more, once the Syrian regime is overthrown, a Pandora’s box might be opened.
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France Says Assad’s Days Numbered, Russia To Deploy Warships
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/arabicr/1962676.html
Trend News Agency
November 28, 2011
Assad’s days are numbered, Russia to send warships to Syria in 2012 – French FM
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Monday that time was running out for the regime in Syria as Russia said it will send a flotilla of warships led by its only aircraft carrier to its naval base in Syria for a port call next year, Al Arabiya reported.
A report said Monday that Russia will send a flotilla of warships led by its only aircraft carrier to its naval base in Syria for a port call next year amid tensions with the West over the Syrian crisis. The ships, headed by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, will dock at the little-utilized Russian base in the Syrian port of Tartus in spring 2012, the Izvestia daily said, quoting the Russian navy.
Juppe’s remarks came after the Arab League agreed sweeping sanctions against Damascus over its deadly crackdown on protesters.
“Its days are numbered, that is obvious. It is totally isolated today,” Juppe told France Info radio, while acknowledging that efforts to try to stem the bloodshed in Syria were moving slowly.
“Things are going slowly unfortunately … but they are advancing since the Arab League, which carries considerable political weight, has just decided on some sanctions which will isolate the Syrian regime a bit more.”
He also voiced hope that the idea of humanitarian corridors had not been ruled out for Syria, where well over 3,500 people have been killed since protests erupted in March.
Last week, Juppe said France would ask its EU partners to consider setting up protected escape routes…
“We have done this in other situations and it is the only way in the short term to ease the plight of the population,” he said Monday.
The United Nations said at the weekend that international help was needed to feed 1.5 million people in crisis-torn Syria, but that humanitarian corridors were not yet justified.
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Video And Text. Mideast Regime Change: 21st Century Energy Strategy
http://rt.com/news/regime-iran-us-oil-347/
RT
November 28, 2011
Regime change: the 21st century energy source
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The US and Europe are to hammer out harsh penalties for Syria and Iran at a joint summit in Washington on Monday, but their objectives are being widely seen as far from democratic.
The summit comes as the US and Europe seek new ways to strengthen their global position, with the two Arab countries proving a tempting source of fortification as hawks call for regime change in one nation and a megaton of discipline in the other.
Observers believe European politicians are joining with the US president in turning tensions around Syria and Iran to economic gain. After all, the decision on whether or not to meddle in a foreign country’s affairs is never entirely selfless. Looking at Iran, for example, a country with vast natural resources, it is not hard to see the benefits of such a venture.
Iran is the world’s third-largest oil exporter. It is second in gas reserves.
And the US is not getting any of the Iranian oil.
Europe, on the other hand, accounts for a significant proportion of Iran’s crude exports.
Despite facing severe energy problems, it has recently stopped buying oil from Syria and might stop buying crude from Iran as well if the EU decides to impose an oil embargo on the Islamic Republic.
But analysts say the West will not be able to do without Egyptian oil for long.
“They would need more oil, more gas, a lower price for oil and gas, a more steady supply,” financial analyst Max Wolff told RT.
How to make it happen?
“What they would like to do is make the population so economically miserable that they would seek to change the regime,” believes Professor Lawrence Davidson, a MidEast expert from West Chester University.
“The second way is to isolate the country from its neighbors to the point where you can safely, without too many complications, go in and simply attack Iran and destroy the regime through destroying the country.”
The US and the EU are trying to press Iran’s biggest trade partner, China, to do less business with Tehran. And the US is now calling on Pakistan to stop building a gas pipeline with Iran.
Isolation seems to be the strategy – regime change, the endgame. And the benefits could be enormous.
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NATO Soldiers Wounded In Clash With Serb Protesters
Voice of America News
November 28, 2011
NATO Soldiers Wounded in Clash With Serb Protesters
A NATO spokesman says two soldiers serving with NATO’s Kosovo Force were wounded Monday during a confrontation with Serb protesters in north Kosovo.
The violence erupted when NATO troops began removing several earthen roadblocks put in place by the Serbs who reject the authority of the Kosovo government. The ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.
A KFOR spokesman said the wounded soldiers condition is not known.
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Chicago NATO Summit To Boost Georgia’s Accession Bid
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/nato-2012-summit-to-ease-georgia-s-bid-czech-pm-necas/721027
Czech News Agency
November 28, 2011
NATO 2012 summit to ease Georgia’s bid – Czech PM Necas
Prague:The May 2012 summit of NATO in Chicago may bring progress to Georgia’s NATO bid, Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said after meeting his Georgian counterpart Nika Gilauri today.
Necas said Prague supported Georgia’s euro-Atlantic aspirations.
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Necas said when the talks on NATO accession had been held with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in the late 1990s, one could also hear a “very similar rhetoric” from Russia about the unacceptability of the step and its serious consequences.
Necas said time had clearly demonstrated that the step has succeeded…
Since then, NATO was been enlarged to include the three Baltic countries, former parts of the Soviet Union, Necas said.
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Necas said Georgia’s NATO bid had also been backed by the NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008 and that there was no need to backpedal on its conclusions.
While on a visit to the Russian part of Caucasus a week ago, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said if Russia had not won the 2008 war with Georgia, NATO would have been widened to include some more former Soviet countries.
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